Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- POLARIS Spaceplanes Begins Testing MIRA Demonstrator European Spaceflight · 20 Oct 2023 Bremen-based startup POLARIS Spaceplanes announced that it had completed the first roll tests of its MIRA demonstrator. MIRA is a 4.3-metre demonstrator that features a fiber-reinforced shell, four kerosene-fed turbine e...
- SpaceX frustrated by Starship licensing delays SpaceNews · 20 Oct 2023 A SpaceX executive used a Senate hearing to express frustration with the slow pace of launch licensing reviews that is holding up the next flight of the company’s Starship vehicle.
- Rocket Report: Key Ariane 6 test delayed; NASA urged to look at SLS alternatives Ars Technica · 20 Oct 2023 "NASA’s aspirational goal to achieve a cost savings of 50 percent is highly unrealistic."
- Key Ariane 6 test rescheduled for November SpaceNews · 20 Oct 2023 The European Space Agency said Oct. 19 it has rescheduled a long-duration static-fire test of the Ariane 6 rocket for late November, after a major meeting of European government officials where support for the rocket wil...
- Latitude Double Factory Floor Space European Spaceflight · 20 Oct 2023 French launch startup Latitude has doubled its factory floor space in preparation for the first flight of its Zephyr launch vehicle. Latitude was founded in 2019 and initially operated out of Paris before moving to its c...
- U.S. Space Force seeks to work closer with allies in face of shared threats SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 The procurement arm of the U.S. Space Force is making a major push to work more closely with allies abroad and is pressing the Pentagon to adjust classification policies to allow for more open sharing of information with...
- UK funds surveillance satellite replacement lost in Virgin Orbit failure SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 The U.K. is funding nearly half the cost of replacing the government-backed cubesat that British maritime surveillance venture Horizon Technologies lost in January in Virgin Orbit’s final launch attempt before bankruptcy...
- ESA Pushes Ahead with Ariane 6 Testing European Spaceflight · 19 Oct 2023 ESA announced 19 October that it had adapted the Ariane 6 testing schedule to enable teams to continue to tick off key milestones while work on a Thrust Vector Control (TVC) anomaly continues. The first hot fire test of...
- China rolls out rocket for Shenzhou-17 mission to Tiangong SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 A crew of three astronauts is set to launch to China’s Tiangong space station next week for a six-month-long mission.
- Skylo’s network to spread in 2024 SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 In recent months, Skylo has established partnerships with chipset manufacturers, satellite fleet operators and telecommunications providers.
- Investing in Space: On satellites, the invisible backbone of global industry CNBC · 19 Oct 2023 “Space-based technologies are the building blocks of innovation on Earth. GPS, geospatial intelligence and satellite communications are the invisible backbone that powers the world’s largest industries today.”
- In annual report to Congress, Pentagon highlights China’s ‘refusal to engage’ SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 China’s continued pursuits of space technologies as a way to gain military superiority are once again highlighted in the Pentagon’s latest annual report on “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Repub...
- Artemis and Taming the Extraordinary SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 Strategists and planners at NASA are mulling over questions of tempo for future human expeditions to the moon. Should Artemis involve a yearly campaign of smaller missions or consolidate expeditions, launching more ambit...
- Cognitive Space wins two SDA contracts SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 Cognitive Space said securing two SDA phase 2 awards in a matter of weeks underscores the value of the company’s Cognitive Inference Tasking (CNTIENT) software platform.
- Launch industry asks Congress for regulatory reforms SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 Industry officials used a Senate hearing to request reforms to the Federal Aviation Administration’s launch licensing process, warning of dire commercial and geopolitical implications if changes aren’t made.
- SpaceX Warns Government Regulations Slowing Starship, Could Let China Get Ahead SpacePolicyOnline.com · 19 Oct 2023 SpaceX told a Senate committee today that government regulations are slowing the development of Starship and the commercial human spaceflight industry is at a “breaking point” in terms of maintaining
- Virgin Galactic to perform suborbital research flight in November SpaceNews · 19 Oct 2023 Virgin Galactic will conclude its schedule of suborbital spaceflights this year with a mission in early November whose crew will include a longtime advocate of suborbital research.
- Machina Labs expands focus to satellites and reentry vehicles SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 Los Angeles startup Machina Labs is expanding its role in the space sector by working with satellite and hypersonic vehicle manufacturers.
- Space Force finalizing roadmap for partnering with commercial companies SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 A plan to establish a commercial space reserve to ensure the U.S. military has access to commercial satellites during conflicts is moving closer to completion, U.S. Space Force leaders said Oct. 18.
