Astrobotic eyes military customers for reusable Xogdor suborbital rocket

Xogdor rocket illustration. Credit: Astrobotic By Sandra Erwin, Published by Space News, 17 April 2024 The national security applications for a reusable suborbital rocket ‘haven’t been fully explored’ WASHINGTON — Astrobotic, a company that develops vehicles for space exploration missions, is making a strategic move into the defense sector with its

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US military eyes SpaceX Starship for ‘sensitive and potentially dangerous missions’: report

The Starship upper-stage prototype Ship 28 conducts a six-engine static fire test on Dec. 20, 2023. (Image credit: SpaceX) By Brett Tingley, Published by Space.com, 31 January 2024 In this proposed arrangement, the Pentagon would fly Starship as a government-controlled vehicle. The U.S. military is considering commandeering SpaceX's reusable Starship

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Industry group opposes White House mission authorization proposal

All commercial human spaceflight activities, including commercial space stations like Orbital Reef, would be regulated by the Department of Transportation through the FAA commercial space office under a White House proposal released Nov. 15. Credit: Blue Origin By Jeff Foust, Published by Space News, 28 November 2023 WASHINGTON — An

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China’s Space Pioneer raise funding for its Falcon 9-class rocket

A render of Space Pioneer's Tianlong-3 rocket at Jiuquan spaceport. Credit: Space Pioneer By Andrew Jones, Published by SpaceNews, 31 October 2023 HELSINKI — Chinese commercial launch firm Space Pioneer has announced a new round of funding for development of the Tianlong-3 rocket comparable to the SpaceX Falcon 9. Space

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Space Force Unworried by Predictions of Commercial-Launch Consolidation

By Audrey Decker, Published by Defense One, 16 June 2023 There’s “certainly enough capacity,” the service’s No. 2. officer said—though “more is always better.” The U.S. Space Force is not worried if a few makers of light-lift rockets go out of business, the service’s No. 2 officer said Thursday. “I

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Sierra Space and U.S. military to explore using Dream Chaser for point-to-point cargo delivery

By Sandra Erwin, Published by SpaceNews, 10 September 2022 Sierra Space signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Transportation Command WASHINGTON — Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice has previously hinted about possible military applications for the company’s Dream Chaser space plane. On Sept. 8, Sierra Space announced

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