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#240 by Helodriver on 06 Mar, 2024 21:58
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Video of the Transporter 10 Boost-MECO-Staging-Boostback. This was nearly directly overhead and shot by me handheld, stabilized by NSF's own Jay DeShetler. Best daytime view of the "boostback nebula" I have seen personally.
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#241 by FutureSpaceTourist on 07 Mar, 2024 20:34
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https://twitter.com/atomosspace/status/1765851100714864907Quote
Mission-1 Update 2
QuoteMission-1 Update #2
14:00 MT, March 7, 2024
We are slowly improving connectivity with our two spacecraft and have isolated the issue to the network used for TT&C (telemetry, tracking, and control). Our orbit is currently in opposition to the relay satellites, and a combination of relative velocity and rotational rates is causing us to only receive data packets at the poles. As the Quark-LITE and Gluon naturally drift relative to the relay satellites, communication frequency should increase.
Despite transmission rates three order of magnitude less than expected, both spacecraft are healthy and stable, with avionics and our custom flight software performing well.
The robustness of their autonomous systems has been demonstrated as they have maintained the spacecraft with minimal ground intervention. We continue to work the communications issues and hope to improve it significantly in the coming weeks.
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#242 by catdlr on 08 Mar, 2024 00:08
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https://twitter.com/Astroguyz/status/1765388003868864707Quote
Aurora chasers witnessed a strange ‘spiral’ crossing the sky over the Barents Sea early yesterday; the culprit was the Transporter-10 launch an hour earlier. The S2 rotates to deploy the payloads, & was spinning during the de-orbit burn.
Shang Yang caught the view from Iceland:
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#243 by shiro on 08 Mar, 2024 06:07
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Some reusability stats for this launch (Transporter-10):
Booster B1081.5 turnaround time:
25 days 15 hours 32 minutes
(its previous mission was PACE on Feb 8, 2024 UTC).
It's the fastest booster turnaround ever for the West coast launch, though, B1081 was transported from the Cape for this mission.
FYI: median turnaround time for Falcon 9 / Heavy boosters is currently 52.08 days *
* – based on the last 30 launches, excluding new first stages.
Launchpad SLC-4E turnaround time:
10 days 17 hours 54 minutes
(the previous launch from this pad was Starlink Group 7-15 on Feb 23, 2024 UTC).
FYI: median turnaround time for SLC-4E is currently 11.27 days *
* – based on the last 30 launches.
The same type of stats for previous SpaceX launches may be found on this spreadsheet online. -
#244 by FutureSpaceTourist on 10 Mar, 2024 18:22
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https://twitter.com/atomosspace/status/1766899847985037419Quote
Mission-1 Update #3
QuoteAlt Text: 12:30pm MT, March 10, 2024.
Over the past 48 hours, we improved communication frequency by 10x. This was done by reducing the duty cycling intended to prevent the Quark-LITE and Gluon radios from potentially interfering when on orbit. The team also uploaded a GN&C patch to null a diverging response while detumbling. These updates would typically require a comprehensive software upload; however, with the communications challenges, we are restricted to sending discrete commands that are a maximum of 145 characters.
The team worked around this restriction by employing novel methods to search for and insert text into files, rewriting software by effectively Tweeting at the spacecraft. Flight software black magic. With more frequent updates, the Atomos team has been able to diagnose the status of the two spacecraft. They are rotating on a single axis at approximately 8 rpm with stable power and thermal conditions. We have identified a bug in the torque rod mapping that is being rectified. With fixes being uploaded over the next 24 hours, we expect to safely de-tumble in a few days. This could be done faster, but given that communications is still 1/100 the expected rate, we are taking a slow, methodical approach.
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#245 by catdlr on 13 Mar, 2024 22:08
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https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1768049270450798706Quote
CelesTrak has GP data for 7 objects from the launch (2024-043) of #Transporter-10 with 53 payloads atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB on Mar 4 at 2205 UTC: https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/03/04/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-falcon-9-rocket-from-vandenberg-on-transporter-10-rideshare-mission/. Data for the launch can be found at: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/elements/table.php?INTDES=2024-043.
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#246 by gongora on 14 Mar, 2024 21:04
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Quote
RBC Signals, LLC (“RBC Signals”), pursuant to Section 25.115 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. § 25.115, respectfully seeks a 60 day STA to continue to operate a fixed 6 meter S and X band earth station in Deadhorse, Alaska to conduct telemetry, tracking, and command (“TT&C”) operations in portions of the 2025-2110 MHz (Earth-to space) band with a non-geostationary orbit (“NGSO”) satellites. Specifically, RBC Signals seeks to add as authorized satellite points of communication the U.S.-licensed Quantum Sentry1 satellite, using the frequencies indicated in this narrative, STA Form and summarized in Table 1 below. This system is currently authorized through the FCC office under callsign S3179 and grant SAT-LOA-20230729-00189.
