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☆ Boeing’s Starliner launch delayed for valve replacement
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The long-awaited first crewed mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft will be delayed for more than a week after engineers identified an issue that halted launch preparations on Monday. Starliner’s next opportunity to lift off on its maiden voyage from NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida is at 6:16 p.m. Veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore had already taken their seats aboard the Starliner capsule when the operations team called for a scrub Monday night about two hours before launch. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, right, and Suni Williams will remain in quarantine until the launch. Terry Renna/APWilliams and Wilmore have each ventured to space on two previous journeys aboard the NASA space shuttle and Russian Soyuz missions.

Persons: Starliner’s, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Tory Bruno, Bruno, Williams, Wilmore, SpaceX’s, Terry Renna, Bill Nelson, “, Butch, Suni, Nelson, —, ” Williams Organizations: CNN, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Veteran NASA, United Launch Alliance, Atlas V, NASA, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Kennedy Space Center, Boeing, International Space Station, Russian Soyuz, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo Locations: Florida, Russian, United States

☆ In a high-stakes test, Boeing will launch NASA astronauts to space for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

After years of delays, Boeing is finally set to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on its Starliner spacecraft. ET, atop an Atlas V rocket at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams will pilot the Starliner on its inaugural crewed flight — a crucial final test before NASA can authorize Boeing to conduct routine flights to and from the space station for the agency. If successful, the flight will enable Boeing to challenge the dominance held by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has been ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the orbiting outpost since 2020. At a preflight briefing last week, Wilmore said safety is paramount and that previous Starliner launch attempts — both uncrewed and crewed — were delayed because the capsule simply was not ready until now.

Persons: Astronauts Barry, Butch, Wilmore, Sunita Williams, Elon Musk's Organizations: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, United, Alliance, Boeing's, NASA's Boeing, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Boeing, International, Atlas, Canaveral Space Force, Astronauts, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX Locations: Florida

☆ China's plan to be the dominant power in space is moving at breathtaking speed. The US needs to wake up, officials say.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewAfter a meeting with Japanese and South Korean officials in Tokyo on Friday, US Space Force commander Gen. Stephen Whiting warned about a growing threat. China, he said, is "moving at breathtaking speed in space," and is developing a range of weapons that threaten America's space supremacy, reported Stars and Stripes. "For the first time in decades, US leadership in space and space technology is being challenged," Meink added. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations at United States Space Force, last year warned against taking US space supremacy for granted. Air Force Lieutenant General Gregory Guillot (L) and US Space Force Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting (R) on July 26, 2023.

Persons: —, Stephen Whiting, They're, Troy Meink, Space.com, Meink, Chance Saltzman, I'm, Saltzman, Whiting, Dominic Chiu, Gregory Guillot, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Donald Trump, Chiu, Artemis, Frank Lucas, Anthony Mastalir, Graeme Thompson, Thompson, Tory Bruno, Arthur Herman, John F, Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, we've Organizations: Service, Korean, Space Force, Business, National Reconnaissance Office, Space Operations, United States Space Force, Eurasia Group, Air Force, US Space Force, House Science, Technology Committee, Brig, US Space Forces, Pentagon, United Launch Alliance, NBC News, Hudson Institute Locations: Tokyo, China, Colorado, Australia, Russia

In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, with an elevation one mile closer to space than sea level, lies an area that's home to a burgeoning cluster of aerospace businesses. Voyager Space CEO Dylan Taylor traveled to space on a Blue Origin flight in 2021. For Voyager, that's been true. For Taylor, who has been to space himself after a trip on Blue Origin's New Shepard, the Denver-Boulder space story extends beyond Voyager too. Denver area startup Orbit Fab is building refueling ports for satellites that will allow them to fuel up in space.

