Space news

China’s human spaceflight agency has chosen four proposals to advance to the next stage of low-cost cargo transportation system development for the country’s space station.

The Space Force awarded a $10 million contract to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab to evaluate the software and cybersecurity of ground systems being developed for a new classified satellite network.

NASA has issued a call for proposals for an International Space Station deorbit module, giving bidders an opportunity to choose the type of contract for its development.

The U.S. Space Force Victus Nox mission that Firefly Aerospace launched Sept. 14 set a new record for how quickly a national security payload can be put on orbit

NASA has awarded the Reliance Consolidated Models VI (RECOM VI) contract to Advanced Technologies Inc. and Eagle Aviation Technologies, LLC, both of Newport News, Virginia, to support the fabrication of aerospace model systems and developmental test hardware managed by the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Portugal has adopted a suite of new legislation aimed at regulating the licensing process for space objects, whether launching and returning vehicles to and from space or placing satellites into orbit. The country’s Space Law and Space Activities Regulation documents were initially developed in 2019. Before adoption, however, regulators required a specific framework that would […] The post Portugal Adopts New Space Law appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA and its advisory bodies remain concerned about the low flight rate planned for its crewed Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, but the space agency doesn’t have enough vehicles to fly more often this decade. Hardware to launch only two more SLS vehicles is available until development of the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) upgrade is completed, which isn’t expected to be ready to launch on Artemis IV until late 2028 at the earliest.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently introduced the Space Infrastructure Act, which pursues a recommendation made by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 to designate space as the 17th U.S. critical infrastructure sector. While it’s encouraging to see Congress considering this issue seriously, designating space as a critical infrastructure sector puts form over substance and would not actually address the risk posed by adversaries like China and Russia or from natural phenomena such as space weather.

Nick Reese is the cofounder and managing partner of Frontier Foundry, a data and artificial intelligence company based in Washington. He was the director of emerging technology policy at the […]

Change of Command Ceremony: The full crew on-board the ISS participated in a public ceremony to mark the change of command between Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev and ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen. The change of command is in preparation for tomorrow’s 69 Soyuz return, carrying NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry …

Sierra Space has raised $290 million in a round led by Japanese investors, providing the company with additional funding to accelerate work on its Dream Chaser vehicle and commercial space stations.

NASA announced today that Charity Weeden in the new Associate Administrator for the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy. Weeden is well known in Washington space policy circles, most recently […]

In 1963, Boeing heritage company Hughes Space and Communications launched into orbit a 78-pound satellite called Syncom that could receive signals from Earth and send those signals back down to […]

Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com in the last two weeks, September 11-24, 2023, including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click […]

Bob Smith, chief executive of Blue Origin, will resign from the company in December and be replaced by Dave Limp, the Amazon executive who had been overseeing development of its Project Kuiper constellation.

"I am confident that Blue Origin's greatest achievements are still ahead of us."

Jeff Bezos has informed all Blue Origin employees via message that Bob Smith will be retiring and Dave Limp, a key Amazon executive will be taking over as CEO on December 4th.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will replace CEO Bob Smith with outgoing Amazon executive Dave Limp, CNBC has learned.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will replace CEO Bob Smith with former Amazon executive Dave Limp, CNBC has learned.

Yahsat is considering expanding into new satellite markets after the UAE government made a $5.1 billion pledge to buy broadband services from the Emirati fleet operator until at least 2043.

Astroscale has signed an agreement with the U.S. Space Force to co-invest in an on-orbit refueling vehicle.

Sierra Space, the subsidiary of private aerospace contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation, raised new funds at a $5.3 billion valuation, the company announced on Tuesday.

Payloads: BioFabrication Facility (BFF): The crew gained access to the BFF interior and performed steps to unclog the Smart Pump Tips and installed Bio-Ink Syringes. Using 3D biological printers to produce usable human organs has long been a dream of scientists and doctors around the globe; however, printing the tiny, complex structures found inside human …

Italian launch startup Sidereus Space Dynamics has closed a €5.1 Million Seed+ investment round. The company aims to utilize the funding to conduct its pre-flight and flight test development phases. Sidereus Space is developing EOS, a single-stage-to-orbit rocket that the company touts as “the personal computer of launch vehicles.” The 3.5-metre tall vehicle is designed […] The post Italian Launch Startup Sidereus Space Raises €5.1M in Seed+ Funding appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Monday Charity Weeden will serve as associate administrator for the agency’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), effective immediately. Weeden succeeds Bhavya Lal, who left the agency in July, and Ellen Gertsen, who had been serving as the office’s acting leader since then.

