Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Rice Students to Hear from NASA Astronauts on Space Station NASA · 5 Apr 2021 Students from the Rice Space Institute will have an opportunity this week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
- Musk blames SpaceX’s latest Starship explosion on Raptor engine leak Teslarati · 5 Apr 2021 CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight ended with a midair explosion because a “small” leak started on one...
- Texas, Scotland, Ecuador Students Hear from Space Station Crew NASA · 5 Apr 2021 Students from the Rice Space Institute will have an opportunity this week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
- NASA’s Mars helicopter ready for pre-flight checkouts Spaceflight Now · 5 Apr 2021 Mission controllers plan to unlock the blades on NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter and spin them up to more than 2,000 rpm for a test later this week, a bit of “calisthenics” before the rotorcraft’s first flight in the atmosph...
- NASA's Curiosity Team Names Martian Hill That Serves as Mission ‘Gateway' NASA · 5 Apr 2021 The name honors recently deceased mission scientist Rafael Navarro-González, who helped lead the team that identified ancient organic compounds on Mars
- With Air Force funding, Numerica deploys telescopes to monitor space in broad daylight SpaceNews · 5 Apr 2021 Numerica is deploying new ground-based telescopes that can observe orbiting satellites in broad daylight.
- Watch Next Space Station Crew Launch Live on NASA TV, NASA App NASA · 5 Apr 2021 Three space travelers, including NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, are poised to launch Friday, April 9, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.
- NASA's Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own NASA · 5 Apr 2021 NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter can be seen on Mars as viewed by the Perseverance rover’s rear Hazard Camera on April 4, 2021, the 44th Martian day, or sol of the mission.
- Lockheed Martin makes block buy of launches from ABL Space Systems SpaceNews · 5 Apr 2021 Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with small launch vehicle developer ABL Space Systems for as many as 58 launches over the next decade, a deal potentially worth several hundred million dollars.
- ABL Space has never launched a rocket, but it just landed a huge contract Ars Technica · 5 Apr 2021 "We take the scaling challenge seriously and have a clear roadmap."
- SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule swaps docking ports on space station Spaceflight Now · 5 Apr 2021 In the home stretch of nearly a half-year on the International Space Station, four astronauts suited up and rode their SpaceX-owned Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship to a new docking port outside the orbiting research l...
- Four astronauts took a Dragon for a spin on Monday morning Ars Technica · 5 Apr 2021 Cargo and Crew Dragons are creating a bit of a traffic jam in space.
- Crew Dragon moves to new docking port at ISS SpaceNews · 5 Apr 2021 A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft moved from one docking port to another on the International Space Station April 5, marking the start of a busy month spacecraft arrivals and departures on the station.
- Musk says methane leak doomed latest Starship test flight Spaceflight Now · 5 Apr 2021 SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Monday that a “relatively small” methane leak caused the explosion of the company’s latest Starship test rocket last week on an experimental flight over South Texas.
- Dragon Resilience performs port relocation to clear way for future vehicles NASASpaceflight · 5 Apr 2021 The SpaceX Crew-1 Dragon Resilience performed a relocation to a new docking port aboard the International Space Station on Monday in order to make way for future crew and cargo vehicles on the U.S. side (which includes C...
- Russia continues discussions with China on lunar exploration cooperation SpaceNews · 4 Apr 2021 The Russian space agency Roscosmos anticipates additional negotiations with China at a conference in June, building upon an agreement on lunar exploration announced in February.
- Perseverance rover’s zoomable camera checks out on Red Planet Spaceflight Now · 4 Apr 2021 Scientists have confirmed the first zoomable camera on Mars is in top-top shape since arriving aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover in February, adding a long-distance survey capability to the robot’s scientific toolkit. The...
- Technology race against China a key concern for Pentagon acquisition nominee SpaceNews · 4 Apr 2021 Michael Brown, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, was nominated by President Biden to serve as undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.
- SpaceX Crew Dragon, four astronauts set for brief flight around the space station Teslarati · 4 Apr 2021 To set the stage for another Dragon launch just a few weeks from now, NASA astronauts are preparing to board a SpaceX...
- Mars rover deploys Ingenuity helicopter for historic flight Spaceflight Now · 4 Apr 2021 NASA’s Perseverance rover released the Ingenuity helicopter onto the surface of Mars Saturday, leaving behind the experimental flying drone to survive on its own power until attempting a historic hop in the Red Planet’s...
- Station astronauts prep for relocation of SpaceX crew capsule Spaceflight Now · 4 Apr 2021 Commander Mike Hopkins and his three crewmates will board their Crew Dragon “Resilience” capsule Monday for a first-time maneuver to relocate the SpaceX-owned spaceship to a new docking port outside the International Spa...
