Launch

Lockheed Martin delivered the capsule-shaped aeroshell that will protect NASA‘s Mars 2020 rover to the Kennedy Space Center, in Titusville, Florida, on Dec. 12. The aeroshell will encapsulate the Mars 2020 rover during its deep space cruise to Mars, and protect it from the intense heat as the entry system descends through the Martian atmosphere...

Airbus has validated and demonstrated photonic satellite payload technology to Technology Readiness Level 6, the last level before prototype in orbit, through the Optima Horizon 2020 project. This proof of concept demonstrator brings the company closer to its goal of using photonic payloads in telecommunications satellites.  The Optima project, a consortium lead by Airbus and...

Blue Origin has successfully completed its NS-12 mission, launching its ninth commercial payload and 100th customer into orbit on a New Shepard rocket. This was the sixth consecutive launch of the specific reusable New Shepard rocket used in the NS-12 mission, marking a milestone for Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ commercial launch service. Unfavorable...

SpaceX Founder and Chief Engineer Elon Musk will appear as a keynote speaker at the SATELLITE 2020 Conference and Exhibition on Monday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. EST at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. In addition to SpaceX, Musk also leads electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla as its CEO and product architect....

Blue Origin has pushed back its NS-12 mission on a New Shepard rocket to Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 11:00 a.m. EST due to unfavorable weather conditions. “We are continuing to monitor weather conditions and will post an update at T-2 hours,” the company tweeted on Tuesday. The NS-12 mission will be its ninth commercial payload...

TriSept Corporation has signed a comprehensive teaming agreement with Satellite Applications (SA) Catapult to explore missions and space access across the U.K. space industry. The TriSept and SA Catapult alliance will have a full-time presence at the Harwell Space Cluster in Oxfordshire, England, where SA Catapult is based. The two companies aim to build a mission...

Blockchain hardware wallet technology from SpaceChain has reached the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of a CRS-19 commercial resupply service mission. According to SpaceX, its Dragon spacecraft reached the ISS on Dec. 8.  This is the first technology demonstration of blockchain hardware on the ISS, and it will be...

Sypris Electronics has received contract awards from Collins Aerospace to manufacture and test electronic assemblies for the environmental control and life support, and the power management and distribution systems of the Orion spacecraft. Production will begin in 2019 and continue into 2020.  Orion is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which plans to take humans back...

Acme AtronOmatic, the makers of the MyRadar Weather Radar app, have launched a non-commercial, experimental communications satellite aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket with launch provider Alba Orbital. The launch event, dubbed “Running out of Fingers,” lifted off on Dec. 6.  The cubesat will monitor aircraft tracking signals from orbit and relay the data to the...

Rocket Lab successfully launched its 10th Electron spacecraft on Friday morning. The launch delivered payloads for Spaceflight and Alba Orbital. The mission, “Running Out of Fingers,” lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 08:18 UTC. Electron’s first stage will not be recovered from this mission, however the stage...