October 2020 Space News

Esper Sees Iron Dome Missile Defense System in Tel Aviv DoD News 30 Oct 2020 -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper got a chance to see the Israeli Iron Dome antimissile battery that the U.S. Army is buying during a stop in Tel Aviv yesterday.
US to Spend Almost $1.5Bln on Missile Defense Contracts for Aegis, SM-3 Systems, Pentagon Says Sputnik 30 Oct 2020 -- The US government is going to spend more than $1.4 billion on two new development and sustainment Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contracts for its Aegis and Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) systems, the Department of Defense said in two press releases.
DOD Establishes Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy DoD 29 Oct 2020 -- As directed in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 the Department of Defense established the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy (ASD(SP)) and the Office of the ASD(SP) Oct. 29, 2020.
Space Force Leader Discusses Newest Military Service DoD News 27 Oct 2020 -- The leader of the Space Force today discussed his service's partnerships and relations with Congress and the Air Force.
China launches new remote-sensing satellites People's Daily 27 Oct 2020 -- China successfully sent a group of new remote-sensing satellites into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday.
NASA Scientists Discover Water in Sunlit Areas of Moon VOA 26 Oct 2020 -- The U.S. space agency, NASA, reported Monday it has confirmed water can be found in sunlit areas of the moon, indicating water may be far more widespread than previously thought.
Space Force Leader Charts Service's Galactic Mission DoD News 22 Oct 2020 -- The chief of space operations and commander of U.S. Space Command discussed challenges the U.S. is facing in space and the Space Force's efforts to address them.
China to realize smart rockets by 2025 Global Times 22 Oct 2020 -- China is developing intelligent rockets with learning capabilities, with an R&D team working to enable China's main launch vehicles currently in service to have initial learning capabilities by 2025, Science and Technology Daily reported.
NATO Chief: Alliance to Build Space Center at Ramstein Airbase in Germany VOA 22 Oct 2020 -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed Thursday that the military alliance would establish a space center at the Allied Air Command base in Ramstein, Germany.
NATO Set To Approve German Space Center Amid Concern Over Russian, Chinese Moves RFE/RL 21 Oct 2020 -- NATO defense ministers are expected to agree this week on setting up a space center in southwestern Germany amid concerns about what the Western military alliance sees as increasingly aggressive behavior by Russia and China.
NATO Secretary-General Confirms Germany's Ramstein Base Will Host New Allied Space Centre Sputnik 21 Oct 2020 -- A new space centre that will give NATO member states the chance to observe outer space and satellites, as well as collect data on possible threats, and monitor how space debris moves is planned to be built in Germany, according to NATO's Secretary-General.
Yuanwang-6 returns from monitoring missions PLA Daily 20 Oct 2020 -- China's third-generation space-tracking ship Yuanwang-6, which voyaged to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, has safely returned to the homeport at the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Controlling Department on October 17, after successfully completing two maritime monitoring missions.
China's FY satellites contributes to production, lifts people's livelihood People's Daily 18 Oct 2020 -- According to China Meteorological Administration (CMA), 4 to 5 typhoons might be generated in northwest Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, and 1 or 2 of them could possibly hit or have an obvious impact on the coastal areas in south China.
Air Leak Rate at Russia's ISS Zvezda Module Halves After Crack Sealed With Tape Sputnik 16 Oct 2020 -- The air leak rate in the Russian Zvezda module of the International Space Station has halved after the crack in the intermediate compartment was sealed with tape, according to the crew's communication with Earth, broadcast by NASA.
Russia's Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft reaches ISS in record time People's Daily 15 Oct 2020 -- The Russian spacecraft Soyuz MS-17 has successfully reached the International Space Station (ISS), setting a new world record for its journey to the orbital complex in three hours and three minutes, the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said in a statement on Wednesday.
China launches new optical remote-sensing satellite PLA Daily 12 Oct 2020 -- China successfully launched a new optical remote-sensing satellite from the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 12:57 a.m. on Monday (Beijing Time).
DOD Official Outlines Space Strategy DoD News 07 Oct 2020 -- In June, the Defense Department released its Space Strategy document. That document lays out the department's four-pillar strategy for work that needs to be done in space within the next decade and beyond.
US Space Force Announces Contracts for First 8 'Wide Field of View' Missile Early Warning Satellites Sputnik 07 Oct 2020 -- The US Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded two contracts on Monday to build eight satellites for its upcoming infrared missile detection constellation. However, these are just the first in what could become a vast network of thousands of satellites in orbit.
117th Space Battalion shifts to 100th Missile Defense Brigade Army News 05 Oct 2020 -- Two of the more unique Army National Guard units aligned Oct. 1. The 100th Missile Defense Brigade was assigned administrative and operational command and control of the 117th Space Battalion from the 89th Troop Command as part of a larger change in the structure of the Colorado Army National Guard.
Agency Awards Contracts to Build Out Tracking Layer of National Defense Space Architecture DoD News 05 Oct 2020 -- The Space Development Agency announced today that two companies won bids to build out Tranche 0 of the tracking layer for the National Defense Space Architecture. Together, those contracts amount to more than $342 million.

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