- Crew Dragon ready for historic launch as NASA looks ahead to next mission
WASHINGTON — As NASA and SpaceX complete final preparations for the first crewed flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, the agency is already looking ahead to the spacecraft’s next mission. Technicians spent the day May 26 wrapping up work ahead of the scheduled 4:33 p.m. Eastern May 27 launch of… Read more » - RSCC planning four satellites to cover Russia’s Far North
WASHINGTON — Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) plans to add arctic coverage to its fleet by ordering four satellites for highly elliptical orbits later this year. Yuri Prokhorov, RSCC’s chief executive, said the company wants to have the satellites in orbit in 2024 to provide Ku-band coverage to Russia’s Far… Read more » - Current and former NASA leadership share credit for commercial crew
WASHINGTON — On the eve of the first crewed orbital flight from the United States in nearly nine years, both the current NASA administrator and his predecessor agreed that credit for the ultimate success of the commercial crew program should be shared. During a May 26 media briefing at the… Read more » - Roccor completes key tests of Link 16 satellite antenna
SAN FRANCISCO – Roccor has completed radio frequency testing of the antenna scheduled for launch later this year on the satellite housing Viasat’s Link 16 military communications terminal. The firm known for deployable spacecraft structures, is working with BluFlux, an antenna technology specialist, to complete environmental testing of the helical… Read more » - U.S. Army signs deal with SpaceX to assess Starlink broadband
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army will experiment using Starlink broadband to move data across military networks. An agreement signed with SpaceX on May 20 gives the Army three years to test out the service. The Army and SpaceX signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement known as a CRADA, an… Read more » - Weather primary concern for Demo-2 launch
WASHINGTON — NASA and SpaceX officials said after a final pre-launch review they had no major issues about the upcoming Demo-2 commercial crew launch beyond one over which they have no control: the weather. NASA concluded a launch readiness review May 25 for the Demo-2 mission, the final pre-launch review… Read more » - Virgin Orbit first launch attempt fails
Updated 8 p.m. Eastern with comments from company CEO Dan Hart. WASHINGTON — Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne failed to reach orbit in its first launch attempt May 25, with the mission “terminated” moments after the rocket’s release from its aircraft. The company’s “Cosmic Girl” aircraft, a modified Boeing 747, took off… Read more » - Pentagon presses on with campaign to overturn FCC’s Ligado order
WASHINGTON — The U.S. agency that advises the president on telecommunications policy issues on May 22 formally petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its April 20 decision to grant a spectrum license to Ligado to build a terrestrial wireless network. The petition from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration… Read more » - Two payloads qualified for U.S. Space Force early warning satellites
WASHINGTON — Two sensor payloads for the U.S. Space Force’s new missile warning satellites have passed a key design review. One of them will be selected for the first Next-Generation Overhead Infrared satellite scheduled to launch in 2025. Raytheon and a Northrop Grumman/Ball Aerospace team designed competing sensor payloads for… Read more » - Rocket arrives as China targets July for Tianwen-1 Mars mission launch
HELSINKI — China is gearing up to launch its Tianwen-1 Mars mission following the delivery of a Long March 5 launch vehicle to Wenchang launch center. The rocket components arrived at Wenchang May 24 following delivery to Hainan island via Yuanwang 21 and 22 cargo ships. The spacecraft arrived at… Read more »
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