Space

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. In this issue: Launcher debuts full thrust of 3D-printed rocket engine A “sustainable” satellite mega-constellation? FAA’s decision on Starbase delayed yet again Don't forget to sign up to get the free newsletter version of Ma

Update: After a nail-biting approach, the helicopter has successfully caught the booster! We’ll see this footage from another angle soon, but for now enjoy the moment in the gif above. Update 2: Unfortunately the helicopter was flying a bit weird so they dropped the booster in the drink so it

The proliferation of space junk in low Earth orbit is a problem that isn't going away. Instead, it's getting worse — a fact that grabbed headlines last November when a Russian direct-ascent anti-satellite test produced enough new pieces of debris that astronauts aboard the International S

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications service has signed its first major airline, Hawaiian, which announced that it would offer free internet on flights to and from the island using it. The specifics of the deal are not yet known but it’s a big win in one of the lucrative niches th

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. Happy to have you with us and happy belated Earth Day. In this issue: No more ASAT operations for the U.S. NASA gives nearly $300 million in awards to satcom providers Mapping the moon using lidar This week with…Araz Feyzi Don't forget to

NASA is deepening its relationship with the commercial space industry, announcing $278.5 million in funding for six American satellite communications providers — though it expects the companies to make some investments of their own as well. The agency's Communications Services Project (CSP) w

As humanity prepares to return to the moon (“to stay,” as they remind us constantly), there’s a lot of infrastructure that needs to be built to make sure astronauts are safe and productive on the lunar surface. Without GPS, navigation and mapping is a lot harder — and NASA is wo

The U.S. has declared it will no longer perform anti-satellite missile testing, a practice nearly universally deplored by the space community for its tendency to fill orbit with dangerous debris. Vice President Harris announced the new policy today in hopes of leading by example — though it hasn&

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. The big news from me this week is that…I’m buying Twitter! Just kidding. But I do occasionally tweet over at @breadfrom; say hi, or send an email to aria.technewss@gmail.com. In this issue: Diversity and inclusion in the space industry

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. It was a big week for private spaceflight. As usual, send feedback, comments and tips to aria.technewss@gmail.com. You also can catch me on Twitter at @breadfrom. In this issue: Axiom Space’s first mission heads to the ISS Astranis purchases

The world of aerospace has come a long way from the boys’ club it once was, but there’s still a ways to go. Today 24 companies, including major ones old and new like ULA, SpaceX, JPL and Rocket Lab, pledged to improve diversity and inclusion, with regular check-ins to keep each other ho

If you needed any more convincing that we’ve entered a new era of human spaceflight, this mission should finally settle it for you. Houston-based startup Axiom Space will be launching the first fully private crewed mission to the International Space Station on Friday, the start of a 10-day

The geopolitics of space is nothing new. Cold War rivalry spurred the Space Race, and space has stayed in the purview of national competition ever since. From the control of GPS to support military decision-making to satellite-based communications or precise imagery to assist humanitarian organizat

We often think of NASA as an agency that looks outward into space, but it's the agency's position in space that makes it such a powerful tool for observing the Earth itself. Today NASA announced the results of two space-based studies observing climate change across the planet. The first is