by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Galactic Energy, which became the second private Chinese launch provider to orbit a satellite on Saturday, has announced that it completed a Series A financing round of 200 million yuan ($30.25 million) in September.

In a press release, Galactic Energy said the funding will be used to manufacture and perform upgrades on the solid-fuel Ceres-1 small-satellite booster that flew last week. The funding will also allow the company to continue research and development on its larger liquid-fuel Pallas-1 (Zhishen-1) booster.

MOJAVE, Calif., 9 November 2020 (Virgin Galactic PR) – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (“Virgin Galactic” or “the Company”), a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, today announced the appointment of Alistair Burns as Chief Information Officer, effective immediately.

In this newly created role, Alistair will be responsible for delivering the technology strategy for Virgin Galactic as it seeks to develop and operate the world’s first commercial spaceline. Taking advantage of the latest innovations and technologies, Alistair will oversee the IT infrastructure that is critical in supporting the Company’s operations and enabling it to achieve its unique objectives. He joins Virgin Galactic as it prepares for the next stage in its test flight program and progresses further towards running commercial service.

DENVER (ispace PR) – Today, ispace, inc. (ispace) announced that it has selected Colorado as the location for its newest office. The company will open its new U.S.-based workplace in the Denver metropolitan area.

In making the decision, ispace worked with SelectUSA, a program in the U.S. Department of Commerce that provides assistance to foreign companies expanding into the U.S. market. After thorough consideration among a competitive list of locations around the United States, ispace selected Colorado as its place of operation, primarily due to the access to talent in the state, especially as the company plans to swiftly proceed with staffing a full engineering team, along with other positions.

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: 1. Monday, Nov. 29 2020; 7 PM PST (9 PM CST; 10 PM EST) NO PROGRAM TODAY. 2. Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, 7 PM PST (9 PM CST; 10 PM EST): No show tonight due to Dr. Space non-space appointments. 3. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020; Hotel Mars TBA pre-recorded. See upcoming show menu on the home page for program details. […]

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — The astronauts that will soon launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission arrived Sunday at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to start final preparations for liftoff.

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, along with Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), landed via plane at the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy after departing earlier today from Ellington Field near the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

A gloomy Sunday in Mojave didn’t stop Virgin Orbit from getting in some practice for the upcoming second flight test of its LauncherOne rocket.

Virgin Orbit’s modified Cosmic Girl Boeing 747 conducted a nearly three-hour long practice flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

In a decision that has disappointed his supporters, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine plans to leave his position even if president-elect Joe Biden asked him to stay.

Irene Klotz broke the news in Aviation Week. The story is behind a paywall, but Klotz did tweet:

“You need somebody who has a close relationship with the president of the U.S. … somebody trusted by the administration…. including OMB, National Space Council, National Security Council. I think I would not be the right person for that in a new administration –Bridenstine

Agency administrators usually change when a new president comes in, particularly if he is from a different party. Bridenstine is a former Republican Congressman from Oklahoma appointed by President Donald Trump, who was defeated by his Democratic opponent Biden last week.

Strategy targets private businesses in communication services, Earth observation and other areas that are expected to grow rapidly

UEDA CITY, Japan, Nov. 2, 2020 (ASPINA PR) — ASPINA  (Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd., with headquarters in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan  hereinafter ASPINA) is working on the development of “Reaction Wheels,” a key component used for attitude control for small satellites that utilize the technology of precision motor related products and is expected to grow globally in “small size satellites led by the private sector”.

We aim to commercialize our contribution to the “satellite market.”  This project has been adopted by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) as the 2020 “Space Industry Technology Information Infrastructure Development Research and Development Project.”

SANTA FE, NM (Solstar Space PR) — Solstar Space Company, the world’s first in-flight internet service provider for astronauts and space researchers is honored to announce that Dr. Alan Stern has joined Solstar as an advisor.

Engineers are reviewing the new damage and assessing how to best stabilize the facility.

by Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala
University of Central Florida News

A main cable that supports the Arecibo Observatory broke Friday at 7:39 p.m. Puerto Rico time.

Unlike the auxiliary cable that failed at the same facility on Aug. 10, this main cable did not slip out of its socket. It broke and fell onto the reflector dish below, causing additional damage to the dish and other nearby cables. Both cables were connected to the same support tower. No one was hurt, and engineers are already working to determine the best way to stabilize the structure.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Nov. 5, after making the trek from its processing facility at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

RENNES, France (Unseenlabs PR) – The launch of BRO-2 and BRO-3¹ nanosatellites will take place in mid-November at the Rocket Lab launch complex on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.

After being the first French new space start-up to successfully launch its first satellite, BRO-1 in August 2019, which has been technically and commercially operational since then, the launch of BRO-2 and BRO-3 marks the beginning of the deployment of the Unseenlabs constellation, which will comprise between 20 and 25 nano-satellites by 2025.