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01 / 05
China Pulled off High-Orbit Refuelling

South China Morning Post | Space

China Pulled off High-Orbit Refuelling

“China appears to have pulled off not only the first satellite-to-satellite refuelling in geosynchronous orbit, but also the ‘largest single manoeuvre’ ever seen in that orbit, according to a former US Space Command official.

The two spacecraft – the Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 – have been docked some 36,000km (22,370 miles) above Earth since early July. Their mysterious mission was widely believed to involve the Shijian-25 supplying the Shijian-21 with propellant.

Last month, they executed what Lieutenant General John Shaw called ‘the largest single manoeuvre ever conducted in geosynchronous orbit’, shifting their track with a velocity change of more than 330 metres (1,083 feet) per second.”

From South China Morning Post.

Bloomberg | Space

Space Startup Beams More Laser Energy to Panels than Ever Before

“Aerospace startup Star Catcher Industries Inc., which is developing technology to beam solar power to orbiting satellites, said it wirelessly transmitted more electricity in a ground test than ever before, marking another step toward creating the equivalent of a space grid.

Using a suite of lasers, the company successfully sent energy to off-the-shelf solar panels positioned more than 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) away. The tests took place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida last month.

The 1.1 kilowatt of converted electricity delivered at once exceeded the previous record set by the US government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa. During Star Catcher’s multiday campaign, it beamed more than 10 megajoules of energy, according to the company.”

From Bloomberg.

Reuters | Motor Vehicles

pony.ai Granted Citywide Driverless Robotaxi Permit in Shenzhen

“Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai has been granted the first citywide permit for driverless commercial robotaxi operations in the city of Shenzhen in southern China, it said on Friday.

The permit was jointly granted to Pony.ai and the city’s largest taxi operator Xihu Group, the company said in a statement.”

From Reuters.

NASASpaceflight | Space

Vast Completes Haven-1 Structural Testing, Launches Mission

“Vast is a space station company founded in 2021 by Jed McCaleb. It launched its pathfinder, Haven Demo, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Bandwagon-4 mission on Sunday, Nov. 02, at 01:09 AM EDT (05:09 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Vast’s first station, Haven-1, is due to launch NET May 2026, also aboard a Falcon 9.

Haven-1 isn’t just any payload; it aims to help Vast beat other contenders for NASA Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 2 (CLD) funding. These companies include Axiom Space (Axiom Station) and Voyager Space/Airbus (Starlab), among others…

Vast’s Haven Demo will test out key capabilities, such as Reaction Control Systems (RCS), power systems, and propulsion, in preparation for Haven-1.”

From NASASpaceflight.