Space Ecosystem | Startups | Deals
Astrobotic will launch NASA’s rover VIPER, a robot that will roam the surface of the moon, landing it near the moon’s South Pole in late 2023. [Forward]
Additional YouTube coverage of NASA’s VIPER, or Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. The mission will help develop a sustainable presence on the Moon as part of the Artemis program. [Forward]
Rocket Lab launched their rocket, "Don't Stop Me Now" on June 13, 2020. The interview with Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck digs into launch details. [Forward]
Planet will complete its SkySat constellation of imaging satellites with a pair of SpaceX launches, sending the last six satellites into orbit and bringing the fleet total to 21. [Forward]
Astroscale is acquiring the intellectual property of Effective Space Solutions' satellite servicing vehicle Space Drone. Astroscale has raised a total of $140 million. [Forward]
NASA awarded Northrop Grumman $187 million to design the habitat module for the space agency's lunar Gateway, a planned moon-orbiting space station for astronauts. [Forward]
Space Exploration
SpaceX wants to build a city on Mars soon. CEO Elon Musk confirmed that he's still aiming to launch the first ships to Mars by 2022. [Forward]
Help NASA's Curiosity rover drivers better navigate Mars by using the online tool AI4Mars to label terrain features in pictures downloaded from the Red Planet. [Forward]
NASA astronauts launched from American soil in a commercially built and operated spacecraft on May 30th. Learn more about the mission, facts, and new technology. [Forward]
The Falcon 9 rocket's reusability is key to lower costs, faster access to space, and represents a stepping stone to getting to Mars. [Forward]
Astronomy | Astrophysics | Cosmology
The James Webb Space Telescope will miss its March 2021 launch date since the coronavirus pandemic slowed work on the spacecraft. [Forward]
Because of accelerated expansion of the Universe, regions of space sufficiently distant from Earth are moving away faster than the speed of light and are not observable to us. [Forward]
Scientists observed the fifth state of matter, Bose-Einstein condensates, in space for the first time, offering unprecedented insight that could help solve some of the quantum universe's conundrums. [Forward]
Events
Space News provides ongoing coverage and daily updates of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the global space industry, including a list of all delayed or canceled space events. [Forward]
NASA's Science Mission Directorate has partnered with Starburst, an aerospace accelerator, to create a program to engage entrepreneurs. 10 finalists and a $1,000,000 prize pool. Applications due June 26. [Forward]
Conference organizers have announced that the 34th Annual Small Satellite Conference, scheduled for August 1-6 in Logan, Utah, will be held “in a virtual format with no on-site presence.” [Forward]
Join TechCrunch's editors in Los Angeles on December 17 for a day of fireside chats and panel discussion with the top investors, founders, and technologists forging the future of space. [Forward]