Civil
Stories about US and international civil space missions, including those led by NASA and ESA.
NASA, Microsoft Partner On AI-Powered ‘Earth Copilot’
The partnership, which will rely on a customized version of Microsoft’s Azure Open AI platform, supports NASA’s broader effort to democratize data access.
NASA Begins Hand-off To Commercial Satellites
Today marks the last day that NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay System satellites will be open for new business.
National Security Space Association’s Plan For the Next President
“The United States lacks a comprehensive long-term strategy to protect our interests against Chinese aggression in, from, and to space.”
NASA’s FY23 Report Makes a Compelling Argument for Greater Public Support
NASA generated almost $76B for the economy in fiscal 2023—generating an outsized impact with its .5% of the federal budget.
Regulatory Reform Should Be Top Priority For 2025: Aerospace Corp.
Incoming US policymakers must slash regulatory red tape and boost investment in commercial space tech, according to The Aerospace Corporation.
NASA, Starfish Partner on SSPICY Debris Inspection
NASA is kickin’ it up a notch on a SSPICY mission to check out a defunct sat in LEO. Starfish Space will work on the program—formally known as the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission—under a Phase III SBIR contract from the space agency worth $15M over three years, NASA announced on Wednesday. A…
Intuitive Machines Will Build A Lunar Communications Network
“We sell minutes on the network, something like a million minutes a year, to NASA.”
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.”
GPS Faces Growing Competition from China’s BeiDou
Since GPS became operational in 1993, the US has been far and away the leader in satellite navigation technology. But the landscape is rapidly changing, and international alternatives are catching up.
NASA OIG Uncovers More Cost, Schedule Overruns for ML-2
What was originally a $383M contract to be finished by 2023 has ballooned into potentially $2.7B construction that won’t see completion until 2029.
Watchdogs Find Faults with Artemis IV Vehicles in Back-to-Back Reports
Over the past two weeks, two federal watchdogs—the OIG and the GAO—released separate reports highlighting critical issues with two Artemis IV vehicles: Gateway and SLS Block 1B, the upgraded SLS variant.
SpaceX Inches Closer to Increasing Starship Launches
While SpaceX’s proposal will significantly increase in the amount of rocket traffic above Boca Chica, the FAA found the impact to the environment should be minimal.
