AST SpaceMobile, a startup with plans for a direct-to-cellphone satellite service constellation, has chosen Blue Origin to launch some of its next-gen satellites. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket — which is currently undergoing preparations in Florida for its first-ever liftoff — and “existing launch vehicles” will together loft up to around 60 Block 2 BlueBird …
The Director General of the Nigeria Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) flagged off a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) project at the Center for Geodesy and Geodynamics (CGG) in Toro, Bauchi State. This project, the first of its kind in the country, is a collaboration between …
Nigeria Begins Construction Of Its First-Ever Geodetic VLBI Project. Read More »
Both pieces of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket have made it to the launch pad ahead of their expected test flight on Monday (Nov. 18). SpaceX rolled Starship‘s huge first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, out to the pad at its Starbase site in South Texas today (Nov. 14). The company documented the move via X, in …
SpaceX Rolls Starship Flight 6 Super Heavy Rocket To Pad Ahead of Nov. 18 Launch. Read More »
U.S. launch regulations could soon get an overhaul. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today (Nov. 14) that it’s creating a new committee to review and update its “Part 450” launch and reentry licensing rule. “The FAA is seeking to update the licensing rule to foster more clarity, flexibility, efficiency and innovation,” Kelvin Coleman, …
FAA Creating New Committee To Update Launch Regulations. Read More »
China is set to send fresh fuel and supplies to its space station. A Long March 7 rocket topped with the Tianzhou 8 cargo spacecraft was rolled out to its pad at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island early Wednesday (Nov. 13) local time. An official time for launch has yet to be announced, …
China Launching Tianzhou 8 Cargo Mission to Tiangong Space Station On Nov. 15. Read More »
NASA’s chief center for robotic planetary exploration is conducting another round of layoffs. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California — which manages many of NASA’s high-profile robotic missions, such as the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers — announced Tuesday (Nov. 12) that it will lay off about 325 employees, or roughly 5% of …
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab Laying Off 5% Of Its Workforce. Read More »
Chinese commercial space firm CAS Space announced that it successfully launched 15 satellites into Earth orbit, including one for the Sultanate of Oman. CAS Space’s Kinetica-1 (also known as Lijian-1) solid rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Sunday 11:03 pm Eastern time on Sunday, Nov. 10 (0403 …
Chinese Private Rocket Launches 1st Satellite For International Customer. Read More »
China has unveiled the design of a new reusable shuttle to take cargo to and from the country’s space station. The Haolong space shuttle is being developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It is one of two winning projects stemming from a call …
China Reveals Reusable Cargo Shuttle Design For Tiangong Space Station. Read More »
SpaceX launched 24 new Starlink internet satellites into orbit from Florida’s Space Coast and landed a rocket at sea in the second of back-to-back launches today (Nov. 11). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft streaked into the afternoon sky over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Monday at 4:28 p.m. EST (2128 GMT). The …
SpaceX tied its rocket-reuse record (Nov. 11). A Falcon 9 rocket launched the KoreaSat-6A telecom satellite from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 12:25 p.m. EST (1625 GMT). It was the 23rd mission for this rocket’s first stage, according to SpaceX, equaling a mark set by two other Falcon 9 boosters. Some eight …
