Space

TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX deployed 48 more satellites for its Starlink broadband constellation Dec. 2, along with two remote sensing spacecraft for BlackSky in a mission that breaks the record for Falcon 9 launches in a calendar year. All satellites successfully separated from the Falcon 9 in low Earth orbit, according to SpaceX, after lifting

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab released new details Dec. 2 of the design of its Neutron medium-class rocket, a vehicle with a unique design the company says is intended to enable frequent and low-cost reuse. Rocket Lab unveiled the updated design of Neutron in a brief video presentation. The vehicle, made of carbon composite materials, is

TAMPA, Fla. — Antenna maker Kymeta announced a partnership Dec. 1 to jointly develop a flat panel, electronically steered user terminal for stationary land applications on OneWeb’s low Earth orbit broadband network. Kymeta said the antenna will be based on the u8 terminal it launched commercially in November 2020 and will be available to purchase

As concerns grow about military threats to U.S. satellites, DoD’s top space policy post remains unfilled WASHINGTON — At the first meeting of the Biden administration’s National Space Council Dec. 1, Vice President Kamala Harris said a top concern is keeping space safe for military, civilian and commercial operations.   Harris said efforts to establish “rules

WASHINGTON — The White House released Dec. 1 a document that outlines its space policy priorities, including addressing growing military threats and supporting “a rules-based international order for space.” The seven-page United States Space Priorities Framework document, released ahead of the first meeting by the National Space Council under the Biden administration, represents the first

WASHINGTON — Concerns about the long-term viability of some existing International Space Station modules and the potential of delays in development of commercial space stations heighten the risk of a gap in low Earth orbit destinations, a new report warns. The Nov. 30 report by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said that any gap

Griffin said the United States now has to play catchup and needs to increase funding for missile-tracking satellites to help defend against hypersonic threats.   WASHINGTON — China’s successful demonstration of a hypersonic glide vehicle — a weapon that is boosted to space, orbits the Earth and reenters the atmosphere before it strikes a target

Outer space is more fundamental to our lives and more under threat than at any time in history. Today, the U.S. government and economy receive enormous benefits from space. Still, the strategies that secured our nation’s leading role in space won’t be enough to sustain that leadership in the coming decades. With the nature of

Lt. Gen. Saltzman: ‘We are seeing a shift to where the first strike advantages are encountered in space’ WASHINGTON — China and Russia for decades have watched the United States display its military power, much of it enabled by satellites in space. China’s recent demonstration of an orbital hypersonic weapon and Russia blowing up a

WASHINGTON — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in a new program will explore options to conduct biomanufacturing in space, using biological systems like microbes to construct materials for use in orbital operations. The project, led by DARPA’s biological technologies office, is called B-SURE, short for biomanufacturing, survival, utility and reliability beyond Earth. “The B-SURE

HELSINKI — Chinese satellite operator and remote sensing data firm ADA Space raised $55.6 million in a Series B investment round for its artificially intelligent satellite network plans. The short announcement from ADA Space Nov. 20 states that the 355 million yuan in funding will be used for satellite network capacity building and research and

HELSINKI — Spanish launch startup PLD Space has debuted a fully assembled Miura 1 reusable suborbital rocket as a step towards its inaugural flight in 2022. The Miura 1 was unveiled at the National Museum of Natural Science in Madrid Nov. 16. Next, it will be returned to the PLD Space base at Teruel Airport

Ambitions include constellations, spaceplanes, new launchers and suborbital and orbital tourism HELSINKI — Players in China’s emerging commercial space sector have outlined big plans for the coming years at a space forum hosted in Wuhan, central China. The seventh China Commercial Aerospace Forum (CCAF), held in Wuhan Nov. 25-26, saw state-owned defense and space giant

WASHINGTON — A node module billed as the final Russian element of the International Space Station docked with the station Nov. 26. The Prichal, or “Pier,” module, propelled by a modified Progress cargo spacecraft, docked with the nadir port of the Nauka module at 10:19 a.m. Eastern, a little more than two days after its

HELSINKI — A Chinese Kuaizhou-1A rocket launched the experimental Shiyan-11 satellite for China’s main space contractor from northwest China late Nov. 24. The 19.4-meter-long Kuaizhou-1A lifted off from a transporter erector launcher at 6:41 p.m. Eastern Wednesday, rising into pre-dawn skies over the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Aboard was the classified

WASHINGTON — Astroscale announced Nov. 25 that it raised $109 million from European and Japanese investors in a round it says will allow it to accelerate plans for active debris removal and satellite servicing. The Series F round, the largest to date raised by the Tokyo-based company, was led by Japan’s THE FUND Limited Partnership

