Launch

Rocket Lab has confirmed it will open a 14-day launch window this month to conduct the company’s first fully commercial launch. The mission, named “It’s Business Time,” includes manifested payloads for Spire Global and GeoOptics, built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. The 14-day launch window will open on Friday, April 20. During this time a four-hour...

As Audacy’s Zero CubeSat approaches launch, the company is already working on the next demonstration to the International Space Station (ISS) named Audacy Lynq. The mission will deploy a second generation client terminal on the ISS, where it will provide communications for commercial users. The service will be offered using the same pricing as future relay services...

After a brief one day delay, SpaceX successfully launched the fifth set of 10 Iridium Next satellites this morning from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Iridium confirmed shortly after launch that its Network Operations Center (NOC) made contact with all 10 satellites, which are now preparing to begin testing. Positive update to our satellite...

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully orbited the country’s new communications satellite, GSAT 6A, this morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. This is the fifth successful mission in a row for ISRO’s GSLV Mk2 since the agency redesigned the rocket in 2014. The launch offered ISRO the opportunity to test new...

Relativity Space announced the close of its $35 million Series B financing, led by Playground Global with full participation from existing Series A investors Social Capital, Y Combinator Continuity, and Mark Cuban. The funding will be used to grow the company’s automated process for manufacturing and launching entire rockets from conception to production. This new...

Kuang-Chi Science and NanoRacks announced a partnership to cooperate on Kuang-Chi’s near-space helium spacecraft, the Traveler. The partnership will focus on the development of the Traveler program outside of China, leveraging Kuang-Chi’s near-space technology and NanoRacks’ experience in both in-space business development and customer marketing. Kuang-Chi’s Traveler is a platform that offers access to suborbital...

The U.S. Air Force has awarded two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contracts to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA).  SpaceX received a $290.6 million firm-fixed-price contract to orbit three Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellites (1 base and 2 options). ULA received a $354.8 million firm-fixed-price contract, to launch Air Force Space Command...

DigitalGlobe and SpaceX are working together for the first time to launch the WorldView Legion constellation. Two flight-proven Falcon 9 rockets will launch the initial block of the multi-satellite WorldView Legion constellation in 2021. The WorldView Legion constellation will incorporate DigitalGlobe’s and its parent company, Maxar Technologies’, capabilities in Earth Observation (EO) and satellite construction...

Rocket Lab has confirmed its next launch will be the company’s first fully commercial flight. Two Lemur 2 cubesats for launch customer Spire Global will be on board the upcoming launch, with the full manifest to be confirmed in coming weeks. The flight’s name was put to a vote on social media, with “It’s Business...