SpaceX moves Starship to launch site, and liftoff could be just days away
Arstechnica | 2023-04-01 20:50:02
No fooling—Starship rolled back to the launch pad on April 1.
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EGS Integration Console engineers review Artemis I campaign
NASASpaceflight | 2023-04-01 16:08:58
The NASA Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program is continuing to review the experiences from the Artemis I launch campaign as teams plan and prepare for Artemis II in a couple of years. History suggested there would be a long ground campaign to the Space Launch System’s (SLS) first liftoff, and a series of issues — primarily with fueling the SLS Core Stage — kept Artemis I on the ground through most of 2022.
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New Mars Map Created By NYUAD Scientists From UAE Mars Orbiter Photos
The Launch Pad | 2023-04-01 01:21:00
A group of NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) research scientists have created an unprecedented map of Mars using images exclusively created from the Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI) onboard the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) probe, also known as Hope or Al-Amal.
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China Preparing To Launch Mega Satellite Constellation This Year
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-31 23:15:00
China is preparing to launch the first satellites for "Guowang" its national Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband megaconstellation.
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NASA Reveals New Mars Robotic Exploration Strategy
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-31 22:54:00
NASA has revealed a draft strategy for long-term robotic exploration of Mars that emphasizes low-cost missions and potential commercial partnerships.
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Astra Loses $36M Last Quarter, Sets Target For First Rocket 4 Launch
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-31 22:49:00
Astra announced during their quarterly call on March 30, that they are planning to conduct the first launch of Rocket 4 by the end of the year.
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AST SpaceMobile discloses further satellite delays and cost increases
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 21:53:26
The launch of the first commercial satellites in AST SpaceMobile’s cellphone-compatible broadband constellation has slipped into 2024, the company said March 31 as it disclosed rising costs for developing the network.
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Virgin Orbit collapsed despite a billionaire’s backing and an intriguing plan. Here’s what happened
CNBC | 2023-03-31 19:20:41
Not too long ago, Virgin Orbit was in rarified air among U.S. rocket builders, and executives were in New York celebrating its public stock debut.
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NASA's Perseverance Collects First Mars Sample of New Science Campaign
NASA | 2023-03-31 18:34:00
The rover continues its hunt for rocks worthy of bringing to Earth for further study.
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Astrolab Signs Starship Launch Agreement For FLEX Rover Mission
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-31 15:30:00
Astrolab has signed an agreement with SpaceX to transport Astrolab’s FLEX rover on an upcoming mission to the Moon using SpaceX's Starship as early as 2026.
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NASA Updates Media on Next Private Astronaut Mission to Space Station
NASA | 2023-03-31 15:13:00
NASA experts will join a virtual press conference hosted by Axiom Space at 12 p.m. EDT Thursday, April 6, to preview the launch of Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-2 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is targeted for early May from Launch Complex 39A at
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Unusual Uranus! Moist Moon! Volcanic Venus!
Planetary Society | 2023-03-31 14:34:06
A planet shows its pole, another shows possible volcanic activity, and the Moon keeps surprising us with more water.
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NASA to Host Media Call on Upcoming Air Quality Satellite Launch
NASA | 2023-03-31 14:23:00
Media are invited to a NASA media teleconference 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 5, to discuss the upcoming launch of the first space-based instrument to observe major air pollutants across North America every hour during the daytime.
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Astrolab to send rover to the moon on SpaceX’s Starship
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 14:22:16
Lunar rover developer Astrolab has signed an agreement with SpaceX to transport its first rover to the moon on a future Starship flight.
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South Korea sets record space budget to bolster industry, develop new rocket
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 12:28:34
South Korea will spend 874.2 billion won ($674 million) on space programs this year to expand its domestic space industry, develop a next-generation launch vehicle, and bolster space defense capabilities. It is a 19.5 percent increase from the previous year, and the most South Korea has ever budgeted for space.
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Astra says Rocket 4 development on schedule for late 2023 first flight
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 12:09:06
Astra is still planning to conduct a first launch of its Rocket 4 vehicle before the end of the year as it scales up production of spacecraft electric propulsion systems.