- Elon Musk’s Starlink could make Earth visible to alien civilizations: paper Teslarati · 3 Apr 2021 While humanity has advanced significantly in the short time it has existed on Earth, the planet is, for all intents and purposes,...
- NASA to Host Virtual Viewing of Orion Spacecraft Drop Test NASA · 2 Apr 2021 Engineers will drop an 14,000-pounds test version of the Orion spacecraft into the Hydro Impact Basin at NASA's Langley Research Center's Landing and Impact Research Facility in Hampton, Virginia at 1:45 p.m. EDT Tuesday...
- Blue Origin Continues to Make Launch Complex Progress for the Eventual Debut of New Glenn NASASpaceflight · 2 Apr 2021 The debut of Blue Origin’s orbital launch vehicle, New Glenn, has been delayed until no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022. In advance of pathfinder operations later this year, the company has continued to make prog...
- [Update: fully stacked] SpaceX speeds up work on Starship with “hundreds” of upgrades Teslarati · 2 Apr 2021 Update: Less than 24 hours after publishing, SpaceX began installing Starship SN15’s nose section, stacking the significantly upgraded rocket to its full...
- Satellite manufacturer LeoStella eyeing opportunities in U.S. defense market SpaceNews · 2 Apr 2021 LeoStella sees opportunities to supply satellites to the U.S. Space Development Agency.
- Rocket Report: SpaceX readies Super Heavy, Russia tests new engine Ars Technica · 2 Apr 2021 "We chose the name Dauntless because we believe it embodies the spirit of the company."
- Busy month of crew rotations on tap at International Space Station Spaceflight Now · 1 Apr 2021 Seven astronauts and cosmonauts are gearing up for launches April 9 and April 22 to the International Space Station, replacing seven outgoing crew members set to land in Kazakhstan and off the coast of Florida on April 1...
- NASA Awards Communications Program Mission Network Services Task Order NASA · 1 Apr 2021 NASA has awarded a task order to AT&T Corporation of Virginia to provide support of the agency’s Communications Mission Network Services, including the highest quality, cost-effective telecommunications services for the...
- Startups selected for geospatial intelligence accelerator program SpaceNews · 1 Apr 2021 A technology accelerator program funded by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has selected eight startups that will receive $100,000 grants.
- SpaceX and NASA entering final preparations for Crew-2 launch NASASpaceflight · 1 Apr 2021 With launch now just a few weeks away, SpaceX and NASA have entered final preparations for the second operational Crew Dragon mission. This will be SpaceX’s second long-duration crew rotation for NASA as a part of the Co...
- Elon Musk’s Starlink Beta meets opposition from India’s industry body Teslarati · 1 Apr 2021 It appears that Starlink is facing a challenge in India, a country expected to receive coverage from the satellite internet system sometime...
- SPAC shareholders approve plan to merge with AST & Science SpaceNews · 1 Apr 2021 AST & Science, which is developing a cellphone-compatible satellite broadband constellation, will start trading on the Nasdaq next week after getting shareholder approval April 1.
- Japanese military strengthens ties with U.S. Space Command SpaceNews · 1 Apr 2021 Under a new agreement, an officer from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will be assigned full-time at U.S. Space Command headquarters.
- Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings With Arrival of Perseverance NASA · 1 Apr 2021 MEDLI2 was one of the crucial technologies onboard the rover’s protective aeroshell that helped document the entry, descent, and landing of the spacecraft.
- NASA's InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars NASA · 1 Apr 2021 The magnitude 3.3 and 3.1 temblors originated in a region called Cerberus Fossae, further supporting the idea that this location is seismically active.
- Two steps forward: Virgin Galactic’s new ship and Dragon’s diverse crew Ars Technica · 1 Apr 2021 "You have to start somewhere."
- Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine joins Viasat’s board SpaceNews · 1 Apr 2021 Jim Bridenstine has joined satellite operator Viasat’s board of directors in his second corporate role since stepping down as NASA’s administrator.
- FCC proposes to allocate spectrum for commercial launches SpaceNews · 1 Apr 2021 The Federal Communications Commission will take up a long-awaited proposal at its next meeting to set aside a spectrum band for commercial launches.
- SpaceX’s Starship booster-catching ‘launch tower’ begins to take shape in Texas Teslarati · 1 Apr 2021 Aerial photos show that SpaceX has rapidly begun building the first of two planned skyscraper-sized Starship ‘launch towers’ in South Texas –...