Space news

Late Saturday night, a Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station with another 23...

SpaceX launched the Korea 425 reconnaissance satellite and 24 other rideshare payloads Friday morning at 10:19 am PT from Space Launch Complex...

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of December 3-9, 2023 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session […]

Thirty years ago, on the very early morning of Dec. 2, 1993, the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-61 crew launched on a high-stakes mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. 30 years after the successful flight, which enabled Hubble to finally fulfill its promise to revolutionize our view of the Universe, the veteran observatory is still making new discoveries and may get a new lease on life deeper into the 21st century.

A problem with the Hubble Space Telescope has renewed discussion about whether and how NASA might approve a private mission to reboost and potentially repair the spacecraft.

As part of the trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS, a network of three space-tracking radars will be set up in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Using the joint NASA, European Space Agency, and Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, a team of scientists has discovered water and other important molecules within the inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a protoplanetary disk located around a star. However, the star itself is located in one of the most extreme environments in our galaxy — a region wherein massive stars are formed.

The U.S. military needs to rapidly adopt artificial intelligence technology to aid in tracking targets, data analysis and managing complex missions, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Dec. 2 at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

Canada is the first international partner to access the U.S. Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite network, the U.S. Space Force announced Nov. 30.

In an FCC filing made this week SpaceX is seeking "special temporary authority" to commence testing of there Starlink Direct To Cell service on December 10, with a testing period lasting 180 days.

American Airlines has revealed plans to outfit nearly 500 regional jets starting in 2024 with their cutting-edge multi-orbit Wi-Fi connectivity provided by Intelsat.

Angola officially signed the Artemis Accords on November 30, solidifying its commitment to best practices in space exploration.

Angola signed the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration Nov. 30, becoming the third African nation to do so.

The Government Accountability Office’s latest report on NASA’s Artemis program is skeptical that the agency can return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2025, the current plan. If development of […]

In a surprising turn of events, NASA-funded researchers have been given the green light to apply for access to lunar samples collected by China's Chang'e-5 mission, marking a rare exception to the longstanding prohibition on bilateral activities between the two space agencies.

Amazon has signed a contract with SpaceX to launch an unspecified number of satellites for its Project Kuiper broadband constellation on three Falcon 9 rockets from mid-2025.

The long-awaited maiden flight of Ariane 6 is scheduled to take place between June 15 and July 31, 2024, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher announced at a press conference on Thursday.

Amazon bought three rocket launches from SpaceX for its Project Kuiper internet satellites, the tech giant announced on Friday.

Amazon has inked a deal with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches with the missions scheduled to commence in mid-2025.

Europe has power, influence and a huge economy — so why is it lagging behind in defense?

86 Progress (86P) Launch: This morning at 3:25 AM CT, 86P launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying food, fuel, and supplies to the ISS. An automated docking to the ISS MRM-2 Zenith docking port will occur on Sunday, December 3rd at approximately 5:15 AM CT after completing a 34-orbit rendezvous. Payloads: Four Bed CO2 (4BCO2) …

The first crewed landing of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration effort is unlikely to happen before 2027, a report by the Government Accountability Office concluded.

NASA-funded researchers have been granted permission to apply for access to China's Chang'e-5 lunar samples in an exception to a prohibition on bilateral activities.

On November 30th, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing the various challenges remaining for SpaceX, Axiom, and NASA as they work towards the goal of landing the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis III mission.

NASA is gearing to land humans on the moon for the first time since 1972 under the Artemis program; however, a recent report by the GAO reveals significant challenges that may impede the planned Artemis III crewed lunar landing in 2025.

The European Space Agency announced today they are targeting June 15-July 31, 2024 for the first launch of Ariane 6 following a successful engine test last week. Europe is in […]

Amazon announced today they have bought 3 Falcon 9 launches to deliver their Project Kuiper internet satellites to low Earth orbit in...

Infinity Avionics is working with the University of New South Wales Canberra Space and Australian startup Nominal Systems to develop technology to autonomously detect space objects.

American Airlines announced plans Nov. 30 to equip nearly 500 regional jets with multi-orbit Wi-Fi connectivity from Intelsat over two years starting in early 2024.

Rocket propulsion startup Ursa Major announced Nov. 30 it has raised $138 million in Series D and D-1 funding rounds.

Intelsat is producing a new flat panel antenna that enables moving vehicles to use broadband services from the company’s geostationary satellites and from SpaceX’s Starlink network

As 2023 nears its close, there has been a large increase in publicly visible movement from Blue Origin around its Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral facilities. With sightings of New Glenn booster segments, upper-stage tank sections, payload fairings, and new support hardware arriving at Port Canaveral, it seems Blue Origin is pushing to hit major milestones in 2024.

Amini has raised $4 million toward launching its first satellite in early 2025 to improve Africa-focused environmental information, the Kenya-based climate data startup said Nov. 30.

In one sense, we’re now two weeks (and a holiday breather) on from SpaceX’s most recent test flight of a Starship prototype. In another sense, the test is ongoing and we’re still in the middle of a massive research and development effort. 

A Shanghai government initiative aims to foster a space industry chain including a range of satellites, launch vehicles and related applications and infrastructure.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher has announced a launch window for the inaugural Ariane 6 flight; targeting between June 15 and July 31, 2024.

The head of NASA’s space technology directorate warned an advisory group of a “significant impact” to some programs if the Senate version of an appropriations bill for 2024 becomes law.

Payloads: BioFabrication Facility (BFF): Cardiac Tissue Cassettes were inserted into the BFF and printing of cardiac cells was initiated. 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 organs, such as capillary structures, has …

With the successful completion of a core stage hot-fire test, the European Space Agency says it now expects the first launch of the Ariane 6 to take place in the middle of 2024.

In a rare acquisition, SpaceX has purchased out of bankruptcy a company that provided components for Dragon spacecraft parachutes.

A Chinese launch vehicle maker is working on designs for an air-launched rocket for sending small satellites to orbit.

European Space Agency director general Josef Aschbacher has announced that Ariane 6 will be launched for the first time between 15 June and 31 July 2024. In addition to a specific timeframe for the rocket’s debut, Ariane 6 task force officials also outlined the timeline of expected milestones leading up to the flight. ESA had […] The post Timeline Leading up to Maiden Ariane 6 Flight Announced appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee approved the Commercial Space Act today on a strictly party-line basis, but the top Republican and top Democrat on the committee agreed to […]

On Thursday, November 23rd, the European Space Agency performed its first fully integrated long-duration firing of the Ariane 6 at Kourou, French...

The House Science Committee has voted on party lines to move forward with H.R. 6131, the Commercial Space Act of 2023.

The House Science Committee voted on party lines to send a commercial space bill to the full House, although with the possibility of modifications before a vote there.

French satellite imagery analysis provider Kayrros launched a free version of its global methane tracking map Nov. 29 to help hold governments and businesses to account for their emissions.

China has released photos by the crew of Shenzhou 16, who captured unprecedented images as they departed the station, before returning to Earth.

The Defense Innovation Unit issued a new solicitation for proposals from private companies for a project known as the Hybrid Space Architecture.

Firefly Aerospace successfully conducted the inaugural hot-fire test of its cutting-edge Miranda engine at the company's Texas test site. During the test Firefly hot-fired up to 65% power, with the aim to validate the engine's startup sequence, laying the foundation for future testing phases.