Space Industry News: Headlines from Across the Industry

36,864 headlines. We show the headline and the publisher's own teaser; the full story is at the source.

Daily Telescope: A colorful Christmas tree in the night sky Ars Technica · 20 Dec 2023 O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, you stand in splendid beauty!
Ariane 6 schedule not affected by aborted upper stage test SpaceNews · 20 Dec 2023 The European Space Agency says the first launch of the Ariane 6 remains on track for the middle of 2024 despite an aborted test of the rocket’s upper stage.
ESA Will Not Open an Investigation into How Vega Tanks Went Missing European Spaceflight · 20 Dec 2023 The European Space Agency has told European Spaceflight that it does not intend to open an independent inquiry into how a pair of propellant tanks for the final Vega mission next year went missing from an Avio facility b...
Firefly suffers second stage anomaly on “Fly the Lightning” mission NASASpaceflight · 20 Dec 2023 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 FLTA00...
Senate confirms senior military leaders, including two four-star Space Force generals SpaceNews · 20 Dec 2023 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.
ESA Successfully Completes Ariane 6 Launch Sequence Rehearsal European Spaceflight · 20 Dec 2023 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 rehearsa...
Senate Approves Whiting, Guetlein Promotions, Extends FAA “Learning Period” SpacePolicyOnline.com · 20 Dec 2023 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 Announces Partners For World's 1st Orbital Data Center The Launch Pad · 20 Dec 2023 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 comme...
First Batch of Mirror Segments Shipped To ESO's Extremely Large Telescope The Launch Pad · 20 Dec 2023 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...
Intuitive Machines Delays Lunar Lander Mission to Mid-February Due to SpaceX Launch Delays The Launch Pad · 20 Dec 2023 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 Soars Again After 15-Month Hiatus The Launch Pad · 20 Dec 2023 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...
Intuitive Machines delays first lunar lander launch to February SpaceNews · 20 Dec 2023 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.
Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Completes 68th Flight The Launch Pad · 19 Dec 2023 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...
Launch Roundup: scrubs deny SpaceX its 100 Falcon launch goal; look to end the year with a 300th mission milestone NASASpaceflight · 19 Dec 2023 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...
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Back in Business SpacePolicyOnline.com · 19 Dec 2023 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
Wallonia brings in Europe’s investment arm to boost space industry SpaceNews · 19 Dec 2023 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.
New Shepard Returns to Flight Space Scout · 19 Dec 2023 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 experi...
US Congress recommends placing assets at Lagrange points to counter China Ars Technica · 19 Dec 2023 “We’re in another space race back to the Moon, and this time it’s with China."
Peregrine lunar lander ready for January launch SpaceNews · 19 Dec 2023 Astrobotic’s first lunar lander is ready for a launch in early January that would set up a landing on the moon in late February.
Fly The Lightning Space Scout · 19 Dec 2023 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 lau...
Daily Telescope: James Webb zooms in on Uranus Ars Technica · 19 Dec 2023 Hopefully we revisit this world in our lifetimes.
SpaceX to just miss goal of 100 Falcon launches in 2023 SpaceNews · 19 Dec 2023 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.
Latitude Announces New Variant of its Zephyr Launch Vehicle European Spaceflight · 19 Dec 2023 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 wi...
D-Orbit ION Space Tug Hosts In-Orbit Refueling Demo European Spaceflight · 19 Dec 2023 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 l...
After raising $9.5 million, startup OurSky sees strong demand for space data platform SpaceNews · 19 Dec 2023 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.
New Shepard return to flight slips one day SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 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 go public to fund direct-to-smartphone satellites SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 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.
Report: Hypersonic weapons challenge Pentagon tracking capabilities SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 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.
Spain’s new space agency is a bigger deal than it seems SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 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).
Satellite navigation startup TrustPoint announces partnership with SpiderOak SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 TrustPoint, a startup developing a next-generation global navigation satellite system, announced Dec. 18 it selected SpiderOak to provide cybersecurity for its future network.
HawkEye 360 acquires Maxar’s RF Solutions business unit SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 HawkEye 360 announced the acquisition Dec. 18 of Maxar Intelligence RF Solutions, the business unit formed after Maxar acquired Aurora Insight.
Daily Telescope: Tracking the Sun’s path every day across the sky Ars Technica · 18 Dec 2023 The image is a vivid demonstration of the changing of the seasons.
Space Force’s first six missile-defense satellites in medium orbit to cost about $500 million SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 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.
SaxaVord Spaceport receives U.K. license SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 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.
SaxaVord Becomes UK’s First Licensed Vertical Launch Spaceport European Spaceflight · 18 Dec 2023 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...
Ariane 6 Upper Stage Test Aborted Prematurely European Spaceflight · 18 Dec 2023 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 facil...
SpaceX alums offer telemetry stack through startup Sift SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2023 With $7.5 million in the bank, Sift, a startup founded by former SpaceX software engineers, is focused on growing its team and customer base.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard returns to flight NASASpaceflight · 18 Dec 2023 Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is returned to flight on Dec. 19, 2023, from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas.
SaxaVord Spaceport Awarded First Vertical Launch Licence in the UK and Western Europe The Launch Pad · 17 Dec 2023 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.
What’s Happening in Space Policy December 17-31, 2023 SpacePolicyOnline.com · 17 Dec 2023 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

Launch and satellite data: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT (CC BY 4.0) and CelesTrak. Rockets, spacecraft and agencies: Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs and Wikidata. News headlines link to their publishers via the Spaceflight News API and RSS feeds. Records come from several sources and are matched automatically, so treat the directory as a research aid, not an authority. How the data is built and checked.