Space

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

Data from 363 prior missions was key for the speedy return to flight.

But how to return the Perseverance collection to Earth remains to be determined.

Suborbital space tourism company Virgin Galactic has revealed new details of its long-term business model.

If Starliner’s return is uncrewed, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams would remain aboard the International Space Station (ISS) until February.

The SDA’s Warfighter Integration Cell conducted a series of Link-16 tests over a two-day period.

L3 Harris has signed a contract for up to 20 launches aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket.

Impulse Space has debuted a space tug program to carry satellites to geostationary orbit.

Axiom Space co-founder Mike Suffredini will transition from CEO to long-term member of the company's six-person board of directors and advisor for "personal reasons."

NASA will postpone the launch of its next crew to the ISS to allow more time to review the ongoing Boeing CST-100 Starliner mission at the orbital outpost.

Outfitted with both ultraviolet and short-wave infrared telescopes, Deep Purple is one of two instruments comprising NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator, targeted to launch mid-August.

The Space Systems Command’s System Engineering Review Board recommended the fueling port.

The concept of missile defeat involves two elements, according to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

The resupply capsule contains materials for scientific investigations into the bio-manufacturing of human organs in space for human transplant on Earth, among other experiments.

The Small Satellite Conference (SmallSat) will move to the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City beginning next year.

Water-based thruster specialist Pale Blue plans to demonstrate an ion thruster in early 2025.

The mission is set to deliver an 8,200-lb. cargo of scientific research and technology activities.

Overseeing the two-week Axiom-4 mission will be former NASA veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson.

Muon Space, an end-to-end space systems provider, has raised $56.7 million in a Series B funding round.

The joint services will become available after 2025.

Technical problems have delayed Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo ship from executing the maneuvering burns that will allow it to dock with the ISS.

With the predicted approach of a tropical storm this weekend, NASA and SpaceX could be challenged to launch the 21st Cygnus resupply mission to the ISS.

The Crew Flight Test of the Boeing-built CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has marked its eighth week docked at the International Space Station.

NASA must document efforts to address the greater-than-planned mass of the first two modules for its lunar-orbiting human-tended Gateway, says GAO auditors.

The Pentagon is exploring using commercial launch vehicles for point-to-point delivery by the 2030s.