Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Kuva Space establishes U.S. arm in Fairfax, Virginia SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2024 Former Iceye US CEO Jerry Welsh, a Kuva Space US board member, is leading the company’s campaign to provide hyperspectral insights to U.S. government customers.
- China to launch lunar navigation and communications test satellites SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2024 China is preparing to launch a pair of Tiandu lunar experimental technology satellites for a planned constellation of satellites to support lunar exploration.
- Space industry urged to take a broader view of sustainability SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2024 The space industry need to take a broader examination of issues related to space sustainability that go beyond preventing the growth of space debris, one official says.
- ESA Boosts Deep-Space Comms Capacity with Cryocooled Upgrade European Spaceflight · 7 Feb 2024 The European Space Agency’s deep-space communications station in Spain has been upgraded, boosting its download capacity. Deep space networks are facing an unprecedented demand for communication bandwidth from space agen...
- Viasat preparing to start services from hobbled ViaSat-3 satellite SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2024 Viasat expects to start providing Wi-Fi to planes by the end of June from ViaSat-3 F1, the satellite that lost more than 90% of its 1 terabit per second capacity after an antenna deployment failure last year.
- Venture-backed space companies face “year of reckoning” SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2024 The aftermath of a “bubble” of investment in space startups in recent years could cause many companies to struggle to raise additional funding even as overall market conditions improve.
- JPL Lays Off Eight Percent of Workforce Amid Budget Uncertainty SpacePolicyOnline.com · 7 Feb 2024 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced today that it is laying off 580 people, 8 percent of its workforce, plus contractors, because Congress has not passed FY2024 appropriations. One of JPL’s
- Launch Roundup: Falcon 9’s 300th Flight and SpaceX to launch lunar lander NASASpaceflight · 6 Feb 2024 On the week of the sixth anniversary of the first flight of Falcon Heavy, SpaceX looks to launch five separate Falcon 9 missions. Meanwhile, JAXA is preparing for the second flight of the H3 rocket after its unsuccessful...
- JPL to lay off 8% of workforce SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 NASA’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.
- Space VCs urge startups to pursue government contracts but stay focused on commercial success SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 While venture capital has retrenched, “the government has stepped up and created a tailwind for the space industry."
- Virgin Galactic and the FAA are investigating a dropped pin on last spaceflight Ars Technica · 6 Feb 2024 "The FAA is overseeing the Virgin Galactic-led mishap investigation."
- Spectrum for the Space and Satellite Industry SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 The recent World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) in Dubai saw regulators and industry players from across the globe attempt to shape the future of telecom, satellite and space applications.
- Daily Telescope: A stunning new image of Io reveals a volcanic plume Ars Technica · 6 Feb 2024 Juno continues to deliver in the Jovian system.
- AI startup Synthetaic raises $15 million in Series B funding SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 Synthetaic uses artificial intelligence to analyze data from space and air sensors.
- Greece Announces €60M Earth Observation Microsatellite Constellation European Spaceflight · 6 Feb 2024 The Greek Ministry of Digital Governance has announced that the country is going ahead with the development of a €60-million Earth observation microsatellite constellation. Once operational, the constellation will provid...
- Cool upgrade for deep-space dish ESA · 6 Feb 2024 Cool upgrade for deep-space dish
- Lynk Global finalizes SPAC merger deal SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 Lynk Global has agreed to a merger that would raise money for the direct-to-smartphone operator and list its shares on Nasdaq, the venture said Feb. 5 in a regulatory filing that details its revenue projections for the e...
- Virgin Galactic investigating dropped pin on most recent suborbital flight SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 Virgin Galactic said Feb. 5 it is investigating why a pin fell from the aircraft used by its VSS Unity suborbital spaceplane on its most recent flight last month, adding that the incident did not pose a safety risk to th...
- First Intuitive Machines lunar lander mission set for Feb. 14 launch SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2024 Intuitive Machines and SpaceX have confirmed plans to launch the IM-1 lunar lander mission as soon as Feb. 14, pending a fueling test on the pad later this week.
- Falcon 9 launches PACE science satellite for NASA NASASpaceflight · 5 Feb 2024 After a record-setting month featuring 10 launches, SpaceX is gearing up for a busy February. One of the launches this month is the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) ocean science satellite, which flew abo...
