Author: starpathwp-production
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FAA Approves Starship Launches From Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A
The Federal Aviation Administration has approved SpaceX’s plans to launch its Starship system from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, potentially enabling the first mission from the site before the end of the year. Until now, all Starship test flights have been conducted from SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. The…
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Voyager Technologies and Max Space Partner on Expandable Space Habitats
Voyager Technologies and Max Space have agreed to collaborate on expandable space structures that could be used for habitation, storage and other infrastructure beyond Earth orbit. The companies said the technology is designed to launch in a compact configuration and expand once deployed in space, enabling large pressurized volumes without requiring multiple launches or complex…
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Why is Bezos trolling Musk on X with turtle pics? Because he has a new Moon plan.
The founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, does not often post on the social media site owned by his rival Elon Musk. But on Monday, Bezos did, sharing a black-and-white image of a turtle emerging from the shadows on X. The photo, which included no text, may have stumped some observers. Yet for anyone familiar with Bezos’…
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Planet and AXA Partner for AI-Powered Risk Management Platform
Planet Labs’ German subsidiary is partnering with a new arm of insurance firm AXA to integrate its Earth Observation data into an AI-powered risk management system to monitor and predict natural disasters. AXA Digital Commercial Platform (AXA DCP), a new arm of AXA, will use Planet’s high- and medium-resolution satellites and its high-frequency basemaps, refreshed…
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ULA’s Vulcan rocket suffers another booster problem on the way to orbit
Moments after liftoff from Florida’s Space Coast early Thursday morning, a shower of sparks emerged in the exhaust plume of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. Seconds later, the rocket twisted on its axis before recovering and continuing the climb into orbit with a batch of US military satellites. The sight may have appeared familiar to…
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Axiom Space Raises $350M, in a Mix of Equity and Debt
Commercial space station company Axiom Space raised $350 million in a mix of equity and debt. The funds will support the company’s work on the Axiom Station, along with spacesuit design for NASA. Type One Ventures and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) co-led the round, which also included 1789 Capital, Hungarian company 4iG, LuminArx Capital Management,…
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When Amazon badly needed a ride, Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket delivered
The heavy version of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket launched for the first time Thursday, hauling 32 spacecraft to low-Earth orbit for Amazon’s satellite broadband constellation. The Ariane 6 rocket lifted off from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America at 11:45 am EST (16:45 UTC), quickly soaring into a clear sky…
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LEO Revenues Surge for Eutelsat, Operator Cancels Flexsat GEO Order
Revenue from the OneWeb constellation is surging for Eutelsat, and the operator is focusing its future CapEx on Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) assets. This was the key highlight of its six-month results to the end of December, announced, Feb. 13. In the six months to the end of December, Eutelsat generated connectivity revenues via LEO of…
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Vantor Wins $5.3 Million NGA Contract for AI-Driven Earth Change Detection
U.S. geospatial analytics firm Vantor has secured a $5.3 million contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to develop tools that combine multiple satellite data sources to monitor changes to Earth’s surface. Awarded under NGA’s Luno B program, the project will provide intelligence agencies with information on shifts in roads, vegetation, buildings and terrain, as…
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Rocket Report: Say cheerio to Orbex; China is getting good at booster landings
Welcome to Edition 8.29 of the Rocket Report! We have a stuffed report this week with news from across the launch spectrum. Long-term, probably the most significant development this week was a subscale version of the Long March 10 rocket successfully launching and then executing a picture-perfect ocean landing. China is catching up rapidly to…