In Today’s Deep Space Extra… NASA astronauts install wireless communications antennas and a new camera assembly outside the International Space Station. Washington symposium focuses on opportunities, challenges of lunar exploration.

Human Space Exploration

Spacewalkers accomplish all objectives in six-hour excursion

CBS/Spaceflightnow.com (3/29): NASA’s Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold overcame spacesuit challenges on Thursday to install wireless communications antennas outside the International Space Station during a six hour spacewalk. They also removed two leaky cooling system flex hoses and replaced aging cameras.

NASA, its partners and China set their sights on future moon missions

WTOP of Washington (3/29): The Earth’s moon has become a focus for the next steps in exploration, both human and robotic, according to policymakers, former astronauts, scientists and other experts who participated in Return to the Moon: A Partnership of Government, Academia and Industry symposium hosted by the Universities Space Research Association and George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute on Wednesday.

Asteroids to serve as refueling stations for space exploration

Financial Times (3/29): Planetary Resources, of Redmond, Washington, considers the Near Earth Asteroid population as a resource for materials and life support resources that could enable a significant future human migration into space.

 

Space Science

World View launches NASA payload from Spaceport Tucson

Arizona Daily Star (3/29): World View, the Tucson based commercial high altitude balloon services provider launched a mission with NASA payloads from the city’s spaceport on Thursday. NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program provided two payloads both to assess high altitude radiation and energy levels. The company also announced the closing of a $26.5 million financing round.

 

Other News

Blue Origin switches engines for New Glenn second stage

Space News (3/29): Changes are to help Blue Origin secure a 2020 first launch for the New Glenn rocket in two and three stage configurations for Earth orbit and deep space missions.

China’s failing satellite is just one example of a massive space debris problem

Washington Post (3/29): China’s aging 8 1/2 ton Tiangong-1 space station is forecast to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, possibly this weekend. Most of the seven year old satellite is expected to break up and burn up without reaching the surface of the Earth. However, there’s a growing amount of manmade orbital debris that has many experts worried about impacts with vital spacecraft in Earth orbit.

U.S. regulator approves SpaceX plan for broadband satellite services

Reuters (3/29): The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday granted SpaceX permission to proceed with plans to launch hundreds of small satellites into low Earth orbit as the centerpiece of a commercial global broadband network.

China launches another pair of BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space

Spaceflightinsider.com (3/30): Thursday’s launch placed two more satellites into China’s BeiDou global navigation satellite constellation.

India successfully launches GSAT-6A communication satellite

India New England News (3/29): The geosynchronous satellite will support mobile C and S band communications.