Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Momentus looks ahead under new chief executive SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 The new CEO of Momentus hopes to turn the page on the company’s past regulatory problems and focus on development of its in-space propulsion technology it plans to demonstrate next year.
- SpaceX installs booster on launch pad, stacks orbital Starship to full height Teslarati · 4 Aug 2021 Hours after SpaceX outfitted the first orbital Starship prototype with all six of its Raptor engines, the company has installed the vehicle’s...
- COVID disruptions add $13.5 million to the cost of GPS ground control system SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 Raytheon’s contract for the Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System, known as OCX, is increasing by $13.5 million due to pandemic-related costs.
- National Reconnaissance Office exercises contract option for Maxar satellite imagery SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 The National Reconnaissance Office has exercised a contract option to continue to procure satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies through August 2022.
- New details of Russian “movie in space” emerge as producers seek funding SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 New information has emerged about the Russian movie “The Challenge” planned to be filmed partly on the International Space Station in October.
- SpaceX achieves Fully Stacked Starship milestone NASASpaceflight · 4 Aug 2021 Super Heavy Booster 4 and Ship 20 were mated for a short while on Friday, marking the major milestone of a fully integrated Starship stack.
- NASA TV Coverage Set for Next International Space Station Cargo Launch NASA · 4 Aug 2021 NASA and Northrop Grumman are targeting 5:56 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Aug. 10, for the company’s 16th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.
- My Favorite Martian Image: Helicopter Scouts Ridge Area for Perseverance NASA · 4 Aug 2021 A member of the Perseverance rover’s science team explains why the aerial image offers science advantages over ground-level images.
- SES and Eutelsat point to improving broadcast trends SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 European satellite giants SES and Eutelsat see improving trajectories in their broadcast businesses, although the wider picture remains mixed as the pandemic hangs over financials.
- French court denies European Aviation Network challenge SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 France’s highest court has rejected a legal challenge from Eutelsat against Inmarsat’s hybrid satellite and cellular European Aviation Network.
- Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service now has about 90k users worldwide Teslarati · 4 Aug 2021 During a call with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials last month, SpaceX revealed that its satellite internet service, Starlink, now has about...
- Startups map out strategies to augment or backup GPS SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 Companies investing billions of dollars in autonomous cars, delivery drones and urban air taxis are counting on precise and reliable location data being available when they need it.
- Statements on Swearing in of Margaret Vo Schaus as NASA CFO NASA · 4 Aug 2021 The following are statements from Margaret Vo Schaus, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy on Wednesday’s swearing in of Vo Schaus as NASA’s Chief Financial Officer:
- Starliner delayed again, and its launch window may close soon Ars Technica · 4 Aug 2021 "We’re going to let the data lead our work."
- SpaceX surges Starship work despite FAA environmental review uncertainty SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 The unstoppable force of SpaceX’s recent surge in development of its Starship vehicle for its first orbital flight is in danger of colliding with an immovable object: an ongoing environment review that has no clear end d...
- Japanese lunar lander company ispace raises $46 million SpaceNews · 4 Aug 2021 Japanese lunar lander developer ispace raised $46 million in a new funding round Aug. 4 to support future missions to the moon.
- Chinese commercial launcher fails during climb to orbit Spaceflight Now · 3 Aug 2021 The launch of a solid-fueled rocket developed by the Chinese commercial space firm iSpace failed Tuesday, the second launch failure in three orbital attempts by the startup company, Chinese state media said.
- Chinese commercial rocket Hyperbola-1 fails in Return to Flight attempt NASASpaceflight · 3 Aug 2021 iSpace, a private Chinese launch service provider, made an attempt to Return to Flight (RTF) with their Hyperbola-1 (SQX-1) vehicle on Tuesday August 3. This RTF mission was in response to Hyperbola-1’s second ever missi...
- China launches Tianhui military mapping satellite Spaceflight Now · 3 Aug 2021 China successfully launched a Long March 2D rocket July 29 with a Tianhui military satellite on a mission to collect data for maps and land surveys.
- SpaceLink to improve International Space Station comms with relay satellites SpaceNews · 3 Aug 2021 Significantly faster communications could be coming to the International Space Station in 2024, after SpaceLink won funding to test its incoming relay satellites.
