SEJONG, South Korea (Innospace PR) — Innospace has unveiled the first civilian test launch vehicle ‘Hanbit-TLV’ in Korea. The mobile integrated launch system to be used for the actual launch was installed at the Cheongju plant (located in Gangnae-myeon, Heungdeok-gu), and preparations for the launch began in earnest, starting with the operation and standing demonstration of the launch system on May 27.

Collins-led team to provide new spacesuit for ISS crew and Artemis moon missions

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, June 1, 2022 (Collins Aerospace PR) – Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX) business – along with teammates ILC Dover and Oceaneering – have been selected to produce NASA’s next-generation spacesuit, which astronauts could wear when working outside the International Space Station and – within the next decade – on the moon.

GOLDEN, Colo. (Lunar Outpost PR) – Lunar Outpost, a global leader in commercial planetary mobility, announced a $12 million seed funding round today. The closed round was led by Explorer 1 Fund with participation from Promus Ventures, Space Capital, Type 1 Ventures and Cathexis Ventures. The capital will be used to launch a new class of autonomous lunar rovers, deploy Lunar Outpost’s robotic technologies in additional environments, and invest in new technologies to improve its existing platforms. Explorer 1 Fund Principal Daniel Kleinman and Promus Ventures Partner Gareth Keane also joined Lunar Outpost’s Board of Directors.

HOUSTON (Axiom Space PR) — Axiom Space announced today that it has been awarded the NASA Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) Contract.  Axiom is one of two companies to win the award with a potential total value of $3.5 billion across the life of the program. Under the terms of the contract, the Houston-based company will build the space agency’s next generation astronaut spacesuits that may be used for low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the Artemis lunar missions. The new spacesuits by Axiom Space will provide astronauts with advanced capabilities for space exploration while providing NASA commercially developed human systems needed to access, live, and work in microgravity and on and around the Moon. 

Available for Order Now, “Arroway” is a 200,000-Pound Thrust Reusable Liquid Oxygen and Methane Staged Combustion Engine for Medium and Heavy Launch

DENVER  (Ursa Major PR) — Ursa Major, America’s only privately funded company that focuses solely on rocket propulsion, today introduced the latest in its line of engines. Arroway is a 200,000-pound thrust liquid oxygen and methane staged combustion engine that will serve markets including current U.S. national security missions, commercial satellite launches, orbital space stations, and future missions not yet conceived. The reusable Arroway engine is available for order now, slated for initial hot-fire testing in 2023, and delivery in 2025.

• Orion’s European Service Module 4 successfully completed integration activities in Thales Alenia Space’s Turin plant
• Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the primary and the secondary structure, and thermo-mechanical systems of ESA’s European Service Modules (ESM)

TURIN, Italy, 31th May 2022 (Thales Alenia Space PR) — Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has successfully completed the activities related to the final integration of the critical systems of Orion’s European Service Module 4. The module is now on its way to Airbus Defence and Space’s clean rooms in Bremen, Germany. There, it will complete the integration and carry out final tests, supported by Thales Alenia Space engineers on-site.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

NASA has selected three research and development projects focused on developing on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing technologies for continued funding under the space agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

NASA selected Motiv Space Systems of Pasadena, Calif., for two Phase II awards, and TRACLabs of San Antonio, Texas for one award. The awards are worth up to $750,000 apiece for projects lasting for 24 months. Both companies received smaller SBIR Phase I awards.

ANDOYA, Norway (Andoya Spaceport PR) — Andøya Spaceport has entered into a cooperation agreement for the first construction phase with SEKK (Sortland Entreprenør and Karstein Kristiansen Entreprenør) and LNS in connection with the development of the spaceport on Andøya.

Generated $12.3 million of revenue and other operating income in the first half of fiscal year 2022

LONDON (Arqit Quantum PR) — Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, ARQQW) (“Arqit”), a global leader in quantum encryption technology, today announced its operational and financial results for the first half of its fiscal year ending (“FYE”) 30 September 2022.

Recent Operational Highlights

• Signed an enterprise licence with Virgin Orbit for QuantumCloud™ to protect its launch and space solutions businesses, which we delivered on and recognised revenue in the first half of FYE 2022.
• Signed an enterprise licence with AUCloud, Australia’s sovereign cloud infrastructure-as-a-service provider, for QuantumCloud™ to provide quantum encryption services, which we delivered on and recognised revenue in the first half of FYE 2022.
• Delivered against milestones under a contract with the European Space Agency as part of its Advanced Research Telecommunications Systems program, and recognised project revenue in the first half of FYE 2022.
• Demonstrated and announced significant progress in integrating QuantumCloud™ software with the security products of a major enterprise grade vendor.
• Announced that Arqit and Blue Mesh Solutions Limited, a UK-based sensors and Internet of Things (“IoT”) specialist, successfully completed and demonstrated a quantum secure data communications service for industrial IoT. The demonstration was associated with the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (“DCMS”) 5G Trials and Testbeds programme. Arqit previously announced it is also working with DCMS on a program to secure a new wideband solution for 5G cellular Open RAN platforms.
• Signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the US Air Force’s Research Laboratory to prove viable quantum encryption services from a commercial platform to US Department of Defense infrastructure for the US Air Force and wider Department of Defense use cases.
• QuantumCloud™ release 1.1 launched in the first half of FYE 2022. The advancement of QuantumCloud™ makes Arqit’s symmetric key encryption agreement service more easily accessible to customers.
• An additional 145 patent claims on 5 patents were filed in the first half of FYE 2022, bringing Arqit’s total to 1,580 patent claims on 26 patents filed or granted in the UK. Innovations continue in all elements of Arqit’s tech stack with the objectives of simplifying the tech stack, further enhancing security and reducing cost.
• Made significant senior sales organisation hires in the US, Asia Pacific and Europe, expanding geographic footprint and enhancing industry relationships.
• Commissioned a report which has been summarised publicly that confirmed the results of an academic review of Arqit’s security proof conducted by the University of Surrey, which is recognised as an Academic Centre for Excellence in Cyber Security Research by the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre. The report confirms that Arqit’s symmetric key agreement technology generates encryption keys which are zero trust and computationally secure and describes it as “a significant advance in secure communications”.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

China has rolled out the Long March-2F rocket that it will use to send a new three-member crew of astronauts to the nation’s space station. The launch of the as-yet unidentified astronauts aboard Shenzhou-14 could take place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China as early as Sunday, June 5.

The crew will spend a busy six months in space during which time China will complete initial assembly of the station. The Wentian laboratory module will be launched in July to join the Tianhe core module. The Mengtian laboratory module is scheduled for launch in October.

Highlights include flags, medallions and more from 1969’s historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission

DALLAS, Texas (Heritage Auctions PR) – In July 1969, 65 miles above the lunar surface, command module pilot Michael Collins orbited the moon alone, at times even losing contact with Mission Control. Meanwhile, below him, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were making headlines the world over for becoming the first men to walk on the moon – or, in Armstrong’s famous words, taking “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA has selected Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to advance spacewalking capabilities in low-Earth orbit and at the Moon, by buying services that provide astronauts with next generation spacesuit and spacewalk systems to work outside the International Space Station, explore the lunar surface on Artemis missions, and prepare for human missions to Mars.