South Africa and China are developing closer ties in the space industry, and this now extends to satellite navigation. The nations announced Dec. 3 that the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and China Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO) have signed an MoU for cooperation in satellite navigation. The MoU includes the intention for collaboration within…

Vice President Kamala Harris led the Biden Administration’s first meeting of the National Space Council on Wednesday, calling attention to how space impacts life on Earth, and how space activities must be protected.  “While our exploration of space takes us up to the Moon, to Mars, to the edge of our solar system ... I…

A group of senators is calling for greater U.S. space leadership after the Russian Anti-Satellite (ASAT) tests earlier this month.  Four senators on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation sent letters to Vice President Kamala Harris and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Monday, calling for action to protect the space environment.  These letters followed…

The U.S. Space Force and Lockheed Martin completed a system-level Critical Design Review (CDR) of the company’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (NGG) Block 0 satellites last month, the company said on Nov. 23. “The NGG Block 0 program held the system level CDR on Oct. 28, maintaining the program’s accelerated pace,”…