Space

By Michael Bruno
Amazon said Nov. 1 it will launch the KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 prototype satellites for its low Earth orbit-based broadband offering via two ABL Space Systems RS1 rockets from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in a year.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz, Maksim Pyadushkin
Interest in reusable rockets revived by SpaceX’s success.
Space

By Mark Carreau
Launched late Oct. 27 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan atop a Soyuz 2a.1 rocket, the MS-18 freighter—designated Progress 79 by NASA—docked to the ISS on Oct. 29 at 9:31 p.m. EDT.
Space

By Mark Carreau
The planned SpaceX Crew-3 Dragon launch of four U.S. and European astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed to early Nov. 3 from Oct. 31 due to predicted rough winds and sea conditions along the flight corridor off the U.S. East Coast.
Space

By Paul Seidenman, David Spanovich
How low-Earth-orbit satellites will impact inflight entertainment.
Interiors & Connectivity

By Mark Carreau
NASA and Russian’s space agency are about a year away from implementing a flight crew swap agreement, Kathy Lueders, the agency’s associate administrator for space operations, told an Oct. 29 Crew-3 preflight news briefing.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Swedish Space Corp. has partnered with Bradford Space to offer a commercial orbital-debris-removal service beginning in 2024.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
Small-satellite startup Terran Orbital, backed by Lockheed Martin and others, plans to become a publicly traded company after a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, the companies announced late Oct. 28.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
As NASA’s Commercial Crew initiative matures, it is accelerating the turnaround of timely science experiments and technology development related to the future human exploration of the Moon and Mars, researchers say.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Small-satellite startup Terran Orbital, backed by Lockheed Martin and others, plans to become a publicly traded company after a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, the companies announced late Oct. 28.
Space

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed an MoU with Airbus Defence and Space to collaborate on the Emirates Lunar Mission.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The Space Development Agency has rescinded its request for proposals for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer and reissued the solicitation on Oct. 28 under Other Transaction Authorities in an attempt to avoid a perception that the competition was limited.
Space

By Brian Everstine
As the Pentagon’s No. 2 military officer prepares to retire next month following decades of service, including leading key strategic and space commands, Gen. John Hyten’s biggest regret is how vulnerable the nation’s defense satellite system is to attack.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Maksim Pyadushkin
Roscosmos’ commercial arm, Glavkosmos, has made its first direct sales for tourist flights on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
A Northrop Grumman census is now tracking 164 small-satellite launch programs, although 46 of the projects are effectively defunct and the status of nine others is unknown.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
Russia’s MS-18 Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station was on course for a late Oct. 29 docking with a nearly 3-ton cargo of food, water, crew supplies and propellant following a successful launch from Kazakhstan.
Space

By Irene Klotz, Maksim Pyadushkin
Russia plans to spend about $1 billion to develop and flight test a partly reusable, methane-powered orbital launch vehicle known as Amur SPG (“liquid natural gas” in Russian) with a first stage designed to return to its launch site.
Space

By P. Barry Butler
Universities, in partnership with industry and government, must ensure a highly trained commercial space workforce is ready for blastoff.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
The planned launch of the NASA-contracted SpaceX Crew-3 Dragon mission to the International Space Station promises to boost from nine to 11 the number of astronauts with spaceflight experience named to the agency’s Artemis Team.
Space

By Steve Trimble
A new satellite launched by China on Oct. 24 will be used mostly for testing an unspecified space debris mitigation technology, state-owned news media and government agencies say.
Space

By Mark Carreau
The four Crew-3 astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center as scheduled Oct. 26, expressing confidence an assessment of a toilet issue aboard their SpaceX Crew-3 Dragon Endurance and the Crew-2 Dragon Endeavour currently docked to the International Space Station (ISS) will be resolved in time to support their planned liftoff.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA and SpaceX this week will focus on closing out an assessment of changes made to the toilet aboard the Crew-3 Dragon spacecraft prior to its scheduled Oct. 31 launch to the International Space Station.
Space

By Chen Chuanren
Japan successfully launched the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA rocket on the morning of Oct. 26 local time from the Tanegashima Space Center.
Space

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Airbus Defence and Space have selected the winner of their joint opportunity for a free one year mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Space

By Irene Klotz
A team of heritage and new space companies headed by Blue Origin and Sierra Space plan to build, launch and operate an International Space Station-class commercial outpost in low Earth orbit that can be tailored and expanded to accommodate a broad array of scientific, technological, business, entertainment and other pursuits.
Commercial Space