This grant will support Quantum Space LLC’s ability to conduct satellite functionality tests, monitor satellite health, and ensure safe space operations for the Quantum Sentry Satellite. Currently the system is in a low power tumble as a result of poor tracking and limited pass opportunities at the currently utilized ground stations. RBC Signals is requesting an expediated review process for this STA in order to provide critical support to the Sentry System. Adding the Deadhorse 6 meter to operations will greatly improve Quantum’s ability to communicate with the Sentry system and reduce the likelihood of system loss. -
#247 by FutureSpaceTourist on 15 Mar, 2024 06:46
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https://twitter.com/atomosspace/status/1768443535668265000Quote
Mission-1 Update #4
19:00 MT, March 14, 2024
While slowly becoming veterans of a battle with limited bandwidth, we also updated the spacecraft's software to provide us with assurance that the radio passed commands to our flight computer. After having confidence of our state yesterday, we began a new detumble sequence with all torque rods. We've reduced our rate by 20 degrees per second this week, with half of that happening today. Over the next 48 hours, we expect to enter sun-point and continue with our mission to showcase our rendezvous, docking, and refueling capabilities.
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#248 by FutureSpaceTourist on 21 Mar, 2024 06:17
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https://twitter.com/satellogic/status/1770483213854560435Quote
Our commissioning team set a new record; NewSat-44 captured its first image 5 ½ hours after injection, following launch with #SpaceX on March 4 🚀. NewSat-44 is a Mark-V satellite 🛰️, our latest iteration with enhanced capabilities.
Read more:
https://satellogic.com/2024/03/20/newsat-mark-v-satellite-enhancements-overview/ -
#249 by gongora on 21 Mar, 2024 23:25
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Mission X Update #2: Fly, Fix, Fly
3.21.24
By True Anomaly Co-Founders Even Rogers, Tom Nichols, Kyle Zakrzewski, and Dan Brunski
March 4, 2024, marked another significant milestone for True Anomaly and the future of space security as our first two Jackal autonomous orbital vehicles (AOVs) reached Sun-synchronous orbit via SpaceX’s Transporter-10 Rideshare mission.
Our first flight test has progressed as far as possible and we do not anticipate meeting the remainder of the test objectives, including on-orbit rendezvous & proximity operation (RPO) demonstrations. We’ve spent the last two weeks analyzing data and are already heads-down in preparation to iterate our design for the next flight test.
Mission X commenced well before the Jackals reached orbit. It began during design and manufacturing—leading up to the final assembly and qualification of two spacecraft. Both Jackals passed a thorough vibration and thermal vacuum chamber test campaign, withstood launch, and separated from the rocket. Both Jackal 1 and 2 autonomously detumbled, deployed solar panels, and generated power for the bus.
After deploying from the Falcon 9 rocket, we experienced a congested radio frequency environment and worked with other Transporter-10 riders to share location information and confirm the orbit state of both Jackals. It was inspiring to watch the space community come together to help us and other organizations sort and correlate tracks for the closely spaced group of vehicles, which is common for Rideshare deployments into low-Earth orbit. Though we initially established communications with Jackal 1, we later lost contact with the vehicle, and we have yet to communicate with or receive telemetry data from Jackal 2.
...
(h/t to @breadfrom for the link) -
#250 by gongora on 26 Mar, 2024 01:20
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#251 by catdlr on 03 Apr, 2024 02:34
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https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1775335031797399812Quote
Jonathan McDowell
@planet4589
Space-Track starting to make progress on IDs for the payloads from the Transporter-10 launch a month ago; still 30 of 51 payloads yet to be identified.
6:30 PM · Apr 2, 2024 -
#252 by gongora on 18 Jun, 2024 20:13
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https://www.forbes.com.au/covers/innovation/space-machines-company-speak-on-lost-australian-satellite/Quote
In the weeks following the successful launch and orbital deployment, our engineers successfully identified Optimus in orbit.
However, despite relentless efforts, including round-the-clock mission operations at our Adelaide operations centre and support from Australian and international partners to track the spacecraft from multiple ground stations globally, we have been unable to establish communications with Optimus. -
#253 by gongora on 18 Jun, 2024 20:35
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51 objects on space-track, 36 identified. This matches the number of payloads on our list at the top of the thread (Gluon hasn't deployed from Meson)
Missing:
CBAS-LACE 2 (CBAS-LACE 1 is identified)
IRIS-F1
Jackal x2 (company didn't make contact)
M3
ONDOSAT-OWL-1, -2
Optimus (company didn't make contact)
OrbAstro-TR2
PYXIS
PY4-1, -2, -3, -4
Veery-0E -
#254 by gongora on 18 Jun, 2024 20:43
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https://hubblenetwork.com/blog/Quote
2024-04-29
Hubble Network's Bluetooth to Space Connection
A New Era in Connectivity
It’s not every day that you hear about a technological leap that fundamentally changes the way we think about global connectivity. Today is that day. Hubble Network has just achieved something that was once thought impossible: the first-ever Bluetooth connection directly to space.
The Launch
Backed by a $20 million Series A funding round from industry giants like Transpose Platform and Y Combinator, Hubble Network has taken a giant leap forward. On March 4, 2024, from the grounds of Vandenberg Space Force Base, Hubble successfully launched its first two satellites. These aren’t just any satellites; they’ve successfully reached their orbits and managed to receive signals from a simple 3.5mm Bluetooth chip over an astonishing distance of 600 km.
Breaking Through the Skepticism
Many thought it couldn’t be done. The skeptics were vocal, claiming that Bluetooth technology couldn’t possibly bridge the vast expanse of space. But as Alex Haro, co-founder and CEO of Hubble Network, puts it, “We’ve disproved thousands of skeptics. By showcasing that we can send signals directly from Bluetooth chips and receive them in space 600 km away, we’ve opened a new realm of possibilities.”