Space

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.

Major events in aerospace and defense during 2021.

SpaceX pursuing alternative deep-space transport.

The aerospace and defense industry enters 2022 facing many of the same concerns it faced in 2021.

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.

President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Frank Calvelli to be the assistant Air Force secretary for space acquisitions.

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.

The French ministry of armed forces has renewed ArianeGroup’s contract for optical space surveillance.

The MU-B200 is a 200-kg (441-lb.) 1.2 kW satellite that aims to provide 5-Gbps (V-band) communications over Southeast Asia.

Two commercial positioning and communication satellites onboard—GeeSAT-1A and 1B—were lost in the Dec. 15 failure.

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.

Multiple providers and an assortment of vehicles herald a healthy start to commercial passenger spaceflight.

ArianeGroup's CEO has shared the company's vision based on launchers of different sizes using common technologies.

Companies that can remain nimble or provide niche capabilities will have the advantage.

Launch is being delayed to no earlier than Dec. 24 due to a communications issue between the observatory and its Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

The health of astronauts assigned to future long-running, deep-space exploration missions is among the areas of scientific study and technology development slated for launch to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 24th NASA resupply mission.

Researchers say the James Webb Space Telescope will help them understand the formation of distant galaxies and composition of nearby exoplanets.

NASA has selected Axiom Space for a second four-person private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.