Firefly Aerospace’s successful launch of its Alpha booster on Saturday morning kicked off a busy seven-day period in which a total of nine launches are scheduled around the world from seven locations in four nations.

HAWTHORNE, CA, September 30, 2022 – Launcher, together with its partner Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced it had been selected by SpaceWERX for a STTR Phase I in the amount of $249,000 to investigate how its orbit transfer vehicle, Orbiter, might enable In-space Service Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities being explored by the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and United States Space Force (USSF) through the Orbital Prime program.

SOLNA, Sweden (Swedish Space Corporation PR) — As humankind is returning to the Moon, the global demand for lunar missions is expanding at a rapid pace. To meet the industry’s new and ambitious requirements for lunar communications capabilities, Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) expands its worldwide network of Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS) by adding two new locations in Australia and Chile. Together with French satellite tracking equipment manufacturer Safran Data Systems, the company is set to offer the world’s first global ground network which meets the new standards for lunar exploration.

Finance executive with 25 years of experience joins Astra to help drive scale and leverage his capital markets experience

ALAMEDA, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) — Astra Space, Inc. (“Astra”) (Nasdaq: ASTR), a provider of space products and launch services to the global space industry, announced the appointment of Axel Martinez to Chief Financial Officer, effective the day after the filing of our quarterly report in November 2022.

“Axel is a talented and experienced finance executive that will be an invaluable addition to our management team,” said Chris Kemp, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Astra. “We expect his deep knowledge of the technology industry, experience with scaling high-growth companies, and participation in capital markets will be a huge asset to Astra as we enter our next phase.”

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (October 1, 2022) — Firefly Aerospace succeeded in launching its Alpha rocket into orbit for the first time during an early-morning launch on Saturday.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — Firefly Aerospace’s attempt to launch its Alpha rocket fizzled as the booster’s first stage engines shut down immediately after ignition early Friday morning.

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — NASA has added two astronauts to the agency’s Boeing Starliner-1 launch to the International Space Station, the spacecraft’s first mission following completion of its flight tests and certification.

With concerns growing over the number of satellites in Earth orbit and the proliferation of dangerous space debris, the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday adopted new rules requiring satellite operators to dispose of spacecraft in low-Earth orbit no later than five years after mission completion despite a warning from the House Science Committee that the move could create uncertainty and conflicting guidelines.

“Right now there are thousands of metric tons of orbital debris in the air above—and it is going to grow.  We need to address it.  Because if we don’t, this space junk could constrain new opportunities,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than noon EDT Wednesday, Oct. 5, for the launch of the agency’s Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station with a U.S. Eastern Range backup date on Oct. 7. Mission management teams also are exploring potential range opportunities on Oct. 6 pending review of the phasing timeline, Oct. 8, and Oct. 9.

A lot can happen in 18 years.

A mother can go from holding her newborn baby in her arms to sending her child off the college for the first time. In between, the child has learned to walk and talk, endured the rigors of puberty, and spent at least 13 years in school.

MOJAVE, Calif. — NASA has selected the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) and recently bankrupt Masten Space Systems for a contract worth up to $750,000 to develop technology to build landing pads and roads on the surface of the moon.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement Thursday, Sept. 22, to study the feasibility of a SpaceX and Polaris Program idea to boost the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with the Dragon spacecraft, at no cost to the government.