- Launch of Boeing crew capsule scrubbed due to propulsion system issue Spaceflight Now · 3 Aug 2021 Officials scrubbed the planned launch of a Boeing-built crew capsule Tuesday to examine a potential technical issue in the spacecraft’s propulsion system, delaying the start of a critical unpiloted test flight to prove t...
- Starliner glitch delays launch SpaceNews · 3 Aug 2021 A problem with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle scrubbed a launch attempt Aug. 3, pushing back its uncrewed test flight by at least a day.
- NASA science chief says it’s OK to be “worried” or “terrified” about Webb Ars Technica · 3 Aug 2021 "This mission has a very troubled story with chapters that were disappointing."
- Modern civilization would be lost without GPS SpaceNews · 3 Aug 2021 Aircraft, cars, trucks, trains and ships rely on GPS for location data, while GPS timing signals underpin cellular communications and financial transactions.
- After nearly 20 months, Boeing and Starliner have a shot at redemption Ars Technica · 3 Aug 2021 Starliner to attempt second flight test beginning Tuesday afternoon.
- Atlas V’s launch of Starliner OFT-2 test flight delayed NASASpaceflight · 3 Aug 2021 Boeing has scrubbed Tuesday’s planned launch of their Starliner spacecraft on its second uncrewed Orbital Test Flight, called OFT-2, aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. The issue at hand, according to Boeing,...
- Mystery surrounds Chinese private rocket launch attempt SpaceNews · 3 Aug 2021 Chinese private firm iSpace conducted a launch of a Hyperbola-1 solid rocket early Tuesday but status of the mission is currently unknown.
- SpaceX’s NASA Starship contract prevails over frivolous Blue Origin, Dynetics protests Teslarati · 3 Aug 2021 The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has thrown out frivolous protests filed by Blue Origin and Dynetics after NASA awarded SpaceX a...
- SpaceX reveals first orbital Starship with six Raptor engines Teslarati · 3 Aug 2021 CEO Elon Musk has published a photo showing six Raptors – including three vacuum-optimized engines – installed on a Starship prototype for...
- SpaceX installs more than two dozen Super Heavy Raptor engines in one night Teslarati · 2 Aug 2021 In a virtually unprecedented feat of engineering and rocketry, SpaceX appears to have installed a full 29 Raptor engines on Starship’s first...
- AWS agrees deal to expand Greece’s space industry with the cloud SpaceNews · 2 Aug 2021 Amazon Web Services is partnering with Greece’s government on economic and technology initiatives that aim to turn the country into a regional space hub.
- SpaceX installed 29 Raptor engines on a Super Heavy rocket last night Ars Technica · 2 Aug 2021 Progress on the regulatory side of things remains murky, though.
- Military communications payloads could hitchhike on future GPS satellites SpaceNews · 2 Aug 2021 The next generation of Global Positioning System satellites could host additional payloads to provide communications services.
- In selecting space leader, White House opts for policy chops over politics Ars Technica · 2 Aug 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris to host first National Space Council meeting this fall.
- Parikh named executive secretary of National Space Council SpaceNews · 2 Aug 2021 The White House has named a former director of space policy at the National Security Council as the new executive secretary of the National Space Council.
- Former NASA official joins Nanoracks to lead commercial space station work SpaceNews · 2 Aug 2021 Commercial space services company Nanoracks has hired a former NASA official most recently involved with planning for the Artemis program to lead its efforts to develop commercial space stations.
- Nauka module’s near miss raises concerns about future of space station Ars Technica · 2 Aug 2021 "Everything was going well, but there was a human factor."
- Chinese space firm launches and lands small test rocket SpaceNews · 2 Aug 2021 Chinese private launch company Deep Blue Aerospace carried out a first low-altitude vertical takeoff, vertical land test late July.
- SpaceX outfits first orbital-class Starship booster with grid fins, Raptor engines Teslarati · 2 Aug 2021 In the space of two days, SpaceX has outfitted Starship’s first orbital-class Super Heavy booster with four car-sized grid fins, stacked the...
- GAO dismisses lunar lander contract protests Spaceflight Now · 2 Aug 2021 STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION The Government Accountability Office ruled Friday that NASA did not violate procurement law or regulations when it awarded a single $2.9 billion moon lander contract to S...