Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Unique exoplanet photobombs CHEOPS study of nearby star system ESA · 28 Jun 2021 While exploring two exoplanets in a bright nearby star system, ESA's exoplanet-hunting CHEOPS satellite has unexpectedly spotted the system's third known planet crossing the face of the star. This transit reveals excitin...
- South Korea’s top airline to develop propellant tank for smallsat launcher SpaceNews · 28 Jun 2021 Korean Air, South Korea's biggest airline, says it will develop common bulkhead propellant tanks for small satellite launch vehicles as part of the Ministry of Science and ICT’s “Space Pioneer” project.
- Space Development Agency’s first satellites to launch on SpaceX mission Spaceflight Now · 28 Jun 2021 Five payloads from the Space Development Agency, an organization charged with rapidly infusing emerging technologies into the U.S. military’s space programs, are among more than 80 satellites awaiting launch from Cape Ca...
- SpaceX sends Starship’s first vacuum Raptor engine to Boca Chica Teslarati · 28 Jun 2021 For the first time, SpaceX has shipped a vacuum-optimized Raptor engine to its Boca Chica, Texas Starship factory days after the company’s...
- China’s super heavy rocket to construct space-based solar power station SpaceNews · 28 Jun 2021 China plans to use a new super heavy-lift rocket currently under development to construct a massive space-based solar power station in geostationary orbit.
- Europe considering concepts for human spaceflight SpaceNews · 28 Jun 2021 A bumper crop of applications for the European Space Agency’s astronaut corps is providing a boost to proposals for Europe to develop its own human spaceflight capability.
- SpaceX launch this week will feature first onshore rocket landing since December Spaceflight Now · 28 Jun 2021 SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket on a southerly coast-hugging trajectory from Cape Canaveral Tuesday to place 88 small satellites into a polar orbit. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will return to Flori...
- SpaceX drone ship sails through Panama Canal on the way to California Teslarati · 27 Jun 2021 For the third time ever, one of SpaceX’s “autonomous spaceport drone ships” has successfully transited the Panama Canal on its way to...
- Russia launches military satellite for naval surveillance Spaceflight Now · 27 Jun 2021 Russia’s military launched the first of a new type of ship-locating radar imaging satellite Friday aboard a Soyuz rocket.
- Declining power supply could end NASA’s InSight Mars mission next year Spaceflight Now · 27 Jun 2021 Without a fortuitous whirlwind to clear dust off its solar panels, NASA’s InSight lander could end its mission on Mars within a year due to dropping power levels, the project’s chief scientist said last week.
- China’s Zhurong rover returns landing footage and sounds from Mars SpaceNews · 27 Jun 2021 China has released landing process footage from its Zhurong rover as well as video and sounds of the vehicle roving on Mars.
- NASA team to study new roles for the agency in addressing orbital debris SpaceNews · 27 Jun 2021 NASA has established a working group to examine what new roles the agency can take to mitigate the growth of orbital debris and promote space sustainability.
- SpaceX aiming for July for Starship orbital launch despite regulatory reviews SpaceNews · 26 Jun 2021 SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell says the company is “shooting for July” for the first orbital launch of the company’s Starship vehicle despite lacking the regulatory approvals needed for such a launch.
- ULA, Boeing, and NASA prepare for uncrewed and crewed Starliner flight tests NASASpaceflight · 26 Jun 2021 United Launch Alliance (ULA), Boeing, and NASA have all started their final preparations for the second Orbital Flight Test (OFT-2) for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. OFT-2 will demonstrate all of the changes made to...
- Spacewalking astronauts install second upgraded solar array Spaceflight Now · 25 Jun 2021 French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA crewmate Shane Kimbrough floated back outside the International Space Station Friday and deployed a 60-foot-long roll-out solar array, the second of six new blankets being install...
- Russia’s Soyuz launches Pion-NKS naval intelligence satellite NASASpaceflight · 25 Jun 2021 Russia launched the first satellite for its long-delayed next-generation ocean reconnaissance system on Friday. The Pion-NKS No.901 satellite lifted off atop a Soyuz-2-1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in No...
- NASA Awards Global Information Technology, Communications Contract NASA · 25 Jun 2021 NASA has awarded a new, agencywide information technology and communications services contract for Advanced Enterprise Global Information Technology Solutions (AEGIS) to Leidos Inc. of Reston, Virginia.
- Report backs NASA proposal to change astronaut radiation exposure limits SpaceNews · 25 Jun 2021 A National Academies committee has endorsed a NASA proposal to change the radiation exposure limits the agency sets for its astronauts but cautioned that the revised limit is still insufficient for human Mars missions.
- Military building an appetite for commercial space services SpaceNews · 25 Jun 2021 The U.S. Space Force is eager to tap into the vibrant commercial market for space services enabled by increasingly capable small satellites and cheaper access to orbit.
