Space news

Amazon Web Services said April 18 it picked 14 U.S. and European startups to join its third annual space accelerator program kicking off in May to boost ventures with solutions for improving space sustainability.

Export control rules promised in 2019, when the U.S. State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and the Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security announced plans to revise the U.S. Munitions List, are likely to be published by the end of the year.

Efforts to streamline and accelerate space licensing procedures to keep up with rapid innovation are bearing fruit, according to a Space Symposium panel of regulators.

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) said it might be time for the Defense Department to start more open discussions about the national security challenges the United States faces in the space domain.

NASA has selected Rothe Ares Joint Venture of San Antonio to manage digital communication services, as well as information technology services, for all agency centers and headquarters.

The U.S. Space Force is facing a new challenge in its role to safeguard the country's satellites from foreign threats, as Russian and Chinese satellites engage in disruptive maneuvers and follow other nations' spacecraft in orbit.

The Linuss experiment — short for Lockheed Martin’s In-space Upgrade Satellite System — went to orbit on the USSF-44 national security mission launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.

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Two crew members, including a NASA astronaut, living aboard the International Space Station will conduct a spacewalk Friday, April 28, to continue installation of hardware to support future power system upgrades.

The U.S. Space Force is conducting an important test of its ability to rapidly respond to world events.

The U.S. Space Force is considering a variety of ways to rapidly respond to changing threats. One option is storing a satellite like Victus Nox, the satellite Millennium Space Systems […]

SpaceX called off the first attempt to launch its integrated Starship vehicle from Texas April 17 because of a valve problem.

Payloads: Electromagnetic Levitator (EML): Argon valves were closed and a Helium valve was opened in preparation for future science runs. The EML is a facility composed of four inserts installed into the European Drawer Rack (EDR) for the electromagnetic levitation of samples. The experiment samples are installed in a dedicated Sample Chamber that is attached …

The war in Ukraine has shown the power of commercial satellites to deliver crucial intelligence to the world. The satellite imagery industry is trying to build on that momentum and […]

No human alive has ever seen a rocket this powerful take flight.

Orbit Fab, a startup developing in-space satellite refueling services, has raised $28.5 million to accelerate work on its first missions.

With more than 600 satellites in orbit the OneWeb constellation is set to provide global broadband coverage by year-end. The structure panels of all 650 OneWeb satellites were developed and […]

50 flights and Ingenuity is still soaring high

TrustPoint Inc. launched its first satellite April 14 on the SpaceX Transporter-7 rideshare flight.

SpaceX launched more than 50 satellites early April 15 on the latest in a series of dedicated Falcon 9 smallsat rideshare missions.

The FAA has issued a launch license to SpaceX to the first integrated test flight of the company’s Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle, scheduled for no earlier than April 17.

NASA leadership and other experts will participate in the Space Foundation’s 38th Annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the agency will air two NASA events.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Starship launch license to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, a crucial final regulatory step that clears the company to attempt an orbital launch of its towering rocket for the first time.

"So far they’ve done what they need to do with regard to environmental impact."

The chief executive of European small launch vehicle developer Orbex stepped down April 14 so that company can go to the “next level” ahead of its first launch.

With SpaceX confirming Starship is now ready for flight, all eyes were on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue its launch license. That was finally granted on Friday evening.

The Defense Department has agreed to provide Aerojet Rocketdyne $215.6 million to expand its rocket propulsion manufacturing faciltiies in order to speed up production of missiles for Ukraine, the Pentagon announced April 14.

An Ariane 5 successfully launched a European spacecraft on an eight-year journey to Jupiter April 14 on the penultimate flight of the venerable rocket.

As more nations seek to explore the vast expanse of space, there is increasing competition and congestion in orbit, according to two new reports released April 14.

According to a report by the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the UK space industry saw a real-term income growth of 5.1%, amounting to £17.5 billion...

The ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission is now on its way to Jupiter after its successful launch onboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, this 5,963kg satellite is tasked with exploring the gas giant Jupiter and its Icey moons. The mission is expected to take around 8 years to get to Jupiter.

"We wanted to see if these were possible habitats for life."

In the fiercely competitive space launch industry, United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have established themselves as the reigning providers of U.S. national security launch services, leaving little room for potential […]

Frank J. Cilluffo is director of the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University. He also served as a commissioner on the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission. […]

Payloads: Advanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP): A BioFabrication Facility (BFF) test tissue cassette was removed from the ADSEP facility and prepared for return on SpX-27. There is no viable science currently in this cassette, but was instead in ADSEP to perform engineering evaluations of the systems inside. Using 3D biological printers to produce usable human organs …

Intelsat has ordered one of three fuel pods Northrop Grumman’s in-orbit servicing subsidiary is launching in late 2024 to extend the life of one of its geostationary satellites by at least six years, the operator announced April 13.

In an experiment last fall near Virginia's coast, a team of engineers used commercial hardware, software and satellite data to show the U.S. Navy how it could quickly turn information from satellites into useful intelligence.

As Japanese company ispace prepares to land on the moon for the first time, its stock is taking off on a Japanese exchange.

"It is the only company that could see material cost savings by fully acquiring ULA."

SpaceX launched the Transporter-7 rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission lifted off on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 11:47 PM PDT (06:47 UTC on April 15).

The history-making rotorcraft has recently been negotiating some of the most hazardous terrain it’s encountered on the Red Planet.

HawkEye 360 and Maxar Technologies have been awarded contract extensions by the National Reconnaissance Office for commercial radio-frequency (RF) data.

As space technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, the role of commercial industry in national defense has become a hot topic, the chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said April 13.

South Korea’s homegrown KSLV-2 rocket is slated to launch May 24, carrying a 180-kilogram technology demonstration satellite and seven cubesats.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is soliciting proposals for research and development on microwave weather sensors, ground systems and technology to reduce interference from 5G networks.

The board, initiated by NASA, will provide added confidence that the program won’t exceed guidelines following an important upcoming milestone.

A new version of the U.S. military’s Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite unveiled by Boeing on April 13 has a new payload that the company designed under a U.S. Space Force contract.

Draper has completed the first milestones of a NASA award to perform the first commercial landing on the far side of the moon in 2025.

The update brings loads of improvements, the most significant being new driving capabilities.

Payloads: Human Research Program (HRP) Sample Collection: The crew collected samples in support of the Food Physiology and Standard Measures investigations. Food Physiology is designed to characterize the key effects of an enhanced spaceflight diet on immune function, the gut microbiome, and nutritional status indicators. Standard Measures collects a set of core measurements related to …