Space

By Lee Hudson
The U.S. Space Force is studying whether it should develop a tactical intelligence satellite, a mission that is usually executed by the intelligence community.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Sat-based 5G Service Startup Omnispace Lands $60M In VC Omnispace, a Washington, D.C.-area startup aiming to provide satellite-based 5G connectivity for the Internet of Things market, announced a $60 million venture capital round and looks to enter service by the end of 2022.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
Psyche, the first-ever mission developed to explore a planetary body made of metal rather than ice or rocky material, has cleared a key NASA review milestone.
Space

By Irene Klotz
An investigation has been launched into the mid-afternoon crash landing of a SpaceX Starship prototype in Boca Chica Beach, Texas.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Fresh off finally achieving a successful test launch and aiming for daily launches of small satellites, Astra will become a publicly traded company after a takeover by a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) backed by veteran telecommunications entrepreneur Craig McCaw.
Space

By Irene Klotz
Steppingstones approach to hunt for life on Mars nears the home stretch.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Jeff Bezos, one of the richest people ever and founder of the category-killing online business Amazon, said he will hand over the CEO title to Andy Jasse and become executive chairman of the business behemoth.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
After a spat with the FAA over an incomplete safety assessment prior to a previous Starship test, SpaceX launched another Starship upper-stage prototype from Boca Chica Beach, Texas, on Feb. 2, reaching an altitude of 32,800 ft. (10 km) and demonstrating flight control during subsonic re-entry before the vehicle crashed at landing.
Commercial Space

By Thierry Dubois
The European Space Agency has awarded a contract to Airbus for the construction of three more European Service Modules (ESM) for the Orion spacecraft that will carry crews to the cislunar Gateway station and the Moon as part of the NASA-led Artemis international program.
Space

By Tony Osborne
A former Royal Air Force fighter pilot has been appointed commander of the UK’s new Space Command.
Space

By Graham Warwick
NASA is preparing for the in-orbit demonstration of a propulsion system for small satellites that combines the safety of using water as the propellant with the performance of a chemical rocket.
Space

By Irene Klotz
The founder and CEO of e-commerce platform Shift4 Payments is chartering a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight for himself and three passengers, part of a fundraiser and public outreach for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a business opportunity for a Shift4 entrepreneur.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover on Feb. 1 completed the final task in a multiyear swap out of the International Space Station’s solar power system batteries.
Space

By Irene Klotz
Virgin Galactic is targeting Feb. 13 for the next flight test of SpaceShipTwo, the six-passenger, two-pilot spacecraft designed for privately operated, suborbital flight services.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
NASA has decided to repeat the static test fire of the first Space Launch System (SLS) core stage following an abbreviated burn of the vehicle’s four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines two weeks ago.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Rocket startup BluShift Aerospace launched its inaugural commercial mission Jan. 31, claiming the titles of the first commercial launch of a rocket with a “bio-derived” fuel and the first commercial launch from Maine.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
A group of private equity investors and aerospace managers have teamed to create Los Angeles-area Karman Missile & Space Systems, which they bill as one of the largest independently owned pure-play suppliers for the space, missile, interceptor and hypersonic markets.
Space

By Lee Hudson
Pressure continues to increase on President Joe Biden to reassess the location of U.S. Space Command headquarters, as three members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation have requested that the executive branch conduct a “comprehensive review.”
Space

By Irene Klotz
Space Force Cancels Blue Origin, Northrop LSA Contracts Irene Klotz, [email protected] As expected, Blue Origin and Northrup Grumman—losing contenders in the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Phase 2 procurement—have had their precursor Launch Service Agreements canceled, the Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed on Jan. 29.
Commercial Space

By Thierry Dubois
ArianeGroup is gearing up for the hot-fire testing campaign of the first complete Ariane 6 upper stage, after it left the assembly and functional evaluation facility in Bremen, Germany.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s efforts to address the threat of mounting orbital space debris are insufficient and need to be augmented, an agency inspector general’s audit says.
Space

Charles Beames
The nation needs to adopt a "commercial first" policy for space technology to bolster its international competitiveness.
Commercial Space

By Lee Hudson
Three new directorates are devoted to precision navigation and timing; space control; and launch and space logistics.
Space

By Mark Carreau
After an early, productive start to a 7-hr. spacewalk, two NASA astronauts encountered difficulties installing a Ka band antenna outside the International Space Station on Jan. 27.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA plans to delay departure of the Osiris-Rex spacecraft from the asteroid Bennu from March 3 to May 10, with a May 24 backup, which will provide an early April opportunity for a final flyby.
Space