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China launches Chang’e-5 Moon sample return mission
A Long March 5 rocket launched China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft Monday to kick off a 23-day mission to deliver the first lunar samples to Earth since the 1970s.
GeoOptics and Spire Global win NOAA weather data contracts
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded its first contracts Nov. 20 to purchase radio occultation data from commercial satellite operators to GeoOptics and Spire Global.
Falcon 9 launches Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean science satellite
A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched Nov. 21 the latest in a series of satellites developed by the United States and Europe to track rising sea levels.
AAC Clyde Space to develop cubesats to offer array of services
AAC Clyde Space announced a 19 million euro ($22.5 million) contract backed by the U.K. Space Agency to develop a 10-cubesat communications and Earth-observation constellation.
From the moon to the Earth: How the Biden administration might reshape NASA
While Joe Biden is a familiar figure in politics, after decades in the Senate and eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president, his views on space, and his plans for NASA, are far less clear.
Germany joins JAXA’s low-cost deep space test mission
The German Aerospace Center, DLR, has partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on a planned low-cost asteroid mission called Destiny+, expected to launch toward the asteroid 3200 Phaethon in 2024.
NSF to decommission Arecibo radio telescope
The NSF announced Nov. 19 it will perform a “controlled decommissioning” of the giant radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, citing recent damage that made it unsafe to operate or even repair.
India’s Shukrayaan orbiter to study Venus for over four years, launches in 2024
India’s space agency aims to launch its Venus orbiter Shukrayaan in late 2024, more than a year later than previously planned, an ISRO research scientist told a NASA-chartered planetary science planning committee Nov. 10.
ULA: Dream Chaser schedule slip not a setback to Vulcan certification
ULA said the delay in Dream Chaser’s first mission will not prevent Vulcan from getting certified on time for its first national security mission in 2022.
Orbit Fab to launch first fuel tanker in 2021 with Spaceflight
Orbit Fab, a startup preparing to establish fuel depots in space, announced an agreement Nov. 17 with Spaceflight Inc. to send its first microsatellite into orbit in 2021.
Commerce Department drafting space traffic management concepts as it awaits funding
The transfer of space traffic management responsibilities from the military to a civilian agency in the Commerce Department is moving ahead even though Congress has yet to provide funding and authorities.
Maxar taps MDA for robotic satellite servicing technologies
MDA signed multiple contracts with its former owner Maxar Technologies to provide hardware and software for the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER), a technology demonstration planned for NASA’s On‑orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 mission.
China rolls out Long March 5 rocket to launch Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission
China has rolled out a Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket in preparation for launch of the complex Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission early next week.
Crew Dragon docks to ISS on first operational mission
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with four astronauts on board successfully docked with the International Space Station Nov. 16, a day after launch on the first operational commercial crew mission.
Voyager Space eyes new acquisitions as industry appears headed for consolidation
Voyager Space Holdings is expanding its Washington, D.C. footprint as it eyes new acquisitions of commercial and government-focused space companies.
Weather delays Crew-1 launch
NASA has postponed the launch of its first operational commercial crew mission by a day, citing weather conditions that delayed the arrival of the droneship used for the recovery of the Falcon 9 first stage.
