Space

Jeff Bezos' fiancee and five other women lifted off aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard launch system on April 14 for a 10-min. ride to and from suborbital space.

SpaceWERX has awarded Outpost Technologies a $1.8 million contract to develop and test a subscale prototype of its deployable thermal protection system.

The U.S. Space Force’s Commercial Space Office is planning a launch-based version of its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve effort.

Bulgaria is using two nanosatellites to support surveillance efforts over the Black Sea, says a senior NATO official.

The Ascend Act seeks to codify NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition program to permanently provide shared access to commercial small-satellite data.

First Project Mercury space capsule is completed at McDonnell Aircraft Corp. St Louis, Missouri, and was ready to be delivered to National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Wallop's station, Virginia, we reported in the April 18, 1960 issue of Aviation Week.

The U.S. Space Force awarded seven of nine missions in its next series of high-priority national security missions to SpaceX.

The U.S. Space Force plans to award the next contract for new missile-tracking satellites in medium-Earth orbit about three months behind schedule.

Startup Umbra has received a Strategic Funding Increase contract from SpaceWERX to develop a synthetic aperture radar satellite that can tip-and-cue targets.

Moscow falls behind in the global space race as sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine thwart key projects and other nations invest more.

The Dragon capsule splashed down with its crew of four in the Pacific Ocean, ending a 3.5-day mission, as SpaceX shifts returns to the West Coast.

The U.S. Space Force is using many terms to describe a mission area where satellites can move in space and continue operating even under duress in a conflict.

The U.S. Space Force is readying a new international partner strategy amid a concerted push to better integrate its processes and operations with its allies.

Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s nominee to be NASA administrator, has stressed the importance of returning to the Moon with human explorers ahead of China.

The U.S. Air Force and Viasat have reached a tentative resolution in a months-long lawsuit concerning a SDA-related contract award, court documents show.

Space robotics startup Gitai has established a defense subsidiary aimed at winning contracts as a prime contractor from the U.S. Defense Department and NASA.

SpaceX is taking the lion’s share of the first missions assigned under the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 contract.

Astroscale U.S. plans to attempt two U.S. Space Force satellite refueling operations in geostationary orbit after its scheduled launch in the summer of 2026

Aspiring space station operator Vast says it has signed three international customers to fly payload facilities aboard its planned Haven-1 orbital outpost.

The U.S. and French militaries recently conducted a “first-ever” bilateral rendezvous and proximity operation in space, says the U.S. Space Command’s commander.

With the lease for its Washington headquarters expiring and a Trump administration directive to become more efficient, NASA is considering options.

U.S. Space Command is co-sponsoring a $20 million effort to build up U.S. on-orbit maneuvering capabilities, its commander, Gen. Stephen Whiting, says.

Russia’s Soyuz MS-27 launched to and docked with the International Space Station (ISS) early April 8.

Given price competition from SpaceX, ULA expected to emerge from the Space Force’s NSSL Phase 3 competition with a smaller mission percentage, the CEO says.

The Space Development Agency is now accepting proposals for its next batch of missile tracking satellites, to be launched in early 2029.