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.

In battle with Russian lab module, space station ‘brought a knife to a gun fight’ Spaceflight Now · 2 Aug 2021 Playing it safe, the seven-member crew of the International Space Station moved into the U.S. segment of the outpost Friday, closed hatches and window shutters and stood by while Russian flight controllers vented helium...
Boeing crew capsule set for launch Tuesday on test flight to space station Spaceflight Now · 2 Aug 2021 An Atlas 5 rocket was hauled back to its seaside firing stand Monday for launch Tuesday on a flight to boost Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule into orbit for a second unpiloted test to prove the commercial ferry ship is re...
Starliner resets for next launch attempt after ISS problems SpaceNews · 1 Aug 2021 NASA and Boeing say they’re ready to make a second attempt to launch the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight after an incident at the International Space Station called off the first attempt...
Senate confirms NASA CFO SpaceNews · 31 Jul 2021 The Senate confirmed the White House’s nominee to be chief financial officer of NASA July 30, rounding out the senior leadership positions at the agency.
NASA Updates Coverage, Invites Public to Virtually Join Starliner Launch NASA · 31 Jul 2021 NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch, launch, and docking activities for the agency’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station.
NOAA recovers from latest GOES-17 weather satellite issue, plans to replace it next year NASASpaceflight · 31 Jul 2021 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-East/17 has suffered another major issue while in orbit, as NOAA aims to replace the problematic sat...
Ariane 5 launches two satellites on first mission in nearly a year SpaceNews · 30 Jul 2021 An Ariane 5 successfully launched two commercial communications satellites July 30 in the first flight of the rocket in nearly a year, and the first of two missions before it launches a NASA space telescope.
NASA Extends Contract for Commercialization of Low-Earth Orbit NASA · 30 Jul 2021 NASA has extended a contract to companies around the United States to provide spaceflight hardware, software, and mission integration and operations services on a commercial basis for the agency’s International Space Sta...
NASA Statement on GAO Ruling Regarding Human Landing System Protest NASA · 30 Jul 2021 The following is the NASA statement in response to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision released Friday on the human landing system protest:
NASA Awards Stennis Information Technology Services Contract NASA · 30 Jul 2021 NASA has selected SaiTech Inc., a woman-owned small business based in Bethesda, Maryland, to provide information technology services at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
GAO denies Blue Origin and Dynetics protests of NASA lunar lander contract SpaceNews · 30 Jul 2021 The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied protests July 30 that Blue Origin and Dynetics filed of NASA’s award of a single lunar lander contract to SpaceX.
Ariane 5 lofts two satellites in important lead-up to James Webb launch NASASpaceflight · 30 Jul 2021 Close to one year after its last flight, the Ariane 5 ECA has returned to service with its first launch of 2021, lifting off at 21:00 UTC on Friday, July 30. The sixth overall mission for Arianespace this year follows a...
Space Force eyes solar-powered vehicles for operations near the moon SpaceNews · 30 Jul 2021 A startup under contract to the U.S. Space Force is investigating the use of solar-powered vehicles for operations in deep space beyond Earth orbit.
Nelson remains hopeful Congress will provide additional lunar lander funding SpaceNews · 30 Jul 2021 NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he remains confident that Congress will provide NASA with additional funding so it can select a second lunar lander developer but declined to comment on Blue Origin’s proposal to lower...
Rocket Report: Ariane V returns after long layoff, Rocket Lab’s tough culture Ars Technica · 30 Jul 2021 "Pete told us that key contributors would be driving Ferraris to work in a year."
SpaceX is building Starship’s first orbital-class booster at a breakneck pace Teslarati · 30 Jul 2021 Within the last week, SpaceX’s South Texas Starship factory appears to have kicked things into high gear and are now assembling the...
Ariane 5 rocket launches two geostationary communications satellites Spaceflight Now · 30 Jul 2021 A European Ariane 5 rocket launched from French Guiana Friday, succeeding on its first flight in nearly a year to deploy a pair of geostationary communications satellites for commercial operators in Brazil and France.
Statements on Senate Confirmation of Margaret Vo Schaus as NASA CFO NASA · 30 Jul 2021 The following are statements from Margaret Vo Schaus, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy on Friday’s U.S. Senate confirmation of Schaus as NASA’s chief financial officer:
Russian module suddenly fires thrusters after docking with space station Ars Technica · 29 Jul 2021 "Until you exhaust all your contingency plans, you're not really starting to worry."
Station loses attitude control after Nauka docking, Starliner launch delayed SpaceNews · 29 Jul 2021 A Russian module that docked to the International Space Station July 29 started firing its thrusters hours later, briefly knocking the station out of its normal attitude and forcing NASA to delay a commercial crew test f...
