Ball Aerospace successfully delivered the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), NOAA’s next-generation polar orbiting weather satellite, to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Aug. 31, where it is scheduled to launch Nov. 10, 2017. This follows a successful pre-ship review with NASA at Ball’s Boulder, Colorado, manufacturing complex.
“The arrival of the spacecraft at Vandenberg is a tremendous milestone for the program and the culmination of excellent collaboration and hard work by the JPSS-1 team – NOAA, NASA, Ball, Harris, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman,” said Rob Strain, president, Ball Aerospace. “This advanced weather satellite will play a significant role in providing actionable environmental intelligence to decision makers in government and business, and to the general public.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7703951-ball-aerospace-noaa-jpss-1-weather-satellite/
Soyuz Spacecraft Miniature Model Moved by Solid Support Beam in Massive Water Pool
Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft, Expedition 43
Swan Lake Suite OP 20
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Planetary Resources, Inc., the asteroid mining company, announced today that it has secured US$21.1 million in Series A funding. The capital will be used to deploy and operate Ceres, an advanced Earth observation business that features the first commercial infrared and hyperspectral sensor platform to better understand and manage humanity’s natural resources. The funding was led by Bryan Johnson and the OS FUND; and joined by Idea Bulb Ventures; Tencant; Vast Ventures; Grishin Robotics; Conversion Capital; The Seraph Group; Space Angels Network, a syndication of investors from Angel.co; and Larry Page. Earth observation will be another aspect of Planetary Resources’ operations in addition to prospecting and mining asteroids.
Conceived from the company’s vision for the exploration and utilization of asteroid resources, Ceres will leverage Planetary Resources’ Arkyd spacecraft to deliver affordable, on-demand Earth intelligence of our natural resources on any spot on the planet. While typical satellite imagery provides only a picture, Ceres will provide actionable data with higher spectral resolutions – going beyond what the human eye can see – by measuring thermographic properties and detecting the composition of materials on Earth’s surface. The midwave-infrared sensor is the first ever commercial capability from space to offer thermographic mapping and night-imaging, and the hyperspectral sensor includes an unprecedented 40 color bands in the visible to near-infrared spectrum.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7847251-planetary-resources-ceres/
ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has announced that International Launch Services has successfully launched ViaSat-1, the highest capacity satellite in the world. The Proton M launch vehicle lifted off from pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 11:48 am (PDT) October 19, followed by spacecraft separation from the launch vehicle at 9:12 pm, signal acquisition shortly thereafter, and finally deployment of both the north and south solar arrays.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/47671-viasat-satellite-launch/
There’s no better place to be on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 4 than Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where guests can witness firsthand Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), the test flight of the uncrewed Orion spacecraft. Guests can experience a complete pre-launch-to-post-splashdown program, including launch viewing, Orion-related activities, exhibits, astronaut appearances and live coverage and commentary.
“The Orion launch will be visible from many areas across the Space Coast, but there’s only one place to feel the rumble, experience the excitement and get up to date, minute-to-minute information from NASA TV, astronauts and space experts – and that’s at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex,” said Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the Visitor Complex. “This is your chance to be part of history and tell your kids and grandkids you were here when we achieved our first steps toward Mars.”
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7385151-kennedy-space-center-visitor-complex-orion-spacecraft-december-4/
NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) is encapsulated inside the fairing (nose cone) of a United Launch Alliance Delta II launch vehicle ready for lift off from Space Launch Complex-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on November 14, 2017 at 1:47 a.m., PST. JPSS-1 is a collaborative effort between NOAA and NASA.
“The JPSS-1 bus is based on our Ball Configurable Platform 2000, a proven, agile spacecraft, which has 50 years of on-orbit operations and is designed for cost-effective, remote sensing applications,” said Alex Chernushin, JPSS-1 Program Manager, Ball Aerospace. “JPSS-1 is the twelfth spacecraft built on this core architecture, including the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) spacecraft launched in 2011.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7987651-ball-aerospace-joint-polar-satellite-system-jpss-1-launch/
The Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Ralph camera aboard the New Horizons mission will provide the closest images we have ever seen of Pluto when the spacecraft arrives at the dwarf planet on July 14.
Ralph, the main “eyes” of New Horizon is designed to help scientists map the surface geology of Pluto and its moons, and investigate Kuiper Belt objects. The small but powerful Ralph weighs only 23 pounds and operates on approximately seven watts, the power of a standard night light. The entire telescope operates around 220 K (-60°F) in the cold darkness of the outer solar system. After a journey of more than nine years, Ralph will capture the first ever close-up snapshots of Pluto when New Horizons passes within 7,000 miles of the tiny, icy dwarf planet.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7530151-ball-aerospace-new-horizons-mission-pluto/
