News
Daily coverage of the global space industry with an emphasis on business and political news.
DoD working on Space Force rollout plan pending congressional approval
White House officials have asked DoD to prepare a detailed public communications plan for the new branch.
Companies, international partners key to future lunar exploration
Entrepreneurs and international government agencies will play important roles in NASA’s future lunar exploration, according to speakers at the 2019 International Astronautical Congress here.
SpaceX plans to start offering Starlink broadband services in 2020
The goal is to complete six to eight Starlink launches to get sufficient coverage to start offering the service to consumers in 2020.
Arianespace targets 2023 for lunar Ariane 6 rideshare mission
Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël said the Ariane 6 rideshare mission will be able to deliver 8,500 kilograms into a lunar transfer orbit.
Former SDA boss Fred Kennedy answers the questions we’ve waited months to ask
Fred Kennedy spoke with SpaceNews about leaving the Space Development Agency, his public clash with Air Force leaders at the 2019 Space Symposium and his future plans.
Blue Origin, Lockheed, Northrop join forces for Artemis lunar lander
Blue Origin is joining forces with three other major aerospace firms in a “national team” to develop a human lunar lander for NASA.
Noosphere Venture campaign begins coming together with radar constellation
Noosphere Venture Partners is taking another step toward its goal of creating a vertically integrated space powerhouse.
Space agencies endorse continued cooperation in lunar exploration
Leaders of several national space agencies endorsed continued cooperation in space exploration, including missions to the moon, and said that effort should not come into conflict with separate work to address climate change.
ESA to seek funding for more Prometheus reusable engines at ministerial
The European Space Agency will ask its 22 member states to fund an additional two to eight Prometheus reusable engines so that the agency can further its development.
Boeing marketing its small GEO satellite to international governments
Potential customers include partner countries of the U.S. government's WGS constellation.
Pence calls for American-led cooperation in space exploration
Vice President Mike Pence told an international audience that the United States intends to lead in space but seeks cooperation in space exploration with “freedom-loving” nations.
Umbra emerges from stealth mode with plans to offer 25-centimeter radar at optical imagery prices
After years of secrecy, Umbra Lab is revealing details of its plan to launch a constellation of 50-kilogram synthetic aperture radar satellites to capture imagery with a resolution of 25 centimeters.
Airstream, Boeing unveil new astronaut transfer vehicle
Airstream, maker of the iconic “silver bullet” travel trailer, unveiled Astrovan II, an eight-seat transport vehicle Boeing will use to transport commercial crew astronauts to the CST-100 Starliner’s Cape Canaveral, Florida, launchpad.
Made In Space to launch commercial recycler to space station
Made In Space announced plans Oct. 21 to send a plastic recycling facility to the International Space Station on a Northrop Grumman commercial cargo resupply flight scheduled for early November.
Japan to join Artemis program
The Japanese government plans to join NASA in its Artemis program of lunar exploration, although the details about how it will contribute remain to be worked out.
Air Force reviewing Boeing’s bid for WGS-11, projects satellite could be ready in five years
WGS program and Boeing leaders are preparing for an upcoming “system requirements review."
