#TAMPA, Fla. — #Canada is prepared to invest 50% more than initially planned to help flagship geostationary operator #Telesat fund its #Lightspeed low Earth orbit (LEO) #broadband constellation.

Telesat said it received a letter from the Canadian government last week that agreed terms for a loan worth 2.14 billion Canadian dollars ($1.6 billion) for Lightspeed, nearly half the 198-satellite network’s $3.5 billion budget.

The terms also include an exchange of warrants enabling the government to buy 10% of Lightspeed for $300 million, valuing the constellation at $3 billion ahead of satellite deployments slated to get underway in 2026 via SpaceX.

#WASHINGTON — The Office of Space Commerce has selected Parsons Corporation to develop key elements of its civil space traffic coordination system.

The office, located within the National Oceanic and #Atmospheric Administration, said March 18 it awarded a $15.5 million contract to Parsons to provide system integration and cloud management services for its Traffic Coordination System for Space, or #TraCSS. The one-year contract includes an option for another year that would increase its total value to $26.9 million.

Under the contract, Parsons will develop what the office calls the “software backbone” for TraCSS, incorporating both the OASIS repository for space situational awareness data and the SKYLINE application layer. The contract also covers cybersecurity, cloud management and system administration.

#WASHINGTON — Two bills recently introduced into the Senate would reform regulation of commercial space activities, including putting into motion an eventual end of the “learning period” limiting human spaceflight safety rules.

The Commercial Standards Paramount to Accelerating Cosmic Exploration (SPACE) Leadership Act was introduced March 22 by Sens. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Commerce Committee’s space subcommittee

#Cosmonauts prepare to swap #spaceships at #ISS. The crew of the #Soyuz MS-24 #spacecraft includes Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, and #NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara.

#WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb will be stepping down in May, a #Pentagon spokesperson confirmed March 29.

#Plumb is leaving his post two years after being confirmed as the first assistant secretary of defense for space policy, a position that Congress established in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

In a statement, a spokesperson confirmed that Plumb “announced to his team his intent to depart in early May,” but did not elaborate further.

Plumb’s portfolio includes space policy but also nuclear weapons, cyber, missile defense, electromagnetic warfare and countering weapons of mass destruction.

TAMPA, Fla. — #Japan’s flagship satellite operator intends to invest around $66 million in space-related startups and venture funds at home and abroad over the next six years.

SKY Perfect JSAT said March 28 that the investment plan is part of a broader commitment announced in 2022 to invest 150 billion yen ($991 million) by the end of the decade in new technologies and expanding its presence in the space industry.

The operator has provided regional broadband and TV services for much of its more than 30-year history and currently has 17 satellites in its geostationary fleet.

#WASHINGTON — #Boeing is setting its sights on two upcoming big-ticket satellite procurements from the U.S. Space Force, leveraging its recent contracts for #Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellites and its foothold in commercial spacecraft manufacturing.

The Space Force is expected to seek bids this coming year for highly specialized, jam-resistant satellite systems that the military deems “no fail” assets, meaning that they must deliver secure communications even in the most contested environments.

“The government is looking for mature and low-risk technologies,” said Michelle Parker, vice president for space mission systems at Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

#SAN #FRANCISCO – #Planet announced a $20 million agreement to provide hyperspectral data for Carbon Mapper’s greenhouse gas monitoring campaign.

The deal, which extends from 2026 to 2030, “will help Carbon #Mapper deliver high resolution methane and CO2 super-emitter data to decision makers around the globe,” Carbon Mapper CEO Riley Duren said in a statement. “In particular, this agreement lays the groundwork for further expansion of the constellation of Tanager satellites and the extension of Carbon Mapper’s mission to make methane and CO2 visible in a transparent fashion through our public data portal.”

The nonprofit Carbon Mapper is one of the key public and private initiatives that have emerged in recent years to map and monitor atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide

#WASHINGTON — Commercial #satellite operators for years have urged the Department of Defense to rely less on government-owned satellites and more on their own services. While advocacy efforts haven’t resulted in a massive shift yet, a proposed increase in the 2025 budget allocation for commercial #satellite #communications integration offers a glimmer of hope, said a senior industry executive.

The #Pentagon’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 includes a $134 million line item for “commercial satcom integration” — an increase from $71 million in the 2024 budget. While the amount is still dwarfed by the $1.2 billion the Space Force has for military satellite programs, the industry views it as a positive sign, Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, senior vice president for government strategy and policy at Viasat, told SpaceNews.

#HELSINKI — Tracking data appears to show #China is attempting to salvage #spacecraft initially intended for the moon but left stranded by a rocket stage malfunction.

The small #DRO-A and B spacecraft launched from Xichang spaceport on a Long March 2C rocket March 13. Hours later, the first acknowledgement of the mission came from Chinese state media Xinhua, which announced that the spacecraft had not been inserted accurately into their designated orbit by the rocket’s Yuanzheng-1S upper stage.

“The upper stage encountered an abnormality during flight, causing the satellites to fail to accurately enter the preset orbit,” Xinhua stated. “Relevant disposal work is currently underway,” it added, citing Xichang launch center.