As the world watches the push for crewed lunar missions, it is tempting to frame the unfolding dynamic between the United States and China as a modern-day space race, with the lunar surface as the stage for a sovereignty contest. But equating the moon with contested maritime zones like the South China Sea, as a […]

The post Why the moon is not the South China Sea: reframing lunar space ahead of the next ‘race’ appeared first on SpaceNews.

China launched a new Yaogan reconnaissance satellite late Sunday, following India’s launch of its highest mass communications satellite to date.

The post China launches first GEO Yaogan satellite as India lofts record-mass commsat appeared first on SpaceNews.

On Nov. 2, 2000, the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft docked with the Zvezda module of the International Space Station. On board were Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev and NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd. They were known as Expedition 1, the first long-term crew to live on the ISS. Since their arrival, there have always been […]

The post On the eve of the ISS’s 25th anniversary, humanity stares down a gap in its presence in space appeared first on SpaceNews.

Rocket Lab, based in Long Beach, California, announced in March that it planned to acquire Munich-headquartered Mynaric for about $150 million

The post Rocket Lab’s proposed acquisition of Mynaric faces sovereignty test appeared first on SpaceNews.

SpaceX launched the fourth in its series of rideshare missions to mid-inclination orbits Nov. 2, carrying payloads that included technology demonstration satellites for space stations and orbital data centers.

The post SpaceX launches fourth Bandwagon rideshare mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

Latvia has signed the Artemis Accords, which outline norms of behavior for safe space exploration, joining a group of now 60 countries.

The post Latvia signs Artemis Accords appeared first on SpaceNews.

A startup plans to test technology to produce semiconductors in space on a series of Falcon 9 launches using payloads attached to the rocket’s booster.

The post Semiconductor startup to fly payloads on Falcon 9 boosters appeared first on SpaceNews.

China’s latest crewed mission arrived at the Tiangong space station Friday, just 3.5 hours after launch from Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert.

The post Shenzhou-21 completes rapid docking with Tiangong space station 3.5 hours after launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

Ukrainian telco Kyivstar said Oct. 31 it is preparing to test SpaceX’s Starlink Direct to Cell service across most of the country, excluding border areas, active combat zones and territories occupied by Russian forces.

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Logistics, from satellite life extension to in-space assembly, will become common elements of future military operations, according to speakers at the MilSat Symposium here. “The way the space domain is evolving is increasingly looking like the air domain,” said Momentus CEO John Rood, former U.S. undersecretary of defense for policy. “You’re […]

The post For clues to the future of military space, look in the air appeared first on SpaceNews.

A new race to the moon is underway; not merely to erect flags, but to prospect for and extract water and helium-3, establish nuclear power plants and capitalize on the economic and strategic advantages that will shape the balance of power in space for decades to come.  Private companies are now making serious bets on […]

The post Resources, reactors and rivalries will decide the new moon race appeared first on SpaceNews.

Blue Origin test-fired its second New Glenn rocket Oct. 30, one of the final milestones before a launch expected in November.

The post Blue Origin test-fires New Glenn ahead of second launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

Krakow — The European Commission on Oct. 28 proposed that EU member states approve talks with Ukraine on its participation in its government satellite communication program, known as GOVSATCOM. The European Union’s GOVSATCOM platform is designed to provide secure satellite communication capabilities by pooling and sharing existing satellite resources from member states and accredited private […]

The post European Commission weighs inviting Ukraine to Europe’s GOVSATCOM platform appeared first on SpaceNews.

SpaceX says it is developing a “simplified” lunar landing mission architecture while defending the progress it has made on its Starship lander for Artemis.

The post SpaceX defends Starship lunar lander as it works on ‘simplified’ approach appeared first on SpaceNews.

Chinese commercial firm StarDetect has raised early funding as it seeks to establish itself as a provider of space domain awareness and satellite computing solutions.

The post China’s StarDetect raises Series A funding to expand on-orbit computing and space domain awareness services appeared first on SpaceNews.

Growing space investor optimism got another lift Oct. 29 after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point for the second time this year, making borrowing cheaper for a capital-intensive industry already buoyed by rising defense investment.

The post Interest rate cut further fuels space investor optimism amid talk of returning SPACs appeared first on SpaceNews.

Bulgaria’s EnduroSat announced another $104 million in venture capital funding Oct. 30 to scale up its small satellite manufacturing capacity.

The post EnduroSat raises $104 million to scale production of larger small satellites appeared first on SpaceNews.

With the government shutdown dragging on and architectural details still under wraps, defense contractors find themselves in the position of building capabilities for a system that hasn’t been defined

The post Golden Dome hype meets information vacuum as industry awaits Pentagon direction appeared first on SpaceNews.

The move toward so-called GOCO (government-owned, commercially-operated) arrangements has been shaped by developments such as Russia declaring that Western commercial satellites could be legitimate military targets.

The post Pentagon turns to ‘government-owned, commercially-operated’ satellites amid conflict risks appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of Space Minds, host David Ariosto speaks with Doug Hendrix, co-founder and CEO of ExoAnalytic Solutions — a company born from three physicists’ passion for solving the hardest problems in space.

The post Inside the new age of space domain awareness appeared first on SpaceNews.

China’s persistent use of maritime gray zone tactics poses a fundamental challenge to regional stability and the international order. These actions are designed to achieve strategic aims — territorial advancement and sovereignty erosion — without crossing the threshold of conventional armed conflict. Using ambiguity and indirect coercion, China seeks to “advance without attacking” and shape […]

The post Confronting China’s pervasive maritime gray zone campaign appeared first on SpaceNews.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Momentus announced a partnership Oct. 30 with DPhi Space to fly the Swiss startup’s hosted-payload platform early next year. Momentus will host the DPhi Space Clustergate-2 payload, which is designed to turn a host spacecraft into a “high-performance hub” on the Vigoride 7 spacecraft, according to the news release. By working […]

The post Momentus Vigoride 7 to fly DPhi Space hosted payload platform appeared first on SpaceNews.

China aims to conduct the first launch of its Long March 10 rocket and a lunar-capable crew spacecraft next year, according to a top official.

The post China targets 2026 for first Long March 10 launch, new lunar crew spacecraft flight appeared first on SpaceNews.

Two former NASA administrators criticized the agency’s current use of SpaceX’s Starship for the Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing, calling for an urgent redirection to reach the moon before China.

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