Senate Confirms Mike Whitaker as FAA Administrator
The FAA finally has a permanent leader after an 18-month vacancy.
Aalyria Plans to Deploy Laser Terminals at Sea
Aalyria is building a mesh network of laser links to quickly transmit data across land, air, sea, and space. The sea-based piece of that plan is about to get a boost. Yesterday, the DC-based laser comms networking company announced that it signed an MoU with HICO Investment Group, which focuses investment in shipping and logistics…
China’s Pursuit of Space Superiority Through Soft Power
Beijing is increasingly using its space ambition to build a global coalition of international partners in orbit, according to a Pentagon report released last week.
Belarus Joins China’s Moon Base Mission
Belarus became the latest country to back Beijing’s mission to build a lunar base on Monday, joining a growing number of international partners who have teamed up with China in orbit.
SpaceX to Launch ESA’s Galileo Sats
SpaceX will launch ESA’s Galileo navigation satellites amid a dearth of European launch operations, the WSJ reported.
Qosmosys Closes $100M Seed Round
Lunar lander startup Qosmosys secured a staggering $100M in seed funding to help it bring its ZeusX lander to the Moon in just four years, the startup announced last week.
India Successfully Tests Crew Escape System
The Indian Space Research Organization successfully tested its crew escape system this weekend, putting it one step closer to its ambitious plans for crewed spaceflight.
AstroForge Conducts Hot Fire Test Ahead of Early 2024 Mission
Asteroid mining startup AstroForge successfully conducted a hot fire test of its Brokkr-2 surveyor spacecraft—a key milestone towards its scheduled Q1 2024 launch.
Malt, Hops, Yeast—and Stardust
They say it’s 5 o’clock somewhere—and Beau Warren, founder of Species X Beer Project, is trying to make that somewhere space. Some background: Warren considers himself a long-time space lover who grew up visiting the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in DC. He founded Species X in September 2021, and is in the process of…
Spacecraft Reentry Leaves a Trace in the Stratosphere, Study Finds
When a spacecraft reaches the end of its life, there are a few things you can do. You can leave it there, circling the Earth in, usually, a slowly lowering, uncontrolled orbit for potentially thousands of years, depending on its original altitude. That’s frowned upon—it makes the orbital environment more dangerous for everyone else. You…
Space Travel Needs More Time to Take Off, Companies Argue
SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic may get to space differently, but they agree on one thing: the industry needs more time in the so-called “learning period” on commercial spaceflight that is set to expire Jan. 1.
Canada Announces $739M for EO
On the heels of a historically bad wildfire season, Canada is investing in better eyes in space.
