Civil
Stories about US and international civil space missions, including those led by NASA and ESA.
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.
US, Saudi Arabia Team Up In Orbit
US and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to improve cooperation on various civil space priorities.
The Growing Space Economy Is Doing Its Part To Fight Inflation
The space sector contributed $131B to American GDP in 2022, according to the most recent and precise analysis by the US government’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
US Locks In India’s Ride To the ISS
The leaders announced plans for the joint ISS mission last year, but “securing a carrier” for the flight is a significant update, though they didn’t provide details on which spacecraft would send the astronauts to the orbiting lab.
FAA Ends Public Comments For Starship Expansion at KSC
Florida residents raised concerns about the disruptive noise and possible infrastructure damage if Starship ramps up launches from the Space Coast.
Prompting NASA’s New AI Chief, David Salvagnini
“Everyone will, in some way, have their workday augmented using some type of an AI technology.”