Persons: Dylan Taylor, CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Jeff Bezos, Morgan Brennan, Sen, John Hickenlooper, Hickenlooper, that's, Taylor, Shepard, He's, Northrop, Daniel Faber, Orbit, Faber Organizations: Buckley Space Force, CNBC, Aerospace, Colorado Space Coalition, Voyager, Denver . Voyager, AFP, Getty, Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop, Launch Alliance, BAE Systems, Space, Space Station, Airbus, Mitsubishi, Northrop Grumman, AAA Locations: Colorado, CNBC's, Rocky, Denver, Boulder, California, Silicon Valley

☆ Opinion: NASA was America’s crown jewel. After the Columbia disaster it was never quite the same
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Opinion Douglas Brinkley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Space Shuttle Columbia launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. The environmentally controlled chamber was mated to Space Shuttle Columbia for access into the orbiter. NASA Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Students and staff of the Shoshone-Bannock High School had an experiment on board Space Shuttle Columbia.

Persons: Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff, John F, Kennedy, ”, Douglas Brinkley Moore Huffman, Nancy Currie, Gregg, Scott Andrews, NASA's, Michael P, Anderson, William C, McCool, Rick D, David M, Brown, Laurel, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, Joe Skipper, Karl Ronstrom, Ramon, NASA Chawla, Clark, Chawla, Robert Giroux, Kathryn O'Neill, Zachary, Brett Coomer, Florida Sen, Bill Nelson, Matt Stroshane, Tommy Peltier, Eric Gay, Smiley, Gene Theriot, Sean O'Keefe, George W, Bush, Ron Dittemore, Joe Cavaretta, O'Keefe, Mannie Garcia, NASA Sandy Anderson, Carlos Noriega, Michael L, Coats, Evelyn Husband, Thomas, John Raoux, Glenn Benson, Kim Shiflett, Sean O’Keefe, Jeff Bezos, Lockheed Martin, Sir Richard Branson, “ Organizations: Rice University, CNN, Shuttle Columbia, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Russian Space Agency, Russia, United Arab, Challenger, Columbia, Space, Space Shuttle Columbia, Kennedy Space Center, Reuters Space Shuttle Columbia, Scott Andrews People, Control Center, Getty, NASA Space, Israeli Air Force, Space Shuttle, Red Team, Blue Team, Johnson Space Center, Former, Houston, Houston Chronicle, People, US Navy Corps, Columbia Reconstruction, NASA Workers, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Reuters, Bannock, Bannock Junior, Senior, Bannock High School, Johnson Space, Shuttle, Investigation, Elon, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, Virgin Galactic, JFK Locations: China, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Columbia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Houston, Israel, SPACEHAB, New York, Laguna Hills , California, San Augustine , Texas, Washington ,, Shoshone, Fort Hall , Idaho, American

☆ Japan Takes Another Shot at Next-Generation H3 Rocket Launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch its second H3 on Saturday from its Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The setbacks of the H3 and another small rocket, Epsilon, have caused widespread delays in Japanese satellite launches. Saturday's H3 launch carries a dumbbell-shaped 2.6-ton dummy mass simulating a satellite payload. Launch operator Mitsubishi Heavy hopes to launch six H3s a year once stable production is established. Another objective is to win orders from global clients, as satellite launch demands have skyrocketed thanks to affordable commercial vehicles such as SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9.

Persons: Kazuto Suzuki, Masayuki Eguchi, Lockheed Martin, Masashi Okada, Okada, Ko Ogasawara, Ogasawara, Kairos, Kantaro Komiya, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SLIM, University of Tokyo, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi, Epsilon, Canon Electronics, U.S, European Space Agency, United Launch Alliance Vulcan, Boeing, Lockheed, Tokyo University of Science, Technologies Locations: TOKYO, Japan, United States, India, Tokyo

☆ K2 Space, a startup with SpaceX veterans building monster satellites, raises $50 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Los Angeles-based startup K2 Space raised $50 million in new funding as the company works to build monster satellites to match the massive rockets that are coming to market. The company's latest fundraiser was led by tech investor Brad Gerstner's Altimeter Capital and joined by Alpine Space Ventures, adding to the $8.5 million in seed funding it raised from investors including First Round Capital and Republic Capital. K2 declined to specify its valuation after the most recent round. "This round is effectively built for the demand that we're seeing for launching constellations of the Mega class satellites," Karan Kunjur told CNBC. K2's Mega class satellite bus — the physical structure of a spacecraft that provides power, movement and more — is sized to fit in "heavy" and "super heavy" rockets.

