Just on the heels of its success in integrating and launching a payload to orbit within 27 hours for the Space Force, Firefly Aerospace flew again — this time with a dedicated flight for Lockheed Martin. The Alpha FLTA004 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W) at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday, Dec. 22, at 9:32 AM PST (17:32 UTC) following a delay due to weather on Wednesday. The first stage of Alpha performed nominally, along with the second stage’s first burn. This placed the satellite into an elliptical 216 by 523-kilometer low-Earth orbit, inclined 140.02 degrees.
The U.S. Senate on Dec. 19 voted to confirm eleven senior officers to become four-star generals and admirals, including two Space Force leaders, Gen. Michael Guetlein and Gen. Stephen Whiting.
Teams from the European Space Agency, ArianeGroup, and the French space agency CNES have completed an Ariane 6 launch sequence rehearsal. The test was conducted on 15 December and included a full launch sequence rehearsal, including the removal of the mobile gantry, filling and draining of the rocket’s upper and core stage tanks with liquid […]
The post ESA Successfully Completes Ariane 6 Launch Sequence Rehearsal appeared first on European Spaceflight.
The Senate tonight approved two critical national security space nominations after months of delay while Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) blocked military promotions. Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting and Lt. Gen. Michael […]
Axiom Space has entered into agreements with Kepler Communications US Inc. and Skyloom Global Corp. to integrate and showcase high data rate Optical Intersatellite Links (OISLs) on the first module of Axiom Space's commercial space station as Axiom strives to crate of the world's first scalable, cloud technology-enabled commercial orbital data center.
The ambitious construction of the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) has achieved a significant milestone with the delivery and shipment of the first 18 segments of the telescope's main mirror (M1).
Intuitive Machines has announced the delay of its first lunar lander mission, IM-1, by a month to mid-February after unfavorable weather conditions resulted in shifts in the SpaceX launch manifest.
Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle successfully lifted off today at 11:42 a.m. Eastern from Launch Site One in West Texas. This marked the first mission since a mishap more than 15 months ago, demonstrating the company's commitment to overcoming challenges and resuming operations.
Intuitive Machines said Dec. 19 it is delaying the launch of its first lunar lander mission a month to mid-February, citing changes in SpaceX’s launch manifest.
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter on Mars continues to make history, having now completed its 68th flight over the weekend where it covered an impressive horizontal distance of 828 meters (2,310 feet). This marks the farthest journey the Mars Helicopter has undertaken since its 25th flight.
This week nearly saw two secret spaceplanes launched within days of each other. After ground systems concerns and then weather delays, the US Department of Defense’s X-37B vehicle had its OTV-7 launch on the Falcon Heavy USSF-52 mission scrubbed from its initial planned attempt on Dec. 11. Starlink Group 6-34 was also scrubbed that same day and again a day later due to high-level ground winds, during what turned out to be quite a volatile week for planned launches.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital rocket is back in business today, more than 15 months after a failure grounded all launches. The company markets New Shepard both to take passengers […]
The European Investment Bank has agreed to explore the funding and advisory support needed to transform Belgium's southern region Wallonia into a space powerhouse.
After over a year of waiting, New Shepard has returned to flight. Following a scrubbed launch on the 18th, New Shepard cleared the tower flying the NS-24 mission on December 19th at 10:43 AM. The flight carried 33 experimental payloads, ranging from student projects to NASA-funded research, to the edge of space and back again. Both the Propulsion Module and Crew Capsule returned to the ground safely, and while there was no crew riding on this flight, the successful mission paves the way for a return to crewed flights in the near future.
Payloads: Cerebral Ageing: Media exchanges were performed on the experiment BioCells. The Impact of Spaceflight on Human Brain Ageing Using Cerebral Organoids (Cerebral Ageing) investigation studies the effect of spaceflight and the durability in space of cerebral organoids. Cerebral organoids are 3D human-derived structures that closely resemble a developing human brain at the molecular and …
Texas based Firefly Aerospace is looking to launch their second mission this year. Their Alpha rocket will be launching on a mission dubbed “Fly The Lightning”, which will be the vehicles first operational commercial launch. On board will be Tantrum, a commercial payload being operated by Lockheed Martin. Liftoff is currently slated for Wednesday morning.
SpaceX ended an 11-day hiatus in launches late Dec. 18 with a successful Starlink mission, but the gap likely means the company will fall just short of its goal of 100 Falcon launches this year.
French launch startup Latitude has announced that it is working on an upgraded variant of its Zephyr launch vehicle. The current design of Zephyr will stand 19 metres tall and 1.5 metres wide. The rocket’s first stage will be powered by seven of the company’s Navier engines, and the second stage will be powered by […]
The post Latitude Announces New Variant of its Zephyr Launch Vehicle appeared first on European Spaceflight.
