NASA

WASHINGTON — Rocket propulsion startup Ursa Major is accelerating development and testing of its Draper liquid rocket engine in collaboration with U.S. defense agencies and military contractors. The goal: to position the engine for potential use in next-generation missiles that would be part of the Trump administration’s Iron Dome missile-defense initiative.Ursa Major last year completed ground tests of the Draper engine, developed with U.S. Air Force funding. These hot-fire tests took place at the company’s facilities in Berthoud, Colorado. Now, the company is planning a flight-testing campaign to further mature the design and explore military applications as well as commercial uses in space tugs and in-space transportation. “We believe Draper fills a gap that the United Stat...

WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab launched a fourth set of satellites for French company Kinéis Feb. 8 as it extends its lead in the small launch sector.A Rocket Lab Electron lifted off from the company’s Launch Complex 1, Pad A, at 3:43 p.m. Eastern. The vehicle’s kick stage deployed its payload of five satellites a little more than an hour after liftoff in orbits with planned altitudes of 646 kilometers and inclinations of 97 degrees.The launch was the four of five Rocket Lab is performing for Kinéis, a French company developing a constellation for Internet of Things services, after launches in June, September and November of 2024. The companies signed a contract for five Electron launches in 2021 to deploy the full Kinéis constellation.Kinéis executives said last fall that they expected to...

HELSINKI — Japan’s flagship H3 rocket successfully launched the Michibiki 6 navigation satellite early Sunday, enhancing the country’s regional GPS capabilities.The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H3 rocket lifted off at 3:30 a.m. Eastern (0830 UTC) Feb. 2 from Tanegashima Space Center. Aboard was the 1,900-kilogram Michibiki 6 satellite, also known as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-6), for Japan’s navigation satellite system. The system aims to provide Japan with positioning, navigation and timing services, while increasing the accuracy and reliability of GPS services in the region. Michibiki 6 will be placed at 90.5 degrees East in the geostationary belt, 35,786 kilometers above the equator.The first Michibiki spacecraft for a four-satellite system was launched in 2010. ...

WASHINGTON — Defense contractor Raytheon is partnering with satellite imaging startups Array Labs and Umbra Space to develop advanced three-dimensional Earth observation technologies for the commercial and government markets.The companies announced Jan. 27 they will jointly offer a new product called Site3D, which combines synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology with specialized mapping algorithms to create detailed 3D models of the Earth’s surface.SAR technology, which can capture images regardless of weather conditions or time of day, has gained increasing commercial adoption as satellite companies seek to provide continuous monitoring capabilities to customers.Santa Barbara-based Umbra Space currently operates SAR satellites for Earth observation, while Palo Alto startup Array ...