Space news

Boeing, the prime contractor for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage, is adding two new work locations at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida as the company looks to support increases in the production rate of the launch vehicle. The completed engine section structure for the third Core Stage is being transported by barge from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans to KSC, where Boeing will now outfit the most complicated element of the SLS inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF).

As the Artemis 1 mission nears its conclusion, European Space Agency and industry officials praised the performance of the Orion spacecraft’s service module, which some see as a step towards a European crewed spacecraft.

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight spacecraft, a small briefcase-size CubeSat that could break new ground in the search for water ice on the moon, is hitching a ride to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket along with the privately-developed Hakuto-R moon lander after missing a launch opportunity on NASA’s Artemis 1 mission.

Closing out a 25-day voyage around the moon, NASA’s Artemis 1 spacecraft closed in on Earth Saturday, on track for a 25,000-mph re-entry Sunday that will subject the unpiloted capsule to a hellish 5,000-degree inferno before splashdown off Baja California.

The mobile launch platform for NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center Friday for inspections and repairs after liftoff of the Artemis 1 moon mission last month, setting the stage for upgrades to the 380-foot-tall structure before the first crewed Artemis moon flight scheduled for 2024.

French satellite antenna maker Anywaves said Dec. 8 it has raised around $3 million to help capture more business from U.S. customers.

NASA has finalized its contract with Boeing of Huntsville, Alabama, for approximately $3.2 billion to continue manufacturing core and upper stages for future Space Launch System (SLS) rockets for Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

The top Democrat and Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced bipartisan legislation Dec. 8 to reform the Federal Communication Commission’s satellite licensing rules.

The first launch of the Space Development Agency’s constellation planned for mid-December will slip to March 2023 due to an anomaly detected in York Space’s satellites.

Payloads: JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer-23 (J-SSOD-23): The J-SSOD-23 experiment hardware was removed from the JEM Airlock slide table and stowed. The four J-SSOD-23 satellites were successfully deployed in early December. J-SSOD provides a novel and safe small satellite launching capability to the ISS. The J-SSOD is a unique satellite launcher, handled by the JEM …

"Reentry is our priority-one objective for a reason."

A Japanese billionaire has selected an eclectic group of people who will accompany him on a SpaceX Starship flight around the moon, although it remains uncertain when that mission will take place.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft is in the home stretch of the Artemis 1 uncrewed test flight as the agency prepares for the vehicle’s ultimate test: reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

"We need some adult supervision there to actually help these guys."

China launched its new Jielong-3 rocket from a mobile sea platform in the Yellow Sea Friday, successfully sending 14 satellites into orbit.

SpaceX could provide “full and continuous” direct-to-smartphone services across much of the globe with less than a third of the 7,500 Gen 2 Starlink satellites approved last week, the company said in a request to add the capability to the broadband constellation.

Students in Charlevoix, Michigan, will have an opportunity next week to hear from a NASA astronaut living and working aboard the International Space Station.

Dawn Aerospace has raised $20 million to expand its line of in-space propulsion products and continue spaceplane development.

The U.S.-based subsidiary of satellite operator SES has been renamed to reflect the company’s focus on the national security market.

NASA has selected Chenega Global Protection, LLC. of Chantilly, Virginia, to receive the NASA Protective Services – Eastern Region contract. The

NASA has selected Collins Aerospace to develop a next-generation spacesuit for the International Space Station, replacing aging suits that have become a safety concern.

NASA has awarded a task order to Collins Aerospace to deliver a spacewalking system for potential use outside the International Space Station.

Satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital has formed a new business unit that will produce electro-optical imaging satellites.

Payloads: Food Physiology: A diet briefing was attended between the crew and principal investigator team in support of the Food Physiology investigation. The Integrated Impact of Diet on Human Immune Response, the Gut Microbiota, and Nutritional Status During Adaptation to Spaceflight (Food Physiology) experiment is designed to characterize the key effects of an enhanced spaceflight …

SpaceX conducted its 55th flight of the year to take the OneWeb Flight #15 mission using a flight-proven Falcon 9 to a polar low Earth orbit (LEO) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Liftoff occurred on Dec. 8 at 5:27:48 PM EST (22:27:48 UTC).

