Space news

Satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital in 2024 plans to accelerate production at its factory in California

Weather finally cooperated and Japan’s space agency was able to launch its new x-ray telescope, XRISM, and lunar lander, SLIM. A lot is riding on both missions. The telescope is […]

Japan sent a new X-ray space telescope into low Earth orbit and a first, small lunar lander on its way to the moon with a single launch late Wednesday.

The Singapore startup known for sending blockchain nodes into space is rolling out a service that integrates artificial intelligence with Earth imagery.

A NASA mission to a large metallic asteroid is on track to launch in October after more than a year of delays, but the mission faces a potential challenge to those plans beyond the agency’s control.

Firefly Aerospace has signed an agreement with L3Harris Technologies to conduct three dedicated missions on Firefly's Alpha rocket. The satellites are currently being designed and constructed by L3Harris, under a $225 million contract awarded by the U.S. government.

China's Galactic Energy has successfully conducted their first sea launch, marking the company's ninth consecutive successful launch.

Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket is one step closer to launch today following a successful, if brief, engine test. A longer test is scheduled next month. Only then will European […]

Under a new strategy to counter China’s military buildup, the Pentagon is advocating the use of low-cost autonomous platforms that can be mass produced and deployed at sea, on land, in the air and in space.

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has release a solicitation for the procurement of 54 satellites equipped with advanced infrared sensors.

The US Space Force in an effort to provide a clearer and more concise understanding of its mission has unveiled a new mission statement today. "Secure our nation's interests in, from, and to space"

Riding with the Perseverance rover, the instrument has proved to be a viable technology for astronauts on Mars to produce oxygen for fuel and breathing.

MAG Aerospace is partnering with artificial intelligence specialist SAS to compete for U.S. Space Force data analytics contracts, the companies announced Sept. 6

SpaceX has rolled out Ship 25 to the launch site and stacked it on top of Super Heavy Booster 9, bringing back a fully stacked Starship rocket to Starbase since April 20.

The new mission statement — “To secure our nation’s interests in, from, and to space” — was crowdsourced from service members

Payloads: Actiwatch-Plus: Actiwatch units were hooked up to Human Research Facility 1 (HRF-1) for charging and data downlinks. 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 …

Climate activist Greta Thunberg's impact on the environmental movement has sparked a call for a similar advocate in the field of space sustainability. While finding another Greta is a tall order, the space sector is seeing a surge in young professionals passionate about the sustainability of space and its connection to Earth's well-being.

Comet Nishimura was discovered in August 2023, and is passing close to Earth and the Sun in September. Learn more about it and how to find it.

On Tuesday September 5th at 2:20pm, SpaceX integrated Starship 25 on top Super Heavy Booster 9 at the orbital launch pad in Starbase, Texas.

The Space Development Agency on Sept. 5 released a solicitation for 54 satellites equipped with infrared sensors capable of tracking hypersonic missiles in all phases of flight.

During this test flight, Starship will carry no payloads.

ESA, the French Space Agency CNES, and project prime ArianeGroup completed the first shot hot fire test of an Ariane 6 core stage. The test was completed in the late afternoon on 5 September from the Ariane 6 ELA4 launch complex of the Guiana Space Centre. The testing involved a full launch sequence and final […] The post Ariane 6 Core Stage Breathes Fire for the First Time appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Eutelsat has invested in French venture capital firm Karista’s space technology fund to strengthen ties with startups across Europe, the satellite operator said Sept. 5.

ESA and ArianeGroup announced a successful hot-fire test of the core stage of the Ariane 6 rocket, the first of two such tests before ESA is ready to set a date for the rocket’s inaugural launch.

Terran Orbital developed the new standards based on satellites the company has produced for civil, defense and commercial customers.

The technical success of India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander mission could help not just India’s space program but also the country’s standing on the global stage, experts argue.

Vodafone plans to test beta services from Amazon’s planned Project Kuiper broadband constellation next year to extend the reach of its cellular networks in Europe and Africa.

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com last week, August 28-September 3, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each […]

Firefly Aerospace signed an agreement with L3Harris Technologies to launch three small satellites aboard Firefly’s Alpha rocket, the company announced Sept. 5.

India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar probe has completed its primary mission and is now in sleep mode. The solar-powered Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were not designed to survive the lunar night, […]

The OSIRIS-REx mission is nearing its final stretch as it closes in on Earth after a seven-year round trip to the asteroid...

Here are some of the stories you may have missed in the past week. The end of August and the beginning of...

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission will discuss their six-month science mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 2:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Payloads: Cold Atom Lab (CAL): Preparation for the Slice-7B replacement was continued. 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 deep space. At these low temperatures, atoms have almost no motion, allowing scientists to study …

"The price? It’s better to speak about them with our customers."

The spacecraft will drop off its precious samples of asteroid Bennu on Sept. 24, 2023.

From inside Space Shuttle Discovery, astronauts watched Joe Allen inch toward Palapa B2, an Indonesian communications satellite stranded in low-Earth orbit by a failed kick motor. Allen stabbed the Stinger, […]

As construction begins to assemble the Mobile Launcher-2 (ML-2) for Artemis IV, Mobile Launcher-1 (ML-1) secured its position once again back on top of Launch Complex 39B for pad validation and testing. This comes after ML-1 spent the better part of this year undergoing repairs and upgrades outside of the VAB at the West Park Site following Artemis I.

China’s Galactic Energy conducted its first sea launch early Wednesday, also marking a ninth successive successful launch for the company.

Crew Dragon Endeavour blazed over Central Florida just after midnight, putting on a show for millions below as it headed towards a...

Last night at 10:47 p.m. ET (02:47 UTC), SpaceX launched 21 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, breaking their company record of...

Crew-6 Dragon Endeavour Undock and Landing:  Crew Dragon Endeavour undocked from the PMA-2 docking port on Node 2 Forward of the ISS on Sunday September 3rd at 6:05 AM CDT. Later that day, at 11:17 PM CDT, Crew Dragon Endeavour splashed down near Jacksonville off the coast of Florida returning NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody …

Recently, the joint European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft discovered an array of tiny jets of material being ejected from the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Ejecting plasma at 100 kilometers per second, the jets last for just 20 to 100 seconds, and could be the source of solar wind.

ESA plans to set a target launch period for the first Ariane 6 in October, with the hopes that vehicle can finally take flight “not too late” into 2024.

The U.S. Space Development Agency in the coming months will begin the demonstration phase of a data network in space designed to support military operations.

The companies developing systems for European space tourism.

Chinese space scientists have outlined a tentative roadmap for establishing a space resources utilization network stretching into the outer reaches of the solar system.

A Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down of the coast of Florida early Sept. 4, bringing back a crew from the United States, United Arab Emirates and Russia who spent six months on the International Space Station.

India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover have been set to sleep for the onset of lunar night, days after the country successfully launched its Aditya L1 solar mission.

After splashing down safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida early Monday morning, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 completed the agency’s sixth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 186 days in orbit.