Space news

Bruno says he has questions on the Space Force’s decision to add a third heavy-lift launch provider in the next round of contracts, known as National Security Space Launch Phase 3.

Chris Kubasik, CEO of defense contractor L3Harris Technologies, on July 27 extended “a warm welcome to Aerojet's team of over 5,000 employees who will soon become part of L3Harris.”

TLP Network via a NASA FOIA has acquired 2 of 5 videos recored by NASA WB-57 during the Starship IFT-1 flight.

The Voyagers were launched nearly half a century ago.

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has encountered a communication break due to a series of planned commands sent to it on July 21.

Eutelsat’s plan to sell off European retail broadband activities bucks a trend that has seen satellite operators increasingly buy these kinds of businesses in recent years. The French geostationary operator’s […]

Eutelsat expects to return to growth next year as its pivot to connectivity starts to bear fruit, the French satellite operator said July 28 after a waning video business helped annual sales decline for the seventh year in a row.

After a series of weather delays, SpaceX launched 22 V2 mini Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40...

Media are invited to see the new test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the hardware teams will use to recover the capsule and astronauts upon their return from space during the Artemis II mission. The event will take place at 11 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at Naval Base San Diego.

Payloads: ADvanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP): Historical documentation photos were taken of a crewmember removing the Tissue Cassette from the ADSEP Facility and then of the crewmember holding the Tissue Cassettes inside the Glovebag. ADSEP is a thermally controlled single-middeck-locker equivalent that accommodates up to three cassette-based experiments that can be independently operated. Its companion …

Argentina signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration, part of a recent surge of countries joining the agreement.

The next competition for a NASA line of planetary science missions could suffer a multi-year delay because of constrained budgets, an agency official said July 27.

SpaceX delayed the Falcon Heavy Echostar XXIV/Jupiter 3 mission by 24 hours and will move forward with a Falcon 9 Starlink launch...

En una ceremonia celebrada la Casa Rosada de Buenos Aires el jueves 27 de julio, Argentina se convirtió en el vigésimo octavo país en firmar los Acuerdos de Artemis. El administrador de la NASA, Bill Nelson, participó en la ceremonia de firma por parte de la agencia, y el ministro de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Daniel Filmus, firmó por parte

During a ceremony at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires on Thursday, July 27, Argentina became the 28th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Daniel Filmus, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, signed on behalf of Argentina.

New concept art was released on Rocket Lab’s website today, showcasing new design choices for the company’s reusable Neutron rocket. One of...

NASA is elevating its digital platforms for the benefit of all by revamping its flagship and science websites, adding its first on-demand streaming service, and upgrading the NASA app. With these changes, everyone will have access to a new world of content from the space agency.

SpaceX on Thursday night came close to breaking a record that’s stood for over half a century, with back-to-back launches that had been set to fly from Florida’s Space Coast.

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) announced July 26 that it had signed an agreement with Politecnico di Milano to begin the development of the agency’s Oxygen Retrieval Asset by Carbothermal-reduction in Lunar Environment (ORACLE) project. The Advanced Space Technologies for Robotics and Astrodynamics (ASTRA) research group at Politecnico di Milano is in the process of […] The post ASI to Tap European Startup to Launch Lunar Regolith Oxygen Extractor Mission appeared first on European Spaceflight.

SpaceX has told investors that it expects to roughly double its revenues in 2023 to upwards of $8 billion (from $4 billion in 2022) as reported earlier in July by […]

RocketLab has released new renders of their Neutron rocket. Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket, is a cutting-edge medium-lift two-stage launch vehicle currently in development.

As Wall Street works its way through second-quarter earnings reports, investors are getting a closer look at first-half performance from the space sector — and setting expectations for the second half of the year. 

Northrop Grumman said it took a $36 million charge on its contract to build a module for NASA’s lunar Gateway, citing changing mission requirements and broader economic issues.

NASA and DARPA announced they awarded Lockheed Martin and BWX Technologies to build and develop a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engine. Lockheed...

China has conducted a pair of orbital missions to launch a commercially developed flat-panel communications satellite and a new batch of spy satellites.

