BusinessCivil

NASA Touts Small Business Investment

NASA is a *star* student of the Biden administration’s efforts to send more federal dollars to small businesses, earning an “A” for the sixth year in a row in a Small Business Administration scorecard released Tuesday. The gradebook: SBA releases a small business procurement scorecard each year that measures how close federal agencies are able […]

Civil

Senate Unveils Flat NASA Budget, Takes Aim at Mars Sample Return

The Senate has unveiled its initial ~$25B FY24 NASA budget, roughly maintaining YoY funding levels, but coming in significantly below the White House’s $27.2B ask. The budget plateau results from an eleventh-hour debt limit deal struck at the end of May that keeps non-defense spending flat YoY. The most notable casualty is Mars Sample Return […]

Civil

The Artemis Astrovan Arrives

NASA astronauts are going to be riding in *ahem* style. A brand new fleet of vans destined to carry Artemis crews to the launch pad ahead of their journeys to the Moon arrived at KSC on Tuesday. The vans, built by CA-based Canoo Technologies Inc., are fully electric, zero-emission vehicles designed to fit four fully […]

BusinessCivilMoonQ&A

Q&A with ispace US CEO Ronald Garan

The countdown has started on ispace’s NASA-backed date with the Moon in June 2025, and the US team has locked itself in a room this week to game out the details.  The company began a four-day exercise on Monday akin to a military-style wargame that will help the company zero in on when the spacecraft […]

Civil

Iran Deploys EO Imagery in Court

An Iranian EO satellite launched last year is switching its focus to land mapping. A spokesperson for the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) said Saturday that the Information Technology Organization of Iran (ITO) has teamed up to explore using the satellite’s images as evidence in court cases on land misuse. Iran’s eye in space: When Iran […]

Civil

Yoon Suk Yeol Calls for KASA Establishment

The world’s newest potential space agency is running into roadblocks when it comes to notching the right approvals to get going. This morning, South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, called for some pep in the step of lawmakers who have been sitting on the establishment bill for several months now. Korea passed a law to […]

CivilScience

Asteroid Day 2023

Each year on this day, the UN honors a little-known event called Asteroid Day. On Asteroid Day, we remember the 1908 Tunguska asteroid, which entered the atmosphere over Siberia and leveled more than 2000 sq km of forest. The event is dedicated to raising public awareness of the risk of asteroid impacts and the importance […]

CivilPolicyScience

Biden Administration Highlights Climate, DEI Efforts

The Biden administration hosted a pair of events last week showcasing two of its top priorities for space: fighting climate change and promoting diversity in the industry. A warming climate: On Wednesday morning, NASA hosted a ribbon cutting for its Earth Information Center, an interactive exhibit at the space agency’s HQ in DC that’s been […]

CivilTechnology

NASA Axes its X-57 Maxwell Electric Aircraft

NASA is pulling the plug on its experimental all-electric X-57 Maxwell aircraft before it ever hit the air, the agency announced on Friday. Officials cited safety concerns as the reason for the cancellation, but the decision comes at a time of overall belt-tightening at NASA, with budget pressures coming down the pike.   Electric plane: The […]

BusinessCivilStartups

True Anomaly Unveils Two Training Products

Space security startup True Anomaly debuted its on-orbit and digital range services today, offering customers new options for testing and training. These applications are designed to provide DoD with a controlled training environment for detecting threats, practicing new tactics in orbit, and test space security missions.  “Each military service needs a dedicated test and training […]

Civil

NASA’s UAP Team Shares Report Update

A NASA panel poured cold water on UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) hype in their first public meeting yesterday, saying better data was needed for conclusive answers.  “There is a very limited number of high-quality observations and data curation of UAP,” said Daniel Evans, who works within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.  UAP craze: NASA organized a […]

Civil

Florida Limits Spaceflight Liabilities to Attract Launch Businesses 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law last week to reduce the liability for commercial spaceflight companies in a bid to lure even more launch providers to the Space Coast. The law grants launch businesses sweeping immunity from flight-related injury or death liability, on the condition that the crew members sign a waiver. […]