Space news

China’s secretive reusable spaceplane completed its second mission Monday, landing after 276 days in orbit.

A Rocket Lab Electron launched a pair of NASA cubesats designed to monitor the development of tropical storms, 11 months after the first satellites in the constellation were lost when a different rocket failed.

NASA’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) constellation, having switched launch vehicles after losing two satellites aboard an Astra Rocket 3.3 last year, has launched — this time aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on a mission titled “Rocket Like A Hurricane” from Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B) in Mahia, New Zealand. Liftoff from LC-1B was on schedule at 13:00 NZST (1:00 UTC) on May 8.

The 2023 Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony celebrating NASA Astronauts Roy D. Bridges Jr. and Senator Mark Kelly.

A proposed cut of nearly 20% in the budget for NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan in 2024 could force changes to the mission or its schedule, a top project official said May 3.

Starlink has hit a substantial subscriber milestone, largely thanks to its record user growth over the past six months. SpaceX has been...

The name says it all: Victus Nox, or, translated from Latin, “conquer the night.”

Using the California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) observatory, a group of scientists has observed an aging star destroying a planet within its own star system for the first time. Astronomers have long believed that such a phenomenon occurred in red giant star systems, but have never directly observed the event — until now.

U.S. defense contractor SAIC announced May 5 it will partner with European manufacturer GomSpace to develop small satellites for U.S. government agencies, commercial firms and universities.

NASA and Roscosmos astronauts have both conducted spacewalks this week aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalks prepared the Station for additional iROSA panel installation activity later this summer, added a long-awaited airlock to the Nauka science module, and made history with the first citizen of an Arab country to conduct an EVA.

Media accreditation is open for SpaceX’s 28th commercial resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is targeted no earlier than 12:34 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 3, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After the previous launch target date changed due to weather conditions in New Zealand, NASA and Rocket Lab are now targeting 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 7, (1 p.m. Monday, May 8, New Zealand Standard Time), to launch two storm tracking CubeSats into orbit

Payloads: BioNutrients-2: The crew gathered the appropriate items, hydrated the Yeast BioNutrients-2 production bags, and placed them in SABL-3 to incubate. In addition, the Yogurt production packs were inspected a final time, and frozen for later analysis on the ground. One challenge to maintaining crew health on future long-duration space missions is supplying adequate nutrition. …

NASA probably is about to get serious about exploring the Uranian system.

Pentagon officials have called attention to DoD’s need to access commercial space industry services. However, very little of the Space Force’s budget is being allocated to these types of services, analyst Mike Tierney said May 2.

Scientific spacecraft programs are too important to the United States' welfare and our leadership in the world to ever shortchange or undervalue them through poor policy decisions

BlackSky is requesting permission to operate two of its satellites in lower orbits as the spacecraft are running out of propellant.

"We all know that China and Russia and others have been doing lots of flights."

Orbex, a UK-based rocket service provider for small satellites, has begun the construction of the first vertical launch spaceport on the UK mainland, located on the North coast of Scotland.

The last pair of satellites SES needs to provide upgraded broadband services from medium Earth orbit have completed tests ahead of an early June launch, SES said during financial results May 4.

NASA and the science team for a spacecraft in the outer reaches of the solar system are locked in a dispute about the future of that mission and the science it can perform.

Lockheed Martin announced May 4 it is consolidating several businesses focused on space into three sectors: Commercial civil space, national security space, and strategic and missile defense.

Viasat took a big step toward satellite staying power last weekend, as the long-awaited launch of the first of the ViaSat-3 trio rumbled off the ground (thanks to the “full power” version of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.)

RS Extravehicular Activity (EVA) #57: Yesterday, ISS CDR Sergey Prokopyev (EV1) and FE-2 Dmitry Petelin (EV2) performed RS EVA #57 with Andrey Fedyaev supporting as the Intravehicular (IV) operator. The trio performed a multitude of tasks concurrently with ERA Mission 7 in order to relocate the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) science airlock from its stored …

Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has announced Charlotta Sund as its new President and CEO. Sund, who will take office in autumn 2023, will replace Stefan Gardefjord, who retires after serving the company for 12 years.

On a clear night and under a bright Moon, SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 to successfully deliver 56 version 1.5 Starlink satellites...

CesiumAstro, a company that specializes in communications technologies for satellites and aircraft, will supply electronic phased-array payloads for seven U.S. military satellites built by Raytheon Technologies.

SpaceX is set to begin its potentially busy May launch cadence with the launch of 56 V1.5 Starlink satellites from LC-40 at...

British early-stage investor Seraphim Space announced May 4 the nine space startups taking part in its latest global accelerator program, which aims to help them raise funds despite a challenging macroeconomic outlook.

The Czech Republic became the 24th country to sign the Artemis Accords May 3, growing Europe’s presence in the U.S.-led agreement.

The $6.4 billion buyout of Maxar Technologies is complete and the company is now officially private.

NASA selected five organizations to conduct studies of coronagraphs to fly on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s future space weather satellite.

Following the maiden launch of the world’s most powerful rocket, SpaceX hopes to conduct a mirror test flight of the Starship rocket this summer.

During a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington Wednesday, the Czech Republic became the 24th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the Czech Republic.

The bid includes large players such as Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat, and SES.

Payloads: BioFabrication Facility (BFF): Following the cleaning print activities on Tuesday, the test print cassette and cleaning syringe were replaced inside the BFF. Using 3D biological printers to produce usable human organs has long been a dream of scientists and doctors around the globe. However, printing the tiny, complex structures found inside human organs, such …

The U.S. Space Force selected Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to develop competing ground systems for a next-generation space communications network that can survive a nuclear attack.

Elon Musk’s Starlink appears to have quietly updated its fair use policy. With the update, customers under the company’s “Standard” plan now...

NASA may not have enough plutonium available to power a mission to Uranus recommended by the latest decadal survey until the latter half of the 2030s.

Ambitious international programs like NASA Artemis are leading the way into the next era of space exploration and human space flight driven by new technologies and commercial partnerships.

A cubesat launched as a secondary payload on Artemis 1 may end its operations at the end of the month unless it can get its propulsion system working.

SpaceX continues to impress with hardware re-use, this time showcasing the extreme environment Falcon 9 & Falcon Heavy fairings withstand to be...

A U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory cubesat equipped with a Link 16 tactical communications radio will launch to low Earth orbit as early as June on the SpaceX Transporter 8 rideshare.

LeoStella, a manufacturer of small satellites, is pursuing U.S. defense sales amid a slowdown in production at its factory in Washington state near Seattle.

Europe’s largest space companies have banded together to bid for a role in the European Union’s proposed multi-orbit connectivity constellation.

The first crewed Artemis mission is now the focus of NASA’s beyond-Earth orbit human spaceflight programs. Mission training for the recently-named crew for the Artemis II test flight is expected to begin in June, at just about the time that the mission integration review will be conducted.

"I think the great thing about the space industry is it is the ultimate leveler."

Payloads: BioFabrication Facility (BFF): The crew performed a series of steps designed to unclog the smart pump syringe components, and installed Bio-Ink Syringes inside the BFF. Using 3D biological printers to produce usable human organs has long been a dream of scientists and doctors around the globe. However, printing the tiny, complex structures found inside …

African nations have the potential to become leading competitors in the space industry due to the continent’s rapidly expanding space industry, the amount of institutional knowledge already available, and its large youth population poised to become the next generation of space innovators.

A federal bankruptcy court has approved plans to conduct a sale of Virgin Orbit’s assets this month that could result in either new ownership for the launch provider or its dissolution.