AST SpaceMobile has raised $1 billion (€0.88bn) in convertible debt to fund “satellite expansion”. But there are serious questions over the company’s plans. AST’s formal explanation is that the fresh cash is “intended to support growth initiatives, expand the company’s satellite network, and enable potential partnerships or acquisitions, including efforts to vertically integrate launch capabilities […]
Up until now the pre-launch schedule for Blue Origin’s New Glenn was to prepare the rocket in horizontal mode and then to raise the rocket to vertical for launch. That methodology is about to be modified once repairs and modifications have been carried out on the Cape Canaveral launch pad (Launch Complex 36). CEO Dave […]
The Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket business is saying that it will fly its powerful New Glenn variant more than 50 times annually by 2030 and building to more than 120 flights annually by 2035. Currently, Blue Origin is rebuilding its Florida launch pad which was seriously damaged in an explosion on a pre-flight static […]
Would-be global cellular-from-space operator AST SpaceMobile says the massive explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will not impact its launch plans in the short term. AST stated that none of its missions planned for the next few months are scheduled with Blue Origin. Its BlueBird #8–#10 satellites are currently planned to launch aboard […]
A detailed inspection of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station which was damaged in an explosion of a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket on May 28th has been published. The explosion was the largest-ever in Cape Canaveral’s history and occurred during a test firing of the rocket’s engines. The explosion has alarmed […]
A Blue Origin rocket, named New Glenn #4, was lost during a static test firing of its engines while standing at Launch Complex 36 at the Kennedy Space Center. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos backs the Blue Origin projects. The explosion happened at about 9pm Florida time (01.00 UTC) on May 28th. The loss of the […]
A filing made to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by a staffer at rocket company Blue Origin, which concerns radio communications with the company’s New Glenn rocket’s launch (NG-2), says that it will not happen before July 1st. It had been expected to launch late spring. The launch delay affects Amazon’s own Project Kuiper satellite […]
The Jeff Bezos-backed New Glenn reusable rocket made a successful debut flight (NG-1) just after 07.00 GMT from Launch Pad 36 at Cape Canaveral in Florida on January 16th. The launch schedule suffered a couple of pauses including a 20 minute ‘hold’, and then a further 30-minute delay when a boat entered the splash-down zone. […]
SpaceX has delayed the attempted launch of its massive Starship to January 15th with anxieties about the weather off the Texas coast. The Jeff Bezos-backed New Glenn rocket (NG-1) planned launch from Florida in the early hours of January 13th was also scrubbed. The delay to Elon Musk’s giant Starship was made because of bad […]
Jeff Bezos has ordered a massive series of rocket launches to get Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband system into space. Amazon has selected Arianespace, its own Blue Origin, as well as the United Launch Alliance for an overall 68 launches, split between the three giant launch providers. The three sets of contracts are by far the […]