An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket carrying the flagship James Webb Space Telescope was rolled out to launchpad ELA-3 at Guiana Space Center in French Guiana on Dec. 23 in preparation for liftoff at 7:20 a.m. EST on Dec. 25.
A Russian Progress propulsion module and instrument compartment that delivered the Prichal docking module to the International Space Station’s Russian-segment Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module departed the seven-person orbital science laboratory late Dec. 22 for a destructive atmospheric re-entry over the south Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX’s 24th NASA-contracted Dragon resupply capsule autonomously rendezvoused with and docked to the International Space Station’s (ISS) U.S. segment early Dec. 22.
DARPA has selected Germany-based Mynaric to create an architectural design for the experimental laser communication terminals called for by the agency’s Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space BACN) program.
The FAA on Dec. 20 granted a license to Spaceport Camden in Camden County, Georgia, for small-rocket launches to low Earth orbit after several years of local community debate.
SpaceX set a new record for Falcon 9 booster reuse, launching and landing its fleet leader for an 11th time on Dec. 18 as the company neared the end of a 2021 launch manifest that aims for a record 31 flights.
United Launch Alliance, based in Centennial, Colorado, has selected Wichita-based Maynard to supply components for the Atlas V rocket following a November meeting with potential Wichita suppliers.
Initial nondestructive scientific assessments of the sample of the asteroid Ryugu affirm the value of such material in providing new insights into the formation and evolution of the Solar System.
The Soyuz MS-20 carrying Yusaku Maezawa, Yozo Hirano and veteran cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin touched down in remote Kazakhstan on Dec. 20, marking the end of a 12-day private spaceflight.
Stoke Space, a startup trying to develop a completely reusable rocket for the burgeoning commercial satellite market, has closed a $65 million Series A venture capital round that will go toward developing a rapidly repeatable second-stage segment.
NASA has assigned veteran astronaut Stephen Bowen and first-time flyer Warren “Woody” Hoburg to the sixth SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station.
Virgin Orbit is taking a 17.5% stake in partner Hypersat as the companies work to launch a six-satellite constellation to provide hyperspectral imaging from low Earth orbit.
Newly infused with public market funding, Rocket Lab said it will buy SolAero Holdings, a supplier of space solar power products and precision aerospace structures, for $80 million in cash as part of the company’s vertical integration transformation to become more of a full-service space services provider.
An interface issue has interrupted final payload testing of the James Webb Space Telescope, causing the latest launch delay, NASA and European Space Agency officials say.
A growing number of satellite operators are either pursuing a multi-orbit strategy to provide high-capacity, low-latency data services, or are ready to jump on the bandwagon.
