NTS-3: Reinventing Satellite Navigation

By Jen DiMascio Oct 18, 2021
U.S. Air Force experiments with satellite to augment GPS.
Space

Axiom’s Commercial Space Station Initiative Advances

By Mark Carreau Oct 15, 2021
Axiom Space, which is working with NASA to develop a commercial successor to the International Space Station, announced this week the completion of three joint design reviews for the project.
Space

SpaceWerx, VC Firm Embedded Ventures Sign Unique CRADA

By Michael Bruno Oct 15, 2021
The partnership enables the two entities to partner on research and development opportunities, promoting U.S. space industry growth.
Space

Investment In Space Companies Reaches $8.7B In Third Quarter

By Michael Bruno Oct 15, 2021
The venture capital and private equity firehose fueling space startups continues unabated.
Commercial Space

Space Perspective Trumpets $40M in Investments

By Michael Bruno Oct 14, 2021
Startup Space Perspective announced a $40 million venture capital fund raising on Oct. 14, claiming the largest round yet for a space tourism balloon company and coming months after a successful demonstration.
Commercial Space

OneWeb Passes Halfway Point Of Constellation Deployment

By Maxim Pyadushkin Oct 14, 2021
Satellite broadband provider OneWeb has successfully placed more than half of its constellation into low Earth orbit following the 11th launch of its campaign from Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East at 5:40 a.m. EDT Oct. 14.
Commercial Space

Blue Origin Flies Star Trek Actor, Passengers To Suborbital Space

By Irene Klotz Oct 13, 2021
More than 50 years after portraying the fictional captain of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, actor William Shatner joined two paying passengers and a Blue Origin vice president for the company’s second crewed flight to suborbital space.
Commercial Space

Vulcan Rocket Debut Shifts To Mid-2022

By Irene Klotz Oct 12, 2021
The customer slated to launch on the first flight of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket now expects to fly in mid-2022.
Commercial Space

Rocket Lab Buys Spaceflight Software Specialist Advanced Solutions

By Michael Bruno Oct 12, 2021
Major small-satellite launcher Rocket Lab is making good on plowing some of its new publicly provided cash haul into bolt-on acquisitions.
Commercial Space

Airbus Begins Producing Skynet 6A Satellite

By Tony Osborne Oct 12, 2021
Airbus has started production of the UK’s new £500 million ($679.5 million) Skynet 6A satellite, which is due for launch in 2025. 
Commercial Space

Skyrora To Launch From Shetland Islands

By Tony Osborne Oct 12, 2021
UK space launch startup Skyrora has signed agreements to use the SaxaVord spaceport on the Shetland Islands for satellite launch as early as 2022.
Commercial Space

OneWeb Aims To Diversity Launch Fleet With Indian Boosters

By Irene Klotz Oct 11, 2021
OneWeb and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have signed a letter of intent to fly OneWeb broadband satellites aboard Indian’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the heavier-lift Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle from India beginning next year.
Commercial Space

The Week In Technology, Oct. 11-15, 2021

Oct 11, 2021
Power to fuel; Electric fans; Satcom for autonomy; Advancing fuel cells; and Solar-powered autonomy.
Aircraft & Propulsion

First Take, Oct. 11 2021

By Graham Warwick Oct 08, 2021
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aerospace

CAES Opens N.H. 3D-printing Site For SWISSto12 RF Products

By Michael Bruno Oct 07, 2021
CAES, the former Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions now under private equity, has announced construction of its new additive manufacturing (AM) operations in Exeter, New Hampshire, for the 3D-printed radio frequency (RF) products partnership that the U.S. company unveiled earlier this year with SWISSto12.
Commercial Space

Climate-Focused Smallsat Startup Muon Raises $10M

By Michael Bruno Oct 07, 2021
Muon’s small satellites will focus on dense, scientific-grade measurements of the atmosphere, ocean, and land processes.
Commercial Space

Xwing, Inmarsat Plan Satcom For Autonomy

By Graham Warwick Oct 06, 2021
Inmarsat and U.S. startup Xwing have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue development of a dedicated satellite communications terminal and associated services for autonomous aircraft.
Urban & Unmanned Aviation

SpaceX Beefs Up Crew-3 Dragon 

By Irene Klotz Oct 05, 2021
The upgrades should help prevent issues encountered during previous flights, including a debris strike that damaged a drogue parachute used during the descent of the Crew-1 mission in May.
Space

World View Opens Reservations With Lower-Cost Space Tourism Pitch

By Michael Bruno Oct 05, 2021
The stratospheric balloon operator is jumping into the space tourism industry, announcing Oct. 4 it is accepting $500 deposits for its “edge-of-space” trips to an altitude of 100,000 ft.
Commercial Space

UK Needs Private Sector To Unleash Space Growth

By Tony Osborne Oct 05, 2021
The UK wants to grow its space sector, but a lack of government funding means it will need to rely on the private sector.
Space

Star Trek Actor Shatner Headed For Final Frontier

By Irene Klotz Oct 04, 2021
William Shatner, the Canadian actor whose portrayal of Capt. James T. Kirk in the 1966-69 television show Star Trek brought depictions of space exploration to millions of households, will get a real taste of space as a guest passenger aboard Blue Origin’s next New Shepard suborbital flight.
Commercial Space

Honda Launches R&D Programs Geared Toward eVTOL, Smallsat Launchers

By Graham Warwick Oct 04, 2021
Japanese carmaker plans to fly prototype hybrid-electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi in 2023.
Emerging Technologies

The Week in Technology, Oct. 4-8, 2021

By Graham Warwick Oct 04, 2021
NASA electric demos; Otter satellite servicer; Zero-emissions airports; Robotic maintainer; Textron’s eVTOL?
Emerging Technologies

Flagship Satellite Joins Earth Observation Fleet

By Mark Carreau Oct 04, 2021
Landsat 9 builds on a half-century legacy of Earth observations from space.
Space

SpaceX Cargo Dragon Capsule Splashes Down

By Mark Carreau Oct 01, 2021
SpaceX’s 23rd NASA-contracted Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station splashed down under parachute in the ocean waters off Florida’s Atlantic coast near St. Augustine late Sept. 30, returning a 4,600-lb. cargo that included time-sensitive scientific research.
Commercial Space