Space Industry News: Headlines from Across the Industry

36,862 headlines. We show the headline and the publisher's own teaser; the full story is at the source.

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California on unusual coast-hugging trajectory Spaceflight Now · 18 Dec 2021 SpaceX deployed 52 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit early Saturday after a predawn launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California that routed a Falcon 9 rocket on an unusual track southeast from the We...
Turksat-5B rides second of three Falcon 9 launches in three days NASASpaceflight · 18 Dec 2021 Following a successful Starlink mission from Vandenberg, California, SpaceX has launched a second Falcon 9 mission Saturday, this time from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The second of three missions planned for just three day...
Falcon 9 sets reuse milestone with Starlink launch SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2021 A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a new set of Starlink satellites Dec. 18, setting a new reusability mark for the vehicle in the process.
NASA Sets Coverage, Invites Public to View Webb Telescope Launch NASA · 18 Dec 2021 NASA will provide coverage of prelaunch, launch, and postlaunch activities for the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space science telescope.
SpaceX vs. the world SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2021 SpaceX has legions of fans worldwide cheering every minor development. And yet, at times, it can seem like the whole world is taking on SpaceX as the company expands from launch vehicles to satellite broadband to lunar l...
Space Force celebrates second anniversary as arms race in space heats up SpaceNews · 18 Dec 2021 On the second anniversary of the U.S. Space Force, officials are calling attention to its accomplishments as well as looming challenges posed by Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons.
Webb telescope encapsulated inside Ariane 5 rocket’s nose cone Spaceflight Now · 18 Dec 2021 The James Webb Space Telescope has been closed up inside the nose cone of its Ariane 5 launcher in French Guiana, and officials confirmed Saturday the huge astronomical observatory is set for blastoff Dec. 24.
SpaceX completes second Falcon 9 launch and landing in 15 hours Teslarati · 18 Dec 2021 SpaceX has successfully completed two Falcon 9 launches and booster landings in just 15 hours, delivering around 20 metric tons (44,000 lb)...
Falcon 9 launch timeline with Turksat 5B Spaceflight Now · 18 Dec 2021 SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, heading due east over the Atlantic Ocean to deliver the Turkish Turksat 5B communications satellite into orbit around 33 minutes later.
SpaceX Falcon 9 completes rare 53 degree inclination launch from Vandenberg NASASpaceflight · 18 Dec 2021 In the company’s third-to-last launch of 2021, SpaceX deployed another group of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit early on Saturday morning. The Starlink Group 4-4 mission launched 52 Starlink satellites into a 53.2...
JWST launch rescheduled for Dec. 24 SpaceNews · 17 Dec 2021 With a communications glitch resolved, NASA and the European Space Agency have rescheduled the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope on an Ariane 5 for Dec. 24.
SpaceX to set new company records with back-to-back weekend launches Spaceflight Now · 17 Dec 2021 SpaceX will set a new record for rocket reuse Saturday with the launch of a Falcon 9 booster from California for an 11th trip to space Saturday, carrying more Starlink internet satellites into orbit. If schedules hold, a...
NASA Awards Marshall Engineering Support Contract NASA · 17 Dec 2021 NASA has awarded the Marshall Engineering Technicians and Trades Support (METTS) III contract to RSi-QuantiTech JV LLC of Huntsville, Alabama, to provide a wide range of engineering technicians and trade skills, as well...
ABL Space Systems to debut its RS1 rocket Space Scout · 17 Dec 2021 NOV. 14, 2022—ABL Space Systems plans to launch its RS1 rocket as soon as November 14- the first of at least 78 flights on contract.
NASA promotes East Coast Starship option at LC-49 following SpaceX interest NASASpaceflight · 17 Dec 2021 The prospect of Starship making its mark on the Space Coast entered another level this week when NASA revealed it would conduct environmental assessments on LC-49 to support Starship launch and landing operations.
Malaysia outlines national space blueprint with focus on remote-sensing satellite development SpaceNews · 17 Dec 2021 During a Dec. 13 parliamentary hearing, a deputy minister shared the latest update on the “Malaysia Space Exploration 2030” blueprint being fleshed out by Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
A domestic newspaper warns of the Russian space program’s “rapid collapse” Ars Technica · 17 Dec 2021 "The space program is rotting from within."
China’s new rocket for crewed moon missions to launch around 2026 SpaceNews · 17 Dec 2021 A new heavy-lift rocket designed to be capable of sending Chinese astronauts to the moon could have its first flight in 2026, according to a senior engineer.
Rocket Report: SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 flurry, Bill Gates buys into rockets Ars Technica · 17 Dec 2021 SpaceX seeks to launch three mission in 72 hours to close out 2021.
SpaceX to replicate Starbase, build multiple Starship launch pads in Florida Teslarati · 17 Dec 2021 Less than two weeks after CEO Elon Musk revealed that SpaceX has restarted construction of a Starship launch site at Kennedy Space...
