As the commercial space industry continues its rapid expansion, the U.S. Space Force is encountering a critical challenge: inadequate facilities to process satellites ahead of launch. Despite having the capacity to handle more rocket launches, officials warn that the limited space for payload processing at major spaceports is becoming a significant bottleneck in operations. Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, commander of the Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral, addressed this issue at the Space Mobility Conference on January 28, noting that while Florida’s spaceports set a record with 93 launches in 2024, payload processing capacity remains a major constraint. “The bottleneck itself…
Author: Matthew Harris
SpaceX successfully conducted the fourth test flight of its Starship launch system on June 6, with both the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage returning to the surface intact. The launch, which took place at 8:50 a.m. Eastern from the Starbase test site at Boca Chica, Texas, encountered a minor setback when one of the 33 Raptor engines in the Super Heavy booster failed to ignite. Despite this issue, the ascent proceeded as planned. After stage separation, the Super Heavy booster performed a boostback burn without any further engine failures, a significant improvement over previous flights. The booster then…
Firefly Aerospace disclosed on February 20th that a critical software malfunction sabotaged the upper stage of its Alpha rocket during a December launch, thwarting a planned second burn and stranding its payload in a low orbit. According to a statement issued by Firefly, an anomaly in the guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) software hindered the upper stage from executing the intended circularization burn during the company’s “Fly the Lightning” mission on December 22nd. Consequently, the upper stage, along with its cargo—a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite—remained trapped in an orbit with a low perigee. An extensive investigation, led by Firefly’s…
Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos has announced ambitious plans for 2024, aiming to conduct over 40 space launches as part of a concerted effort to revitalize the country’s presence in the global space industry. In an interview with local media on Monday, Yury Borisov, director general of Roscosmos, emphasized the importance of avoiding launch delays and ensuring effective coordination within the corporation. Borisov highlighted the primary objective for the year, stating, “This year’s main task is to complete the entire launch program.” He underscored Roscosmos’ commitment to facilitating smooth operations to achieve this goal. In a significant move towards innovation,…
The U.K. Ministry of Defense has recently announced significant strides in its ISTARI project, a pioneering initiative aimed at bolstering the nation’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities through a constellation of advanced satellites. In a move underscoring its commitment to this endeavor, the Ministry awarded contracts worth approximately $2.5 million each to aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Rhea Group. These contracts mark a pivotal step forward in the ISTARI project, which has been allocated a substantial investment of about $1 billion over a decade by the U.K. government since its inception in 2022. Scheduled for deployment between 2026 and…