By Zoe Hobbs Blue Origin continued its streak of successful New Shepard landings as the NS-18 crew capsule safely touched down at 14:59 UTC on Oct. 12, 2021. The mission lasted 10 minutes and 17 seconds, reaching an apogee of 347,539 feet (nearly 66 miles) above ground level[1], which crossed the Kármán line, considered the…

By Dennis Thompkins For the first time in space history, an all-civilian crew is traveling in Earth’s orbit without command and control from a government space agency. The SpaceX Inspiration4 launch on Sept. 16 marked the first orbital flight with no professional astronauts on board. It also set as precedent the first time an onboard…

“The Space Report 2021 36th Annual Space Symposium Special Edition” found that the global space economy, which reached $447B in 2020, was 176% greater than in Space Foundation’s first economic analysis in 2005. Nearly 80% of this total in 2020 was commercial revenues. Other findings from the special edition: Infrastructure and Support Industries grew the most, by…

Related Resources Capt. Kirk Crosses the Kármán Line on Blue Origin’s New Shepard First All-Civilian Crew Rockets into Orbital Space Commercial Space Revenue Grew 6.6% in 2020, according to The Space Report Special Edition 2021 Launch Activity at Midyear Shows the Highest Tempo in 5 Years

The first half of 2021 marked the highest January-June launch tempo in five years, with 61 launches attempted. That puts the year on track to become the most prolific launch year since the 1980s. Of the 2021 launches, only two failed, putting this year on track for the lowest failure rate since 2018. The first…

Introduction | Half the world is gearing up for warm, sunny weather as the Northern Hemisphere heads into summer. The comfort and eye protection provided by sunglasses make them a staple for many. However, most people might not realize that the technology that supplies us with durable, protective lenses — now used by several eyeglass…

The global space economy reached a new high of nearly $447 billion in 2020, an increase of 4.4% from a revised 2019 figure of $428 billion. Commercial space revenue continued to total nearly 80% of this year’s space spending.  Commercial revenue is divided into two sectors: Products and Services and Infrastructure and Support Industries. For…

The first attempts to reach Mars began more than 60 years ago, when the former Soviet Union launched two probes to Mars. Both failed to reach Earth orbit. The success of China’s Tianwen-1 and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter in February, along with the success of the United States’ Perseverance and Ingenuity mission, means…

Introduction | The U.S. Space Force (USSF) has marked its first anniversary and secured a public affirmation from President Biden’s administration that the nation’s newest military branch will endure, allowing Space Force leadership to confidently move forward with their mission. From the outset, the U.S. Space Force had a daunting charge: Assume responsibility for multiple…

In 2020 alone, NASA and its international partner, the European Space Agency, approved contracts with maximum values worth more than $11.5 billion for landers, crew transport, space modules and scientific equipment in preparation for the Artemis mission. By the end of 2021, nine countries expect to have landers or rovers exploring for ice and water,…