Trendwatch Space: April 27, 2020

New Atlas: NASA Funds Concept for Gigantic Radio Telescope on Far Side of Moon    

The telescope’s reflector would be comprised of a 1-km (0.6-mile) diameter wire mesh that would be pulled into place by wall-climbing robots. 

CNN: NASA to Launch Astronauts to Space Station from US Soil for the First Time in a Decade      

Liftoff will be from Florida's Kennedy Space Center — marking the first time a rocket will carry astronauts into orbit from the United States since NASA's Space Shuttle program retired in 2011.

Sloan Review: Monitoring the COVID-19 Crisis From Space 

A comparison of nighttime light emissions across China during the early months of COVID-19 shows how satellite sensing data can provide early detection of trouble.     

The Verge: An Old Satellite Gets a New Lease on Life, Thanks to the Help of a Servicing Satellite

An old communications satellite in orbit around Earth is back in service again after being nudged into new life-saving orbit by another satellite.

SpaceNews: Palantir to Provide Data and Software Services to U.S. Space Force    

The contract is for a project called Kobayashi Maru, an effort to replace decades-old space command-and-control systems with modern software apps.