Satellite

Virgin Orbit has ticked off another milestone in its fledgling launch business, successfully carrying out its first night-time mission over the weekend and deploying satellites into low-Earth orbit for the US Space Force.

SpinLaunch has released on-board footage from its eighth suborbital flight test, giving us a unique opportunity to imagine what it'd be like to be hurled skyward out of a centrifugal accelerator at more than a thousand miles per hour.

Green Launch says it can fire a space vehicle skywards three times faster than SpinLaunch's kinetic launch system. Its huge hydrogen gas cannon can produce hypersonic launch velocities upwards of Mach 17, enabling orbital altitudes up to 1,000 km.

NASA has signed up to test SpinLaunch's extraordinary whirl 'n' hurl space launch technology, which accelerates a launch vehicle to hypersonic speeds using an electric centrifuge arm instead of a rocket, hurling it skyward like a space discus.

Scientists have discovered a new form of space weather – superfast electron rains that precipitate into the atmosphere from the radiation belts. The rains could affect satellites, spacecraft and astronauts, but aren’t accounted for in current models.

Northrop Grumman's SpaceLogistics subsidiary has signed an agreement with SpaceX and Australian telecommunications company Optus to put its Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft and Mission Extension Pod (MEP) into regular commercial service.

SpaceX has lost up to 40 satellites of its Starlink internet constellation due to a geomagnetic storm that is knocking them out of orbit. The satellites were part of a batch of 49 that were launched on February 3 and had not reached their operational altitude.

SpaceX has introduced a new premium version of its Starlink internet with download speeds of up to 500 Mbps – but it will cost a great deal more than the standard 250 Mbps service.

The environmental impacts of iceberg A-68 are still being assessed. A new study has calculated that the largest chunk, A-68A, released billions of tonnes of freshwater into the sea near a marine nature reserve, with untold effects on the ecosystem.

SpaceX's aspirations to blanket the Earth in high-speed internet through a constellation of orbiting satellites continues apace, and a new study demonstrates the significant mark they are already making on the world of astronomical imaging.

Hypersonix Launch Systems is looking to make the delivery of satellites into orbit cheaper, more accessible, and greener by developing a reusable launch system powered by green hydrogen – and is eyeing off hypersonic airliners further down the line.

When it comes to taking high-res aerial photographs, we generally look to satellites, drones or full-size aircraft. Colorado-based Urban Sky's new Microballoon system, however, is claimed to deliver higher-resolution images at a much lower cost.