The U.S. Army announced that it has approved a document needed to start rapidly experimenting and prototyping capabilities for tactical space-based sensors. With the signing of the Tactical Space Layer abbreviated capability development document, the Army will begin exploring the potential of satellites in low-Earth orbit to give soldiers dedicated surveillance, navigation and imaging capabilities, […]
NASA has awarded SpaceX a $2.89 billion firm-fixed-price contract to continue building a human landing system that will facilitate American astronauts’ return to the Moon. Contract work will support NASA’s Artemis program, a U.S. government-funded international human spaceflight program aimed at landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon by 2024. The […]
NASA has released a statement lauding President Joe Biden’s plan to nominate former astronaut Pam Melroy for deputy NASA administrator. The White House said Melroy has government and industry experience across the civil, commercial and national security space sectors. She has logged more than 38 days in space and is one of only two women […]
Boeing is rescheduling the next test flight of its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which will be used for the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2 mission, due to conflicts with other launches and International Space Station missions. The test flights of the Starliner were originally scheduled for late March or early April but that date has now […]
LeoLabs, a company that offers radar tracking services, has announced plans to bolster its sensor and data processing infrastructure in preparation for future satellite launches. CEO Dan Ceperley said he expects the number of functional satellites to increase from 2,000 today to about 50,000 within the next five years, SpaceNews reported Thursday. According to Ceperley, […]
Finnish satellite manufacturer ICEYE has set up a new site in Irvine, California, that will serve as a production facility for various spacecraft. The establishment will host a research and development lab, offices, a customer engagement space and a mission operations center for monitoring and operating U.S. licensed spacecraft, ICEYE said Thursday. In a statement, […]
United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket has been added to the list of launch vehicles for NASA’s Launch Services Program. Vulcan Centaur’s addition to the program was formalized via a contract modification to ULA’s NASA Launch Services II indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The on-ramp provision of the NLS II contract allows for the introduction of launch vehicles […]
The Space Development Agency has issued a request for information to gauge industry’s ability to provide the full suite of capabilities for Tranche 1 Transport Layer space vehicles. The spacecraft will be part of the planned multilayer National Defense Space Architecture. Responses to the RFI are due April 23. According to the document, SDA wants […]
The Department of Defense has selected three prime contractors to help demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion system above low Earth orbit by 2025. General Atomics, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin will participate in the first phase of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations program, the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency said. DARPA believes that […]
Astrobotic has selected SpaceX to launch its Griffin lunar lander, which will carry a NASA lunar rover in 2023. In an April 13 announcement, Astrobotic said it signed a contract with SpaceX to use the Falcon Heavy launch vehicle for the Griffin Mission 1 lunar lander mission. The mission will send NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar […]
