SpaceRef

Sierra Space Working with NASA on Crewed Dream Chaser

Dream Chaser shuttle during taxi tests at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Test Center in California. Image credit: Sierra Space. Sierra Space is working with NASA to develop a crewed version of its Dream ...
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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 ...
SpaceRef

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 ...
SpaceRef

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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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 ...
SpaceRef

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 ...
SpaceRef

How a Team From Italy Won the First Hack-a-Sat Satellite Hacking Contest

Members of mHACKeroni accept their prize for winning Hack-a-Sat. Image credit: Sarah McNulty, Space Systems Command. Lots of strange and disconcerting things have been hacked at the annual DEF CON ...
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SpeQtral-1 will serve as a pathfinder commercial demonstrator for future quantum key distribution services

SpeQtral, a leading quantum communication technology company, has chosen Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics) as the satellite bus provider for its upcoming SpeQtral-1 mission. The second partner in ...
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Astroforge Closer to Asteroid Mining with Successful Propulsion Test

Space mining startup AstroForge just got a little bit closer to achieving their goal of mining asteroids for precious metals, after announcing in a press release shared with SpaceRef on Wednesday, ...
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NASA Plan to Shoot and Ship Samples of the Red Planet on Hold

NASA Perseverance rover is now on Mars and busily collecting samples, storing the specimens in tubes, then depositing those tubes on the surface for later pick-up. Image credit: NASA. NASA’s ...
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NOAA Asks for $6.8 billion for FY2024 To Help Combat Rising Climate Crisis

The NOAA recently requested its budget for FY2024. Image credit: NOAA. With Earth hitting its warmest June and smashing all-time temperature records day after day, National Oceanic and Atmospheric ...
SpaceRef

Ariane 5’s Final Flight – A Look Back as Ariane 6’s Costly Succession Looms

Update: unacceptable winds forced a launch delay on Tuesday, July 4. The launch occurred at 6:00 PM EDT on Wednesday July 5. Following a two-week delay caused by faulty pyrotechnical transmission ...