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.

Proton rocket set to launch two Russian broadcasting satellites Spaceflight Now · 11 Dec 2021 Two Russian telecommunications satellites will ride a Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage into a high-altitude orbit after launch Monday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Blue Origin launches first six-person New Shepard suborbital flight SpaceNews · 11 Dec 2021 Blue Origin launched its third crewed New Shepard suborbital mission Dec. 11, carrying six people on a brief flight to the edge of space.
SpaceX launches NASA mission to study dead stars Spaceflight Now · 11 Dec 2021 SpaceX launched a refrigerator-sized NASA X-ray observatory from Kennedy Space Center into an unusual orbit hugging the equator Thursday, beginning a $214 million mission to study black holes and super-compact neutron st...
Blue Origin launches NS-19 with full passenger complement NASASpaceflight · 11 Dec 2021 Blue Origin launched a crew of six people on board a New Shepard rocket on Saturday, December 11 from the company’s West Texas facility at Corn Ranch. The liftoff took place at 9:01 am CST at the launch site, or 15:01 UT...
FAA to end commercial astronaut wings program SpaceNews · 10 Dec 2021 The Federal Aviation Administration will stop awarding commercial astronaut wings at the end of this year, five months after it revised the criteria for receiving the wings.
MDA discusses status, mission objectives of Canada’s LEAP lunar rover NASASpaceflight · 10 Dec 2021 Humanity’s next steps in space exploration are focused on exploring like we never have before: returning to the Moon to establish a permanent, sustainable base as we move on to stepping foot on Mars — all of which the Ca...
Blue Origin poised for first launch with crew of six Spaceflight Now · 10 Dec 2021 Sixty years after NASA astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space, his oldest daughter plans to blast off Saturday on a sub-orbital flight of her own, joining former NFL star and TV host Michael Strahan, t...
Saving the shuttle simulator—“It was an artifact that needed to be preserved” Ars Technica · 10 Dec 2021 "We hope to have it in place at the museum in April."
Virgin Orbit adds Spire satellite to next launch SpaceNews · 10 Dec 2021 Virgin Orbit will fly a Spire cubesat in addition to several other payloads on its next LauncherOne launch, scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 22.
Rocket Report: Astra to launch from Florida, NASA troubleshoots SLS issue Ars Technica · 10 Dec 2021 "Construction of Starship orbital launch pad at the Cape has begun."
Mexico joins Artemis Accords SpaceNews · 10 Dec 2021 The government of Mexico announced Dec. 9 that it is signing the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration.
China sends classified Shijian satellites into orbit with milestone Long March launch SpaceNews · 10 Dec 2021 A Long March 4B launched the Shijian-06 (05) group of satellites Dec. 9, marking the 400th launch of China’s Long March family of launch vehicles.
Webb telescope fueled for flight, ready for lifting atop launcher Spaceflight Now · 10 Dec 2021 A crane at the Guiana Space Center in South America will hoist the nearly $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope more than 15 stories above the floor of a rocket assembly hangar this weekend to position the observatory o...
Long March 4B with Shijian-6 Group 5 satellites launches successfully from Jiuquan NASASpaceflight · 10 Dec 2021 A Long March 4B reportedly carrying a pair of Chinese Shijian-6 Group 05 satellites has launched successfully from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s Inner Mongolia region. The launch took place at 00:11 UTC...
SpaceX converts Falcon Heavy booster into Falcon 9 Teslarati · 10 Dec 2021 More than two years after the rocket’s last launch, SpaceX appears to have finally decided to give at least one of two...
NASA Selects Education Projects to Help Broaden STEM Participation NASA · 9 Dec 2021 NASA has selected a diverse group of projects from museums, science centers, library systems, and other informal education organizations across the country as NASA Informal Education Community Anchors.
Third consortium gets UK funds to study potential deorbit mission SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 A consortium led by British small satellite maker SSTL has secured UK Space Agency funding to study a mission to remove two spacecraft from low Earth orbit by 2025.
Team Behind NASA's Newest Mars Rover to Honor Persevering Students NASA · 9 Dec 2021 Middle schoolers who have pushed past obstacles to reach their academic goals will be celebrated by the mission team with a personal message beamed down from NASA’s Perseverance rover.
Roscosmos selects first cosmonaut for commercial crew flights SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 The head of Roscosmos announced Dec. 8 that the agency has selected the first cosmonaut to go on a SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station, although a seat barter agreement between NASA and Rosc...
Microsoft expands Azure Space ecosystem SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 Microsoft offered further proof of its intent to play a growing role in the space sector by unveiling new Azure Space products and announcing partnerships with Airbus, Kongsberg Satellite Services, STE iDirect, Orbital I...
