Launch

SpaceX launched Transporter-1, the first mission in its dedicated smallsat rideshare program on Jan. 24, carrying 143 satellites total — 133 commercial and government spacecraft and 10 Starlink satellites. This […]

California-based launch and internet service provider SpaceX sent a new batch of Starlink internet satellites into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday […]

Virgin Orbit successfully deployed 10 payloads for NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) during the California-based company’s second demonstration of its LauncherOne spacecraft on Sunday, Jan. 17. The LauncherOne was deployed […]

Exotrail had a successful first cubesat mission equipped with ExoMG Hall-effect electric propulsion technology, the company reported Jan. 12. The company completed an in-orbit demonstration mission launched to Low-Earth Orbit […]

OneWeb has adjusted its plans for the size of its Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation down from a 48,000-satellite constellation to roughly 7,000, the company announced Wednesday.  In May, while the […]

Intuitive Machines has selected SpaceX to launch its NASA-backed IM-2 Polar Mission to the Moon on a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 2022, the company announced Wednesday.  NASA awarded […]

Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket on Thursday, testing upgrades to its crew capsule. This was the 14th New Shepard mission for Blue Origin, the commercial launch […]

Airbus revealed Thursday that it has successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Skynet 6A project. The project now has permission to move into the next phase, which […]

Last year, Airbus had the target of selling three of its new flexible OneSat satellites to customers around the world. Between January 1st 2020 and December 30th 2020, it had […]

On December 23, shortly before the holidays, I received a press release that headlined: “European space and digital players to study build of EU’s satellite-based connectivity system.” As part of […]

SpaceX successfully launched the TURKSAT 5A satellite on Thursday evening in its first launch of 2021. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite took off from Space Launch Complex 40 […]

Arianespace reported $1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) in sales in 2020, approximately the same level of sales as 2019, in a year-end update released Thursday. The European launcher also reported […]

The U.S. Space Force-developed Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) Flight System (EFS) is to demonstrate the launch of up to 18 multi-mission national security and civil satellites […]

Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) revealed Wednesday that it has successfully completed the Key Decision Point (KDP) C for NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE). KDP-C provides NASA approval […]

SpaceX has been awarded a $150.5 million firm-fixed-price contract from the Space Development Agency to launch its Tranche 0 transport and tracking layer satellites.  The award, announced by the U.S. […]

Momentus has pulled its Vigoride orbital transfer vehicle from the upcoming SpaceX Transporter 1 Falcon 9 launch set for Jan. 14, to allow for more time for FAA approval of […]

An Arianespace Soyuz rocket orbited a French defense satellite on Dec. 29 in Arianespace’s final launch of 2020. The Soyuz rocket carrying the CSO-2 satellite took off from the Guiana […]

Firefly Aerospace and Adaptive Launch Solutions (ALS) have signed a multi-year launch services agreement that includes four Alpha launches beginning in 2021. ALS, which designs multi-manifest hardware, avionics, and sequencers, […]

Voyager Space Holdings plans to acquire a majority stake in Nanoracks through Nanoracks parent company XO Markets, the companies announced Dec. 23. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, […]

The commission set up by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace to investigate the Vega launch failure in November has released its findings. Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël said in […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded ArianeGroup a $40 million (33 million euros) contract this month for the initial stages of development on a reusable rocket first stage prototype called […]

Arsat has signed an agreement with Telesat to support its transfer orbit support services, and it’s Benavidez Ground Station successfully supported Telesat’s work in the Launch and Early Orbit Phase […]

SpaceX successfully launched the NROL-108 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). On Saturday, Dec. 19, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at 9:00 […]

Lockheed Martin’s surprise announcement Sunday that it has agreed to acquire propulsion systems developer and manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne in a $4.4 billion deal, will lead to better integrated end products […]

A successful launch capped off a challenging and eventful year for OneWeb, in which the company went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and emerged under new ownership. Arianespace and its Starsem […]

HawkEye 360 is supporting a commercial Radio Frequency (RF) Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) pilot program for the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the company revealed Wednesday. HawkEye 360 will use its […]

Blue Origin is now able to compete to launch future NASA missions on its New Glenn rocket in development. On Thursday, the agency announced that it has awarded Blue Origin […]

Arianespace revealed Wednesday that it will launch Eutelsat 10B, Eutelsat’s next generation telecommunications High-Throughput Satellite (HTS). The satellite is scheduled to launch from the Guiana Space Center in 2022 on […]

Synspective has confirmed its first satellite reached its target orbit of Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) after launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on Tuesday. The dedicated Electron mission, dubbed the […]

Momentus has a contract for its second customer on its hosted payload service, and will host a payload from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), called SSPD-1 at the end […]