Posted: Sat, Apr 11 10:47 AM ET (1447 GMT)
NASA's Artemis 2 mission successfully concluded with a splashdown of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean Friday. The Orion spacecraft Integrity splashed down at 8:07 pm EDT (0007 GMT Saturday) off the coast from San Diego. The four astronauts on board were in good condition after a trip lasting more than nine days, and were on a recovery ship within two hours of splashdown. The Orion spacecraft was later loaded onto the recovery ship. The splashdown concluded the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years, with the Orion spacecraft flying around the moon on a test flight. Artemis 3, a mission in Earth orbit to test the Orion spacecraft's ability to dock with lunar landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX, is scheduled to launch by mid-2027.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  AP article
•  Reuters article
•  New York Times article
•  NASA press release

Posted: Sat, Apr 11 10:34 AM ET (1434 GMT)
The Space Force selected 14 companies Wednesday to participate in a $1.8 billion program to monitor activities in geosynchronous orbit. The program known as Andromeda is structured as a $1.8 billion, 10-year contracting vehicle managed by Space Systems Command. It establishes a pool of vendors that will compete for task orders to design and build spacecraft and supporting systems. The selected vendors span a mix of established defense contractors and newer space firms and is an effort by the Space Force to broaden its supplier base, pairing large incumbents with venture-backed entrants that have been pushing into national security missions. Andromeda will initially focus on satellites capable of observing activity in geosynchronous orbit, roughly 22,000 miles above Earth, where many of the military's most valuable communications and missile-warning systems operate.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Breaking Defense article
•  Air and Space Forces Magazine article

Report warns of growing counterspace concerns
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Starfish Space raises more than $100 million
Posted: Sat, Apr 11 10:30 AM ET (1430 GMT)
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