Starship prototype #24 conducts a test firing of six of its Raptor engines at the company’s facility near Brownsville, Texas on Sept. 8, 2022.
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The Space Launch System (SLS) finally thundering off the launch pad this week puts more pressure on Musk's company to get their spaceship off the ground.
The moon's Artemis program was announced hours before SLS took off. An uncrewed demonstration mission and the two crewed landings during Artemis 3 and 4 will be part of a $4 billion worth of flights for NASA.
It has been more than two years since Musk declared the company's top priority, and he has set ambitious goals for the rocket's development many times. The development of the rocket is not fast or good enough for Musk, according to a recent shake up in Star base leadership.
Two of the most influential executives at the company, COO Gwynne Shotwell and VP Mark Juncosa, are now on the scene.
The FAA told CNBC this week that the company still owes them information on the environmental mitigations outlined in June.
The FAA stated that not all of the 75-plus steps needed to be completed around a potential launch of the giant rocket have been checked off.
The FAA won't make a license determination until it gets all the information it needs.
We can enjoy the fact that NASA is going to the moon. The Artemis 1 mission sent a clear message to the most influential company in the space industry: It's time.
NASA’s Artemis 1 mission on its way to the moon: After months of delays, the agency’s SLS rocket is officially the most powerful in operation, after successfully launching the Orion capsule on the uncrewed demonstration flight that will pass near the lunar body. – CNBC
Former SpaceX employees file federal complaint against the company, citing retaliation. Charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of eight workers allege that SpaceX illegally fired them for being critical of Musk and the company’s response to sexual harassment allegations against the CEO. – The New York Times
AST SpaceMobile deploys the wide antenna of its BlueWalker 3 test satellite. The satellite-to-smartphone venture passed a key milestone in deploying the antenna array, as AST works to build a global network to provide 5G broadband service from space. – CNBC
NASA’s CAPSTONE mission arrives in lunar orbit. The low-cost spacecraft entered into the planned “Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit” (NRHO), making it the first cube satellite to fly to and operate around the moon. The experimental mission aims to demonstrate the NRHO is suitable for NASA’s planned Gateway space station. – Advanced Space
Classified reusable spaceplane returns after 908 days in orbit: The Space Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle completed its sixth mission to date, landing on the runway of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, after setting a new record for amount of time in space. – SpaceNews
SpaceX deploys Intelsat pair with a Falcon 9 rocket booster that made its final launch. Due to the requirements of the Intelsat mission, the company did not land the reusable booster after launching it for the 14th time. – SpaceX
Jeff Bezos’ partner Lauren Sanchez hopes to fly on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket in 2023: While she said Bezos, who flew on the company’s first crewed launch, will not be joining her, she expects to fly with “a great group of females.” – CNN
Japanese lunar lander company ispace plans first mission launch for no earlier than Nov. 28, with the M1 flight launching on SpaceX’s Falcon 9.– ispace
Pennsylvania lunar lander company Astrobotic ships its Peregrine spacecraft for final acceptance testing, ahead of the planned launch on ULA’s Vulcan rocket in the first quarter. – Astrobotic
Apple rolls out iPhone emergency satellite feature in the U.S. and Canada, with plans to expand the service to France, Germany, the U.K., and Ireland in December. – The Wall Street Journal
Terran Orbital CTO and VP leave company after management disagreements: The company confirmed that Chief Technology Officer Austin Williams, Vice President of Engineering Adam Thurn and senior technology fellow John Abel resigned after Terran decided to focus on military satellites. – SpaceNews
The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency doubles value of previously awarded BlackSky contract, to $60 million from $30 million. – BlackSky
Space Force orders second weather satellite from Ball Aerospace. The military branch exercised an option to add a second environmental satellite from the company, with each satellite estimated to cost $511 million. – SpaceNews
Nov. 17 – ABL attempting first RS1 rocket launch from Alaska.
Nov. 21 – SpaceX launching the CRS-26 cargo mission for NASA.
Nov. 21 – Artemis 1′s Orion makes closest approach to the moon.
Announced this week: Morgan Stanley hosting fifth annual “Space Summit” in NYC on Dec. 6, with participating companies including Blue Origin, AST SpaceMobile, Iridium, Maxar, OneWeb, Planet, Spire Global and more.
