Launch
Sweden ups investment to bring orbital launches to Esrange by 2022
The fresh round of funding comes just two years after Sweden invested 60 million krona to outfit the suborbital rocket range with propulsion test facilities that could soon be put to use by a pair of German launch startups.
Lockheed Martin executives commend ULA for fighting back against SpaceX
Lockheed CFO Ken Possenriede: “We now have a price point that will allow ULA to get its fair share of awards over SpaceX"
Blue Origin trying to convince the Air Force to continue to invest in New Glenn
Blue Origin says the Air Force should continue to fund New Glenn so it can be certified for national security missions.
China’s CASIC reveals five-year plan for reusable spaceplane, commercial space projects
Chinese large state-owned enterprise CASIC laid out a new set of commercial space plans for the next five years at a conference Monday.
Falcon 9 investigation ongoing as SpaceX continues Starlink launches
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched another set of Starlink satellites Oct. 18 as the investigation into another Falcon 9 launch abort more than two weeks ago continues.
New Shepard returns to flight with successful suborbital mission
Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle made its first flight in 10 months Oct. 13, carrying a dozen payloads for NASA and other customers to the edge of space and back.
China launches Gaofen-13 observation satellite towards geostationary orbit
Chinese Earth observation Gaofen-13 is on its way to a geostationary orbit after successful launch on a Long March 3B from Xichang Oct. 11.
NASA delays commercial crew mission to study Falcon 9 engine issue
NASA is delaying the launch of the first operational SpaceX commercial crew mission to the first half of November to provide more time to review a problem during a recent Falcon 9 launch attempt.
Europe’s P120C booster completes third and final static fire test
A solid rocket booster designed for Europe's next-generation Ariane 6 and Vega C launch vehicles completed a third and final static fire test Oct 7.
U.S. Transportation Command to study use of SpaceX rockets to move cargo around the world
Gen. Stephen Lyons: “Think about moving the equivalent of a C-17 payload anywhere on the globe in less than an hour."
Space Development Agency seeks bids for launch services for 28 satellites
The agency will make one award to the provider that offers the “best value” based on several criteria such as price, schedule and past performance.
Op-ed | Can SpaceX profit on certain Starlink launches?
It is no longer a surprise to industry observers that partial reusability, economies of scale and vertical integration have enabled SpaceX to achieve extremely low Falcon 9 launch costs. It may however remain a surprise to some that SpaceX will further reduce the Starlink launch capex by manifesting paying customers as rideshare payloads on some Starlink launches.
SpaceX launches Starlink satellites as it deorbits original ones
As SpaceX launches a new batch of Starlink satellites, the company is quietly deorbiting the original set of satellites less than 18 months after launch.
California judge ends SpaceX’s lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force
The judge said the Air Force's actions were "not arbitrary, capricious, or in violation of the law, and that SpaceX was not entitled to any relief in this action.”
Antares launches Cygnus cargo spacecraft to space station
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after a successful launch on the company’s Antares rocket Oct. 2.
German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg picks Norway for maiden flight of RFA One smallsat launcher
German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has selected the Norwegian launch facility Andøya Spaceport for a 2022 maiden flight of the company’s RFA One small-satellite launch vehicle.
