Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Virgin Orbit projects growth despite widening loss SpaceNews · 11 May 2022 Despite a widening loss in the first quarter, Virgin Orbit executives said they believe they have enough financial runway for their air launch business to gain altitude this year.
- Space Force general: Commercial satellite internet in Ukraine showing power of megaconstellations SpaceNews · 11 May 2022 A lesson from the Ukraine war is the resiliency provided by large proliferated constellations, said Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations of the Space Force
- SpaceX training begins this month for first commercial spacewalk mission Spaceflight Now · 10 May 2022 The four-person crew who will fly on the all-private Polaris Dawn mission — set to include the first commercial spacewalk and the debut of SpaceX’s extravehicular spacesuit — will begin training this month for their ride...
- Space Force to invest in testing infrastructure to evaluate new systems SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 The U.S. Space Force in a vision document calls for the service to invest in infrastructure and a skilled workforce to support the testing of new satellite designs and other systems.
- Spire Global adding high-capacity Ku-band antennas to satellites SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 Spire Global said May 10 it is installing Ku-band antennas from fellow smallsat operator Kepler Communications on at least three satellites to offer higher capacity data services beginning next year.
- NASA to Provide Update on InSight Mars Lander NASA · 10 May 2022 NASA will hold a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT) on Tuesday, May 17, to provide an update on the agency’s InSight Mars lander.
- China launches eight more Earth-imaging microsats Spaceflight Now · 10 May 2022 China launched eight more microsatellites for the Jilin 1 high-resolution Earth observation constellation May 4, five days after a separate mission deployed five similar Jilin 1 payloads into orbit.
- National Reconnaissance Office partners with U.K. on space mission to fly on Virgin Orbit rocket SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense will launch a joint mission this summer on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket.
- India, France agree to cooperate on secure access to outer space, space-based challenges SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 India and France have agreed to cooperate to tackle “contemporary challenges that have arisen in space,” including secure access to outer space.
- Entrepreneurs create a space “academy” as commercial space flourishes Ars Technica · 10 May 2022 This is a bet that the long-promised space economy continues taking off.
- SpaceX preparing for back-to-back Starlink launches from California and Florida Teslarati · 10 May 2022 After a few days of delays pushed the missions closer together, SpaceX is now preparing to launch two batches of 53 Starlink...
- Astra to launch from U.K. spaceport SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 Astra announced May 10 that it plans to carry out launches from a spaceport in the Shetland Islands starting in 2023 as part of international expansion plans.
- Tianzhou-4 cargo craft docks with Chinese space station SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 The Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft completed an automated docking in orbit with the Tianhe space station module late Monday following launch from Wenchang.
- DoD inspector general finds nothing improper in U.S. Space Command basing decision SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 The IG determined that the U.S. Space Command basing decision "complied with Federal Law and DoD policy and that the process was reasonable"
- Maxar eyes customers for mobile terminals that downlink satellite imagery in the field SpaceNews · 10 May 2022 As Maxar continues to see high demand for satellite imagery, it is looking to attract customers for its mobile terminals that give users direct access to the company’s imaging satellites.
- NASA's InSight Records Monster Quake on Mars NASA · 9 May 2022 Estimated to be magnitude 5, the quake is the biggest ever detected on another planet.
- SpaceX agrees to launch dozens of Satellogic Earth imaging satellites Teslarati · 9 May 2022 Argentinian Earth observation company Satellogic has signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch at least 68 more satellites on multiple Falcon 9...
- Globalstar agrees terms with “global customer” for terrestrial connectivity SpaceNews · 9 May 2022 Globalstar has signed a term sheet with a “large, global customer” to start deploying some of its spectrum for terrestrial use “in the U.S. and beyond,” the satellite operator said May 5.
- NASA, Boeing to Discuss Readiness of Uncrewed Flight Test NASA · 9 May 2022 NASA and Boeing will hold a media teleconference at about 6 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 11, following the Flight Readiness Review for the agency’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), the second uncrewed flight test of t...
- Tianzhou 4 cargo launch to begin busy space station year for China NASASpaceflight · 9 May 2022 China plans to launch the Tianzhou 4 cargo resupply mission on Monday, May 9 at 17:56 UTC (13:56 EDT) to the Tiangong space station. The Tianzhou spacecraft will fly on a Chang Zheng 7 rocket from the Wenchang Space Laun...
- NASA’s Glenn Research Center Director to Retire NASA · 9 May 2022 NASA announced Monday Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis, director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, plans to retire in June after nearly four decades of service at the agency.