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Momentus successfully test-fires thruster on Vigoride-5
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 11:07:35
n-space transportation company Momentus announced March 31 it has successfully started tests of the propulsion system on its Vigoride tug launched earlier this year.
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Rocket Report: ULA Centaur stage has an ‘anomaly,’ Virgin Orbit funding is dire
Arstechnica | 2023-03-31 11:00:43
"This is why we thoroughly & rigorously exercise every possible condition on the ground."
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China launches 4 InSAR satellites and new Yaogan reconnaissance sat
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 10:43:23
China conducted a pair of launches across Thursday and Friday, sending interferometric synthetic aperture radar and reconnaissance satellites in orbit.
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Space official calls for China to seize crucial opportunity to establish lunar infrastructure
SpaceNews | 2023-03-31 09:22:43
A top Chinese space official has called for the country to speed up its plans to develop lunar infrastructure or miss out on a never-to-be-repeated opportunity.
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Virgin Orbit lays off most employees
SpaceNews | 2023-03-30 22:48:21
Virgin Orbit announced late March 30 it was laying off the vast majority of its employees after failing to raise additional funding, putting the launch company’s future in jeopardy.
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BREAKING! Virgin Orbit To Cease Operations, Lay Off 90% After Funding Failure
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-30 21:22:00
Virgin Orbit has informed its employees that the company will be ceasing operations "for the foreseeable future".
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Virgin Orbit fails to secure funding, will cease operations and lay off nearly entire workforce
CNBC | 2023-03-30 21:08:02
Virgin Orbit is ceasing operations “for the foreseeable future” after failing to secure a funding lifeline, CEO Dan Hart told employees during an all-hands meeting on Thursday afternoon, and will layoff nearly all of its workforce.
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Maxar eyes military customers for satellite images of objects in space
SpaceNews | 2023-03-30 20:54:20
Maxar, an Earth imaging company, is looking to build a new business imaging objects in space.
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Telesat still bullish on Lightspeed despite funding uncertainty
SpaceNews | 2023-03-30 20:23:32
Telesat remains committed to developing its Lightspeed low Earth orbit broadband constellation despite ongoing delays to cover the project’s rising costs, CEO Dan Goldberg said March 29.
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NASA Announces Moon To Mars Program Office
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-30 16:53:00
NASA has announced the establishment of the Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC.
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New Program Office Leads NASA’s Path Forward for Moon, Mars
NASA | 2023-03-30 16:53:00
NASA has established the new Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington to carry out the agency’s human exploration activities at the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity. Amit Kshatriya will serve as the agency’s first head of the office, effective immediately.
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BREAKING! Astronomers Discover Two Closest Black Holes to Earth
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-30 16:24:00
Astronomers have made an exciting discovery using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. They have found not one, but two black holes that are the closest to Earth ever discovered.
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Investing in Space: Boeing’s got to get going
CNBC | 2023-03-30 15:52:29
“Boeing pushed back the flight schedule of its Starliner capsule by several months, the company said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday.”
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Chinese defense contractor to begin launching VLEO satellites
SpaceNews | 2023-03-30 12:23:44
A major Chinese state-owned defense contractor is preparing to launch the first satellite for a very low Earth orbit constellation.
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SpaceX aborts launch with initial satellites for Space Development Agency
NASASpaceflight | 2023-03-30 12:01:56
SpaceX is now scheduled to launch a batch of 10 communications and missile tracking satellites on the Tranche 0 Flight 1 mission for the Space Development Agency (SDA) on Friday, March 31, 2023, at approximately 7:29 AM PDT (14:29 UTC). A first attempt on Thursday was aborted at T-3 seconds.
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NASA releases draft strategy for long-term robotic Mars exploration
SpaceNews | 2023-03-30 11:36:54
NASA has unveiled a draft strategy for long-term robotic exploration of Mars that emphasizes low-cost missions and potential commercial partnerships.
