News
Daily coverage of the global space industry with an emphasis on business and political news.
Ball and Raytheon to develop NOAA ocean sensors
Ball Aerospace and Raytheon Intelligence & Space will begin developing ocean color sensors for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s next generation of geostationary weather satellites under contracts announced May 26.
UK’s Open Cosmos gets ESA funding for space weather constellation
British small satellite startup Open Cosmos said May 27 it has secured European Space Agency funding to develop plans for a space weather monitoring constellation.
The Philippines gives green light to Starlink
The Philippines has approved plans that will see it become the first country in Southeast Asia to access SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services.
Astroscale gets funds for 2024 debris-removal mission
Astroscale has secured European Space Agency funding for a 2024 demo mission to remove what will likely be a OneWeb satellite.
SpaceX replacing heat shield on upcoming Crew Dragon mission after failed test
SpaceX will replace the heat shield on the next Crew Dragon spacecraft flying to the International Space Station after it failed inspections, but NASA says there is no risk of a similar problem for the spacecraft currently at the station.
General Dynamics wins ground systems contract for Space Development Agency’s megaconstellation
General Dynamics Mission Systems won a $324.5 million contract to operate the ground systems and manage network operations of the Space Development Agency’s low Earth orbit constellation.
Space Force rolls out cybersecurity standards for commercial providers of satellite services
The Space Systems Command announced May 26 the official rollout of a new process to assess the cybersecurity of commercial satellite operators that do business with the Defense Department.
Economy could dampen growth of space industry
Broader economic issues as well as the performance of some space companies could slow the growth of the industry in the next few years, executives warn.
Additive manufacturing has progressed far beyond brackets
Spacecraft developers are additively manufacturing engine nozzles and other complex spacecraft components.
SpaceX launches Transporter-5 dedicated smallsat rideshare mission
SpaceX launched several dozen payloads on its fifth dedicated rideshare mission May 25, illustrating the continued demand for such missions even as dedicated small launch vehicles emerge.
Space logistics experts broadly endorse standards
A panel of space logistics experts underscored the importance of open standards to encourage the growth of the market.
Starliner concludes OFT-2 test flight with landing in New Mexico
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner safely landed in New Mexico May 25, concluding a six-day uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station.
Gogo’s OneWeb partnership could face Starlink in business aviation market
Gogo is planning to use OneWeb satellites in a partnership that could see it take on Starlink in an emerging business aviation market for low Earth orbit services.
Virgin Orbit expects first U.K. launch in August
Virgin Orbit expects to perform its first launch from England in late August, pending award of a British launch license, a company executive said May 25.
BlackSky, Maxar, Planet win 10-year NRO contracts for satellite imagery
The National Reconnaissance Office announced May 25 it awarded BlackSky, Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs 10-year contracts to provide satellite imagery for U.S. intelligence, defense and federal civil agencies.
