Scientists hail Rubin Observatory’s debut and look ahead
It’s been more than two decades since the University of Washington helped kick off the effort to get the Vera C. Rubin Observatory built in Chile — and now that it’s finished, UW astronomers are gearing up to get in on the first decade of discoveries.

The university’s r
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/27/scientists-hail-rubin-observatorys-debut-and-look-ahead/
#GeekWire #Astronomy #RubinObservatory #Space #UniversityOfWashington

A plan to manage asteroid mining wins Schweickart Prize
The $10,000 Schweickart Prize is awarded every June to mark Asteroid Day and draw attention to risks from above — and this year's prize is going to a team of students who are proposing a panel to focus on what could happen when we start tinkering with asteroids.

The winning p
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/26/a-plan-to-manage-asteroid-mining-wins-schweickart-prize/
#UniverseToday #Asteroids #B612Foundation #SchweickartPrize #Space

Starfish’s second spacecraft launched for docking test
Starfish Space’s second Otter Pup spacecraft went into Earth orbit today, marking the first step in what the Seattle-area startup hopes will be a successful demonstration of the vehicle’s ability to dock with other satellites.

Otter Pup, which is about the size of a microwave oven, was one of 70 pay
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/23/starfishs-second-spacecraft-launched-for-docking-test/
#GeekWire #Satellites #Space #StarfishSpace

New Frontier Aerospace tests 3D-printed rocket engine
Kent, Wash.-based New Frontier Aerospace says it has put its 3D-printed Mjölnir rocket engine through a series of successful hot-fire tests, in preparation for an initial flight test of a hypersonic drone that could take place as early as next year.

Mjölnir is named after the h
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/23/new-frontier-aerospace-tests-3d-printed-rocket-engine/
#GeekWire #3DPrinting #HypersonicFlight #NewFrontierAerospace #Space

Amazon adds 27 satellites to its broadband constellation
A second batch of satellites has been sent into low Earth orbit for Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband network, marking another significant step toward competing with SpaceX’s global Starlink network.

United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket launched 27 Pro
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/23/amazon-adds-27-satellites-to-its-broadband-constellation/
#GeekWire #Amazon #Atlas5 #Broadband #ProjectKuiper #Satellites #UnitedLaunchAlliance

Get a sneak peek at the Rubin Observatory’s gems
The team behind the Vera C. Rubin Observatory just couldn’t wait to start sharing views from the world’s newest eye on the sky, so they’re providing an advance peek at three pictures and a video.

The images include a wide-angle view of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas in the constellation Sagittarius, a couple o
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/22/get-a-sneak-peek-at-the-rubin-observatorys-gems/
#GeekWire #Astronomy #RubinObservatory #Space

Bill Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson riff on the cosmos
William Shatner set a record as the oldest human to go into space at the age of 90 — but at the age of 94, he’s not that interested in taking a second space trip to break his own record.

“You know, I had such a meaningful experience,” he told me. “Maybe I t
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/19/bill-shatner-and-neil-degrasse-tyson-riff-on-the-cosmos/
#GeekWire #BlueOrigin #NeilDeGrasseTyson #NewShepard #Space #StarTrek #WilliamShatner

AeroTEC joins project to test hybrid-electric aircraft
Seattle-based AeroTEC says it’s been selected by Pratt & Whitney Canada to lead the modification and flight test of an experimental hybrid-electric demonstrator aircraft at its Flight Test Center in Moses Lake, Wash.

The RTX demonstrator is a De Havilland Canada Da
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/17/aerotec-joins-project-to-test-hybrid-electric-aircraft/
#GeekWire #AeroTEC #Aviation #ElectricPropulsion #PrattWhitney #RTX #Technology

Portal Space puts its spacecraft factory near home base
Portal Space Systems says it’s decided to set up its 50,000-square-foot spacecraft manufacturing facility just 3 miles away from its existing design and testing hub in Bothell, Wash.

By the end of 2026, the factory should be ready to start producing Portal’s Supernova space vehicles, which are being desig
https://cosmiclog.com/2025/06/17/portal-space-puts-its-spacecraft-factory-near-home-base/
#GeekWire #PortalSpaceSystems #Space