The contracted work will be performed in Oakhanger, England, and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2025. The award raises the total cumulative face value of the contract to $140.2 million.

The U.S. Air Force is obligating $13.5 million in Fiscal Year 2022 Procurement funding at the time of the award. The U.S. Space Systems Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity.

Source:  U.S. Department of Defense

The crew achieved three historic firsts:

· Sara Sabry became the first person from Egypt to fly to space.

· Vanessa O’Brien became the first woman to reach extremes on land (Mt. Everest), sea (Challenger Deep), and air (pass the Kármán line), completing the Explorers’ Extreme Trifecta, a Guinness World Record.

· Mário Ferreira became the first person from Portugal to fly to space.

The New Shepard is a fully reusable VTOL space vehicle. The system consists of a pressurized capsule atop a booster. The components launch vertically, accelerating for approximately two-and-a-half minutes before the engine cuts off. The capsule then separates from the booster and coasts into space. After a few minutes of free fall, the booster performs an autonomously controlled rocket-powered vertical landing, while the capsule lands using parachutes.

New Shepard test flights lift off from Blue Origin's facility in western Texas. During launch, the system reaches speeds of over Mach 3.7.

Source:  Blue Origin
Associated URL: blueorigin.com

Rocket Lab’s CICs will be integrated into the solar panels and arrays on the Lockheed Martin-designed and built spacecraft. The spacecraft recently successfully passed critical design review, a major milestone in becoming certified for space. The first of the three satellites is scheduled to launch in 2025.

Source:  Rocket Lab
Associated URL: rocketlabusa.com