AUSTIN, Texas (Terradepth PR) — Terradepth and The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 project have announced a new partnership which will utilize Terradepth’s geospatial data portal known as Absolute Ocean. Seabed 2030 will use Absolute Ocean as a data visualization and exploration tool as part of the international effort to map the entire ocean floor. The announcement was made on the heels of the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

WASHINGTON (NASA HQ PR) — The NASA International Space Apps Challenge – the world’s largest annual hackathon – returns this year with the theme “Make Space,” which emphasizes NASA’s commitment to inclusivity. This year’s challenge will focus on Earth and space science, technology, and exploration. Participant registration for in-person and virtual events is now open through Oct. 2.

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (Sierra Space PR) – Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company at the forefront of creating and building the future of space transportation and infrastructure for low-Earth orbit (LEO) commercialization, today announced the appointment of Corbett Hoenninger to Senior Vice President of Engineering. Hoenninger will be based at Sierra Space’s Louisville, Colorado operations, and report directly to CEO Tom Vice.

Dmitry Rogozin has been removed from his post as director general of the Roscosmos, the state corporation that runs Russia’s space program, according to press reports. Rogozin is being replaced by former Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov. Rogozin was appointed head of Roscosmos in May 2018. He was previously deputy prime minister overseeing the military-industrial complex, which included the space and defense sectors. Borisov replaced him in that role at […]

Launch Services Provider Teams with CubeSat Developer and Aggregator 

COCOA, Fla. (Vaya Space PR) — Vaya Space, Inc. the vortex-hybrid engine rocket company and emerging leader in sustainable space access, today announced that All2Space has signed an exclusive contract to launch their satellite constellation with Vaya Space.    

All2Space is CubeSat developer and launch aggregator with Brazilian Space Agency heritage focused on Latin American operations, with plans to develop and manage their own constellation. The signing of agreement between Vaya Space and All2Space will initially focus on the Latin American market, and this contract will further enhance Vaya’s first-mover advantage in the Latin American space industry.     

Updated on July 15 to clarify layoffs and furloughs.
Updated on July 15 with a statement from NASA.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

MOJAVE, Calif. — Cash-strapped Masten Space Systems has furloughed all of its staff, putting at risk both the company and a $75.9 million NASA-funded mission to deliver the MoonRanger rover and eight scientific payloads to the lunar surface aboard Masten’s XL-1 lander late next year.

“XL-1 is basically dead. To my knowledge, everyone who was working exclusively on XL1 has been laid off,” a source familiar with the situation told Parabolic Arc in a written response to questions. The source requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the matter.

MESA, Ariz., July 14, 2022 (Virgin Galactic PR) – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (the “Company” or “Virgin Galactic”), an aerospace and space travel company, today announced it has signed a long-term lease for a new final assembly manufacturing facility for its next-generation Delta class spaceships. Located in Mesa, Greater Phoenix area, adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the facility will be capable of producing up to six spaceships per year and will bring hundreds of highly skilled aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs to the area.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) — A SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft carrying more than 5,800 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo is on its way to the International Space Station after launching at 8:44 p.m. EDT Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy for the company’s 25th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It is scheduled to autonomously dock at the space station about 11:20 a.m. Saturday, July 16, and remain there for about a month. Coverage of arrival will begin at 10 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.

LEICESTER, UK (Kleos Space PR) — Kleos Space Ltd, the UK subsidiary of Kleos Space S.A., is to set up operations at the Space Park Leicester, a world-leading hub for innovative research, enterprise and education in space and earth observation. Kleos is a ‘space-powered’ Radio Frequency Reconnaissance Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) and Mission-as-a-Service (MaaS) provider.

The new UK facility will provide access to a buoyant technology-centred community and state-of-the-art facilities for research, development, and manufacturing. The move is part of a long-term strategy for Kleos’ growth and investment to support the UK market.

Company’s unique Spectra AI machine-learning platform accelerates application of SMART technologies for automated recognition of strategic activity and change

HERNDON, Va. (BlackSky Technology Inc. PR) — BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) received a $4.4 million award from the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) to support the second phase of the multi-year Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (SMART) Program.

The revolutionary off-the-shelf flight software has now enabled more than 50 missions on orbit

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Rocket Lab USA, Inc. PR) — Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, achieved a major milestone in Q2 with its MAX Flight Software now operating on 53 spacecraft, for a cumulative 161 years in space.

High Quality SAR imagery can now be accessed by anyone via the Registry of Open Data on AWS

SAN FRANCISCO (Capella Space PR) — Capella Space, a leading Earth observation company, today announced the expansion of its Open Data Program, making a selection of its SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imagery freely and openly accessible through the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Open Data Sponsorship Program.