Commercial
SpaceX grapples with Raptor production problems
Problems increasing production of the Raptor engines that power SpaceX’s Starship vehicle have led to personnel shakeups at the company and a warning from founder Elon Musk that the company risked “bankruptcy” if the company could not resolve them.
NASA inspector general warns of space station gap
Concerns about the long-term viability of some existing International Space Station modules and the potential of delays in development of commercial space stations heighten the risk of a gap in low Earth orbit destinations, a new report warns.
Lightfoot to lead Lockheed Martin space unit
Lockheed Martin has named a former acting administrator of NASA as the new head of its space business unit.
Anuvu raises $50 million for small GEO mobility constellation
Investors that rescued Anuvu from bankruptcy in March have thrown $50 million behind plans for the mobile connectivity provider to have its own constellation of small geostationary-orbit (GEO) satellites.
Airbus Ventures leads Q-Ctrl’s $25 million quantum sensor funding round
Australian startup Q-Ctrl has raised $25 million to develop software for space-qualified quantum sensors in a funding round led by Airbus Ventures, the venture capital arm of European aerospace and defense giant Airbus.
India orders halt on Starlink presales until it gives regulatory approval
India’s government has told SpaceX to stop taking preorders for Starlink broadband services in the country until it has a license to operate there.
ADA Space raises $55.6 million in Series B round
Chinese satellite operator and remote sensing data firm ADA Space raised $55.6 million in a Series B investment round for its artificially intelligent satellite network plans.
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic select astronauts for future flights
Virgin Galactic has selected the winner of a contest to fly on a future SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight while Blue Origin prepares for its first New Shepard launch with a full six-person crew.
Chinese space firms present big ambitions at commercial space forum
Players in China’s emerging commercial space sector have outlined big plans for rockets, spaceplanes and more for the coming years at a space forum hosted in Wuhan, central China.
Astroscale raises $109 million Series F round
Astroscale announced Nov. 25 that it raised $109 million from European and Japanese investors in a round it says will allow it to accelerate plans for active debris removal and satellite servicing.
Intelsat and SES meet C-band clearing deadline ahead of schedule
Intelsat and SES have beaten a key regulatory deadline for clearing C-band spectrum across the United States, unlocking more than $2 billion in combined proceeds from the Federal Communications Commission.
OneWeb mulls debris-removal service for failed satellite
OneWeb is considering options to remove one of its broadband satellites from low Earth orbit after it failed following a software issue last year.
Extending cryptocurrency networks via satellite
As cryptocurrencies gain adherents on Earth, companies and universities are conducting tests to figure out how to perform cryptocurrency transactions in space and share data via satellite.
Spanish startup PLD Space gears up for 2022 suborbital launch
Spanish launch startup PLD Space has debuted a fully assembled Miura 1 reusable suborbital rocket as a step towards its inaugural flight in 2022.
Rocket Lab ready to attempt midair recovery of Electron booster
Rocket Lab says it’s ready to move to the next step in its efforts to recover and reuse Electron first stages by attempting to catch a booster in midair on an upcoming launch.
Saber Astronautics to work with Axiom to bring Australian astronauts to space station
Saber Astronautics has signed an agreement with Axiom Space to facilitate Australian astronauts’ participation in future missions to the International Space Station.
