HOUSTON (NASA PR) — The final crew member for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, currently targeted to launch to the International Space Station in spring 2023, has been announced. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) named Sultan AlNeyadi to spend approximately six months aboard the space station as part of Expeditions 68/69. Mission Specialist AlNeyadi joins NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, who will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, […]

WASHINGTON (NASA HQ PR) — Dennis Andrucyk, director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has announced his intent to retire after more than 36 years of federal service, including multiple leadership roles at NASA and as Goddard’s director since January 2020.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — NOAA awarded three Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) space weather contracts to GeoOptics Inc. (Pasadena, CA), Space Sciences and Engineering LLC, dba PlanetiQ (Golden, CO), and Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc (San Francisco, CA).

NOAA’s Commercial Data Program (CDP) supports CWDP studies to demonstrate the quality and impact of commercial data on NOAA’s weather forecast models. These contract awards constitute the next round of NOAA’s CWDP studies with a particular focus on space weather data.

GeoOptics, PlanetiQ and Spire will provide near real-time radio occultation measurements from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers that will enable NOAA to derive ionospheric products that meet the current and anticipated needs of operational space weather models and applications.

PARIS (CNES PR) — At the end of 2021, CNES launched a call for applications to host micro and mini-launchers at the Guiana Space Center, thus expressing, in close collaboration with ESA, its desire to open the space port of Europe to new operators.

STRATFORD, ON (GNC Brasil Sistemas Críticos PR) — GNC Brasil Sistemas Críticos and C6 Launch signed a launch services agreement for the first suborbital vehicle launch by C6 Launch from the Alcantara Space Center. The mission will be a significant milestone for both companies. GNC will validate the operation and accuracy of their revolutionary inertial navigation system (INS) in space applications. The flight tests will provide tangible confirmation of C6 […]

This week on The Space Show with Dr. David Livingston: Tuesday, July 26 — 7 PM PDT (9 PM CDT; 10 PM EDT): Guests: Dr. Mike Gruntman Mike’s two new books, Soviet space programs and those of today’s Russia, Ukrainian space interests and more. Wednesday, July 27 — 10 PM PDT (12 AM CDT; 1 AM EDT): Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. David Livingston Hotel Mars TBD Friday, July 29 — 9:30 PDT (11:30 AM CDT; […]

PARIS (Eutelsat Communications PR) — Following recent market rumors, Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) confirms that it has engaged in discussions with its co-shareholders in OneWeb regarding a potential all-share combination to create a global leader in Connectivity with complementary GEO/LEO activities.

The combined entity would be the first multi-orbit satellite operator offering integrated GEO and LEO solutions and would be uniquely positioned to address a booming ~$16bn (2030) Satellite Connectivity market. OneWeb is one of the two only global LEO networks and has experienced strong momentum over recent months, with service expected to be fully deployed in 2023.

ispace U.S.’s SERIES-2 Lander Will Deploy Two Communications Relay Satellitesto Support Far Side Landing

TOKYO (space, inc. PR) — ispace, inc.(ispace) today announced that its subsidiary, ispace technologies U.S., inc. (ispace U.S.) joins a team, led by Draper, that has been awarded $73 million to deliver payloads including two communication relay satellites to lunar orbit as well as a suite of scientific experiments to the lunar surface.

Team Draper, which includes ispace U.S., as well as General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, and Systima Technologies, a division of Karman Space & Defense, expects to launch and begin operations on the lunar surface in 2025 in fulfillment of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order CP-12.

TOKYO (JAXA/Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. PR) –– Sumitomo Mitsui Marine Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (President: Shinichiro Funabuchi) of MS & AD Insurance Group and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA, Chairman: Hiroshi Yamakawa) aim to create space-related businesses with new ideas. Under the framework of “JAXA Space Innovation Partnership (J-SPARC)”, we started co-creation activities related to “Space Travel Insurance Business” in July 2022.

Details of co-creation activities

Currently, insurance for space travel is not yet in full swing. The reason is none other than the small number of space travelers. Under such circumstances, 2021 was called the “first year of space travel,” and for the first time in history, the number of space travelers exceeded the number of professional astronauts. Now that space travel by various means has been realized or proposed, space travel insurance that meets the needs is required. Sumitomo Mitsui Marine and JAXA are co-creating activities related to “product development of space travel insurance” and “support for expanding the space travel market”, and by creating and disseminating the “space travel insurance” that is now needed. It adds peace of mind to space travel and contributes to the expansion of humankind’s economic sphere.

SpaceX launches a fresh batch of 53 Starlink broadband satellites into orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was the company’s second launch of Starlink satellites in two days after a Falcon 9 placed 46 satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It was SpaceX’s sixth launch of July and 20th dedicated Starlink flight of 2022. Elon Musk’s company has launched a record 33 times […]

Update: Wentian docked with the space station early Monday morning Beijing time after a 13-hour flight. China launched the 23-metric ton Wentian module on Sunday as the first step in expanding the nation’s first permanent space station. The 17.9 meter long is headed for a docking with the station’s Tianhe core module that is currently occupied by the Shenzhou-14 crew of Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe. Wentian includes […]

PARIS (ESA PR) — A large data-driven telecommunications satellite that uses innovative technology to keep cool as well as other innovations – developed under an ESA Partnership Project – has started its commercial service.

The satellite will provide broadband connectivity for commercial shipping, aviation, governments and enterprises through its operator, SES, as well connecting underserved areas and accelerating digital inclusion.