Geek Out: Martian Clouds
If you’ve ever dreamed of being a Mars researcher, now’s your chance. NASA is looking for citizen scientists to help identify Martian clouds and aid the agency’s understanding of the Red Planet’s atmosphere.Context: Mars’s atmosphere is ~100X times thinner than Earth’s. In that frigid environment, clouds aren’t made of liquid water, like ours. They’re ice, made…
Recapping the First Six Months of 2022 in Space
We’ve made it halfway through 2022. The year has flown by, but it’s been filled with big news and firsts for the space industry. Here’s our recap of the off-Earth goings-on during these last six months. Q1 The year started off with a bang as JWST unfolded successfully, reached its new home a million miles…
VOS closes €10M series A and rebrands to Latitude
French launch startup Venture Orbital Systems (VOS) has closed a €10M ($10.4M) Series A. The round was led by Crédit Mutuel Innovation and Expansion, which were joined by BPI, Comat, Nicomatic, and ADF. VOS is developing its two-stage Zephyr launch vehicle capable of deploying 100+ kg payloads to LEO. The company is currently targeting 2024…
Pathfinder #0005: Space Pirates with Lori Garver
Gather around, gather around–we have a new Pathfinder episode out. This week, we chatted with Lori Garver, the former deputy administrator of NASA. Lori Garver is a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, an EIR at Bessemer, and a member of the board at Hydrosat. In addition, she…
ESA taps Airbus for €160M FORUM contract
The European Space Agency has inked a €160M ($168M) contract with Airbus UK for the agency’s ninth Earth Explorer mission. The FORUM satellite is slated to launch in 2027 and will measure radiation emitting from the Earth into Space. The science: FORUM (Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring) will be the first satellite to observe…
Several Pure-Play Space Companies Join Russell 3000
Space just got added to your retirement accounts. The Russell 3000, an index that benchmarks the US stock market, added several space companies Monday: Astra ($ASTR) Momentus ($MNTS) Planet ($PL) Redwire ($RDW) Rocket Lab ($RKLB) Spire ($SPIR) Terran Orbital ($LLAP) Spire and Terran Orbital touted their inclusion in the index. “We are honored to be…
Virgin Orbit Forms Brazilian Subsidiary, Receives Launch License
Virgin Orbit has established a Brazilian subsidiary and created a catchy acronym for the entity by rearranging the order of its stock ticker ($VORB) and tacking on one letter. VOBRA, or Virgin Orbit Brasil Ltda., is its name, and launching from the equator is its game. Brazil has also formally granted Virgin Orbit an operator’s…
Payload Poll Results: When Will Starship Fly?
Last Thursday and Friday, we asked readers: “Now that Starship is moving forward in South Texas, we want to hear your predictions. When will Starship make its first orbital flight attempt?” We received 145 votes in total. The results:
USSF Establishes National Space Intelligence Center
There’s a new intelligence unit in town. On Friday, the US Space Force announced the establishment of Space Delta 18 and the National Space Intelligence Center, which will begin supplying US lawmakers with intelligence about the space domain. Space Delta 18, so named because USSF is the 18th US entity to join the intelligence community,…
NASA Prepares for CAPSTONE
On Monday, NASA and Rocket Lab are set to launch a pathfinding mission that will probe out a peculiar orbit around the moon that could be used for the Gateway lunar station in a few more years. CAPSTONE, as the mission is known, stands for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment. The…
How AstroAccess Plans to Extend Accessibility in Space
AstroAccess, a nonprofit that promotes disability inclusion in space, partnered with the Aurelia Institute to advance astronaut diversity by doing research on zero-gravity missions. “In one sense, space is the ultimate equalizer: everyone who leaves Earth is subject to the radical experience of leaving gravity behind,” the Aurelia Institute said in a blog post. But…
UK Releases Space Sustainability Plan
The UK government released a plan for space sustainability at the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability in London today. UK Science Minister George Freeman said that the country is angling to make the UK a hub for space investment and drive commercial space sector growth. “A ‘Wild West’ space race without effective regulation risks a…