WASHINGTON — Launch preparations for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will resume after testing found no damage to the spacecraft from a payload processing incident earlier this month. NASA announced late Nov. 24 that testing of JWST found no sign of damage to any of its components after a clamp band, which secures the spacecraft

TAMPA, Fla. — OneWeb is considering options to remove one of its broadband satellites from low Earth orbit after it failed following a software issue last year. “We are looking at all potential suppliers to address de-orbit as and when the tech is safe,” said Chris Mclaughlin, OneWeb’s chief of government, regulation and engagement. The

TAMPA, Fla. — Intelsat and SES have beaten a key regulatory deadline for clearing C-band spectrum across the United States, unlocking more than $2 billion in combined proceeds from the Federal Communications Commission. The satellite operators, which hold the largest share of the 500 MHz C-band in the U.S., said the FCC has validated the

An article of faith among cryptocurrency enthusiasts is the promise of digital currency to extend banking services to people around the world. “If you believe that there is a market for bringing internet to underserved regions of the world, then it’s hard to argue why there wouldn’t be a market for bringing financial capabilities of

WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched a NASA mission that will deliberately collide with a near Earth asteroid to test a technique that could be used to deflect the trajectory of any future asteroid on a collision course with the Earth. The Falcon 9 lifted off on schedule at 1:21 a.m. Eastern Nov.

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab says it’s ready to move to the next step in its efforts to recover and reuse Electron first stages by attempting to catch a booster in midair on an upcoming launch. Rocket Lab announced Nov. 23 that, after three launches where Electron boosters splashed down in the ocean and were recovered,

A JAXA website showing the agency’s plan to recruit astronaut candidates. Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency SEOUL, South Korea —Japan’s space agency is set to recruit astronaut candidates for the first time in 13 years as part of efforts to support the NASA-led Artemis lunar exploration program.  The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the

WASHINGTON — NASA announced Nov. 22 that it is delaying the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope by at least four days to investigate an incident that took place preparing the spacecraft for launch in French Guiana. NASA said that, working in conjunction with the European Space Agency and Arianespace, it has delayed the

Blue Canyon has to deliver a small satellite bus that can operate and maneuver for up to three years in orbits beyond GEO WASHINGTON — Blue Canyon Technologies won a $14.6 million contract to produce a small inspector satellite for operations beyond geosynchronous Earth orbit. According to a Nov. 22 announcement, Blue Canyon was selected

The company closed a $4 million seed funding round and won a $1.7 million Space Force contract to prototype a hybrid architecture of imaging satellites WASHINGTON — Cognitive Space raised $4 million in seed funding for its artificial intelligence-based software designed to manage imaging satellite constellations, the company’s chief executive said.  The funding round for

TAMPA, Fla. — French startup Kinéis secured regulatory approval Nov. 18 to connect internet of things devices in the United States to its planned nanosatellite constellation.  The permission from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to provide services in the country marks a key milestone for Kinéis, which raised about $110 million last year to deploy

LAS VEGAS — The three private astronauts on Axiom Space’s first mission to the International Space Station next February will perform more than 100 hours of research on their flight as the company works to advance plans for its own space station. Axiom Space announced Nov. 17 that the three customers it is flying on

Gen. David Thompson: ‘It’s now time to look at how we can defend against hypersonic missiles’ WASHINGTON — The United States is playing catchup in a new arms race to build advanced hypersonic missiles that travel at five times the speed of sound and can maneuver to evade defenses, the vice chief of space operations

TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite operator Telesat started trading as a public company Nov. 19 in the U.S. and Canada, boosting talks with export-credit agencies about funding the rest of its $5 billion Lightspeed broadband constellation. Ottawa-based Telesat did not raise cash in listing on Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange by merging with shareholder Loral

WASHINGTON — A European small launch vehicle startup has successfully tested a small version of an aerospike engine powered by methane and liquid oxygen it plans to scale up for use in an orbital vehicle. Barcelona-based Pangea Aerospace announced Nov. 16 that it completed a series of tests of the aerospike engine, called Demo P1,

WASHINGTON — The member states of the European Space Agency have endorsed a strategy to support work on terrestrial and space safety issues while also planning for future space exploration projects. A resolution approved by ESA’s Council of Ministers at its Intermediate Ministerial Meeting Nov. 19 backed a plan, published by the agency in October,

