SpaceNews
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Since 1989, SpaceNews has set the authoritative standard for independent space journalism. Subscribe to our newsletters: https://t.co/OurpSOmMeN
Washington, D.C.
Joined April 2009
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo made its first flight to space in more than two years Saturday, completing the first in a series of four suborbital flights planned by the company over the next several months.
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China scraps expendable Long March 9 rocket plan in favor of reusable version
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Chandrayaan-3: India becomes fourth country to land on the moon.
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SpaceX will install ground stations within Google’s data centers for its #Starlink broadband satellites under a new cloud partnership. They expect to provide new capabilities for @googlecloud customers in the second half of 2021:
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Viasat has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to perform an environmental review of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband constellation, arguing that the satellite system poses environmental hazards in space and on Earth.
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China’s main space contractor is developing launch vehicles capable of learning and adapting as well as multiple technologies for recovering and reusing rockets.
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NASA “really looking forward” to next Starship test flight
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Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 is best known for his detailed, accurate records of launches and satellites, making him an invaluable source for knowing what's up, up in space. #Actually him at your own peril. #SpaceNewsAwards
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In an essay for SpaceNews, NASA astronaut Christina Koch reflects on Women’s Equality Day and her work on the International Space Station as she reaches the halfway point in her mission there.
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Intuitive Machines seeks to take over NASA’s VIPER lunar rover
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NASA leadership has formally given up on the goal of returning humans to the moon by 2024, pushing back a landing by NASA astronauts on the lunar surface to at least 2025.
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Japan’s SLIM successfully enters lunar orbit, gears up for precision moon landing
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.@RocketLab says it’s on track to test recovering an Electron booster later this year as it also improves the payload performance of the small launch vehicle.
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China’s mystery reusable spaceplane lands after 276 days in orbit.
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FAA issues license for first Starship integrated test flight.
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Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years.
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Blue Origin within a “few weeks” of resuming New Shepard flights.
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Starship lunar lander missions to require nearly 20 launches, NASA says
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An amendment to a Senate bill would require NASA to select a second company for its Human Lander System program, a provision some fear could upend the overall effort to return humans to the moon as soon as 2024.
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NASA is postponing the first flight attempt of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars to at least April 14 after detecting a problem during a final pre-flight test.
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Blue Origin and SpaceX start work on cargo versions of crewed lunar landers
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China succeeded with its first planetary landing attempt Friday, safely setting down the solar powered Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars.
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Space Development Agency confirms Rocket Lab will produce 18 satellites for U.S. military network
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Rocket Lab to attempt booster recovery on upcoming Electron launch
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Astra Space’s Rocket 3.3 successfully reached orbit early Saturday on the fourth orbital launch attempt by the small launch vehicle startup.
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South Korea to join NASA’s Artemis project: reports - SpaceNews
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NASA now plans to attempt a first flight of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity early Monday after finding a workaround to a software problem that delayed the flight earlier this month.
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SpaceX planning rapid turnaround for next Starship flight
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Blue Origin filed a protest with the GAO Monday over NASA’s decision to select only SpaceX for its Human Landing System program, arguing the agency “moved the goalposts” of the competition.
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NASA has selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to launch its Europa Clipper mission to a potentially habitable moon of Jupiter, a choice that appeared inevitable once NASA was no longer required to use the Space Launch System.
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Japan’s SLIM moon lander stages unexpected revival after lunar night
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NASA announced Friday it selected SpaceX as the sole company to receive a contract to develop and demonstrate a crewed lunar lander, while keeping the door open for others to compete for future missions.
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Rocket Lab wins $515 million contract to build 18 satellites for U.S. government agency
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Second Axiom Space private astronaut mission concludes with splashdown.
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s video team keeps an ever-watchtful eye on SpaceX activities at Boca Chica.They've also provided essential live coverage of launches from Alaska and Florida. #SpaceNewsAwards
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A SpaceX Starship prototype successfully carried out a brief suborbital flight Wednesday after four previous vehicles were destroyed during or shortly after landing.
