Space Industry News: Headlines from Across the Industry

36,861 headlines. We show the headline and the publisher's own teaser; the full story is at the source.

Video: Aerial views of Atlas 5’s rollout with Lucy Spaceflight Now · 15 Oct 2021 The 188-foot-tall Atlas 5 rocket crowned with NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe rolled out to its launch pad Thursday at Cape Canaveral. These aerial views, captured by a drone and released by NASA, show the launch vehicle movi...
Starliner valve investigation continues to focus on moisture interaction with propellant SpaceNews · 15 Oct 2021 Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner was within hours of launch on its second uncrewed test flight in early August when stuck valves in the spacecraft’s propulsion system forced a launch scrub that has turned into a delay that wil...
Shenzhou-13 heads for space station after reaching orbit SpaceNews · 15 Oct 2021 A second crew of three astronauts are heading for China’s Tianhe space station module after the successful launch of the Shenzhou-13 mission Friday.
My Favorite Martian Image: the Ridges of 'South Séítah' NASA · 15 Oct 2021 NASA’s Perseverance rover captures a geologic feature with details that offer clues to the area’s mysterious past.
NASA’s Lucy mission will soon be in the sky, with a launch set for Saturday Ars Technica · 15 Oct 2021 "Each one of these tells us a chapter of the story that we're all a part of."
Shenzhou 13 launches first long-duration Chinese Space Station crew NASASpaceflight · 15 Oct 2021 After a successful launch to the new Chinese Space Station earlier this year and the initial 90-day “shakedown cruise” of the Shenzhou 12 crew, three taikonauts launched to the station aboard the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft t...
China repeats call for international astronauts to join space station crews Spaceflight Now · 15 Oct 2021 On the eve of the next crew launch to the Chinese space station, a spokesperson for China’s human spaceflight agency repeated Thursday the country’s invitation for international astronauts to fly to the new orbiting spac...
Rocket Report: Virgin Galactic stands down, SpaceX faces environmental lawsuit Ars Technica · 15 Oct 2021 "Will I be able to break ground tomorrow? No. Do I want to break ground tomorrow? Yeah."
BepiColombo's first tastes of Mercury science ESA · 15 Oct 2021 The magnetic and particle environment around Mercury was sampled by BepiColombo for the first time during the mission's close flyby of the planet at 199 km on 1-2 October 2021, while the huge gravitational pull of the pl...
Three astronauts begin half-year mission on Chinese space station Spaceflight Now · 15 Oct 2021 Three astronauts floated into the living quarters of China’s space station Friday, hours after launching from a military-run spaceport in the Gobi Desert, moving in for a six-month mission to prepare the outpost for expa...
SpaceX rapidly tests, ships Falcon 9 second stage for next NASA astronaut launch Teslarati · 15 Oct 2021 SpaceX has shipped, tested, and delivered the new Falcon 9 upper stage tasked with carrying the company’s next Crew Dragon astronauts to...
Photos: Atlas 5 rocket stands on the launch pad with NASA’s Lucy spacecraft Spaceflight Now · 15 Oct 2021 The final Atlas rocket assigned to launch a solar system exploration mission is set for liftoff before dawn Saturday. NASA’s Lucy asteroid mission is mounted on top of the rocket awaiting launch from Cape Canaveral Space...
Lucy asteroid probe to set a new distance record for solar-powered spacecraft Spaceflight Now · 15 Oct 2021 About an hour after launch Saturday, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will start the delicate process of opening its circular, fan-shaped solar arrays — the largest ever on a deep space probe — to power the asteroid explorer’s 12-...
Kendall looks to accelerate appointment of civilian leader to oversee Space Force acquisitions SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is asking Congress to authorize a new assistant secretary for space acquisitions before the Oct. 1, 2022, date that was set in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
China launches hydrogen-alpha solar telescope aboard Long March 2D NASASpaceflight · 14 Oct 2021 China has launched a small experimental solar observatory as part of a multi-satellite launch aboard a Long March 2D rocket Thursday. The launch took place from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 10:51 UTC (18:51 Bej...
Space Force wants to learn how venture capitalists assess startups SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 An agreement just announced between the U.S. Space Force and a venture capital firm is a pilot project intended to help government buyers understand how investors assess space industry startups.
Rocket Lab acquires software company as it plans additional deals SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Rocket Lab’s acquisition of an aerospace software company is one of a series of deals it is considering, enabled in part by going public.
Reusability on the horizon for small satellite launch providers NASASpaceflight · 14 Oct 2021 During October 2021’s Small Payload Ride Share Association Symposium, a collection of small satellite launch providers gave updates on current and future projects. These providers range from those preparing for first fli...
Successful Soyuz launch thrusts OneWeb past halfway mark in fleet deployment Spaceflight Now · 14 Oct 2021 Another batch of 36 satellites for OneWeb’s internet network rode a Russian Soyuz launcher into orbit Thursday, giving the company more than half of the 648-spacecraft fleet it aims to deploy by the end of next year.
Iceye officially joins Copernicus Earth-observation Program SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Iceye won a contract to provide data from its constellation of small synthetic-aperture radar satellites to Copernicus, the European Union program aimed at providing continuous, global Earth observation.
