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Space industry pollution above could have serious consequences for the environment below

Feb 5, 2024
Damage to the ozone layer could raise the risk of skin cancer, cataracts and immune disorders, says science reporter Shannon Hall.
Decommissioned satellites are designed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere, but they leave behind pollutants in their wake.
Chadan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

“Low Earth orbit is now open for business”

Nov 29, 2023
This is how Varda Space Industries hopes to commercialize manufacturing in space.
Will Bruey, CEO and co-founder of Varda Space Industries and Wendy Shimata, VP of Autonomous Systems observe Varda’s spacecraft as it orbits Earth.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

It may not have a cantina, but this Virginia spaceport is firing up its local economy

Jul 13, 2023
Last year, the world set a Space Age record by launching more than 180 rockets into orbit. And every launch pumps money into local coffers.
The control room in NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. About 2,000 people work at the center.
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace

The space industry puts a booster on its diversity-hiring efforts

Jun 6, 2023
The Space Workforce 2030 initiative includes some of the industry's biggest companies, Aerospace Corp. CEO Steve Isakowitz explains.
"We decided as an industry, let's increase the pool of talent," says Steve Isakowitz, CEO of The Aerospace Corporation.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

A new moon race is underway

And this it's private companies that are racing to get to the moon first.
Along with NASA, there are a bunch of organizations that want to send stuff to the moon. And now there are companies willing to take things there.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

How should the FAA regulate commercial spaceflight?

Jul 26, 2021
The industry's growth raises questions about how the FAA manages spaceports and their impact on surrounding communities.
Kevin Lang, vice president of the Little Cumberland homeowners association in Georgia, has been fighting a spaceport proposal that would involve launching rockets over members' homes.
Emma Hurt

When Bezos and Branson head into space, they and their companions fly at their own risk

Jul 5, 2021
Congress put a moratorium on regulating commercial human space flight to help the industry get off the ground.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has plans to send people to the moon.
Blue Origin

For public good, not for profit.

The evolution of the race to the cosmos

Apr 6, 2018
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are two of the biggest names in tech. They're also headlining the modern day space race.
The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket sits on launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center as it is prepared for tomorrow's lift-off on February 5, 2018 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

What will be the fallout from SpaceX blast?

Sep 1, 2016
Experts say the explosion probably won't derail the private space industry.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 40 carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite on SpaceXs first deep space mission at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in February 2015. One of SpaceX's rockets exploded during a routine test the morning of September 1, 2016.

 
NASA/Getty Images

Rural Georgia county sees space as economic engine

Feb 3, 2016
County hopes to build a private spaceport, and create Georgia’s own space coast
The SpaceX CRS-Falcon 9 launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
SpaceX