Phase Four wins NASA and commercial deals for electric propulsion system

Phase Four, a company developing an advanced electric propulsion system for use on cubesats and larger spacecraft, announced sales of its thrusters to NASA and Astro Digital May 24.

Former Google Lunar X Prize teams focused on new commercial and government opportunities

Companies that one competed for the Google Lunar X Prize now expect to fly their first lunar landers in the next two years to serve the needs of commercial and government customers, including NASA.

To trim rocket costs, Virgin Orbit leans on manufacturing software

Virgin Orbit’s campaign to design, build and fly LauncherOne, its air-launched rocket for small satellites, relies heavily on manufacturing software.

NASA to begin buying rides on commercial lunar landers by year’s end

PASADENA — NASA intends to begin buying rides on small commercial lunar landers by the end of the year and start looking …

Smallsats driving innovation in propulsion technologies

Technological advances have opened up a wide range of propulsion options for satellites, but companies developing those systems don’t expect a single approach to become dominant.

How long should a satellite last: five years, ten years, 15, 30?

PASADENA, California — Satellite manufacturers and operators attending the Space Tech Expo here offered contrasting views on how long satellites should continue to work in orbit.

For years, government and commercial operators sought t…

DARPA working group begins addressing concerns related to proximity operations and satellite servicing

A major challenge facing companies planning to perform on-orbit servicing will be ensuring satellite operators do not view their activities as potential threats.

Air Force focus on resilience means big changes for spacecraft manufacturing and testing

The U.S. Air Force's plans to respond to emerging threats by launching constellations of satellites. That strategy has important implications for spacecraft manufacturing and testing.

Air Force aims for reliable launch services in spite of dramatic changes in commercial, military space

In the future, the U.S. Air Force will launch satellites of all different sizes for customers with varying degrees of risk tolerance.

SpaceX achievements generate growing interest in reusable launchers

As SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 with a previously-flown first stage May 22, both the company and its competitors are seeing a growing acceptance of reusable vehicles in the overall market.

Industry warns of launch vehicle glut

The launch industry is facing a shakeout in the coming years that could result in the failure of the vast majority of companies developing new vehicles, industry executives warned at a conference.

European space officials outline desired contribution to Deep Space Gateway

Europe’s aerospace industry is getting ready for NASA’s proposed Deep Space Gateway, hoping Europe will have its own module at the lunar-orbit space station resupplied by a European transportation system.

Ice Cubes is Europe’s cool idea for commercializing its part of ISS

Billed as “the first commercial European opportunity to conduct research in space,” Ice Cubes offers researchers room to conduct experiments inside Europe’s Columbus module aboard the ISS.

Austrian startup ramping to mass produce tricky electric propulsion thrusters

Austrian startup Enpulsion claims to have found the key to bringing a notoriously difficult propulsion technology to market.

Humble origins drives OHB support for Europe’s space startup scene

Today’s OHB might be Europe’s third-largest space sector corporation, harvesting prestigious government contracts, but the Bremen-headquartered firm still remembers its modest beginnings.

How close are high-altitude platforms to competing with satellites?

Balloons, airships, unmanned planes and other so-called pseudo satellites loitering in the stratosphere are likely to enrich the global communications and Earth-observation ecosystem in the not-so-distant future.