Kymeta uses metamaterial technology in new ultra-thin satellite broadband receiver

Some lawmakers are leery of NASA 's asteroid mission plans

After a decade of multibillion-dollar cost overruns and delays in delivering satellites, it seems the U.S. Air Force can claim that it has finally averted a potential disaster—at least for now—on its next big satellite program.

Wallops Island facility hopes to be new springboard for space ventures

Boeing is developing a family of small satellites—from 4-1,000 kg (8.8-2,204 lb.) in size—to whet the growing appetites of commercial and government customers interested in lower-cost space platforms. This small satellite market, potentially worth billions in the next 10 years, is “coming of age,” says Alex Lopez, vice president of advanced network and space systems at Boeing. The company has yet to get a committed customer.

As Jean-Yves Le Gall takes the helm at French space agency CNES this month, he leaves behind a 12-year tenure as head of European launch consortium Arianespace, a legacy that began shortly before the 2002 failure of an Ariane 5 rocket left the launch vehicle's future in doubt. Since then, Ariane 5 has launched 54 consecutive times without failure from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, a track record unrivaled by U.S. rockets and one that has allowed Arianespace to capture more than half the world's commercial launch market today.