LOS ANGELES (Trade Commissioner Service/CSA PR) — The Los Angeles office of the Trade Commissioner Service of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have developed the Canadian Space Payload Accelerator, a unique innovation opportunity for organizations looking to Accelerate their Space-Based Capabilities! 

OBJECTIVE: Selected Teams will need to show how their payload designs could engage in activities supporting science goals for returning humans to the moon, therefore advancing one or more of the Artemis III Science requirements as defined by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 

As a reminder, the Artemis III mission will be the first human mission to the surface of the Moon in the 21st Century, and will build on the legacy of Apollo to usher in the modern era of human exploration and development in deep space. The lunar surface is an ideal location to answer fundamental planetary science questions. In the 50 years since humans last visited the Moon, new advances arising from robotic lunar missions, reanalysis of older data, modeling, and sample analysis have produced dramatic results and new questions about planetary volcanism, volatiles, impact processes, tectonics, and the lunar environment. Driven by new questions, we set out a robust science plan for the Artemis III crew return to the lunar surface. NASA’s identified science goals are: 

LUXEMBOURG (Promus Ventures PR) — Promus Ventures is pleased to announce that Orbital Ventures (“the Fund”) has closed at €120 million [US $139.3 million]. Anchored in Luxembourg, the Fund is focusing on early-stage, space-related companies.

The European Investment Fund committed €40 million [US $46.4 million], adding to the Fund’s international exposure. Other investors include international corporate, institutional, and private investors, as well as public actors. Among them is the Luxembourg Government via the Ministry of the Economy and the National Credit and Investment Institution (SNCI) which have invested in the Fund, reaffirming the country’s leading position on the international space stage.

Video Caption: Blue Origin and Sierra Space have announced plans for Orbital Reef, a commercially developed, owned, and operated space station to be built in low Earth orbit. The station will open the next chapter of human space exploration and development by facilitating the growth of a vibrant ecosystem and business model for the future. Orbital Reef is backed by space industry leaders and teammates including Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis […]

Announces it has successfully completed NASA’s Critical Design Review of its Blue Ghost lunar lander and is on schedule for September 2023 lunar mission

CEDAR PARK, Texas, October 25, 2021 (Firefly Aerospace PR) – Firefly Aerospace, Inc., a leader in economical launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services, today announced it reached a major milestone with the successful completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) of their Blue Ghost lunar lander. This CDR paves the way for construction of the Blue Ghost lander, which is scheduled to touch down in the Mare Crisium lunar basin in September of 2023 carrying ten NASA payloads as part of the $93.3-million Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract secured by Firefly earlier this year. The lander will also take several commercial payloads to the lunar surface. The 2023 Blue Ghost mission will be the first of what are expected to be yearly lunar surface missions for Firefly.

New Orbital Destination Opens Up Space For Business And Travel, Creating New
Ecosystem

KENT, Wash., October 25, 2021 (Blue Origin/Sierra Space PR) – Blue Origin and Sierra Space today announced plans for Orbital Reef, a commercially developed, owned, and operated space station to be built in low Earth orbit. The station will open the next chapter of human space exploration and development by facilitating the growth of a vibrant ecosystem and business model for the future. Orbital Reef is backed by space industry leaders and teammates including Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (ABL Space Systems PR) — ABL Space Systems has closed a $200 million expansion of its Series B investment round, bringing the company’s valuation to $2.4 billion. The round was led by and comprised of ABL’s existing investor syndicate. ABL has now raised a total of $420 million since founding. ABL is serving a large manifest of active contracts with fourteen distinct customers across the commercial, defense, […]

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (NASA PR) — Just two days after leaving the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, in a specialized container carefully strapped to the deck of a semi-trailer truck, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft arrived in California — its final stop here on Earth. 

The truck, spacecraft and a small motorcade of APL engineers and technicians pulled into Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, California, on Saturday, Oct. 2, in the early afternoon local time. 

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will collaborate on a mission to the moon, analyze data from an Israeli-French Earth observation satellite, and launch a joint education satellite under a landmark agreement signed last week to cooperate on a range of space projects, the Israel Space Agency (ISA) announced.

The two nations will collaborate on Genesis 2, an $100 million Israeli mission to launch an orbiter to the moon and deploy landers at two different locations on the lunar surface. The mission, which is to be half funded with foreign contributions, is scheduled to launch in 2024.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., October 21, 2021 (CASIS PR) – The Center for the  Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), Inc., manager of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, today announced that former NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati, Ph.D., joined the organization’s board of directors. The CASIS Board of Directors seeks to ensure and enhance the utility of the ISS National Lab to further basic and applied space-based research that brings value to our nation and drives a robust market in low Earth orbit.

“The International Space Station is home to a one-of-a-kind laboratory that provides an environment and perspective that allow us to push the frontiers in science as we seek to further understand biology, physics, and our world. It is a privilege to be part of the group that oversees the management and mission of this amazing orbiting national laboratory,” Dr. Abdalati said. 

SpaceX fired the first firing of its Raptor vacuum engine while integrated into a Starship vehicle. The engine is used in the vacuum of space. Meanwhile, Elon Musk tweeted that Starship No. 20 could be ready for a suborbital flight next month. The vehicle would take off from Boca Chica, Texas and land in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. The flight is dependent upon approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, […]

KOUROU, French Guiana (ESA PR) — One of the largest telecommunications satellites ever built in Europe has been launched and is on its way to geostationary orbit.

The satellite includes cutting-edge technology developed under ESA’s programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems. It will connect underserved areas and accelerate digital inclusion, as well as providing broadband connectivity for commercial shipping and aviation through its operator, SES.

McLEAN, Va. (Intelsat PR) – Intelsat S.A. (OTC: INTEQ), operator of the world’s largest and most advanced integrated satellite and terrestrial network, announced today that Chief Executive Officer Stephen Spengler has decided to retire as CEO upon the Company’s emergence from its financial restructuring process and the naming of a successor. Until that time, Spengler will continue as CEO and lead Intelsat through the final stages of this process, ensuring a smooth transition. 

“We are nearing the conclusion of our restructuring with enhanced financial strength and are ideally positioned to embark on an exciting new business strategy for the next generation of 5G network connectivity,” Spengler said. “This is the right moment to make my retirement plans clear so that work can begin on identifying a new leader for the long term.”