Space

Lt. Gen. John Shaw, senior U.S. Space Force officer at Space Command, says challenges will grow as vehicles become more complex and operate further from Earth.

Progress has been slow on Blue Origin's New Glenn orbital launch system under Bob Smith’s watch, with an expected 2024 debut coming four years behind schedule.

The Osiris-Rex sample canister with material gathered from the surface of the asteroid Bennu was flown on Sept. 25 from its landing site in the Utah desert to NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

The largest haul of extraterrestrial samples since Apollo 17 landed in Utah on Sept. 24 after being collected by the Osiris-REx spacecraft.

Satellite-based remote sensing startup Satellogic said Sept. 21 it will not launch any more satellites until at least the first quarter of 2024.

The current MSR mission cost estimate of $5.9 billion with a 2027 launch of the initial multiple mission elements will likely rise to $8-$11 billion.

Lockheed Martin says the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return spacecraft is healthy and on track for a pinpoint atmospheric Earth reentry over Utah on Sept. 24.

The agency plans to make a single award for a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle on April 18, 2024, a solicitation posted on NASA's procurement website shows.

The Spaceflight Framework Agreement was signed by Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign affairs and trade minister, and Mike Suffredini, Axiom Space’s CEO.

NASA’s $1.2 billion Psyche mission is being prepared for launch to explore a metal-rich, main belt asteroid.

Space Systems Command has awarded Astroscale U.S. a $25.5 million contract to deliver by 2026 a prototype spacecraft that can refuel other satellites in space.

For burst testing, a scaled LIFE inflatable habitat was filled with air until it ruptured as Sierra works to deploy a full-scale version to low Earth Orbit.

Frank Kendall discusses with Aviation Week the need to “reoptimize” the Air Force to acquire, plan and train better for potential near-term conflict.

Terran Orbital surprised investors Sept. 19 with the announcement of a new sale of company stock and warrants.

Rocket Lab is investigating the failure of an Electron rocket during a mission to deliver a radar-imaging satellite into low Earth orbit for Capella Space.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio will pass the one-year mark in space on Sept. 21. His return to Earth is set for Sept. 27.

The deal is a step toward Skyloom of Broomfield, Colorado, setting up a laser communication network based on SkyCompass-1.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Walther Pelzer, the director general of the German Space Agency, participated in a signing ceremony.

General Atomics has acquired EO Vista, a company that develops electro-optical sensors for satellites and aircraft.

Russia’s Soyuz MS-24 crew capsule autonomously docked to the International Space Station on Sept. 15.

NASA has reversed course and decided to release the name of the person assigned to oversee research into unidentified anomalous phenomena.

The rocket lifted off at 10:28 p.m. EDT/7:28 p.m. local time on Sept. 14.

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

NASA pledged to be transparent in its data, but it declined to identify the director to shield him or her from potential harassment.

Livermore, California-based Aalyria describes itself as a software-defined and optical networking communications pioneer.