Space news

The Space Force plans to invest over a billion dollars in a network of satellites known as Ground Moving Target Indicator

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a lunar lander for Intuitive Machines (IM) of Houston, Texas. The mission, IM-1, saw the launch of the first of the IM Nova-C class landers from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 15 at 1:05 AM ET (06:05 UTC). The first launch attempt was scrubbed on Feb. 14 due to off-nominal methane temperatures prior to loading. If the mission successfully lands on the Moon, IM will become the first commercial organization, and the first American spacecraft in over 50 years, to successfully land on the surface of the Moon.

Skylo has raised $37 million to help nail down the partnerships it needs to enable more smartphones to connect to satellites for texting and other low-bandwidth services.

The company won a $9 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory

Engineers are working to stabilize a dust cover on one of the science instrument’s cameras.

SpaceX is making good progress on Flight 3 readiness with a full stack on the pad and road closures coming up for a possible Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for Booster 10 and Ship 28. SpaceX continues to work on future flight vehicles, on the path towards achieving operational status with Starship.

After a troubled journey to the lunar surface and subsequent recovery, the sun has set on JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) at 1:57 PM, February 1st, Japan Standard Time. Officially, SLIM has entered a dormant period, and the intent to attempt continued operations once the sun begins shining on SLIM’s solar cells again has been declared on the official page of the SLIM mission on the site formerly known as Twitter. Details on the precise nature of the difficulties faced during landing and the fruits of its limited operation on the lunar surface have been disclosed in the time since Space Scout’s last report on the mission. While the mission is in its dormant period and the chances of the mission continuing remain unclear, SLIM’s mission has accomplished its goals, and has wide reaching implications for JAXA’s future ambitions at the Moon and beyond.

85 Progress (85P) Undocking:Last night, the Russian cargo vehicle, 85P, undocked from the ISS SM Aft port at 08:09 PM CST. The deorbit burn occurred at 11:17 PM CST followed by atmospheric entry and destruction. Progress telemetry was lost at 11:50 PM CST and burn up occurred shortly thereafter. Payloads: Advanced Plant Experiment-10 (APEX-10): The …

Silicon Valley space startup Skylo Technologies landed funding from the corporate venture arms of Intel, BMW and Samsung, as the company aims to bridge the gap between satellite and terrestrial communications.

Los Angeles-based startup K2 Space raised $50 million in new funding as the company works to build monster satellites to match the massive rockets that are coming to market. 

SpaceX plans to remove from orbit about 100 of its older Starlink satellites because of a design flaw that could cause them to fail.

Intuitive Machines says its first lunar lander is ready for launch this week after completing a final series of tests on the launch pad.

Space transportation startup The Exploration Company has continued testing its methane-powered Huracán engine, which will power the company’s Nyx Moon spacecraft. The Exploration company is currently developing three different engines. Mistral for Nyx Earth, Huracán for Nyx Moon, and its high-thrust Typhoon engine, which currently doesn’t have a direct application but is being developed to […] The post The Exploration Company Continues Testing its Huracán Rocket Engine appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall: Changes are needed for the era of "great power competition"

The Defense Innovation Unit is backing a Space Force initiative to buy commercial satellite imagery directly from providers

The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is JAXA’s lead mission that plans to survey and explore Mars’ two moons, Phobos and Deimos. While the Japanese agency will build the main payload, the German Space Agency (DLR) and the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) will contribute to the mission. “IDEFIX,” a small secondary payload, will ride with MMX and is planned to touch down on the surface of Phobos in 2029.

Iridium Communications and private sector groups worried Ligado’s proposed terrestrial network would interfere with GPS are backing efforts to throw out the company’s lawsuit against the U.S. government.

The price of satellite bandwidth for data services has dropped 77% over five years after SpaceX’s Starlink constellation flooded the market with capacity, according to Euroconsult analysis released Feb. 12.

Payloads: Boeing Environment Responding Antimicrobial Coatings-2 (AC-2): The crew performed the routine periodic touching of two 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 …

The mission planned by the Air Force Research Laboratory will seek to demonstrate on-orbit maneuvering

A pair of T-Minus Engineering DART missions that were slated to be launched from Esrange in Sweden last week faced -35°C temperatures, causing one of the flights to malfunction and the other to be called off. The first of the two missions was launched on 7 February from the brand-new Launch Complex 3 at the […] The post Cold Weather Proves Challenging for T-Minus Launch Campaign appeared first on European Spaceflight.