A payload launched aboard the thirteenth D-Orbit ION space tug will demonstrate key technology that will enable future in-orbit refueling systems. The thirteenth D-Orbit ION space tug, which was named Daring Diego, was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission on 1 December, carrying eight passengers and four hosted payloads. One of the hosted […]
The post D-Orbit ION Space Tug Hosts In-Orbit Refueling Demo appeared first on European Spaceflight.
Demand is strong for an online platform unveiled in early December by OurSky, a startup that raised $9.5 million to simplify tracking of objects and activities in space.
Blue Origin delayed the return to flight of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle by one day as the company’s founerd says he will push the company to move more quickly on its various projects.
Lynk Global plans to list shares on Nasdaq to expand its direct-to-smartphone constellation by merging with Slam Corp, a publicly traded shell company led by former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez.
A new study released Dec. 18 sheds light on potential challenges in the United States' ambitious effort to deploy a network of space sensors for detecting and tracking hypersonic missiles.
Back in March, Spain became the latest country to get its own space agency, when the nation’s government passed a Royal Decree approving the bylaws of the Spanish Space Agency, or Agencia Espacial Española (AEE).
Payloads: Advanced Resistive Exercise Device-Kinematics (ARED-K): The ARED-K components were powered on to allow continued verification and troubleshooting of data pathways needed to support experiment operations. 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 …
TrustPoint, a startup developing a next-generation global navigation satellite system, announced Dec. 18 it selected SpiderOak to provide cybersecurity for its future network.
The U.S. Space Force awarded Millennium Space Systems contracts worth $509.5 million for the first six satellites of a medium Earth orbit constellation to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles.
A launch facility under development in the Shetland Islands has become the first licensed vertical spaceport in the United Kingdom, although exactly when it will host its first launch remains uncertain.
The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority has granted its first vertical launch spaceport license to SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland. SaxaVord initially submitted its spaceport license application to the CAA in March 2022. On 17 December, the CAA announced that SaxaVord’s application had been approved. “SaxaVord has been assessed by the space regulator to verify that […]
The post SaxaVord Becomes UK’s First Licensed Vertical Launch Spaceport appeared first on European Spaceflight.
A test of an Ariane 6 upper stage that took place on 7 December was aborted after just two minutes. The cause of the early abort is currently under investigation. The Ariane 6 upper stage test took place at the DLR facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany. An initial full-duration test firing of the rocket’s upper stage […]
The post Ariane 6 Upper Stage Test Aborted Prematurely appeared first on European Spaceflight.
SaxaVord Spaceport has been granted its vertical launch licence by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), marking a significant milestone as it is the first vertical launch spaceport in both the UK and Western Europe.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next two weeks, December 17-31, 2023, and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate will be in session […]
Nearly a year after the failed Virgin Orbit launch from England, United Kingdom government officials remain optimistic about the prospects for building up a launch industry in the country.
U.S. Space Command reached Full Operational Capability (FOC) today, almost four-and-a-half years after it was reestablished by then-President Trump. Still undecided, however, is where USSPACECOM’s permanent home will be located. […]
Laser communications, an ever so important factor for the future of space exploration, has seen some important steps forward recently. Two test missions are on the way to provide important information, and a third one is planned for next year.
International regulators have left the door open to relaxing a cap on satellite transmission power in non-geostationary orbit as soon as 2027, NGSO operators say, even as their geostationary peers assert any change has been blocked until at least four years later.
Several organizations have filed a new complaint about the environmental impacts of SpaceX Starship launches even as government agencies face criticism for delaying such launches for environmental reviews.
U.S. Space Command, the Defense Department’s combatant command responsible for space operations, has achieved full operational capability, its commander Gen. James Dickinson announced Dec. 15.
Colorado based Sierra Space has entered the final test and checkout campaign for their Dream Chaser spaceplane; delivering the first flight article, Tenacity, to NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio. This represents a key milestone for integrated checkout and testing as the company eyes their first flight of the cargo system in mid-2024.
Payloads: Boeing Environment Responding Antimicrobial Coatings-2 (Antimicrobial Coatings-2): The crew performed the routine periodic touching of the six experiment placards deployed in various locations throughout the ISS, and took photos. Antimicrobial Coatings-2 tests an antimicrobial coating on several different materials that represent high-touch surfaces. Some microbes change characteristics in microgravity, which could create new risks …
Rocket Lab successfully launched a Japanese radar imaging satellite on the first flight of its Electron rocket since a failure nearly three months ago.
