Space news

The European Space Agency has announced plans to create a “pool” of European launch service providers that will be utilized to launch European Commission In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) missions. The call may enable the numerous European launch startups to get foot in the door and secure a first ESA launch contract. ESA published the […] The post ESA to Create “Pool” of European Launch Service Providers appeared first on European Spaceflight.

WASHINGTON — The cybersecurity firm SpiderOak has signed an agreement with the U.S. Space Development Agency to research the use of the company’s software to protect ground systems that control […]

Blue Origin formally announced plans Oct. 16 to develop an orbital maneuvering vehicle, confirming a year’s worth of comments and speculation about the project.

China is preparing to place a new communications satellite in lunar orbit to facilitate ambitious upcoming moon landing missions.

Startups specializing in healthcare, propulsion, and tackling climate change are among 10 space-based businesses taking part in Seraphim Space’s latest accelerator program, the British investment firm announced Oct. 17.

SpaceX was successful in launching 22 Starlink satellites from a Falcon 9 rocket this evening at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station...

The University of California, Berkeley, and the NASA Ames Research Center unveiled plans Oct. 16 for a $2 billion Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park.

Investment in the space sector, especially from venture capital, is consistently flowing into companies that are pursuing and winning government contracts, according to a report Monday by New York-based Space Capital.

USOS Microorganisms ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA) Deferral: Following the MLM radiator coolant leak and the resulting change in the environment around the ISS, the Microorganisms EVA was deferred from last Thursday, October 12th to this Thursday, October 19th. However, ground specialists continue to assess the external environment and need more time to determine possible contamination concerns …

Agreement for funding from UAE fell through after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Urban Sky, a startup offering high-resolution imaging from small stratospheric balloons, has raised $9.75 million in a Series A round.

A pair of payloads that were among 12 carried to orbit aboard the Arianespace-managed Vega VV23 flight failed to be deployed and likely burned up in the atmosphere still attached to the rocket’s upper stage. The Vega VV23 flight was launched on October 9 at 01:36 UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. […] The post Two Vega VV23 Payloads Failed to Deploy appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The Army wants seamless access to satellites in various orbits, so if one network goes down, others instantly take over.

In its recently announced budget for 2024, Ireland has increased its contribution to ESA for the year by €3.3 million. “Ireland’s commitment to the European Space Agency and Ireland’s space-active industry is steadfast,” Minister of State for Business, Employment, and Retail Neale Richmond said. “Additional funding of €3.3m is an investment that delivers a clear […] The post Ireland Commit €3.3M More to ESA for 2024 appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Despite satellite malfunctions that are expected to lead to major insurance claims, the space insurance field is taking a cautious approach to servicing technologies that might be able to repair such spacecraft.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is finding his readjustment to Earth’s gravity after 371 days in space pretty straightforward. Two weeks after landing, he considers himself 100 percent back to normal […]

While Ship 26 started its engine testing campaign, SpaceX looks to be gearing up for a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for Booster 9 and Ship 25. Related notices have been posted for the coming week, as SpaceX returned to a full stack for the next Starship to launch – as soon as November, pending regulatory approval.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 15-21, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in session this week. […]

China added to its series of Yunhai remote sensing satellites late Saturday with a launch from the Gobi Desert.

SAN FRANCISCO – As the annular solar eclipse drew widespread public attention, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration leaders gathered at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta were considering their own solar […]

NASA is considering cutting the budget of two of its biggest space telescopes as it faces broader spending reductions for its astrophysics programs.

Charlie Hurley spent most of his career in college athletics. Before applying for a Spaceport America public information officer job, the former New Mexico State assistant athletics director considered the […]

The nonprofit, previously known as NewSpace New Mexico, runs an incubator for space startups around the country called NewSpace Ignitor. Working with the Defense Innovation Unit, U.S. Space Force and […]

Ligado Networks said Oct. 13 it is suing the U.S. government for derailing its wireless network plans so the company’s assigned spectrum could instead be used for Department of Defense systems.

In the near term, the London-based startup will offer services with an eight-legged, 20-kilogram robot called Space Capable Asteroid Robotic-Explorer (SCARE-E).

The U.S. Space Force is taking steps to bridge the gap between technology developers and operators, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman announced Oct. 13.

"NASA’s aspirational goal to achieve a cost savings of 50 percent is highly unrealistic."