With the new funding, LeoLabs will scale our existing technologies and capabilities, and develop new ones.

From Mars, with love.

"The Mars 2020 science team wasn't interested in Ingenuity."

The company is working with the Defense Innovation Unit to create a “hybrid space architecture”

The UK Space Agency has announced that it has committed £3.5 million in funding to further the development of technology aimed at extending the life of satellites. The Satellite Applications Catapult will receive £2 million of the total amount to upgrade its In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing (IOSM) facility. The Satellite Applications Catapult was established in […] The post UKSA Commits £3.5M to the Development of Satellite Servicing Tech appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of February 11-17, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The House is in session this week. […]

As rumors of a potential sale of United Launch Alliance reach a crescendo, the company’s chief executive argues the successful inaugural launch of its Vulcan rocket is a vindication of both the company’s technology and its transformation.

A private astronaut mission that will feature the first spacewalk from a Crew Dragon spacecraft has suffered another delay, this time to at least the middle of this year.

The company’s first two Jackal spacecraft are scheduled to launch aboard SpaceX's upcoming Transporter-10 rideshare

Greece just became the 35th country, and the 12th member of the European Space Agency, to sign the U.S.-led Artemis Accords. The Accords are a set of non-binding principles for […]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced Feb. 6 it will lay off 530 employees, about 8% of its staff, citing uncertainty about its budget for 2024. These layoffs, combined with mounting cost overruns and a strained workforce, paint a grim picture for the agency’s broad reaching exploration goals over the next few years, as Congress has been unable to pass spending bills to ensure improved funding levels.

The European Space Agency has published a call for reusable rocket booster concept proposals that will allow Europe to develop “the necessary reusable transportation systems to achieve routine access to space.” The Boosters for European Space Transportation (BEST!) initiative is being managed by ESA’s Space Transportation Directorate under its Future Launcher Preparatory Programme (FLPP). According […] The post ESA Publishes Call for Reusable Rocket Booster Concepts appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Greece became the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords outlining best practices for sustainable space exploration Feb. 9.

The four-person Axiom-3 private astronaut crew is home at last, days late because of poor weather in Florida. Their ride to and from the International Space Station was aboard a […]

Axiom-3 (Ax-3) Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) Undock: SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom splashed down off the coast of Florida at 7:29 AM CST and returned private astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravcı, and Marcus Wandt following a successful 18 day docked mission. Payloads: Boeing Environment Responding Antimicrobial Coatings-2 (AC-2): The crew performed a routine, periodic …

The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule carrying the Axiom-3, or Ax-3, mission astronauts safely splashed down off the Florida coast this morning, returning...

Lt. Gen. Steven L. Basham argues the importance of military collaboration in space with Europe to secure leadership.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the Florida coast Feb. 9, wrapping up a three-week private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

A group of satellite operators have joined forces to push the fledgling direct-to-smartphone market to adopt services using their radiowaves, rather than spectrum derived from terrestrial mobile network operators.

Beijing’s municipal government has released a set of policies to foster an innovative commercial space ecosystem in the city over the next five years.

"We’re still targeting to get Neutron on the pad before the end of the year."

German NewSpace startup ATMOS Space Cargo has announced a €1.3-million extension of its seed funding round. The company first closed the round in June 2023, raising €4 million. ATMOS is currently developing its Phoenix return capsule. The capsule would be launched into orbit, where it would be capable of acting as a free flyer offering […] The post ATMOS Raises €1.3M More to Fund Development of Return Capsule appeared first on European Spaceflight.

During the demonstration in Fairbanks, Alaska, the antenna system prototype handled an average of more than 300 satellite contacts per day, including up to eight simultaneous contacts.

Collins Aerospace, one of the companies with a NASA award to develop a new generation of spacesuits, has completed a series of tests of that design in a microgravity environment on an aircraft.

Space operations units in the Air National Guard face uncertain future as political fight continues on whether to fund a Space National Guard

Anyone who’s played the board game “Battleship” is familiar with the notion of operational resilience. Gameplay is simple: Each player has a fleet of five plastic ships that they place […]

Europe has given Luxembourg’s OQ Technology a contract to study ways to connect unmodified smartphones from its low Earth orbit constellation, which currently provides narrowband connectivity for remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Hawaiian Airlines is rolling out complimentary Wi-Fi via SpaceX’s Starlink on board commercial flights this week, the companies told CNBC, the first major U.S. airline to offer the satellite-based service.

Veteran tech executive Arvind Srinivasan joins Maxar as chief technology officer.