Boeing’s Orbital Express spacecraft has conducted a “fully autonomous fly-around-and-capture of its NextSat client spacecraft.” In April the company’s Autonomous Space Transport Robotic Operations servicing spacecraft demonstrated the ability to transfer propellant and a battery from one spacecraft to another. This time ASTRO separated from, circled around, and re-mated with the Ball Aerospace NextSat.
A new Space Force partnership with Blue Origin to expand payload processing capacity at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will allow the launch range to support as many as 16 more missions per year.