United Launch Alliance

Sierra Space said that despite the slip, its first Dream Chaser spaceplane is still on track for its maiden mission before the end of the year.

Dream Chaser spaceplane is off the manifest for ULA’s second Vulcan launch

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin raised a test version of its massive orbital rocket on its launch pad for the first time Wednesday, inaugurating the start of a major test campaign…

Ahead of testing, Blue Origin raises New Glenn on the launch pad for first time

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is still operating on orbit, with the company saying there is “growing optimism” that the spacecraft could survive in space longer than the current estimate. The…

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander still operating on orbit, defying all odds

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. By the time you read this, United Launch Alliance will have hopefully launched its Vulcan Centaur rocket for the first time, and Astrobotic’s…

United Launch Alliance and Astrobotic launches, Countdown Capital shutdown

After a successful launch on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket this morning, Astrobotic Technology said its lunar lander has encountered critical issues with the propellant system that have likely…

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander suffers propulsion issue, making moon landing unlikely

It’s hard to understate just how much was at stake in Monday’s early morning launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket: multiple major reputations, billions of dollars, a new…

Astrobotic lander on its way to the moon with ULA’s historic flight

The countdown to launch is on. United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket has been rolled to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of its early Monday…

United Launch Alliance, Astrobotic ready for early Monday liftoff to the moon

Astrobotic’s first lunar lander is ready for lift-off. The company announced Tuesday that the lander, called Peregrine, has completed final checkouts and fueling after it was mated with United Launch…

Astrobotic ready to launch Peregrine lunar lander in early January

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s first lunar lander is set to take off on United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket on Christmas Eve, ULA CEO Tory Bruno said. Bruno told the audience…

ULA aims to launch Astrobotic lunar lander on Christmas Eve

After years of development, the moment is finally here: Amazon will send two of its Kuiper test satellites to space, as the company looks to take on reigning incumbent SpaceX…

Watch United Launch Alliance launch two Project Kuiper test satellites for Amazon

NASA awarded new funding to 11 companies today for advanced space tech projects ranging from advanced power generation on the lunar surface to additive manufacturing for space habitats. The awards,…

Blue Origin, Astrobotic, Varda Space and others win NASA funding to develop advanced space tech

Amazon will spend $120 million on a new satellite processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), as the company gears up to launch the first batch of Project Kuiper…

Amazon is building a $120M facility in Florida for Project Kuiper satellite processing

Another blockbuster year for the space industry draws to a close. In fact, 2022 may have been the most blockbuster year for space in recent memory — since 1969, at…

It was a big year for the space industry. 2023 will be even bigger

Florida’s Space Coast continues to make preparations for the extremely powerful and slow-moving Hurricane Ian, with officials rolling rockets back to the safety of hangars and delaying launches until the…

Florida’s Space Coast braces for Hurricane Ian
Space

Max Q: Alien encounters

3:00 pm PDT • June 13, 2022

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. In this issue: A micrometeoroid ping heard around the galaxy; SpaceX cargo resupply delay; News from Rocket Lab, United Launch Alliance, and more

Max Q: Alien encounters

Update: Aaaaand we have lift-off! As I write, Starliner is making its way over Ireland and heading towards space. Update 2: Orbital insertion burn complete! The previous test flight failed before it…

Watch Boeing’s make it or break it Starliner launch today

Hello and welcome back to Max Q. In this issue: Rocket Lab’s milestone booster recovery Ursa Major and Phantom Space News from NASA, SpaceX and more Don’t forget to sign…

Max Q: Rocket booster, meet helicopter
Space

Max Q: Up, up and away

3:00 pm PDT • April 18, 2022

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…

Max Q: Up, up and away

The U.S. Space Force, the military branch spun out of the Air Force in December 2019, has announced its next batch of awards for projects related to next-gen rocket engine…

US Space Force awards $87.5M to Rocket Lab, SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA for next-gen rocket testing

The ongoing reverberations from the COVID-19 pandemic are continuing to make themselves felt in the most unlikely of places: spaceflight. On Friday, NASA took the unexpected step to ground a…

Pandemic-driven liquid oxygen shortage threatens ULA, SpaceX launches

Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite constellation is one step closer to actually making it to space: The company announced it has secured an agreement with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to…

Amazon taps ULA as first launch provider for Project Kuiper satellite constellation

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin published an updated timeline for the first flight of New Glenn, the orbital rocket it’s building to complement its existing New Shepard suborbital space…

Blue Origin pushes New Glenn orbital rocket’s first flight to Q4 2022

Lockheed Martin (LM), the U.S.’s largest defence contractor, will acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne (AR), a rocket engine and missile manufacturer, for $4.4 billion including debt and net cash, giving the company…

Lockheed Martin acquires rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.4B as space heats up

NASA has announced more than a third of a billion dollars worth of “Tipping Point” contracts awarded to over a dozen companies pursuing potentially transformative space technologies. The projects range…

NASA loads 14 companies with $370M for ‘tipping point’ technologies

NASA and Boeing have provided some updates around their Commercial Crew plans, which aim to get Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft certified for regular human flight. The CST-100 and Boeing’s Commercial Crew…

Boeing and NASA target December for second try at uncrewed orbital demonstration flight

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) is targeting a liftoff time of 9:14 AM EDT (6:14 AM PDT) today for an Atlas V rockets carrying the Boeing-built X-37B orbital test vehicle…

Watch live as ULA launches a U.S. military spaceplane for its first Space Force mission

On Saturday, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) is targeting a liftoff time of 8:24 a.m. EDT (5:24 a.m. PDT) for one of its Atlas V rockets carrying the U.S. Space…

Watch live as ULA launches a secretive US military space plane for its sixth mission

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) has completed its 134th successful launch, continuing its perfect track record with a mission today for the U.S. Space Force. This is the first-ever dedicated…

ULA successfully launches first US Space Force payload

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) has a mission today, launching a specialized secure communications satellite for the U.S. Space Force. That’s the new space-focused arm of the U.S. military that…

Watch ULA’s first dedicated rocket launch for the U.S. Space Force live

Blue Origin is opening its new rocket engine production center in Huntsville, Ala. on Monday, the company said today on Twitter. The new Huntsville facility will be able to produce…

Blue Origin’s new rocket engine production facility opens on Monday