Spaceleaks daily: Mar 19, 2021

The newsletter for space professionals

Spaceleaks daily: Mar 19, 2021

Worldwide:

• ESA opens business incubator in Greece
• Galileo will help Lunar Pathfinder navigate around Moon
• State-owned NewSpace India Ltd to pitch GSLV Mk-3 to compete against SpaceX’s Falcon 9
• Tunisia’s first satellite is the beginning of a mutually beneficial partnership, says Russian Foreign Ministry

Business:

• China’s Xingyun announces massive funding round over $400 Million USD
• Maxar and Busek thruster system for NASA Lunar Gateway passes critical milestone
• Co-founded by a leader of SpaceX’s missions operations, Epsilon3 wants to be the OS for space launches
• Satellite start-up Capella Space aims to tap $60 billion intelligence market with new imagery
• FAA receives 321 comments during scoping for SpaceX’s Boca Chica site’s Environmental Review
• Vector Acquisition Corporation II’s $450 Million IPO
• Spanish UARX to work with DLR on LEO and Moon
• Sateliot plans to start offering service in 2022 with a turnover of 236 Million Euros by 2025
• CAE USA issues challenge to $106.9M Space Force award
• SES Partners with Amartus on O3b Fleet Automation
• MDA set to file for public offering in coming days
• CFI gives out $518 million to Canadian projects, including for space exploration
• Arianespace to hit its stride with next OneWeb launch
• Air Force to build space environment research facility in New Mexico

Technology:

• Japan’s ImPACT program creates compact, lightweight technology for compact Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites
• SpaceX agrees to shift Starlink satellites if NASA collision looms
• Capella Space releases first light high-resolution images from its latest SAR satellites

Science:

• Venus: how Rocket Lab could reveal the under-explored planet’s secrets
• Cognitive problems could result from long space missions in zero gravity

Unofficial reports say that Biden will nominate former Florida Senator Bill Nelson to lead NASA and Pam Melroy will be nominated to serve as deputy administrator.

After a successful full Green Run test, NASA will revisit Artemis 1 launch date.

Rep. Don Beyer thinks Congress will need to find a balance between national security and privacy concerns about commercial satellite remote sensing data yet not over-regulating the business.

Florida space officials discuss satellite factory with mysterious ‘Project Kraken,’ but Blue Origin said it’s not Project Kuiper.