Persons: Karan Kunjur, Neel Kunjur, Brad, Glenn Organizations: K2, Alpine Space Ventures, First, Capital, Republic Capital, CNBC Locations: Los Angeles

☆ US moon landing: Second NASA-backed company aims for lunar landing attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It will amount to “a high-energy fastball pitch towards the moon,” as Intuitive Machines CEO Stephen Altemus put it. Once in Earth’s orbit, the lunar lander will separate from the rocket and begin venturing on its own, using an onboard engine to boost itself on a direct trajectory toward the lunar surface. Founded in 2013, Intuitive Machines will be the second of the CLPS program participants — after Astrobotic — to attempt a moon landing. If all goes according to plan, Odysseus will spend seven days operating on the moon as the lunar lander basks in the sun. Altemus estimates that Intuitive Machines has about an 80% chance of safely landing Odysseus on the moon.

Persons: Odysseus, Odie, Stephen Altemus, Peregrine, Chandan Khanna, CLPS, ”, Joel Kearns, Astrobotic —, Jeff Koons —, —, “ We’ve, who’s, Odysseus ’, Altemus, “ It’s, ” Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Technology, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Payload, “, Columbia, United States, Peregrine Locations: United States, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Houston, Pittsburgh, Cape, China, India, Japan, British, Russia

☆ Investing in Space: How bankers read a potential sale of rocket builder ULA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. It's been widely reported over the last year that ULA parent companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin are considering offloading the rocket business. That's despite the successful debut of ULA's Vulcan rocket in early January, which I assumed would galvanize a sale. In the meantime, I've been curious to understand how ULA's sale is likely to play out. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are, and have been, looking to sell the rocket business for some time.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, It's, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, hasn't, I've, it's Organizations: Boeing, Lockheed, Origin, Textron, SpaceX, U.S ., Glenn, Vulcan Locations: ULA

☆ Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander burns up over Pacific Ocean
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —After soaring hundreds of thousands of miles through space and battling a propellant issue that dashed its plans, the Peregrine lunar lander has likely met its fiery end. The launch went off without a hitch, safely delivering the Peregrine lander into Earth’s orbit on a path toward the moon. But hours into its solo flight, the Peregrine lander encountered critical setbacks. A proving ground for commercial lunar landersA private lunar lander has never safely reached the moon’s surface — though other companies have tried. Astrobotic’s Thornton admitted to reporters that the Peregrine mission cost his company more money than it made.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, Astrobotic, Joel Kearns, ” Thornton, landers, SpaceIL, Ispace, Peregrine, Astrobotic’s Thornton, “ It’s, “, ” Astrobotic, Griffin, Peregrine — Organizations: CNN, Astrobotic Technology, Peregrine, NASA, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed, Boeing, Payload Services, Astrobotic Locations: Australia, Pittsburgh, South, Houston, Israel, Japan

☆ NASA’s plans to return to moon take a hit
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Humans landed on the moon during NASA’s Apollo program in the late 1960s and 1970s using computers that had far less processing power than today’s smartphones. Several projects are expected to head toward the moon this year with sights set on a soft landing. ExplorationsAstrobotic Technology shared the first image of the Peregrine lunar lander in space on Monday. Once upon a planetThe oldest known fossilized skin is at least 130 million years more ancient than the previously oldest known example. The world’s oldest known fossilized skin belonged to a species of reptile that lived before dinosaurs roamed Earth.

Persons: Russia’s Luna, United States — hasn’t, Peregrine, NASA —, Zhang, King, G.H.R, von Koenigswald, Mooney, Charles Darwin, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, United, Astrobotic Technology, Technology, NASA, United Launch Alliance, Payload Services, University of Toronto Mississauga, European Space Agency, CNN Space, Science Locations: India, United States, Pittsburgh, Guangxi, King Kong, Hong Kong, Oklahoma, China, Norway, British, New Mexico

☆ Astrobiotic thinks it knows what caused the fuel leak that doomed the first US moon mission since Apollo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAstrobotic has a theory for what may have caused its lander to fail on its mission to the moon. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. But its hopes were quickly dashed after a fuel leak caused a failure in the spacecraft's propellant system. It does, however, hope to gather as much scientific information as it can while the spacecraft is still operational, Business Insider previously reported. AdvertisementAnother US firm, Houston-based Intuitive Machines, aims to send its own NASA-backed spacecraft, Nova-C, toward the moon in mid-February.

