From the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers,
This quarterly issue is motivated by a “lightning talk” I presented at 2021 Fall Meeting of the Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG). The Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 included a roadmap proposal to explore planetary ocean worlds that have been remotely detected from satellite flybys. More recently, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has detected lunar water-ice sites near predominantly shadowed regions of the moon’s polar craters. And, later this year Lunar Hydrogen mapping cubesat will be launched to capture more accurate images of those sites. The January 2020 JSOC issue highlighted laser communications between LRO and and a special NASA ground station, Space Communications and Network. LRO figures prominently in the 2023-2032 Decadal Survey since lunar observations of cubesat constellations will in the aggregate provide LRO communications to SCaN in greater detail and coverage.

With space-based observation, satellites providing near- real time imagery of the Earth has been beneficial in forecasting weather events as well as monitoring the status of vegetation. This issue further includes one of the SpaceOps 2021 Conference best student papers “University Of Cape Town: Simulated Satellite Camera To Aid Vegetation Monitoring In SA” as it highlights how emerging space industry countries apply technologies this Journal prides itself in keeping the readership apprised of.

Sincerely,
Ronald H. Freeman, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
October 1, 2021

"Journal of Space Operations & Communicator", a quarterly online publication serves as a forum for those involved in the space operations field to communicate with one another in order to share ideas that could improve the way operations are carried out in space. The Journal is a cross-disciplinary scholarly publication designed to advance space communication as a profession and as an academic discipline. The Journal is distributed electronically without charge to users on a global basis. JSOC contains peer-reviewed articles, comments and case notes written by leading scientists, professors, and practitioners in their respective fields of aerospace expertise. The editorial board seeks articles that demonstrate exemplary academic research of emerging trends in space technology and space operations fields.