#Space_Satellites

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California startup AnySignal has come out of stealth mode with $5 million in funding for its multifunctional space radio platform. The company hopes to beat competitors such as L3Harris Technologies AnySignal's product operates across multiple frequency bands and includes ground equipment for testing hardware, modems that can be upgraded to different wavelengths, licensing support, and software that allows interoperability with various onboard systems, according to the company's COO and co-founder Jeffrey Osborne. The Los Angeles-based startup hopes its focus on providing comprehensive end-user products will give it an edge over major radio vendors such as L3Harris Technologies, an aerospace and defense giant that earned more than $22 billion last year. [caption id="attachment_72169" align="aligncenter" width="780"] space[/caption] An L3Harris spokesman said there are currently more than 180 AppSTAR radio platforms in orbit, and the company provides ground segments for many of them. However, Osborne said that while traditional leaders provide comprehensive services, AnySignal strives to optimize performance and reduce costs by tightly integrating its offering with customer needs. California-based startup AnySignal is entering the space market with unique space radio technology. Think SpaceX vs. ULA. The first company is vertically integrated and has established itself, while the second is much more fragmented, and this has led to differences in differentiation and market leadership John Mulsbury, chief executive of AnySignal, is a former SpaceX engineer who helped manage the development of the rocket signal processing system, the Starshield military product line, the Starlink space communications network, and the Dragon 2 capsule. Osborne, who is also a founding member of Canadian small satellite operator Kepler Communications, reported that the first launches of products from AnySignal can be expected as early as November on board the SpaceX Transporter 9 mission. He added that their radio is also scalable to subsequent Transporter missions and will be used on hypersonic vehicles next year as part of test programs. The AnySignal data communications platform has a dual-antenna GPS receiver and is compatible with Ultra High Frequency (UHF), S-band, L-band, and X-band. Frequencies in these bands are used for a variety of space applications, from communications with Earth to communications between two spacecraft in orbit. The radio is not compatible with the Ka-band and Ku-band broadband spectrum. Osborne said AnySignal already generates revenue from commercial and government customers. He also said the company plans to expand its team of eight employees to 15 by the end of this year, and to 30 by the summer of 2024. The primary focus of the expansion will be the development of the engineering and sales team to increase manufacturing and testing capacity, meet DoD security contracting requirements, and prepare for the development of additional products.

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Thanks to samples brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts, scientists have determined that the Moon is more than 4.46 billion years old. It existed long before the appearance of life on Earth and plays an important role in the history of our planet and the formation of its climate. More than 4 billion years ago, during the young solar system, the Earth experienced a collision with a huge object the size of Mars. The Moon formed from the debris, but the exact time of its formation remained a mystery.  In the new study, scientists used regolith samples returned from the Moon by Apollo astronauts in 1972 to more accurately determine when the Moon formed. Their discovery made it possible to establish that it is 40 million years older than previously thought. The Earth's natural satellite is now believed to be over 4.46 billion years old. [caption id="attachment_73610" align="aligncenter" width="731"] satellite[/caption] “These samples are the oldest known solids formed after the impact. And because we know their age, they provide support for lunar chronology,” says Philipp Heck, senior author of the study. The discovery was the result of work by Philip Heck and graduate student Jennika Greer. “We were approached by our co-authors, Bidong Zhang and Audrey Bouvier, who needed nanoscale analysis of these samples to fully understand them,” says Greer, who is now a research fellow at the School of Geographical and Geosciences at the University of Glasgow. satellite turned out to be 40 million years older than thought Regolith contains tiny crystals that formed billions of years ago. These crystals serve as a key indicator of when the Moon likely originated. When an object the size of Mars collided with the Earth and formed the Moon, the energy from the impact melted the rock that later formed the surface of the Moon. “As long as the surface was molten, crystals could not form and survive. Therefore, any crystals on the surface of the Moon must have formed after the lunar magma ocean cooled. Otherwise, they would have melted and their chemical traces would have been erased,” says Heck. Since the particles must have formed after the magma ocean cooled, determining the age of the samples allowed us to establish the minimum possible age of the Moon. Previous research by co-author Bidong Zhang had indirectly pointed to the same range, but the latest study was the first use of an analytical technique called atom probe tomography to "determine" the age of the oldest lunar particles. “In atom probe tomography, we start by sharpening a sample of lunar material using an ion microscope. We then use ultraviolet lasers to evaporate the atoms from the surface. Atoms move through a mass spectrometer, the speed of movement tells us their mass, which in turn allows us to determine the composition,” Greer said. This atomic analysis carried out at Northwestern University, showed that many atoms had undergone radioactive decay. When an atom has an unstable configuration of protons and neutrons in its nucleus, decay processes occur in it, and then the atom emits several protons and neutrons. Scientists determined how long this process takes, and by studying the proportion of different isotopes of uranium and lead in a sample, they were able to more accurately determine the age of the samples.

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The Indian government is pursuing reforms to attract private players and global investment in the space sector. The country's new space policy simplifies the rules for private participation and foreign direct investment The Indian government is continuing a series of reforms to increase private participation in the space sector and attract global capital. “We are moving from ISRO being the only player in the country's space sector to one where the private sector will play a larger role,” said Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), at the 74th m International Astronautical Congress in Baku on October 5. The Indian government approved the "Indian Space Policy 2023" in April this year, which is the result of a series of developments in recent years. "India's space policy has brought together everything related to space - satellite communications, remote sensing, space operations, transportation, navigation, everything - in one document of just 12 pages," Goenka said. [caption id="attachment_64326" align="aligncenter" width="780"] space[/caption] India wants to become a leader in satellite manufacturing. The reforms define clear roles for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), IN-SPACe, and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), and remove barriers to participation by non-governmental organizations. ISRO will function as a civilian space agency focusing on research and development of advanced space technologies and areas involving international missions, while IN-SPACe will regulate and authorize space activities in the country, develop start-ups, and facilitate collaboration with ISRO. The policy removes almost all restrictions for the private sector to participate in the space sector in India, which was previously almost inaccessible. The construction of rockets, their launch, the ownership and operation of satellites, the provision of services, and the acquisition and distribution of remote sensing data have become an open market. Additionally, India is set to finalize a new foreign direct investment policy in the space sector. The move is expected to liberalize foreign ownership rules to attract global investment. This will mainly affect areas such as satellite production, ground segments, and launch vehicles. “Currently, the Indian space economy is around $8 billion, which is just 2% of the global space economy,” says Goenka. However, according to him, the country is striving to increase this figure several times. There are several aspects in which India can have a competitive advantage. The first is manufacturing, India could become a manufacturing hub for small satellites Goenka also said the country could become "pretty big in small launch vehicles" and in low-Earth orbit satellite launches, and noted ground stations and remote sensing data as other areas of potential growth. He listed several advantages that could support India's position in these areas: new institutional support, state-level policies, a large domestic market, a large number of graduates in science, technology, and mathematics, and competitive labor costs.  According to him, this will increase India's share in the global space economy.