What’s Happening in Space Policy December 4-9, 2017
Here is our list of space policy events for the week of December 4-9, 2017 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
Today’s Tidbits: December 1, 2017
Here are our tidbits for December 1, 2017: Russian commission meets on Soyuz/Fregat failure; and Orbital ATK stockholders approve acquisition by Northrop Grumman. Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter for more news and live tweeting of events.
Voyager 1 Gets Help from Thrusters Dormant for 37 Years
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft continues its journey into interstellar space and just got help from on-board thrusters that have not been used for 37 years. The four Aerojet Rocketdyne MR-103 trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) engines were last fired in 1980 when the spacecraft was passing Saturn. On Tuesday, they were needed again and worked just fine.
Jeffrey DeWit Nominated as NASA CFO
President Trump has announced his intent to nominate Jeffrey DeWit to become NASA’s next Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He is now the State Treasurer of Arizona and in 2016 was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and CFO of Trump’s presidential campaign. [UPDATE: the nomination was formally sent to the Senate on December 1.]
Today’s Tidbits: November 29, 2017
Here are our tidbits for November 29, 2017: is a government shutdown coming?, and Barry Myers’ nomination hearing to be NOAA Administrator. Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter for more news and live tweeting of events.
Navigation Equipment May Have Caused Soyuz Failure
Russia’s official TASS news agency reported today that yesterday’s Meteor M2-1 launch failure may have been caused by faulty navigation equipment on the Soyuz rocket’s Fregat upper stage. The failure doomed the weather satellite and 18 smaller satellites that also were aboard.
Russian Weather Satellite, 18 Others Lost in Soyuz Launch Failure
Russia’s launch of a new weather satellite, Meteor M2-1, failed earlier today apparently due to an upper stage malfunction. Russia’s space state corporation, Roscosmos, announced that it is unable to communicate with the satellite because it is not in its intended orbit. Also lost are 18 cubesats/smallsats, including 10 Lemur-2 satellites for Spire Global.
Today’s Tidbits: November 27, 2017
Here are our tidbits for November 27, 2017: analyzing the demise of XCOR; and the fate of DMSP-20. Be sure to check our website for feature stories and follow us on Twitter for more news and live tweeting of events.
NASA Releases Full WFIRST Independent Review Report
The day before Thanksgiving, NASA released the full report of the WFIRST Independent External Technical-Management-Cost Review (WIETR). NASA earlier had indicated it would not release the full report until February 2018 when another report is due in response to the WIETR findings, but obviously changed its mind. The full report amplifies and expands upon what was briefed to the National Academies’ Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA) on October 25, 2017.
What’s Happening in Space Policy November 26-December 1, 2017
Here is our list of space policy events for the week of November 26 – December 1, 2017 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.