Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Inmarsat satellite poised to provide connectivity over Atlantic Ocean Spaceflight Now · 16 Feb 2023 A large European-built communications satellite owned by London-based Inmarsat is set to ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into orbit Friday night from Cape Canaveral, kicking off a mission to connect ships and airplanes acr...
- Investing in Space: The space station kingmaker CNBC · 16 Feb 2023 Several U.S. companies are working to build new orbiting habitats to replace the aging International Space Station. NASA’s role in seeding the fledgling market was a hot topic at the FAA’s space conference last week.
- Chinese rocket firm Space Pioneer set for first launch SpaceNews · 16 Feb 2023 HELSINKI — Commercial launch firm Space Pioneer announced new funding this week and will soon take a shot at becoming China’s first such company to reach orbit with a liquid propellant rocket. Space Pioneer, full name Be...
- Virgin Galactic aircraft returns to flight SpaceNews · 16 Feb 2023 The carrier aircraft for Virgin Galactic’s suborbital spaceplane made its first flight in more than a year Feb. 15 as the company moves one step closer to beginning commercial service.
- Japan’s new H3 rocket ready for first test flight Spaceflight Now · 16 Feb 2023 Japan is set to test its new flagship launch vehicle, the H3, with a demonstration flight Thursday night from the Tanegashima Space Center, debuting a rocket that is less expensive, more capable, and more flexible than t...
- Boeing opens SLS EUS production facility SpaceNews · 16 Feb 2023 Boeing has opened the production facility where it will build a new upper stage for an upgraded version of the Space Launch System.
- Europe approves multi-orbit connectivity constellation plan SpaceNews · 15 Feb 2023 Europe’s ambitions for a sovereign connectivity constellation are now in the hands of industry, the European Parliament said Feb. 14 after voting to approve the 6 billion euro ($6.4 billion) plan.
- Pentagon working with Congress on unclassified space strategy SpaceNews · 15 Feb 2023 The Defense Department’s space policy office is drafting a congressionally mandated report explaining how the U.S. will defend satellites in orbit.
- Virgin Galactic VMS Eve Takes Flight The Launch Pad · 15 Feb 2023 Virgin Galactic's VMS Eve takes first flight in over a year following maintenance and upgrades.
- On National Security | A coming of age for commercial satellite imagery SpaceNews · 15 Feb 2023 “Someone’s on the move,” Jeffrey Lewis tweeted on Feb. 23, 2022, the day before Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Known on social media as @ArmsControlWonk, Lewis had been tracking Russian movements in the days preceding t...
- After a decade in development, Japan’s H3 rocket is ready for its debut Ars Technica · 15 Feb 2023 "If we cannot attain that, our development program is completely stopped."
- Maxar moves to close deal with Advent after receiving no competing offers SpaceNews · 15 Feb 2023 The $6.4 billion acquisition of Maxar Technologies by the private equity firm Advent International remains on track to close in mid-2023 following completion of a 60-day “go shop” period when other offers could have been...
- NASA updates plans for use of commercial space stations SpaceNews · 15 Feb 2023 NASA has released additional details about how it plans to use commercial space stations after the retirement of the International Space Station as some in industry seek to accelerate NASA’s support for them.
- Virgin Orbit elaborates on potential cause of LauncherOne failure SpaceNews · 15 Feb 2023 irgin Orbit provided additional details about the likely cause of its LauncherOne failure last month but didn’t estimate when the vehicle will be ready to return to flight.
- SpaceX prioritizes Starship test flights, pauses plans for floating launch pads Teslarati · 14 Feb 2023 President and COO Gwynne Shotwell says that SpaceX has temporarily abandoned plans for floating Starship launch platforms to ensure it’s fully focused...
- Mars rover completes first sample storage depot Spaceflight Now · 14 Feb 2023 NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars has cooly notched up another significant first by creating the first ever storage depot on another world for Martian soil samples. But if the rover’s mission goes to plan and it continue...
- UPDATE! Virgin Orbit Launcher One Anomaly The Launch Pad · 14 Feb 2023 On January 9th, Virgin Orbit experienced a tragic anomaly with their LauncherOne rocket during the historic first orbital launch from the United Kingdom, which resulted in the loss of the vehicle and its payloads.
- Cobham to supply satellite terminals to Inmarsat for U.S. Navy network SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 Cobham Satcom will supply as many as 170 terminals to Inmarsat for the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command.
- Europe opens full-scale investigation into Viasat’s Inmarsat acquisition SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 Viasat’s plan to buy Inmarsat faces more delays after Europe launched an in-depth probe Feb. 13 into whether it would reduce competition for providing Wi-Fi on planes.
