From the Magazine
The space industry’s B.S. problem
A space industry flush with startups and easy money struggles to tamp down all the B.S.
Op-ed | SpaceX’s adaptation to market changes
SpaceX’s technical validation of reusable rockets has opened new horizons for the launch sector while inciting the firm’s competitors to invest in technological innovation as a means to fight market share erosion.
Starlink vs. the astronomers
Since the first Starlink satellites launched in May, astronomers have complained that those satellites, and potentially other systems to be launched in the next few years, could make it far more difficult for astronomers to conduct observations using ground-based telescopes.
Satellites at war: A week of U.S.-Iran tensions sum up military reliance on space
The U.S. military drone strikes that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 3 and Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq a few days later were a stark illustration of the critical role of satellites.
U.S. Space Force has lifted off, now the journey begins
A team of U.S. military and civilian defense officials spent most of 2019 drawing up plans to create a Space Force as a new service branch within the Air Force. But it wasn’t until Congress reached a deal in December on the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that the Space Force went from concept to reality.
Op-ed | Getting Space Force acquisition right in 2020
Getting the Space Force right and creating the first new U.S. armed service in more than half a century will be a herculean task. Meeting that growing challenge will require, first and foremost, getting Space Force acquisition right.
Op-ed | What should we call the men and women of Space Force?
Last year, I was invited by the U.S. government to a couple of workshops to help visualize future scenarios and strategies, which triggered a question in my mind: So what do you call members of the Space Force in all their varied roles?
NASA’s path to the moon leads through Congress. Good thing NASA’s No. 2 knows his way around Capitol Hill.
NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard sat down with SpaceNews to talk about exploration, NASA’s prospects for getting funding to enable those exploration plans, and his first year on the job at NASA.
DARPA’s big bet on Blackjack
The pressure is on for Blackjack to deliver on its stated goal: deploy 20 satellites by 2022 to demonstrate that LEO systems can be a more resilient and affordable alternative to the Defense Department’s exquisite and costly geosynchronous satellites.
Op-ed | Why tapping the solar system’s far-flung resources would be better than building new ICBMs
The United States is on the verge of making a profound strategic mistake. The nation is preparing to spend $85 billion replacing working nuclear-armed Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles with a new “Ground Based Strategic Deterrent.” Like the old missiles, the new arsenal will consist of silo-based rockets with nuclear warheads.
NASA’s new human spaceflight chief is determined to make 2024 deadline
In this excerpt from a “fireside chat” at the third annual SpaceNews Awards for Excellence & Innovation Dec. 10, Doug Loverro discusses why he took on this new challenge and Jim Bridenstine explains why he believes Loverro is the right person for the job.
Foust Forward | How to succeed in spaceports without really launching
For most people, the term “spaceport” conjures up visions of launch pads and gantries, with rockets taking off vertically. But for some, spaceports are becoming a place where businesses, rather than rockets, take off.
Air Force rolls out red carpet, credit card to attract small business
David Shahady, who directs the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, spoke with SpaceNews about Air Force Space Pitch Day and about the Air Force’s SBIR program.
Diving and driving on icy moons: One strategy for exploring Enceladus and Europa
Over the past 60 years, NASA has explored the solar system from the sun to the Kuiper belt. While many of these missions, especially those beyond Saturn, have been one-shot flybys, others have charted many of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn extensively by repeated orbital passes.
On National Security | Government taking steps to better support commercial space industry
Live pitch events are one of several avenues the Air Force is pursuing to attract U.S.-owned startups and commercial businesses that are breaking new ground in space technology.
Luxembourg expands its space resources vision
Étienne Schneider is undaunted by early setbacks as he continues work to make Luxembourg a hotbed of entrepreneurial space, a scope that has expanded beyond, but has not abandoned, space resources.
