This article originally appeared in the July 29, 2019 issue of SpaceNews magazine. Tim Pickens has vivid memories of Project Apollo. Growing up in Huntsville, Alabama, where his father worked at Redstone Arsenal, Pickens recalls his father explaining why their home windows were vibrating. Saturn V was undergoing testing nearby. […]
Google Lunar X Prize
51 posts
WASHINGTON — One of the three companies NASA selected less than two months ago to carry payloads to the moon has informed the agency it won’t be able to perform that mission and has terminated its nearly $100 million contract. NASA announced July 29 that OrbitBeyond informed the agency that […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A German company that is developing a lunar lander has filed for insolvency, citing a shortfall in funding, but vows to continue development of its spacecraft. Berlin-based PTScientists announced July 8 that it had filed for “preliminary insolvency” under the German Insolvency Code in a local court […]
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Firefly Aerospace announced July 9 it plans to work with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the manufacturer of the Beresheet lunar lander, to develop its own lunar landers for NASA. Firefly and IAI said they signed intellectual property and engineering support agreements giving Firefly access to the technology […]
WASHINGTON — SpaceIL’s recent decision not to mount a second lunar lander mission is only the latest sign of delays and retrenchment among international ventures planning missions to the moon. In a June 25 tweet, SpaceIL announced that, contrary to announcements made shortly after the its Beresheet lunar lander crashed […]
SANTA BARBARA, California — An Indian satellite propulsion startup with eventual plans to also build a small launch vehicle has raised $3 million from a group of venture capital investors. Bangalore, India-based Bellatrix Aerospace intends to use the funds to demonstrate its thruster technology in space. IDFC-Parampara, StartupXseed, Karsemven Fund […]
WASHINGTON — NASA announced May 31 the award of more than $250 million in contracts to three companies to deliver NASA payloads to the lunar surface by 2021. The agency said it awarded contracts to Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines and OrbitBeyond to carry up to 23 payloads to the moon on […]
WASHINGTON — As SpaceIL continues its investigation into its failed lunar landing attempt April 11, its backers as well as others in the space community remain optimistic about efforts to privately develop such spacecraft despite technical challenges. In an April 12 statement, SpaceIL said a technical problem in an unspecified […]