Arianespace launches OneWeb past the halfway mark SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 OneWeb has contacted all 36 satellites launched from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome Oct. 14, enlarging the broadband constellation beyond its halfway mark toward full deployment next year.
Orbit Fab signs technology sharing agreement with U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Orbit Fab, a venture-funded startup offering a refueling service in space, has signed a technology sharing agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
NASA Leadership Visits JPL, Discusses Climate Change and Mars NASA · 14 Oct 2021 NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy met with elected officials about Earth science and visited mission control for the Perseverance Mars rover.
NASA Invites Media to Briefing on New Water Data Platform NASA · 14 Oct 2021 NASA will hold a virtual media briefing at 1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 21, to share a powerful, new, web-based platform to help those who rely on water resources across the drought-stricken western U.S.
Leaf Space establishes five new ground stations SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Italian ground segment provider Leaf Space announced plans Oct. 14 to add five ground stations to its global Leaf Line Network.
China launches first solar observatory, tests grid fins SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 China carried out its 37th orbital launch of the year Thursday, successfully sending the Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer and 10 other satellites into orbit.
Space Perspective raises $40 million for stratospheric ballooning system SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Space Perspective, a company developing a stratospheric ballooning system intended to give people views like those from space, has raised $40 million to fund the company through the start of commercial operations.
SpaceX installs full set of car-sized grid fins on second Super Heavy booster Teslarati · 14 Oct 2021 SpaceX appears to have installed a full set of car-sized grid fins on Starship’s second flightworthy Super Heavy booster, leaving the massive...
Atlas 5 rocket rolls out to launch pad with NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe Spaceflight Now · 14 Oct 2021 An Atlas 5 rocket emerged from its hangar and rolled to a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Thursday with NASA’s Lucy asteroid probe. The launch of the Lucy spacecraft Saturday will mark the final planetary science mission in...
Virgin Galactic postpones SpaceShipTwo flight, begins maintenance period SpaceNews · 14 Oct 2021 Virgin Galactic will postpone a SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceflight that had been scheduled for this month, electing to instead immediately begin an extended maintenance period for the spaceplane and its carrier aircraft...
Chinese astronauts ready for launch Friday on six-month space station flight Spaceflight Now · 14 Oct 2021 China’s first six-month human spaceflight mission, set to become a regular occurrence for the rest of the decade, is poised for launch Friday to kick off a trip to the country’s Tiangong space station. Chinese officials...
OneWeb deployment reaches halfway point with Soyuz 2.1b launch NASASpaceflight · 14 Oct 2021 The initial deployment of OneWeb’s satellite broadband constellation will reach its halfway stage on Thursday with the launch of 36 more spacecraft aboard a Russian Soyuz 2.1b rocket. Liftoff from the Vostochny Cosmodrom...
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft prepares for launch later this week Space Scout · 13 Oct 2021 Just days away from launch, NASA's Lucy spacecraft is ready to begin a 12-year mission to explore the Trojan asteroids.
CAPSTONE launch delayed to March 2022 SpaceNews · 13 Oct 2021 The launch of a NASA cubesat mission that will test the orbit to be used by the lunar Gateway has slipped to next March, the result of broader launch delays Rocket Lab has suffered because of the pandemic.
Blue Origin sends William Shatner to the final frontier Spaceflight Now · 13 Oct 2021 William Shatner, the 90-year-old veteran of countless imaginary space voyages playing Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, blasted off for real Wednesday, becoming the oldest person to reach the final frontier in a PR bonanza for J...
Astronauts in final training for flight on brand new SpaceX crew capsule Spaceflight Now · 13 Oct 2021 The four astronauts set to blast off Oct. 30 to the International Space Station visited Cape Canaveral over the weekend for a test run inside SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft, one of the last training events...
Space Force recruiters pitch military service to warriors and dreamers SpaceNews · 13 Oct 2021 Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, said the Space Force met its goal last year of recruiting nearly 400 guardians. Next year the target has been raised to 500.
SpaceX’s next West Coast Starlink launch likely delayed as drone ship returns to port Teslarati · 13 Oct 2021 Update: Less than a day after departing Port of Long Beach, California, SpaceX drone ship Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY)...
VC firm Embedded Ventures signs cooperative agreement with U.S. Space Force SpaceNews · 13 Oct 2021 Embedded Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in space startups, has signed a multi-year agreement with the U.S. Space Force.
Blue Origin launches second crewed New Shepard mission SpaceNews · 13 Oct 2021 Blue Origin launched Star Trek actor William Shatner and three others into space on a brief suborbital flight Oct. 13, the second crewed flight of the company’s New Shepard vehicle.

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.