Launch

Momentus will deploy a cubesat for the CUAVA Training Centre at the University of Sydney to its final orbit under an agreement announced Monday. Momentus will deploy the CUAVA-2 cubesat with its Vigoride orbital service vehicle on a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission set for October 2023. CUAVA-2 will be the second satellite to be launched...

The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) announced Nov. 23 that its SubOrbital Express 3 had launched the 12 payloads into suborbital space after two and a half years of preparation. Among the 12 payloads onboard were scientific experiments to investigate everything from stem cells for diabetes research, to particle research that will provide answers about the...

Eutelsat’s 10B satellite is on its way to its orbital position after a Nov. 22 SpaceX launch. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, will support in-flight and maritime connectivity.  SpaceX launched the satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 9:57 p.m. EST. The satellite separated 37 minute into the...

Rocket Lab has completed the final launch rehearsal before its first mission from the U.S. set for December. It will be the inaugural launch from Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. The mission has a launch window from Dec. 7 to 20.  As part of the wet dress...

U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Blue Origin for the company’s New Glenn Rocket, more than three years after the company and Northrop Grumman lost out to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance for launch awards under Phase 2 of National Security Space Launch (NSSL). Brig. Gen. Stephen...

Spaceport Cornwall has been granted the United Kingdom’s first ever spaceport license. The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued the licence, following consent from UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper. This key milestone was announced Nov. 16. Spaceport Cornwall, based at Cornwall Airport Newquay, has now demonstrated to the regulator it has met the appropriate safety,...

NASA successfully launched the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket early Wednesday morning in the Artemis I mission, earning launch heritage for the vehicle that has long been in development and delayed. The uncrewed Orion spacecraft is now en route to fly by the Moon, setting the stage for future missions to return astronauts to the...

NASA awarded SpaceX a contract modification to provide a second crewed landing demonstration mission with the Starship launch vehicle in 2027 as part of the agency’s Artemis IV mission. This is known as Option B on the existing Human Landing Systems award, under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2). The agency had previously...

Arkisys is teaming up with Precious Payload to make launching payloads in Low-Earth Orbit more accessible. The companies announced Nov. 15 that Precious Payload will market upcoming hosted payload slots on Arkisys’ Port, a new orbital business platform in development. The companies said this collaboration will smooth the onboarding process for customers. Precious Payload has...

Intelsat’s newest C-band broadcast satellites, Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32, are in good health after SpaceX launched the pair in a Falcon 9 mission over the weekend. Manufacturer Maxar Technologies confirmed after the Saturday launch that the satellites are performing as expected.  SpaceX launched the satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space...