News
Daily coverage of the global space industry with an emphasis on business and political news.
Commercial crew providers believe they now meet NASA safety requirements
Boeing and SpaceX, who have been struggling to meet safety thresholds established by NASA for commercial crew vehicles, now believe their vehicles can meet those requirements as they prepare for test flights scheduled in the next several months.
Orbital Insight acquires computer vision startup FeatureX
Orbital Insight, a Silicon Valley geospatial analytics company, announced the purchase Sept. 18 of FeatureX, a Boston-based artificial intelligence firm specializing in computer vision for satellite imagery. The terms of the purchase were not disclosed.
Wilson: $13 billion Space Force cost estimate is ‘conservative’
Wilson suggested her proposal is only the opening salvo. “I expect there will be a lot of discussion about how to implement the president’s vision.”
Air Force eyes commercial options to gain intelligence on space threats
Melanie Stricklan, Slingshot Aerospace: “We see a big need for SSA solutions, not just in the military but also in academia and in satellite owners and operators."
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson’s Space Force proposal has people buzzing
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson’s Space Force proposal dropped on the first day of the Air Force Association’s Air Space Cyber symposium, and it took the community by storm.
What are people talking about at Air Force Association’s Air Space Cyber symposium?
The Air Force’s advocacy group, the Air Force Association, is taking off the gloves and pointedly voicing opposition to separating space out of the Air Force.
Space Council advisory group planning next meeting
Three months after its inaugural meeting, the advisory group supporting the National Space Council is working to organize itself and identify topics for study while preparing for its next full meeting.
Air Force Association opposes establishment of a Space Force, says air and space are ‘indivisible’
AFA: "Standing up a separate space bureaucracy amplifies the problem by driving more money to a headquarters function, not space operations. "
SpaceX signs up Japanese billionaire for circumlunar BFR flight
SpaceX announced Sept. 17 that a Japanese billionaire will be paying an undisclosed but significant sum to buy a flight of the company’s next-generation rocket for a flight around the moon carrying a group of artists.
Airlines wary of inflight connectivity disruption
Airline customers are well aware of the financial troubles plaguing satellite-enabled inflight connectivity providers.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell: ‘We would launch a weapon to defend the U.S.’
Shotwell: “Failure is bad. But failure while you’re trying and you’re testing is not terrible. You’re learning from it.”
Government agencies prepare for piggyback flights, secondary payloads
Ten years after then-U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne called for maximizing use of secondary payload adapters to launch small satellites on large rockets, the Air Force, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working together to make that happen.
Satellite operators see opportunities in Latin America and Africa
Satellite operators Yahsat of the United Arab Emirates, Brazil's Star One and Bermuda-based ABS are moving into new markets in Latin America and around the world, according to speakers at the World Satellite Business Week conference here Sept. 10.
India’s PSLV launches two British satellites for SSTL
The launch, India’ first in five months, highlighted the United Kingdom’s desire to bolster trade with India as well as India’s desire to further commercialize production of the PLSV, a rocket often used for smallsat missions.
Air Force Secretary lays roadmap to a new space force
Wilson: “This proposal establishes a clear mission, directly related to the strategic problem we are trying to solve."
IAI studying follow-on opportunities for SpaceIL lunar lander
As it completes a lunar lander scheduled for launch late this year, an Israeli company says it’s looking for opportunities to do similar future spacecraft to tap into the growing demand for lunar missions.
