Breaking news
Virgin Galactic achieves space on SpaceShipTwo test flight
Virgin Galactic achieved a long-awaited milestone Dec. 13 when its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle performed its longest test flight to date, exceeding one altitude often used as the boundary of space.
China launches Chang’e-4 spacecraft for pioneering lunar far side landing mission
China launched its Chang’e-4 moon mission Dec. 7, successfully sending the lander and rover into a lunar transfer orbit ahead of an unprecedented attempt at a landing on the far side of the moon early in the New Year.
InSight successfully lands on Mars
NASA’s InSight spacecraft successfully landed on Mars Nov. 26, completing a journey of nearly 500 million kilometers and starting a mission to study the planet’s interior.
FCC approves SpaceX, Telesat, LeoSat and Kepler internet constellations
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted Nov. 15 to approve four proposed satellite constellations, authorizing nearly 8,000 small telecom satellites to serve U.S. entities from low Earth orbit.
Rocket Lab performs first commercial launch
Rocket Lab successfully launched its Electron rocket Nov. 10 on a long-delayed first commercial mission for the small launch vehicle.
Landspace fails to reach orbit with milestone private Chinese launch
Landspace suffered an issue with the third stage of its Zhuque-1 solid launch vehicle Saturday as it bid to become the first Chinese private launch company to reach orbit.
Rocket Lab selects Wallops for U.S. launch site
Small launch vehicle company Rocket Lab announced Oct. 17 that it will build its second launch pad, and first in the United States, at Wallops Island in Virginia.
Stratolaunch founder Paul Allen dies
Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft who backed the winning entry in a suborbital spaceflight competition and later funded development of a massive air-launch system, passed away Oct. 15.
Soyuz launch to ISS aborted after booster failure; crew safe
An American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut are reported to be in good condition after a problem with their Soyuz rocket minutes after liftoff Oct. 11 forced them to abort their mission to the International Space Station and make an an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.
Air Force awards launch vehicle development contracts to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, ULA
The U.S. Air Force announced on Wednesday it is awarding three contracts collectively worth about $2 billion to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and United Launch Alliance to develop launch system prototypes.
ULA selects Blue Origin to provide Vulcan main engine
United Launch Alliance announced Sept. 27 that it has selected Blue Origin to provide the main engine for its next-generation Vulcan launch vehicle, a decision long expected by the industry.
SpaceX signs up Japanese billionaire for circumlunar BFR flight
SpaceX announced Sept. 17 that a Japanese billionaire will be paying an undisclosed but significant sum to buy a flight of the company’s next-generation rocket for a flight around the moon carrying a group of artists.
Viasat books ULA Atlas 5 for a ViaSat-3 satellite launch
United Launch Alliance beat out SpaceX and Arianespace to win a launch contract for an upcoming Viasat satellite.
China just set new national launch record while putting up two more Beidou navigation satellites
China’s launch of a pair of Beidou navigation satellites late Friday saw the country set a new annual launch record as its space activities ramp up.
Vice President Pence announces first steps towards creating a new military branch for space
The debate is over. The United States will have a Space Force as a separate branch of the military.
LeoLabs raises $13 million in Series A funding
LeoLabs, a Silicon Valley space mapping startup raised $13 million in a Series A funding round led by WERU Investment of Tokyo and Airbus Ventures, the European aerospace giant’s early-stage investment group.