Persons: —, Astrobotic, Peregrine Organizations: Service, Business, United Launch Alliance, United, NASA, Planetary Society Locations: Houston

The US's first lunar lander in decades has met its doom. After launching on Monday, Peregrine Mission One started leaking fuel, Astrobotic said. Peregrine Mission One, a lunar lander built by Astrobotic, started leaking fuel hours after it launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Monday. The helium may have put the oxidizer tank under too much pressure, causing it to rupture and create the fuel leak, Astrobotic added. Peregrine Mission One is a nearly 2,900-pound uncrewed lander that carries 20 payloads from seven countries and 16 companies.

Persons: Peregrine, Astrobotic, — Organizations: Peregrine Mission, Service, Grumman, DHL MoonBox, DHL, Peregrine, United Launch Alliance Vulcan Locations: Cape Canaveral, Florida, Hungary, Seychelles

☆ NASA's $93 billion moon-landing program looks really bad right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first human moon landing in more than 50 years also got bumped, from 2025 to September 2026. CHANDAN KHANNA/Getty ImagesLaunched on Monday as part of NASA's commercial lunar program, Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lander was supposed to serve as a scout for the astronauts. Related storiesNASA is relying heavily on private companies for its Artemis moon-landing program for astronauts, named after the mythological twin sister of Apollo. SpaceX's Starship mega rocket will be needed to get the first Artemis moonwalkers from lunar orbit down to the surface and back up. In a test flight of its new moon rocket in 2022, the space agency sent an empty Orion capsule into lunar orbit and returned it to Earth.

Persons: —, Bill Nelson, Peregrine Lunar Lander, CHANDAN KHANNA, Astrobotic, Peregrine, Artemis, Timothy Clary, Elon Musk's, Amit Kshatriya Organizations: NASA, Service, Artemis, United Launch Alliance, Houston, Getty, SpaceX Locations: Pittsburgh, Texas, of Mexico, AFP

☆ The first US moon lander in more than 50 years launched with human remains on board, paving the way for space burials
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA US spacecraft carrying human remains launched on Monday in a bid to become the first private mission to land on the moon. "Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant," the company that built the lunar lander, Astrobotic, said in an update Monday afternoon. AstroboticSeveral capsules on board the lander are part of a memorial service offered by private companies Celestis and Elysium Space. The screenwriter was also part of the first human "space burial" in 1992 when his ashes were put aboard NASA's spacecraft Columbia. Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One is the first of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)-backed missions to launch.

Persons: —, Peregrine, John Thornton, Celestis, Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett, George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, John F, Kennedy, — Arthur C Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, Gene Roddenberry's, Thornton, Mr, Peregrine isn't, Astrobotic, landers, Artemis Organizations: Service, Business, Astrobiotic, United Launch Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Peregrine, NASA, United Launch Alliance Vulcan, New York Times, Navajo Nation, The New York Times, Houston, Payload Locations: Cape, Florida, Navajo, Stickiness, Russia, India, China

☆ Amazon launches partnership with rival SpaceX to send competing satellites into orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon struck a deal with SpaceX to use Falcon 9 rockets to launch Amazon's low orbit satellites. The financial terms of the deal between the satellite internet competitors were not disclosed. AdvertisementAmazon and SpaceX, competitors in the satellite internet space, have inked a deal to launch satellites supporting Amazon's Project Kuiper. In response to the news breaking on X, formerly Twitter, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said: "SpaceX launches competitor satellite systems without favor to its own satellites. Starlink began launching satellites in 2019 and has over 4,000 satellites in orbit, with plans to eventually build a constellation of about 42,000.

