Launch
Astrobotic selects Falcon Heavy to launch NASA’s VIPER lunar rover
Astrobotic has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of its Griffin lunar lander, carrying a NASA lunar rover, on a Falcon Heavy in 2023.
China preparing Tianzhou-2 cargo mission to follow upcoming space station launch
A Long March 7 rocket has arrived at China’s coastal Wenchang spaceport to facilitate the Tianzhou-2 supply mission to a soon-to-launch space station module.
Blue Origin to perform dress rehearsal for crewed New Shepard flights
A test flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle, scheduled for as soon as April 14, will be a dress rehearsal for long-awaited crewed flights.
Space Force to create ‘one-stop shop’ for launch procurement and operations
The U.S. Space Force is consolidating oversight of space launch activities under a two-star general who will be the deputy commander of Space Systems Command.
SpaceX launches another set of Starlink satellites as it nears global coverage
SpaceX continued the rollout of its Starlink broadband constellation with another launch of 60 satellites April 7, edging closer to providing continuous global service.
Engine explosion blamed for latest Starship crash
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said an engine on the company’s latest Starship prototype suffered a “hard start” that caused the vehicle to explode when attempting to land on a test flight last week.
Lockheed Martin makes block buy of launches from ABL Space Systems
Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with small launch vehicle developer ABL Space Systems for as many as 58 launches over the next decade, a deal potentially worth several hundred million dollars.
FCC proposes to allocate spectrum for commercial launches
The Federal Communications Commission will take up a long-awaited proposal at its next meeting to set aside a spectrum band for commercial launches.
China launches second Gaofen-12 Earth observation satellite
China launched the Gaofen-12 (02) high resolution satellite Tuesday to boost the country’s Earth observation capabilities.
SpaceX crashes another Starship prototype
SpaceX launched its fourth Starship prototype in less than four months March 30, only to have the vehicle apparently crash once again.
Space Force to launch fifth SBIRS satellite in May
The Space Force announced SBIRS GEO-5 will launch May 17 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.
BlackSky strikes deal with Rocket Lab to launch eight more satellites in 2021
BlackSky announced March 25 it signed an agreement with Rocket Lab to launch eight satellites before the end of 2021.
ESA awards €10.45 million to two UK launch startups
The pair of contracts for Orbex and Skyrora were awarded under Boost!, an ESA program that aims to foster new commercial space transportation services.
SpaceX marks anniversary of first launch with Starlink mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched another set of Starlink satellites March 24, 15 years to the day after the company’s first, unsuccessful launch.
Rocket Lab launches smallsat rideshare mission
Rocket Lab launched six smallsats for a variety of commercial and government customers March 22 on a mission also intended to demonstrate the performance of its own smallsat bus.
Download the March 15 issue of SpaceNews Magazine
Download the March 15th issue of SpaceNews Magazine and subscribe
