NASA Launches Artemis I
We’re on our way back to the Moon. In the wee hours of the morning, NASA finally got the 322-foot-tall Artemis I off the ground. This was the third attempt to launch the $4.1B Mega Moon Rocket. Previous attempts dating back to August were foiled by leaky hydrogen lines, faulty sensors, and two hurricanes. The…
RFA Secures New Test Site for Helix Engines
Rocket Factory Augsburg has struck an agreement with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to test its Helix engines at the historic Institute of Space Propulsion in Lampoldshausen. Who’s who in the zoo: RFA currently does all its engine testing at the Esrange Space Center in Sweden. Lampoldshausen is significantly closer to the company’s manufacturing facility…
Kayhan and Morpheus Partner to Automate Collision Avoidance
Kayhan Space and Morpheus Space have teamed up to offer their customers automated collision avoidance maneuvers, the two companies announced this morning. By pairing Kayhan’s space traffic management (STM) software, Pathfinder, with Morpheus’ pay-as-you-go propulsion, the companies hope they can make it simpler for satellite operators to prevent space from getting mucked up. “We want…
Starfish Space Announces Otter Pup Mission
Starfish Space has revealed its plans for its first space mission in spring 2023. The mission will demonstrate the startup’s satellite docking technology through its Otter Pup spacecraft, and if successful, it will be the first ever satellite docking using electric propulsion. Starfish 101: The Seattle-based startup has ambitions to enable an in-space economy where…
Military Spaceplane Returns Home, After 900+ Days in Space
After 908 days in space—and smashing its own previous orbital endurance record in July—the Boeing-built, US Air & Space Force-operated X-37B has returned to Earth. The reusable military spaceplane touched down Saturday at 5:22am at NASA Kennedy’s Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. Oh (TV-6), the places you’ll go… Orbital Test Vehicle-6, as the name suggests,…
NSF Sends Seven Experiments to ISS
On Sunday, Northrop Grumman launched the NG-18 mission, sending a Cygnus full of supplies and new science experiments to the ISS. After the Antares launcher deployed the Cygnus capsule, a problem arose: One of the craft’s two solar arrays failed to deploy. Luckily, it still had enough power to reach the station. Early yesterday morning,…
Terran Orbital Releases Q3 Results
Last week, Terran Orbital ($LLAP) announced that Lockheed Martin ($LMT) had invested $100M into the business, upping the prime’s stake from 9.4% to 33.5%. Yesterday, Terran released its Q3 results, giving us a closer look into how the business is doing. The business outlook Last quarter, Terran Orbital brought in $27.8M in revenue, higher than…
Deutsche Bank Initiates Coverage of $PL and $BKSY
Deutsche Bank has initiated coverage on Planet ($PL) with a $7 price target and BlackSky ($BKSY) with a $3 target, issuing buy ratings on both companies, according to a note seen by Payload. Why EO? Space technology is a difficult and capital-intensive endeavor, which raises red flags for risk-averse investors (and especially when frothy markets…
Cognitive Space Wins Two DoD Contracts
Cognitive Space inked a pair of contracts with the Pentagon on Tuesday to automate and improve how quickly information can be shared in space. A first The SBIR Phase I contract with the Space Development Agency is the company’s “first engagement” with the Space Force office focused on quick development cycles and proliferated constellations, Cognitive…
Election Day 2022: What We’re Watching
Happy Election Day to US readers. Hope you all are already sporting your “I voted” stickers. While we won’t know results for hours (or even days), these are the close races among space committee members that we’ll be watching as results roll in (with predictions c/o FiveThirtyEight and Cook Political Report): On the other side…
Euroconsult Releases Space Exploration Report
Expect new players in the spacefaring game, says Euroconsult. Analysts from the space market intelligence firm have released their third annual report on the state of space exploration. Gone are the days when only a few major powers monopolized spacefaring—instead, Euroconsult sees a future where many more nations are active participants and investors in space…
Trade Groups; Industry Look Ahead to Space Council Sessions
Trade groups are urging the White House to use a “light touch” to regulate new orbital sectors, ahead of companies making their own appeals later this month. Mike French, VP for space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association, said AIA is working with members to help shape the process by which industry receives authorization for…
