TOBISHIMA, Japan — Japan’s space agency and its prime contractor said Thursday they hope to be able to forge a profitable launch business with their new H3 rocket after its first successful flight last month in an increasingly competitive market dominated by Space X. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been developing … Read more
SpaceX launched the third test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday and reached space, as the company pushed development of the mammoth vehicle past new milestones. Elon Musk’s company launched Starship at about 9:25 a.m. ET from its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. The rocket flew further than previous tests, with the flight … Read more
Space One Co., a Japanese startup backed by Canon Inc., failed to send its first rocket to space, a major setback in efforts to join a booming market for commercial launches. The lightweight Kairos rocket exploded in flames just seconds after taking off around 11 a.m. Wednesday morning local time from Space Port Kii, about … Read more
TOKYO — A rocket that was supposed to become Japan’s first from the private sector to put a satellite into orbit exploded shortly after takeoff Wednesday, livestreamed video showed. Online video showed the rocket called Kairos blasting off from Wakayama Prefecture, in central Japan, a mountainous area filled with trees, but exploding midair within seconds. … Read more
An internal congressional memo viewed by TechCrunch casts strong doubt on Rocket Lab’s claim that its Neutron rocket will be ready for launch in time to meet a crucial contract deadline from the Space Force. “In light of public reporting and media pressure, Rocket Lab has escalated their campaign to misrepresent their launch readiness in … Read more
A spacecraft containing pharmaceutical drugs that were grown on orbit has finally returned to Earth today after more than eight months in space. Varda Space Industries’ in-space manufacturing capsule, called Winnebago-1, landed in the Utah desert at around 4:40 p.m. EST. Inside the capsule are crystals of the drug ritonavir, which is used to treat … Read more
TOKYO — A Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan Saturday, successfully reaching its planned trajectory and releasing one of the two payloads in a key second test, overcoming its failed debut launch a year ago and buoying hope for the country to stay competitive in the global space … Read more
Rocket Lab is exploring possible applications for a satellite constellation that they would build, launch and operate in-house, similar to SpaceX’s Starlink business, as a way of generating recurring revenue, an executive said this week. “If you look to where we ultimately want to go, in a lot of ways we want to emulate what … Read more
Shandong-based Orienspace pulled off its first-ever launch, breaking the record for the largest payload capacity on a commercial rocket for China’s growing space industry. Would Peter Capaldi Return to Doctor Who? The Chinese company launched the Gravity-1 rocket on Thursday at 12:30 a.m. ET from a mobile platform in the Yellow Sea, producing massive plumes … Read more
A new rocket is designed for its own destruction, eating itself as it makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere to power its journey. Are You Rich Enough to Buy This Folding TV? A group of researchers from the University of Glasgow has built the first unsupported autophage rocket engine, which uses waste heat from combustion … Read more