Jeff Foust

Rockville

Senior writer, @SpaceNews_Inc. Tips? DMs open, email [email protected], or on Signal: jfoust.58. Also @jfoust.bsky.social.

Articles

NASA switches to backup propellant line on Psyche spacecraft

1 week ago | copernical.com | Jeff Foust

NASA has decided to switch to a backup propellant line on its Psyche asteroid mission to allow the spacecraft to resume use of its electric propulsion system.
NASA switches to backup propellant line on Psyche spacecraft

1 week ago | spacenews.com | Jeff Foust

AMSTERDAM — NASA has decided to switch to a backup propellant line on its Psyche asteroid mission to allow the spacecraft to resume use of its electric propulsion system. The thrusters on the Psyche spacecraft, on its way to an asteroid also known as Psyche, shut down at the beginning of April after pressure fell in a line feeding xenon propellant to those thrusters.
Space One and Space BD to launch satellite for Japanese military

1 week ago | copernical.com | Jeff Foust

The Japanese military has selected companies Space One and Space BD to launch a small satellite.
Space One and Space BD to launch satellite for Japanese military

1 week ago | spacenews.com | Jeff Foust

AMSTERDAM — The Japanese military has selected companies Space One and Space BD to launch a small satellite. The companies announced May 28 that they won a contract from the Japan Ministry of Defense for the launch of an optical imaging satellite that will be built by Canon Electronics. The announcement did not disclose the value of the contract or the projected launch date.
Apex announces Comet satellite bus for constellations

1 week ago | copernical.com | Jeff Foust

Satellite manufacturer Apex has unveiled its largest spacecraft yet, a bus designed to serve commercial and government constellation customers.
Apex announces Comet satellite bus for constellations

1 week ago | spacenews.com | Jeff Foust

WASHINGTON — Satellite manufacturer Apex has unveiled its largest spacecraft yet, a bus designed to serve commercial and government constellation customers. Apex announced May 28 it is now taking orders for Comet, a satellite bus significantly larger than its existing Aries and Nova products. Comet features a flat form factor that fits in a five-meter launch vehicle payload fairing and can generate more than five kilowatts of power. It can accommodate payloads weighing more than 500 kilograms.
Starship breaks up on reentry after loss of attitude control

1 week ago | copernical.com | Jeff Foust

SpaceX’s Starship suffered a loss of attitude control after reaching space on its latest test flight May 27, leading to an uncontrolled reentry and a third consecutive failure.
Starship breaks up on reentry after loss of attitude control

1 week ago | spacenews.com | Jeff Foust

AMSTERDAM — SpaceX’s Starship suffered a loss of attitude control after reaching space on its latest test flight May 27, leading to an uncontrolled reentry and a third consecutive failure. Starship lifted off from SpaceX’s test site at Starbase, Texas, at 7:36 p.m. Eastern. The liftoff was delayed in the final seconds of the countdown because of an issue with a quick-disconnect fitting in ground equipment that required resetting the countdown to the T-40 second mark for several minutes to fix it.
Review: From the Laboratory to the Moon

1 week ago | thespacereview.com | Jeff Foust

From the Laboratory to the Moon: The Quiet Genius of George R. Carruthersby David H. DeVorkinThe MIT Press, 2025paperback, 456 pp., illus. ISBN 978-0-262-55139-7US$75.00Some time this fall, a Falcon 9 will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying three heliophysics spacecraft for NASA and NOAA.
SpaceX blames Starship Flight 8 mishap on engine hardware failure

2 weeks ago | copernical.com | Jeff Foust

The failure of SpaceX’s Starship on its most recent test flight had a different root cause than the previous failure, despite happening at about the same time.