Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- DARPA orders six satellites from Blue Canyon Technologies for Blackjack program SpaceNews · 24 Feb 2021 Blue Canyon has received a contract option worth $26.5 million to produce six satellites for DARPA's Blackjack program.
- SpaceX Falcon boosters likely to surpass Elon Musk’s prime rocket reuse directive Teslarati · 24 Feb 2021 A SpaceX vice president and one of Elon Musk’s first hires says that Falcon boosters will soon meet – and should ultimately...
- China launches trio of Yaogan-31 ocean reconnaissance satellites SpaceNews · 24 Feb 2021 A Long March 4C rocket sent a latest series of three Yaogan-31 reconnaissance satellites into orbit late Tuesday.
- SpaceX Starlink users could see “much higher download speeds” amid upgrades Teslarati · 24 Feb 2021 CEO Elon Musk says that SpaceX’s thousands of Starlink users could see “much higher download speeds” as the company begins implementing “system...
- NASA Takes Steps to Reduce Aviation Emissions, Invigorate US Economy NASA · 23 Feb 2021 NASA is seeking proposals for ground and flight demonstrations of integrated megawatt-class powertrain systems for subsonic aircraft.
- Lawmakers call for open dialogue on Chinese, Russian advances in space and nuclear weapons SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces called on DoD and other agencies to more openly discuss the threats posed by China and Russia.
- Cancer survivor named to SpaceX flight promoting St. Jude hospital Spaceflight Now · 23 Feb 2021 A 29-year-old cancer survivor, now a physician’s assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, will blast off aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule later this year for a flight dedicated to raising money for the Memp...
- NASA Awards Contract for Engineering, Programmatic Support Services NASA · 23 Feb 2021 NASA has awarded the Spectrum and Resource Management, Engineering and Programmatic Support Services (SpectRE) contract to Agile Decision Sciences LLC of Beltsville, Maryland.
- Eastern Range discusses drive toward “airport model” operations, eyes increased launch demand NASASpaceflight · 23 Feb 2021 At the 47th Spaceport Summit, formerly known as Space Congress, the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Kennedy Space Center/45th Space Wing of the Space Force, and the FAA provided and overview and update on the Florida...
- Space Force awards engineering contract for certification of ULA’s Vulcan rocket SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 Millennium Engineering and Integration on Feb. 19 received a $13.2 million contract for services in support of the Vulcan rocket certification.
- SpaceX blames failed Falcon 9 booster landing on heat damage SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 A Falcon 9 booster failed to land after its most recent launch Feb. 15 because of “heat damage” it sustained, but a SpaceX official said he was confident that the boosters can be reused 10 or more times.
- A politician who said politicians shouldn’t run NASA wants to run NASA Ars Technica · 23 Feb 2021 "Now is not the time to turn back the clock at NASA."
- L3Harris gets $137 million contract for GPS digital payloads SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 L3Harris Technologies received a $136 million contract from Lockheed Martin for four digital payloads for GPS navigation satellites.
- Former Capella Space and Planet executive joins Hydrosat SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 Scott Soenen, who help key engineering jobs at Capella Space and Planet, is the new chief technology officer of Hydrosat, a data analytics company building a satellite constellation to produce a thermal infrared map of E...
- Orbit Fab and Benchmark Space Systems to partner on in-space refueling technologies SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 Two startups are partnering on technology that they hope can jump-start the market for in-space refueling of satellites.
- Redwire acquires Deployable Space Systems SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 Redwire has acquired Deployable Space Systems (DSS) Inc., the Santa Barbara, California, the rapidly growing Goleta, California, company that manufactures various structures and mechanisms including the Roll-Out Solar Ar...
- India revises Gaganyaan human spaceflight plan, delays Chandrayaan-3 SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 India has revised target dates for launches of its human spaceflight missions and the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing following COVID-19-related delays.
- SpaceX grapples with failed Falcon 9 landing as Starlink launches slip Teslarati · 23 Feb 2021 The follow-on effects of SpaceX’s failed February 15th booster landing have begun to roll in, triggering at least one to two weeks...
- NASA releases video of Perseverance landing SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 The Perseverance rover is in good condition on the surface of Mars, NASA officials said Feb. 22, showing off stunning video from its landing on the red planet last week.
- White House not making near-term plans to nominate a NASA administrator SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 The White House said Feb. 23 has no schedule for nominating a NASA administrator as a new round of rumors swirl about who might be selected to lead the agency.
- EchoStar reports Jupiter-3 delay and nanosatellite failures SpaceNews · 23 Feb 2021 EchoStar Corp. announced another delay in the launch of its Jupiter-3 communications satellite and the failure of two nanosatellites to reach their intended orbits, during a Feb. 23 quarterly earnings call.