High drama as Russian lab module tilts space station with errant thruster firings Spaceflight Now · 29 Jul 2021 A heavyweight Russian laboratory module that experienced a variety of problems after launch last week docked at the International Space Station Thursday, but in a moment of unexpected drama, inadvertent thruster firings...
NASA’s 10th Space Apps Challenge Increases Global Participation NASA · 29 Jul 2021 To mark the 10th International Space Apps Challenge, the largest annual global hackathon in the world, NASA is collaborating with nine space agency partners to bring the event to even more communities Oct. 2-3, 2021.
NASA Invites Media to International Space Station Update NASA · 29 Jul 2021 NASA will host a media teleconference at 4:30 p.m. EDT today, Thursday, July 29, to discuss the status of International Space Station activities.
Chinese Long March 2D carries Tianhui survey satellite into orbit NASASpaceflight · 29 Jul 2021 A Chinese Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia at 04:01 UTC today, July 29, carrying Tianhui 1-04, the fourth in China’s series of Tianhui 1 Earth observation satelli...
Biden taps Aerospace Corp.’s John Plumb to run DoD space policy SpaceNews · 29 Jul 2021 President Biden has nominated John Plumb to be assistant secretary of defense for space policy, the White House announced July 29.
Inmarsat unveils multi-orbit Orchestra constellation SpaceNews · 29 Jul 2021 British operator Inmarsat plans to add at least 150 low-Earth-orbit satellites to its global fleet, stepping up competition against OneWeb and others developing megaconstellations for mobility markets.
Clays, Not Water, Are Likely Source of Mars 'Lakes' NASA · 29 Jul 2021 Three studies published in the past month have cast doubt on the premise of subsurface lakes below the Martian south pole.
MLM Nauka docks to ISS, malfunctions shortly thereafter NASASpaceflight · 29 Jul 2021 Russia’s Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) Nauka, meaning “science,” has defied the odds to successfully dock to the ISS after a long and arduous journey dating back over 20 years and a problematic propulsion system a...
GeoOptics to launch next-generation Earth science constellation SpaceNews · 29 Jul 2021 GeoOptics is planning to deploy of constellation of dozens of smallsats over the next five years to collect weather and other Earth science data for government and commercial customers.
SpaceX shifts South Texas focus to Starship’s orbital launch pad Teslarati · 29 Jul 2021 Highlighted by a Wednesday jam-packed with important milestones, SpaceX appears to be shifting its focus in South Texas to the completion of...
Rocket Lab returns to service with “flawless” launch for U.S. military Spaceflight Now · 29 Jul 2021 Resuming launches after a mission failure two months ago, Rocket Lab successfully placed a small U.S. military research and development satellite into orbit Thursday following a fiery liftoff from New Zealand on a flight...
Rocket Lab returns Electron to flight with Space Force launch SpaceNews · 29 Jul 2021 Rocket Lab returned its Electron rocket to flight July 29 with the successful launch of an experimental satellite for the U.S. Space Force.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reveals the heart of Starship’s Super Heavy booster Teslarati · 29 Jul 2021 CEO Elon Musk has revealed the first glimpse of the most complex, important, and unproven part of Starship’s record-breaking Super Heavy booster....
Rocket Lab returns Electron to flight with dedicated US Space Force mission NASASpaceflight · 28 Jul 2021 Rocket Lab conducted the 21st flight of its Electron small satellite launch vehicle, a return to flight mission following a failure over two months ago. The launch carried a satellite for the United States Space Force on...
Intelsat returning JCSAT-RA satellite to Japan’s Sky Perfect JSAT SpaceNews · 28 Jul 2021 Intelsat is seeking regulatory permission to hand the JCSAT-RA satellite back to Japan’s Sky Perfect JSAT as a commercial deal between the satellite operators ends.
Ingenuity completes 10th flight on Mars, Perseverance starts search for life NASASpaceflight · 28 Jul 2021 On July 24, 2021, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter successfully completed its 10th and most daring flight on the red planet — a major milestone for the Ingenuity mission. The helicopter, originally expected to only perfo...
Space Force sees ‘advantages and opportunities’ in nuclear-powered space missions SpaceNews · 28 Jul 2021 Space vehicles powered by small nuclear reactors could be used for military missions in deep space, the vice chief of the U.S. Space Force said July 28.
R3-IoT gets funding for satellite-enabled sensor connectivity solutions SpaceNews · 28 Jul 2021 Scottish startup R3-IoT is expanding to North America after raising early funds for connecting sensors and devices with satellite-enabled solutions.
NASA Celebrates National Intern Day 2021 NASA · 28 Jul 2021 NASA will host a variety of events and interactive opportunities celebrating the agency’s interns and their contributions to its missions in recognition of National Intern Day, held this year on Thursday, July 29.
Rocket Lab not yet close to profitability, proxy statement reveals Ars Technica · 28 Jul 2021 "We expect to continue to incur net losses for the next several years."

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.