- InSight instrument resumes movement into Martian surface
WASHINGTON — A probe on NASA’s InSight Mars lander that has been stuck for months is moving deeper into the surface again thanks to an assist from the lander’s robotic arm. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Oct. 17 that the probe, or “mole,” for the Heat Flow and Physical Properties… Read more » - ESA to request $13.9 billion budget from member states
HELSINKI —The European Space Agency will ask its 22 member states to commit to funding a budget of 12.5 billion euros ($13.9 billion) for the next three years. ESA Director-General Jan Woerner told a news conference Oct. 17 that the proposal will be put to the next ESA Ministerial Council… Read more » - Rocket Lab launches Astro Digital satellite
WASHINGTON — A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched a single cubesat for Astro Digital Oct. 16, placing the satellite into a much higher orbit than previous Electron launches. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s launch site on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 9:22 p.m. Eastern, a launch delayed two… Read more » - Senate confirms Barbara Barrett to be Air Force secretary
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Barbara Barrett to be the 25th Secretary of the Air Force by a margin of 85 to 7. The vote on Oct. 16 makes Barrett the third consecutive woman confirmed to lead the Air Force and its 685,000 airmen. Barrett replaces Heather Wilson who resigned… Read more » - OQ Technology hoping to jump ahead in IoT race through GomSpace cubesat tests
WASHINGTON — A startup planning a constellation of small satellites to link Internet of Things devices says a recent test using another operator’s spacecraft will help it compete with more advanced startups despite not having any satellites in orbit. OQ Technology of Luxembourg used GomSpace’s two GOM-X4 cubesats in low… Read more » - Key House appropriator remains skeptical about Artemis
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA said he remains unconvinced of the need to accelerate NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon because of its uncertain cost. At a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee’s commerce, justice and science subcommittee, Rep. José Serrano… Read more » - Dankberg teases ViaSat-4 specs, still mulling MEO constellation
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Viasat says that co-building its ViaSat-3 satellites with Boeing has given the company experience it can leverage to multiply the capacity achievable with a next-generation ViaSat-4 system. “It’s really the first generation of a satellite constellation that will be integrated in this way,” Viasat CEO Mark… Read more » - SpaceX sees U.S. Army as possible customer for Starlink and Starship
WASHINGTON — SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell appeared on a panel Wednesday alongside U.S. Army leaders who talked about their efforts to modernize the force and bring more innovation into military procurement. Shotwell was speaking to an unfamiliar audience that may not know much about what SpaceX… Read more » - NASA hires Loverro to lead human spaceflight
Updated 1:45 p.m. Eastern with comment from the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration. WASHINGTON — NASA announced Oct. 16 that it has hired Doug Loverro, a former Defense Department official responsible for space policy, to lead its human spaceflight programs. NASA said that it selected Loverro to be the next… Read more » - Thales Alenia Space expanding Spanish factory • Telesat completes $500 million debt refinancing
To receive FIRST UP Satcom, a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals, sign up here. TOP STORIES Thales Alenia Space is expanding one of its facilities in Spain. The company said Oct. 16 it will add 600 square meters of clean room space at its Tres Cantos, Madrid, facility to… Read more »
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