#WASHINGTON — In a departure from recent guidance, the Space Force will use cost-plus contracts for its high-priority strategic communications satellite program.

Space Force acquisition executive Frank Calvelli said Feb. 23 that the service has decided to not use fixed-price contracts for the Evolved Strategic #Satellite Communications System (ESS), a critical component of the U.S. military’s nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) #network that provides nuclear-survivable communications.

Calvelli has previously indicated a preference for fixed-price contracts as a means to control costs and incentivize efficiency in #satellite procurements. However, he said that an exception will be made for the ESS program.

#WASHINGTON — #NASA and SpaceX are proceeding with a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station later this week, part of a busy schedule of missions to the station this year.

#NASA completed a flight readiness review Feb. 25 for the Crew-8 mission to the ISS, announcing late in the day that the agency had approved plans for the launch, scheduled for 12:04 a.m. Eastern March 1 from the Kennedy Space Center. That would allow the Crew Dragon spacecraft to dock with the station at approximately 7 a.m. Eastern March 2.

#WASHINGTON — Congress is expected to decide in the next two weeks whether to extend current restrictions on regulating the safety of commercial human #spaceflight occupants, and if so, for how long.

House and Senate negotiators are working to finalize a new long-term Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would extend and modify existing authorities for the agency set to expire March 8. Congress previously passed two short-term stopgap extensions of provisions that had been set to expire last October.

#SAN #FRANCISCO – Relative Dynamics, a Massachusetts startup focused on optical communications, is growing rapidly thanks to recent government contracts.

“Since 2021 we have doubled in size annually in terms of people employed, projects and revenue, #Kush Patel, Relative Dynamics founder and CEO, told #SpaceNews.

When Laurel, Maryland-based Relative Dynamics was founded in 2011, the firm focused on engineering services. In 2016, the company expanded its research and development staff and began developing #optical communications space and ground terminal technology independently.

#HELSINKI — China launched the TJS-11classified satellite early Friday as the country continues to build its geostationary capabilities.

A Long March 5 lifted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island at 6:30 a.m. Eastern (1130 UTC), Feb. 23.

The #China #Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., (CASC), announced launch success just under an hour after launch. The announcement also provided the first official statement on the payload: TJS-11 (Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-11). The satellite is described as being mainly used to carry out multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technology verification.

#TAMPA, Fla. — #British #satellite broadband operator Avanti Communications announced plans Feb. 22 to integrate the low Earth orbit services Canada’s #Telesat aims to bring online in 2027 with its regional geostationary network.

Under their strategic partnership, the companies will jointly develop ways to incorporate connectivity from the #Telesat #Lightspeed constellation for Avanti’s enterprise and government customers.

They will also explore using Avanti’s existing ground infrastructure across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to support and accelerate the LEO constellation’s commercial deployment.

#WASHINGTON — A Varda Space Industries capsule landed in the Utah desert Feb. 21 as part of the company’s efforts to demonstrate space manufacturing technologies.

In a statement, Varda said that the capsule from its W-Series 1 mission landed at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) west of Salt Lake City at 4:40 p.m. Eastern. An image released by the company showed the capsule lying intact on the desert floor, although the company did not release other details about the status of the #spacecraft.

#WASHINGTON — Impulse Space, a startup focused on space transportation and exploration, announced Feb. 21 that retired Space Force general John “Jay” Raymond has joined its board of directors.

Based in Redondo Beach, #California, Impulse Space was founded in 2021 by Tom Mueller, a founding member of SpaceX who helped design the Merlin rocket engine that powers the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles.

Impulse Space develops orbital maneuvering vehicles for last-mile payload delivery in low Earth orbit and beyond.

#WASHINGTON — Hughes Network Systems announced Feb. 21 it will supply modems and other ground-based technology to SES Space & Defense for a military experiment aimed at establishing a multi-vendor mobile communications network.

SES is planning a demonstration under the U.S. Air Force’s #DEUCSI (Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet) program,

SES and Hughes will attempt to establish a hybrid network supported by the SES-15 and SES-17 geostationary satellites, SES’ O3b medium orbit #satellites, and SpaceX’s Starlink low Earth orbit satellites.

Mobile network tests in this demonstration will include ground- and air platforms.

#WASHINGTON — A #software glitch prevented the upper stage of Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket from completing a second burn during a December launch, stranding its payload in a low orbit.

In a Feb. 20 statement, Firefly said an error with the guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software for the upper stage of the Alpha on the company’s “Fly the Lightning” mission Dec. 22 kept the upper stage from firing as planned to circularize its orbit. That left the upper stage and its payload, a #LockheedMartin technology demonstration #satellite, in an orbit with a low perigee.