Cislunar • VC/PE

Argo’s Tug Joins The Lunar Water Race

A provider of “in-space transportation with in-space propellant.”

EO • International

US Second To China in Commercial Remote Sensing Ranking

China has bested the US in the commercial remote sensing Olympics, at least according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Civil • ISS • Launch

Crew-9 Is In Orbit, But Falcon 9 Is Grounded

SpaceX will pause Falcon 9 launches after an anomaly.

EO • Military

BlackSky Wins Secret Navy Laser Contract

The potential ROI is substantial: The company is expecting to achieve a 10x improvement on its current 90-minute or less tasking-to-imagery delivery timeline.

Launch • Rockets • Startups

Radian’s SSTO Prototype Is On The Runway… In Abu Dhabi?

Radian is beginning a test campaign to map out the vehicle’s real-life aerodynamic characteristics.

Explainer • Launch • Policy • Rockets

SpaceX vs. FAA: What’s the Deal With Those Falcon Fines?

“Regardless of what you think about SpaceX or the politics, the speed of decision-making needs to be faster.”

Business • Cislunar • Civil • Deep Space • Lunar • Satcom

Intuitive Machines Will Build A Lunar Communications Network 

“We sell minutes on the network, something like a million minutes a year, to NASA.”

Satcom

Telesat Plans A Different Kind Of LEO Network

Authorities in Ottawa and Montreal approved C$2.54B ($1.87B) in public loans for the company’s 198-satellite LEO broadband network last week.

Broadband • Satcom • Startups

Reflex Aerospace To Fly New Optical Comms System 

Satellite architects are looking to lasers for more bandwidth.

Civil • Technology

New Report Warns NASA Is Spread Too Thin

“It’s time to repair the roof. And I use that literally, because we were in several facilities where the roof was literally leaking.”

Business • Lunar

ispace Sets Second Moon Landing Attempt For December

ispace is one of three private companies that will attempt Moon landings this winter, and the only mission not funded by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

Research • Science

Boeing To Launch Groundbreaking Orbital Quantum Experiment

Quantum entanglement swapping has been demonstrated in the lab, but never before in space.

Debris • ISAM

Slingshot Tracks Centaur Break-Up in HEO

The second stage of a ULA rocket that sent a NOAA weather satellite to orbit in 2018 broke apart dramatically in orbit last week, generating a debris cloud first tracked by Slingshot Aerospace.