small launch
With regulatory legwork complete, Swarm shifts focus to tackling launch delays
In an interview, Swarm chief executive Sara Spangelo said a trifecta of setbacks prevented the company from getting its constellation in orbit in the timeframe envisioned.
Shakeout in small launch industry is coming but nobody can predict when
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck: "The market needs to grow a lot to sustain more than two companies."
Pentagon identifies small launch industry as one of the most impacted by pandemic
Ellen Lord: “We're looking where the greatest pain points are, and again, it's really aviation, shipbuilding and small space launch.”
Small launch startup ABL Space Systems to test rocket hardware at Edwards Air Force Base
A key capability that AFRL wants to demonstrate with ABL Space Systems is remote launch.
Air Force to schedule nine small launch missions in 2020
Small launch missions planned for 2020 include experimental satellites, a prototype rideshare and missile defense tests.
DARPA scoping the market for small satellite launchers
As it plans future experiments DARPA wants to take advantage of the growing availability of launch options.
Senate appropriators add $22M for small launch, approve Space Force and Space Development Agency requests
The $22 million for Tactically Responsive Space Launch was added to the Air Force’s Research, Development, Test and Evaluation account.
Vector relinquishes Air Force launch contract, mission re-awarded to Aevum
Vector on Aug. 26 withdrew as the contractor for the Air Force Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON)-45 space lift mission.
Foust Forward | Worldwide, there are 131 small launch vehicles in the works. Most of these will fizzle out.
There’s almost universal agreement in the industry that there are far many more small launchers under development than can be supported by even the most optimistic forecasts of smallsat development.
Air Force soliciting bids for small, medium satellite launch program
OSP-4 is designed to accommodate payloads greater than 400 lbs. The Air Force projects it will procure about 20 missions over nine years.
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.
U.K. deepens space ties with U.S., announces investments in small satellites, responsive launch
The U.K. will invest $34 million in small satellites, will increase support for the Combined Space Operations Center.
SpinLaunch joins cadre of small launch companies DoD wants to try out
DIU: We are working with companies like Rocket Lab and Vox which are more mature as well as potentially disruptive ones like SpinLaunch.
SASC bill directs DoD to make use of commercial spaceports for small satellite launches
The small launch amendments made it into the SASC markup that the committee voted in a closed session May 22 to advance to the Senate floor.
Q&A: The changing assumptions of the small launch market
Do small launcher companies need megaconstellation business to survive? How should they approach a market that sometimes feels like its changing faster than the rockets themselves? Five launch companies discussed these topics March 13 at a Washington Space Business Roundtable discussion moderated by SpaceNews.
