Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- SpaceX’s Crew Dragon just became America’s longest-lived astronaut spaceship Teslarati · 7 Feb 2021 SpaceX’s Crew Dragon has officially become the longest-lived American astronaut spacecraft ever built, beating an 84-day record set by the Apollo-era Skylab-4...
- China launches military satellite toward geostationary orbit Spaceflight Now · 7 Feb 2021 A mysterious Chinese government satellite, believed to be a military-operated early warning station, successfully launched into orbit Feb. 4 on top of a Long March 3B rocket.
- Dragon Resilience To Break Five-Decade-Old Skylab 4 Record Tonight AmericaSpace · 7 Feb 2021 At precisely 8:42:47 p.m. EST tonight (Sunday, 7 February), a new record will be set in the annals of U.S. human spaceflight, when Dragon Resilience—the vehicle which delivered Crew-1 astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glov...
- Elon Musk announces he is writing a book about Tesla and SpaceX Teslarati · 7 Feb 2021 Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter that he will be writing a book about the two companies’ stories. The...
- DARPA to survey private sector capabilities to build factories on the moon SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2021 DARPA is looking to develop materials, processes and designs needed for in-space manufacturing of large structures.
- Russian Soyuz rocket delivers military intelligence-gathering satellite into orbit Spaceflight Now · 7 Feb 2021 Russia sent a spy satellite into orbit aboard a Soyuz rocket Feb. 2 from a snowy launch pad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, setting off on a mission to detect, locate, and characterize foreign military radio signals.
- Lockheed Martin selects ABL Space Systems for UK launch SpaceNews · 7 Feb 2021 ABL Space Systems will conduct a launch for Lockheed Martin from a new spaceport in the Shetland Islands, fulfilling an agreement with the British government announced in 2018.
- NASA and international partners to study Mars Ice Mapper mission SpaceNews · 6 Feb 2021 NASA and three international partners have signed an agreement to cooperate on a proposed mission to search for ice deposits under the surface of Mars, a precursor for human missions there.
- NOAA taps L3Harris for space weather command and control SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2021 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $43.8 million space weather contract to L3 Harris Technologies.
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk talks Starship explosion: “We were too dumb” Teslarati · 5 Feb 2021 Two days after a last-second failure caused Starship SN9 to smash into the ground and explode, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has returned...
- Hope prepares to enter orbit around Mars SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2021 As the United Arab Emirates’ Hope spacecraft arrives at Mars, those involved with the mission have a mix of confidence and concern about the chances of successfully entering orbit.
- NASA, Boeing adjusting SLS Core Stage parameter limits for second Green Run firing NASASpaceflight · 5 Feb 2021 In parallel with vehicle and test stand preparations for a second Green Run Hot-Fire test later in February, the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Program and Core Stage prime contractor Boeing are reviewing rule changes fo...
- Viasat’s strategy evolves with changing market conditions SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2021 Viasat’s business strategy will evolve as low Earth orbit satellite constellations and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunities Fund provide options for broadband service.
- SpaceX to launch NASA astrophysics mission SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2021 SpaceX won a NASA contract Feb. 4 to launch a small astrophysics spacecraft, continuing the company’s string of similar agency contracts over the last two years.
- Rocket Report: SpaceX sets new reuse record, Astra valued at $2.1 billion Ars Technica · 5 Feb 2021 "This takes us a step closer to our mission of improving life on Earth from space."
- SpaceX teams up with NASA to launch a galaxy-mapping space telescope Teslarati · 5 Feb 2021 SpaceX appears to be continuing a streak of NASA launch contract awards, winning $98.8 million to launch a galaxy-mapping spacecraft known as...
- No SpaceX doubleheader this time, but Cape range ready for two launches in a day Spaceflight Now · 5 Feb 2021 One of the two Falcon 9 rockets SpaceX planned to launch in a span of less than five hours earlier this week will remain grounded until at least Sunday, preventing Cape Canaveral from hosting two launches on the same day...
- White House to realign responsibilities for space policy oversight SpaceNews · 5 Feb 2021 The White House said the National Security Council from now on will issue “national security memorandums” to replace the Trump administration’s space policy directives.
- ULA’s Tory Bruno warns of ‘overheated’ space launch market SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 Tory Bruno warned there are too many venture-funded space launch companies competing for a static number of customers.
- NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for SPHEREx Astrophysics Mission NASA · 4 Feb 2021 NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx...
- NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery in 2023 NASA · 4 Feb 2021 NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace of Cedar Park, Texas, approximately $93.3 million to deliver a suite of 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon in 2023.
- Airbus awarded €650 million contract to build three more Orion service modules SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 The European Space Agency (ESA) signed a €650 million ($790 million) contract with Airbus Space and Defence to produce three more service modules for NASA's Orion crewed spacecraft.
- U.S. military space commanders expect broad continuity in DoD space policy SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 The Biden administration's national security space policy is not expected to depart significantly from the previous administration’s guidelines.
- White House endorses Artemis program SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 The White House gave its support for NASA’s Artemis program of lunar exploration, but offered no details on potential changes it may make in the scope and schedule of the effort.
- Chinese Long March 3B launches Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing (TJSW) NASASpaceflight · 4 Feb 2021 China launched another secretive Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing (TJSW) satellite on 4 February. The launch took place at 15:36 UTC using the Chang Zheng-3B/G3 (known as the Long March 3B/G3 outside of China) launch vehicle...
- White House says its supports Artemis Program to return to the Moon [Updated] Ars Technica · 4 Feb 2021 "We urge you to proceed with the planned selection."
- Democratic senators ask White House to continue Artemis lunar lander program SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 Eleven Democratic members of the U.S. Senate have asked President Joe Biden to maintain “robust funding” of NASA’s Human Landing System program given uncertainties about how the agency will proceed with that effort.
- List of Starship Test Flights ElonX · 4 Feb 2021 Simple list of all Starship and Super Heavy test flights (both past and future). Find out information on dates, altitudes, serial numbers, launch pads and videos from each flight.
- SpaceX fires 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit, with more set to launch Friday Spaceflight Now · 4 Feb 2021 Sixty more SpaceX-owned Starlink internet satellites rocketed into orbit through a moonlit winter sky over Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 launcher early Thursday, while another Falcon 9 sat on a different launch pad a...
- Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 SpaceX successfully launched another set of Starlink satellites Feb. 4 in the first of back-to-back Falcon 9 launches scheduled from Cape Canaveral.
- No SpaceX doubleheader for now, but range is ready for two launches in a day Spaceflight Now · 4 Feb 2021 One of the two Falcon 9 rockets SpaceX planned to launch in a span of less than five hours earlier this week will remain grounded until at least Sunday, preventing Cape Canaveral from hosting two launches on the same day...
- After success in 2019, Chinese startup fails on second orbital launch attempt Spaceflight Now · 4 Feb 2021 The second orbital launch attempt by Chinese launch company iSpace failed shortly after liftoff Feb. 1, following a successful debut flight in 2019 that made iSpace the first private firm in China to put a payload into o...
- Firefly wins NASA CLPS lunar lander contract SpaceNews · 4 Feb 2021 NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace to deliver a set of 10 research payloads to the moon in 2023, the latest award in its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
- SpaceX is about to launch the same rocket twice in one month Teslarati · 3 Feb 2021 In a surprise twist, SpaceX’s 18th Starlink v1.0 mission could mark the first time a Falcon 9 booster rocket launches twice in...
- SpaceX launches first of twin Starlink missions, 45th Space Wing’s busy year continues NASASpaceflight · 3 Feb 2021 SpaceX launched their Starlink v1.0 L18 flight, or 19th Starlink mission, from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, 4 February at 01:19 EST (06:19 UTC).
- NASA, AIAA Host Discussion on Mars Perseverance Rover Technology NASA · 3 Feb 2021 The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and NASA will host a moderated webinar to discuss technology innovations with NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover during a virtual event at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday,...
- NASA Invites Media to Prelaunch, Launch Activities for Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 NASA · 3 Feb 2021 Media accreditation now is open for prelaunch and launch activities for NASA’s Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission to the International Space Station, the second uncrewed flight test of the company’s CST-100 Sta...
- White House: Space Force “absolutely has the full support of the Biden administration” SpaceNews · 3 Feb 2021 "We are not revisiting the decision to establish the Space Force,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
- Space Force eyes closer ties with civil space: ’It’s good for taxpayers’ SpaceNews · 3 Feb 2021 Gen. John Raymond said he expects greater collaboration between the U.S. Space Force, NASA and other agencies, and that cooperation can save U.S. taxpayers money.
- NASA Announces New Role of Senior Climate Advisor NASA · 3 Feb 2021 In an effort to ensure effective fulfillment of the Biden Administration’s climate science objectives for NASA, the agency has established a new position of senior climate advisor and selected Gavin Schmidt, director of...