Space news

The ESA (European Space Agency) and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 11:11 a.m. EDT Saturday, July 1, to launch the Euclid spacecraft. Euclid is an ESA mission with contributions from NASA that will shed light on the nature of dark matter and dark energy, two of the biggest modern mysteries about the universe.

China’s main space contractor has conducted several successful high-altitude parachute deployment tests as part of plans to collect asteroid samples and deliver them safely to Earth.

Meet the latest round of winners in The Planetary Society's Shoemaker Near-Earth Object (NEO) grant program, which funds astronomers around the world in their efforts to find, track, and characterize near-Earth asteroids.

Payloads: Kibo Robot Programming Challenge-4 (Robo Pro Challenge): In preparation for the upcoming Robo Pro Challenge tech rehearsal, the perching arm was attached to the Astrobee free flyer. Technical Rehearsals are used to test and verify various elements of the real Robo-Pro challenge. In the actual competition, the student teams will develop code to direct …

The history and where the programme is today.

Virgin Galactic plans to conduct its first fully commercial flight of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane on June 29, carrying three Italians who will conduct more than a dozen experiments.

Mankind is fascinated by space. In the last century, it took its first cautious steps into the endless expanse – and made Earth’s orbit an essential part of our modern everyday lives. Whether it’s combating climate change, planning new roads, or providing everyday services such as Internet access while camping or watching TV with the […] The post European Sovereignty in Space: What’s Next After Ariane 6? appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of June 25-July 1, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in […]

Defense contractor Anduril Industries acquired Adranos, a manufacturer of solid rocket motors, the companies announced June 25.

The Senate Armed Services Committee on June 23 advanced its version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 24-1 after closed deliberations.

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees completed their work on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act this week, with both committees approving their bills almost unanimously. The House Appropriations […]

SpaceX implementing Hot Staging to Starship Super Heavy Interstage

SpaceX is changing the approach for separating the two stages of its Starship vehicle to increase payload performance before its next test flight, Elon Musk said June 24.

Dream Chaser Nearing Flight Readiness

Ecuador Signs the Artemis Accords

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has announced further delays for the inaugural launch of its Vulcan Centaur rocket due to necessary modifications to the Centaur upper stage.

The inaugural launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket faces new delays after the company said it needs to make “minor reinforcements” to part of the Centaur upper stage.

An orbital transfer vehicle that was part of a SpaceX rideshare mission malfunctioned shortly after deployment, putting into jeopardy a technology demonstration spacecraft for a satellite servicing startup.

Europe has just completed the first successful hot-fire test of its reusable Prometheus engine integrated with the Themis first-stage demonstrator at the ArianeGroup site in Vernon, France. The hot-fire test consisted of Prometheus performing a 12-second burn on the Themis demonstrator on June 22, 2023.

A mobile operator in the Pacific island nation of Palau is set to be the first to use Lynk Global’s direct-to-device satellites commercially to keep wireless customers connected outside terrestrial network coverage.

During a ceremony at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington on Wednesday, June 21, India became the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s ambassador to the United States, signed on behalf of India.

India just became the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords. Ecuador and Spain also have recently joined bringing the total to 27. The Accords lay out principles for countries […]

NASA announced the recipients of its annual STEM grants, providing nearly $4 million in total funding, to support scientific and technical research that aligns with the agency’s strategic research and technology development priorities. By providing resources to support cutting-edge research in STEM, NASA helps create a stronger and more vibrant sci

Libra Group, a multinational business group, has formed Space Leasing International. SLI, in turn, revealed its presence June 20 by announcing plans to acquire 21 ground stations.

Lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 11:35 a.m. ET (15:35 UTC), a...

"It is better to not do it than to torch the whole science community."

Payloads: Cold Atom Lab (CAL): Using a Grab Sample Container (GSC), the crew collected a sample of the cabin air around the lower quad area of LAB1P2. The CAL produces clouds of atoms that are chilled to about one ten billionth of a degree above absolute zero — much colder than the average temperature of …

From Saturn’s magnificent rings to Mercury’s surface dings, this week brings great new images and science from across the Solar System.

Following the recent identification of three pyrotechnical transmission lines that raised concerns, Arianespace, the leading space transportation company, has made significant progress in ensuring the safety and reliability of its Ariane 5 launcher. The completion of the replacement process for the doubtful transmission lines, along with a comprehensive review of all pyrotechnical lines, has allowed Arianespace to announce the resumption of the launch campaign for VA261.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) mission will deliver the agency’s first asteroid sample collected in space to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. Media interested in covering the landing, as well as mission activities leading up to and following the return, are invited to register

Ovzon will likely need another deadline extension to keep priority spectrum rights for Ovzon 3, the Swedish satcom service provider’s first broadband satellite now slated to launch no earlier than late 2023.

Apex, a startup with plans to mass-manufacture satellite buses, has raised $16 million to fund development of its first large-scale factory.

"In microlaunchers that balance is on a knife’s edge."

Answers to common questions about membership in The Planetary Society. Join us and find your place in space.

Satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital has signed an agreement with French aerospace giant Safran to explore U.S.-based production of satellite propulsion systems.

The governments of the United States and India have agreed to work more closely together in spaceflight, with India signing the Artemis Accords and the two countries planning for a joint mission of some kind to the International Space Station.

SpaceX’s last launch of the first half of 2023 occurred Friday, June 23, carrying 56 Starlink v1.5 satellites. Liftoff was in the second launch window of the day at 11:35 AM EDT (15:35 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted spending caps for its 12 subcommittees today. In most cases they are higher than their House counterparts. While that may seem like good news for […]

With the loss of the submersible Titan and her five passengers garnering round-the-clock media attention, those working in the emergent private space travel industry should pay close attention

Virgin Galactic has successfully raised $300 million via an “at the market” offering of common stock, the company disclosed in a securities filing Thursday.

NASA has awarded a contract to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, Alaska, for the continued development and operation of the Synthetic Aperture Radar Distributed Active Archive Center for NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System.

47 more Starlink satellites are now in orbit after a successful launch atop a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in...

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) BepiColombo spacecraft, which is in the midst of its seven-year journey to Mercury, has successfully completed its third flyby of the solar system’s innermost planet.

NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission acquired stunning views of Mars in two ultraviolet images taken at different points along our neighboring planet’s orbit around the Sun.

A new STEM-themed kit developed in cooperation with NASA-JPL is designed to spark kids’ interest in engineering and space via traditional toys and augmented reality.

NASA will hold a media teleconference to discuss its X-57 Maxwell all-electric aircraft project at 12 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 23.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the NROL-68 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off on June 22 at 5:18 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. To date, ULA has...

ATMOS Space Cargo has announced the closure of an oversubscribed seed round that saw the company raise €4 million. Founded in 2021, ATMOS is developing a range of space capsules that are capable of safely returning cargo from space. The company is ambitious in its goals, stating that its capsules will be capable of “returning […] The post ATMOS Space Cargo Raises €4M to Return Cargo from Space appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Washington, D.C. - India Prime Minister Narendra Modi's has announced India has decided to join the Artemis Accords during his state visit to the United States on Thursday. In a joint announcement, the space agencies of both countries, NASA and ISRO, also revealed their agreement to collaborate on a groundbreaking joint space mission scheduled for 2024.

Building the backbone of a spacecraft – the satellite bus, which provides the structure, power and movement – has long been a mission-focused endeavor. Buses are typically built to the specification of customers, with lead times often measured in years.