The U.S. Space Force awarded a $1.45 million contract to Riverside Research to develop software that automates the analysis of data on space objects.

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft started a billion mile journey to an asteroid by that name between Mars and Jupiter this morning. Of all the thousands and thousands of asteroids, Psyche is […]

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy successfully launched NASA’s Psyche spacecraft on Friday morning, completing the second-ever interplanetary mission for the rocket, with the first...

The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a perfect example of India crossing the threshold to a new era of space activity. While the August 2023 Moon landing is a shining star on India’s space lapel, Chandrayaan-3 is just one part of a larger Indian space ecosystem that is growing rapidly.

Even before Rocket Lab's Sept. 19 launch failure, people were tossing around the word “monopoly” when it came to SpaceX. It had become increasingly clear that companies needing to launch their satellites in the near future had few options beyond SpaceX, particularly those spacecraft too large to launch on a small vehicle like Electron, as other launch providers stumbled. “Having such a dominant launch service provider is probably not healthy in general for the commercial prospects of the industry,” Vikram Nidamaluri, managing director of the telecom, media, and entertainment group at investment banking firm Lazard, told World Satellite Business Week attendees the week before. “No one wants a monopoly choking off one point of the value chain.”

A NASA spacecraft is finally on its way to a metallic main belt asteroid after a successful Falcon Heavy launch Oct. 13.

Payloads: Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research on Varying Mission Durations (CIPHER): CIPHER Sample Collections and tests were completed. CIPHER consists of 14 studies designed to improve our understanding of physiological and psychological changes in humans on missions that range from weeks to one year in duration. Conducting the same research over missions …

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SES has found its next CEO from outside the space sector with the appointment of Adel Al-Saleh, head of German telco Deutsche Telekom’s IT services subsidiary who will lead the multi-orbit operator from February.

A Chinese satellite manufacturer and operator has conducted satellite-to-ground laser tests that will improve its ability to get remote sensing data to Earth.

NASA’s plans to buy future launches of the Space Launch System as a service are unlikely to achieve hoped-for cost savings, the agency’s inspector general concluded, recommending NASA keep its options open for alternative launch vehicles.

The launch of NASA’s Psyche mission represents the beginning of the agency’s use of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, which the agency will rely upon for some of its biggest science and exploration missions this decade.

The Italian Space Agency ASI has signed a contract with an industrial team to begin the Phase A study for its INNOVATOR CubeSat mission that will study gravitational and atmospheric science. The INNOVATOR (INtersatellite liNk fOr graVity and ATmOspheRic science) mission will be carried out by a Temporary Business Grouping (TBG) led by Distretto Tecnologico […] The post ASI Signs Phase A Study Contract for INNOVATOR CubeSat Mission appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA’s Office of Inspector General is skeptical that NASA will achieve significant cost savings by shifting procurement of future Space Launch System rockets to a commercial services contract. In a […]

NASA and SpaceX teams launched the agency’s Psyche mission to metallic asteroid 16 Psyche from Florida on Friday, Oct. 13. Psyche launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Launch occurred at 10:19 AM EDT (14:19 UTC).

When queried about the progress of the U.S. Space Force’s commercial space strategy, Gen. Chance Saltzman, the top commander, did not mince words. Speaking at the recent AMOS space domain […]

Danish logistics giant Maersk is adding SpaceX’s Starlink to more than 330 container ships, the companies announced Thursday.

USOS ExtraVehicular Activities (EVAs) Rescheduled: Due to Monday’s MLM radiator coolant leak and the resulting change in the environment around the ISS, the USOS Microorganisms EVA that was originally planned for today was deferred. Ground specialists continue to review the data and teams are working towards new EVA dates. The Microorganisms EVA is planned for …

We’re now at least two years on from when a slew of space companies went public during the SPAC frenzy, and, look, none of them look great.

GuardianSat won a grant from the National Science Foundation’s America’s Seed Fund to advance the company’s technology designed to protect satellites from collisions with debris objects in space.

Ukraine’s successful military use of Starlink in its defense against Russia has become a poster child for the increased military reliance on commercial space systems among nations. Yet, military use […]

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service has landed a new client in Maersk, as the two companies came to terms on a deal...

Europe is subsidizing the launch of Internet satellites for Jeff Bezos.