Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- SpaceX rolls Inspiration4 Falcon 9 rocket to the pad for historic launch Teslarati · 7 Sep 2021 SpaceX has rolled the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the historic Inspiration4 private astronaut mission to its NASA Kennedy Space Center...
- SpaceX’s first orbital-class Super Heavy booster rejoins Starship at the launch pad Teslarati · 7 Sep 2021 For the second time in five weeks, SpaceX has rolled Starship’s first orbital-class Super Heavy booster from its Starbase factory to the...
- NASA's Perseverance Rover Collects First Mars Rock Sample NASA · 6 Sep 2021 The rock core is now enclosed in an airtight titanium sample tube, and will be available for retrieval in the future.
- NASA’s Perseverance Rover Collects First Mars Rock Sample NASA · 6 Sep 2021 NASA’s Perseverance rover today completed the collection of the first sample of Martian rock, a core from Jezero Crater slightly thicker than a pencil.
- DoD to extend intelligence agency program that helps track wildfires SpaceNews · 6 Sep 2021 The Pentagon announced Sept. 3 it plans to extend a pilot program that provides imagery from satellites, drones, ground sensors and cameras to help track and combat wildfires.
- Japan’s H3 rocket awaiting final engine certification for first flight NASASpaceflight · 6 Sep 2021 Japan’s third-generation liquid hydrogen-powered rocket, H3, is nearing closer to its first launch. The H3 rocket is co-developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), su...
- House budget reconciliation package funds NASA infrastructure but not lunar lander work SpaceNews · 6 Sep 2021 The House Science Committee will mark up its portion of a multitrillion-dollar spending bill this week that includes several billion dollars for NASA infrastructure but nothing for lunar lander development.
- China’s Chang’e-5 orbiter is heading back to the moon SpaceNews · 6 Sep 2021 The Chang’e-5 orbiter module which facilitated China’s complex lunar sample return last year is on its way to the moon following deep space tests.
- SpaceX repairing heat shield, reinstalling Raptors on first orbital-class Starship Teslarati · 6 Sep 2021 SpaceX has begun reinstalling three of the six Raptor engines that will power the first orbital-class Starship and repairing the heat shield...
- Space Force delays selection of weather satellites SpaceNews · 5 Sep 2021 The EWS program office extended the competition to spring 2022, said Col. Brian Denaro, program executive officer for space development at the Space Systems Command
- Firefly Alpha failure blamed on premature engine shutdown SpaceNews · 5 Sep 2021 Firefly Aerospace said Sept. 5 its first Alpha rocket failed when one of its first-stage engines shut down seconds after liftoff.
- Phaethon, the solar system’s sodium-fizzing asteroid NASASpaceflight · 4 Sep 2021 Comets are famous for their expansive, colorful, and stunning tails of gas, ice, rock, and various other material. These tails occur as a comet’s icy nucleus is heated as it nears the Sun, releasing ice gases during a pr...
- What have we learned so far about Crew Dragon’s cupola, the largest window to ever fly to space ElonX · 4 Sep 2021 In less than two weeks, the ground-breaking Inspiration4 mission is scheduled to launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit with four crew members, none of whom are professional astronauts. Crew Dragon for this mission i...
- Nebraska Youth to Hear from NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station NASA · 3 Sep 2021 Students participating with the Nebraska 4-H will have an opportunity next week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
- NASA Invites Media to Kennedy for Artemis Activities NASA · 3 Sep 2021 NASA is inviting a limited number of media to capture imagery of the fully stacked and integrated Artemis I mission Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- Firefly’s Alpha rocket explodes on inaugural test launch Spaceflight Now · 3 Sep 2021 The first test flight of Firefly Aerospace’s privately-developed Alpha small satellite launcher ended in a fiery explosion soon after liftoff Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
- Russian cosmonauts begin series of spacewalks to integrate Nauka with the ISS NASASpaceflight · 3 Sep 2021 ISS Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Oleg Novitsky and Pytor Dubrov have exited the International Space Station for Russian EVA-49, the first in a series of up to 11 spacewalks planned to fully integrate the new Russian Na...
- Russian spacewalkers begin outfitting new lab module Spaceflight Now · 3 Sep 2021 Two Russian spacewalkers connected a new laboratory module to the International Space Station’s power grid Friday, routing and plugging in eight cables to tap into electricity generated by NASA’s solar power system.
- NASA Coverage of Rescheduled Spacewalk Preparing for New Solar Array NASA · 3 Sep 2021 Astronauts Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) will venture outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk Sunday, Sept. 12.
