NASA

TAMPA, Fla. — Emirati operator Space42 said Jan. 15 it has established communications with its recently launched Foresight-2 satellite, the second synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload for the hybrid imaging and connectivity provider. Provided by Finnish SAR operator Iceye, Foresight-2 was one of 131 payloads SpaceX sent to sun-synchronous orbit Jan. 14 on a Falcon 9 rocket. Iceye also said it successfully made contact with three other SAR satellites on the Transporter-12 rideshare mission, which will join the Finnish operator’s constellation to provide services to government and commercial customers. All four satellites are designed to provide imagery with 25-centimeter resolution using radar signals, which are unaffected by cloud cover, weather, or lighting conditions. United...

LOS ANGELES – Devastating fires here have forced the closure and evacuation of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as flames came less than one mile away from the facility. JPL, which operates robotic spacecraft and the Deep Space Network used for planetary missions, is located in a mandatory evacuation zone but officials have not reported any damage from the fire thus far. JPL director Laurie Leshin posted on X Jan. 8 that the facility had been damaged by the strong winds. “JPL is closed except for emergency personnel,” she wrote. “No fire damage so far (some wind damage) but it is very close to the lab. Hundreds of JPLers have been evacuated from their homes & many have lost homes. Special thx to our emergency crews. Pls keep us in your thoughts & stay safe.” JPL last...

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission has formally allocated additional spectrum for launch applications, fulfilling a provision in a bill passed earlier this year. The FCC published Dec. 31 a report and order that allocated spectrum between 2360 and 2395 megahertz for use in communications to and from commercial launch and reentry vehicles on a secondary basis. That band currently has a primary use for aircraft and missile testing communications. The order satisfies language in the Launch Communications Act (LCA) of 2024, signed into law by President Biden Sept. 26 after Senate passage by unanimous consent and House passage on a voice vote. The act directed the FCC to make available three bands for use in commercial launches and reentries, finalizing such allocations...