Space

By Irene Klotz
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 13 to deliver 105 satellites into a near-polar Sun-synchronous orbits, successfully completing its third discounted rideshare flight.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Virgin Galactic, the space tourism company that helped sweep in the current era of startup space companies quickly going public, shocked investors Jan. 13 with news it will raise as much as $500 million by issuing new debt.
Commercial Space

By Graham Warwick
The Airbus-sponsored Perlan 2 stratospheric glider will carry a Thales FlytLink satellite communications terminal when it returns to flight, enabling real-time data downloads from altitudes exceeding 90,000 ft.
Commercial Space

By Guy Norris
Hypersonix Launch Systems has signed a collaborative agreement with the University of Sydney to research and manufacture key components of its proposed spaceplane, including its Spartan scramjet propulsion system.
Commercial Space

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Russia’s launch manifest for 2022 includes 30 launches, a 20% increase over 2021, Dmitry Rogozin, CEO of the Russian State Space Corp. Roscosmos, said on Jan. 12.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA has reached an “inflection point” as it prepares to reach out sustainably to the Moon, Mars and other deep space destinations with human explorers, a steep and risky slope, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel says.
Space

By Jen DiMascio
How the U.S. Air Force is evolving; HawkEye 360’s new investor; Space spare parts in short supply; and Fighter jets crash in Asia.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Maxim Pyadushkin
Roscosmos plans to start deployment of a new multi-satellite constellation this year to offer services similar to SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s astronaut corps, currently historically lean, is so structured around International Space Station (ISS) operations that it may not be prepared to deal with attrition and reassignments as it faces numerous challenges, the agency’s inspector general says.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA will strive for a closer relationship between its climate science activities and its other research and technology pursuits—whether they be human space exploration or aeronautics—with this week’s appointment of a new combination chief scientist and senior climate advisor, Administrator Bill Nelson told a Jan. 11 news briefing.
Space

By Thierry Dubois
Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, will be the base for several micro-launchers, which will help the European industry progress in reusability, according to Philippe Baptiste, chairman and CEO of French space agency CNES.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
Start-up space services provider Astroscale has hired another startup, Orbit Fab, to refuel its planned fleet of orbital space tugs.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
HawkEye 360, a commercial provider of space-based radio frequency data and analytics, has added Leidos to its Series D venture capital round.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
Katherine Calvin has been named NASA’s chief scientist and senior climate advisor, Administrator Bill Nelson has announced.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has encountered another “small” obstacle in its campaign to collect and cache samples of rocky materials from the floor of the red planet.
Space

By Michael Bruno
Shares in Momentus have fallen 60% since the space-tug startup went public in August 2021.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
Two weeks after the JWST was launched into orbit, the final segment of its 21-ft.-dia. primary mirror—the largest mirror ever flown on a space observatory—was rotated into position, completing NASA’s risky and most technically complicated series of in-space deployments.
Space

By Irene Klotz
Flight controllers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore are closing in on the final steps to reconfigure the James Webb Space Telescope, with the first of two primary mirror wing panels extended and latched into place on Jan. 7.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The Space Force’s two launch ranges have a shortage of spare parts for critical systems, which could impact future launches as the service projects a vast increase in missions, a new Pentagon report says.
Space

By Irene Klotz
After contributing 31 flights to a global record 146 orbital launches in 2021, SpaceX kicked off the new year by adding another 49 new satellites to its growing Starlink broadband network.
Commercial Space

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei’s trek toward a new U.S. record for human spaceflight marches on.
Space

By Thierry Dubois
Arianespace may perform up to 17 launches in 2022 with its family of Ariane, Soyuz and Vega rockets, according to CEO Stephane Israel.
Space

By Irene Klotz
After a painful, prolonged development, NASA’s new space telescope is on its way.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aerospace

By Mark Carreau
Paragon Space Development Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Final Frontier Design as part of a joint financial effort to enhance future private spacesuit development for NASA and other spaceflight customers.
Space