Author: starpathwp-production
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It seems the FAA office overseeing SpaceX’s Starship probe still has some bite
The seventh test flight of SpaceX’s gigantic Starship rocket came to a disappointing end a little more than two weeks ago. The in-flight failure of the rocket’s upper stage, or ship, about eight minutes after launch on January 16 rained debris over the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Atlantic Ocean. Amateur videos recorded from…
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Saturday Starlink launch marks 200th orbital flight from Vandenberg’s pad 4E
File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch the Starlink 7-14 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Image: SpaceX SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base Saturday afternoon. The mission was the 111th orbital launch for SpaceX from its pad at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E)…
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Gilat DataPath Secures $4M Defense Contracts for Portable Satellite Terminals
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd., a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions, and services, announced that its wholly-owned US-based subsidiary, Gilat DataPath, has been awarded $4M contracts from global Defense customers. These orders for the company’s CCT200, CCT120, and QCT90 portable terminals are slated for delivery over the next 12 months. Gilat DataPath’s C-Series and…
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UK Government Invests in Orbex for Landmark Scottish Rocket Launch
The U.K. government invested 20 million pounds ($24.8 million) in spaceflight company Orbex as part of its Series D fundraising to build and launch a rocket from Scotland, Orbex announced Jan. 29. The investment is the first of its kind by the U.K. government. It will help fund Orbex Prime, which aims to be the…
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Artemis Contractors Urge Continuity in Lunar Mission Plans Amid Administration Changes
Companies involved in NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration campaign are urging the new administration to maintain the current mission architecture, citing it as the fastest path to returning humans to the Moon. The Trump administration, which took office on January 20, has yet to publicly alter the Artemis program. However, figures like SpaceX CEO Elon Musk…
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Scientists find building blocks of life in OSIRIS-REx samples, discover potentially dangerous asteroid
Scientists from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission recently delivered remarkable findings about asteroid 101955 Bennu after the mission returned its samples to Earth in 2023. While scientists revealed the OSIRIS-REx findings this week, a newly discovered asteroid reached level three on the 10-point Torino space impactor hazard scale, the second highest rating given to…
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Rocket Report: SpaceX tosses away a Falcon 9; a Somalian spaceport?
Welcome to Edition 7.29 of the Rocket Report! It may be difficult to believe, but we are already one full month into the new year. It will be hard to top this month in launch, however, given the historic debut of New Glenn, and fiery end of the seventh Starship flight test. And in truth,…
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NASA and Partners Approves Fourth Axiom Space Mission Crew to Space Station
NASA and its international partners have approved the crew for Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launching from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than spring 2025. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO…
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Thales Alenia Space Secures $900 Million Contract for Lunar Descent Element Development
Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a contract valued at nearly $900 million to develop the Lunar Descent Element (LDE) for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Argonaut cargo lander, a key component for upcoming lunar missions set to begin in the 2030s. The contract, announced on January 30, covers mission design and the integration of…