Space news

China's Tianwen-3 aims to be the first to collect samples from Mars and deliver them to Earth, potentially landing back home two years ahead of the NASA and the European Space Agency MSR project

Spire Global said Sept. 15 it will build three 16U cubesats launching in 2023 to expand Canadian greenhouse gas-monitoring operator GHGSat’s constellation.

Satlantis, a Spanish Earth-observation technology company, signed a contract Sept. 14 to buy two multispectral microsatellites from OHB Sweden.

NASA is requesting proposals for two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station in 2023 and 2024, enforcing a requirement such missions be commanded by former NASA astronauts.

Vast Space, a Southern California startup founded by cryptocurrency billionaire Jed McCaleb, plans to establish an artificial-gravity space station in low-Earth orbit.

Several new launch vehicles, some years behind their original schedules, are now expected to make their inaugural launches within the next year.

European space mission integrator Telespazio said Sept. 14 it has signed a deal to distribute Canadian startup NorthStar Earth & Space’s planned space domain awareness services.

The first launch of the Space Development Agency’s low Earth orbit satellites that had been scheduled for late September is slipping to no earlier than mid-December.

SpaceX continues to make progress with its orbital test flight duo, with Ship 24 completing a six-engine static fire test, followed by Booster 7 conducting a 33-engine spin prime milestone. As that launch inches closer, teams ready multiple vehicles for future launches and near completion of major construction at their Starship Florida launch site.

Microsoft is continuing to expand its role in the space sector on multiple fronts with a strategy built around partnerships.

Regional satellite operators are searching for faster ways to add more capacity to their networks to meet soaring demand for broadband, according to executives speaking at World Satellite Business Week here.

Direct-to-cell startup AST SpaceMobile is preparing to unfurl the largest commercial antenna ever deployed in low Earth orbit after establishing contact with its BlueWalker 3 prototype satellite.

Japan and Germany pledged this week not to conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing, throwing their weight behind the U.S.-driven initiative launched in April to promote peaceful and safe use of outer space.

Morpheus Space raised $28 million in a Series A funding round announced Sept. 14.

The NASA associate administrator responsible for the agency’s science programs will resign by the end of the year after more than six years on the job.

A Blue Origin executive said it’s too soon to conclude what caused the failure of a New Shepard suborbital vehicle on a Sept. 12 flight, playing down any implications for the company’s New Glenn orbital rocket.

Iceye announced preliminary plans Sept. 14 to work with Satlantis, a Spanish Earth-observation technology company, to launch a constellation of four satellites to acquire high-resolution radar and optical imagery.

Iridium Communications has chosen SpaceX to launch one last batch of its NEXT communications satellites, rounding out the constellation with up to...

Despite near-term headwinds in the economy and the markets, executives and investors remain bullish about the space industry’s long-term prospects.

Aalyri Technologies, a startup that emerged from stealth mode Sept. 13, plans to provide high-speed internet using software and networking technology from Google’s ill-fated balloon project.

Rocket Lab is set to launch its 30th mission from New Zealand Thursday with a commercial Japanese radar remote sensing satellite. While the company does not plan to retrieve the  Electron rocket on this mission, engineers recently test-fired an engine recovered from a flight recovered earlier this year, another step toward Rocket Lab’s goal of reusing first stage boosters.

Starlink and T-Mobile’s partnership will be revolutionary for cellular service and Smarter AI CEO Chris Piche had some thoughts on how the...

As part of NASA's efforts to address orbital debris, the agency is funding research proposals from three university-based teams over the next year to analyze the economic, social, and policy issues associated with space sustainability.

Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman testified at a confirmation hearing Sept. 13 to be the next chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force

Arianespace said Sept. 13 it has reached a settlement deal that could revive a launch services agreement with OneWeb that was suspended following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, will leave the agency at the end of 2022, after six years of dedicated service.

China launched a Long March 7A rocket Tuesday, successfully inserting the Zhongxing-1E satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

SpaceX called off a launch attempt Tuesday at Cape Canaveral due to lightning, delaying liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket and 54 more Starlink internet satellites by 24 hours until Wednesday night.

Saturn continues to surprise as scientists comb through 13 years of Cassini data.

"Why, Mr. Spock, you almost make me believe in miracles."

Companies reveal plans for optical and RF data relay networks to address growing demand from satellite operators for high-speed data transfer.

Remote communications provider Speedcast has become the first company to sign a distribution deal to resell SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services to enterprise and maritime customers.

Slingshot Aerospace, a space data analytics company, announced Sept. 13 it is offering a free version of its space traffic control software to satellite operators

Days after NASA proposed to make its next attempt to launch the Artemis 1 mission on Sept. 23, the agency changed course and pushed back the launch.

Redwire and Sodern announced a partnership Sept. 12 where Redwire will produce in the U.S. a version of a Sodern star tracker.

ESA will seek a roughly 25% increase in funding from member states this fall despite economic and geopolitical challenges in Europe.

A SpaceX sales executive predicts that the company will launch Falcon Heavy, currently the most powerful operational rocket in the world, up...

Ground teams will try to stabilize the motion of NASA’s small CAPSTONE scouting satellite and rescue the $30 million mission on the way to the moon, following a problem Sept. 8 that sent the spacecraft into a tumble and caused controllers to temporarily lose contact with the probe, officials said Monday.

Students from Georgia and Illinois will have the opportunity this week to hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The Planetary Society sees commercial spaceflight as a means to promote our goals in space science and exploration. These policies guide our organizational approach to the dynamic and growing space industry.

Firefly Aerospace said Monday it will try again Sept. 19 to launch its second Alpha rocket from California after scrubbing back-to-back launch attempts due to a helium pressure issue and unfavorable wind conditions.

OneWeb is considering plans for a second-generation constellation jointly with Eutelsat ahead of closing their proposed merger, executives for the satellite operators said Sept. 12.

NASA said Monday it is now targeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, for a critical fueling test on the Space Launch System moon rocket, which could allow for another attempt to launch the unpiloted Artemis 1 lunar test flight as soon as Sept. 27, assuming engineers find no problems and the Space Force approves an extension for the rocket’s range safety system. The updated schedule is a four-day delay for the SLS tanking test and next launch opportunity.

The suborbital rocket developed by Jeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin suffered its first launch failure Monday, when the main engine on the New Shepard booster appeared to cut out about a minute after liftoff from West Texas. The crew capsule, which carried NASA experiments but no people, safely landed under parachutes after firing an abort motor to escape the stricken booster.

Five space-related companies from the United States and one from the United Kingdom are joining the fall 2022 Techstars Aerospace and Defense Accelerator.

NASA will host a briefing at 11:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. PDT) on Thursday, Sept. 15, at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to provide highlights from the first year and a half of the Perseverance rover’s exploration of Mars.