Space news

NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) is a critical system that allows communication with spacecraft exploring our solar system and the cosmos,but it is facing an unprecedented strain due to a perfect storm of increased demand and diminishing financial resources.

NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded four contracts to conduct NOAA’s Sounder for Microwave-Based Applications (SMBA) Phase-A study.

Firefly Aerospace and Millennium Space Systems announced Aug. 30 that they are standing by waiting for orders from the U.S. Space Force to prepare to launch a mission to low Earth orbit.

TransAstra, a pioneering space logistics startup, has secured an initial contract from NASA to manufacture an innovative inflatable capture bag designed to tackle the growing problem of orbital debris.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed that a test-firing of the Ariane 6 core stage, originally planned for August 29, had to be postponed due to technical problems involving the control bench responsible for propellant loading and the automated countdown process.

"You basically had this really awesome algorithm, this crazy automation."

Payloads: Advanced Resistive Exercise Device-Kinematics (ARED-K): The crew performed a familiarization session for the ARED-K experiment. Resistive exercise is used as a countermeasure to musculoskeletal deconditioning in microgravity and currently ISS crews perform resistive exercise using ARED. However, a major unknown is the internal bone and muscle forces developed during exercise in microgravity. In addition, …

ESA announced earlier today that a short hot fire test of the Ariane 6 core stage equipped with its Vulcain 2.1 engine has been delayed. The test was due to take place on 29 August on the new Ariane 6 launchpad at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. In a short announcement on the […] The post A Short Ariane 6 Hot Fire Test Has Been Postponed appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The European Space Agency says a test-firing of an Ariane 6 core stage has been postponed again, this time because of issues with ground equipment.

SpaceX is targeting the launch of the 2nd Tranche 0 mission for the Space Development Agency on August 31st at 7:26 a.m....

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

Increasing demand but decreasing budgets are putting a strain on NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), threatening its ability to provide communications for the agency’s science missions and Artemis lunar expeditions.

The U.S. Space Force awarded SAIC a $574.5 million contract to maintain ground-based radar sensors used for missile warning and space surveillance.

The Atlas V launch has been delayed for safety precautions in order to shield the rocket and payload from any effects of...

The 72 data-transport satellites that the Space Development Agency plans to launch to orbit in 2026 will be the most complex yet.

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed that SaxaVord will not need a spaceport license to host the maiden flight of the HyImpulse SR75 rocket. SaxaVord Spaceport is a proposed vertical launch facility being built on a small island off the North coast of Scotland. Shetland Space Centre Ltd, the company behind the spaceport, […] The post SaxaVord Does Not Need Spaceport Licence to Launch HyImpulse Mission appeared first on European Spaceflight.

La NASA ha lanzado un nuevo sitio web en español para invitar al público a enviar sus nombres a bordo de Europa Clipper, una misión que iniciará su viaje a la luna de Júpiter Europa en octubre de 2024. Este nuevo sitio web forma parte de una campaña de la agencia llamada “Mensaje en una botella”, mediante la cual un poema original dedicado a Europa

Japanese startup GITAI has raised an additional $15 million to continue work on lunar robotics technologies, three months after raising $30 million.

Payloads: Engineering Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Microtissues with Metabolic Regulators in Space to Promote Cardiomyocyte Maturation (Project EAGLE): The crew performed the final preservation session. During the operations, several internal membranes were ruptured, but it’s believed the ground teams can still harvest the cells they need for the experiment. Culturing human cardiomyocytes or heart cells holds …

Microsoft announced Aug. 29 a five-year agreement to provide cloud-computing resources to Synthetaic, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to analyze data from space and air sensors.

SpiderOak announced the successful demonstration of its OrbitSecure zero-trust cybersecurity software on the International Space Station.

Space logistics startup TransAstra won a NASA contract to manufacture a bag to capture orbital debris.

"I don't think I'll run out of people who are willing to fly the spaceship any time soon."

