Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- Russia looks to China as new space exploration partner Spaceflight Now · 15 Mar 2021 Russia’s decision to partner with China on a planned lunar research station, and not join the U.S.-led Artemis moon program, was disappointing after more than two decades of cooperation on the International Space Station...
- NASA to Host Virtual Symposium Exploring Rise of Commercial Space NASA · 15 Mar 2021 From activities in low-Earth orbit to NASA’s Artemis program, the commercial space industry has emerged as an innovator in areas of space access, commerce, and exploration.
- How Speedcast is navigating the perfect storm: Q&A with CEO Joe Spytek SpaceNews · 15 Mar 2021 In his first interview as Speedcast CEO, Joe Spytek speaks with SpaceNews about exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the company’s next steps.
- Air Force enlists Viasat to help integrate commercial and military satellite networks SpaceNews · 15 Mar 2021 AFRL will work with Viasat to figure out ways to integrate commercial satcom with government-owned satellites so
- Starship SN11 prepares to fly as SpaceX pushes for Orbital flight this summer NASASpaceflight · 15 Mar 2021 Starship SN11 is preparing to conduct a Static Fire test Monday ahead of a potential flight as early as Tuesday. Forever subject to change due to numerous considerations – ranging from weather, hardware parameters, and p...
- NASA TV to Air Second Rocket Test for Artemis Moon Missions NASA · 15 Mar 2021 NASA is targeting a two-hour test window that opens at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 18, for the second hot fire test of the core stage for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near B...
- After Sunday’s launch, SpaceX is on the cusp of a historic reuse milestone Ars Technica · 15 Mar 2021 “For those that know rockets, this is a ridiculously hard thing."
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirms Q3 2021 target for first orbital Starship launch Teslarati · 15 Mar 2021 Update: On the heels of a NASASpaceflight report, CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX has an internal target of Q3 2021...
- Relativity Space wins U.S. military contract for 2023 launch SpaceNews · 15 Mar 2021 Relativity Space was selected to launch a small U.S. military payload to orbit in 2023 using a 3D-printed rocket.
- Veteran scientist Stefanie Tompkins takes the helm at DARPA SpaceNews · 15 Mar 2021 Stefanie Tompkins on March 15 assumed the top post at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
- China launches spy satellite triplet for third time this year Spaceflight Now · 14 Mar 2021 Three Chinese military satellites launched Saturday aboard a Long March 4C rocket, joining six others China has sent into orbit since the start of the year on ocean surveillance missions.
- SpaceX extends its own rocket reuse record on Starlink launch Spaceflight Now · 14 Mar 2021 Using a Falcon 9 booster flying for a record ninth time, SpaceX’s swift sequence of launches continued Sunday with a predawn liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center carrying another set of 60 Starlink internet satellites,...
- SpaceX sets new booster reuse mark with Starlink launch SpaceNews · 14 Mar 2021 A Falcon 9 launched another set of Starlink satellites March 14, with the rocket’s first stage setting a record with its ninth launch and landing.
- SpaceX rocket booster aces 9th launch and landing for the first time Teslarati · 14 Mar 2021 In a new rocket reusability first, a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster has successfully completed its ninth orbital-class launch and landing, leaving the...
- SpaceX Starship aborts Raptor engine test, briefly catches fire Teslarati · 14 Mar 2021 Update: On March 15th, SpaceX got within milliseconds of Starship serial number 11’s (SN11) first Raptor engine test but suffered an abort...
- SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster flies for 9th time as Starlink constellation grows NASASpaceflight · 14 Mar 2021 SpaceX has launched another batch of 60 Starlink satellites on the Starlink v.0 L21 mission from historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff took place on March 14 at 6:01 am EDT (10:01 UTC) and was...
- SpaceX rocket rolls out to pad 39A for next Starlink mission Spaceflight Now · 13 Mar 2021 For the third time in 10 days, SpaceX is readying a Falcon 9 rocket for launch from Florida’s Space Coast with another 60 Starlink internet satellites. This time, SpaceX aims to extend the record for reusing a Falcon 9 b...
- EVA-73 concludes, continuing Station maintenance & upgrade tasks NASASpaceflight · 13 Mar 2021 Two NASA astronauts, Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins, have completed the latest Extravehicular Activity (EVA, or spacewalk) accomplishing several tasks deferred from a series of spacewalks conducted so far this year.
- Spacewalkers vent coolant lines and mate cables outside space station Spaceflight Now · 13 Mar 2021 Struggling with balky electrical connectors, spacewalker Mike Hopkins managed to plug in and secure three of four thick power and data cables Saturday that are needed by a European experiment platform, leaving one cable...
