ispace
Chinese private launch firms advance with methane engines, launch preparations and new funding
A number of Chinese private launch firms for the burgeoning commercial space sector have reported progress in efforts to develop a range of launch vehicles.
Space Pioneer raises $14 million to develop green liquid rocket engines
Chinese space propulsion startup Space Pioneer has raised $14 million in funding for completing a series of next-generation liquid engines.
Japanese lunar lander company ispace on schedule for 2021 first mission
Japanese lunar lander company ispace says it’s on track to launch its first mission in 2021 while supporting an American partner on potential NASA missions.
Chinese commercial launch companies are preparing second-generation rockets
Chinese launch companies are developing new, larger launchers; asteroid mining startup receives angel round funding.
Commercial lunar lander companies update mission plans
Days after Astrobotic announced its selection of United Launch Alliance to launch its first lunar lander, Japanese lunar lander company ispace says it is modifying its schedule for commercial lunar lander missions.
Chinese iSpace achieves orbit with historic private sector launch
iSpace became the first Chinese private firm to achieve orbit with Thursday’s successful launch from a national space center in the Gobi Desert.
Chinese commercial launch sector regulations released, new launch vehicle plans unveiled
China has released a set of rules to guide the development of launch vehicles in the growing commercial sector as companies continue to progress and new actors emerge.
China’s iSpace to make private orbital launch attempt in early June
Launch firm iSpace in early June will attempt to become the first Chinese private company to place a satellite in orbit, following failed launches by two competitors.
Landspace, iSpace and Linkspace of China claim progress on new launchers
Chinese startup Linkspace succeeded with a vertical takeoff and landing test late last month on the same day fellow private launch firm OneSpace failed to reach orbit with its OS-m rocket. Also that week, two other Chinese companies declared success with engine tests as they push to develop new launch vehicles.
SpaceIL lunar lander makes first post-launch maneuvers
As an Israeli-built lunar lander makes its first post-launch maneuvers, a Japanese company announced new partnerships in its plans to mount missions to the moon.
Chinese companies OneSpace and iSpace are preparing for first orbital launches
Chinese private companies OneSpace and iSpace are making progress with plans to attempt their first orbital launches in the first half of 2019.
Draper bids on NASA commercial lunar lander competition
The organization that helped NASA’s Apollo spacecraft land on the moon a half-century ago is now working with an industry team that includes a Japanese lunar lander company to propose a commercial return to the lunar surface.
Japanese company ispace selects SpaceX for lunar missions
A Japanese company that has roots in the former Google Lunar X Prize competition announced Sept. 26 that it has selected SpaceX to launch a pair of missions to the moon in 2020 and 2021.
Chinese startups OneSpace, iSpace succeed with suborbital launches
Chinese launch startup OneSpace successfully performed its first launch from a national launch site Sept.7, following a similar feat by competitor iSpace days earlier.
Lunar X Prize competition to restart, without prize
Days after the decade-old Google Lunar X Prize competition expired without a winner, the X Prize Foundation announced it would “relaunch” the competition, albeit without a prize purse for now.
New fund to boost Japanese space startups
The Japanese government, working with private ventures, announced plans March 20 to establish a nearly billion-dollar fund to support the development of space startups in the country.
