Industry News
Headlines from space publications, linked back to the original articles
Industry / News
- NASA selects cadre of astronauts for Artemis missions SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2020 NASA has selected a team of astronauts who will be eligible for future Artemis missions to the moon even as the prospects of a 2024 crewed landing continue to dim.
- Trump administration’s national space policy formalizes Space Force role SpaceNews · 9 Dec 2020 The Trump administration released a new national space policy Dec. 9 that recognizes the U.S. Space Force as the primary organization responsible for defending the nation’s interests in space.
- Vice President Mike Pence is set to name a cadre of Artemis astronauts Ars Technica · 8 Dec 2020 "This will probably end up making a splash."
- SpaceX high-altitude Starship debut go for a second launch attempt Teslarati · 8 Dec 2020 Update (Dec 9th): All signs point to a second attempt at SpaceX’s high-altitude Starship launch debut sometime near the end of today’s...
- NASA Awards Prizes to Six Startup Companies in Entrepreneur’s Challenge NASA · 8 Dec 2020 NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has awarded prize funding of $100,000 each to six entrepreneurial startup companies under its pilot Entrepreneur’s Challenge program for concepts ranging from machine learning to enable...
- SLS Green Run WDR scrubbed, provides initial Core Stage tanking data NASASpaceflight · 8 Dec 2020 The first attempt to conduct a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage was scrubbed on Monday, December 7 near the beginning of the operation.
- 5 Hidden Gems Are Riding Aboard NASA's Perseverance Rover NASA · 8 Dec 2020 The symbols, mottos, and small objects added to the agency's newest Mars rover serve a variety of purposes, from functional to decorative.
- Report outlines science goals of first Artemis human lunar landing mission SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2020 A report released by NASA Dec. 7 outlined the science that the first crewed Artemis mission to the lunar surface could accomplish, but also some of the conflicts between science goals and the mission’s technical capabili...
- Arkansas Students to Speak with NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station NASA · 8 Dec 2020 Students from Arkansas will have an opportunity this week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
- Engine abort at T-1.3 seconds scrubs Starship launch attempt [Updated] Ars Technica · 8 Dec 2020 Today may determine the fate of SN8.
- EOS establishes SpaceLink with Dave Bettinger at the helm SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2020 Electro Optic Systems (EOS) of Australia formed SpaceLink, a wholly owned subsidiary, based in McLean, Virginia, to provide data-relay services for satellites in low Earth orbit and named former OneWeb Vice President Dav...
- House passes massive defense policy bill by veto-proof majority SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2020 The House on Dec. 8 voted 335-78 to pass the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, adopting the compromise defense policy bill by a large enough margin to override a presidential veto.
- Spire raises funding from European Investment Bank SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2020 Spire Global has raised 20 million euros ($24 million) from the European Investment Bank (EIB), part of a growing effort by European agencies to support space startups.
- Chang’e-5 spacecraft smashes into moon after completing mission SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2020 The Chang’e-5 ascent vehicle which carried precious samples into lunar orbit was commanded to crash into the moon Monday after completing its mission.
- Photos: SpaceX’s stainless-steel Starship SN8 test vehicle Spaceflight Now · 8 Dec 2020 SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype, on its launch pad in South Texas, is ready for the rocket’s most daring test flight yet.
- From hops to hopes – Starship SN8 advances test program into the next phase NASASpaceflight · 8 Dec 2020 SpaceX’s Starship Prototype test program took a giant leap forward on Wednesday, as SN8 conducted a 12.5 Kilometer test flight – and a landing attempt – at the company’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas.
- Biden nominates retired general Austin to be the first African-American to run the Pentagon SpaceNews · 8 Dec 2020 President-elect Joe Biden announced his pick to be the next secretary of defense is retired Army four-star general Lloyd Austin.
- Researchers explore COVID-19’s environmental impact SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2020 Researchers are continuing to explore the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Earth’s environment and to consider any implications for public policy.
- Space Force opens SpaceWERX technology accelerator in Los Angeles SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2020 Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, announced Dec. 7 the opening of a technology accelerator office that will work with commercial companies in the space industry.
- Space Development Agency’s missile-tracking satellites on hold as Raytheon files new protest SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2020 The procurement of eight missile-tracking satellites by the Space Development Agency remains on hold amid a new protest filed by Raytheon.
- SpaceX wins big share of $9.2B RDOF broadband subsidy SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2020 SpaceX won $888 million of the $9.2 billion in broadband subsidies the FCC awarded Dec. 7 under its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase 1 auction.