- Marshall Space Flight Center Gets New Director SpacePolicyOnline.com · 5 Feb 2024 NASA Administrator Bill Nelson appointed Joseph Pelfrey as the new Director of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL today. Pelfrey has been acting Center Director since Jody Singer retired
- A Valentine’s Day Launch for the Next U.S. Moon Mission SpacePolicyOnline.com · 5 Feb 2024 Launch service provider SpaceX said today the first Intuitive Machines mission to the Moon is scheduled for launch on Valentine’s Day, February 14. Intuitive Machines is one of several companies
- NASA’s PACE Climate Sat Ready to Fly Space Scout · 5 Feb 2024 After nearly nine years of planning, preparation, and even once being slated for cancellation entirely, NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Earth-observation mission is set for launch. Initially conce...
- The last vestige of old space architectural thinking SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2024 Despite the recent explosive increase in launch cadence, ground systems tend to be outdated, underfunded, and overlooked.
- HyImpulse Are All Packed and Heading Down Under European Spaceflight · 5 Feb 2024 German launch startup HyImpulse has confirmed that its SR75 rocket and all related support systems have been boxed up and have embarked on the long journey to Australia. SR75 is a single-stage suborbital launch vehicle t...
- NASA compiling lessons learned from Artemis 1 SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2024 NASA is wrapping up an effort to collect lessons learned from the Artemis 1 mission that address both technical and programmatic issues that the agency hopes to apply more broadly to the overall Artemis lunar exploration...
- Exolaunch Awarded First European Space Agency Launch Contract European Spaceflight · 5 Feb 2024 German payload aggregator and in-space logistics company Exolaunch has been awarded a contract to launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS). In addition to being the first ESA launch contrac...
- NASA Earth science mission once slated for cancellation ready for launch SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2024 A nearly billion-dollar mission to study the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere is ready to launch after surviving several cancellation attempts earlier in its development.
- What’s Happening in Space Policy February 4-10, 2024 SpacePolicyOnline.com · 4 Feb 2024 Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of February 4-10, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate and House are in session
- China launches 20 satellites on separate inland and sea rocket launches SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2024 A pair of Chinese rockets launched 11 mobility services satellites for an automaker and nine further, diverse satellites into orbit late Friday.
- Inland spaceports seek ways to host orbital launches SpaceNews · 3 Feb 2024 With congestion growing at the nation’s major launch sites in California and Florida, operators of inland spaceports are seeking creative ways to host orbital launches.
- While Artemis II schedule remains uncertain, NASA EGS preparing to be ready and waiting for stacking NASASpaceflight · 3 Feb 2024 At the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program continues to prepare for the Artemis II circumlunar mission that was recently delayed to September 2025. EGS is finishing certification o...
- European-Made 3D Printer Will Be the First to Print Metal in Space European Spaceflight · 3 Feb 2024 A 3D printer developed by Airbus under a European Space Agency contract will be the first to print metal components aboard the International Space Station. Aboard the first Northrop Grumman Cygnus mission to be launched...
- Firefly to continue responsive launch operations for future Alpha missions SpaceNews · 2 Feb 2024 Firefly Aerospace plans to make the responsive launch operations it demonstrated for the U.S. Space Force last year the norm for upcoming launches of its Alpha rocket.
- Eutelsat stops services on aging satellite following anomaly SpaceNews · 2 Feb 2024 Eutelsat said Feb. 2 it has stopped providing services from an aging geostationary satellite over the Americas following an unspecified anomaly.
- Satellite phone networks can democratize global communication SpaceNews · 2 Feb 2024 As Starlink and other constellations come online, satellite phones could revolutionize the free flow of information.
- Blue Origin touts capabilities of Blue Ring transfer vehicle SpaceNews · 2 Feb 2024 Blue Origin is highlighting the capabilities of an orbital transfer vehicle design it announced last year, including the ability of the spacecraft to serve as a fuel depot.
- Daily Telescope: A Wolf-Rayet star puts on a howling light show Ars Technica · 2 Feb 2024 I'd like to see it go boom
- Shanghai firm behind G60 megaconstellation raises $943 million SpaceNews · 2 Feb 2024 Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology has raised 6.7 billion yuan ($943 million) for the construction of its G60 low Earth orbit megaconstellation.
- T-Minus Engineering to Launch First European Mission of 2024 European Spaceflight · 2 Feb 2024 While the continent prepares for the maiden launch of Ariane 6, a small company from the Netherlands is getting ready to perform what could be Europe’s first rocket launch of 2024. T-Minus Engineering is preparing to lau...