WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 11, 2021 (Aerojet Rocketdyne PR) — Aerojet Rocketdyne recently completed a successful RL10C-X altitude hot fire test series that put the next generation engine through the rigors of a typical spaceflight mission. Using a test chamber that simulates the vacuum of outer space, the RL10C-X, which produces roughly 24,000 pounds of thrust, was tested in a flight-like configuration to demonstrate the engine’s capability to complete a typical mission profile, including multiple restarts.

The RL10C-X is the next evolution of the company’s RL10 upper-stage engine and contains major components – including the injector and combustion chamber – produced with the company’s industry-leading 3D printing technology.

China has landed the Zhurong rover on Mars, becoming only the second nation (or third, depending upon how these things are counted) to successfully land on the Red Planet. Chinese space officials say they have received a signal from Zhurong, which landed on Utopia Planitia about three hours after separating from the Tianwen-1 orbiter. Once deployed from the lander, Zhurong will use explore the planet with: ground-penetrating radar capable of imaging […]

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, May 12th, 2021 (Maritime Launch Services PR)—Maritime Launch Services Ltd. (“MLS” or the “Company”), owner of Canada’s first commercial spaceport, is pleased to announce that it has closed financing for gross proceeds of $10.5 million [US $8.67 million].

The financing was led by PowerOne Capital Markets Limited and Primary Capital Inc. The proceeds of this financing will enable MLS to achieve first flight heritage in 2022 of a small class launcher and mature the site and the Cyclone 4M medium class launch vehicle for launch in 2023 from its state-of-the-art complex near Canso, Nova Scotia.  With construction to begin this fall, Maritime Launch’s commercial launch complex will be the first of its kind in Canada.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Momentus PR) — Momentus Inc. (“Momentus” or the “Company”), a U.S. commercial space company that intends to offer transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, today announced that it received a draft National Security Agreement (NSA) from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The draft NSA specifies CFIUS’s proposed requirements to resolve its national security concerns about the foreign ownership and control of Momentus. Receiving the draft NSA is an important milestone toward overcoming a key issue that has delayed completion of Momentus’ proposed merger with Stable Road Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SRAC, SRACU, SRACW) (“Stable Road”).

Momentus aims to be a trusted partner to the U.S. government and has taken swift action in response to government concerns. The Company obtained the resignation of its co-founder and former CEO and implemented trust and voting arrangements to ensure that the shares of its co-founders can only be voted by U.S. citizens. The Company voluntarily filed for CFIUS review to enable CFIUS and its member agencies to scrutinize any and all records of Momentus, and proactively proposed a U.S. national security mitigation plan intended to resolve the national security concerns that CFIUS and its member agencies have raised.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has a long history of supporting America’s entrepreneurs as they develop technologies from ideas to commercial readiness. The agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is furthering that legacy with 140 new Phase II awards to 127 U.S. small businesses that will help them move their innovations to market.

The awards to these small businesses, located across 34 states and Washington, D.C., total $105 million. NASA’s small business program is dedicated to finding the most useful technologies for the agency and the commercial marketplace, and sourcing those innovations from a diverse  group of entrepreneurs with different backgrounds and perspectives. The companies chosen for Phase II funding include 33 women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Stable Road Acquisition Co. PR) — Stable Road Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SRAC, SRACU, and SRACW) (“Stable Road” or the “Company”) announced today that at the special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) held on May 13, 2021, the Company’s stockholders approved a proposal to extend the deadline by which the Company has to consummate the proposed business combination with Momentus Inc. (“Momentus”) from May 13, 2021 to August 13, 2021 (the “Extension Amendment Proposal”).

Brian Kabot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stable Road, commented on the results of the meeting, “We are very pleased by the overwhelming support for the Extension Amendment Proposal exhibited by our stockholders, with approximately 66.2% of all outstanding shares, and approximately 98.6% of shares that voted on the proposal, being cast in favor of the proposal. We appreciate our stockholders’ strong engagement and look forward to advancing the proposed business combination with Momentus.”

Daily monitoring of the world to be realized with 10 satellite-constellation

TOKYO (Axelspace PR) — Axelspace Holdings Corporation today announces that the company completed its Series C funding round raising approximately JPY 2.58 billion (equivalent to USD 23.8 million). The round sees the allocation of new shares to The Space Frontier Fund, several other venture capitals and corporate investors.

Major Accepting institutions

• The Space Frontier Fund
  (Managed by SPARX Innovation for Future Co., Ltd.)
• Japan Co-Invest III Limited Partnership
  (Managed by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment Co., Ltd.)
• Japan Post Investment I, ILP
  (Managed by Japan Post Investment Corporation)
• 31VENTURES – Global Brain – Growth I Joint Project
  (Managed by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and Global Brain Corporation)
• KYOCERA Corporation
• Mitsubishi UFJ Capital VII, Limited Partnership
  (Managed by Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd.)

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 12, 2021 (Mynaric PR) – Mynaric and SpaceLink today agreed on the framework of a partnership to expand Mynaric’s laser communication product portfolio for use in SpaceLink’s data relay network. The strategic relationship will help drive forward the SpaceLink satellite relay service, which provides secure, continuous, high-capacity communications between low Earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft and the ground.

The companies will work together to expand Mynaric’s product portfolio with an optical inter-satellite link (OISL) terminal for satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO), where the SpaceLink constellation will operate. The new terminal will also be compatible with the Space Development Agency (SDA) Transport Layer.

• Increases of up to 643 percent for using NASA resources on space station
• $130,000 for a single hour of an astronaut’s time
• The restaurant at the end of Earth orbit: $2,000 per day just to eat
• $10 million charge for sending private

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Amid all the talk about “democratizing” access to space through tourism, NASA has demonstrated just how difficult it will be by significantly raising prices for commercial use of resources aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over the past several months.

The increases cover private astronaut missions and the transportation of experiments and equipment to the station on cargo flights paid for by NASA. The space agency said its previous policy was intended to spur commercial use of the station by offering low prices.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

SpaceX has laid out plans to launch its Starship vehicle on a 90-minute flight test from Boca Chica, Texas, to a soft ocean landing about 100 km (62 miles) off the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The flight would take place no earlier than June 20.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

After 12 years living without billionaires– forgive me, spaceflight participants — floating around in space, the schedule is suddenly filling up with private orbital and suborbital flights. By January, we can expect to see paying customers on three American and Russian flights to the International Space Station (ISS), one Crew Dragon mission in Earth orbit, and two or more suborbital flights.

SpaceX and Roscomos will conduct two orbital missions apiece. Space Adventures will fly a client on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for the first time in 12 years. Blue Origin is planning one suborbital flight and possible two more by the end of the year. Virgin Galactic has three flight tests planned with spaceflight participants in the cabin to evaluate the passenger experience.

SpaceX will locate Starlink ground stations within Google data center properties, providing businesses with seamless, secure access to the cloud and Internet with Google Cloud infrastructure

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 13, 2021 (Google Cloud PR) — Google Cloud and SpaceX today announced a new partnership to deliver data, cloud services, and applications to customers at the network edge, leveraging Starlink’s ability to provide high-speed broadband internet around the world and Google Cloud’s infrastructure.

Under this partnership, SpaceX will begin to locate Starlink ground stations within Google data center properties, enabling the secure, low-latency, and reliable delivery of data from more than 1,500 Starlink satellites launched to orbit to-date to locations at the network edge via Google Cloud. Google Cloud’s high-capacity private network will support the delivery of Starlink’s global satellite internet service, bringing businesses and consumers seamless connectivity to the cloud and Internet, and enabling the delivery of critical enterprise applications to virtually any location.