- SpaceX confirms Tuesday Starship launch debut will have an official webcast Teslarati · 7 Dec 2020 Update: SpaceX has confirmed plans to attempt Starship serial number 8’s (SN8) high-altitude launch debut as early as Tuesday morning, December 8th....
- New-generation Dragon cargo freighter docks at International Space Station Spaceflight Now · 7 Dec 2020 A more spacious version of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo capsule linked up with the International Space Station Monday, using a new approach corridor to deliver more than 6,000 pounds of provisions and experiments, a commercial...
- NASA Defines Science Priorities for First Crewed Artemis Landing on Moon NASA · 7 Dec 2020 NASA has identified the agency’s science priorities for the Artemis III mission, which will launch the first woman and next man to the Moon in 2024.
- Despite the pandemic, SpaceX is crushing its annual launch record Ars Technica · 7 Dec 2020 The Block 5 variant has been a true workhorse.
- Rubin Observatory turns to Google Cloud for data hosting SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2020 Google announced a three-year agreement Dec. 7 with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (formerly known as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) under construction in Chile to host data on the Google Cloud Platform.
- Gleaming prototype of SpaceX’s Starship ready for experimental flight Spaceflight Now · 7 Dec 2020 SpaceX is gearing up for the next big leap in the development of the next-generation Starship heavy-lift launch vehicle with a test flight to more than 40,000 feet over the Texas Gulf Coast as soon as Tuesday.
- Millennium Space experiment to demonstrate technology to rapidly deorbit satellites SpaceNews · 7 Dec 2020 Millennium Space Systems says an experiment launched to space on Nov. 19 will show that a small satellite with a deployable tether can safely deorbit in about 45 days.
- SLS Core Stage tanking test is first Green Run moment of truth for NASA NASASpaceflight · 6 Dec 2020 Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage prime contractor Boeing plans to conduct a critical propellant loading and countdown demonstration test December 7 with the Artemis 1 flight article in the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s St...
- SpaceX launches first in new line of upgraded space station cargo ships Spaceflight Now · 6 Dec 2020 An upgraded version of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo freighter launched Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, loaded with 3.2 tons of supplies and experiments in the first of at least nine resupply flights to the Inte...
- China launches Earth-observation satellite for stereo mapping Spaceflight Now · 6 Dec 2020 China launched a large optical stereo mapping satellite Sunday, using an upgraded version of the country’s Long March 3B rocket with an extended payload shroud to deliver the Earth-imaging spacecraft into orbit 300 miles...
- SpaceX aces 100th Falcon 9 launch, kicks off dual Dragon operations Teslarati · 6 Dec 2020
- SpaceX launches first next-generation cargo Dragon spacecraft to ISS SpaceNews · 6 Dec 2020 SpaceX launched the first of a new generation of Dragon cargo spacecraft Dec. 6, carrying experiments and supplies to the International Space Station.
- NASA Science, New Airlock Heads to Space Station on SpaceX Cargo Spacecraft NASA · 6 Dec 2020 The latest SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with more than 6,400 pounds of science investigations, a new airlock, and other cargo after launching at 11:17 a.m. EST Sunday...
- SpaceX’s debut Cargo Dragon 2 docks to Station NASASpaceflight · 6 Dec 2020 SpaceX launched their 21st contracted Cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station (ISS), marking the first flight of Cargo Dragon 2, the company’s new and upgraded un-crewed cargo spacecraft.
- Biden transition meetings scheduled this week with DoD intelligence agencies SpaceNews · 6 Dec 2020 The Biden-Harris transition team this week is scheduled to meet with officials from intelligence agencies overseen by the Defense Department, the Pentagon said Dec. 5.
- First Long March 3B launch with extended G5 fairing lofts Gaofen-14 NASASpaceflight · 6 Dec 2020 China launched the Gaofen-14 surveying and mapping satellite on Saturday. The launch took place at 03:58 UTC using a Long March-3B/G5 (Chang Zheng-3B/G5) from the LC3 Launch Complex at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center...
- SLS cryogenic tanking test preps begin this weekend Spaceflight Now · 5 Dec 2020 Final preparations began this weekend at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to load super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the massive core stage of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket for the fi...
- Hayabusa2 delivers asteroid samples to Earth after six-year voyage SpaceNews · 5 Dec 2020 Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission has delivered samples taken from a primitive asteroid to Earth to provide insights into the origin of life on Earth and evolution of the solar system.
- Japanese capsule carrying asteroid rocks lands in Australia after six-year mission Spaceflight Now · 5 Dec 2020 An armored re-entry capsule carrying pristine specimens from an asteroid streaked into Earth’s atmosphere and parachuted to a landing in the Australian outback Saturday, bringing home extraterrestrial rocks that could ho...