Tag: commercial-space
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Touchscreen gloves? Zippered helmets? Boeing reboots the spacesuit for Starliner
Boeing’s Chris Ferguson, a former astronaut, models the Starliner spacesuit. (Boeing via YouTube) The spacesuit designed for astronauts riding Boeing’s Starliner space taxi makes a fashion statement for the 21st century, from its touchscreen-sensitive gloves to its color-coordinated shoes. And all of it in Boeing blue. The spacesuit made its public debut today during a…
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Google Lunar X Prize clears five teams for moon race and pays out $1 million
An artist’s conception shows SpaceIL’s lander on the moon. (SpaceIL Illustration) The organizers of the Google Lunar X Prize competition confirmed that five teams have been cleared to go after the $20 million grand prize, and doled out a total of $1 million to all 16 teams that entered. These five teams previously reported that…
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Boeing hints that it’ll unveil its Starliner spacesuits – and maybe who’ll wear them
A quick shot from a Boeing video shows a Starliner patch on a blue spacesuit. (Boeing Photo) Boeing’s Starliner space taxi won’t be carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for at least another year and a half, but we may soon find out what they’ll be wearing. We may even find out who the…
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Jeff Bezos gives a geeky boost to Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine boost pump
An employee works on the BE-4 Ox Boost Pump prior to engine installation. (Blue Origin Photo via Jeff Bezos) And now for something completely different from Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos: His latest mass email isn’t about jobs, or Donald Trump, or his new D.C. digs. It’s about a rocket engine boost pump. Bezos’ Blue Origin…
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NASA looks into buying more Russian Soyuz trips to orbit … through Boeing
A Russian Soyuz craft approaches the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA) NASA is considering a convoluted arrangement to reserve five more seats on Russian Soyuz capsules heading to and from the International Space Station, with the Boeing Co. as the middleman. The plan to reserve more trips to orbit would give NASA additional breathing room…
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SpaceX returns to flight with Iridium satellite launch – and rocket landing!
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off for the first time in five months to put 10 advanced Iridium Next telecommunication sateliites in orbit – and demonstrate that the company’s innovative launch-and-landing system was back in stride. Cheers went up from a crowd of…
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Moon Express reportedly has the money for moonshot – but launch is up in the air
An artist’s conception shows Moon Express’ lander extending its robotic arm to take a “selfie” of the spacecraft on the lunar surface with Earth in the background. (Credit: Moon Express) An executive at Moon Express has been widely quoted as saying his company has reached its funding goal for this year’s planned commercial mission to the…
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Commercial Earth-observing craft recover from off-target launch
The SuperView 1 satellites pictured before their launch. Credit: Beijing Space View Two Chinese satellites launched into the wrong orbit last month have reached their planned perch at an altitude of around 300 miles (500 kilometers) and sent back their first high-resolution views of Earth for their Beijing-based commercial owner. The two SuperView 1, or…
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Kuaizhou rocket lifts off on first commercial mission
The Kuaizhou 1A rocket lifted off at 0411 GMT Monday (11:11 p.m. EST Sunday) from the Jiuquan space center. Credit: Xinhua A solid-fueled Chinese Kuaizhou launcher positioned to compete for worldwide business took off Monday on its first commercial mission with three small satellites to collect high-definition video and test communications technologies. The Kuaizhou 1A…
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SpaceX delays launch due to weather
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Vandenberg Air Force Base before its launch in January 2016 to put NASA’s Jason-3 satellite into orbit. (SpaceX / NASA Photo) SpaceX has postponed the return to flight for its Falcon 9 rocket until Jan. 14 at the earliest, due to a gloomy weather forecast for the next…