- South Korea’s new president seeks independent space agency, deeper US space cooperation SpaceNews · 9 May 2022 South Korea’s newly elected president Yoon Suk-yeol will take office May 10 with a set of ambitious space projects aimed at making the country a major space power by 2035.
- NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 to Discuss Mission After Returning to Earth NASA · 9 May 2022 Astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission, including crew members from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), will answer questions about their recent mission aboard the International Space Station during a post-splashdo...
- CACI to launch experimental satellite to demonstrate alternative to GPS navigation SpaceNews · 9 May 2022 CACI International is funding an experiment to demonstrate space technologies for military use, including an alternative to GPS navigation.
- As Centaur turns 60 years old, ULA prepares to evolve Centaur V NASASpaceflight · 9 May 2022 60 years ago, on May 8, 1962, Atlas-LV3C Centaur-A – designated Atlas Centaur-1 (AC-1) – lifted off from the newly-constructed Launch Complex-36A (LC-36A). AC-1 was the first flight test of the hydrogen-powered Centaur u...
- After losing contact with its helicopter, NASA put the entire Mars mission on hold Ars Technica · 9 May 2022 Mars is only going to get colder and darker for the next 10 weeks as winter deepens.
- SpaceX Super Heavy booster returns to launch pad after major repairs Teslarati · 9 May 2022 SpaceX has returned its newest Super Heavy to Starbase’s orbital launch site (OLS) after rapidly repairing damage suffered during the Starship booster’s...
- Momentus receives approvals for first tug launch SpaceNews · 9 May 2022 In-space transportation company Momentus has secured all the regulatory approvals for its first mission, set to launch later this month.
- NASA hopeful about staging fourth moon rocket fueling test in early June Spaceflight Now · 9 May 2022 Engineers are making progress resolving mostly ground-system problems that derailed three earlier attempts to fuel the agency’s new Space Launch System moon rocket for a dress rehearsal countdown. NASA managers said last...
- China launches Tianzhou 4 cargo ship heading for space station Spaceflight Now · 9 May 2022 China launched the Tianzhou 4 cargo freighter for the country’s space station Monday, beginning a resupply mission to stage hardware, propellant, and provisions at the complex before arrival of the next long-duration cre...
- Canada joins U.S. in ASAT testing ban SpaceNews · 9 May 2022 The Canadian government announced May 9 that it is joining the United States in banning tests of destructive direct-ascent antisatellite weapons as a step toward norms of responsible behavior in space.
- JWST entering “home stretch” of commissioning SpaceNews · 9 May 2022 The James Webb Space Telescope is operating better than expected as the spacecraft enter the final stages of commissioning, project officials said May 9.
- NASA defends decision to shut down SOFIA SpaceNews · 8 May 2022 NASA officials say they believe the latest effort to shut down an airborne observatory is more likely to be successful because of the endorsement of doing so by last year’s decadal survey.
- FAA and NTSB discussing roles in commercial spaceflight investigations SpaceNews · 7 May 2022 Two federal agencies in a turf battle over commercial spaceflight investigations say they are now talking with each other to better define their roles and responsibilities.
- 30 years after Intelsat VI rescue, Northrop Grumman aims to make in-space servicing a permanent reality NASASpaceflight · 7 May 2022 On 7 May 1992, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off on her first voyage at 23:40 UTC from Pad-B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Her target: Intelsat VI F-3 (now known as Intelsat 603). The goal: rendezvous with, re...
- Astra prepares for TROPICS launch campaign SpaceNews · 7 May 2022 Small launch vehicle developer Astra says it is ready to perform a series of launches for NASA once it receives a license for those missions.
- Deep Blue Aerospace completes kilometer-level rocket launch and landing test SpaceNews · 7 May 2022 A Chinese launch startup sent a small rocket test stage up to an altitude of one kilometer Friday before a performing a powered descent and vertical landing.
- Russian spacewalks, visiting Dragons, and science: Expedition 67’s first month at the ISS NASASpaceflight · 6 May 2022 April marked Expedition 67’s first full month aboard the International Space Station, with the outpost’s crew receiving visitors in the form of the Axiom-1 mission before Crew Dragon Freedom arrived at the end of the mon...
- Splashdown of SpaceX capsule caps busy season of space station crew rotations Spaceflight Now · 6 May 2022 Four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station early Friday with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, the sixth crew launch or landing in support of the...
- Telesat to order 100 fewer satellites for LEO constellation SpaceNews · 6 May 2022 TAMPA, Fla. — Increasing costs and delays have forced Telesat to downsize plans for 298 low Earth orbit satellites by a third to keep within its $5 billion budget.