📄Top Stories

In today’s space sector developments, ExoMars has successfully conducted a high-altitude test of its record-breaking parachute system. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has announced plans to eliminate Chinese involvement in its cloud services, and a leadership change is coming to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

📰Detailed Coverage

ExoMars Achieves Milestone with Parachute Test

The ExoMars mission took a significant step forward with a successful Earth-based test of its novel parachute system. Conducted at high altitude over Sweden’s Arctic Circle, the test involved deploying the largest parachute ever used for extraterrestrial missions from a height of 29 kilometers. This parachute system is crucial for the spacecraft’s safe landing on Mars.

The success of this test validates the technology and boosts confidence in ExoMars’ landing capabilities. Such innovations are essential for deep-space missions, demonstrating progress in engineering that ensures payload safety during planetary entries.

Read the full story: Mars Daily

Pentagon Cuts Ties with Chinese Cloud Service Providers

In a move to secure national defense technology, the Pentagon will remove Chinese labor from its cloud services. This decision aims to enhance cyber defenses against potential foreign threats. The announcement was made by a senior defense official, signaling a broader review of the origins of technological components within military systems.

This shift highlights the growing focus on cybersecurity in military operations, where safeguarding data, including satellite communications and orbital asset management, is pivotal. These initiatives underscore the importance of secure and resilient satellite data links which align with our web app’s security features in satellite tracking.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Leadership Change as NASA Goddard Director Steps Down

The director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has announced their resignation amidst mounting internal and external pressures regarding NASA’s current trajectory. This leadership transition occurs as the agency navigates its future under changing administrative directives.

The departure may result in shifts in leadership strategies, affecting future projects and satellite missions managed by Goddard. This transition marks a significant point for NASA given the center’s role in managing key satellite and exploration projects.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Hypersonic Weapons Could Transform Defense

A new strategic framework suggests that hypersonic weapons could enhance Pacific deterrence strategies. As these systems transition from experimental to operational phases, they promise rapid strike capabilities that could redefine military response times and strategic deterrence.

Developing these technologies will inevitably influence space-based tracking and missile defense systems. Enhanced tracking capabilities are vital for managing these advanced airborne threats, reinforcing the need for reliable satellite monitoring.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Enhancing Missile Defense with Passive Sensors

Recent studies advocate for the integration of passive ground-based sensor networks to bolster air and missile defense. Unlike active systems, passive sensors do not emit detectable signals, thus offering robust tracking capabilities that are difficult for adversaries to detect.

Implementing such technology has direct implications for satellite tracking and monitoring capabilities, reflecting our web app’s focus on adaptive sensor integration for comprehensive space environment observation.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

🛰️Satellite Spotlight

• Satellite Name: SUPERBIRD-A1
• NORAD ID: 22253
• Launch Date: December 1, 1992
• Mission: A communication satellite designed to provide broadcast services.
• Orbit: GEO
• Operator: SCC
• Fun Fact: SUPERBIRD-A1 was one of the first satellites to use a combination of Ku-band and Ka-band transponders, allowing for greater flexibility in bandwidth allocation.

Track this satellite in real-time on our web app: Track SUPERBIRD-A1

🌌Space Weather

Space weather conditions are currently quiet.

Current

R0 - S0 - G0

Last 24 Hour Maximums

R0 - S0 - G0

Recent Alerts

• Continued Alert: Electron 2MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000 pfu; maximum flux reached 13015 pfu yesterday, posing a risk to satellite systems due to charging.
• Watch: G1 geomagnetic storm predicted for July 23, with the potential for minor impacts on satellite operations and aurora visibility at high latitudes.

Next 24 Hours

• Radio Blackouts Probability

  • Minor: 40
  • Major: 10
  • Risk: None

• Solar Radiation

  • Probability: 10
  • Risk: None

• Geomagnetic Storming

  • Scale: 0
  • Impact: none
  • Activity: Low

• Impact Summary

  • No risk of radio blackouts or solar radiation storms in the next 24 hours.
  • Geomagnetic storm levels are likely to reach G1 (Minor) on July 23 due to coronal hole high-speed stream effects.
  • A slight chance exists for minor solar radiation storm levels (S1) through July 22.
  • Low solar activity is expected with potential M-class flares through July 24.

Long Term Forecast

• Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity:
  • Solar activity is mostly expected to remain low, with chances for M-class flares during the forecast period.
  • No proton events anticipated at geosynchronous orbit.
  • High levels of greater than 2 MeV electron flux are expected on specific dates due to recurrent coronal hole high-speed stream influences.
  • Active to G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels are forecasted on specific days, while quiet to unsettled conditions are expected on others.

🚀 Upcoming Space Launches

July 22

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • TRACERS from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (18:13 UTC) NASA’s TRACERS mission will study magnetic re-connection, which occurs when solar activity interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. This will help scientists better understand solar impacts on Earth.
• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • O3b mPower 9-10 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (21:12 UTC) Deployment of 2 high-throughput communications satellites in Medium Earth Orbit.

July 25

• i-Space Hyperbola-1:
  • Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (04:03 UTC)
• ROSCOSMOS Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M:
  • Ionosfera-M 3 & 4 from Vostochny Cosmodrome, Siberia, Russian Federation (05:54 UTC) Constellation of ionospheric and magnetospheric research satellites for the Roscosmos project Ionozond.
• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-26 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (08:50 UTC) Deployment of Starlink satellites for global internet coverage.

July 26

• Arianespace Vega-C:
  • CO3D & MicroCarb from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana (02:03 UTC) CO3D mission for 3D global mapping and MicroCarb for carbon dioxide monitoring.
• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-2 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:09 UTC) Deployment of Starlink satellites for global internet coverage.
• Gilmour Space Technologies Eris-1:
  • Maiden Flight from Bowen Orbital Spaceport (21:30 UTC) Maiden flight of the Eris orbital launch vehicle.

July 28

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-29 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (04:15 UTC) Deployment of Starlink satellites for global internet communication.

July 29

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 13-4 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (15:39 UTC) Deployment of Starlink satellites for space-based internet systems.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.