Seth Kurkowski

In a departure from historical precedent, SpaceX and the FAA find themselves in agreement as both parties file motions to have the lawsuit against Starship dismissed. This development comes as SpaceX prepares for additional rounds of pre-launch testing in Boca Chica.

Yesterday marked the end of an era for European space launches with the final flight of the Ariane 5 rocket. With the mission completed, Europe now finds itself in a precarious position without an available launcher in the short term.

This week we have a few launches out of the Americas, one that is bittersweet, then two that will feel normal to all of us. The bittersweet one will of course be the Ariane 5’s final flight before retirement.

On Thursday morning, Virgin Galactic successfully completed its inaugural commercial flight with a crew consisting of four passengers and two pilots. This flight distinguished itself from previous ventures by both Blue Origin and Virgin, as it focused solely on business rather than leisure.

NASA announced last Thursday that its all-electric aircraft project will be shutting down later this year after years of research and development. The program will conclude without any flights of the X-57 Maxwell aircraft; however, the agency still considers the program a success with plenty of lessons learned.

This is a significant week for Virgin Galactic as it completes its first commercial flight for its VSS Unity spaceplane. However, that is not the only launch taking place this week. As expected, SpaceX will also make an appearance.

SpaceX has completed its rocket launches for the first half of 2023, prompting a review of their accomplishments thus far. Additionally, it begs the question of whether they are on track to achieve their goal of 100 missions this year.

Today is a somber day for all explorers, serving as a stark reminder that exploration, regardless of its form, carries inherent risks. Whether utilizing cutting-edge technology to traverse the heavens, conquering Earth’s highest peaks, or delving into the depths of the sea, every explorer willingly accepts these risks. We must never forget the sacrifices they make.

Early Thursday morning, ULA launched its first mission of the year, which also happened to be the company’s largest offering, the Delta IV Heavy. The launch was a bittersweet moment, as this now means only one more of this original “big orange rocket” is left to fly.

Last week NASA announced several partnerships with commercial companies that will provide NASA personnel and expertise to them as they work to develop new technologies. Most of them have to do with commercial space stations, but one stood out: Blue Origin’s crewed spacecraft.

We have an exciting week ahead with a rocket launch we don’t get to see often (and I will miss it). This week, ULA plans to launch its second to last Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral for the National Reconnaissance Office. Not to be forgotten about, SpaceX will be on deck with two launches of Starlink satellites this week.

Astra shareholders voted to perform a reverse stock split in the company’s annual shareholder meeting. As the company’s stock remains below the NASDAQ limit, this quick fix could give Astra more time to get its Launch System 2 online.

Here we are again looking at another crazy timeline from SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk on when Starship could fly again. However, a lot of work is going on down at Starbase, so maybe it’s not so far out this time?

After Monday’s doubleheader of launches, SpaceX shared a graphic showing the company’s launches since the first Falcon 1 in 2008. The graphic gives us a great way to visualize how far the company has come.

Dryer and hotter weather worldwide, but specifically in Canada, has caused a crazy wildfire season, and they’re only one month into it. The fires have caused extensive damage, evacuations, and smoke… so much smoke. That smoke has covered the northern parts of the United States and has even been seen by satellites in space.

In a week of not great news for The Boeing Company, a lawsuit has been opened up against them by a smaller specialty aerospace company claiming Boeing stole trade secrets. While this is just an accusation, the plaintiffs believe they have a strong case.

Friday, NASA astronauts on the ISS completed a six-hour spacewalk to install and deploy one of the two new solar panels brought up on the most recent commercial cargo mission. This brings the total to five new iROSA solar panels on the ISS.