Benchmark Space Systems won a $2.81 million U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract to continue development and testing of thrusters running on Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic, ASCENT, fuel.

As the commercial sector takes the lead on developing digital age technology and capabilities in this Third Space Age, the national security sector will become a demanding customer.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has called off its Atlas V launch of the classified NROL-107 Silent Barker mission set for Tuesday. ULA noted that “out of an abundance of caution for personnel safety, a critical national security payload, and the approaching Tropical Storm Idalia,” the decision was made to return the rocket and payload to the vertical integration facility (VIF) at SLC-41.

Weather permitting, tomorrow the United States will launch the first satellites in a new system to keep track of what is happening in geosynchronous orbit. How many satellites are aboard […]

NASA has confirmed it is delaying the release of the call for proposals for the next New Frontiers planetary science mission, originally planned for this fall, to no earlier than 2026 because of budget issues.

Crew-7 Launch and Dock: Saturday, August 26th, at 2:27 AM CDT, SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance lifted off from Launch Complex -39A at Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 rocket and docked to the ISS Sunday, August 27th, at 8:17 AM CDT. Crew Dragon Endurance carries NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA …

Building great tech isn’t enough. You also need to be able to tell great stories.

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com in the last week, August 21-27, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on […]

Small satellite manufacturers Hera Systems and LeoStella are teaming up to compete for a large military contract to be awarded this fall by the U.S. Space Development Agency.

22 Starlink V2 mini-satellites launched into low Earth orbit Saturday evening, bringing the total number launched to 5,005. SpaceX, having just launched...

Crew 7 successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early Saturday morning, taking to the skies at...

The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA launch vehicle, as its career is being wound down in favor of the H3, is preparing to fly the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) robotic lunar lander and the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) X-ray telescope on its 47th flight. After this flight, the second of 2023 for the H-IIA, the H-IIA will have three flights left before retirement.

The four international astronauts of NASA’s Crew-7 mission floated through the hatch to join seven colleagues on the International Space Station this morning, bringing the crew complement up to 11 […]

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four people representing four different space agencies docked with the International Space Station Aug. 27, almost 30 hours after its launch from Florida.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of August 27-September 2, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in […]

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Rider program has officially begun its validation and testing phase, as it prepares for a maiden flight in the third quarter of 2025. Space Rider is Europe’s reusable uncrewed robotic laboratory that will provide an “end-to-end integrated space transportation system” for commercial customers. After launching into space, Space Rider will spend two months in orbit while customers complete experiments and technology demonstrations onboard, before returning to Earth. 

Australian space imagery startup, HEO has completed an $8 million Series A funding round, as of August 23.

Sedaro, a pioneering startup specializing in digital engineering software, has been awarded a $1.5 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to spearhead the development of digital twin technology in spacecraft design.

A Falcon 9 launched a multinational crew to the International Space Station Aug. 26 after a one-day delay to check the spacecraft’s life support system.

Four people of four different nationalities are on their way to the International Space Station following an early morning liftoff from Kennedy Space Center. For the first time, a NASA-led […]

An international crew of four representing four countries is in orbit following a successful launch to the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh commercial crew rotation mission for NASA.

SpaceX launched four people to the International Space Station from Florida as Elon Musk’s company begins its 11th human spaceflight mission to date.

Viasat Inc. has confirmed an unexpected anomaly with its Inmarsat-6 F2 (I6 F2) satellite; the second ViaSat satellite in 6 weeks to suffer from an anomaly.

Eutelsat, the French operator of geostationary satellites, has announced that it has scheduled a shareholder vote for September 28 to seek final approval for its aquisition of OneWeb, a British low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband network.

In a significant step towards ensuring space security and stability, the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) have jointly pledged not to engage in destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) tests.

SpaceX has successfully conducted a 33 engine static fire test of Starship Super Heavy Booster 9 for the first time.