Satellite News
NASA starts reassessment of Mars Sample Return architecture
Launcher News
SpaceX frustrated by Starship FAA licensing delays
PLD Space calls first launch a success
PLD Space’s Miura 1 rocket lifted off from a Spanish government test site Oct. 7 (local time) on its first suborbital flight. There had been some confusion at the time of the launch about that trajectory. The company had previously stated, including in a press kit distributed days before the launch, that Miura 1would fly to a peak altitude of 80 kilometers. The rocket, though, flew to only 46 kilometers.
Next-generation rocket for China’s manned space missions on track
China’s forthcoming rocket designed for manned space missions, Long March 10, is on course for its initial launch around 2027, says a senior designer from the project team. The advanced launch vehicle is being developed at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a primary contributor to rocketry in China and a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
Terran Orbital opens new printed circuit board assembly facility
Relativity Space has signed a multi-year, multi-launch Launch Services Agreement (LSA) with Intelsat, operator of the largest integrated space and terrestrial network in the world. Under the agreement, Relativity will launch Intelsat satellites on Terran R as early as 2026.
Exploration News
India wants a space station by 2035, moon mission by 2040
India tests launch escape system in step towards sending astronauts to orbit
Virgin Galactic carries first Pakistani into space
Lucy preparing for its first asteroid flyby
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is preparing for its first close-up look at an asteroid. On Nov. 1, it will fly by asteroid Dinkinesh and test its instruments in preparation for visits in the next decade to multiple Trojan asteroids that circle the Sun in the same orbit as Jupiter.
HALO Space successfully completes second battery of test flights
HALO Space plans to start operating commercial flights in 2025 and plans to make 400 trips a year from 2029 onwards, taking more than 3,000 passengers up into the stratosphere in its zero-emissions air balloons.
Russians slowly leaving legendary spaceport city
Leased by Russia from Kazakhstan since the collapse of the USSR, the legendary launch site was for years the heart of the Soviet space programme, sending both the first artificial satellite and human into space.Russia, whose lease on the site will expire in 2050, continues to regularly use the cosmodrome to send Russian and foreign crews to the International Space Station (ISS).
NewSpace News
German New Space companies launch Eva
Three German companies — Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), Yuri, and ATMOS Space Cargo (ATMOS) — have revealed their new partnership as well as the launch of their joint, end-to-end service for microgravity life science research and product development. This solution represents a flexible alternative to the ISS laboratory and initiates a new generation for microgravity […]
Telespazio Germany + Reflex Aerospace are advancing Germany’s space capabilities
Telespazio Germany and Reflex Aerospace have signed a cooperation agreement for a shared provision of an end-to-end satellite solution — this agreement will find the companies pooling their respective expertise in their segment, offering a seamless experience, with Reflex providing its payload specific satellites and Telespazio its ground segment and mission control capabilities,
Machina Labs expands focus to satellites and reentry vehicles
Los Angeles startup Machina Labs is expanding its role in the space sector by working with satellite and hypersonic vehicle manufacturers.
HawkEye 360 raises $10 million in funding round extension
The additional funds, from Lockheed Martin Ventures and company insiders, bring the company’s Series D-1 funding round to $68 million Based in Herndon, Virginia, HawkEye 360 uses radio-frequency data collected by satellites to geolocate electronic emissions and draw insights.
Small launch companies struggle to compete with SpaceX rideshare missions
SpaceX started offering rideshare launch opportunities for smallsats as low as $5,000 per kilogram. The company has since raised those prices to $5,500 per kilogram and plans annual increases in future years. However, in most cases those prices are far below what dedicated small launch vehicles offer.
Space Safety News
Upgraded star trackers could give more satellites a debris-monitoring role
Launch industry asks Congress for regulatory reforms
The rapid growth of the launch industry is straining the FAA’s ability to effectively regulate it, industry officials told a Senate committee
Science & Technology News
NASA’s Webb Discovers New Feature in Jupiter’s Atmosphere
Jupiter has some of the most conspicuous atmospheric features in our solar system. The planet’s Great Red Spot, large enough to envelop Earth;
NASA’s innovative rocket nozzle paves way for deep space missions
NASA recently built and tested an additively-manufactured – or 3D printed – rocket engine nozzle made of aluminum, making it lighter than conventional nozzles and setting the course for deep space
Heart Cells in Space Help Advance Treatments for Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, and once cardiovascular tissue is damaged, there’s no means of restoring its function. But it’s possible damaged tissue could be regenerated via stem cell therapies
