Russia is Set to Head Back to the Moon in August
Russia’s lunar race has a new start date. After years of delays, Russia’s Luna-25 probe is slated to launch to the Moon aboard a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket on Aug. 11, according to Russian state news site TASS and local tour operator RocketTrip. The uncrewed mission will be the first Russian lunar trip in 45+ years.…
COPUOS Update on Sustainable Use of Space
The United Nations gave an update on a new group studying guidelines for the sustainable use of space in a conference room paper released June 2 at the 66th session of the UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), which will conclude Friday in Vienna. What it is: The COPUOS Scientific and…
OneWeb and Hughes Partner on In-Flight Connectivity
OneWeb is looking to cement its place in the IFC (in-flight connectivity) market through a new distribution partnership with Hughes that will add LEO broadband connectivity to its in-flight WiFi offerings. The partnership: Under the agreement, Hughes, which already offers IFC services to airlines, will utilize OneWeb’s constellation to offer LEO-specific connectivity. Airlines will be…
Galvanick Raises $10M for Industrial Cybersecurity
Galvanick, an industrial cybersecurity startup, raised a $10M seed round to expand its team and continue developing its debut product. The seed investors include MaC Venture Capital, Founders Fund, Village Global, Countdown Capital, Hanover Technology Investment Management, Shrug Capital, and 8090 Industries. Protect the machines: Galvanick was founded in 2021 and is led by Josh…
ESA Livestreams from Mars
20 years after launch, ESA’s Mars Express orbiter is still notching new achievements. On Friday, the spacecraft broadcast the first ever livestream from Mars. Previous space missions—including Neil Armstrong’s step seen ’round the world during Apollo, and last year’s DART mission to bump an asteroid off its course—have provided the public with live imagery from…
NATO Casts a Wider Net with New Partners for Accelerator
NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) has teamed up with Starburst Aerospace, Mission Innovation X at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT MIx), and MassChallenge for its next program, which will send alliance resources to innovators in a several fields, including hypersonics, energy and propulsion, and space. Why the partners? Starburst, MIT MIx,…
Boeing Stands Down from Crewed Starliner Launch
Starliner isn’t yet ready for a crew. Just a few weeks before the Boeing-built capsule was scheduled to deliver its first passengers to the ISS, NASA and Boeing leaders announced that two major issues with the craft will delay the first crewed mission even longer. The announcement follows a review by NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory…
Sierra Space Powers up Dream Chaser in Preparation for Maiden Flight
Sierra Space turned on its Dream Chaser spaceplane for the first time Wednesday, checking off a major milestone before its first flight to the ISS, which is expected at the end of the year. Dream Chaser 101 The autonomous spaceplane is designed to launch vertically atop a heavy-lift rocket, but land horizontally on a runway.…
Europe Looks to Support Commercial Cargo to LEO
Europe is seeking its own cargo transport to the ISS. Last week, ESA announced that it is looking to support private companies’ development of cargo transport capabilities to the ISS and, in the future, to other LEO outposts. “By launching this call, we are providing the supporting scheme, whereby private companies receive support from ESA…
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…
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.…
The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt
The UAE unveiled plans on Sunday to send a spacecraft to explore the asteroid belt by 2028, a follow-on to the emerging space nation’s ambitious Mars mission currently orbiting the Red Planet. The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, or EMA, will study six asteroids before reaching its final destination: a mysterious red asteroid that…
