Russia Blames Onboard Controls for Luna-25 Crash
A faulty onboard control system was behind the Luna-25 hard landing on the Moon last month, Russia announced yesterday.
Jack Kuhr
Vega-C Needs a Nozzle Redesign, Return to Flight Pushes to Q4 2024
Vega-C will not fly again until at least Q4 2024, European officials announced yesterday.
UK Space Agency Announces $79M of Funding for Space Tech
British space investment is getting another shot in the arm.
Sierra Space Closes $290M Series B
Sierra Space raked in a $290M Series B funding round at a $5.3B valuation, the company announced yesterday. That brings the company’s total fundraise to $1.7B across two funding rounds. Japanese investors MUFG Bank, Kanematsu, and Tokio Marine led the round, highlighting the company’s growing relationship with Japan. Sierra Space is also considering selecting Japan’s […]
US Considers Space Hotline with China
Hotline bling in space? The US is thinking about setting up a hotline with China to be able to quickly get in touch with officials in Beijing during emergencies in orbit, Reuters reported on Monday. “What we have talked about on the US side at least is opening up a line of communication to make […]
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Delivers Asteroid Samples to Earth
Asteroid bits from millions of miles away have been safely delivered to Earth’s doorstep. After its seven-year journey, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth yesterday, tossing down a capsule carrying an estimated 250 grams of extraterrestrial regolith. The capsule parachuted down to the DoD’s Utah Test and Training Range and safely landed right-side up. The […]
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Chinese Launch Startup Galactic Energy Experiences Launch Failure
First Rocket Lab, now Galactic Energy. The Chinese rocket startup suffered a launch failure yesterday after its Ceres-1 vehicle lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The midair failure destroyed a Chang Guang Jilin-1 Gaofen-04 B satellite. The failure comes days after Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket met a similar fate after launching a comparable-sized vehicle […]
General Atomics Buys EO Vista
General Atomics acquired EO Vista, an electro-optical sensor supplier, the company announced Friday. EO Vista will be tucked into the General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems division, which houses the company’s satellite manufacturing and nuclear propulsion operations. EO Vista is currently a General Atomics supplier, providing electro-optical weather sensors for its satellite buses. The acquisition brings a […]
Stoke Completes Static Fire for its Reusable Second Stage Rocket, Looks to Hop
While all eyes remain on Starship, another rocket startup is quietly ticking off milestones in its pursuit of full reusability. Stoke Space completed a static fire of its fully reusable second-stage rocket earlier this week. The prototype—which looks more like a fiery Tin Man than a final product—also underwent avionics, power systems, navigation, heat shield, […]
Kim Jong Un and Putin Meet at Spaceport, Discuss Rockets and Satellites
Kim Jong Un met with Russian president Vladimir Putin at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome space center yesterday, marking the first meeting between the leaders in four years. Against the backdrop of the Russian launch facility, the pair discussed providing support for Kim’s satellite program and the possibility of sending the first North Korean to space. After […]
FAA Completes Starship Mishap Report Review, Launch License is Next
The FAA has completed its review of SpaceX’s Starship mishap report—a key milestone for Starship to hit the skies again for the first time since its April 20 integrated flight test that ended with a bang (literally). “The FAA has been provided with sufficient information and accepts the root causes and corrective actions described in […]