Space news

A launch license approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority on 28 July grants HyImpulse permission to launch its SR75 rocket for the first time from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland between 1 December 2023 and 30 November 2024. The single-stage suborbital SR75 rocket is powered by one of the company’s HyPLOX-75 hybrid rocket motors which […] The post HyImpulse to Debut SR75 Rocket No Earlier than December 1 appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Last year I wrote about the key terms investors should know about the steps involved in a rocket launch, to give a guide for what phrases mean in context.

Payloads: Actiwatch-Plus: Four Actiwatches were connected to the Human Research Facility-1 (HRF-1) rack for data download and charging. The Actiwatch-Plus is a waterproof, non-intrusive, sleep-wake activity monitor worn on the wrist of a crewmember and contains a miniature uniaxial accelerometer that produces a signal as the subject moves. The data is stored in non-volatile memory …

Ball Corporation agreed to sell its aerospace division to U.K. defense contractor BAE Systems for $5.6 billion in cash, the companies announced on Thursday.

The U.S. Space Force intends to award Northrop Grumman a sole-source contract to develop two ground-based radar sites to track space objects.

BAE Systems, a defense and security conglomerate based in the United Kingdom, announced Aug. 17 it intends to acquire Ball Aerospace for $5.5 billion.

Terran Orbital expects to get $180 million this year from Rivada Space as it prepares to build 300 satellites for the venture, even as plans to fund the full $2.4 billion manufacturing contract remain under wraps.

The State Department is starting discussions with U.S. stakeholders to organize an International Lunar Year. The ILY will build on the International Geophysical Year that heralded the beginning of the […]

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 will answer media questions at 2:40 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 23, about their mission aboard International Space Station prior to returning to Earth.

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara will virtually discuss her upcoming mission to the International Space Station during live interviews ahead of launch.

Following a plethora of launches last week, the week of Aug. 14 through Aug. 20 only had three orbital launches—most of which are Chinese Starlink launches. The week started with the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) launching the HEAD-3A/B/C/D/E satellites atop its Kuaxzhou 1A rocket. After that, SpaceX launched the Starlink Group 6-10 from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

Momentus recently cut its workforce by 30% as the cash-strapped company seeks to reduce its costs while looking for “strategic options” to raise funding.

A new era for European propulsion.

SpaceX is looking to launch two Falcon 9 Starlink missions tonight from the East and West Coasts just hours apart. These two...

La NASA invita a los estudiantes de escuela secundaria y preparatoria de Estados Unidos a presentar ideas de experimentos para vuelos de prueba a bordo de un globo de gran altitud o de un módulo de aterrizaje propulsado por cohete en el tercer Desafío Estudiantil TechRise.

NASA is calling on middle and high school students across the country to submit experiment ideas for a high-altitude balloon or rocket-powered lander test flight in the third TechRise Student Challenge.

SkyWatch, a satellite data distributor based in Ontario, Canada, announced a new imagery product that combines radar and optical images.

Artificial intelligence startup Wallaroo Labs won a $1.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to continue the development of machine learning models for edge computers in orbit.

Payloads: Kibo-Robot Programming Challenge 4: An Astrobee flight and technical feasibility rehearsal was performed in preparation of the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge 4 final round event. Kibo-Robot Programming Challenge 4 is an educational competition for students in the Asia-Pacific region. The students are tasked to create a program that demonstrates accurate control of Astrobee. The …

SpaceX has made remarkable progress at Starbase, but will they attempt a launch anytime soon? The company recently requested a maritime exclusion...

DARPA is kicking off a study to develop an “analytical framework” to guide development of integrated lunar infrastructure over the next decade.

First place went to a University of Texas team seeking to indirectly measure vegetation water content and predict nitrogen content.

As Astra shifts resources from launch vehicle development to spacecraft thruster production, the company is actively seeking strategic investors to provide longer-term support.

You can always count on conspiracy theorists to make a tragedy worse.

The National Reconnaissance Office is soliciting proposals from commercial remote-sensing companies that use optical imaging satellites.