Just days after setting a launch date for its first launch from the United Kingdom, Virgin Orbit announced Dec. 8 it was delaying that mission for weeks because of technical and regulatory issues.

As we head into the final weeks of the year, I’ve been thinking about space business lessons to be learned from 2022. One that repeatedly comes up is the need for tempered expectations when it comes to schedule targets across the industry. I spoke to a dozen insiders this week, from investors to executives, about why delays matter. My takeaway: Unrealistic timelines can have a ripple effect, from eating up cash to damaging a firm’s reputation — notching up the stakes.

Mobile Launcher 1 (ML1, or ML) is on its way back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center after successfully launching the SLS rocket and Orion/European Service Module duo on the Artemis I mission from Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) on Nov. 16, 2022.

Astrobotic’s first lunar lander has passed a key set of acceptance tests, keeping the spacecraft on schedule for a launch in early 2023.

A NASA space science spacecraft launched three years ago has been out of contact with controllers for nearly two weeks after suffering some kind of technical problem.

Forty more OneWeb internet satellites rocketed into orbit from Kennedy Space Center at sunset Thursday, company’s first launch with SpaceX after suspending flights on Russian rockets following the invasion of Ukraine. A senior OneWeb official said the company has booked an extra launch with SpaceX, adding to a contract signed earlier this year.

SpaceX has successfully launched the first of at least three missions for Starlink competitor OneWeb, completing its 55th launch of the year...

SpaceX launched 40 satellites for OneWeb’s rival broadband constellation Dec. 8 on a Falcon 9 rocket.

The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking proposals for commercial services to deploy and operate payloads in outer space beyond Earth orbit

NASA and Boeing are changing how they assemble the core stage of the Space Launch System, moving some of the final integration work to the Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission to put payloads on 2,016 of its satellites for its direct-to-cell system with...

Absolut Group, a French cryogenic technology provider, said Dec. 7 it has ordered a demo nanosatellite for a constellation that would use sensors at very low temperatures to detect greenhouse gas leaks.

NASA has selected A-P-T Research, Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama, to provide safety and mission assurance support services at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A bipartisan compromise version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act released overnight on Dec. 6 directs DoD to figure out a strategy to protect military satellites from threats in orbit.

NASA has awarded a contract to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. of Allentown, Pennsylvania, to supply up to 7.5 million pounds of liquid hydrogen to support operations at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Payloads: Behavioral Core Measures (BCM): A BCM research session consisting of a set of 12 runs/tests was performed. The Standardized Behavioral Measures for Detecting Behavioral Health Risks during Exploration Missions (BCM) experiment initially examined a suite of measurements to reliably assess the risk of adverse cognitive or behavioral conditions and psychiatric disorders during long-duration spaceflight, …

Teams led by Blue Origin and Dynetics, runners-up in NASA’s first competition to develop a lander to transport astronauts to the lunar surface, have submitted proposals for a NASA competition to select a second lander.

The mission’s first two samples of regolith – broken rock and dust – could help scientists better understand the Red Planet and engineers prepare for future missions there.

Russia launched two Soyuz rockets Nov. 28 and Nov. 30 from the country’s northern cosmodrome, hauling a Glonass navigation satellite and a military spy satellite into orbit.

With Booster 7 returned to the Mega Bay (High Bay 2) at Starbase, all eyes are on its stablemate, Booster 9, as both vehicles prepare for a roll down Highway 4.

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission.

"Come toward me, baby! Looks like it’s moving... Don’t run over me!"

TriSept, a launch integration and mission management specialist, announced a strategic partnership Dec. 7 with cybersecurity firm SpiderOak to offer an “end-to-end security system” for satellites and ground systems.

NASA has approved for development a space telescope to search for near Earth objects as some members of Congress lobby the agency to move up the mission.

China is already considering adding modules to its recently-completed Tiangong space station complex, according to a senior space official.