The U.S. Space Force has awarded Boeing a $2.8 billion contract to develop two secure communications satellites under the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) program, the Department of Defense announced Thursday. The decision positions Boeing as the lead contractor for the next generation of highly secure military satellites designed to operate in increasingly contested space environments. The award follows a competitive prototyping phase between Boeing and Northrop Grumman, which began in 2020. The new agreement includes options for the Space Force to purchase two additional satellites, supporting broader ambitions for a $12 billion ESS program aimed at replacing the legacy…
Author: Peter Morris
The White House has withdrawn Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be NASA administrator, adding uncertainty to the agency at a time when it faces proposed deep budget cuts. The announcement came in a statement from White House spokesperson Liz Huston, who said a new nominee aligned with President Trump’s “America First” agenda will be named soon. “The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump’s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars,” Huston said, emphasizing the importance of alignment with the administration’s priorities. The statement did not explain why Isaacman’s nomination was…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the U.S. military’s newest Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite on May 30, marking another step in modernizing the GPS constellation. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:37 p.m. Eastern Time, carrying the GPS III SV-08 satellite, the eighth spacecraft in the U.S. Space Force’s third-generation GPS program. Approximately 90 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX confirmed the satellite was deployed into its intended medium Earth orbit, roughly 12,550 miles above the planet. Following launch, the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster made a successful return, landing on a droneship stationed in the…
Northrop Grumman announced on May 29 a $50 million investment in Firefly Aerospace, joining a $175 million Series D funding round for the company that values it at over $2 billion. The funding will support development of Firefly’s medium-lift launch vehicle, recently renamed Eclipse. Eclipse is designed to carry payloads up to 16,300 kilograms to low Earth orbit, striking a balance between capacity and affordability, according to Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager of launch and missile defense systems at Northrop Grumman. The rocket leverages existing collaboration between the two companies on the Antares 330 launch vehicle, where Firefly…
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced the selection of U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to oversee the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, a high-cost and technologically complex program intended to build a national shield against advanced missile threats, including hypersonic and ballistic weapons. Speaking during an Oval Office briefing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several Republican lawmakers, Trump said the system would cost an estimated $175 billion and be completed within three years. “We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland,”…
SpaceX is gearing up for the fifth test flight of its ambitious Starship rocket, set to take place in the coming weeks, according to CEO Elon Musk’s recent announcement on Friday via his social media platform, X. “Flight 5 in 4 weeks,” Musk stated, underscoring the imminent schedule for the 400-foot-tall Starship, comprising the Super Heavy booster and the upper-stage spacecraft known as Starship or Ship, designed for reusability. Since its inaugural test flights in April and November 2023, followed by missions in March and June 2024 from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, Starship has shown steady performance improvements.…
Spanish aerospace company PLD Space has unveiled its MIURA 5 SPARK Program, aiming to provide global educational centers, universities, institutions, and companies with unprecedented access to space. Under this initiative, the first two launches of the MIURA 5 rocket will be made available free of charge, covering mission costs to foster scientific and technological innovation. The program invites submissions from around the world, encouraging innovative proposals aimed at addressing Earth’s challenges through space-based solutions. Selected satellites will be integrated into the MIURA 5 demonstration flights scheduled for late 2025 and early 2026, receiving standard launch services without financial burden. In…
Russia aims to establish the core of its new orbital space station by 2030, announced its Roscosmos space agency on Tuesday, signaling a significant shift as it prepares to depart from the International Space Station (ISS). Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov approved a timetable with 19 enterprises involved in the station’s creation, outlining plans to launch an initial scientific and energy module in 2027. The schedule includes adding three more modules by 2030, followed by two additional modules between 2031 and 2033. “The new station will enable Russia to solve problems of scientific and technological development, national economy, and national security,”…
Turion Space, an Irvine-based startup, has clinched a $1.9 million contract from SpaceWERX, the technology arm of the U.S. Space Force, to develop an autonomous spacecraft docking and maneuvering system aimed at advancing space technology. The contract focuses on enhancing capabilities to engage uncooperative space objects and facilitate the deorbiting of inactive satellites, Turion’s co-founder and CEO, Ryan Westerdahl, said in an interview. “We are focusing on in-space mobility and non-Earth imaging,” Westerdahl added, highlighting Turion’s recent launch of its first satellite, Droid.001, in June 2023. The 32-kilogram spacecraft is designed for space situational awareness and its data is being…
Yahsat, the Emirati satellite operator, announced on Friday that it has selected SpaceX to launch its Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 geostationary communications satellites as part of a $1.1 billion program. The Al Yah 4 satellite is scheduled for launch in 2027, followed by Al Yah 5 in 2028, both aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, Yahsat confirmed in a statement. Financial details of the launch contract were not disclosed. “Through the successful completion of the launch contracts with SpaceX and the recently announced design and manufacturing contract with Airbus, Yahsat is well placed to pursue the final contract…