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Vulcan Experiences Anomaly During Test, Maiden Flight Delayed
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-30 02:53:00
ULA has experienced an anomaly during testing of a Vulcan Centaur 2nd stage, and an investigation is underway.
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Isar Aerospace Raises $165 Million Ahead Of First Launch
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-30 00:24:00
Isar Aerospace has raised $165 million in a Series C funding round to scale up production of its Spectrum rocket
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Starliner crewed test flight delayed to July
SpaceNews | 2023-03-29 23:32:52
NASA and Boeing have pushed back the first crewed launch of the company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft with astronauts on board until at least late July because of certification paperwork that has taken longer than expected to complete.
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Rosotics unveils 3D printer for rocket tanks and fairings
SpaceNews | 2023-03-29 23:23:29
Rosotics developed a new type of 3D printer to reduce the cost and power required to manufacture rocket tanks, fairings and other large aerospace structures.
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US Space Development Agency Ready To Launch First Satellites
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-29 23:22:00
The Space Development Agency (SDA), a Pentagon initiative created in 2019 to accelerate the use of commercial space technology, is set to launch its first fleet of 10 satellites on March 30th.
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Military space agency created to go fast is about to launch its first satellites
SpaceNews | 2023-03-29 22:18:44
The Space Development Agency, formed inside the Pentagon in 2019 to help accelerate the use of commercial space technology, is preparing to launch on March 30 its inaugural fleet of 10 satellites.
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NASA delays flight of Boeing’s Starliner again, this time for parachutes
Arstechnica | 2023-03-29 21:39:46
"It's just a matter of going through all that data."
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Satellite imagery venture Planet reports record quarterly revenue to cap strong year
CNBC | 2023-03-29 20:44:06
Planet on Wednesday delivered another record quarter of revenue, nearing the top end of its full-year revenue forecast.
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Planet acquires Slovenian startup Sinergise
SpaceNews | 2023-03-29 20:11:00
Planet announced plans March 29 to acquire Sinergise Labs, a Slovenian startup known for making Earth-observation data accessible through cloud-based APIs.
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NASA Awards Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center Contract
NASA | 2023-03-29 20:03:00
NASA has awarded a contract to the University of Colorado-Boulder, for the management and operations of the Snow and Ice Distributed Active Archive Center, part of NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System.
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DEVELOPING STORY: 1 Firefighter Dead, 3 Injured at French Guiana Space Center
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-29 19:34:00
A Paris firefighter has died while working as part of the protection mission of the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
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NASA Updates Psyche Mission Plan
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-29 19:03:00
After a one-year delay to complete critical testing, NASA's Psyche mission has been updated as the spacecraft is prepared for launch to explore a metal-rich asteroid.
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Lockheed Martin To Build Lunar Communications And Navigation Network
The Launch Pad | 2023-03-29 17:22:00
Lockheed Martin will offer a service consisting of a network of satellites located in lunar orbit that will provide communication and navigation services support to spacecrafts on or around the moon.
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Starlink Group 5-10 prepares for launch, pending weather
NASASpaceflight | 2023-03-29 16:28:24
Falcon 9 B1077-4 is being prepared to launch 56 Starlink v1.5 satellites into low Earth orbit on Wednesday, March 29 at 4:01 PM EDT (20:01 UTC), from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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SES confirms Intelsat merger talks
SpaceNews | 2023-03-29 14:38:30
SES confirmed March 29 it is in talks about potentially merging with rival satellite operator Intelsat.
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NASA Receives Top Honor of Best Place to Work in Federal Government
NASA | 2023-03-29 13:45:00
NASA is taking home the honor of the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government among large agencies for 11 years in a row, as ranked by the Partnership for Public Service.
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Space infrastructure company Redwire trims quarterly losses, builds order backlog
CNBC | 2023-03-29 13:42:40
Space infrastructure company Redwire reported fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, saying it further trimmed its losses and built its order backlog.
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Israel launches Ofek spy satellite
SpaceNews | 2023-03-29 13:24:38
Israel launched the latest in a series of Ofek reconnaissance satellites March 28 on the country’s Shavit rocket.
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