The summer season has ended, but spaceflight continues to be hot, with new views of our Moon and Jupiter’s moon Io, the much-anticipated return of an astronaut and an asteroid sample, and important new rocket engine tests, to name just a few of the many moments that captured our attention in September.
A week before it was set to launch to a distant metal rich asteroid, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is forced to remain grounded until the space agency resolves an issue with its thrusters.
Once among the star companies championing a deal to create a private successor to the International Space Station, talks between Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Sierra Space regarding the Orbital Reef project now appear to be souring.
Lockheed Martin
NASA/Bill Ingalls
Following a nearly three-year journey through space, the canister containing samples from asteroid Bennu has finally been opened.
Sierra Space secured some significant dough during its latest funding round. The company says it will now allocate these funds towards the development of its commercial space station and other orbital tech.
As part of its efforts to watch over America’s assets in space, the United States Space Force is looking into establishing a line of communication with China in case of an emergency in orbit. It’s not clear, however, whether or not China will pick up the line.
After Bob Smith’s resignation as chief executive, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has appointed David Limp, Amazon’s former head of hardware and leader of the company’s Project Kuiper satellites, as the new CEO.
