Thursday, May 14

NASA

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NASA

FCC allocates additional spectrum for commercial launches

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission has formally allocated additional spectrum for launch applications, fulfilling a provision in a bill passed earlier this year. The FCC published Dec. 31 a report and order that allocated spectrum between 2360 and 2395 megahertz for use in communications to and from commercial launch and reentry vehicles on a secondary basis. That band currently has a primary use for aircraft and missile testing communications. The order satisfies language in the Launch Communications Act (LCA) of 2024, signed into law by President Biden Sept. 26 after Senate passage by unanimous consent and House passage on a voice vote. The act directed the FCC to make available three bands for use in commercial launches and reentries, finalizing such allocations...
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Tom Hanks bringing ‘The Moonwalkers’ to Houston for US premiere
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NASA

Tom Hanks bringing ‘The Moonwalkers’ to Houston for US premiere

By CollectSpace.comHOUSTON, TX (Dec. 10, 2024) – More than a year after the immersive film debuted in London, “The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks” is set to make its U.S. premiere at Space Center Houston in February 2025. Projected against multiple walls, “The Moonwalkers” envelops audiences in the story of humanity’s journey to the moon, from the historic launches more than 50 years ago to the current efforts to return astronauts to the lunar surface today.“I’m delighted to be bringing this project home to the place where the moonwalkers lived and worked throughout the Apollo program and where today’s Artemis crews are preparing to follow in their footsteps,” said Hanks in a statement. “Moonwalkers” with Christopher Riley, who is known for his work on space-theme documentaries ...
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Senate NASA bill focuses on commercial space stations, science mission overruns
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NASA

Senate NASA bill focuses on commercial space stations, science mission overruns

WASHINGTON — A NASA authorization bill introduced in the Senate in the final days of the current Congress would have directed NASA to accelerate work on commercial space stations and address cost overruns on science programs. The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2024 was formally introduced in the Senate Dec. 18 by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, along with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the committee. Other co-sponsors include Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), chair and ranking member of the committee’s space subcommittee, and Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The bill would have authorized $25.478 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2025, slightly above the $25.434 billion in the Sen...
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Next Crew Dragon mission delayed a month
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NASA

Next Crew Dragon mission delayed a month

WASHINGTON — Delays in the completion of a new Crew Dragon spacecraft will extend the stay of astronauts on the International Space Station by a month, including two who have been there since June. NASA announced Dec. 17 that it was delaying the launch of the Crew-10 mission to the ISS, previously scheduled for February, to no earlier than late March. NASA, in its statement, cited the need to provide additional time to complete a new Dragon spacecraft that will be used for the mission. “Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” said Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager, in a statement. “We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support...
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Rivada brushes off regulatory setback for proposed broadband constellation
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NASA

Rivada brushes off regulatory setback for proposed broadband constellation

TAMPA, Fla. — Rivada Space Networks remains confident it can reclaim priority Ka-band spectrum rights for nearly 600 proposed broadband satellites, more than two months after Liechtenstein’s telecoms regulator rescinded its license. “We continue to discuss the matter with the regulator, and we are confident that we can reach an agreement to use the Liechtenstein filings,” Rivada spokesperson Brian Carney said Dec. 13. Carney said Liechtenstein’s Office for Communications (AK) withdrew its spectrum filing at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an arm of the United Nations, over “a difference of opinion about the timing of the deposit of a performance bond with the regulator,” but declined to give details. AK director Rainer Schnepfleitner also declined to discuss what...
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