Satellite News
SatixFy sells satellite payload subsidiary to MDA
Telesat said it chose MDA to build its Lightspeed constellation partly because of its digital beam-forming array antenna technology, enabling the satellites to be smaller and cheaper than those previously under consideration with Thales Alenia Space.
QinetiQ US wins $224 million contract to provide technical services to Space Development Agency
SDA is an agency under the U.S. Space Force. It is building a mesh network in low Earth orbit — called the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture — projected to have hundreds of satellites. The SDA contract was awarded to Avantus Federal, a government contractor that bid for the work before it was acquired by QinetiQ in November 2022.
Launcher News
North Korea’s spy satellite launch fails again
ESA postpones Ariane 6 hot-fire test again
Another successful hot-fire test for Ariane 6 upper stage
On September 1 2023, teams from ArianeGroup, the German Aerospace Center and the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully completed another hot-fire test on the test bench dedicated to the upper Stage.
Exploration News
From the Moon to the Sun: India launches next space mission
The latest mission in India’s ambitious space programme blasted off Saturday on a voyage towards the centre of the solar system, a week after the country’s successful unmanned Moon landing.
NASA gears up for return of OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample
The rehearsal was part of final planning for the return of the actual OSIRIS-REx capsule, which will arrive early Sept. 24. The capsule is carrying an estimated 250 grams of material from the asteroid Bennu that the spacecraft collected during a “touch-and-go” collection process in October 2020. The main OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will perform a “divert” maneuver about 20 minutes after releasing the capsule to avoid reentering itself. It will pass the Earth at a distance of 800 kilometers, putting it on a trajectory for an extended mission to visit the asteroid Apophis shortly after it makes a close flyby of Earth in 2029.
NASA’s LRO observes crater likely from Luna 25 impact
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 04, 2023
NASA’s LRO – the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – spacecraft imaged a new crater on the Moon’s surface that is likely the impact site of Russia’s Luna 25 mission.
Renderings offer images of China’s next-generation spacecraft
Beijing (XNA) Sep 04, 2023
China has published artist’s renderings of the country’s lunar landing module and its next-generation crew spacecraft, both of which will be central to the nation’s grand goal of sending astronauts
NewSpace News
Intuitive Machines raises $20 million
Lunar lander developer Intuitive Machines announced Aug. 31 it raised $20 million through a sale of stock as the company gears up for its first mission expected to launch its IM-1 lunar lander mission as soon as Nov. 15.
Space imagery startup HEO raises $8 million
Australian startup HEO, which uses space-based sensors to inspect and image objects in orbit, announced Aug. 23 it has completed an $8 million Series A funding round
Space Safety News
European Union nations join ASAT testing ban
TransAstra claims NASA contract for debris capture bag
Science & Technology News
Producing superior graphene aerogel in space
Graphene aerogel is a remarkable lightweight material that is both thermally insulating and electrically conductive.
