Civil aerospace news and insights from Forecast International
The Chinese Shenlong Space Plane and the American X-37B have been in the news lately. China recently launched its Shenlong and the X-37B should be launching shortly. Both of these …
Mystery in the Sky: The Secret World of Space Planes Read More
The Hubble Telescope is arguably one of the most famous Space Telescopes ever launched. With its launch in 1990, it is not surprising that the instrument is feeling its age …
Hubble Seeing the End? Read More
A very interesting panel discussion was had at the Space Tech Expo Europe regarding European launch capability on November 14. The major players and some which are not so well-known …
Europe Needs Launch Capability Read More
Norway has opened its new spaceport on Andøya which is an island located in the northern portion of the country. This spaceport is the first orbital spaceport in Europe. Europe …
New Spaceport Opens in Europe Read More
The failure of Vega C in December 2022 has resulted in the return of the ancestor Vega. Although not unheard of, generally speaking, launch vehicles tend to technologically progress rather …
Out with the New, in with the Old; Vega replaces Vega C in the Short Term Read More
As Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) works on its new launch vehicle One, the company has been busy with another product: Argo. Argo is a new transfer vehicle that must come …
Enter a New Transfer Vehicle: Argo Read More
On Tuesday September 19, a Falcon 9 first stage launched for the 17th time. This feat set a record for reusability in spaceflight. As the industry pursues reusability, in part …
Falcon 9 First Stage Launches for the 17th Time Read More
In a recent interview, Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of the Defense and Government Systems Division at Hughes, shed some light on the future of space architecture in …
Software-Defined Networking and Orbits – What Is the Best Way Forward? Read More
Two missions were recently destined for a lunar landing: India’s Chandrayaan-3 and Russia’s Luna-25. Both were destined for the vicinity of the lunar south pole, with Chandrayaan-3 successfully landing on …
Lunar Landings: One a Success, the Other Not Read More Originally planned for a 2023 inaugural launch, Ariane 6 will now likely launch in 2024, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). The delay is reportedly due to some software …
Ariane 6 First Launch Slated for 2024; Europe Without a Rocket Read More