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NASA is no longer considering launching the Europa Clipper mission on the Space Launch System, deciding instead to launch the spacecraft on a commercial rocket it will procure in the next year.
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NASA agreements to support work on commercial spacecraft and space stations.
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NASA and DARPA select Lockheed Martin to develop DRACO nuclear propulsion demo.
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SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites early Sunday on a Falcon 9 whose first stage was making its tenth flight, a long-awaited goal in the company’s reusability efforts.
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NASA will allow SpaceX to reuse Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Falcon 9 first stages for launching them as soon as next year.
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NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully performed the first powered flight on another planet Monday, briefing hovering above the surface of Mars.
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SpaceX changing Starship stage separation ahead of next launch.
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SpaceX secures new contracts worth $733.5 million for national security space missions
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Launch preparations for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will resume after testing found no damage to the spacecraft from a payload processing incident earlier this month.
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The FCC will allow SpaceX to launch 10 Starlink satellites into polar orbit on an upcoming mission, but deferred a decision on a much broader modification of SpaceX’s license.
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Japan’s SLIM spacecraft lowers orbit ahead of Friday moon landing attempt
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Jim Bridenstine used part of his final full day as NASA administrator Tuesday to call on the incoming administration to continue the Artemis program and return humans to the moon.
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The largest U.S. defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, announced Sunday it has inked a deal to acquire rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.4 billion.
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Dynetics has joined Blue Origin in filing a protest of NASA’s selection of SpaceX for a single Human Landing System award, a move that could force the agency to suspend work on the program.
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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope returned to science operations Saturday after a hiatus of more than a month when controllers successfully switched the orbiting observatory to a backup payload computer.
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Northrop Grumman’s orbital refueling port selected for U.S. military satellites
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Starlink soars: SpaceX’s satellite internet surprises analysts with $6.6 billion revenue projection
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Air Force Research Lab to fund development of Ursa Major’s rocket engines.
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Shotwell predicts Starship to be most valuable part of SpaceX
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NASA safety panel skeptical of Starliner readiness for crewed flight.
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SpaceX says propellant venting caused loss of second Starship
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NASA has set a May 27 launch date for a SpaceX commercial crew test flight that will be the first mission to launch NASA astronauts to orbit from the United States in nearly a decade.
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NASA has sharply increased the prices it charges commercial users of the International Space Station for cargo and other resources, a move that has left some companies confused and frustrated.
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The GAO Friday denied protests that Blue Origin and Dynetics filed of NASA’s award of a single lunar lander contract to SpaceX.
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Congratulations to @jeff_foust, winner of the National Space Club's 2018 Press Award. Well deserved!
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Rocket Lab said Thursday has won contracts from the National Reconnaissance Office for a pair of Electron launches intended to demonstrate the company’s responsive launch capabilities.
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A startup founded by a group of former Blue Origin and SpaceX employees has raised a seed round of funding to support their effort to make a fully reusable launch vehicle.
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NASA and Boeing say preparations continue for July Starliner test flight.
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A revised plan for returning astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024 will no longer rely on the use of a lunar Gateway, although NASA’s human spaceflight head said Friday the agency is still committed to eventually developing it.
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Six years ago, SpaceX was the upstart launch company seeking to break United Launch Alliance’s monopoly on national security space launches. Now, it’s part of the establishment.
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Nelson expects SpaceX to be ready for next Starship launch within months.
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Lockheed Martin unveils solar power array for Artemis program
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Parachute and wiring issues to delay Starliner crewed test flight.
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Space Force assigns 12 national security missions to SpaceX and ULA.
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told House appropriators Wednesday the agency is requesting more than $11 billion in an upcoming infrastructure bill that would go for work including the agency’s Human Landing System program and upgrading center facilities.
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