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 […]
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 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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
President Biden plans to nominate Michael G. Whitaker to be the new FAA chief, a position that has been open for more than 500 days. The nomination comes five months after Phillip Washington withdrew from consideration after congressional pushback over his limited aviation industry experience. The position has been vacant since March 2022, with Billy […]
Chinese rocket startup Galactic Energy launched its Ceres-1 solid rocket from a mobile sea platform yesterday, becoming China’s first commercial rocket to achieve the feat. The launch, which transported four IOT birds to LEO, took place off the coast of Haiyang in the Yellow Sea. Sea launcher: With this launch, China has now completed five […]
SatSure, an EO intelligence startup, secured a $15M Series A, the company announced Wednesday. The capital influx will be used to develop a fleet of four high-res and multispectral satellites, which are expected to launch in Q4 2025. Baring Private Equity Partners and Promus Ventures led the round, which consisted of a mix of equity […]
Space robotics startup GITAI announced yesterday it had raised an additional $15M of funding, bringing its total Series B extension round to $45M after securing $30M in May. The funding for the Japan-based company—which included equity from Green Co-Invest, Pacific Bays Capital, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, and a MUFG Bank loan—will be used to expand its […]
For Rocket Lab ($RKLB), the well-worn proverb is proving true: Everything old is new again. The startup is planning to launch its Electron rocket with only reused engines on a future mission TBD, the company’s CEO Peter Beck said Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Beck announced the first stage full reusability goal just […]
The DOJ unveiled a lawsuit against SpaceX on Thursday, claiming the launch giant discriminated against refugees and asylees in its hiring practices. “Through this lawsuit, we will hold SpaceX accountable for its illegal employment practices and seek relief that allows asylees and refugees to fairly compete for job opportunities and contribute their talents to SpaceX’s […]