BlackSky continues rapid-fire launch campaign with Rocket Lab mission Spaceflight Now · 9 Dec 2021 Two more BlackSky high-resolution optical remote sensing satellites rode a Rocket Lab Electron launcher into orbit Wednesday from New Zealand, the second mission for Rocket Lab in three weeks, and the third satellite del...
Falcon 9 launches NASA X-ray astronomy satellite SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a small NASA X-ray astronomy satellite Dec. 9 to study black holes and neutron stars, an “appetizer” for the launch later this month of the much larger James Webb Space Telescope.
NASA Launches New Mission to Explore Universe’s Most Dramatic Objects NASA · 9 Dec 2021 NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission launched at 1 a.m. EST Thursday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Rocket Lab launches two BlackSky satellites, wins Synspective contract SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 Rocket Lab launched another pair of BlackSky satellites Dec. 8, a day after the company won a contract from a Japanese firm for three launches of radar imaging satellites.
South Australia’s Oculus Observatory hosts passive radar to track space objects SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 South Australia’s Oculus Observatory, which opened Dec. 9, houses the first in a planned global network of passive radars to track objects in orbit.
NASA, SpaceX launch IXPE x-ray observatory atop Falcon 9 NASASpaceflight · 9 Dec 2021 NASA and SpaceX have launched the revolutionary Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) space observatory from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Thursday morning atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 1:00 a.m....
DoD has to explain to Congress how it will buy low-latency satellite broadband SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2021 The 2022 NDAA directs the Pentagon to brief lawmakers on military use of commercial satellite communications services, specifically those from non-geostationary orbit satellites.
Europe awards study contract for disruptive satellite constellation ideas SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2021 A consortium of more than 20 European space companies said Dec. 8 it won a six-month contract to study disruptive ideas for Europe’s planned satellite broadband constellation.
ST Engineering leads $30 million fundraising for satellite IoT startup SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2021 Israeli startup hiSky said Dec. 8 it raised $30 million to mass-produce compact terminals designed to connect internet of things (IoT) devices to satellites in multiple orbits.
Space Force official: U.S. has a broad range of options to respond to space aggression SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2021 If Russia, China or any other country targeted a U.S. satellite with missiles or other weapons, the United States would respond in a “proportional manner,” said Brig. Gen. John Olson, the senior reserve officer of the U....
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for 28th launch of 2021 [webcast] Teslarati · 8 Dec 2021 Carrying NASA’s tiny IXPE X-ray observatory spacecraft, a Falcon 9 rocket remains on track to lift off as early as 1am EST...
Atlas 5 rocket launches Space Force tech demo satellites on marathon mission Spaceflight Now · 8 Dec 2021 United Launch Alliance deployed two U.S. Space Force technology demonstration satellites into an on-target orbit more than 22,000 miles over the equator Tuesday after a booming blastoff before dawn from Cape Canaveral on...
Rocket Lab launches another pair of BlackSky satellites NASASpaceflight · 8 Dec 2021 Rocket Lab has conducted its final orbital launch of the year, “A Data With Destiny.” Liftoff of the Electron rocket occurred at the beginning of the launch window that opened at 7:02 PM EST on December 8, 2021 (00:02 UT...
Japanese billionaire and assistant arrive at space station Spaceflight Now · 8 Dec 2021 A Russian cosmonaut, a Japanese billionaire and his production assistant rocketed into orbit Wednesday and headed for the International Space Station for an 12-day visit, the first by paying “space tourists” in more than...
High winds delay Blue Origin launch until weekend Spaceflight Now · 8 Dec 2021 A forecast of high winds at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas has prompted the company to delay its first suborbital space shot with a full complement of six passengers from Thursday to Saturday.
Themis tanking test marks milestone in ESA’s path to reusability NASASpaceflight · 8 Dec 2021 The ESA (European Space Agency) has taken a major step towards developing reusable rockets with the completion of a series of tanking tests for its Themis vehicle, which will serve as a testbed for the agency to experime...
Some “true believers” in space settlement are starting to make it happen Ars Technica · 8 Dec 2021 Dylan Taylor, a former real estate executive, wants to make Gerry O'Neill's vision reality.
NASA Invites Media to Briefing on Research Launching to Space Station NASA · 8 Dec 2021 NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to discuss science investigations launching on the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station.
GHGSat to launch three spacecraft on Falcon 9 SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2021 GHGSat, a Canadian company planning a constellation of satellites to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, announced Dec. 8 it will launch its next three satellites on a Falcon 9 in mid-2022.
Soyuz launches Japanese private astronauts to ISS SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2021 A Soyuz spacecraft launched Dec. 8 carrying two Japanese private astronauts and a Roscosmos cosmonaut on the first flight in more than a decade for space tourism company Space Adventures.

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.