NASA has joined with crowdsourcing network HeroX to seek a strategy for the elimination of lunar astronauts’ bodily wastes under its “Lunar Loo Challenge.”

Pleased so far with the performance of SpaceX’s Demo-2 test flight to the International Space Station, NASA is planning a series of four and possibly six spacewalks by its two veteran astronaut test pilots before returning to Earth, potentially in early August.

California-based Relativity Space, which is developing a 3D-printed small satellite launcher, has signed a contract with Iridium to launch up to six of its Iridium Next ground spares, the companies announced June 24.

Redwire, a venture capital-backed family of space technology companies, has added Florida-based Made In Space to its portfolio, the companies announced June 23.

The Space Development Agency must submit a detailed plan to use commercial satellites as a service in the future National Defense Space Architecture, a panel of lawmakers say. 

Under a Space Act Agreement with NASA, space company Virgin Galactic is to develop a training program for private astronaut missions to the International Space Station.

Startup Space Perspective is looking to early 2021 to begin test flights of a high-altitude balloon with a pressurized capsule from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), with an eye toward carrying commercial passengers and research payloads.

Chinese scientists have taken a large step toward a theoretically secure communication technology, demonstrating quantum key distribution (QKD) between ground stations via a satellite.