The US-New Zealand small launcher operator, Rocket Lab, has received a launch booking by launch arranger Spaceflight for one of its Electron small rocket launches. The Spaceflight firm already has a launch booking for its Sherpa deployment spacecraft which, in turn,...
After over a month’s delay due to industrial action and political protests in French Guiana, it is fair to say that Arianespace was “chomping at the bit” as it impatiently waited to get its Ariane 5 launch programme back under way. However, there was an annoying short...
Blue Origin took the opportunity in April’s Space Symposium event in Colorado to show off its New Shepard “space tourist” carrying capsule (named after NASA’s first suborbital astronaut) with which it plans to begin suborbital manned test...
The European launch provider Arianespace had cause to celebrate in late April for two reasons. Firstly, negotiations to end the general strike and protests preventing launches from the French Guiana launch site, at Kourou, have ended with agreement. Under the deal,...
The next generation of Cosmo-Skymed commercial radar satellites will both be launched by Arianespace; the first on a Soyuz in 2018, followed by the second in 2020 using a upcoming Vega-C rocket. Both of these launches will take place from French Guiana. The...
Starting a small launch vehicle operation remains a risky business. US start-up small launch vehicle firm, Firefly, which laid off staff last year after a withdrawal of a major investor, is now having its assets sold off. While there were doubts about its first stage...
