Latest Space News

NASA signs agreement with Italy to cooperate on Artemis Italy is the latest country to sign an agreement to cooperate with NASA on the Artemis human lunar exploration program, although the details of Italy’s participation have yet to be worked out. SpaceNews

HyImpulse hybrid rocket motor roars to life for the first time HyImpulse completed the first hot-fire test of the company’s 16,800-pounds-force hybrid rocket motor on Sept. 15. Credit: HyImpulse SpaceNews

NASA delays Dragonfly launch by a year NASA has delayed the launch of a mission to Saturn’s moon Titan by a year, citing budget challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. SpaceNews

SpaceX’s GPS contract modified to allow reuse of Falcon 9 boosters Gwynne Shotwell: "We are pleased that they see the benefits of the technology.” SpaceNews

Synthetic aperture radar finally shedding its mystique SAR satellites can gather data day and night, but the resultant imagery is typically more expensive, less available, and more difficult to use than optical imagery. Technological advances are breaking down those barriers, positioning SAR for much more widespread adoption, according to experts. SpaceNews

U.K. to revise strategy for satellite navigation system The British government, seeking a replacement for the Galileo satellite navigation system, said it will consider alternatives to an original plan to develop its own satellite constellation. SpaceNews

On National Security | Space Force’s tech-heavy vision faces daunting obstacles Space Force leaders frequently remind audiences that the newest branch of the U.S. military will be a “digital service” on the leading edge of technology. SpaceNews

NASA working with cosmetics company on space station commercialization NASA is taking the next small step in its efforts to promote commercialization of low Earth orbit by flying a cosmetics company’s product to the International Space Station, a project that has prompted questions from one senator. SpaceNews

U.S. Space Command announces improvements in space debris tracking The 18th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base is now providing “more meaningful” data on approximately 25,000 space objects. SpaceNews

Foust Forward | Seeking small victories in space policy As the House and Senate struggle with pandemic relief and other spending bills, there seems little opportunity for anything space-related to get through Congress. SpaceNews

SAR Renaissance: Pandemic slows but doesn’t stop constellation progress Startups around the world continue building synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites even as the COVID-19 pandemic delays some launches. SpaceNews

Hemeria seeks niche in microsat manufacturing French space and defense company Hemeria is taking steps to quickly scale beyond cubesats and find a niche building slightly larger classes of small satellites. SpaceNews

Op-ed | Materials that could bring life to Mars With the right materials, a future for humanity on the Red Planet isn't just science fiction. SpaceNews

Pandemic may delay several NASA astrophysics missions Several NASA astrophysics missions in various stages of development are likely facing delays because of the coronavirus pandemic, an agency official said. SpaceNews

BlackSky to add high-resolution satellites in 2022, signs deal with U.S. Army BlackSky's Gen-3 satellites will provide imagery with 50-centimeter resolution SpaceNews

U.S. military to test Isotropic Systems antennas with SES satellites The U.S. Army plans to evaluate the performance of Isotropic Systems optical beam-forming antenna technology for sending communications through the SES satellites in geostationary and medium Earth orbit, under a contract of undisclosed value announced Sept. 24. SpaceNews

Bridenstine asks Senate appropriators for full funding for Artemis NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine urged Senate appropriators to provide full funding of Artemis as some members questioned the agency’s emphasis on its lunar exploration program. SpaceNews

Roper: Space Force could save money and time with digitally-designed satellites The goal would be to produce Toyota-like satellites, said Roper, "easy to build but reliable and hard working." SpaceNews

Spire adding cross links to cubesat constellation Spire Global will launch its first cubesats with cross links over the next few months, beginning a refresh that will eventually replace its full constellation. SpaceNews