- China lofts three military Yaogan satellites in Chang Zheng 4C launch NASASpaceflight · 13 Mar 2021 China continues to upgrade its oceanic surveillance systems with the launch of three new satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Group 04 of Yaogan Weixing-31 satellites launched at 02:20 UTC on 13 March...
- Hubble resumes science observations after software error Spaceflight Now · 12 Mar 2021 Ground teams have partially restored the Hubble Space Telescope to regular operations after a spacecraft software error suspended astronomical observations for several days, but controllers continue evaluating a problem...
- NASA Awards Rapid IV On-Ramp 1 Contract for Spacecraft Systems, Services NASA · 12 Mar 2021 NASA has awarded contracts to Thales Alenia Space France of Cannes, France, and Thales Alenia Space Italia S.p.A. of Rome, Italy, under the On-Ramp feature of the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV (Rapid IV) contract.
- China’s Long March 7A rocket successful on second flight Spaceflight Now · 12 Mar 2021 The second flight of China’s new medium-lift Long March 7A rocket successfully placed an experimental satellite into orbit Thursday, following a failed debut launch last year caused by a problem in one of the rocket’s li...
- Umbra advertises SAR imagery with 15-centimeter resolution SpaceNews · 12 Mar 2021 Radar satellite startup Umbra plans to capture imagery with a resolution as high as 15 centimeters per pixel thanks to a Federal Communications Commission license.
- California Students to Hear from NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station NASA · 12 Mar 2021 Students from across California will have an opportunity Thursday, March 18, to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
- Space Station Crew to Relocate Soyuz to Make Room for New Crewmates NASA · 12 Mar 2021 Three residents of the International Space Station will take a spin around their orbital neighborhood in the Soyuz MS-17 on Friday, March 19, relocating the spacecraft to prepare for the arrival of the next set of crew m...
- NASA, Boeing approaching first major join of second SLS Core Stage NASASpaceflight · 12 Mar 2021 Operations for the first major join of the main elements of the second Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage are expected to begin later in March as NASA and prime contractor Boeing work to deliver the stage in 2022 for t...
- Garbage pallet jettisoned from space station will stay in orbit two-to-four years Spaceflight Now · 12 Mar 2021 NASA ground controllers sent commands to the International Space Station on Thursday for release of a 2.9-ton cargo pallet loaded with old batteries, the most massive object ever jettisoned from the orbiting outpost. The...
- Aging Hubble returns to operations after software glitch SpaceNews · 12 Mar 2021 NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope resumed observations March 11 after a software error placed it in a protective safe mode several days earlier, but the incident is a reminder of the telescope’s mortality.
- Rocket Report: China debuts new booster, SpaceX eyeing Indonesia launch site? Ars Technica · 12 Mar 2021 "This is a game-changer for South African space science."
- SpaceX Starship holds up under pressure, lines up Raptor engine test fire Teslarati · 12 Mar 2021 After a few false starts and some minor delays, SpaceX’s 11th Starship prototype (SN11) has made it through two of the three...
- SEAKR wins $60 million DARPA contract to demonstrate autonomous satellite operations SpaceNews · 12 Mar 2021 DARPA awarded SEAKR Engineering a $60.4 million contract to develop a data processing system for satellites to operate autonomously.
- Satellogic expanding U.S. footprint with eye on national security market SpaceNews · 11 Mar 2021 Earth observation company Satellogic is looking to expand its presence in the United States and compete in the government market.
- SpaceX Starlink beta testers see big speed boosts, major outages Teslarati · 11 Mar 2021 A portion of the thousands of consumers participating in SpaceX’s “Better Than Nothing” Starlink beta test have begun to see massive speed...
- NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Mission Honors Navajo Language NASA · 11 Mar 2021 Working with the Navajo Nation, the rover team has named features on Mars with words from the Navajo language.
- China successfully launches new Long March 7A on second attempt SpaceNews · 11 Mar 2021 China launched a new-generation Long March 7A rocket Thursday, sending a classified, experimental payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit.
- China launches Chang Zheng 7A rocket on its Return To Flight mission NASASpaceflight · 11 Mar 2021 China has successfully launched the second Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A) rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on Hainan Island, thus recovering from the first failed launch that took place almost one year ago. Carryi...
- Speedcast emerges from bankruptcy with clean balance sheet SpaceNews · 11 Mar 2021 Satellite communications provider Speedcast emerged Thursday from nearly a year in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under private equity ownership.
- From the pandemic to going public: Space startups face hiring challenges SpaceNews · 11 Mar 2021 For many companies in the industry, filling job openings can seem as difficult as rocket science. For others, it simply involves rockets.
- Industry groups advocate for Office of Space Commerce SpaceNews · 11 Mar 2021 Three space industry groups are asking the Commerce Department to commit to continued support and funding for the Office of Space Commerce.