Space

With funding from an NTT Docomo-led consortium, Aalto is moving more quickly into production of the solar-powered stratospheric aircraft.

Los Angeles-based satellite manufacturer Apex has raised $95 million in a Series B fundraising round led by XYZ Venture Capital.

Rocket Lab has signed a preliminary memorandum of terms with the Department of Commerce for up to $23.9 million in funding from the CHIPS and Science Act.

Private space station developer Vast Space has signed a cargo services agreement with The Exploration Co. of Munich.

Singapore is getting into the booming low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite game as it tries to build out its space credentials.

Kepler Communications says it has used optical inter-satellite links to transfer data between two systems in low-Earth orbit.

Users of iPhone 14 and newer models will be able to send and receive text messages via a satellite connection, Apple announced at its developer conference.

Aegis Aerospace anticipates its new Easy-to-Use Payload Interoperable Integration Carrier (EPIIC) will be available for purchase and flight by late 2025.

Stoke Space has completed a critical first hot-fire test of its full flow staged combustion (FFSC) engine at its test site in Moses Lake, Washington.

Ariane 6 will undergo a wet dress rehearsal at Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on June 18.

The successful demonstration positions SpaceX for a quick turnaround for Integrated Flight Test 5.

Out of 48 proposals for less-expensive, faster options for returning samples from Mars, NASA selected seven ideas from companies for 90-day study contracts.

Launched June 5, Starliner docked to the ISS a day later.

SES Space & Defense has demonstrated multi-band, medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) to low-Earth-orbit (LEO) radio relay technology.

The UAE’s flagship satellite company Yahsat announced today it has contracted Airbus Defence and Space for its new geostationary telecommunications satellites, Al Yah 4 (“AY4”) and Al Yah 5 (“AY5”).

Airbus has secured an order from Al Yah Satellite Communications Co. for two more geostationary satcoms and a commitment to work on a LEO system.

Former NASA astronaut Bill Anders, who was the first to photograph the Earth in color from space while serving on NASA's Apollo 8 mission, died June 7 in a plane crash.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity flew into suborbital space and back on June 8, bringing an end to the company’s commercial flight services until its Delta-class spacecraft debuts.

The agreement will also look at ways European companies can supply subsystems and equipment for future space stations.

Kineis, a startup company aiming to offer IoT services with a 25-satellite constellation, is planning to launch its first five spacecraft on June 18.

NASA has deviated from its planned “hands off” strategy” with its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, the audit said.

Since its founding in 2019, Space Pioneer has raised more than $552.1 million over 15 financing rounds.

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner with two NASA astronauts managed a delayed docking to the International Space Station on June 6.

Slingshot Aerospace has developed an artificial intelligence program to find adversary spacecraft hiding among satellite constellations.

Isar Aerospace was founded in 2018 as a spinoff of Technical University Munich.