Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator: Does he have The Right Stuff?
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Artemis 2 Countdown Begins: Booster stacking continues
The countdown to the launch of Artemis 2 has begun. On December 19, NASA’s Exploration Ground System (EGS) team stacked another booster segment. The left aft center booster segment was added to the launch pad. This milestone officially starts the clock for Artemis 2’s launch.
Expand Expanding CloseFleet Space Technologies secures Series D funding
Satellite-based mineral exploration company Fleet Space Technologies, located in Adelaide, South Australia, recently secured $100 million in Series D funding. The funding round was led by Teachers’ Venture Growth, a division of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Expand Expanding CloseArtemis 2 crew provide a readiness update in front of their SLS Core Stage
On December 16, NASA hosted a select group of media representatives inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, for an exclusive briefing on the ambitious Artemis program. The event provided updates on mission preparations, challenges, and progress as NASA works toward its goal of returning humans to the Moon and landing at its South Pole.
Expand Expanding CloseTerminal Count: SpaceX tops valuation charts
This week we’re discussing SpaceX’s recent valuation of $350 billion, a staggering higher valuation than what was previously expected. Blue Origin is also still attempting to launch its first New Glenn rocket but is apparently battling regulators to get approval to complete its pre-launch tests.
Expand Expanding CloseStarship Flight 7: SpaceX hits two launch readiness milestones
SpaceX has conducted two static fires in the last week as it prepares for its seventh Starship launch. So where do things stand with getting this next step in Starship development quite literally off the ground?
Expand Expanding ClosePost-ISS NASA might look very different than we expected
Next year we will pass the milestone of a quarter century of a continued human presence in space thanks to the International Space Station. Led by NASA’s efforts to lead in LEO, NASA plans to take the lead in the commercial space station market as well. However, NASA’s method might not be what we expect it to be.
Expand Expanding CloseTerminal Count: Artemis 2 delayed to 2026 while SpaceX continues to break records
It will be a quiet launch week with only two days seeing orbital launches from China, Japan, and of course, SpaceX. The biggest story of the last week was with NASA; it received a nomination for the next NASA Administrator, then the outgoing Administrator announced the delay of the Artemis 2 and 3 missions.
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How many rockets has SpaceX launched in 2024?
SpaceX is aiming for 148 launches in 2024, once again another increase over the 98 it completed the year before. This cadence would mean the company would have to launch once every two and a half days. Keep track below of all of SpaceX’s 2024 launches.
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Coalition for Deep Space Exploration supports Artemis schedule update
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 5) – The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration (CDSE) supports NASA’s announcement of a schedule update for the Artemis-II and Artemis-III missions providing the incoming administration a sound path forward for the program. CDSE shares NASA’s optimism for the future of Artemis and the excitement of returning to the Moon soon. The announced schedule adjustment recognizes the reality that as industry develops the complex pieces required to return humans to the Moon, the Artemis program will encounter both known and unknown challenges, and as they appear, industry is solving them. No company or development process is immune to obstacles when attempting great things, yet all must be held to a singular standard where crew safety remains the paramount priority.
Expand Expanding CloseUCF investing in space medicine curriculum to support future space travelers
The University of Central Florida in Orlando is launching a pioneering space medicine program, reflecting its commitment to advancing human health in extraterrestrial environments. This initiative is particularly significant for those aspiring to specialize in space medicine, as it offers a comprehensive educational pathway in this emerging field.
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Spire Global appoints Theresa Condor as CEO and taps aerospace industry veterans for executive team
This is a press released shared to or found by Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.
VIENNA, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Spire Global (NYSE: SPIR) (“Spire” or “the Company”) announced that Theresa Condor, who currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and a board member, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer. Condor will assume the role on January 1, 2025, and Founder and CEO Peter Platzer will become Executive Chairman as part of a planned leadership transition.
Expand Expanding CloseJed McCaleb: From cryptocurrency pioneer to space innovator
Known for his contributions to cryptocurrency, Jed McCaleb has shifted his focus to outer space with his company Vast Space. By exploring artificial gravity habitats and commercial space ventures, McCaleb is expanding his reach into industries shaping the future. His journey spans from blockchain innovation to the frontiers of space exploration.
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Orbex to develop medium sized rocket and switch launch operations to SaxaVord Spaceport
This is a press released shared to or found by Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.
