Iran launches new satellite-carrying rocket
Tuesday, 02 February 2021 00:42
Iran's defence ministry on Monday said it has test launched a new satellite carrier with its "most powerful" solid-fuel engine to date, state TV reported.
The test was "the first launch of the Zoljanah hybrid satellite carrier for sub-orbital testing", said Ahmad Hosseini, the spokesman for the ministry's space division.
"This three-stage carrier can compete with the world's current carr Dubai creates 'space court' for out-of-this-world disputes
Tuesday, 02 February 2021 00:42
Dubai announced Monday the creation of a "space court" to settle commercial disputes, as the UAE - which is also sending a probe to Mars - builds its presence in the space sector.
The tribunal will be based at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts, an independent British-inspired arbitration centre based on common law.
Space law is governed by international convention Out-of-this-world wine back in Bordeaux after space station trip
Tuesday, 02 February 2021 00:42
Twelve bottles of Bordeaux wine and dozens of vine shoots are back at home in southwest France after spending months on the International Space Station (ISS) for an unusual astrochemistry experiment.
The red wine and 320 mature shoots known as canes arrived Monday after their return to Earth via a Dragon capsule operated by SpaceX, the private launching company created by Elon Musk.
They New rocket company Astra plans Nasdaq listing
Tuesday, 02 February 2021 00:42
California-based small-rocket company Astra plans a listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange to raise up to $500 million as it tries to capture more of the growing launch business, the company announced Tuesday.
Astra is focused on building small rockets rapidly, in assembly-line fashion. The company launched a demonstration rocket into space for the first time from Alaska in December. It f SpaceX flies, crashes massive Starship rocket again
Tuesday, 02 February 2021 00:42
SpaceX's test flight of the company's deep-space Starship rocket ended for a second time in a fiery explosion on the landing pad Tuesday in Boca Chica, Texas, after the Federal Aviation Administration modified the company's license to allow the launch.
The rocket, named SN9, ascended to a height of more than 6 miles and performed a flip manuever. But after it descended, its engines appe ViaSat receives $50 million Air Force contract to develop space technology
Tuesday, 02 February 2021 00:05
WASHINGTON — ViaSat, a provider of satellite communications and wireless networking technology, received a $50.8 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a broad range of space systems.
The Defense Department announced the contract Feb.
Pentagon deputy nominee Hicks says DoD space acquisitions deserve scrutiny
Monday, 01 February 2021 23:05
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s nominee for deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks said in congressional testimony that space acquisition programs should leverage commercial innovation and ensure the United States can counter China’s technological advances.
Hicks sat in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee Feb.
SpaceX Starship crashes after suborbital flight
Monday, 01 February 2021 21:22
WASHINGTON — A second prototype of SpaceX’s Starship reusable launch vehicle performed a suborbital flight Feb. 2, only to crash while landing.
The Starship SN9 vehicle lifted off at about 3:25 p.m. Eastern from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, test site.
SpaceX Starship prototype rocket crashes in fireball ... again
Monday, 01 February 2021 21:14
A prototype of a SpaceX rocket the company hopes will one day journey to Mars crashed in a fiery explosion as it tried to land upright after a test flight Tuesday.
It was the second such explosion after the last prototype of Starship met a similar fate in December.
"We had again another great flight," said a SpaceX announcer on live footage that was broadcast online.
"We've just got to work on that landing a little bit," he added.
The company's founder Elon Musk was uncharacteristically quiet on social media, having announced the night before he was "Off Twitter for a while.
'Got to work on that landing': SpaceX rocket in fiery crash, again
Monday, 01 February 2021 21:14A prototype of a SpaceX rocket the company hopes will one day journey to Mars crashed in a fiery explosion as it tried to land upright after a test flight Tuesday.
It was the second such explosion after the last prototype of Starship met a similar fate in December.
"We had again another great flight," said a SpaceX announcer on live footage that was broadcast online.
"We've just got to work on that landing a little bit," he added.
The company's founder Elon Musk was uncharacteristically quiet on social media, having announced the night before he was "Off Twitter for a while.
White House has nothing to say on Space Force
Monday, 01 February 2021 20:55
WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki seemed surprised when a reporter during her daily briefing Tuesday asked if President Biden has made any decisions regarding the U.S. Space Force.
“Wow, Space Force,” Psaki said, visibly taken by surprise by the question.
Omnispace raises $60 million to fund hybrid network
Monday, 01 February 2021 20:21
WASHINGTON — Omnispace, a company developing a hybrid space and ground network to provide 5G and internet of things services, announced Feb. 2 it raised $60 million to fund the rollout of its system.
Laser communications company Mynaric opens Washington office
Monday, 01 February 2021 18:56
WASHINGTON — Mynaric, a Germany-based manufacturer of optical satellite terminals, announced Feb. 2 it is expanding its footprint in the United States and opening an office in Washington D.C.
The company currently operates in the United States from Los Angeles but wants “to be closer to U.S.
NASA's Psyche mission moves forward, passing key milestone
Monday, 01 February 2021 18:17
Now just a year and a half from launch, the mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid will soon begin assembling and testing the spacecraft.
NASA's Psyche mission has passed a critical milestone that moves it a step closer to launch. After an intense review of the mission's progress in building its science instruments and engineering systems, Psyche won clearance to progress into what NASA calls Phase D of its life cycle—the final phase of operations prior to its scheduled launch in August 2022.
Until now, the mission has focused on planning, designing, and building the body of the spacecraft, its solar-electric propulsion system, the three science instruments, electronics, the power subsystem, and the like. The successful review of those elements means the mission can now begin delivering components to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission and will test, assemble, and integrate each piece.
SpaceX violated launch license in Starship SN8 launch
Monday, 01 February 2021 17:39
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration said that SpaceX violated the conditions of a launch license for its Starship vehicle during a launch in December, prompting an investigation that delayed tests of another vehicle.
In a Feb.