Space Economy

Starlab Space, the joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus, welcomed Japanese multinational company Mitsubishi Corporation as a new strategic partner and equity owner. This partnership, announced on April 4, aims to expand access for the Japanese space economy and industrial base into the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) marketplace by utilizing Starlab’s technologies and capabilities. Mikito...

Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched the new Texas Space Commission this week to improve the state’s position in the national space industry. Abbott also announced inaugural members of the commission’s board of directors and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium (TARSEC) executive committee during an event at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston...

Varda Space’s mission is to expand “the economic bounds of humankind,” but despite co-founder, CEO and President Delian Asparouhov’s self-described “deep passion” for aerospace, you’re more likely to find him at a pharmaceutical trade show than a NASA conference. The company, which was co-founded in late 2020 by Asparouhov, Will Bruey, and Daniel Marshall, is...

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) selected Northrop Grumman to design and concept a Moon-based railroad network as part of DARPA’s 10-year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study. The envisioned lunar railroad network could transport humans, and resources across the lunar surface for commercial use. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Northrop Grumman will...

Viasat selected Rocket Lab to produce a spacecraft bus and mission operation support to Viasat’s hybrid space network. The demonstrations will advance Viasat’s portfolio of space relay communication services in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) space missions. It is scheduled to launch in early 2026. The spacecraft will support demonstrations that are part of Viasat’s work under...

Astroscale will play a key role in a UK Space Agency (UKSA) Active Debris Removal (ADR) Refueling feasibility study. Astroscale has placed a successful bid to lead this study, the company announced March 5. This 2 million pound ($2.54 million) UKSA study is focused on the refueling of the UK’s first active debris removal (ADR)...

Space Tango received a $5 million award from NASA to support biological data collection for the planned crewed test flight to lunar orbit in the Artemis II mission. Space Tango builds systems that support health and technology manufacturing in space.  Space Tango’s work on Artemis II will support the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) over...

Intuitive Machine’s IM-1 mission lunar lander is en route to the Moon after a successful launch on a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket early Thursday. The lunar lander, a Nova-C class named Odysseus, was commissioned in space after establishing a stable attitude, solar charging, and radio communications contact with the company’s mission operations center in Houston....

mu Space and Advanced Technology (mu Space), an aerospace manufacturer and satellite internet service provider in Southeast Asia, is teaming up with ispace, a private lunar robotic exploration company based in Japan, in an exciting new collaboration. The companies have signed two MoUs as part of a deal to collaborate on future lunar missions together....

Starlab, the future commercial space station, will launch on a SpaceX Starship rocket under a new launch agreement announced Wednesday. Starlab Space, a joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus, announced SpaceX will launch the space station to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) in a single mission.  Wednesday’s announcement did not give a specific timeframe, but said...