Space news

The launch of a Japanese mission to collect samples from the Martian moon Phobos and return them to Earth, previously scheduled for later this year, has slipped to 2026.

In a change of command ceremony in Colorado Springs today, Gen. Stephen Whiting took over the reins at U.S. Space Command from Gen. James Dickinson. The handover was delayed several […]

SpaceX successfully sent text messages via Starlink satellites using T-Mobile’s network, it announced Wednesday, as Elon Musk’s company aims bring its direct-to-device cell service to market in the coming year.

Redwire said Jan. 10 the two unfurlable solar array wings it provided for Ovzon 3, the first commercial satellite to use the space technology company’s Roll-Out Solar Array hardware, have successfully deployed in geostationary orbit.

U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson handed over the reins of U.S. Space Command to U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting Jan. 10 at a change-of-command ceremony at Peterson Space Force Base outside Colorado Springs.

"We anticipate some movements in the manifest."

In a media teleconference held on January 9th, NASA leadership announced significant delays to the next two missions in its Artemis program. Artemis II, the first crewed mission of the program, is now targeting September of 2025, a delay of ten months from its previous date. Artemis III, set to land the first humans on the lunar surface in over fifty years, is now targeting September of 2026. Subsequent missions remain on track for their original dates, starting with Artemis IV in September of 2028. In opening statements during the conference, NASA Administrator Senator Bill Nelson emphasized the importance of crew safety, stressing that these schedule adjustments will ensure NASA teams can adequately prepare for the flights ahead.

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. 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 to crew health …

Hubble's still got it.

SpaceX expects to conduct the third integrated test flight of its Starship vehicle in February as it works to demonstrate key technologies needed to land humans on the moon.

Iridium Communications plans to make its low Earth orbit constellation compatible with 5G standards used by mass-market smartphones, aiming to enable them to access messaging and SOS services outside cellular coverage from 2026.

Components for China’s Chang’e-6 lunar far side sample return mission spacecraft arrived at Wenchang spaceport Wednesday.

ArianeGroup has committed to increasing its investment in the company’s launch startup subsidiary, MaiaSpace, from approximately €40 million to €125 million. MaiaSpace was founded in late 2021 with the aim of developing a partially reusable microlauncher. The standard two-stage configuration of the Maia vehicle will be capable of deploying 1,500 kilograms into low Earth orbit […] The post ArianeGroup to Increase MaiaSpace Investment to €125M appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite, with contributions from NASA and ESA, is working well in orbit four months after its launch, other than an issue that could affect one of its instruments.

NASA is postponing the next two Artemis missions, including the first crewed landing on the moon, by nearly a year to address technical issues that could affect the safety of the astronauts on board.

NASA announced today that the Artemis II mission that was to launch this year and send astronauts around the Moon for the first time in five decades is being delayed […]

A pair of missions to space stations headline the launches for the week of Jan. 10 to Jan. 17. Axiom-3 will be flying four private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the first crew launch of 2024. Crew Dragon Freedom will fly from Florida, with a multinational crew, for a mission to the Station lasting around two weeks.

"We must be realistic."

NASA is pushing back the schedule for upcoming missions of its flagship Artemis lunar program by about a year as the agency’s contractors work to finish technology needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon’s surface.

The U.S. Space Force has inked a $19.8 million deal with Microsoft to develop a virtual and mixed-reality training environment.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s inaugural lunar mission suffered a malfunction shortly after launch, and the company is calling off the landing attempt.

Payloads: Circadian Light: A Circadian Light end-of-day assessment was performed. The Circadian Light investigation tests a new lighting system to help astronauts maintain an acceptable circadian rhythm. This can help enhance cognitive performance during a long-duration mission and help combat monotony through automated, varied, and gradually changing lighting sequences and settings. Earthshine from ISS: The …

This photo is really not that much different than what you'll see with the naked eye.

The startup Muon Space announced Jan. 9 it will explore the use of climate-monitoring satellites to capture cloud characterization data for the U.S. Air Force.

China launched its Einstein Probe early Tuesday to detect X-ray emissions from violent, fleeting cosmic phenomena using novel lobster eye-inspired optics.