- Watch (and Hear) How NASA's Perseverance Rover Took Its First Selfie NASA · 25 Jun 2021 The historic image of the rover beside the Mars Helicopter proved to be one of the most complex rover selfies ever taken. Video, with bonus audio, sheds light on the process.
- NOAA to replace GOES-17 satellite ahead of schedule SpaceNews · 25 Jun 2021 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced plans June 25 to move its geostationary weather satellite scheduled to launch in December into an operational role “as soon as possible” after launch.
- Pesquet & Kimbrough complete new solar array installation on ISS NASASpaceflight · 25 Jun 2021 For the third time in 9 days, Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrough donned their spacesuits and ventured outside the International Space Station (ISS), this time to install the second of six new Boeing-built ISS Roll Out So...
- Virgin Galactic cleared to fly customers on SpaceShipTwo SpaceNews · 25 Jun 2021 The FAA has granted permission to Virgin Galactic to fly customers, and not just employees, on its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle, a move that could allow the company’s founder to fly to the edge of space soon.
- Watch live as space station astronauts make spacewalk Spaceflight Now · 25 Jun 2021 European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough will head outside the International Space Station for a planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk beginning around 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). The...
- Rocket Report: China to copy SpaceX’s Super Heavy? Vulcan slips to 2022 Ars Technica · 25 Jun 2021 "We saw something we didn’t understand and didn’t expect to happen."
- Elon Musk says SpaceX’s second Starship booster prototype is almost finished Teslarati · 25 Jun 2021 SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the second Starship booster prototype is “almost done” and has revealed that work on the first...
- NASA studying larger Mars helicopters SpaceNews · 24 Jun 2021 With the Ingenuity helicopter continuing to demonstrate its abilities on Mars, NASA engineers are examining concepts for larger, more capable rotorcraft that could be flown on future missions.
- U.S. Army selects Iridium to develop payload for low Earth orbit satellite navigation system SpaceNews · 24 Jun 2021 Iridium Communications announced June 24 it received a U.S. Army contract to develop a payload that could be used to broadcast data such as timing or location signals.
- SpaceX’s 20th Falcon 9 launch of 2021 slips to Monday Teslarati · 24 Jun 2021 SpaceX has announced an unspecified delay for its second dedicated “Transporter” rideshare mission and 20th Falcon 9 launch of the year. Recently...
- Software-as-a-Service model takes the space sector by storm SpaceNews · 24 Jun 2021 As the space sector expands, companies are adopting new business models, including Space Data as a Service, Satellite as a Service, and Ground Station as a Service, which promise the benefits of space without many of the...
- NASA Administrator Announces New Members of Leadership Team NASA · 24 Jun 2021 NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced four new additions to the agency’s senior staff Thursday.
- Study Looks More Closely at Mars' Underground Water Signals NASA · 24 Jun 2021 A new paper finds more radar signals suggesting the presence of subsurface ‘lakes,’ but many are in areas too cold for water to remain liquid.
- Leaf Space expands ground station network ahead of busy SpaceX ride-share mission SpaceNews · 24 Jun 2021 Leaf Space has added three more ground stations to its managed network service, helping the Italian company support its largest number of satellite customers on a single launch June 25.
- Satellite propulsion supplier Orbion raises $20 million in Series B funding SpaceNews · 24 Jun 2021 Orbion Space Technology announced June 24 it has raised $20 million in Series B funding.
- SpaceX postpones second Transporter rideshare launch Spaceflight Now · 24 Jun 2021 SpaceX said Thursday it has postponed the next launch of a Falcon 9 rocket, previously scheduled for Friday at Cape Canaveral, due to unspecified technical concerns. The Falcon 9 will launch on a commercial rideshare mis...
- Space Perspective performs first balloon test flight, begins ticket sales SpaceNews · 24 Jun 2021 Space Perspective, the company planning to offer stratospheric balloon flights for tourists, has formally opened ticket sales days after its first test flight.
- Iridium wins contract to develop hosted payload for Low Earth Orbit NASASpaceflight · 24 Jun 2021 Iridium has secured a $30 million research and development contract with the United States Army to develop a payload which will support the concept of a rapidly deployable small satellite constellation, with the goal of...
- SpaceX Starship booster’s ‘hot gas’ thrusters make first public appearance Teslarati · 24 Jun 2021 ‘Hot gas’ thrusters meant to boost the efficiency of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy boosters have been spotted in public for...
- Report: Space Force has to prepare for operations beyond Earth’s orbit SpaceNews · 23 Jun 2021 An AFRL report suggests the U.S. Space Force has to prepare for a day when the moon and the volume of space around it could become the next military frontier.
- Masten delays first lunar lander mission SpaceNews · 23 Jun 2021 Masten Space Systems is pushing back the launch of its first lunar lander mission by nearly a year, the latest in a series of delays by companies with NASA contracts to transport payloads to the moon.