SSI News
North Korea suffers another launch failure as Chollima-1 blows up in the sky
A Chollima-1 rocket failed to reach orbit after the vehicle suffered an explosion just two minutes into its flight. The North Korean rocket, carrying the Malligyong-1 F4 reconnaissance satellite, was launched from the Sohae site at Tongchang-Ri, North Korea, at 1344...
Human spaceflight activity during May 2024
On the ISS, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin boarded Crew Dragon – NASA Crew 8 (Endeavour) on 2 May. They undocked from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module (IDA-2) on the...
Picking sides in space: China’s ILRS Moon base or the US Artemis Accords?
The Artemis Accords are a set of guidelines for “responsible behaviour in space” drafted by NASA and the US Department of State. As implied by its name, the Accords are specifically about NASA’s Artemis programme: the US effort to return people – including the first...
Astronaut Ed Dwight finally reaches space … 63 years after he should have
On a recent suborbital Blue Origin flight, six more people gained the credentials to call themselves astronauts (or, more accurately, space travellers). However, the moment was of especial importance for one passenger, who had waited 63 years to reach space. Ed Dwight...
Round-up of recommended space stories in May 2024
We're keeping an eye on space news on the web so you don't have to wade through it all. Apart from our own stories, here is our round-up of the most important, and interesting, space news stories of May (space orders can be found in another post): Future Human...
Another woe for space insurers: US$175 million claim made for SkyTerra-1’s faulty antenna
A US$175 million insurance claim has been filed for the ‘total loss’ of the SkyTerra-1 communications satellite, after its 22 m diameter main mesh antenna developed a fault, Seradata understands. No details have been released by its owner, Ligado Networks (formerly...
Launches in May 2024
China shows its prowess with Chang’e 6 lunar far side sample return mission (Updated)
The Chang’e 6 mission is under way. Its goal is to be the first to bring back a sample from the far side of the Moon. It uses backup hardware originally designed for the near side version of this mission, Chang’e 5, which flew in November 2020. Ahead of the mission, a...
The US$3.1 billion offer Intelsat could not refuse from rival SES
SES has made an agreed bid of US$3.1 billion in cash for rival satellite operator Intelsat. The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2025, will see two of the ‘Big Four’ fixed-satellite service (FSS) commercial satellite operators merge to form a mega GEO...
Launches in April 2024
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