Satellite Vu orders first satellite from SSTL SpaceNews · 17 Dec 2021 Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) won a contract from British Earth observation startup Satellite Vu to build the first satellite in a constellation designed to provide thermal infrared imaging for climate change a...
Intelsat gets bankruptcy court approval to exit Chapter 11 in early 2022 SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 Intelsat is poised to exit Chapter 11 in early 2022, after its bankruptcy court approved a restructuring plan that cuts the satellite operator’s debt from about $16 billion to $7 billion.
Satellogic nearing completion of SPAC merger SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 Earth observation company Satellogic expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq next week after completing a merger with special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC).
Defense policy bill gives a budget boost to space programs SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act adds more than $645 million to Defense Department space programs above the Biden administration’s request.
Two Astronauts Receive Assignments for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Mission NASA · 16 Dec 2021 NASA has assigned two crew members to launch on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission – the sixth crew rotation flight aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
Pléiades Neo 4 satellite enters service without a hitch SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 Pléiades Neo 4, the second of four planned high-resolution images satellites built and operated by Airbus Defense and Space, entered service Dec. 15 free from an issue that prompted an insurance claim for Pléiades Neo 3.
Data relay satellite deployed on China’s 50th orbital launch attempt of the year Spaceflight Now · 16 Dec 2021 China succeeded in its 50th orbital launch attempt of the year Dec. 13, when a Long March 3B rocket delivered a Tianlian data relay satellite to orbit on a mission to link ground control with the Chinese space station an...
Webb telescope testing on tap before setting target launch date Spaceflight Now · 16 Dec 2021 Technicians at a jungle spaceport in South America are completing tests on the James Webb Space Telescope Thursday to make sure they fixed a “finicky” communications interface glitch that halted launch preparations earli...
SpaceX VP says Starship is already winning commercial launch contracts Teslarati · 16 Dec 2021 A SpaceX executive says that the company’s next-generation, full-reusable Starship rocket has already secured multiple commercial launch contracts. Set to debut no...
Iceye to provide satellite for MDA radar constellation SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 Canada’s MDA is acquiring an X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite from Iceye that will be part of its Chorus system intended to replace Radarsat-2.
Interoperability demo planned between DARPA’s Blackjack and PredaSAR satellites SpaceNews · 16 Dec 2021 PredaSAR won a $2 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate interoperability between its satellites and the Blackjack military constellation.
Biden taps former NRO official Frank Calvelli to run Space Force acquisitions SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 President Biden nominated Frank Calvelli to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition, the White House announced Dec. 15.
Congress passes the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 The Senate on Dec. 15 passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 with broad bipartisan support in a 89-10 vote.
Raytheon wins $67 million U.S. Space Force contract to build weather satellite prototype SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 Raytheon Technologies was awarded a $67 million contract to build a weather satellite prototype for the U.S. Space Force.
Stoke Space raises $65 million for reusable launch vehicle development SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 Stoke Space raised $65 million in a Series A round announced Dec. 15, funding development and testing of the upper stage of a reusable launch vehicle.
NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Reaches a Total of 30 Minutes Aloft NASA · 15 Dec 2021 With its recent 17th flight, the Red Planet rotorcraft reaches an airborne milestone the team never considered achievable. Its 18th flight is scheduled for no earlier than today.
NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Makes Surprising Discoveries NASA · 15 Dec 2021 The findings by rover scientists highlight the diversity of samples geologists and future scientists associated with the agency’s Mars Sample Return program will have to study.
Kuaizhou-1A experiences second launch failure NASASpaceflight · 15 Dec 2021 At 02:00 UTC, or 10:00 am local time Wednesday, ExPace unsuccessfully launched a Kuaizhou-1A rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. The vehicle was launched from Site 95 at Jiuquan.
SpaceX to close out year with surge of launches Spaceflight Now · 15 Dec 2021 SpaceX is set to close out the year with three Falcon 9 rocket flights in just four days from launch pads in Florida and California, carrying another batch of Starlink internet satellites, a Turkish data relay spacecraft...
Type One Ventures raises investment target SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 Type One Ventures has raised $34 million of the $50 million it plans to invest in space technology and deep technology startups through its second fund.

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.