Virgin Orbit, which is focused on taking small-to-medium sized satellites into low Earth orbit, has won a contract from Japan’s Q-Shu Pioneers of Space for its iQPS craft. The satellite is a scientific Earth observation mission and is expected to launch “early” in 2023. Selected for Virgin’s LauncherOne rocket-plane combination and its ability to provide […]
The UK House of Commons parliamentary Defence Committee, with a role to examine British government action, has complained over the UK’s handling of the recent OneWeb predicament in having to switch rocket launchers. OneWeb had contracted with Arianespace which itself used Russian-built Soyuz rockets. The rockets were supposed to launch 6 batches of OneWeb satellites […]
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit rocket plane project has signed a contract with European in-space manufacturing tech start-up Space Forge to launch a Welsh-built small satellite from Cornwall. The satellite will be launched as part of a broader joint UK-US mission to open the country’s first domestic space port in summer 2022 out of Spaceport […]
A planned spaceport in Unst, Shetland, in the far North of the UK, has received planning permission to go ahead. Shetland Islands Council says work to prepare the Saxavord Spaceport can proceed provided Scottish ministers don’t call the project in for further review. Three rocket pads would be built at the Lamba Ness peninsula in […]
Spaceport Cornwall, the UK’s horizontal launch site, and Sierra Nevada Corp, which will be engaging through its wholly owned subsidiary Sierra Space, have signed an MoU to explore future collaboration opportunities following the completion of UK Space Agency funded Concept of Operations for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane. Spaceport Cornwall and Sierra Space say they […]
Spaceport America, which operates out of a desert location in New Mexico, has reportedly removed its CEO/Executive Director, Dan Hicks. Spaceport America is home to the likes of Virgin Galactic, UP Aerospace, Exos Aerospace and others. Its owner is the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. The Authority’s board members reportedly voted 6-1 to remove Mr Hicks […]
The UK is keen on establishing so-called Spaceports, whether in Scotland or the West of England. It has just signed a Treaty-level agreement with the US which allows use of US-built rockets from British locations. The UK’s Space Agency (UKSA) says that a US-UK Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) agreed in June potentially opens up activity […]