Author: starpathwp-production
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5 Years of SpaceX Rideshare Missions: The Spoils of Monopoly
Five years after launching its Transporter program, SpaceX now enjoys a monopoly on smallsat rideshare with heavy launchers, with the lowest price point on the market and an average launch every 90 days. Although this business line is a minor revenue stream for SpaceX, it brings several other advantages, such as maintaining pressure on emerging…
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5 Years of SpaceX Rideshare Missions: The Spoils of Monopoly
Five years after launching its Transporter program, SpaceX now enjoys a monopoly on smallsat rideshare with heavy launchers, with the lowest price point on the market and an average launch every 90 days. Although this business line is a minor revenue stream for SpaceX, it brings several other advantages, such as maintaining pressure on emerging…
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Rocket Lab Delivers Twin Satellites to Launch Site for NASA’s Mars Mission
Rocket Lab USA, Inc., a global company in launch services and space systems, has successfully packed and shipped two Mars-bound spacecraft to Cape Canaveral, FL in preparation for launch. These twin spacecraft for the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) heliophysics mission were designed, built, integrated, and tested by Rocket Lab for the…
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Rocket Lab entered “hero mode” to finish Mars probes—now it’s up to Blue Origin
Two NASA spacecraft built by Rocket Lab are on the road from California to Florida this weekend to begin preparations for launch on Blue Origin’s first New Glenn rocket. These two science probes must launch between late September and mid-October to take advantage of a planetary alignment between Earth and Mars that only happens once…
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Rocket Factory Augsburg Engine Explodes in Test Ahead of Milestone Launch
A Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) engine exploded on Monday during a hot fire test at the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland. Video captured by the BBC shows the rocket’s first stage catching fire and being engulfed in flames. RFA issued an update on X, reporting there was an anomaly that led to the loss of the…
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HawkEye 360’s Cluster 10 Satellites Successfully Deploy to Orbit
HawkEye 360 Inc., a leading company in space-based radio frequency (RF) data analytics, is pleased to announce that its Cluster 10 satellites have successfully deployed to orbit after launching aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-11 Rideshare mission via launch integrator Exolaunch. HawkEye 360’s operations team has established communication with the satellites. This trio of satellites will increase the…
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Brazilian Airline Azul Taps Viasat to Connect New Aircraft
Brazil’s largest airline Azul awarded Viasat a deal to connect seven aircraft in its new Airbus A330-900neo fleet with in-flight connectivity (IFC). Under the deal announced Tuesday, Viasat will equip the aircraft with its Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The first aircraft scheduled to enter service next year. Azul is also adding ad-supported streaming sessions using…
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A frontrunner in Europe’s private launch industry just lost its first rocket
The first stage of Rocket Factory Augsburg’s first orbital launcher was destroyed in a fireball during a test-firing Monday evening at a spaceport in Scotland, the company said. The German launch startup aimed to send its first rocket into space later this year and appeared to be running ahead of several competitors in Europe’s commercial…
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Russian pensioners urge Vladimir Putin to rescue Starliner astronauts
One of the odder propaganda phenomena in Russia, of late, is seemingly spontaneous groups of elderly Russian pensioners gathering outdoors and espousing some random bit of agitprop. From a Western perspective, these are obviously staged and hilarious to behold. For example, last year a very earnest-looking group of elderly women and a few men urged…