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.

Communications problem delays JWST launch SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 A communications problem has delayed the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope by at least two more days, the agency announced late Dec. 14.
SpaceX’s next West Coast Starlink launch is heading to an unexpected orbit Teslarati · 15 Dec 2021 SpaceX has unexpectedly changed the Earth orbit its next Starlink launch is targeting. Like all planned Starlink launches, the latest batch of...
Chinese Kuaizhou-1A rocket launch fails SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 A Kuaizhou-1A solid rocket failed after liftoff late Tuesday with the loss of a pair of commercial satellites to test navigation enhancement for autonomous driving.
No decision yet on where to build OneWeb second-generation satellites SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 A week after a OneWeb executive told British officials that the company would move production of its second generation of satellites to the United Kingdom, another executive said the company has yet to decide where it wi...
Four NASA Earth Science missions to launch in 2022 SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 NASA’s Earth Science Division is preparing to launch four satellite missions in 2022 to provide observations of weather conditions, mineral dust, oceans and surface water.
Honeywell and Skyloom to produce laser crosslinks for military and commercial satellites SpaceNews · 15 Dec 2021 Honeywell announced Dec. 15 it has teamed with telecommunications startup Skyloom to produce optical crosslink terminals for commercial and military satellites.
HyspecIQ selects advisers, offering clues to early applications SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 HyspecIQ is beginning to fill out its advisory board, a move that offers clues to the hyperspectral imagery applications the startup plans to address.
Astranis unveils insurance package for Falcon Heavy launch SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 Startup Astranis unveiled more details Dec. 14 of the insurance package covering its first commercial small satellite, which SpaceX is slated to launch to geostationary orbit (GEO) as a secondary payload on a Falcon Heav...
SpaceX whistleblowers allege widespread sexual harassment Teslarati · 14 Dec 2021 On the heels of a similar report on Blue Origin, five whistleblowers in two different exposes from Lioness and The Verge allege...
NASA Awards Contracts for Rotorcraft Vertical Lift Technology Services NASA · 14 Dec 2021 NASA has awarded multiple contracts to provide rotorcraft vertical lift technology development research and development support at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley.
Space traffic analytics startup Kayhan Space raises $3.7 million in seed funding SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021
Concerns about sexism in the aerospace industry land at SpaceX Ars Technica · 14 Dec 2021 "What will life on Elon's Mars be like? Probably much like life at SpaceX."
Vulcan continues path to its maiden launch as ULA turns 15 NASASpaceflight · 14 Dec 2021 On December 14, 2006, a Delta II rocket launched from VAFB (Vandenberg Air Force Base) SLC-2 (Space Launch Complex 2) on the NROL-21 mission. This launch marked the first mission for ULA (United Launch Alliance) and the...
China launches two satellites on 400th Long March rocket mission Spaceflight Now · 14 Dec 2021 The 400th flight of China’s Long March rocket family deployed two classified Shijian 6 satellites into orbit Dec. 10, likely on a mission to test technology or gather signals intelligence data for the Chinese military.
Russian rocket deploys Express comsats into high-altitude orbit Spaceflight Now · 14 Dec 2021 A Russian rocket stage deployed two television and internet relay satellites into a high-altitude orbit 18 hours after liftoff Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Proton rocket.
China’s commercial Ceres launcher delivers five satellites into orbit Spaceflight Now · 14 Dec 2021 A solid-fueled Ceres satellite launcher developed to serve China’s burgeoning commercially-focused smallsat market successfully deployed five spacecraft into orbit Dec. 7, making the new Chinese rocket two-for-two since...
Albedo wins license to sell 10-centimeter imagery SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 Earth observation startup Albedo was granted a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration license to sell commercial optical imagery with a resolution of 10 centimeters per pixel.
Leaky valve issue forces Boeing to swap out Starliner’s service module Ars Technica · 14 Dec 2021 "Ongoing investigation efforts continue to validate the most probable cause."
Rocket Lab to acquire SolAero Holdings SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 Rocket Lab announced Dec. 13 that it is acquiring solar power system manufacturer SolAero Holdings, the latest in a series of acquisitions by Rocket Lab of component developers.
SpaceX aces first of three back-to-back Falcon 9 launches Teslarati · 14 Dec 2021 Update #2: SpaceX has successfully delivered Starlink 4-4 – batch of 52 new satellites – to low Earth orbit (LEO), completing the...
