Commercial Space

The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has awarded Maxar Technologies $20 million in contracts for land-cover classification and change-detection services.

IT needs commercial vendors that understand the importance of cybersecurity on the ground as well as in space.

NASA appoints executive to oversee CASIS, reorganizes commercial programs.

The first crewed flight test in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is targeted for a May 27 launch.

Russia’s S7 Group has shelved its Sea Launch space program, the group’s owner Vladislav Filev confirmed.

Encouraged by progress in the Commercial Crew program, NASA should nonetheless expand planning for staffing the International Space Station long-term to provide options, NASA’s safety oversight panel said on April 23.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on April 22 to deliver a seventh batch of the company’s Starlink communications satellites into low Earth orbit.

Space-based ADS-B provides another way to measure the status of commercial aviation.

NASA and SpaceX are targeting May 27 for a crewed test flight of the Dragon 2 spacecraft to the International Space Station, the first human orbital space launch from the U.S. since the end of the shuttle program in 2011.

Rocket Factory Augsburg, a would-be launch service provider and part of Germany’s OHB group, sees a market for a small reusable rocket that would offer low launch costs and enable improved satellite designs.

A defunct communications satellite serviced during the debut flight of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) has resumed operations, Intelsat and Northrop said on April 17.

Three U.S. and Russian International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers descended safely to Earth early April 17 to end lengthy, productive missions.

The technical risks of landing and reflying rockets have been resolved, but the business case seems far from closed.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

With automated flight safety systems, polar orbits from Florida are back in the offing.

Intuitive Machines has selected the planned date and landing site for its first mission to the Moon’s surface under its NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services agreement.

NASA is approaching the 20th anniversary of human presence on the ISS with a key question: Who will be aboard to celebrate?

Citing the bankruptcy of the OneWeb satellite communications company, the U.S. government should consider adding $2.5 billion in funding for space programs, along with multiple policy proposals to maintain the military space industrial base and U.S. strategic dominance in the domain in the face of threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, an industry trade group recommends.

Talon vehicle emerges as core of updated Stratolaunch hypersonic test fleet plan along with Black Ice spaceplane concept.

Australian nanosat startup Sky and Space Global has entered voluntary administration—a process similar to Chapter 11 U.S. bankruptcy—after posting losses of more than AUS$30 million ($18.5 million) in 2019.

Former astronaut Norm Thagard answers questions about his time in space and offers thoughts on how to stay busy while quarantining.

S7 Space Corp. has completed the relocation of the Sea Launch complex from Long Beach, California, to Russia’s Far East.

Satellite operator’s assets include spacecraft, global spectrum rights and ground stations.

OneWeb Satellites said March 30 it is temporarily furloughing an undisclosed number of employees at its Titusville, Florida, manufacturing facility, citing slowing supply chains and travel disruptions due to the spread of COVID-19.

Sensing supercooled icing; Russian electric testbed: deorbiting tether; digitalizing cabin; UPS drone delivery; Lilium eVTOL funding.