Posts by Tom Roeder
Strikes in Ukraine Spotlight U.S., European Deficits in Hypersonic Arms Race
Russia’s use of hypersonic weapons in Ukraine is the latest escalation in a growing arms race for missiles that can travel through the atmosphere at more than Mach 5. The U.S. and its allies are accelerating spending on hypersonic weapons development, but haven’t fielded one to date, prompting leaders to fear a missile gap. . .
Read MoreStarliner’s success adds to record 2022 launch tempo
By The Space Report [email protected] NASA’s launch of the Boeing Starliner space capsule on Friday to deliver astronauts and gear to the International Space Station added another highlight to 2022’s launch tempo, the most rapid ever seen. The Starliner capsule reached the ISS on Saturday after launching from Florida atop an Atlas V from United…
Read MoreQuilty Analytics: Space Market Transactions Cool During 2022’s 1st Quarter
After a torrent of transaction activity during 2021, the first quarter of 2022 saw a downshift in announced deal volumes. In Q1 22, there were six space-related acquisitions and buyouts, 41 private equity and venture equity financings totaling approximately $1.5 billion in funds raised, and three public equity financings, inclusive of two pending de-SPACs, totaling…
Read MoreProposed U.S. Budget Includes nearly $9 Billion Boost in Space Spending
By Tom Roeder [email protected] Space programs would get an $8.9 billion boost under a budget proposal offered by the Biden Administration on Monday, with an extra $1.9 billion for NASA programs and a $7 billion increase for the Space Force, including a $4 billion hike in research and development. The plan covering the fiscal year…
Read MoreU.S. Joins Allies in Space Operations ‘Vision’
By Tom Roeder [email protected] A shared space operations vision accord now binds the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. The Combined Space Operations Vision 2031 accord commits the seven nations to a code of conduct in space, including a mission to “generate and improve cooperation, coordination,…
Read MoreSpace Force Adds Pair of Satellites to Detect and Observe GEO Spacecraft
By Tom Roeder [email protected] The U.S. Space Force this month is testing two recent launched Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites, bringing the constellation to six spacecraft that use cameras and other technical means to monitor what’s going on in the all-important orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth. The two satellites, built by…
Read MoreState of Space 2022: Industry Enters ‘Era of Access and Opportunity’
By Tom Roeder [email protected] The space industry has entered what Space Foundation CEO retired Navy Rear Adm. Tom Zelibor dubbed “the era of access and opportunity,” during an annual “State of Space” presentation this month on the foundation’s Symposium 365 online platform. Zelibor was joined by several industry leaders during the presentation, highlighting how satellites…
Read MoreJapanese Billionaire Caps Record Space Tourism Year
By Tom Roeder [email protected] The first self-funded space tourist to reach the International Space Station in more than a decade reached his destination aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule Wednesday. Japanese fashion mogul Yusaku Maezawa paid $88 million for the ride, the BBC reported, and was accompanied on the trip by documentary filmmaker Yozo Hirano. Their…
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