WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. (NASA PR) — NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply services mission (NG CRS-15) for NASA. The Antares rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will bring about 8,000 pounds of cargo, science, and supplies to the International Space Station.

The mission’s launch is targeted for 12:36 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 20, from the mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

SpaceX has postponed the launch of 60 Starlink broadband satellites that had been planned for Sunday morning from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The company said it needed more time to conduct additional inspections on the Falcon 9 booster. SpaceX also announced it was planning an additional launch of 60 Starlink satellites at the end of next week from the SLC-40 pad at the adjoining Cape Canaveral Space […]

At 17:05:05 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2021, OneSpace’s new intelligent suborbital rocket OS-X6B and “Chongqing Liangjiang Star” was launched from a northwest launch site under the remote command of the company’s Chongqing Liangjiang Measurement and Control Command Center. 

BEIJING (CASC PR) — At 23:36 on February 4, the Long March 3B carrier rocket lifted the communication technology test satellite No. 6 into the sky frm the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Subsequently, the satellite was successfully sent into the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success. The communication technology test satellite No. 6 was developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) […]

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — NOAA has awarded the Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 (SWFO-L1) Command and Control contract to L3Harris in Melbourne, Florida. The cost plus fixed-fee contract has a total value of $43,784,063, with a five-year performance period. The SWFO-L1 mission is planned to launch in 2025 as a ride share with the NASA Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

With the spate of announcements about private space missions over the past year, it’s easy to lose track of the who, what, where, when, why and how of the flights.

As a public service, Parabolic Arc has collected information about all five of the announced missions.

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. (Space Florida PR) – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the final signing of Florida’s $90 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant. This announcement was applauded by Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez, Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello, NASA, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, P.E. as well as space industry partners at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This grant agreement will be used to enhance the connectivity and mobility of Florida’s Space Coast.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (Northrop Grumman PR) — Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-15 Cygnus spacecraft after former NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. It is the company’s tradition to name each Cygnus spacecraft after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight. Johnson’s hand-written calculations were critical for John Glenn’s successful orbital mission around the Earth.

Johnson was born on August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Her parents enrolled her in high school on the campus of West Virginia State College at the age of 10 because their home county did not offer public schooling for black students past eighth grade. Upon graduating from high school at the age of 14, Johnson enrolled at West Virginia State, where she took every math class offered by the school, causing professors to create additional courses just for her.

PARIS (ESA PR) — ESA Director General Jan Wörner and President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Dr Hiroshi Yamakawa took part in an online bilateral meeting on 4 February, confirming the status of cooperative activities between the two agencies.

Science is outpacing policies for responsible resource extraction in space.

By Susanna Eayrs
Western University

Two Western Law professors have launched a research project into laws governing space mining.

The growing demand for non-renewable natural resources, such as minerals used in batteries, has brought increased attention to the potential of exploiting resources in space for use on Earth – and the laws that govern such activities need to keep pace.

LONG BEACH, Calif., February 4, 2021 (Virgin Orbit PR) — Virgin Orbit, the California-based satellite launch company, announced today the addition of two well-respected space industry leaders to its executive team. Kirk Pysher has joined the company as its new Vice President of Mission Assurance, Quality and Safety, and Janice Starzyk as Vice President of Government Operations.

The announcement comes on the heels of Virgin Orbit’s successful orbital launch demonstration in January, when its unique air-launched LauncherOne system carried 9 small satellite missions to space in support of NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services Program. Having now fully demonstrated all elements of LauncherOne, the Virgin Orbit team is turning its full attention to serving its growing manifest of customers, and as such is expanding its executive team to better serve its growing customer base.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

NASA needs to shift its strategy from preventing future space debris to leading a global effort to actively cleaning up the debris that is already in Earth orbit, according to a new report from the space agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).