- Rocket Report: Alpha launches and then blows up, ULA to stop selling Atlas V Ars Technica · 3 Sep 2021 "We're done. They're all sold."
- SpaceX Falcon 9 booster returns to port on upgraded drone ship Teslarati · 3 Sep 2021 Upgraded SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall Of Gravitas (ASOG) returned to Port Canaveral on Tuesday, August 31st after a flawless inaugural Falcon...
- FAA grounds SpaceShipTwo after problem on July flight SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 The Federal Aviation Administration will not allow Virgin Galactic to resume flights of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane until it completes an investigation into a problem on the vehicle’s previous flight in July.
- NASA's Perseverance Rover Successfully Cores Its First Rock NASA · 2 Sep 2021 Perseverance will obtain additional imagery of the sample tube before potentially completing the process of collecting its first scientifically-selected Mars sample
- Rocket Lab expands spacecraft component production SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 Rocket Lab announced Sept. 1 that it is expanding production of satellite components to meet demand from companies developing satellite constellations.
- The FAA grounds Virgin Galactic’s spaceship after flight deviation Ars Technica · 2 Sep 2021 "The most misleading statement today was Virgin Galactic's."
- Redwire completes SPAC merger SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 Space technology company Redwire announced Sept. 2 that it closed its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), taking the company public and providing it with capital for future acquisitions.
- GAO continues to criticize DoD’s management of narrowband satellite communications SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 The U.S. military’s narrowband communications satellites are oversubscribed and there is insufficient capacity to meet the needs of users, says a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
- SpaceX fires up Falcon 9 rocket for first California Starlink launch Teslarati · 2 Sep 2021 SpaceX says it has successfully static fired the Falcon 9 rocket scheduled to support its first California launch in ten months and...
- OneWeb secures $1 billion insurance deal for remaining constellation SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 OneWeb has signed an insurance policy worth more than $1 billion to cover the remaining 10 launches for its broadband constellation, after its previous policy expired following delays caused by its 2020 bankruptcy.
- Firefly Aerospace’s maiden flight of Alpha launch vehicle ends in failure NASASpaceflight · 2 Sep 2021 Firefly Aerospace suffered a failure during the first orbital flight of their small satellite launch vehicle, Alpha. The launch, designated as FLTA001, launched from Space Launch Complex 2 West at Vandenberg Space Force...
- Virgin Orbit eyes growth in military ‘responsive’ launch SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 Virgin Orbit is looking to grow its military business by proving that rockets launched from airplanes in flight can be instruments of national security.
- Firefly set for inaugural test launch from Vandenberg Spaceflight Now · 2 Sep 2021 The first test flight of Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha launch vehicle could take off as soon as Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
- China may use an existing rocket to speed up plans for a human Moon mission Ars Technica · 2 Sep 2021 China may seek to leapfrog NASA in its return to the Moon.
- Firefly emphasizes first Alpha launch a test flight SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 Firefly Aerospace is ready for the first orbital launch attempt of its Alpha rocket on a flight that is as much about collecting vehicle data as it is about reaching orbit.
- SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts reveal Dragon’s ‘cupola’ in the flesh Teslarati · 2 Sep 2021 SpaceX’s first fully private astronaut crew have revealed the first real look at a unique part of the Crew Dragon spacecraft that...
- Firefly Alpha explodes during first launch SpaceNews · 2 Sep 2021 Firefly Aerospace’s first launch of its Alpha rocket ended in failure when the rocket exploded two minutes after liftoff Sept. 2
- DLR opens applications for free launch services aboard Isar Aerospace demo missions SpaceNews · 1 Sep 2021 German space agency DLR began accepting applications this week for institutional payloads to fly aboard a pair of Isar Aerospace Spectrum launches free of charge.
- SpaceX says Amazon’s call to dismiss Starlink amendment is a delay tactic SpaceNews · 1 Sep 2021 SpaceX has hit back at Amazon over its attempt to block amended plans for a second-generation Starlink constellation, calling it a delay tactic to slow down competition.
- Spaceship carrying Richard Branson flew off course [Updated] Ars Technica · 1 Sep 2021 Also, an explanation of why Mark "Forger" Stucky left Virgin Galactic.
- China is developing its own Mars helicopter SpaceNews · 1 Sep 2021 China is looking at ways of expanding its space exploration capabilities including through a vehicle similar in appearance to NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter.