Space

China has launched a record 22 satellites into orbit following the liftoff of a Long March CZ-8Y2 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Feb. 27.

North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile on Feb. 27, which Pyongyang claims was testing equipment for a “reconnaissance satellite.”

ARPA-E funds electric; DLR opens Winglab; River rescue drone; Northrop’s Digital Shadow; Heavylift cargo UAV; Astroscale restarts demo.

Techniques developed to repair Hubble have been repurposed to shape Webb telescope’s primary mirror.

Roscosmos will suspend launches of Soyuz rockets from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana in response to European Union sanctions on Russia, the CEO of the Russian space corporation Dmitry Rogozin said Feb. 26.

Set for launch March 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T promises to help forecasters and scientists monitor and warn of weather and climate concerns on a wider scale and a faster pace, including those linked to wild fires, hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, and solar storms.

The Australian government is putting aside around A$65 million ($47 million) to develop three “spaceports” around the country and to buy slots on space missions to ensure Australia’s space sector can deploy and test its systems in space.

AE Industrial Partners, a U.S. private equity firm active in aerospace and defense, said Feb. 24 that it had struck deal to buy a “significant” stake in embattled rocket startup Firefly Aerospace from investment group Noosphere Venture Partners.

NASA is aiming to roll out its first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Launch Complex 39B on March 17 for a key tanking test ahead of launch no sooner than late May on the Artemis I mission.

Rocket Lab will provide 17 spacecraft buses for a new low Earth orbit satellite constellation owned and operated by Globalstar.

Rocket Lab plans to begin operations from a second launchpad in New Zealand as early Feb. 28, the company said Feb. 23.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $341 million contract to develop, test and deliver a new Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability for enhanced space situational awareness.

NASA and its HeroX crowdsource partner are proceeding with the second phase of a multiyear competition seeking innovative engineering concepts for the integration of electrical power transmission and energy storage in support of the agency’s Artemis initiative.

Looking down is looking up: Satellite-based Earth observation sees growing revenue, investor, technology and startup prospects.

Northrop Grumman is taking the next step in its space servicing business, SpaceLogistics, with the sale of its first Mission Extension Pod and a launch agreement with SpaceX for a Mission Robotic Vehicle.

Northrop Grumman’s 17th NASA-contracted resupply capsule rendezvoused with the International Space Station early Feb. 21.

Working on behalf of NASA, crowdsourcing veterans HeroX and DrivenData have announced a new competition, “Mars Spectrometry: Detect Evidence for Past Life.”

Northrop Grumman’s 17th NASA-contracted Cygnus resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is set for a Feb. 19 launch from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, to deliver 8,300 lb. of cargo and perform the first station orbit-boosting to use U.S. hardware.

Astroscale has resumed its ELSA-d mission to demonstrate active debris removal in low Earth orbit.

Space tourist company Virgin Galactic, whose stock price has been on a proverbial roller coaster in recent months, said Feb. 18 that Chamath Palihapitiya is no longer chairman of the board or even a member.

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

Blue Origin plans to introduce a second New Shepard capsule and booster for passenger flights from West Texas this year, CEO Bob Smith said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking information from satellite tracking companies about data products and services they could provide to support a repository of satellite information.

Max Polyakov, a Ukrainian co-founder of launch company Firefly Aerospace, said he handed off his majority stake in the startup to co-founder and CEO Tom Markusik under pressure from U.S. officials.

Russia’s MS-19 Progress resupply capsule successfully docked with the seven-person International Space Station early Feb. 17, completing the delivery of a nearly 3-ton cargo, including food, water, propellant and other supplies and research equipment.