Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
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.
Commercial Space

By Guy Norris
Smallsat contracts firm up after Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne deploys first payloads in ‘picture-perfect’ demo polar orbit test mission.
Commercial Space

By Thierry Dubois
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.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
Private equity-backed space rollup Redwire has acquired spacecraft design and engineering specialist Oakman Aerospace of Littleton, Colorado.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
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.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
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.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz, Mark Carreau
Boeing has completed a review and verification of 1 million lines of software for the upcoming reflight of an uncrewed CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
Plans for a satellite launch site in the Shetland Islands have been submitted to the local authorities for planning permission.
Commercial Space

By Thierry Dubois
With a major budget increase and a launcher strategy being defined, the EU’s space ambitions begin to crystallize.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Reducing aircraft NOx; Automotive radar for eVTOLs; Satellite inspection in space; and NASA picks university projects.
Emerging Technologies

By Guy Norris
The LauncherOne rocket reached space for the first time on Jan. 17, carrying 10 small satellites to orbit.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a European contract to prepare for an in-orbit demonstration of spacecraft servicing.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
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.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
Under Trump, NASA expanded business, international partnerships.
Space

By Tony Osborne
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.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
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.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
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.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
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.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
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.
Space

By Mark Carreau
SpaceX’s latest Dragon International Space Station resupply mission concluded late Jan. 13 with the first splashdown off the U.S. East Coast, delivering a 4,400-lb. cargo rich in time-sensitive scientific research.
Space

By Michael Bruno
An Italian startup focused on the rapidly growing ground-segment-as-a-service market, Leaf Space, has raised €10 million ($12.15 million) in a Series A venture capital round, the company announced Jan. 13.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
An $88 million project backed by the Jeff Bezos Earth Fund has selected SpaceX to launch a nonprofit’s methane-tracking satellite in October 2022.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
Intuitive Machines has for a second time selected SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for the launch of a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services mission lander to the Moon.
Commercial Space

By Thierry Dubois
Exotrail has conducted an in-orbit demonstration of its miniaturized electric thruster, paving the way for the propulsion of nanosatellites.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
After a one-day weather delay, SpaceX’s upgraded Dragon resupply capsule departed the International Space Station early Jan. 12 for a first-ever commercial atmospheric re-entry and parachute descent off the Florida coast with a 4,400-lb. scientific and equipment return payload.
Commercial Space