After ESA confirmed Ariane 6 would not debut until 2024 and the return to flight of Vega C suffered a setback following a failed test, it appears that Europe can look forward to just one more launch in 2023. The Arianespace-managed mission will be launched will be aboard a Vega rocket and is scheduled to […] The post Arianespace to Launch Europe’s Final Mission of 2023 Aboard Vega in September appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A geosynchronous surveillance satellite, part of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) operated by the U.S. Space Force, has been retired after completing an exceptional eight-year mission in orbit.

For decades, the Pentagon's massive space budget has been primarily allocated to traditional geostationary satellites; but the four-year-old Space Development Agency (SDA) is looking to revolutionize this approach.

Here are some of the stories you may have missed in the past week. The second week of August 2023 featured updates...

Media accreditation is now open for the upcoming launch of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, for a mission to a unique metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

Ya está abierto el proceso de acreditación de los medios de comunicación para el próximo lanzamiento de la nave espacial Psyche de la NASA en su misión a un asteroide único y rico en metales que orbita alrededor del Sol, entre Marte y Júpiter.

Interstellar Technologies is gearing up for a crucial static fire test later this year, a significant step toward launching their Zero rocket into orbit by 2025.

DCubed, a cutting-edge German startup renowned for its expertise in deployable satellite structures, has announced plans to pioneer in-space manufacturing with an upcoming demonstration, marking a significant advancement in the realm of satellite technology.

A geosynchronous surveillance satellite operated by the U.S. Space Force reached the end of its lifespan and was recently deorbited.

China has launched what is believed to be the world's first geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, marking a significant advancement in its space capabilities.

NASA has selected Rocket Lab to launch a pair of CubeSats in 2024 as part of the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) mission which aims to closely monitor the energy entering and exiting Earth's polar regions, shedding new light on an area of scientific inquiry that has been shrouded in mystery.

Payloads: Astrobee: The Perching Arm hardware was installed onto the Astrobee flyer (Bumble) in preparation for the Kibo-Robot Programming Challenge 4 Rehearsal. Astrobee is made up of three free-flying, cube-shaped robots. These robots are designed to help scientists and engineers develop and test technologies for use in microgravity to assist astronauts with routine chores, and …

NASA is looking to bolster its capabilities for deploying cubesats on the upcoming iteration of the Space Launch System (SLS); however uncertainty remains about whether secondary payloads will find their way onto the upcoming Artemis 2 and 3 launches.

The Intuitive Machines-1 mission has a launch slot reserved from Nov. 15 through Nov. 20.

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The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission is nearing final assembly and testing at prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) production facility. After a final standalone test on the Orion crew module (CM), it is expected to be mated to the service module (SM) in mid-September. If there are no problems in the remaining months of testing, Lockheed Martin believes they can complete their work by the end of April next year.

NASA selected Rocket Lab to launch a pair of cubesats in 2024 to monitor energy entering and exiting the polar regions of the planet.

Intuitive Machines announced today that its first lunar landing mission is set for launch between November 15-20, 2023. IM-1 will land at the Moon’s South Pole as part of NASA’s […]

Intuitive Machines offered a clearer projection of when its first lunar lander mission will launch while also giving a cloudier forecast of its finances.

AST SpaceMobile has fully funded its first five commercial satellites slated to launch with SpaceX early next year after raising $115 million in debt, the low Earth orbit direct-to-device startup said Aug. 14.

NASA is developing a larger payload adapter for cubesats flying on the next version of the Space Launch System, although it’s unclear if upcoming SLS launches will carry any such secondary payloads.

Intelsat said Aug. 14 it is due for a $3.7 billion windfall late this year after becoming the latest satellite operator to clear C-band spectrum ahead of schedule for terrestrial 5G telcos in the United States.

NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to provide the launch service for the agency’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission, which aims to give researchers a more accurate picture of the energy entering and leaving Earth.

Companies that can contribute innovations in threat identification, space awareness, on-orbit mobility and other areas related to space protection are being urged to participate in the next Hyperspace Challenge scheduled for this fall.

Según los investigadores del Instituto Goddard de Estudios Espaciales (GISS, por sus siglas en inglés) de la NASA, en Nueva York, julio de 2023 fue el mes más caluroso de todos los que se han registrado en el registro de temperaturas mundiales.