ESA Ministerial: budget increase saves former ExoMars rover “Rosalind Franklin” as ESA shows off its next astronauts including the first parastronaut
Despite a feeling that Europe has been “left behind” in the race between China and the US – especially by firms such as SpaceX – it was nonetheless surprising in these difficult economic times that European nations managed to raise ESA’s budget by 17 per cent,...
Advanced Space receives US$72 million for AFRL Oracle mission
Finalising a contest started earlier this year in March the USA's Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded a US$72 million contract to Advanced Space LLC. Advanced Space is currently operating the NASA CAPSTONE mission in Lunar orbit. This most recent award...
Having jumped ship from Astra Rocket NASA’s remaining TROPICS satellites will now fly on Electron launches
NASA has selected Rocket Lab's Electron KS rocket to provide the launch service for the agency’s Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation Structure and Storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission, as part of the agency's Venture-class...
SpaceRyde to launch multiple flights with ISILaunch from 2024
Canadian launch startup SpaceRyde has secured multiple launch agreements with ISILaunch, a launch services subsidiary of Netherlands based Innovative Solutions in Space B.V. (ISISPACE). The companies agreed on a multiple launch agreement which will see four private...
Falcon 9 launches Eutelsat 10B comsat
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, at 0257 GMT on 23 November. The vehicle was carrying Eutelsat 10B, a C- and Ku-band high throughput communication satellite. This was the final trip for the B1049 first stage...
Three spacewalks from two space stations in just two days…but a fourth one is called off
During the period 15-17 November, astronauts, cosmonauts and taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) all took part in extra vehicular activity (EVA) on three spacewalks. Both the International Space Station (ISS) and the Chinese Space Station (Tiandong) were involved. On 15...
USSF confirms order of second WSF-M satellite from Ball Aerospace
The United States Space Force (USSF) on 9 November 2022 confirmed that it had ordered a second Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) from manufacturer Ball Aerospace. This contract modification is worth US$78.2 million. This satellite has a projected launch date...
Commercial Chinese rocket Ceres-1 carries five Jilin-1 EO sats to orbit
Under the shadow of the much publicised NASA SLS launch a commercial Chinese rocket has carried five satellites into LEO. The mission lifted-off at 0620 GMT on 16 November from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Onboard the Ceres-1 (Gushenxing-1) small launch...
SLS finally flies….sending Artemis I’s Orion spacecraft on its way to the Moon…as SpaceX gets another lunar lander order
After a series of delays, including one caused by Hurricane Nicole, Artemis I’s Orion spacecraft finally lifted off from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, USA. The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket was launched at 0647 GMT on 16 November with its...
Chinese Yaogan 34-03 remote sensing sat is successfully launched by Long March 4C
The Chinese optical remote sensing satellite Yaogan 34-03 satellite was launched on a Long March 4C (CZ-4C) rocket from Jiuquan launch site at 0138 GMT on 15 November 2022. The satellite is believed to have been built by SAST - Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight...