Space news

Eleven organizations were selected by DARPA to help develop laser terminals and technical standards to connect satellites in space.

The launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Aug. 4 occurred 12 hours and 39 minutes after the liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from neighboring launch pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the shortest turnaround between two orbital-class missions at the Florida spaceport since Sept. 7 and 8, 1967.

La NASA hace un llamamiento a estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria para que participen en el segundo reto estudiantil TechRise de la agencia, que invita a equipos de estudiantes a desarrollar, construir y lanzar experimentos científicos y tecnológicos en globos de gran altitud.

A NASA cubesat was removed from a recent rideshare launch opportunity on a U.S. Space Force mission because the spacecraft could not meet guidelines for deorbiting at the end of its life.

NASA is calling on middle and high school students to join the second NASA TechRise Student Challenge, which invites student teams to develop, build, and launch science and technology experiments on high-altitude balloons.

To offset a downturn in commercial satellite sales, Maxar is positioning itself to compete in the national security arena, Chris Johnson, head of Maxar’s satellite manufacturing operations, tells SpaceNews in an exclusive interview.

July saw Expedition 67 aboard the International Space Station reach two-thirds distance, with two months remaining until its longest-serving crewmembers return home and the rest of the crew transitions to the next increment. Over the course of the month, the crew has been continuing scientific research and housekeeping tasks around the station, while also receiving supplies from a Cargo Dragon freighter and performing a spacewalk on the Russian segment of the outpost.

The Space Dynamics Laboratory has completed the first of a constellation of cubesats for NASA that will act as a giant radio telescope in space to study space weather.

TriSept Corp. has integrated two experimental payloads built by university students on a RocketStar suborbital test flight scheduled to launch next month.

NanoAvionics said Aug. 10 it has extended its range of modular satellite buses in another step toward the heavier end of the small satellite market.

Two test firings on Tuesday bring the company closer to a Starship orbital flight.

Capella Space intends to offer improved image resolution and quality with a new generation of synthetic aperture radar satellites, called Acadia, scheduled to launch in early 2023.

Blue Canyon Technologies won its largest constellation order to date, a contract with weather technology company Tomorrow.io.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says the agency has “gotten what we need” from an authorization bill that became law Aug. 9.

Fifty-two new satellites are on the way to join SpaceX’s Starlink internet network following a sky-lighting blastoff from the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday night, a mission that included the 3,000th spacecraft to launch into the Starlink constellation.

For the first time, SpaceX has static fired a Starship booster at its South Texas orbital launch pad, marking important milestones for...

The head of U.S. Space Command said he expects a final decision to be made relatively soon on where the command will be permanently headquartered.

Italy’s D-Orbit said Aug. 9 that it would launch 20 nanosatellites over three years for Swiss startup Astrocast with its orbital transfer vehicle.

Maxar Technologies announced Aug. 9 it was selected by L3Harris to manufacture 14 missile-detection satellites for the U.S. Space Development Agency.

The Aerospace Corp. is establishing a network of remotely operated optical communications terminals to support existing and future small satellite missions.

After a series of spaceflight demonstrations followed by years of secrecy, Novawurks is ready to talk contracts, customers and expansion plans.

Sidus Space could launch LizzieSat-1 without thrusters if it can’t get safety clearances in time to deploy its first satellite from the International Space Station early next year.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, carrying 52 Starlink satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). These satellites will contribute to filling up the fourth shell of the Starlink constellation, which is now available in 36 countries to provide internet access to people around the globe.

So what is it doing up there? Secret, space-y stuff, of course.

SpaceX, whose rideshare services have reshaped the smallsat launch market, says it continues to see strong demand with missions booked into 2025.

Telespazio is beginning to offer a family of products to help commercial space companies set up a digitized ground segment in the cloud.

Atlas Space Operations upgraded its user interface to make it easier for customers to schedule communications with their satellites and to quickly confirm whether data was transmitted.

Small satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital reported increased revenues Aug. 9 as it ramps up work on satellites for the Space Development Agency, but is planning to sell stock as its cash reserves decline.

Debris from a Russian antisatellite weapon demonstration that caused “squalls” of close approaches to satellites earlier this year is now affecting a new series of Starlink satellites.

NASA's Space Launch System rocket is sending the Orion crew capsule to the Moon and back.

Students from California and Indiana, along with staff members at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, will have the opportunity this week to hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

SpaceX continues to launch Falcon 9 rockets from Launch Complex 39A in Florida as construction work advances on the nearby tower for the company’s next-generation Starship rocket. Overnight Tuesday, SpaceX rolled another Falcon 9 to pad 39A for liftoff with the next batch of Starlink internet satellites, just hours after another section of the Starship gantry tower arrived at the pad.

Busek is rapidly expanding its staff and facilities in response to strong demand for spacecraft propulsion.

Chinese commercial launch service provider Galactic Energy maintained a 100 percent launch record early Tuesday with its third Ceres-1 solid rocket launch.

Space logistics startup TransAstronautica announced a partnership Aug. 9 with online astronomy platform Slooh to offer U.S. schools access to a global telescope network of ground-based and space-based telescopes.

Benchmark Space Systems unveiled a collision avoidance kit designed to help small satellites dodge debris and steer clear of other spacecraft.

SpaceX has successfully launched its 3000th Starlink satellite as part of Falcon 9’s 54th dedicated mission for the low Earth orbit (LEO)...

Gen. James Dickinson, head uf U.S. Space Command, said space traffic management should be transferred to a civilian agency as soon as possible

Northrop Grumman has announced plans to partner with startup Firefly Aerospace to save (and upgrade) the conglomerate’s Antares rocket, which it uses...

Canadian launch startup SpaceRyde said Aug. 8 it has added a second member to its advisory board with the appointment of Mina Mitry, the CEO of small satellite operator Kepler Communications.

Rocket Lab’s launch of a NASA lunar cubesat mission lived up to its name, serving as a capstone for the company’s efforts to develop end-to-end space systems and interplanetary missions, according to its chief executive.

NASA is investigating alternative ways to launch four Earth science cubesats after Astra discontinued the rocket originally contracted to launch them.

"Our cadence today is 100 percent driven by market demand."

Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace announced Aug. 8 that they will work together to develop a new first stage for Northrop’s Antares launch vehicle as well as a future medium-lift rocket.

NASA has announced a new round of opportunities through the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) for CubeSat developers, including educational institutions, to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space and contribute to the agency’s exploration goals.

SpaceLink signed an agreement with the U.S. Army to explore ways to use the company’s data-relay constellation to deliver commercial satellite imagery directly to troops on the ground.

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