Milestones line up for Commercial Crew contenders as tests continue

Boeing satellite engineers continue preparing the first Inmarsat-5 mobile broadband satellite for launch on a Russian Proton before the end of the year, after the spacecraft made it through thermal-vacuum testing without a hitch. The 702HP-based satellite and two more are designed for Inmarsat's Global Xpress network of broadband links for mobile users on land, sea and in the air.

Controllers are preparing another Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-3) spacecraft for operation after an early morning launch Sept. 18 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V flying from Cape Canaveral. Liftoff came at 4:10 a.m. EDT; Lockheed Martin Space Systems—builder of the satellite—acquired its signal 51 min. later.

SpaceX Dragon modifications bump NASA cargo mission to February

NASA and SLS partners pull out the stops to reduce costs

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) has run into some heavy political flack on Capitol Hill, but inside the agency there is a clear understanding that it can be the nucleus of a lot of advanced-technology developments needed for expansion of human spaceflight into the Solar System, regardless of the objective.

Orbital Sciences sees market beyond taking cargo to the space station

Finding funds for space startups has always been difficult. Investors all know the old joke that the best way to make a small fortune in space is to start with a large one. Several billionaires have ignored that warning to put their money on the line for commercial space developments. But for most space engineers with a great idea, getting beyond CAD (computer-aided design) is a scramble for money that can suck personal savings dry, pester government funders and angel investors to death, and hammer the crowd-sourcing web servers to the point of meltdown.