PARIS — Astrium, the space division of EADS, will begin development of Europe’s first digital military ultrafast broadband satellite communications network under a roughly €40 million ($52 million) contract awarded by French defense procurement agency DGA.

Government gridlock and myopic Wall Street horizons are hindering development of a new economic sector in low Earth orbit, because both make private financing for commercial space ventures hard to find, according to a panel of space-finance experts speaking in Washington this week.

Simulator passed eighth in a series of airborne drop tests

HOUSTON — Recent NASA contracts awarded through the agency’s Johnson Space Center worth a potential $2 billion will equip the Orion program with an integration support contractor, while providing wider engineering, scientific and technical support through the Houston field center for the International Space Station (ISS), Orion, commercial crew/cargo initiatives and Mars science projects.

ILS says 'adverse conditions' caused damage to main engine turbo pump

U.S. Air Force officials will have to abandon round-the-clock missile warning and space situational awareness operations if the proposed round of deep sequestration cuts take effect next month, according to Gen. William Shelton, Air Force Space Command chief. Shelton says that he would be forced to “reduce some missile warning and space surveillance 24/7 hour operations to 8/7 hour operations” if the cuts take effect.

Russian cargo capsule carried out flawless accelerated docking

Azerbaijan launched its first satellite Feb. 7 atop an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from Europe’s equatorial spaceport in French Guiana. Built by Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences Corp. for Azerbaijan satellite operator Azercosmos, the Azerspace/Africasat-1a spacecraft carries 24 C-band transponders and 12 Ku-band transponders to deliver communications coverage to Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Europe and Africa.