ISS Reboost: This morning, the ISS performed a reboost using the Aft Progress 83P rendezvous and docking (R&D) thrusters. This reboost is part of a series of reboosts to set up proper phasing conditions for the Progress 85P 34-orbit rendezvous in August. The burn duration was 5 minutes 30 seconds with a delta-V of 0.46 …

NASA and DARPA announced today that Lockheed Martin and BWXT will build a nuclear thermal propulsion demonstration vehicle called DRACO. NASA and DARPA joined forces earlier this year to develop […]

Boeing reported today that continued delays to the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program have cost the company another $257 million. Boeing is building Starliner under a fixed price contract so […]

L3Harris told investors July 26 that federal regulators will not challenge the company’s acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne, clearing the way for the deal to close as early as July 28.

Kleos Space, a Luxembourg based startup that operates signals-intelligence satellites, has run out of cash and will file for bankruptcy.

NASA and DARPA have selected Lockheed Martin to develop a spacecraft to demonstrate nuclear propulsion technologies in Earth orbit later this decade.

The U.S. military is being challenged to counter China’s rapid advances in space technology, Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting told the Senate Armed Services Committee July 26.

"NASA is looking to go to Mars with this system."

NASA is investing more than $14 million in 19 U.S. colleges and universities to grow their STEM capacity to participate in critical spaceflight research and prepare a new generation of diverse students for careers in the nation's science, technology, engineering, and math workforce.

For its third flight this year, Falcon Heavy conducted the record-breaking launch of EchoStar 24. Also known as Jupiter 3, this payload will be the heaviest satellite launched to a geostationary transfer orbit, massing 9.2 tonnes. As such, Falcon Heavy needed to expend its center core to gain additional performance, like what has been done on several recent missions.

The US House Oversight Commitee held a historic hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency.

Boeing on Wednesday reported a $257 million charge in the second quarter for its Starliner astronaut spacecraft program, bringing the program’s to-date overrun costs to $1.5 billion as delays continue.

Boeing took another loss on its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program as the first crewed flight of that vehicle remains in limbo.

The United States Space Force is advancing plans to establish a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) program. The initiative aims to secure agreements with commercial space companies, ensuring prioritized access to critical satellite services like communication and remote sensing during times of national security emergencies.

NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have partnered together for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. Today they have revealed Lockheed Martin, based in Littleton, Colorado, has been selected as the prime contractor for the design, build, and testing of the revolutionary nuclear-powered rocket.

NASA has selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that could support long-term exploration on the Moon and in space for the benefit of all. The technologies range from lunar surface power systems to tools for in-space 3D printing, which will expand industry capabilities for a sustained human presence on the Moon through Artemis, as well as other NASA, government, and commercial missions.

"We're not really ready to talk about a launch opportunity yet."

Experts from NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will hold a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 26, to discuss the latest developments in the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program.

Payloads: Confocal Space Microscopy: The temperature logger was removed from Confocal Space Microscopy and the measurements were reported to the ground. The Confocal Space Microscope is a JAXA facility that provides fluorescent images of biological samples aboard the ISS. Confocal microscopy uses spatial filtering techniques to eliminate out-of-focus light or glare in specimens with thicknesses …

The House defeated legislation today that critics said would have given the Federal Communications Commission “unprecedented authority” over space safety and space debris in a jurisdictional dispute between two House […]

A bill intended to reform satellite spectrum licensing regulations failed to pass the House July 25 after some members objected to provisions they claimed gave the FCC authority to regulate space safety.

The week of July 24 through July 30 will end the month with at least four more launches, focused mostly on increasing the number of Earth-imaging satellites sent to space. Firstly, China launched Yaogn satellites atop the Chang Zheng 2D; SpaceX also launched a Starlink mission and Falcon Heavy launched the largest-ever geostationary (GEO) satellite into space, the EchoStar XXIV (Jupiter 3).

A Spire Global-led group has won European Space Agency funds to develop a satellite to demonstrate a civil aviation tracking constellation that would not rely on GPS, or any other global navigation satellite system vulnerable to interference.

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Wednesday, July 26th, for the launch of the Jupiter 3/Echostar XXIV communications satellite from Launch Complex...

NASA has been planning for years to go to the south pole of the moon, and that is where it should go.