Satellite News
OneWeb creating government subsidiary after buying TrustComm
OneWeb agrees SoftBank alliance to get Japanese regulatory approvals
OneWeb, the U.K.-headquartered low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband operator, is buying Texas-based managed satcoms provider TrustComm to create a new government subsidiary.
SpaceX signs deal with Google Cloud for satellite broadband
Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced Thursday that Google would team up with its Starlink satellite internet service to deliver cloud computing services to business customers.
Telesat ready to move fast on selling spectrum to fund Lightspeed constellation
Telesat could start a spectrum auction to help fund its $5 billion Lightspeed low Earth orbit constellation “in a couple of months” if Canada’s government approves its proposal, according to CEO Dan Goldberg.
Exploration News
‘Nihao Mars’: China’s Zhurong rover touches down on Red Planet
China’s probe to Mars touched down on the Red Planet Saturday to deploy its Zhurong rover, state media reported, a triumph for Beijing’s bold space ambitions and a history-making feat for a nation on its first-ever Martian mission.
Russia to send film crew, Japanese billionaire to space
Russia said Thursday it would send an actress and a director into space to make the first feature film in the cosmos and also deliver an eccentric Japanese billionaire to the International Space Station.
Yusaku Maezawa: Japan’s billionaire spaceman with a taste for art
Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who will travel to the International Space Station as a tourist in December aboard a Russian spacecraft, is a former wannabe rock star worth $1.9 billion with a penchant for pricey modern art as well as space travel.
Orbite to offer commercial human spaceflight training program
Space hospitality company Orbite has unveiled a training program for potential space tourists, given them a taste of the spaceflight experience.
Launcher News
Rocket Lab Launch Failure Causes Loss of BlackSky Satellite, But Recovery of First Stage
Rocket Lab launched its Electron rocket from the shores of New Zealand on May 15 but suffered an unexpected anomaly during staging. The Electron rocket assigned to fly the 20th mission of the type flew without problem until stage separation. The first stage made its way back to earth via parachute before splashing down into the Pacific Ocean. It was then recovered by what Rocket Lab refers to as ‘ORCA’, or Ocean Recovery and Capture Apparatu
China rolls out rocket for Tianzhou-2 space station supply mission
China is set to launch the Tianzhou-2 space station cargo mission this week after rollout of a Long March 7 rocket at Wenchang spaceport.
SpaceX outlines first orbital Starship test flight
SpaceX has disclosed details for the first orbital test flight of its next-generation Starship launch system, but the company is still far short of the regulatory approvals needed for the mission.
Aircraft issue could delay resumption of SpaceShipTwo test flights
Virgin Galactic said May 10 that while it believes it corrected a problem with its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane that aborted a test flight five months ago, the resumption of those test flights could be further delayed by a problem with the plane that carries SpaceShipTwo aloft.
NewSpace News
NASA Invests $105 Million in US Small Business Technology Development
NASA has a long history of supporting America’s entrepreneurs as they develop technologies from ideas to commercial readiness.
Iceye unveils new wide-area imaging capability
Iceye unveiled a new product May 10, imagery of areas as large as 10,000 square kilometers captured with its synthetic-aperture radar satellites.
Axelspace Series C Funding Draws In More Than $23 Million
Axelspace Holdings Corporation has completed their Series C funding round, raising approximately JPY 2.58 billion (equivalent to $23.8 million). The round sees the allocation of new shares to The Space Frontier Fund, several other venture capitals and corporate investors. The Space Frontier Fund (Managed by SPARX Innovation for Future Co., Ltd.) Japan Co-Invest III Limited […]
Full Deployment Of Their First Fund Announced By SpaceFund
SpaceFund Inc. announced the company has fully deployed investments from its first “LaunchPad” fund — this venture capital firm placed investor funds in 14 companies, including some well-known NewSpace stars as well as seeding rising stars the firm believes are capable of helping to lead humanity into the frontiers of space. SpaceFund is rapidly becoming […]
Shareholders approve extension of Momentus deal
Shareholders in the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) seeking to merge with in-space transportation company Momentus have narrowly approved a three-month extension of a deadline to complete the deal.
Space Safety News
After Chinese rocket reentry, DoD calls for countries to ‘behave responsibly’
Less than two days after parts of an uncontrolled Chinese rocket fell into the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said allowing a large booster to free fall toward Earth is “irresponsible behavior.”
FAA rejects payload review for Momentus
The FAA has denied a payload review for in-space transportation company Momentus, meaning the company will miss its second opportunity to launch its first tugs.
Science & Technology News
UCF Developing Hypersonic Tech That Could Also Support Space Launches
University of Central Florida researchers are building technology that could pave the way for hypersonic flight. The researchers discovered a way to stabilize the detonation needed for hypersonic propulsion by creating a special hypersonic reaction chamber for jet engines. The system could allow for air travel at speeds of Mach 6 to 17, which is more than 4,600 to 13,000 miles per hour.
Laser communications powers more data than ever before
Launching this summer, NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will showcase the dynamic powers of laser communications technologies