The Space Development Agency confirmed on Jan. 8 that it awarded Rocket Lab a $515 million contract to build and operate 18 spacecraft that will be part of a low Earth orbit network of military satellites.

JPL laid off 100 contractors last week because of potential sharp budget cuts to Mars Sample Return (MSR) and warned that more layoffs could come.

The U.S. Army's top leadership has unveiled new guidance underscoring the vital role of space systems in modern ground warfare and calling for greater investment in space capabilities.

Payloads: Astrobee Maneuvering by Robotic Manipulator Hopping (Astrobatics): The perching arm attachment was installed onto two Astrobees, and the crew assisted with the Astrobatics science 5 session.  Multiple sessions were performed successfully with either one or two Astrobees attached to a free-floating locker. Astrobatics demonstrates the Astrobee robotic vehicles using robotic manipulators to execute a …

"We do not expect every launch and landing to be successful."

On January 8th, 2024, at 2:18:34 AM, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket flew for the first time, carrying the Astrobotic Peregrine Lunar Lander towards the Moon. This historic first flight ushers in a new era of American rocketry, debuting a new generation of heavy lifters and ending reliance on the Russian RD-180. Despite the tremendous success of Vulcan, the Peregrine lander remains in peril, with the spacecraft encountering an anomaly after separation from the Centaur upper stage.

Astrobotic said its Peregrine spacecraft suffered an unspecified anomaly hours after launch Jan. 8, putting its plans to land on the moon in jeopardy.

As the Artemis Accords and China's ILRS Initiative grow in signatories, more and more countries may be forced to pick a side.

A new U.S. rocket reached orbit early Monday, and the launch was a big one – not just in scale of the vehicle, but also in significance for a market that’s become dominated by a single player in recent years.

The stars in this cluster are estimated to be about 4 to 12 million years old.

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is on its way to the Moon. Liftoff of the United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan-Centaur rocket went perfectly early this morning. Built through a Public-Private Partnership […]

United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur soared into night skies on its long-awaited first launch Jan. 8, carrying a commercial lunar lander.

The Exploration Company has begun work on a reusable methane-powered staged combustion rocket engine that will be capable of producing approximately 200 tonnes of thrust. The endeavour is being co-financed by the French space agency CNES. Founded in 2021, The Exploration Company has been developing a modular, reusable spacecraft called Nyx. The company is expected […] The post The Exploration Company Begins CNES Backed Rocket Engine Development appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan-Centaur rocket is on the launch pad ready to send Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander to the Moon in about 9 hours. Not only is this the first […]

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of January 7-14, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session […]

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has done its part in returning the US to the Moon with the launch of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander atop its brand-new Vulcan Centaur rocket. 

NASA announced this morning that the United Arab Emirates is joining the Artemis campaign to return astronauts to the Moon. The UAE will provide an airlock for the Gateway space […]

NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Sunday plans for the space centre to provide an airlock for Gateway, humanity’s first space station outside of Low Earth Orbit. The lunar space station, positioned in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit, will support NASA’s missions for long-term exploration of the Moon under Artemis as part of NASA’s Moon to Mars initiative.

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to develop an airlock module for the lunar Gateway, helping complete the design of the lunar space station while enhancing the UAE’s role in the Artemis lunar exploration effort.

NASA will determine whether the commercial terminals the Space Development Agency is adopting for satellite-to-satellite communications can also transmit data to Earth.

NASA has added milestones and funding to agreements with two companies working on commercial space station concepts using money from a third agreement that ended last year.

On Friday, January 5, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket rolled to the pad for the first time, ahead of its first flight scheduled for January 8, 2024. This pad roll represents the culmination of nearly a decade and a half of development work across the American aerospace industry, ringing in a new era for modern rocketry.

India’s Aditya-L1 solar observatory has reached its destination orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

After a decade of development, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket is finally on the launch pad for its inaugural launch, carrying not just a lunar lander but also the company’s future.

The commercial space strategy will guide the Space Force's integration of commercial satellite services into its routine operations.