News
Daily coverage of the global space industry with an emphasis on business and political news.
Roscosmos confirms plans to reduce space station crew
Roscosmos officials said Sept. 26 they planned to reduce the size of their crew on the International Space Station next year from three to two.
Q&A | COSPAR’s Lennard A. Fisk on weighing terrorist threats against a global mandate
The decision by the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) to cancel its biennial Scientific Assembly in July — just 12 days before it was to start in Istanbul — is a cautionary tale for any conference organizer with a strong international mandate.
SBIRS-3 launch delayed by satellite thruster doubts
A thruster issue will delay the launch of a missile warning satellite until at least January.
SpaceX performs first test of Raptor engine
On the eve of a major presentation outlining his Mars exploration plans, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk announced early Sept. 26 the first test of a rocket engine believed to be a key element in those plans.
India’s PSLV launches 8 satellites in a record fifth mission this year
India’s PSLV rocket on Sept. 26 successfully placed the Indian SCATSAT-1 meteorological satellite and seven co-passengers into separate polar low Earth orbits.
Are cubesats a nuisance to space situational awareness efforts?
Small satellites and cubesats should not be viewed as a major contributor to congestion or in creating space debris in low earth orbit, at least based on recent history, a panel of experts here said Sept. 23.
Rogers planning “major reform” for national security space
The head of a key U.S. House oversight committee said he is planning a “major reform” of national security space as part of next year’s defense authorization bill.
Japan to decide on Hitomi replacement by year’s end
The Japanese parliament will decide by the end of the year whether to fund development of a replacement for the failed Hitomi astronomy satellite, the head of Japan’s space agency said Sept. 22.
Falcon accident investigation points to breach in rocket’s helium system
Investigators have traced the explosion that destroyed a SpaceX Falcon 9 on the pad Sept. 1 to a “large breach” in the helium system in the rocket’s second stage, although the root cause of the accident remains unknown.
SpaceX: Sept. 1 failure likely caused by breach in Falcon 9 second-stage helium tank
SpaceX on Sept. 23 said preliminary results of its investigation into the Sept. 1 explosion as its Falcon 9 rocket was preparing for a static test firing was cause day a “large breach” in the cryogenic helium system in the second-stage liquid oxygen tank.
U.S., China will meet this year to talk space debris
A senior U.S. State Department official said China and the United States plan to hold a second set of talks later this year to discuss how their militaries operate in space.
More satellite collision warnings to come with Space Fence data
A senior Pentagon official said the U.S. Air Force will need to rethink how it issues satellite collision warnings when a new space object tracking system goes online or risk overwhelming satellite operators and hardware systems with overly cautious alerts.
SES announces civil-military aerostat product for intel, surveillance, reconnaissance
Satellite fleet operator SES on Sept. 22 said its SES Government is commercializing a low-altitude tactical surveillance aerostat equipped with optical surveillance and reconnaissance and a satellite link for border control, disaster relief and special-events monitoring.
House advances commercial space and astronaut health bills
The House of Representatives passed a commercial space bill unanimously while the House Science Committee approved a bill addressing astronaut health issues Sept. 21.
Intelsat: Thruster failure may reduce IS-33e’s operational life, but not by much
Satellite fleet operator Intelsat on Sept. 21 said the failure of a thruster on its recently launched IS-33e satellite could reduce the satellite’s in-orbit life, but that the effect would be minimal.
Senate committee approves NASA authorization bill
The Senate Commerce Committee approved a short-term NASA authorization bill Sept. 21 that is intended to provide short-term stability to NASA during the upcoming presidential transition but will cast new scrutiny on one major agency program.