William LaPlante, assistant secretary for acquisition of the U.S. Air Force, has said the U.S. could face difficulties in its efforts to simultaneously maintain access to space, advance competition in space launches and cease dependence on Russian-built rocket engines, Reuters reported Tuesday. “I don’t think you can get all three in the next four or […] More

Boeing and Lockheed Martin‘s joint venture United Launch Alliance has decided to opt out of a competition to provide satellite launch support services to the U.S. Air Force, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Doug Cameron writes that bids for the military branch’s GPS III launch services contract were due Monday. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said the company’s […] More

Moog has delivered a satellite dispenser for the ORBCOMM Generation 2 satellites to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The satellite dispenser uses Moog’s SoftRide system to protect the payload from shock and vibration during launch, Moog said Monday. Moog will integrate the dispenser and spacecraft assembly at the SpaceX CCAFS facility. These ORBCOMM satellites […] More

Iridium Communications has spent $3 billion on its program to launch 66 satellites that will work to offer airline companies satellite-based air traffic surveillance services, CEO Matt Desch told The Globe and Mail for an article published Sunday. Eric Atkins writes those satellites will carry instruments to collect information such as aircraft speed and location in an effort to help airlines manage fuel usage and flight […] More

A report commissioned by U.S. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James urges the military service to adopt a flexible approach to evaluating and approving rockets for national security-related launches, SpaceNews reported Monday. Mike Gruss writes Larry Welch, a former Air Force chief of staff and retired general, led the broad area review of military space […] More

Boeing and Lockheed Martin‘s joint venture United Launch Alliance is seeking a waiver from a federal ban on the use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine for U.S. military satellite launches, Reuters reported Sunday. Andrea Shalal writes ULA wants permission to continue using its Atlas V rockets until it has completed the development of a U.S. […] More

Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, told investors Wednesday the company wants to insure its upcoming constellation of NEXT satellites against potential operational risks, Space News reported Thursday. “We have to place insurance before launch and we’re in that process right now,” he was quoted as saying. Desch, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for […] More

United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno has outlined the Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture’s plans for the military space launch market over the next 20 years in an interview published Monday on Defense News. Aaron Mehta reports that Bruno pointed to new initiatives that work to address potential challenges from market entrants such as SpaceX and government measures to ban the Russia-made […] More

Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has shared his thoughts on emerging satellite broadband ventures in an interview with Via Satellite magazine. Mark Holmes writes Desch, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2015, told the publication he believes the plans of SpaceX and OneWeb to build their own satellite Internet networks somewhat reflect Iridium’s approach […] More

United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno has said the company seeks to retire the medium-lift version of its Delta IV rocket between 2018 and 2019, Defense News reported Sunday. Aaron Mehta writes Bruno told Defense News during a March 3 interview the company identified cost as a challenge in having both the Delta IV and […] More

Lockheed Martin is developing a new spaceflight system consisting of the Jupiter space tug and Exoliner disposable supply module that the company hopes will support future cargo missions beyond low Earth orbit, Space.com reported Thursday. Mike Wall writes that Lockheed presented a concept video of the new system to show how it could be used for NASA missions to the International […] More

At least five companies have submitted bids to NASA to deliver supplies to the International Space Station through a second round of commercial resupply services competition, the Washington Post reported Monday. Christian Davenport writes NASA’s decision to partner with industry for ISS cargo resupply missions has drawn interest from bigger contractors and encouraged investor-backed startup […] More