NASA pushes back Boeing Starliner’s crewed flight test to July

NASA pushes back Boeing Starliner’s crewed flight test to July

The first crewed flight test of Boeing’s Starliner capsule is facing yet another delay, with NASA officials saying Wednesday that it was now targeting no earlier than July 21 for launch. The space agency and Boeing blamed the delay on certification issues related to the capsule’s parachute system and other verifications on Starliner’s components and […]

Read more
Lockheed doubles down on lunar economy bet with new subsidiary Crescent Space Services

Lockheed doubles down on lunar economy bet with new subsidiary Crescent Space Services

Lockheed Martin announced today the creation of a wholly owned subsidiary called Crescent Space Services that will focus on infrastructure for the moon, the latest sign that the aerospace and defense giant is bullish on the future of a lunar economy. The new venture will focus initially on a communications and navigation network in cislunar […]

Read more
Isar Aerospace raises $165 million to bring more sovereign launch to Europe

Isar Aerospace raises $165 million to bring more sovereign launch to Europe

German launch startup Isar Aerospace has scored $165 million (€155 million) in new funding as it races toward the inaugural flight of its Spectrum small rocket later this year. The company, founded in 2018, is one of a handful of European startups looking to fill the gap in the launch market on that continent. There […]

Read more
Rocket Lab reveals big supplier deal with mystery mega constellation customer

Rocket Lab reveals big supplier deal with mystery mega constellation customer

Rocket Lab has proven that it’s much more than a launch company: One glance at the company’s most recent earnings presentation shows as much, since in 2022, its space systems business, which designs, manufactures and sells satellite components and spacecraft, brought in over 70% of company revenue compared to launch, at $150.3 million versus $60.7 […]

Read more
ABL Space Systems scores $60 million for rapid response launch for defense customers

ABL Space Systems scores $60 million for rapid response launch for defense customers

Launch startup ABL Space Systems has landed a $60 million contract to build out its “responsive launch” operational capacity, as part of the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program. The new funding, which equally matches government funding with private investment, comes as the company prepares for the second launch […]

Read more
Blue Origin launch aborted after mid-flight anomaly

Blue Origin releases report on launch anomaly and plans to fly again ‘soon’

It’s been nearly 6 months since Blue Origin’s 23rd suborbital launch experienced an anomaly, and the company has finally released the results of its investigation. The good news is the escape function worked great! But there was definitely a nozzle problem. The September flight, NS-23, was carrying a number of science payloads and no space […]

Read more
Relativity Space’s first launch fails to reach orbit, but proves its 3D-printing rocket tech works

Relativity Space’s first launch fails to reach orbit, but proves its 3D-printing rocket tech works

Relativity Space achieved a massively important milestone at just before 11:30 PM ET on Wednesday, with the first ever flight of its 3D-printed rocket technology. Its Terran 1 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, successfully clearing the pad and launch structure, and achieving ‘Max Q’ – or the point during the launch sequence […]

Read more
America’s space-based spy agency awards six contracts to hyperspectral imagery providers

America’s space-based spy agency awards six contracts to hyperspectral imagery providers

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has awarded five-year study contracts to six space companies that provide hyperspectral satellite imagery — BlackSky, Orbital Sidekick, Pixxel, Planet, Xplore and HyperSat — as the agency seeks to expand its remote sensing capabilities. The NRO, the arm of the Department of Defense that conducts space-based spying and surveillance, […]

Read more