Boeing
Crew-2 on schedule for April launch while next Starliner flight delayed
NASA officials said March 1 that the next SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station remains on schedule for late April, but that a Boeing uncrewed test flight is facing further delays.
Starliner test flight slips to early April
A second uncrewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle will be delayed by a little more than a week to replace hardware damaged during processing of the spacecraft.
Boeing Starliner completes software requalification
Boeing has completed a requalification of software on its commercial crew spacecraft as it prepares to launch the vehicle on a second test flight as soon as late March.
NASA to upgrade space station solar arrays
NASA will start an upgrade this year of the solar arrays of the International Space Station to ensure the station has sufficient power to continue operating at least through the end of the decade.
SLS Exploration Upper Stage passes review
An upgraded upper stage for the Space Launch System rocket has passed a major review, allowing its prime contractor, Boeing, to start producing hardware.
Next Starliner test flight scheduled for late March
A second uncrewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew spacecraft is now scheduled for no earlier than the end of March, 15 months after its first, flawed mission.
Satellite manufacturers remain upbeat about market in spite of challenges presented by pandemic
Satellite manufacturers expressed optimism that overall demand for satellite communications would remain strong.
Boeing cleared to continue development of WGS-11+ military satellite
WGS-11+ will join the WGS constellation that provides broadband communications to the U.S. military and allies.
Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson withdraws from Starliner test flight
Chris Ferguson, the former NASA astronaut who was to command the first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, has withdrawn from the mission for personal reasons, the company announced Oct. 7.
Schedule is king for C-band replacement satellites
Rather than pushing the state-of-the art, Boeing, Maxar Technologies and Northrop Grumman are emphasizing reliability in satellites they are manufacturing to help Intelsat and SES clear C-band spectrum, according to speakers at the Satellite Innovation 2020 conference.
NASA safety panel raises doubts about Starliner test flight schedule
A NASA safety panel said that while Boeing was making good progress on implementing changes to its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, it had doubts that work could be done in time to allow another test flight this year.
Boeing wins $298 million Space Force contract for jam-resistant communications satellite
The contract is for the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications program, known as Evolved Strategic Satcom.
Coronavirus adds to ViaSat-3 launch delay
The coronavirus pandemic has slowed some work on the first ViaSat-3 broadband satellite, making a launch in mid-2021 unlikely, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said Aug. 7.
