“To the moon, Alice! The Moon!” But this isn’t an episode of “The Honeymooners”. California’s Governor Jerry Brown’s (aka Governor Moonbeam, to some) has announced that the Golden State is headed for the next frontier: space. According to Los Angeles Times writer Evan Halper, Governor Brown has declared that “we are launching our own damn satellite” as a measure to combat climate change.
Halper says that the governor’s Global Climate Action Summit — and the Trump administration’s reluctance to pursue robust climate research – left the door wide open for the governor to pull the satellite vision out of the archives.
The state will develop the satellite with the San Francisco-based Earth-imaging firm Planet Labs, a company founded by former NASA scientists in 2010. Interestingly, Governor Brown proposed a satellite mission back in the 1970’s to enhance emergency communications – that particular plan didn’t achieve lift off – and the governor’s latest plan may be several years out.
Here are some documents from the spacecraft industry currently available from RealDealDocs:
1) Exhibit – Northrop Grumman
2) Subcontract – SpaceSystems/Loral Inc
3)Amended and restated Contract – Boeing and Iridium Satellite
4) SpaceX Launch Services Agreement