Independent Review Board Finds Mars Sample Return Unrealistic
On Thursday, an independent review board at NASA deemed the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program ineffectively designed and managed, problems that will force the ambitious mission to miss its budget and schedule targets. Down to Earth: NASA’s plan to return samples from the Red Planet for analysis on Earth is already underway. The agency’s Perseverance…
FCC Opens Spectrum For Commercial Launch
The FCC adopted a new rule on Thursday that will ensure commercial launchers have access to the spectrum they need to communicate with the rocket during and after liftoff. The successful vote to approve the rule represents the conclusion of a multi-year push to set aside specific spectrum bands for commercial launch after FCC Chairwoman…
Chinese Launch Startup Galactic Energy Experiences Launch Failure
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…
FAA Proposes Upper Stage Disposal Rule for Debris Mitigation
The FAA is trying to hold commercial launchers in the US to a higher standard to prevent debris creation.
A Q+A with Sita Sonty, Space Tango CEO
Sita Sonty has only been CEO of Space Tango for a couple weeks, but she already has big plans for the company, including opening a new fundraising round and growing the startup’s global client base. “Details are in the works. It is a private, friends and family round,” she told Payload. “A big part of…
AST SpaceMobile Notches 5G Direct-to-Cell Success
Direct-to-cell technology has taken another step forward. AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) announced yesterday that it successfully demonstrated 5G connectivity with an unmodified smartphone from space for the first time. Call incoming Direct-to-cell capabilities have gained traction in recent years, with several companies—including ASTS, Lynk Global, and SpaceX—working on incorporating the technology into their constellations. The technology…
Enabling the Future of Space Communication with Laser Links
As big data, Earth intelligence, and the Internet of Things increasingly shape our society, the appetite for real-time satellite communication has never been greater. The rising demand—coupled with diminishing barriers to entry for satellite operators—has elevated the role of satellites in our everyday lives. Space-based comms are integral to our ability to connect to the…
Americans Lobby Congress on Planetary Science Priorities
Joseph Diggs, a science teacher in Anne Arundel county, MD, was doing a different kind of educating (and in a much grander classroom) on Monday. Diggs was one of 130+ people who traveled to DC for the Planetary Society’s Day of Action, during which people lobby their representatives to support scientific exploration of the cosmos.…
Exclusive: AIA Argues Critical Infrastructure Designation Would ‘Adversely Affect’ Space Industry
A leading trade group is urging the National Security Council to think twice before classifying the space sector as critical infrastructure. Eric Fanning, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association representing 320+ companies, sent a letter on Tuesday to NSC head Jake Sullivan arguing that designating space as critical infrastructure could actually hurt the…
Kayhan Space Closes $7M Seed Extension, Updates Pathfinder
Kayhan Space raised a $7M seed extension ahead of the release of Pathfinder 3.0, an update to the free version of its space traffic coordination software, the company announced this morning.
General Atomics Buys EO Vista
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…
USAF and FAA Deny Varda Reentry and Recovery Permission
Varda’s first in-space manufacturing capsule can’t come back down to Earth. On Friday, TechCrunch reported that the US Air Force denied Varda Space Industries permission to use a Utah recovery range, and the FAA also denied a reentry license, leaving the company’s orbiting pharmaceutical factory waiting in orbit. “The request to use the Utah Test…
