NASA took the first step Friday in what it hopes to be a new era for human space exploration as the agency sent the Orion capsule into a nearly four-hour orbit to evaluate its potential for future missions via Boeing‘s Space Launch System. Engineers for NASA and Orion constructor Lockheed Martin focused much of their attention […] More

NASA will launch the Lockheed Martin-built Orion unmanned spacecraft this week as part of the agency’s efforts to build capability for future space missions that would bring humans to Mars, Bloomberg Businessweek reported Tuesday. Justin Bachman writes that this first test flight will bring Orion 3,600 miles into space with the help of United Launch Alliance‘s Delta IV rocket. […] More

United Launch Alliance has launched the latest global positioning system satellite to join the on-orbit constellation that will provide timing and navigation services for a U.S. Air Force program. The company said Wednesday that an Atlas V 401 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle carried the GPS IIF-8 satellite to space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president for the […] More

Dynetics and Aerojet Rocketdyne are using 3-D printing technology to build a new rocket engine in an effort to replace the current Russian-built engine used to send Atlas V to space, Nextgov reported Thursday. Marcus Weisgerber reports that the project started two years ago before the White House, Defense Department and Congress indicated plans to replace the RD-180 engine due to tension with the Russian government. “Going […] More

A United Launch Alliance rocket has moved to a launch pad in Florida ahead of its December mission to carry the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft for an initial test flight. NASA secured the Delta IV heavy-lift rocket into a vertical launch position on Wednesday at the Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force […] More

The Defense Department could issue a certification for Space Exploration Technologies to compete for military satellite launch programs by Dec. 1, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Doug Cameron writes SpaceX will get the chance to pursue work to launch satellites for DoD once the company’s Falcon 9 rocket is approved. Boeing and Lockheed Martin‘s joint […] More

United Launch Alliance will announce on Wednesday a collaboration with Blue Origin to develop and offer a rocket engine for U.S. space programs, Reuters reported Monday. Andrea Shalal writes the partnership seeks to replace Russian-made RD-180 engines that are used on ULA’s Atlas V rockets to lift off U.S. military satellites. Frank Kendall, the Defense […] More

NASA‘s engineers have completed work on the crew module on the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft, a move the agency says marks the end of work on all major components of Orion. The engineers attached the crew and service modules to the adapter and deliver the spacecraft to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for ammonia and hyper-propellant fueling in preparation […] More

Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada’s space systems division have introduced the orbital spacecraft composite airframe of the Dream Chaser vehicle that SNC is developing for NASA’s human spaceflight program. Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of space systems, said Friday that Lockheed has begun work to to manufacture the Dream Chaser orbital structure airframes. The structure will serve as […] More

A Boeing-built GPS satellite has transmitted the first signals from space following the spacecraft’s launch on Friday. GPS IIF-7 took off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida to join a constellation of other satellites used for timing and navigation missions, Boeing said Saturday. “We are providing our Air Force partner and […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has transported a remote sensing spacecraft to a launch facility in California for DigitalGlobe’s earth observations and geospatial data business. The new WorldView-3 satellite arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, where it is scheduled for launch on board a United Launch Alliance-built rocket in August, Ball Aerospace said Friday. […] More

DigitalGlobe and Ball Aerospace executives have discussed with Commerce Department Secretary Penny Pritzker the issues of an aerospace workforce and commercial satellite imagery regulations during a roundtable in Denver, Colorado. DigitalGlobe CEO Jeffrey Tarr and Ball Aerospace CEO Robert Strain also updated Sec. Pritzker on how the WorldView-3 satellite could work to meet various demands, […] More