Space Industry News: Headlines from Across the Industry

36,853 headlines. We show the headline and the publisher's own teaser; the full story is at the source.

Japan launches joint military, scientific optical data relay satellite NASASpaceflight · 28 Nov 2020 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan plans launched an H-IIA rocket on Sunday, 29 November to deploy a top secret communications satellite to support the country’s reconnaissance and scientific programs.
In call with troops, Trump basks in Space Force achievement SpaceNews · 28 Nov 2020 During a call with members of the military on his last Thanksgiving as commander in chief, President Trump touted his efforts to establish the Space Force.
China’s Chang’e 5 spacecraft enters lunar orbit Spaceflight Now · 28 Nov 2020 Five days after taking off on a heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket, China’s Chang’e 5 sample return spacecraft entered orbit around the moon Saturday, moving into position for a descent to the lunar surface in a bid to gathe...
Axelspace prepares to expand Earth-observation constellation SpaceNews · 27 Nov 2020 With four satellites scheduled to launch in 2021, Tokyo-based Axelspace Corp. is moving toward its goal of capturing daily, global Earth imagery.
Virgin Orbit planning second LauncherOne mission for December SpaceNews · 27 Nov 2020 Virgin Orbit is preparing to perform a second flight of its LauncherOne small launch vehicle in the second half of December, carrying a set of NASA-sponsored cubesats.
EGS, Jacobs begin vehicle integration for Artemis 1 launch NASASpaceflight · 27 Nov 2020 NASA Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and prime test and operations contractor (TOSC) Jacobs started assembling the Artemis 1 vehicle on its Mobile Launcher this week in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy...
Japan’s new H3 launcher delayed by rocket engine component issues SpaceNews · 27 Nov 2020 The first launches of the new Japanese H3 launch vehicle are being delayed by issues with two components of the rocket’s main engine.
New Hubble data explains missing dark matter [heic2019] ESA · 26 Nov 2020 New data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope provides further evidence for tidal disruption in the galaxy NGC 1052-DF4. This result explains a previous finding that this galaxy is missing most of its dark matter.
SpaceX backup Starship reaches full height after nosecone installation Teslarati · 26 Nov 2020
SpaceX ‘go’ for 50,000-foot Starship launch debut after static fire, Elon Musk says Teslarati · 25 Nov 2020
SLS continuing engine upgrades, tech development to support launcher evolution NASASpaceflight · 25 Nov 2020 The Liquid Engines Office for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program is planning a busy schedule of test campaigns next year in parallel with efforts to complete preparations for the vehicle’s first launch. Existing Ae...
SpaceX ready for Starship suborbital flight as FAA begins new environmental study SpaceNews · 25 Nov 2020 As SpaceX prepares for the first high-altitude test flight of its Starship reusable launch vehicle, the FAA is starting a new environmental review required for the company’s future launch vehicle plans.
SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink satellites on 100th Falcon 9 flight Spaceflight Now · 25 Nov 2020 The 100th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket delivered 60 satellites to orbit for SpaceX’s Starlink network Tuesday night, adding another building block to a planned fleet of thousands of solar-powered space-based relay station...
A SpaceX rocket just aced its seventh launch and landing for the first time Teslarati · 25 Nov 2020
Traditional launch services may not suit the needs of the future Space Force SpaceNews · 24 Nov 2020 How the Pentagon buys launch services in the future could change as the military considers using emerging technologies and services known as “space mobility and logistics.”
NASA TV Coverage Set for Next Space Station Resupply Mission with SpaceX NASA · 24 Nov 2020 NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting 11:39 a.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 5, for the launch of its 21st commercial resupply services (CRS-21) mission to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at t...
SpaceX to attempt same-day Starship static fire, Starlink launch [livestream] Teslarati · 24 Nov 2020
Telesat and Loral to form Canadian public company SpaceNews · 24 Nov 2020 Canadian satellite fleet operator Telesat and Loral Space & Communications announced plans Nov. 24 to combine to form Telesat Corp., a Canadian public company, in a deal expected to close next year.
Starship SN8 successfully completes final testing ahead of flight NASASpaceflight · 24 Nov 2020 Following a slightly convoluted engine testing campaign, Starship SN8 is working through the final steps to finalize its pre-flight requirements, which included a triple Raptor Static Fire test on Tuesday. Should this te...
MOXIE Could Help Future Rockets Launch Off Mars NASA · 24 Nov 2020
Rocket Lab declares success in Electron rocket recovery SpaceNews · 24 Nov 2020 Rocket Lab says its attempt to recover the first stage from its latest Electron launch was a “complete success,” but that the company still has work to do before it’s ready to attempt to reuse the stage.
Starlink competitor Xfinity launches data caps, which SpaceX says it will not use Teslarati · 24 Nov 2020 SpaceX’s Starlink project has a series of main competitors in the internet market, one of the largest being Comcast’s Xfinity. The Philadelphia-based...