Spaceflight company Orbex is to focus its operations exclusively on developing small and medium sized space rockets after switching its launch operations to SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland.
Expand Expanding CloseJared Isaacman as NASA Administrator: Does he have The Right Stuff?
President-elect Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he plans to nominate private astronaut and businessman Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator. While Isaacman has had massive success in the private market and building his own space program, does he have the “Right Stuff” to lead the world’s premier space agency?
Expand Expanding CloseLunar Outpost: Revolutionizing space robotics and lunar exploration
Lunar Outpost, established in 2017 and headquartered in Arvada, Colorado, specializes in space robotics, lunar surface mobility, and space resources. The company is developing a range of advanced robotic systems, including the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover series, designed for exploration and resource utilization on the Moon, as well as terrestrial applications.
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PLD Space secures an €11 million loan from COFIDES to accelerate the development of the MIURA 5 launch site
This is a press released shared to or found by Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.
Madrid (Spain), 2 December 2024. PLD Space, a Spanish company specializing in the development of reusable space launchers, has secured an €11 million loan from COFIDES to support the development of the launch site for its MIURA 5 rocket in Kourou, French Guiana. The company will initially invest a total of €16 million in the development, construction, and operation of this launch base, located at the CSG—Europe’s spaceport in Kourou—operated by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the European Space Agency (ESA).
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First deal we have tracked now live on SpaceX’s Starlink Mini satellite internet system at $450 ($149 off)
As part of an official promotion, we are now looking at the first chance we have tracked to save on SpaceX Starlink Mini AC Dual Band Satellite Wi-Fi System at $449.99 shipped via Best Buy. This is a regularly $599 setup that is now seeing sizable $149 price drop – the best we have seen since it became available in the US. The Starlink Mini comes at a bit of a premium over the older standard entry-level setup that carries a regular $350 price tag – one of the differences here is the router is separate on the standard, whereas the mini combines the two into a single unit (but the mini is also newer and has better specs overall).
Expand Expanding CloseStarship Flight 7: Don’t expect anything until early to mid January
We are just a few weeks out from Starship Flight 6, but the buzz is in the air for what SpaceX plans to do next. We are now in December, which likely puts another launch out of the realm of possibility for 2024, but what exactly might we see for Flight 7?
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Space Renaissance International urges U.N. Flag on the Moon
This is a press released shared to Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.
Hong Kong – Adriano V. Autino, CEO and Founder of Space Renaissance International (SRI), announced a bold initiative at the Aerospace Innovation Research Summit (AIR Summit) organized by the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and “OASA”. He urged the Artemis and International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) coalitions to plant a United Nations flag on the Moon alongside their respective national flags. This gesture would signify a united human presence as our species returns to the Earth’s natural satellite after more than 50 years since the Apollo missions. This emblematic act underscores that the Moon, and space in general, is the common heritage of all humankind, not any one nation.
Expand Expanding CloseTerminal Count: Starship, Starship, Starship, and SLS
Welcome back to another edition of Terminal Count. Starship has continued to command the news cycle even after its launch last month. That will likely not change for the foreseeable future; however, NASA’s Artemis 2 mission is entering the chat with the start of SLS stacking.
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Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon Readies for Launch
This is a press released shared to Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.
CEDAR PARK, Texas, Nov. 25, 2024 – Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, today announced it successfully completed environmental testing on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander ahead of its first mission to the Moon supporting NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Firefly is now preparing to ship the lander to Cape Canaveral, Florida, in mid-December for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during a six-day window that opens no earlier than mid-January 2025.
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NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Dragonfly Mission
NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the Dragonfly mission, a rotorcraft lander mission under NASA’s New Frontiers Program, designed to explore Saturn’s moon Titan. The mission will sample materials and determine surface composition in different geologic settings, advancing our search for the building blocks of life.
Expand Expanding CloseDoes Blue Origin even have a chance to compete against SpaceX?
We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for the first flight of Blue Origin‘s New Glenn rocket. It’s faint, but we can at least now see it as the company has a potentially flight-ready rocket sitting at its launch pad in Florida.
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Slingshot Aerospace Awarded NOAA Contract to Develop Presentation Layer for the Traffic Coordination System for Space
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Slingshot Aerospace, Inc., the leader in AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation, today announced it has been awarded a $13.3 million contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to build the TraCSS user interface. This contract includes a 12-month development period ($5.3M) with four option years.
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