Space

Rocket Lab has been selected by Ball Aerospace to manufacture the solar array panel for NASA’s Global Lyman-Alpha Imager of Dynamic Exosphere mission spacecraft.

The Russian government has cleared state-owned Roscosmos to sign a long-delayed agreement with NASA for cosmonauts to fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsules in exchange for astronauts joining Russian Soyuz crews.

NASA’s efforts to develop a second mobile launcher have been plagued by significant issues with the contractor’s performance and the agency’s oversight, leading to a major cost increase and schedule delay, an audit by NASA’s inspector general has found.

China is looking to send its first space solar power system experiment into orbit in 2028 in support of its goal to produce and operate a gigawatt-level SSPS by 2050 that can send power back to Earth.

SpaceX is making headway in space MRO.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Based on what is coming together for humanity’s return to the Moon, those involved at NASA and key commercial partners believe a global public/private collaboration must continue to grow if humans are to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon and then press on to Mars.

NASA is commissioning a study team to learn more about unexplained aerial phenomena , with the goal being to assess available non-classified data and determine what steps the agency could take to collect additional scientific information.

Mangata Networks, a satellite-based connectivity, plans to showcase its initial network in early 2023, potentially launch eight highly elliptical-orbit satellites that year and then inaugurate service in 2024 for the Northern Hemisphere.

Even without test pilot astronauts on board, NASA’s Artemis I mission of a Space Launch System (SLS)-propelled Orion capsule around the Moon and back to Earth promises drama, which the space agency is working to share publicly through live video and data transmissions.

SEAKR Engineering recently demonstrated optical communications between a pair of two DARPA Mandrake II satellites.

The U.S. Space Force is at risk of fielding a new Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability that does not meet requirements and could necessitate costly and time-intensive rework because it is moving ahead without a formal risk assessment and baseline for the design, according to a new assessment.

Russian State Space Corp. Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin threatened to restart a German telescope aboard the joint Russian-German Spektr-RG space observatory which Germany shut down in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

NASA is eyeing the DiskSat as a follow-up to the cubesat.

With the U.S. Space Force expected to increase the number of launches—especially with the Space Development Agency gearing up to launch its Tranche 1 and 2 programs—a House panel is calling for the service to increase the use of a common launch integrator to drive down costs.

The agency turns to public-private partnerships to equip Artemis spacewalkers.

MDA and Redwire have received contracts to each develop 42 antennas for low Earth orbit military satellites.

NASA has selected two new science investigation missions for launch to the Moon under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services public/private exploration initiative.

NASA’s first Space Launch System Moon rocket is back at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B for a fourth attempt to test fueling operations ahead of launch on the Artemis I uncrewed flight test around the Moon.

China has launched another three astronauts into space as construction of the Tiangong space station enters its next phase.

Boeing’s space business notches a win, but many questions remain about the company’s long-term future. Listen in as analysts Byron Callan and Ron Epstein join the podcast.

Russia’s Progress MS-20 linked to the International Space Station’s (ISS) Russian segment on June 3, completing a two-orbit launch to docking to deliver a 3-ton cargo of propellant, drinking water, food and other supplies for the orbital lab’s seven crewmembers.

Defense department is responding to threats from China, as well as pressure from the U.S.

NASA has lined up some forward-looking research for its next resupply mission to the International Space Station.

NASA plans to add five more Crew Dragon missions to SpaceX’s Commercial Crew flight services contract on a sole-source basis, as the agency continues to work with Boeing to certify a second transportation system to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.