Launch

Kleos Space has signed new contracts with satellite builder Innovative Solutions in Space (ISISPACE) and global launch services provider Spaceflight to build and manage the launch its fourth satellite cluster of four satellites, the Observer Mission (KSF3) in mid-2022, the company announced Oct. 19. Kleos successfully launched its Scouting Mission and Vigilance Mission satellites in...

German rideshare provider Exolaunch is expanding its business presence in the United States, by opening offices in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, and hiring Chris Hearsey as CEO of subsidiary Exolaunch USA.  The Tuesday announcement comes about a year after Exolaunch first said it planned to expand with a U.S. subsidiary after signing a long-term...

OneWeb is kicking off broadband service demonstrations after a Thursday Arianespace launch brough its constellation to 358 satellites.  A Soyuz rocket, operated by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate, took off from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome at 6:40 pm. local time on Thursday, Oct. 14. All 36 OneWeb satellites onboard were deployed over nine separation sequences. The...

Blue Origin made safety a primary focus of the conversation around its second human spaceflight launch on Wednesday as the company faces allegations and concerns relating to leadership, safety, and workplace culture.  Recently Blue Origin has come under fire after Alexandra Abrams, the former head of Employee Communications, joined 20 other anonymous Blue Origin employees...

OneWeb is exploring launching future satellites in its constellation from India, the home of its chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal. The company signed letter of intent with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to potentially use the Indian-built PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and the heavier GSLV-MkIII (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch...

The valuation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX crossed $100 billion following a share sale by existing investors announced this week, CNBC has learned. SpaceX has an agreement with new and existing investors to sell up to $755 million in stock from insiders at $560 a share, according to multiple people familiar with the deal — increasing the...

Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has taken a step toward launching satellites from northern Sweden in 2022. SSC announced Oct. 6 that it has signed a 12 million euro ($13.9 million) loan agreement with the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) to finalize a new spaceport at Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, northern Sweden. The 12-year maturity loan...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it will investigate claims that 21 current and former employees at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin made about the safety of the company’s rockets in a letter published yesterday on Lioness. Alexandra Abrams, former head of Blue Origin Employee Communications, joined 20 other anonymous Blue Origin employees in writing the letter,...

United Launch Alliance successfully launched NASA‘s Landsat 9 mission on Monday, which will monitor the Earth and study the impact of climate change. An Atlas V 401 configuration rocket took off from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:12 a.m. PDT carrying Landsat 9. Landsat 9 is a joint mission of NASA...

The U.S. Space Force‘s Space Systems Command (SSC) has awarded about $88 million in development contracts to U.S. launch providers for next generation rocket engine testing and upper stage resiliency enhancements. SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA), Rocket Lab, and Blue Origin received the awards announced Sept. 24.  SpaceX will receive $14.47 million for Raptor rapid...