Infrastructure
As launch failures grow, satellite operators are more resilient to risk
Increasing annual launches and new players in the launch market have led to several notable payload delivery failures over the past few years.
2 U.S. spaceports gain funds amid huge upswing in launch pace
In the last decade, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (the Cape) in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California have supported more launches than other U.S. launch facilities.
2020s is the busiest decade for Moon landings in 50 years
In the span of six months from 2023 to 2024, three countries landed spacecraft on the Moon, and many more are in the works.
SNAPSHOT: New launch vehicles
The launches included successful maiden flights for three new launch vehicles. With a dozen more new launch vehicles expected to debut, 2024 appears poised to be a game-changing year in orbital flight.
SNAPSHOT: Human spaceflight
As of mid-March, 685 astronauts have reached at least 80 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. This total includes 86 private astronauts, 22 times as many as there were two decades ago.
Commercial offerings continue to grow, shape future of space
[caption id="attachment_40285" align="alignleft" width="344"] Starlink satellites sent a text message directly to a mobile phone in January using a new generation of spacecraft.Credit: SpaceX[/caption] Introduction | Commercial space has come… After Russian ASAT leak, superpowers back away from showdown
Growing threats from anti-satellite weapons were spotlighted in February when U.S. officials warned Congress about a Russian weapons development program targeting spacecraft with nuclear weapons.
Launch Records Topple in 2024 with Busiest January of Space Age
Averaging a liftoff every 33 hours and 49 minutes, January’s 22 successful launches to space marked the busiest start to a year since the Space Age dawned in 1957, and put the globe on track for 259 launches in 2024, which would easily eclipse records set in 2023, according to a Space Foundation database.
Spacecraft Deployments Grew 23% in 2023 Despite Broadband Cooldown
With record launches for the third year running, it’s no surprise that the number of payloads reaching orbit is also skyrocketing. Spacecraft deployed in 2023 grew 23% to 2,891, bringing approximately 1.4 million kg of equipment to space.
University Nanosatellite Launches Skyrocket Over Past Decade
Universities across the globe are building an increasingly large presence in space by attaching student satellite projects to launches. Since the advent of nanosatellites and CubeSats, the barrier to space entry has never been lower for students.