SpaceX’s most important Falcon 9 booster yet returns to port with a lean Teslarati · 24 Nov 2020
SpaceX sets new Falcon 9 reuse milestone on Starlink launch SpaceNews · 24 Nov 2020 SpaceX set a new milestone in Falcon 9 reuse with the latest Starlink satellite launch Nov. 24 as the company seeks permission to deploy Starlink satellites into a new orbit.
Germany to become the first foreign military buyer of U.S. jam-resistant GPS receivers SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 Germany has ordered jam-resistant Global Positioning System receivers from the United States military, becoming the first buyer of the advanced GPS user equipment under the Foreign Military Sales program.
Relativity Space raises $500 million SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 Small launch vehicle startup Relativity Space has raised a $500 million funding round that the company says will enable it to accelerate its long-term vision of reshaping aerospace manufacturing.
China launches Chang’e-5 Moon sample return mission SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 A Long March 5 rocket launched China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft Monday to kick off a 23-day mission to deliver the first lunar samples to Earth since the 1970s.
China launches ambitious mission to return lunar material to Earth Spaceflight Now · 23 Nov 2020 A heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket hurled a nearly 9-ton robotic spacecraft toward the moon Monday on a three-week mission attempting to return lunar samples to Earth for the first time in 44 years.
Capella sends first task order through Inmarsat data relay SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 Fleet operator Inmarsat and communications technology firm Addvalue Innovation announced success Nov. 23 relaying data between Capella Space’s operations center on the ground and Capella’s Sequoia synthetic aperture rada...
To boost its military space business, Lockheed Martin turns to commercial players SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 To compete in an unconventional program like the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer, Lockheed Martin decided to team up with commercial companies.
GeoOptics and Spire Global win NOAA weather data contracts SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded its first contracts Nov. 20 to purchase radio occultation data from commercial satellite operators to GeoOptics and Spire Global.
China launches world’s first lunar sample return mission since 1976 NASASpaceflight · 23 Nov 2020 The Chang’e 5 lunar orbiter, lander, and sample collection return vehicle left its sea-side launch pad at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan province, People’s Republic of China to begin its journe...
Carbice raises $15 million in Series A investment round SpaceNews · 23 Nov 2020 Carbice, the Atlanta startup that developed the thermal-management material Carbice Carbon, raised $15 million in a Series A investment round led by Downing Ventures, a division of London-based investment management firm...
How a Thanksgiving Day gag ruffled feathers in Mission Control Ars Technica · 23 Nov 2020 “I don't remember ever being so nervous or upset about something as I was then.”
SpaceX going for new rocket reuse record on 100th Falcon 9 launch Spaceflight Now · 22 Nov 2020 Sixty more Starlink internet satellites are ready to rocket into orbit Sunday night from Cape Canaveral on the 100th flight of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher, and the seventh flight of SpaceX’s reusable “fleet leader” booste...
SpaceX conducts multi-milestone flight and launch of 16th round of Starlinks NASASpaceflight · 22 Nov 2020 Just days after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the American-European Sentinel-6A oceanography satellite into orbit from the U.S. West Coast, SpaceX returned its focus to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida...
China set to attempt first lunar sample return mission in four decades Spaceflight Now · 22 Nov 2020 Chinese scientists and engineers are counting down to launch of a heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket Monday with the Chang’e 5 mission, an ambitious attempt to land on the moon, drill samples from beneath the lunar surface,...
Space surveillance technologies a top need for U.S. military SpaceNews · 22 Nov 2020 Space tracking sensors and artificial intelligence systems that analyze data are becoming high priorities for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command.
SpaceX scrubs Falcon 9’s seventh-flight debut for more “mission assurance” Teslarati · 22 Nov 2020 Update: SpaceX has scrubbed Falcon 9’s seventh-flight debut and the 14th Starlink launch this year to allow more time for “data reviews”...
Falcon 9 launch ends long hiatus in Vandenberg launches SpaceNews · 22 Nov 2020 Despite a lull in orbital launch activity at Vandenberg Air Force Base, officials with the U.S. Space Force foresee a “very promising future” for both commercial and government launches there.

Launch and satellite data: Jonathan McDowell's GCAT (CC BY 4.0) and CelesTrak. Rockets, spacecraft and agencies: Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs and Wikidata. News headlines link to their publishers via the Spaceflight News API and RSS feeds. Records come from several sources and are matched automatically, so treat the directory as a research aid, not an authority. How the data is built and checked.