A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket delivered the 29th batch of Starlink satellites into orbit on May 26 as the company expanded beta trials of its high-speed internet service to Belgium and the Netherlands.
Questions surround NASA’s strategy for transitioning human activities in low Earth orbit from the aging International Space Station (ISS) to multiple commercial free flyers, with potential industry partners curious about the agency’s funding commitment.
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has opened a new $12.8 million facility focused on integrating space research and development programs at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.
CAPE CANAVERAL—The U.S. plans to spend $2.5 billion over the next 10 years on a fleet of five new spacecraft to improve monitoring of Earth’s changing climate, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on May 25.
Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the U.S. record for cumulative time spent in space, plans to return to orbit, this time as commander of a private mission to the International Space Station for Houston-based Axiom Space.
Fresh off new venture capital funding, small-rocket, mass-manufacturing startup Phantom Space is aiming to broaden its business model through the recent acquisition of StratSpace, a consultancy and developer of bespoke space systems and flight hardware.
NASA has issued a draft plan for the first phase of its Commercial LEO Destinations program, which seeks to spur the initial development of two to four commercial free flyers as successors to the International Space Station.
The rover rolled down the landing platform and started patrolling the surface on the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a 3,300-km-wide (2,051-mi.) plain in Mars’ northern hemisphere.
NASA’s major programs face mounting cost and schedule challenges, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s latest annual assessment for Congress.
With blessings from the U.S. Space Force, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is shifting the first national security space launch (NSSL) mission planned for a Vulcan Centaur rocket onto an Atlas V, buying time to complete two non-NSSL launches which are needed to certify the new booster for military missions.
Looking ahead to the need to build bases on the Moon and Mars, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has conducted experiments with the remote control and automated operation of construction equipment.
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei could remain aboard the International Space Station long enough to set a new record for a single U.S. spaceflight, a NASA official says.
Aerojet Rocketdyne has agreed to pay a $37,008 fine to the U.S. government and worked to significantly change its hiring practices to include lawful permanent residents at U.S. sites.
The European Space Agency has selected two consortia to define an infrastructure to provide commercial communication and navigation services for lunar exploration.
Potential issues with the WhiteKnightTwo carrier jet for Virgin Galactic’s air-launched SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane have been resolved, clearing the way for the company to resume flight tests as early as May 22, pending weather and technical checks.
Bidders vying for a seat on Blue Origin’s first crewed suborbital spaceflight pushed the price to $2.6 million on May 19, the first day of a public online auction, with proceeds to benefit the company’s charitable foundation.
The Australian Department of Defense has confirmed that it will set up a space division under the ambit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) by early 2022.
After a test run on the International Space Station, Orbit Fab plans to launch a free-flying fuel-depot demonstration mission in June to push development of satellite-refueling and in-orbit service technologies.
