Tag: Spaceflight
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Spaceflight and Tethers Unlimited team up on deorbiting system for satellite carrier
An artist’s conception shows Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX, the first orbital transfer vehicle to debut in the company’s Sherpa-NG (next generation) program. The vehicle is capable of executing multiple deployments, as well as providing independent and detailed deployment telemetry. (Spaceflight Inc. Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. says it’ll use a notebook-sized deorbiting system developed by another Seattle-area company…
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Spaceflight Inc Evolving Sherpa for Future Rideshare Missions
Spaceflight Inc. has announced that a brand new Orbital Transfer Vehicle, Sherpa-FX, will fly on a dedicated rideshare mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This is the first of many next-generation transfer vehicles created by Spaceflight Inc. The Sherpa-FX is a next-generation transfer vehicle capable of multiple deployments, providing independent and detailed deployment telemetry,…
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NASA lays out a plan to qualify suborbital spacecraft for its astronauts and scientists
Blue Origin employees test procedures for getting spacefliers into the New Shepard suborbital spaceship at the company’s launch facility in West Texas. (Blue Origin via YouTube) NASA says it’ll formulate a plan to assess the safety of suborbital spacecraft — such as Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship or Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane —…
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Spaceflight signs deal with SpaceX for future rideshare satellite launch slots
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends 64 satellites into space in December 2018, on a mission that was arranged by Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. (SpaceX via YouTube) Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. says it’s signed an agreement to secure spots for secondary payloads on several of SpaceX’s rockets due for launch through the end of 2021. Spaceflight, which…
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Japanese firms finish acquisition of Spaceflight, with BlackSky satellite venture going its own way
One of Spaceflight’s most notable projects was the launch of 64 satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018. (SpaceX Photo) Japan’s Mitsui & Co., working in partnership with Yamasa Co. Ltd., has completed the acquisition of Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. from its parent company, Spaceflight Industries. Today’s announcement of the transaction’s completion follows…
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Spaceflight signs up as anchor customer for Firefly Aerospace launch in 2021
An artist’s conception shows Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket during stage separation. (Firefly Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. has signed an agreement to secure most of the payload mass on a Firefly Aerospace rocket that’s due to lift off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2021. The agreement, announced today, establishes Spaceflight as the mission’s anchor customer…
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Japanese companies agree to buy Spaceflight rideshare launch broker
Artist’s concept of a “Sherpa” multi-satellite adapter structure in orbit. Credit: Spaceflight Spaceflight Industries said this week it is selling its rideshare launch business — known as Spaceflight — to a joint venture owned by two Japanese companies. The launch broker arranges rides to space for CubeSats and other small satellite, aggregating multiple payloads for…
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Spaceflight Industries strikes deal to sell rideshare launch business; will focus on BlackSky satellites
One of Spaceflight Industries’ most notable projects was the launch of 64 satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018. (SpaceX Photo) Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries says it has signed a deal to sell Spaceflight Inc., its satellite rideshare launch subsidiary, to one of Japan’s largest trading companies. The definitive share purchase agreement, reached…
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Rocket Lab launches Japanese satellite that’s designed to spit out shooting stars for Olympics
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from its New Zealand launch pad today, sending a shooting-star satellite and six other miniaturized satellites into orbit. Japan’s ALE-2 satellite is designed to drop bunches of chemical pellets into the atmosphere from orbit, producing fiery streaks of glowing plasma that look like meteor showers. The “Sky Canvas” mission,…
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Spaceflight Industries is raising more cash as satellite deals heat up on the final frontier
One of Spaceflight Industries’ most notable projects was the launch of 64 satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018. (SpaceX Photo) Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries, which has taken on a string of high-profile satellite missions over the past year, is in the midst of a new funding round, according to a filing with…