Eyes and ears (6/27/22)

Good morning and happy Monday. We’ll be taking the morning off a week from today for Independence Day in the US. See you back here Tuesday morning.

In today's newsletter:🧠 USSF intelligence📊 Poll results🗓️ The week ahead

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New Eyes and Ears

There’s a new intelligence unit in town.

On Friday, the US Space Force announced the establishment of Space Delta 18 and the National Space Intelligence Center, which will begin supplying US lawmakers with intelligence about the space domain.

Space Delta 18, so named because USSF is the 18th US entity to join the intelligence community, will employ 345 personnel in two former Air Force units:

• The 1st Space Analysis Squadron Mission, which will dig up intelligence on foreign space capabilities.

• The 2nd Space Analysis Squadron Mission, which will investigate potential threats to US space operations.

Why space intelligence? “The question is why do we need to stand up a National Space Intelligence Center, and the truth is that we needed a sharper focus on the space threat that is here today,” said Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback, USSF director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, per SpaceNews.

The key role space plays in our communications, national security, and intelligence makes it an attractive target. We’ve already seen attacks on the space domain play out on some scale.

• When Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, it also jammed satellite signals providing connectivity and GPS to the region.

• Four countries—Russia, China, the US, and India—have already demonstrated ASAT (anti-satellite) weapons capabilities.

USSF will be seeking out intelligence on foreign space capabilities and threats to help ensure the safety of US on-orbit assets, improve acquisition, and shape the future actions of the newest military branch.

“The opportunities for our nation in space are extraordinary,” said Avril Haines, US director of national intelligence. “Already, it is critical to our communications infrastructure, for early warning systems, for protecting our planet, our environment, for our national security, our intelligence and our prosperity.”

Share this story with an aspiring space spy.

Starship Poll Results

Last Thursday and Friday, we asked readers: “Now that Starship is moving forward in South Texas, we want to hear your predictions. When will Starship make its first orbital flight attempt?” We received 145 votes in total.

Share these results if you agree (or disagree)...

In Other News

• NASA launched a suborbital sounding rocket from the new Arnhem Space Center in Australia. The science mission was Australia’s first commercial launch.

• Rocket Lab and NASA have delayed the CAPSTONE pathfinding mission to no earlier than tomorrow, June 28, to allow for final systems checks.

• Psyche, NASA’s next planned asteroid mission, has also been delayed and will no longer launch this year.

• Axiom and Collins, the two companies contracted to supply NASA with new EVA spacesuits earlier this month, were the only two companies that submitted proposals, SpaceNews reports.

• Telesat ($TSAT) applied for a license to connect its planned Lightspeed constellation with broadband terminals in the UK.

• Iran conducted a successful suborbital rocket launch for the second time.

The View from Space

Colors represent Martian minerals in these rainbow-colored maps captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer). These six images of the Nili Fossae region form part of a map covering 86% of Mars’ surface. From it, NASA scientists can get more information about the planet’s history with water and prioritize regions of study.