- Space company executives urge senators to give more resources to the FAA CNBC · 18 Oct 2023 With the pace of rocket launches accelerating, and competition from China rising, executives from top U.S. space companies on Wednesday urged senators to improve the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory and licen...
- Satellite subsystems are the next hot commodity for space investors SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 Providers of the subsystems and components needed to support a surge of proposed satellites are set to drive deal activity into 2024, according to space investors speaking during the Satellite Innovation conference Oct....
- Axiom Space refines training for next private astronaut mission SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 As Axiom Space gears up for its third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, the company says it has refined the training needed to effectively carry out those missions.
- India sets sights on a Moon landing in 2040, but is it realistic? Ars Technica · 18 Oct 2023 Also on tap for India: A space station and a Venus orbiter.
- Danti gets U.S. Space Force contract for data search engine SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 Danti, a startup that developed a geospatial data search engine, was awarded a $1.2 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to further develop its AI-enabled technology.
- HawkEye 360 raises $10 million in funding round extension SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 HawkEye 360, a commercial operator of remote-sensing satellites, has secured an additional $10 million in an extension of its Series D-1 investment round.
- Small launch companies struggle to compete with SpaceX rideshare missions SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 Industry executives argue that SpaceX’s dominant position in the launch market is making it difficult for small launch vehicles to compete, as a prominent investor warns of a wave of bankruptcies among launch companies.
- Atomos wins $1.6 million AFWERX contract to test multi-party rendezvous SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 Atomos Space won a $1.6 million AFWERX contract to establish a ground-based testing facility for multi-party rendezvous and proximity operations.
- CesiumAstro wins NASA award to study wideband communications SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 CesiumAstro won a NASA contract to design a space-qualified wideband active phased array terminal to communicate with commercial and government networks.
- Government funding blunts impact of private investment decline SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 Private investment in space companies has declined, while U.S. government funding for space programs is climbing.
- Space radio developer AnySignal emerges from stealth SpaceNews · 18 Oct 2023 One-year-old Californian startup AnySignal emerged from stealth mode Oct. 16 with $5 million in funding behind a multi-purpose space radio platform.
- Test Flight to Kick Off India’s Human Exploration Plans, Including a Man on the Moon by 2040 SpacePolicyOnline.com · 18 Oct 2023 As India readies for a test flight of the crew escape system for a new human-rated launch vehicle this weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out exploration goals including an
- Space industry group turns up volume on satellite vulnerabilities SpaceNews · 17 Oct 2023 The Space ISAC, an industry group dedicated to space cybersecurity, is trying to spread awareness of the dangers satellites face, not just from cyberattacks, but also from potential anti-satellite weapons and severe spac...
- SpaceX plans to launch 22 more Starlink satellites tonight Teslarati · 17 Oct 2023 SpaceX plans to launch 22 additional Starlink satellites this evening from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as long as the weather...
- SpaceNews Icon Awards to be announced Dec. 5 SpaceNews · 17 Oct 2023 TYSONS CORNER, VA — Oct. 16, 2023 — The SpaceNews Icon Awards will be awarded at a ceremony at the InterContinental Hotel at the Wharf in Washington, D.C., Tues., Dec.
- Launch Roundup: SpaceX to launch three Starlink missions; India to test crew abort system NASASpaceflight · 17 Oct 2023 Another busy period in spaceflight is underway with three Falcon 9 rockets with Starlink payloads and the first test flight of India’s Gaganyaan crew-capable spacecraft. Starlink 6-23 and 6-24 are set to fly from Space L...
- Capella Space co-founder steps down as CEO SpaceNews · 17 Oct 2023 The co-founder of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging company Capella Space is stepping down as chief executive as the company seeks to grow its business, particularly with government customers.
- Citing slow Starship reviews, SpaceX urges FAA to double licensing staff Ars Technica · 17 Oct 2023 “Licensing at this point for Starship is a critical path item for the Artemis program."
- Scientific Systems to develop satellite inspection software for U.S. Space Force SpaceNews · 17 Oct 2023 WASHINGTON — Scientific Systems, a defense contractor based in Woburn, Massachusetts, won a $1.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to develop software for in-space object detection and identification.
- India sets 2040 target for crewed moon landing SpaceNews · 17 Oct 2023 India will aim to put astronauts on the moon by 2040 and construct a space station in the middle of the next decade, the government said Tuesday.
- ESA to Create “Pool” of European Launch Service Providers European Spaceflight · 17 Oct 2023 The European Space Agency has announced plans to create a “pool” of European launch service providers that will be utilized to launch European Commission In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) missions. The call...