WASHINGTON — Astra Space’s Rocket 3.3 successfully reached orbit on a Nov. 20 launch, the fourth orbital launch attempt by the small launch vehicle startup. The Rocket 3.3 vehicle, with the serial number LV0007, lifted off at 1:16 a.m. Eastern from Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska on Kodiak Island. Astra scrubbed a launch attempt the previous

SAN FRANCISCO – NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is soliciting information on how private sector innovation could help the space agency make the most out of a $500 million budget to obtain data on Earth’s changing surface. JPL issued a Request For Information Nov. 19 seeking “industry feedback on whether a commercial purchase, a public-private partnership,

SEOUL, South Korea — Japan and Australia have joined international condemnation of Russia for testing an anti-satellite weapon Nov. 15 that created over 1,500 pieces of debris in low Earth orbit.  In a Nov. 18 statement, Japan’s foreign ministry called the test “an irresponsible behavior that undermines sustainable and stable use of outer space.” The

LAS VEGAS — While mergers involving special purpose acquisition corporations (SPACs) dominated the space industry for much of the year, one expert sees warning signs of waning interest in this way of taking companies public. Speaking at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics here Nov. 16, Phil Ingle, a managing

And the winners are… The SpaceNews Awards are held each year to recognize achievements in space commerce, exploration and stewardship. Since 2017, the SpaceNews editorial staff has selected 40 individuals and organizations embodying the hard work and innovation propelling the space industry to unparalleled levels of activity. 2021 has seen a record number of private astronauts

“It will be extremely obvious that satellites should be reusable after we show how it’s done,” said Outpost CEO Jason Dunn. SAN FRANCISCO – Two Made In Space co-founders teamed up with a paragliding expert to found Outpost, a startup focused on returning satellites and payloads from orbit. “There are a lot of ways to

LAS VEGAS — SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said he expects this first orbital flight of his company’s Starship vehicle to take place as soon as January, pending regulatory approvals. Musk, speaking at a joint meeting of the National Academies’ Space Studies Board and Board on Physics and Astronomy Nov. 17, said the company was

WASHINGTON — Under a recent deal signed with the U.S. Space Development Agency, Capella Space will attempt to connect one of the company’s imaging satellites to SDA’s network of satellites in low Earth orbit.  Establishing data pipes in space for commercial imagery providers to pass data to government customers could be a win-win, SDA Director

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the “numerous pieces of debris” created in low Earth orbit when Russia destroyed a Soviet-era satellite with a missile strike earlier this week but stopped short of criticizing Russia. In a Nov. 17 text message sent to reporters, the ministry said “we are concerned

SAN FRANCISCO – Fleet Space Technologies raised $26.4 million in a Series B investment round that puts a value of $126 million on the Australian startup establishing an internet-of-things satellite constellation. The Series B funding round was led by existing Fleet Space investors Artesian Venture Partners, Blackbird Ventures, Grok and Horizons Ventures. New investors including

BREMEN, Germany — European space industry figures have expressed alarm at Russia’s destructive antisatellite test which has created thousands of pieces of orbital debris. “Our models show an increase in probability of a collision in low Earth orbit of five percent,” Philippe Baptiste, head of the French space agency CNES, said Nov. 16 of the

LAS VEGAS — Rocket Lab announced Nov. 15 that it is acquiring Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC), a manufacturer of satellite separation systems, in the second such deal by Rocket Lab in as many months. Rocket Lab said it will purchase Maryland-based PSC for $42 million in cash and 1.72 million shares of stock. The deal

SAN FRANCISCO – The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is eager to tap into unclassified commercial data services as part of its ongoing effort to track activity around world. Rather than fusing commercial data with government information or analysis to create new classified data products and services, though, the NGA is interested in keeping datasets unclassified. “So

Col. Eric Felt this contract allows AFRL to conduct research ‘without the bureaucracy and delay of awarding multiple smaller individual contracts’ WASHINGTON — The Air Force Research Laboratory announced Nov. 15 it has awarded its largest-ever contract for space technology development to Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory.  Space Dynamics, based in North Logan, Utah,

L3Harris will begin to produce the new version of the Counter Communications System WASHINGTON — U.S. military officials and analysts have warned that China and Russia are building an arsenal of weapons designed to interfere with space-based capabilities of the United States. The United States meanwhile is building its own capabilities to counter enemies’ space

WASHINGTON — Policy issues regarding active debris removal are not as difficult to overcome as many believe, industry officials say, but acknowledge that those challenges may hinder efforts to remove the most dangerous pieces of debris in orbit. While much of the focus on active debris removal (ADR) involves the technologies needed to capture objects