Landspace closes in on orbital launch with liquid methane rocket Landspace closes in on orbital launch with liquid methane rocket China is meanwhile constructing a new launch complex to support new methalox launch capabilities. HELSINKI — Chinese private firm Landspace is working towards a potential first orbital launch attempt with a methane-fueled launch vehicle later this year. Landspace completed assembly of the four Tianque-12 liquid methane-liquid oxygen engines which power the first stage of the Zhuque-2 rocket in early February. This was preceded by a payload fairing separation test an ..read more

Perseverance landing wins broad political praise Perseverance landing wins broad political praise WASHINGTON — When the White House called to congratulate NASA on the successful landing of the Mars rover Perseverance, acting administrator Steve Jurczyk new immediately it was the real deal. “About an hour after landing, I got a phone call from the president of the United States, and his first words were, ‘Congratulations, man,’” Jurczyk recalled during a Feb. 18 press conference at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “I knew it was him. I wasn’t getting punked.” Jurczyk said that President Biden sai ..read more

NASA delays launch of planetary defense mission NASA delays launch of planetary defense mission WASHINGTON — NASA will delay the launch of a mission designed to test one technique for deflecting a potentially hazardous asteroid, although that delay won’t affect the spacecraft’s arrival at its target. NASA announced Feb. 17 that it will postpone the launch of its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission from its primary launch window of July 21 to Aug. 24 of this year to a backup window that opens Nov. 24 and runs to Feb. 15, 2022. The spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Van ..read more

Raytheon to challenge Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne Raytheon to challenge Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne Raytheon CEO Gregory Hayes: “We obviously have some concerns." WASHINGTON — Raytheon Technologies plans to formally oppose Lockheed Martin’s proposed $4.4 billion acquisition of rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne, Raytheon’s CEO Gregory Hayes said Feb. 17. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s engines are used by both Raytheon and Lockheed Martin in tactical and strategic missiles the companies make for the U.S. Defense Department. “We obviously have som ..read more

Scientists look ahead to the search for past Martian life with Perseverance Scientists look ahead to the search for past Martian life with Perseverance WASHINGTON — On the eve of the landing of the rover Perseverance on Mars, scientists are looking ahead to the work it will do searching for evidence of past life on the planet and collecting samples for return to Earth. At a Feb. 17 briefing a little more than 24 hours before Mars 2020 arrives at Mars, project officials confirmed that the spacecraft is operating well and on course for a landing at 3:55 p.m. Feb. 18 at Jezero Crater. “Perseveran ..read more

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites, but booster landing fails SpaceX launches Starlink satellites, but booster landing fails WASHINGTON — SpaceX launched another set of Falcon 9 satellites Feb. 15, but suffered a rare failed landing of the rocket’s first stage during the mission. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10:59 p.m. Eastern, after unfavorable weather conditions caused a one-day delay. The rocket released its payload of 60 Starlink satellites in orbit 65 minutes after liftoff. The rocket’s first stage, however, did not land on ..read more

Intelsat reveals plan to reorganize and trim debt Intelsat reveals plan to reorganize and trim debt SAN FRANCISCO – Intelsat SA announced a reorganization plan Feb. 12 to reduce the Luxembourg-based communications satellite fleet operator’s debt from nearly $15 billion to $7 billion. Creditors responsible for approximately $3.8 billion of Intelsat’s debt have approved Intelsat’s plan and the company is seeking approval from additional creditors, according to a Plan of Reorganization filed Feb. 12 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Under the plan, Intelsat woul ..read more

Industry questions U.S. government support for commercial remote sensing Industry questions U.S. government support for commercial remote sensing HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini: Government contracts help startups raise private funds needed to pay for the space and ground infrastructure. WASHINGTON — About 270 of the 620 remote sensing satellites in orbit are privately owned with about 200 of these belong to U.S. companies, according to the Aerospace Corp. Only about 50 are owned by the U.S. military or intelligence agencies. These numbers show the rapid commercialization of a previously tightly ..read more

Despite its small size, Space Force plans to have its voice heard in the Pentagon Despite its small size, Space Force plans to have its voice heard in the Pentagon “We’ve been doing space operations for years under the Air Force. But as a service we now have to advocate for new resources,” said Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman. WASHINGTON — The Space Force is by far the smallest branch of the U.S. military and will have to “punch above its weight” to get its share of military funding and other resources, said Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief of space operations. The Space Force was carved ..read more

Report recommends NASA accelerate space nuclear propulsion development Report recommends NASA accelerate space nuclear propulsion development WASHINGTON — NASA needs to pursue “aggressive” development of space nuclear propulsion technologies if the agency wants to use them for human missions to Mars in the next two decades, a report by a National Academies committee concluded. A Feb. 12 study by the National Academies, sponsored by NASA, said both nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) approaches must overcome significant hurdles for their use in a notional 2039 ..read more