SpaceRef

Ad Astra Rocket Company Wins Two NASA Contracts For VASIMR Technology Development

Ad Astra Rocket Company (Ad Astra) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have signed two separate contracts to continue the maturation of the VASIMR® rocket technology. The ...
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Starship Launch Possible in October, Though Environment Permit Questions Remain Open

The SpaceX Starship sits on the Starbase launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas prior to its first test flight. Image credit: SpaceX. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) acting administrator, Polly ...
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China’s Answer To Starlink Gets A Call from the Central Government

If I may start with a tired, but extremely true pun: covering the Chinese space industry inevitably involves a lot of reading of tea leaves. Speeches and press releases are full of party jargon. The ...
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Memorandum of Understanding Between The National Aeronautics And Space Administration and The United States Space Force

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United States Space Force (USSF), through this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), affirm a strong interest in continuing their ...
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Like a G60 — What’s China Planning with its Other NGSO?

Rendering of “G60 Starlink” Industrial Base. Image credit: ChinaNews.com / Yangtse. For some time, we have been hearing public statements from Chinese decision-makers regarding the country’s LEO ...
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Emposat’s Funding Round Highlights Growth Areas for Telemetry, Tracking, and Command

Emposat’s Global TT&C Network. Image credit: Emposat. Oftentimes when people think of the emerging commercial space sector, two things come to mind: rockets and satellites. This is not surprising, as ...
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NASA Requests Funding for $1 Billion ‘Space Tug’ to Deorbit the ISS

The ISS is too large to entirely burn up in the atmosphere. Image credit: NASA. NASA is developing a plan to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its lifetime, currently ...
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NASA Letter To FCC Regarding SpaceX Starlink Gen 2 System

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) submits this letter in response to the amendment (SAT-AMD-20210818-00105) filed by Space Exploration Holdings, LLC (SpaceX) for a ...
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The Rising Space Sector in China’s Silicon Valley

Shenzhen is a city that holds a special place in my heart. Having spent around six years of my life in Mainland China, around five of them were in the southern metropolis just across the border from ...
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Mimicking the Moon – Here’s the (Simulant) Dirt

Lunar simulant is used to test a rover at Michigan Tech’s Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab. Image credit: Michigan Technological University. There is a growing business in selling fake ...
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COSPAR To Launch New Space Science Education Program

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is pleased to announce the launch of an ambitious series of space science education projects through its Panel on Education, starting with participation in an ...
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Thailand’s Space Ambitions Illustrate Southeast Asia’s Rising Space Sector

Pakorn Apaphant and Blaine Curcio speak at ASBW on June 7. Image credit: ASBW. In a region overshadowed by space industry powerhouses such as China and Japan, it has historically been easy to overlook ...