Persons: —, SpaceX's, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, SpaceX's Starlink, Amazon, Starlink Organizations: SpaceX, Service, SpaceX's, United Launch Alliance, Twitter, Business

☆ Amazon taps SpaceX for satellite launch even though Jeff Bezos has his own rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Amazon just inked a deal with chief competitor and Elon Musk-helmed SpaceX to launch internet-beaming satellites — a move that comes even as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pursues his own space dreams with his own rocket company, Blue Origin, and as SpaceX builds its own internet constellation. Some Amazon satellites will still ride on a large rocket made by Blue Origin, dubbed the New Glenn. Amazon is working to build a constellation of thousands of internet satellites, called Project Kuiper, that is planned to beam connectivity across the planet. The Jeff Bezos-founded company made headlines in April 2022 when it signed a contract worth billions of dollars to launch Kuiper satellites on 77 rockets built by Blue Origin — another Bezos-founded venture — as well as ULA and European launch provider Arianespace. In an interview last month, Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, told CNN the prototypes were wholly successful.

Persons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Musk, Glenn, it’s, SpaceX’s, Lockheed Martin, “, ”, Amazon, Rajeev Badyal, Kuiper, ” Badyal, Badyal Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Amazon, SpaceX Falcon, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, —, Cleveland Bakers, Teamsters, Fund Locations: ULA, European

And the White House and Pentagon both know that. Mr. Musk, rather than apologize, has threatened lawsuits. But SpaceX is privately held, entirely controlled by Mr. Musk. (Tesla, his electric vehicle company, is publicly held.) And so far, while the White House has been outspoken, the Pentagon has been silent.

Persons: Musk, Lockheed Martin —, Tesla, ” Walter Isaacson, Musk’s, ”, Lockheed Martin Organizations: House, Pentagon, Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed, IBM, Apple, Warner Bros, Twitter, SpaceX, Mr, White, U.S, United Launch Alliance Locations: United States

☆ Sierra Space lays off hundreds in push toward first Dream Chaser spaceplane launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former Sierra Space employees told CNBC that the layoffs included a significant number of contractors, with the cuts including hundreds of personnel in total. Sierra Space this week shipped the first Dream Chaser, named Tenacity, for pre-launch testing at NASA's Armstrong facility in Ohio. The first Dream Chaser launch was previously scheduled for late last year, but delays in the development of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket pushed back that timeline. Dream Chaser is planned to launch on ULA's second Vulcan mission, with the first Vulcan launch targeting December. Dream Chaser has won NASA contracts to fly seven cargo missions to and from the International Space Station.

Persons: Eren, Sierra, Jeff Babione, Gupta Organizations: CNBC, Sierra Space, NASA's Armstrong, Sierra, Sierra Nevada Corp, Fatih, Sierra Space's, Space, NASA Space Shuttle, United, Vulcan, NASA, International Space Locations: The Colorado, Sierra, Ohio

☆ Amazon's prototype Kuiper satellites operating successfully
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) said on Thursday its two prototype satellites for its planned Kuiper internet network have been operating successfully in orbit, with the project on track to start launching operational satellites by mid-2024. The Kuiper internet network is set to compete against billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink, the world's largest satellite operator, to offer broadband internet service globally to consumers, companies and governments. Amazon said it used the prototype satellites for brief two-way video calls, streaming a high-definition movie on Prime Video and ordering items off Amazon's website. Badyal declined to say how many satellites Amazon would launch per rocket. The Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance is set to loft the first several batches of Kuiper satellites aboard its Atlas 5 and the company's upcoming Vulcan rocket.

