WASHINGTON — On the eve of its second revenue-generating launch, Virgin Orbit is looking to 2022 to ramp up its launch activity and operate from several airports in the United States and Great Britain.

In a call with reporters June 29, Virgin Orbit Chief Executive Dan Hart confirmed that the company was “green for launch” on a LauncherOne mission called “Tubular Bells: Part One.

SAN FRANCISCO — Satellite communications startup Analytical Space Inc. has named former KSAT Inc. chief executive Katherine Monson as its chief commercial officer and Jose Velazco, former technical supervisor for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Advanced RF and Optical Technology Group, as chief innovation officer.

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said he expects to see a shift in U.S. military spending away from large satellites to a “more survivable infrastructure” of smaller spacecraft.

TAMPA, Fla. — Israeli satellite operator Spacecom is buying a 9.3% stake in rural connectivity provider Nuran Wireless to deepen its presence across Africa.

The $3.2 million deal includes exclusive rights for providing satellite capacity and bandwidth to Canada-based Nuran’s future operations in Africa, where Spacecom provides services with its Amos-17 spacecraft.

Space is becoming more congested and communications all over the globe — but particularly in the Arctic region — are often contested.

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough performed three spacewalks in the span of 10 days to install two new solar arrays that will generate more electricity on the International Space Station.

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Retro meets retrofit: The Novespace Air Zero G aircraft is seen here next to Douglas the 1962 VW Transporter. The two are in Paderborn, Germany for the 76^th ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign.

The refitted A310 Air Zero G aircraft flies in parabolas that offer teams from various research institutes and universities altered states of gravity  to perform experiments and technology demonstrations. Experiments span many disciplines including complex fluidics and human physiology, and this campaign is no exception. 

Running from 25 June to 1 July, the 76^th campaign features an experiment studying the effect of gravity on hydrodynamics to better protect

Manchester UK (SPX) Jun 29, 2021
On the morning of June 17, China launched its long-awaited Shenzhou-12 spacecraft, carrying three Chinese astronauts - or taikonauts - towards the Tianhe core module. The module itself was launched at the end of April, forming part of the permanent Tiangong space station, which is planned to remain in orbit for the next ten years. China's construction of its own space station stems from th

Bethesda MD (SPX) Jun 29, 2021
A new arms race is unfolding among spacefaring nations. Space experts have been telling us about contested space for the last several years. The number of active satellites is exploding from about 1,000 a few years ago to an expected 50,000+ within 10 years. The sky is indeed getting very congested. These satellites provide worldwide communications, GPS navigation, weather forecasting and