The same facility that provided valuable testing for NASA missions to low-Earth orbit and the Moon is now helping the agency prepare to launch the first rocket from Mars.

Beijing’s government intends to support commercial aerospace and satellite constellations and applications in a plan to promote industries of the future.

Seven years after it left Earth, a capsule landed in Utah today delivering the biggest bonanza of pristine asteroid material in the history of the space program. The approximately 250 […]

After years of anticipation and hard work by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) team, a capsule of rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu finally is on Earth. It landed at 8:52 a.m. MDT (10:52 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, in a targeted area of the Department of Defense’s Uta

A capsule from a NASA spacecraft landed in the Utah desert Sept. 24, completing a seven-year mission to return samples from a near Earth asteroid.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 24-30, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate will be in […]

In the morning hours of Sept. 24, a small capsule containing surface samples from asteroid 101955 Bennu careened into Earth’s atmosphere after a seven-year journey through space. The landing of this sample capsule is the culmination of NASA’s historic Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) asteroid sample return mission, which is now the first American mission to return samples from an asteroid.

The U.S. Space Force for the second time has taken ownership of a retired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellite to fill gaps in coverage for the U.S. military.

After a slow start, the Commerce Department says it is making progress on establishing a civil space traffic coordination system that will rely on both commercial and government data.

The Department of the Air Force said that WGS-12 meets specific needs that cannot be met by commercial alternatives.

A NASA spacecraft is on course to return samples from an asteroid to Earth in less than two days as teams prepare for a variety of both technical and fiscal contingencies.

Sierra Space has conducted another successful test of its inflatable habitat technology, further development of advanced space habitation systems.

Galactic Energy, a Chinese commercial rocket firm, has faced a significant setback on Thursday as its 10th launch attempt ended in failure. The launch incident occurred during a launch attempt from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, around 1:00 am Eastern on September 21.

NASA will host a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 26, to discuss the upcoming annular solar eclipse. The annular eclipse will cross the U.S. from Oregon to Texas on Saturday, Oct. 14, with a partial solar eclipse visible throughout the contiguous U.S.

Satellogic is relocating from Uruguay to the United States in a bid for more government business as revenues continue falling short of expectations, the publicly traded Earth observation operator announced Sept. 21.

Following Starship’s debut during Integrated Flight Test One (IFT 1), SpaceX is ready to improve on the vehicle’s objectives by employing a vast series of upgrades. Most of the enhancements have been made to the launch site and Booster 9, which, in turn, are waiting for final regulatory approval.

The sample capsule parachuted to a landing at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range southwest of Salt Lake City.

Payloads: Sally Ride Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle Schools (EarthKAM) Mission 85: A week-long science objective was successfully performed. As of this report, around 12,000 students from 24 countries participated, and more than 2,800 images have been downlinked. EarthKAM allows thousands of students to photograph and examine Earth from a space crew’s perspective. Using the …

Celebrate today’s equinox, but be sure to check when your location’s equilux takes place. And there’s lots to celebrate about this year’s Day of Action.

Now the record-holder for the longest single spaceflight by an American, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is scheduled to depart the International Space Station and return to Earth Wednesday, Sept. 27. The agency will provide full coverage from hatch closing through landing.

Spain has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency for the contracting and technical management of the country’s Constelación Atlántica (Atlantic Constellation). The agreement was announced by the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, during the fourth meeting of the PERTE Alliance for Aerospace. The alliance brings together representatives from different ministerial departments […] The post Spain Partner with ESA to Build €80M Atlantic Constellation appeared first on European Spaceflight.

An overview of annular solar eclipses, how they work, what they're like to experience, and how to view one safely.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has introduced legislation that would extend a restriction on the Federal Aviation Administration’s ability to regulate commercial human spaceflight safety by another eight years.

An anomaly affecting the Ariane 6 thrust vector control system has delayed a 3 October long-duration hot fire test of the vehicle’s core stage. In preparation for a maiden Ariane 6 flight in 2024, major components of the rocket are undergoing a series of tests to validate their fitness for flight. On 5 September, the […] The post Ariane 6 Development Suffers Another Setback appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Sierra Space conducted another test of its inflatable habitat technology, demonstrating that the module exceeds its requirements even with the addition of a window in its fabric structure.