Plus: A DSN antenna is out service until May
| By Mike Gruss
The last week has brought a series of new launch dates, milestones and momentum for launch companies around the world. To help make sense of the highlights, let's break it down into three overly simplified categories.
First, green light. Things are moving forward. -
Japanese launch vehicle startup Interstellar Technologies has raised nearly $130 million to continue development of its Zero small launch vehicle. -
Arianespace announced Jan. 15 that it will conduct its first launch for Amazon's low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband constellation on Feb. 12 from French Guiana. The mission, the first of 18 under a 2022 contract, will also mark the debut of the Ariane 64, the version of Ariane 6 equipped with four solid rocket boosters. -
With shifting manifests, ESA's Comet Interceptor mission could launch in 2028, which is earlier than previously expected. A lot could change between now and then. The second, yellow light. Proceeding cautiously. -
NASA's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rolled to the launch pad for the Artemis 2 mission Jan. 17, though uncertainty remains about when the mission will be ready to go. The rollout marks the start of the final phase of preparations for Artemis 2, the first crewed SLS/Orion mission and the first human spaceflight beyond LEO since December 1972. Next up? A wet dress rehearsal. -
German launch company Isar Aerospace is preparing for the second launch of its Spectrum rocket, with plans to launch from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway. A Jan. 21 window was scrapped earlier today; the launch opportunity extends through Jan. 23. The launch, called "Onward and Upward" by Isar Aerospace, will be the company's second orbital launch attempt. Spectrum's inaugural launch last March malfunctioned shortly after liftoff, with the rocket crashing into waters adjacent to the launch pad. And finally, red light. Uh oh. -
China suffered a pair of launch failures within 12 hours on Jan. 16. This included the loss of a classified Shijian satellite after a Long March 3B lifted off at 11:55 Eastern (1655 UTC) from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the failure around 12 hours after liftoff, stating that the Shijian-32 satellite had been lost following a third stage anomaly. Roughly 12 hours later, the Ceres-2 lifted off at 11:08 p.m. Eastern, Jan. 16 (0408 UTC, Jan. 17) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Galactic Energy confirmed the loss of the debut flight, stating that an anomaly had occurred and that the specific cause is under further investigation. No bueno.
| | | | | | | SIGNIFICANT DIGIT
| $60M | | The amount of money Hydrosat, a thermal imagery startup focused on water-resource management, raised in Series B funding. The company plans to use the money to help launch additional thermal infrared satellites and expand its global footprint.
| | | | | | | DSN DAMAGE
| | A key antenna in NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN), one that was damaged last fall, is expected to remain offline until May. Then, it will be taken out of service again later this year for major upgrades.
The DSS-14 antenna, a 70-meter dish at the DSN complex in Goldstone, California, was damaged Sept. 16 when it over-rotated, stressing cabling and piping. The incident also damaged hoses in the antenna's fire control system, causing flooding. DSS-14 is one of three 70-meter antennas in the DSN; the others are located near Madrid, Spain, and Canberra, Australia. The 70-meter antennas are used to communicate with distant spacecraft or those experiencing technical problems.
| | | | | | | FROM SPACENEWS |  | | Managing an orbital economy as space grows more congested: In this episode of Space Minds, host David Ariosto talks with Chiara Manfletti, the CEO of Neuraspace and a professor of space mobility and propulsion at the Technical University of Munich. They discuss space debris, orbital logistics and managing a new orbital economy through new initiatives in Europe and around the world. Watch or listen now.
| | | | | | | | | The U.S. Space Force has ended an exploratory effort, named Resilient GPS, to add smaller, lower-cost navigation satellites to bolster the Global Positioning System.
| | | | Congress has approved a fiscal year 2026 spending bill that largely restores funding proposed for deep cuts to NASA.
| | | | | The operator of a Spanish military communications satellite that suffered a "space particle" strike has written off the spacecraft.
| | | | The White House has resubmitted to the Senate the nomination of Matt Anderson to be NASA's deputy administrator, one of four agency positions requiring Senate confirmation.
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