Persons: Joe Skipper, Elon Musk's Starlink, Rajeev Badyal, Badyal, Jeff Bezos, Joey Roulette, Zaheer Kachwala, Tasim Zahid, Will Dunham Organizations: United, Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, REUTERS, United Launch Alliance, U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Reuters, Vodafone, Verizon, Amazon, Boeing, Lockheed, Vulcan, SpaceX, Thomson Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, Florida, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Investing in Space: The military doled out $6 billion for rocket launches — and it's not done yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. The orders are in and we now finally know how the Space Force's most recent block buy of rocket launches shook out: In the end, the military dished out over $5.6 billion in contracts to SpaceX and ULA for 48 launches. The folks over at Space Force's Space Systems Command shared with me the full breakdown of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract awards. In total, Space Force assigned United Launch Alliance (ULA) with 26 missions worth $3.1 billion, while SpaceX got 22 missions worth $2.5 billion. One important thing to keep in mind: This discussion is entirely about ordering launches, not actually launching the rockets themselves.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, SSC's, Doug Pentecost, ramped, Pentecost, it's, I've, we've Organizations: SpaceX, Space Force, Systems Command, National Security, United Launch, DOD, Space, SSC Locations: ULA, U.S

☆ Space Force awards $2.5 billion in rocket contracts to SpaceX and ULA for 21 launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches on its mission with a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2022. The U.S. Space Force assigned 21 rocket launches to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, worth about $2.5 billion in total, the military branch told CNBC. Space Force expanded the NSSL Phase 2 program significantly since naming SpaceX and ULA as its two launch providers in 2020. Space Force had previously announced that of mission assignments, 60% would go to ULA and 40% to SpaceX. The final Phase 2 assignments come as Space Force prepares to ramp up the NSSL program even further with Phase 3.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, Doug Pentecost, ULA, Elon, Pentecost, SpaceX's, ULA's Vulcan Organizations: SpaceX, Heavy, U.S . Space Force, Space Systems Command, Boeing, Lockheed, Falcon, Force's, Systems Command, Tuesday, United Launch Alliance, CNBC, USSF, Space Force, CNBC PRO Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, ULA, U.S

☆ United Launch Alliance CEO talks using Vulcan Rocket to fulfill Amazon contract
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUnited Launch Alliance CEO talks using Vulcan Rocket to fulfill Amazon contractTory Bruno, United Launch Alliance CEO, speaks with CNBC on the latest development in its contract with Amazon.

Persons: Tory Bruno Organizations: United, United Launch Alliance, CNBC, Amazon

☆ ULA targets Christmas Eve for inaugural Vulcan rocket launch, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Simona Riccardi | In Sriccardi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

United Launch Alliance plans to launch the inaugural flight of its Vulcan rocket on Christmas Eve, CEO Tory Bruno told CNBC's Morgan Brennan on Tuesday. The Vulcan rocket for the Cert-1 mission stands at SLC-41 during testing in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 12, 2023. ULA's path to the first Vulcan launch faced several delays earlier this year, including the explosion of an engine during testing by its supplier Blue Origin, previously reported by CNBC. Following the incident, Bruno told CNBC in a "Manifest Space" podcast interview that the company still planned to fly its heavy-lift rocket by late 2023. The company added a massive contract to launch Amazon's Kuiper satellites to its previously government-heavy backlog for Vulcan.

Persons: ULA, Lockheed Martin —, Bruno, Tory Bruno, CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Vulcan's, ramping, — CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Michael Sheetz Organizations: Boeing, Lockheed, CNBC Technology, Summit, United Launch Alliance, Vulcan, Cert, SLC, CNBC Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida

☆ Amazon launches its first internet satellites as Jeff Bezos looks to rival SpaceX's Starlink
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first two satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper internet service were launched on Friday. AdvertisementAdvertisementAmazon launched its first two satellites into orbit on Friday in a challenge to Elon Musk's Starlink internet service. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe launch was delayed from late 2022 after changes were made to the rocket-delivery system used to launch the satellites. United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the first two demonstration satellites for Amazon's space internet network. Thank you to all of our customers around the world 🛰️🌎❤️ → https://t.co/D6L8BSisQq pic.twitter.com/jVfWTEfHkz — Starlink (@Starlink) September 23, 2023Satellite internet networks bring faster connectivity to rural communities, bridging the digital gap.

Persons: Elon Musk's Starlink, —, Elon Musk's, Rajeev Badyal, Elon Organizations: Service, Atlas, United Launch, Kuiper, United Launch Alliance, V, Anadolu Agency, SpaceX

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