Breaking news
Maxar-Thales Alenia Space team breaks up, now competing separately for Telesat LEO
Maxar Technologies and Thales Alenia Space abandoned plans to jointly compete to build Telesat’s low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation, setting up a now three-way race for a multibillion-dollar contract expected to be awarded soon.
Blue Origin, Lockheed, Northrop join forces for Artemis lunar lander
Blue Origin is joining forces with three other major aerospace firms in a “national team” to develop a human lunar lander for NASA.
NASA hires Loverro to lead human spaceflight
NASA announced Oct. 16 that it has hired Doug Loverro, a former Defense Department official responsible for space policy, to lead its human spaceflight programs.
SpaceX submits paperwork for 30,000 more Starlink satellites
The FCC, on SpaceX’s behalf, submitted 20 filings to the ITU for 1,500 satellites apiece in various low Earth orbits, an ITU official confirmed Oct. 15 to SpaceNews.
Air Force nominee Barrett calls for assertive U.S. posture on space, says Space Force is a ‘key imperative’
Barrett voiced strong support for the Trump administration’s proposal to establish a Space Force.
Eutelsat leaves C-Band Alliance as spectrum decision looms
Eutelsat Communications has quit the C-Band Alliance, fracturing the group of global satellite operators as a regulatory decision on their spectrum plan nears.
Trump formally reestablishes U.S. Space Command at White House ceremony
At a White House ceremony Thursday, President Donald Trump officially reestablished U.S. Space Command as the Defense Department’s 11th unified combatant command.
Blue Origin files protest over ‘flawed’ Air Force launch procurement
Blue Origin filed a “pre-award” protest with the GAO, arguing that the rules set by the Air Force do not allow for a fair and open competition.
Vector replaces CEO, suspends operations amid financial problems
Small launch vehicle company Vector has replaced its founding chief executive and disclosed that financial difficulties have forced the company to suspend its operations.
Vector Launch awarded its first U.S. Air Force mission
The ASLON-45 space vehicle manifest will consist of multiple 3U and larger U.S. government cubesats to low earth orbit.
Rocket Lab to attempt to reuse Electron first stage
Rocket Lab announced Aug. 6 it will attempt to recover the first stage of its Electron small launch vehicle over the next several months, eventually reusing it to allow the company to increase its launch rate.
China’s Tiangong-2 space lab reenters over South Pacific
China carried out the controlled deorbiting of its Tiangong-2 space lab into the South Pacific, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced Friday.
Kennedy out as head of the Space Development Agency
DoD statement: "An acting director of SDA will be announced soon."
NASA selects Maxar to build first Gateway element
NASA has selected Maxar Technologies to develop the first element of its lunar Gateway, the Power and Propulsion Element, for launch in late 2022.
Former Ambassador Barbara Barrett tapped to replace Heather Wilson as Air Force secretary
From 2013 until 2017, Barrett served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Aerospace Corporation
Pence calls for human return to the moon by 2024
Vice President Mike Pence directed NASA to return humans to the surface of the moon by 2024, a dramatic acceleration of the agency’s human space exploration plans but a directive accompanied by few technical or fiscal details.
