A Long March 4C rocket carrying the Yaogan-33 reconnaissance satellite failed following its May 23 liftoff, Chinese state-run media confirmed. SpaceNews.com

The NewSpace sector is expected to grow from a $350 billion global industry in 2018 to a trillion dollar one by 2040, according to a Morgan Stanley report. Given these forecasts it is not clear how the market will expand, will there be more mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, initial coin offerings or just companies remaining private? SpaceNews.com

NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service is requesting nearly $17.3 million in 2020 funding for a series of initiatives to explore the potential contributions of new data partnerships, small satellites and advanced technologies. SpaceNews.com

Olis Robotics is working to demonstrate the application of its autonomy software for NASA, the Air Force and others space customers to support internal and external space servicing, assembly, manufacturing and operational concepts,” said Blaine Levedahl, Olis Robotics’ U.S. government programs director. SpaceNews.com

Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance have filed 'motions to intervene' in the lawsuit filed by SpaceX against the U.S. government SpaceNews.com

With congressional funding and industry support, nuclear thermal propulsion technology is making progress for potential use on future NASA deep space missions, although how it fits into the agency’s exploration architectures remains uncertain. SpaceNews.com

Hawkeye 360, a company flying a constellation of small satellites to map radio frequency signals, announced a partnership May 22 with Windward, a company focused on maritime risks, to offer customers insights on the maritime environment. SpaceNews.com

Although NASA’s Mars Laser Communications Demonstration never flew, the project proceeded far enough to establish a price for terminals to relay data for the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter: $90 million. SpaceNews.com

The Canadian Space Agency — NASA’s first international partner to commit to the lunar Gateway — is considering a faster schedule for its contributions to keep pace with NASA’s accelerated plans. SpaceNews.com

Companies interested in developing commercial space stations and related facilities in low Earth orbit are wondering if NASA’s support for such efforts havsbeen overshadowed by the agency’s rush back to the moon. SpaceNews.com

SpaceX says Starlink satellites will directly receive Air Force tracking data and use that to tweak their orbits when presented with the risk of a collision. Space debris experts say the probability of a collision varies on a case-by-case basis, making automation difficult. SpaceNews.com

Launch vehicle startups remain focused on unique engine designs. At last count, there were 129 rocket startups, Rich Pournelle, NanoRacks senior vice president for business development, said at a recent conference. How many will survive? SpaceNews.com

The House Appropriations Committee commended the Air Force’s launch procurement strategy for increasing competition and eliminating U.S. reliance on Russian rocket engines. SpaceNews.com

As the cost of phased array antennas drops, the technology becomes increasing attractive to commercial customers like Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), the Norwegian company that operates 179 antennas at 22 different sites around the world. SpaceNews.com

Viasat will build a small satellite equipped with a Link 16 radio that will serve as a network relay. SpaceNews.com

House appropriators criticized NASA for seeking to cancel “legacy” science and education programs in favor of new exploration efforts, moving money back to those missions while remaining silent on the administration’s accelerated lunar return. SpaceNews.com

Despite a surge in Chinese launch activity and growth of commercial Chinese launch developers, executives with American companies said they’re not worried about potential competition with them. SpaceNews.com

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), an agency created in 2015 to accelerate the adoption of commercial technology to solve national security problems, is trying to reduce the time it takes to award contracts from 90 days to 60 days. SpaceNews.com

From 2013 until 2017, Barrett served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Aerospace Corporation SpaceNews.com

Dissatisfied with the length and content of proposed rules to streamline commercial launch and reentry regulations, industry officials say they will ask for an extension of an ongoing public review period for those rules. SpaceNews.com