TEC Business to Business website ESA · 14 Dec 2021 TEC Business to Business website
Satellite operators criticize “extreme” megaconstellation filings SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 Established satellite operators expressed their frustration at the wave of filings for enormous satellite constellations, arguing nations need to step forward and establish rules to curtail such systems.
Viasat-Inmarsat deal remains on track SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat is moving ahead, company executives said, despite ongoing work to secure approval from the British government as well as a drop in share price that has cut a billion dollars from the valu...
SPAC activity may pause but it will be back SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 The rate of space company mergers with special purpose acquisition corporations may be slowing, but the trend isn’t over, according to investors speaking at TechCrunch Space Sessions 2021.
NASA delays launch of Webb telescope to no earlier than Dec. 24 Spaceflight Now · 14 Dec 2021 Engineers discovered an intermittent data dropout associated with a piece of ground support equipment after connecting the James Webb Space Telescope with its Ariane 5 launcher over the weekend in French Guiana, and the...
China launches second Tianlian II communication satellite NASASpaceflight · 14 Dec 2021 China has launched the second satellite for the Tianlian II tracking and data relay series. This satellite enables communications between spacecraft and is part of the new series of Tianlian satellites, after the initial...
U.S. military looking to build lasting relationships with commercial space industry SpaceNews · 14 Dec 2021 Government buyers are still trying to figure out how to work with private firms and attract suppliers that have not traditionally sought government contracts, officials said Dec. 14 at a TechCrunch conference.
Webb telescope mounted on top of Ariane 5 rocket in French Guiana Spaceflight Now · 14 Dec 2021 The nearly $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope, suspended under a crane with four cables, was raised atop an Ariane 5 launcher Saturday inside a vertical hangar in French Guiana, one of the final steps to prep the mis...
Booster 4 returns to the Launch Mount ahead of test campaign NASASpaceflight · 13 Dec 2021 Super Heavy Booster 4 has returned to the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM), this time for an expected series of Static Fire tests.
BlackSky to begin transition to higher-resolution imaging satellites in 2023 SpaceNews · 13 Dec 2021 With 12 satellites currently in orbit, BlackSky plans to add two or four more next year before it transitions to a higher-resolution spacecraft in 2023.
NASA Selects Second Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station NASA · 13 Dec 2021 NASA has selected Axiom Space for the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
SpaceX installs Starship booster on orbital launch mount for the third time Teslarati · 13 Dec 2021 After several signs of imminent activity on Sunday, SpaceX has installed Super Heavy Booster 4 (B4) on Starbase’s lone ‘orbital launch mount’...
New launch vehicles face schedule pressure SpaceNews · 13 Dec 2021 Executives of two launch companies insisted their vehicles will be ready for their inaugural flights in 2022 while a third acknowledged their new vehicle’s first flight will likely slip beyond the end of next year.
NASA Begins Testing Robotics to Bring First Samples Back From Mars NASA · 13 Dec 2021 Engineers are developing the crucial hardware needed for a series of daring space missions that will be carried out in the coming decade.
With further delays to BE-4 rocket engine, Vulcan may not make 2022 debut Ars Technica · 13 Dec 2021 "These are really big, heavy, complicated pieces of machinery."
South Korea, Australia sign MOU on space cooperation SpaceNews · 13 Dec 2021 South Korea and Australia agreed to work together to improve capacities in space situational awareness, Earth observation, space traffic and debris management.
Russia launches two Ekspress satellites via Proton-M NASASpaceflight · 13 Dec 2021 Russia’s Proton-M rocket launched a pair of communications satellites Monday, in a rare outing for Russia’s heavy-lift launch vehicle. Monday’s launch took place at 12:07 UTC (17:07 local time) from the Baikonur Cosmodro...
SpaceX rolls Super Heavy booster to orbital launch mount Teslarati · 13 Dec 2021 For the third time in four months, SpaceX has rolled the first potentially flightworthy Super Heavy booster towards Starbase’s orbital launch mount....
Parsons to develop ground operations center for DARPA’s Blackjack satellites SpaceNews · 11 Dec 2021 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Parsons a $10.8 million contract to prototype a ground operations center for the agency’s Blackjack constellation.
Michael Strahan, Alan Shepard’s daughter and four others rocket into space Spaceflight Now · 11 Dec 2021 Sixty years after her father became the first American in space, Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, rocketed out of the lower atmosphere Saturday, joining ABC TV host Michael Strahan and...

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.