Launch provider Virgin Orbit received a $25 million investment from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group on Nov. 4, three days prior to reporting on Monday that its cash and cash equivalents had declined from $122 million to $71.2 million in the third quarter as it ramped up rocket production.

Northrop Grumman launched a resupply ship to the International Space Station (ISS) early Monday morning, kicking off a busy nine-day period that — if all goes well — will see NASA send an automated Orion crew vehicle to orbit the moon.

Officials say that a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply ship has sufficient power to rendezvous with the International Space Station despite the failure of one of its two solar panels. “Northrop Grumman has reported to NASA that Cygnus has sufficient power to rendezvous with the International Space Station on Wednesday, Nov. 9, to complete its primary mission, and NASA is assessing this and the configuration required for capture and berthing,” NASA […]

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: Tuesday, November 08 – 7 PM PST (9 PM CST; 10 PM EST): BOB ZIMMERMAN is back with us for a 2022 roundup and a look forward to 2023. Wednesday, November 09 – Hotel Mars pre-recorded. See the Upcoming Show Menu at www.thespaceshow.com for details. Friday, October 11 – 9:30-11 AM PST; 11:30 AM- 1 PM CST; 12:30-2 PM EST: […]

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA and its mission partners are gearing up for a busy 2023 with crew launches and returns from the International Space Station. NASA worked closely with its international partners and commercial crew providers, Boeing and SpaceX, to secure new target launch dates for the upcoming flights that are optimal for space station needs.

China completed construction of its first permanent space station, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket made a successful return after more than three years, and four other rockets were launched from spaceports around the world.

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. (NASA PR) — Today’s launch attempt of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo spacecraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore has been postponed. The launch was scrubbed due to a fire alarm at Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft control center in Dulles, Virginia. The Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket remain healthy at the Wallops launch site. The next launch attempt will be Monday, Nov. […]

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (NASA PR) — NASA and United Launch Alliance are now targeting 1:25 a.m. PST, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, for the launch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) mission and NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) technology demonstration from Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Axiom Astronaut to Conduct Research and Train for International Space Station on Future Virgin Galactic Flight 

TUSTIN, Calif., November 3, 2022 (Virgin Galactic PR) – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (the “Company” or “Virgin Galactic”), an aerospace and space travel company, today announced an agreement with Axiom Space, a U.S.-based commercial space company, to support a microgravity research and training mission. The Virgin Galactic spaceflight, tentatively scheduled for next year, will prepare an Axiom Space astronaut for an upcoming trip to orbit, while conducting microgravity research to supplement the work that astronaut will do on the International Space Station.  

• Exotrail’s spacedrop™ delivery service will use Isar Aerospace’s launch vehicle Spectrum on several firm launches between 2024 and 2029 to deliver satellites in LEO and GTO orbits
• The combination of both companies’ offerings enables tailored services to launch single satellites and satellite constellations at precise, bespoke destinations
• European companies Isar Aerospace and Exotrail partner to break new ground for access to space and in-orbit delivery markets

MASSY, France (Exotrail PR) — The space mobility operator Exotrail and the European launch service provider Isar Aerospace announced today a multiple launch services agreement. Isar Aerospace’s launch vehicle Spectrum will launch Exotrail’s spacevan™ vehicle on several firm launches to low Earth (LEO) and geostationary transfer orbits (GTO) from Isar Aerospace’s launch sites in Andøya, Norway and CSG, French Guiana, between 2024 and 2029. With the combination of launchpads, Isar Aerospace provides access to all orbits at a high cadence.

On the Heels of Graduating Y Combinator, the Canadian Space Startup Secures Additional USD $7M in Funding; Prepares to Launch 3 Satellites in Early 2023

EDMONTON, Alberta (Wyvern PR) — Wyvern, a space data company offering affordable and easy-to-access high-resolution hyperspectral imagery, secured an additional USD $7M of funding led by Uncork Capital, with key investors including MaC Venture Capital and Y Combinator.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Sidus Space PR) — Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service company focused on mission-critical hardware manufacturing combined with commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection, announced an agreement with Dawn Aerospace (“Dawn”) to implement its green, chemical propulsion technology into LizzieSat™.

Among the novel characteristics of Sidus Space’s proprietary LizzieSat™ is that its size allows Sidus to include propulsion and provide precision pointing and maneuvering otherwise not available to smaller cubesats.  Additionally, propulsion provides a longer life on orbit which means continued data transfer and revenue opportunity.   Each LizzieSat™ is 100kg with approximately 20kg dedicated to payloads including remote sensing instruments. The larger mass also allows design for redundancy and reliability into the spacecraft.