Muon Space plans a ‘turnkey solution’ for custom Earth observation satellites

Muon Space plans a ‘turnkey solution’ for custom Earth observation satellites

Plenty of companies want to operate in space, but few have or need the expertise to do so. They want an eye in the sky but not a satellite company. Muon Space is one of several startups looking to put others into space but with a special expertise in Earth observation and building the full […]

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Northrop Grumman taps Firefly Aerospace to upgrade its Antares rocket to American-built engines

Northrop Grumman taps Firefly Aerospace to upgrade its Antares rocket to American-built engines

Chalk one up for the American broomsticks. Northrop Grumman has announced that it will partner with startup Firefly Aerospace to build an all-American version of its workhorse Antares rocket, which currently flies with Russian-built RD-181 engines. Due to the continuing war in Ukraine, Russia halted all sales of its rocket engines to the United States […]

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SpaceX launches South Korea’s first moon mission, an orbiter named Danuri

SpaceX launches South Korea’s first moon mission, an orbiter named Danuri

South Korea is headed for the moon. Last night, the country launched its first-ever lunar mission — in fact, its first-ever mission beyond low Earth orbit. Formerly called the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), the mission, managed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), is now named Danuri, a play on the Korean words for […]

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Here’s what Swarm has been up to in the 10 months since being acquired by SpaceX

Here’s what Swarm has been up to in the 10 months since being acquired by SpaceX

It’s been nearly a year since satellite Internet-of-Things connectivity provider Swarm was acquired by SpaceX, and Swarm co-founder and CEO Sara Spangelo (now senior director of Satellite Engineering at SpaceX) is ready to talk about what Swarm’s been up to in that time. SpaceX is not known to be a super acquisitive company, so I […]

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After 50 years pioneering satellite imagery, NASA’s Landsat is ready for 50 more

After 50 years pioneering satellite imagery, NASA’s Landsat is ready for 50 more

NASA’s Landsat satellites have consistently made history in Earth observation since the project’s first launch in 1972, with this year marking 50 years of innovation and science. Its influence may surprise you, as will its continued relevance in the face of a fast-growing commercial imaging satellite sector. Landsat may be a familiar name to you […]

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Eutelsat and OneWeb agree on merger to create European satellite juggernaut

Eutelsat and OneWeb agree on merger to create European satellite juggernaut

Two major players in the European satellite space are merging in a $3.4 billion all-share transaction, a move that is widely seen as a challenge to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Rumors emerged earlier this week that France’s Eutelsat was gearing up to buy its British rival OneWeb, and the duo have now confirmed these plans. Founded […]

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Amazon eyes bringing satellite internet business Project Kuiper to India

Amazon eyes bringing satellite internet business Project Kuiper to India

Amazon appears to have identified another market to launch its fast and affordable internet service, Project Kuiper: India. Job listings show the American e-commerce group is looking to hire managers in India to launch the internet service, for which the company plans to use low Earth orbit satellite constellation. One position, based in Bengaluru, seeks […]

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How the Webb sends its hundred-megapixel images a million miles back to Earth

How the Webb sends its hundred-megapixel images a million miles back to Earth

NASA has just revealed the James Webb Space Telescope’s first set of images, from an awe-inspiring deep field of galaxies to a minute characterization of a distant exoplanet’s atmosphere. But how does a spacecraft a million miles away get dozens of gigabytes of data back to Earth? First let’s talk about the images themselves. These […]

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Starlink on your yacht, so hot

Starlink on your yacht, so hot

Having conquered orbit, SpaceX’s next venue seems to be the high seas, through a special yacht-focused sub-brand of its satellite internet service called Starlink Maritime. The idea of satellite internet on the water isn’t a new one, but the actual service generally isn’t great: you can expect to pay hundreds or thousands per month for […]

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Rocket Lab offers next-day shipping to space

Rocket Lab offers next-day shipping to space

It wasn’t long ago that orbital launches were something that took years of planning and months of tests and careful preparation. But Rocket Lab’s new program will enable customers to show up at the launch site with their payload in the boot and have it in orbit 24 hours later. Premium next-day rates will apply, […]

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