- NASA's Perseverance Rover Shows Off Collection of Mars Samples NASA · 14 Feb 2023 The Red Planet rover snapped a portrait of the sample depot it has assembled with 10 backup sample tubes that could be returned to Earth by a future mission.
- SpaceX drops plans to convert oil rigs into launch platforms SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 SpaceX has abandoned efforts to convert two oil rigs into launch platforms for its Starship vehicle, but the company still believes that offshore launch platforms will be part of its long-term plans.
- DoD can ‘tune’ space surveillance sensors to track spy balloons SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 U.S. military space surveillance sensors can be tweaked to help detect high-altitude aerial surveillance platforms in the upper layer of the atmosphere, said John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy
- Russia delays uncrewed Soyuz launch to investigate Progress leak SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 Russia has delayed the launch of an uncrewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station, intended to replace a damaged spacecraft there, to investigate damage to a second spacecraft there.
- Astranis wins Space Force contract to integrate military satcom on commercial payload SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 Astranis Space Technologies won a $4.5 million contract to integrate a U.S. military communications waveform on one of the company’s satellite communications payloads.
- Maxar signs agreement with Umbra for direct access to radar imaging satellites SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 Maxar has signed a contract with satellite imagery startup Umbra to get dedicated access to the company’s radar imaging constellation.
- Intuitive Machines completes SPAC merger SpaceNews · 14 Feb 2023 Commercial lunar lander company Intuitive Machines has completed its merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), raising far less money than originally anticipated.
- SpaceX Selling Future Starship Launch Platforms The Launch Pad · 14 Feb 2023 SpaceX has decided to sell their two future off shore launch platforms to focus on getting the launch system online and reliable for transportation of crew and cargo from land based launch sites at Starbase and KSC.
- Noise complaints help bring down launch startup SpaceRyde SpaceNews · 13 Feb 2023 Canadian launch startup SpaceRyde has filed for bankruptcy just months after noise complaints put an end to rocket engine tests.
- Elon Musk and astronaut Scott Kelly debate use of Starlink in Ukraine CNBC · 13 Feb 2023 Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s satellite internet service remains a crucial yet contentious part of the country’s fragile infrastructure, as Russia’s invasion nears its one-year mark.
- It’s not aliens. It’ll probably never be aliens. So stop. Please just stop. Ars Technica · 13 Feb 2023 "There is no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns."
- Russia delays next Soyuz launch pending assessment of coolant leaks Spaceflight Now · 13 Feb 2023 Launch of a Russian Soyuz crew capsule to replace a damaged ferry ship docked at the International Space Station is being delayed in the wake of a second incident that resulted in similar damage to a Progress cargo ship,...
- NASA, Partners Clear Axiom’s Second Private Astronaut Mission Crew NASA · 13 Feb 2023 NASA and its international partners have approved the crew for Axiom Space’s second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2).
- World’s first space platforms utilising H2O2 in concentration above 98% – next level of green space propulsion SpaceNews · 13 Feb 2023 Polish leading R&D aerospace entity: Łukasiewicz – Institute of Aviation (Łukasiewicz – ILOT) concludes 2022 with major advances in its strategic area of green space propulsion and sets off with announcing ambitious plan...
- JUICE Ahead Of Schedule, Preparing For Spring Launch The Launch Pad · 13 Feb 2023 This morning, the European Space Agency announced that they are targeting April 13th for the launch of the agencies JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer) spacecraft aboard the second last Ariane 5 from Europe's Spaceport in...
- Blue Origin makes a big lunar announcement without any fanfare Ars Technica · 13 Feb 2023 "Although our vision is technically ambitious, our technology is real now."
- Saudi astronauts selected for Axiom private astronaut mission SpaceNews · 13 Feb 2023 The government of Saudi Arabia has announced the two astronauts who will fly to the International Space Station this spring on a private astronaut mission by Axiom Space.
- Orbit Logic acquired by aerospace and defense contractor Boecore SpaceNews · 13 Feb 2023 Orbit Logic, a developer of mission planning and scheduling software for satellite ground systems, has been acquired by aerospace and defense engineering contractor Boecore.
- Launches of Chinese commercial rockets could double in 2023 SpaceNews · 13 Feb 2023 HELSINKI — Launches conducted by commercial Chinese launch service providers could more than double those attempted last year, according to firms’ plans for 2023. The more than 20 launches now planned by commercial launc...
- India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle successful on second test flight Spaceflight Now · 12 Feb 2023 The second test flight of India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle was successful Feb. 10, delivering Indian and U.S.-owned payloads into orbit after the new rocket’s first demonstration mission ended in failure last year.
- Launch demand remains high despite industry struggles SpaceNews · 12 Feb 2023 Despite concerns about the viability of many new launch vehicle developers, many in the industry say those vehicles are needed as demand for launch outstrips supply.