- Nearly 11 Million Names of Earthlings are on Mars Perseverance NASA · 23 Feb 2021 When the Perseverance rover safely touched down on the Martian surface, inside Jezero Crater, on Feb. 18, 2021, it was also a safe landing for the nearly 11 million names on board.
- SpaceX Starship static fire bodes well for a launch later this week Teslarati · 23 Feb 2021 SpaceX’s third high-altitude Starship prototype appears to have successfully ignited its trio of Raptor engines, boosting the odds of another launch and...
- Humans had never seen a spacecraft land on another planet—until now Ars Technica · 22 Feb 2021 "I can, and have, watched those videos for hours."
- NASA to Host Briefings, Interviews for Next Crew Rotation Mission with SpaceX NASA · 22 Feb 2021 NASA will highlight the second crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts to the International Space Station with a pair of news conferences beginning 12:30 p.m. EST Monday, March 1.
- Toast-shaped ThinSats attract educational and government customers SpaceNews · 22 Feb 2021 ThinSats are starting to catching on. ThinSats, the toast-shaped miniature satellites designed primarily as teaching tools, have attracted Small Business Innovation Research funding from NASA and the U.S. Space Force.
- FAA clears SpaceX Starship prototype for third launch and landing attempt Teslarati · 22 Feb 2021 The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already cleared Starship serial number 10 (SN10) for flight, cutting short any potential licensing drama...
- NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover Provides Front-Row Seat to Landing, First Audio Recording of Red Planet NASA · 22 Feb 2021 The agency’s newest rover captured first-of-its kind footage of its Feb. 18 touchdown and has recorded audio of Martian wind.
- NASA to Reveal New Video, Images from Mars Perseverance Rover NASA · 22 Feb 2021 NASA will hold a virtual briefing at 2 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST) today to unveil the “How to Land on Mars” video, which will present first-of-its-kind footage the Perseverance rover captured as it touched down on the Red Pl...
- Starship SN10 Static Fires twice – Super Heavy waiting in the wings NASASpaceflight · 22 Feb 2021 Starship SN10’s wait for launch, following weather-related delays, could soon be over following an optimistic update from Chief Designer Elon Musk. However, following SN10’s Static Fire test – which was conducted on Tues...
- Pentagon chief Austin stands behind Air Force amid investigation of Space Command basing decision SpaceNews · 22 Feb 2021 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has issued a statement in support of the U.S. Air Force’s handling of the basing decision for U.S. Space Command,
- After Saturday’s engine failure, Boeing says many 777s should be grounded Ars Technica · 22 Feb 2021 Many of the engine components fell over populated areas.
- To defend the high frontier, Space Force wants digitally minded troops SpaceNews · 22 Feb 2021 If fighter pilots are the rock stars of the Air Force, it could be said that software coders and app developers are the fighter jocks of the Space Force.
- General Atomics selects Firefly to launch NASA Earth science instrument SpaceNews · 22 Feb 2021 General Atomics selected Firefly Aerospace to launch a small Earth science satellite for NASA on an Alpha rocket in 2022.
- Northrop Grumman supply carrier delivers to International Space Station Spaceflight Now · 22 Feb 2021 A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday with more than 8,000 pounds of cargo, including new astronaut sleeping quarters, parts for the station’s toilet, and numerous bio...
- SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket still on track for two launches this year Teslarati · 22 Feb 2021 Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX’s next two Falcon Heavy rockets – both under contract with the US military – are scheduled to...
- NASA postpones second SLS Green Run test SpaceNews · 22 Feb 2021 Just days after NASA said it was ready to perform a second static-fire test of the Space Launch System core stage, the agency announced Feb. 22 that the test would be delayed because of a valve problem.
- NASA releases first-of-its-kind high-definition video of Mars rover landing Spaceflight Now · 22 Feb 2021 NASA officials released never-before-seen views of a spacecraft landing on another planet Monday, showcasing multi-angle replays recorded by ruggedized high-definition cameras mounted on the Perseverance rover last week...
- Safety panel recommends NASA develops strategy for workforce and infrastructure SpaceNews · 21 Feb 2021 As NASA’s management of its human spaceflight programs evolves to incorporate greater roles for companies, the agency needs to take a strategic look at its workforce and infrastructure requirements, a safety panel advise...
- SpaceX Starship ready to find out if third time’s the charm later this week Teslarati · 21 Feb 2021 After a miserable week of extreme cold, power grid failures, high winds, and general chaos, conditions are improving, the sun is shining,...