CesiumAstro claims former exec spilled trade secrets to upstart competitor AnySignal

CesiumAstro alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that a former executive disclosed trade secrets and confidential information about sensitive tech, investors and customers to a competing startup. Austin-based Cesium develops active-phased array and software-defined radio systems for spacecraft, missile

Orbex’s new funding may accelerate its Prime microlauncher into orbit

U.K.-based small launch developer Orbex got another boost from the Scottish National Investment Bank and other investors as it gears up for its first orbital launch, though that mission stl does not have a set date. Founded in 2015, Orbex is one of a handful of firms racing to develop the next gene

Dark is building a rocket-powered boxing glove to push debris out of orbit

Paris-based Dark is taking on the dual problems of debris and conflict in orbit with their mobile platform designed to launch, attach to, and ultimately de-orbit uncooperative objects in space. Dark CEO Clyde Laheyne said the company is aiming to become the “S.W.A.T. team of space.”

Former top SpaceX exec Tom Ochinero sets up new VC firm, filings reveal

Former senior SpaceX executive Tom Ochinero is teaming up with SpaceX alum-turned-VC Achal Upadhyaya and one of Sequoia's top finance leaders, Spencer Hemphill, on a new venture called Interlagos Capital, technewss has learned. There is little public information available about Interlagos, and

Space Force tees up new ‘responsive space’ mission from Rocket Lab and True Anomaly

Rocket Lab and True Anomaly will attempt to deliver and operate space hardware for the military under intentionally tight time frames, as part of the Space Force's push to solicit “tactically responsive” space capabilities from commercial companies. Each company will design and buil

Internal pre-Starlink SpaceX financials show big spending on moonshot bets

Confidential financial statements from SpaceX for 2018 and 2019 capture an early glimpse at the degree to which the company is likely dependent on its Starlink business unit, and bringing the Starship rocket online, to become cash flow positive.  While the comprehensive balance sheets are five yea

Astranis unveils Omega ‘MicroGEO’ satellites for beaming dedicated broadband down from high orbit

Astranis has taken the wraps off a new generation of communications satellites that will serve broadband to customers on Earth from geostationary orbit, but faster and smaller than any comsat up there. They believe the future of orbital communications is not just in higher orbits, but in the possib

True Anomaly CEO finds the silver lining in the startup’s anomalous first mission

True Anomaly’s first mission didn’t go as planned by any stretch of the imagination, but the space and defense startup’s CEO, Even Rogers, said he doesn’t consider it a failure. Providing new details on what went right and wrong, he explained how they’re turning this a

Agile Space Industries fires up Animas test stand to meet soaring demand

Despite the space industry's incredible growth over the past 10 years, there are still few places in the United States dedicated to testing rocket and spacecraft engines. This isn't a problem for large companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, which can afford to build their own, but almost ev

Orbit Fab unveils $30K port to refuel satellites

Orbit Fab wants to build “gas stations” for satellites — which means it needs the gas cap, a mechanism for transferring propellant from an orbital tanker to the customer spacecraft. That docking mechanism, called RAFTI, is now flight-qualified and on the market. The price tag for

Atomos Space’s first mission on orbit is a trial by fire

Few missions more acutely embody the maxim “space is hard” than Atomos Space's first demonstration mission, which the company has managed to pull back from the brink of disaster — more than once. That demonstration mission, dubbed Mission-1, launched to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket o

Intuitive Machines’ second moon mission on track for 2024

Intuitive Machines' second moon mission is still on track to launch before the end of this year, after the company only had to make minor adjustments to the lunar lander design, executives said during an earnings call Thursday. The company made history earlier this year when it became the first

SpaceX looks to scale astronaut launch capacity with second Florida pad

SpaceX is in the final stages of certifying a second pad for astronaut launches, which should ease launch site congestion and help the company scale the number of humans it sends to space. SpaceX has performed 13 crewed missions, and all of them launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kenn

Gitai’s autonomous robot installs panel outside the ISS, showing orbital repairs in action

Los Angeles-based Gitai said Tuesday that its autonomous robotic arm has nailed a tech demonstration outside the International Space Station. Gitai CEO Sho Nakanose told technewss in an interview last year that the company aims to reduce in-space labor costs by 100 times, in the same way that Spac