ArianeGroup is gearing up for the hot-fire testing campaign of the first complete Ariane 6 upper stage, after it left the assembly and functional evaluation facility in Bremen, Germany.
Joining former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Israeli entrepreneur Eytan Stibbe on the first privately financed U.S. mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will be real estate and technology investor Larry Connor of Ohio and Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Pathy, Axiom Space said on Jan. 26.
Satellite operator Inmarsat announced on Jan. 25 that it will provide satellite communications for a UK government initiative to create a zero-carbon emissions regional air transportation network.
As Virgin Orbit gears up for the start of operational missions following its successful Jan. 17 demonstration flight, the California-based space company has revealed it has been selected to launch the first military satellite for the Netherlands.
NASA and Boeing are now targeting March 25 for the launch of an uncrewed CST-100 Starliner on the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) to the International Space Station—four days earlier than previously planned.
The European Commission is to order the first 12 satellites for the second generation of the Galileo navigation constellation from Airbus and Thales Alenia Space.
SpaceX kicked off what is expected to be a pivotal year for its fledging internet-via-satellite service with the delivery of 60 more spacecraft into orbit on Jan. 20, as public beta trials expand to the UK.
NASA needs to strategically reassess risk as it enlists commercial and international partners in its deep-space ambitions, according to the agency’s independent Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.
Japan’s SoftBank has re-invested in OneWeb, the satellite communications company that was sent into Chapter 11 nine months ago after the Tokyo-based holding company withdrew its support.
Airbus says it has completed the Preliminary Design Review on the UK’s new Skynet 6A military communications satellite. The review occurred in November and was completed virtually due to the restrictions in place because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Airbus announced Jan. 14.
Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for NASA’s deep-space crewed Orion spacecraft, has completed assembly and testing of the capsule earmarked for a flight test in November and transferred possession to NASA.
Blue Origin credits a team of experienced industry partners with its success so far as a competitor to build NASA’s lunar Human Landing System to shuttle future astronauts between lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface.
Blue Origin tested an upgraded New Shepard suborbital launch system on Jan. 14, sending the uncrewed, six-passenger capsule to an altitude of 347,568 ft. before it made a parachute return to the West Texas desert.
Publicly traded space-related stocks received a proverbial booster shot this week when a popular investment manager unveiled a new electronically traded fund focusing on space.
