BEIJING (Deep Blue Aerospace PR) — On October 13, the Deep Blue Aerospace “Nebula-M” test arrow 1 completed the 100-meter vertical take-off and landing (VTVL) flight test at the Tongchuan Test Base in Shaanxi Province, achieving all test assessment targets and the test mission was a complete success. This VTVL flight test was completed by the same launch rocket in a short period of time after Deep Blue Aerospace completed […]

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

China launched the second three-member crew for a three-month stay aboard the Tiangong space station early Saturday morning local time.

The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft carrying commander Zhai Zhigang and crewmates Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center aboard a Long March 2F booster at 12:23 a.m. (12:23 a.m. EDT Friday). The crew is scheduled to dock with the space station about 6.5 hours after launch.

WASHINGTON (FAA PR) — Please join the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a public hearing on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program at the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas.

The FAA will provide a project overview in English and Spanish. Afterwards, members of the public can provide oral comments. The presentations will be posted on the project website after the public hearings:  https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship/

SAN FRANCISCO, October 14, 2021 (Orbit Fab PR) — Orbit Fab, the Gas Stations in Space™ company, has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicle Directorate, and the Spacecraft Technology Division to advance on-orbit refueling technology.

Orbit Fab will offer a ubiquitous supply of propellant in Earth orbit. Providing satellites the right fuel, in the right location, when they need it, will enable next generation capabilities for in-space refueling, servicing, assembly and manufacturing. Under the collaboration, Orbit Fab will share technical details and make available its hardware products, such as the RAFTI (The Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) and a cooperative docking guidance solution. The Air Force, in return, will review Orbit Fab’s refueling technologies, advise on requirements and designs, and make available its facilities for advancing performance and qualification. The knowledge exchange will allow Orbit Fab to bring to market its products for both defense users and commercial companies.

SAN FRANCISCO (Planet Labs PR) — This morning at our Explore 2021 user conference, we announced two major new products: Pelican, a next-generation fleet of satellites for very high resolution imagery that will begin launching next year and be operational in 2023, and Fusion with SAR, a cutting-edge data enhancement to our existing Fusion Monitoring product. 

BREMEN (ESA PR) — The second European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft is on its way to USA. It is the last stopover on Earth before this made-in-Europe powerhouse takes the first astronauts around the Moon on the Artemis II mission.

• Largest Venture Funding Round in History for a Human SpaceBalloon™ Company
• Additional Funding from LightShed Ventures, Explorer 1 Fund and Others Propels Launch of Commercial SpaceBalloon™ Flights to the Edge of Space by Late 2024

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Space Perspective PR) – Space Perspective, the Earth’s leading luxury spaceflight experience company, today announced a $40 million Series A financing round led by deep-technology VC firm Prime Movers Lab with additional participation from existing and new investors. The new injection of capital marks the first time a human SpaceBalloon company has raised this level of investment. To date, Space Perspective has raised a total of $48 million in funding, advancing the company to the phase of fulfilling commercial SpaceBalloon flights from late 2024 and beyond. 

• Brazil is working together with DLR on the development of rocket motors and subsystems.
• The S50 solid rocket motor will form the first two stages of the Brazilian VLM-1 launcher and the first stage of the European VS-50 sounding rocket.
• The first successful static burn test of an S50 solid rocket engine was carried out in Brazil on October 1, 2021.

SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil (DLR PR) — On October 1, 2021, an S50 solid rocket motor successfully passed a static burn test on the Usina Coronel Abner (UCA) premises in São José dos Campos in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. In the future, these solid-fuel motors will power the first two stages of the new Brazilian VLM-1 launcher for microsatellites. The test was conducted by a technical team from the Brazilian Aerospace Institute (IAE) on behalf of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and the Brazilian Ministry of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA). As part of the long-term cooperation between Brazil and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the now tried and tested rocket motor is being used in a new sounding rocket for Europe.

BANGKOK, Thailand (mu Space PR) — Aerospace manufacturer and satellite internet service provider mu Space Corp. has announced and displayed to the public their brand-new satellite, the mu-B200 and the opening of Factory 2 in Bangkok, Thailand at its Satellite Tech Unveil 2021 event, which took place earlier. Factory 2 is the company’s third factory to date and aims to cement the Southeast Asian company as an aerospace leader. mu Space Corp is an aerospace manufacturer and satellite internet service provider redefining the aerospace landscape in Southeast Asia. The organization emphasizes the importance of a vertical-integrated approach, meaning that they design, build, and test in-house all their products in order to improve performance and quality while reducing the additional costs of an extensive supply chain.

• Recent material testing returned new data that requires further analysis
• Italian Air Force mission to follow enhancement period
• Potential supplier component issue has been resolved
• Commercial service expected to commence in Q4 2022

LAS CRUCES, NM (Virgin Galactic PR) — Virgin Galactic today announced that it will now begin its planned enhancement program for VMS Eve and VSS Unity and will conduct the Unity 23 test flight after this work is complete.

Video Caption: Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, blasts into space and floats in a capsule above Earth aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company. (Oct 13)

Four Satellite Constellation to provide secure, continuous, high-capacity relay service for time sensitive data

MCLEAN, Va., October 13, 2021 (SpaceLink PR) – SpaceLink, the company building the communications superhighway for the space economy, announced it has reached a significant milestone in the manufacture and launch of the initial constellation of four high-capacity optical relay satellites. Following a comprehensive tender process, leading satellite manufacturer, OHB Systems AG (“OHB”), has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the initial constellation.