Posted: Sat, Nov 1 11:22 AM ET (1522 GMT)
A Chinese crewed spacecraft arrived at the Tiangong space station hours after launch Friday. A Long March 2F rocket lifted off at 11:44 am EDT (1544 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, placing the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft docked with Tiangong at 3:22 pm EDT (1922 GMT). Shenzhou-21 delivered to the station astronauts Zhang Lu, Zhang Hongzhang, and Wu Fei, who will spend the next six months on the station. The current Tiangong crew of Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie wil return to Earth on Shenzhou-20 in early November.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  SpacePolicyOnline.com article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  CBS News article
•  Xinhua article

Posted: Sat, Nov 1 11:18 AM ET (1518 GMT)
Bulgarian smallsat manufacturer EnduroSat has raised $104 million. The company announced Thursday it raised the new round, bringing its total investment to more than $150 million. The extra funds will help ramp up production at a recently opened 17,500-square-meter facility in Sofia, Bulgaria. EnduroSat said the expansion will support growing demand for small- to mid-sized satellite constellations, ranging from dozens to hundreds of spacecraft. Early-stage investors Riot Ventures, Google Ventures, Lux Capital and Shrug Capital participated in the latest funding round, alongside the European Innovation Council Fund.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  European Spaceflight article
•  EnduroSat press release

SpaceX touts simplified lunar lander architecture
Posted: Sat, Nov 1 11:14 AM ET (1514 GMT)
SpaceX says it has a “simplified” plan for getting humans to the moon on Starship while defending its current approach. In a statement Thursday, the...

Blue Origin tests second New Glenn ahead of launch
Posted: Sat, Nov 1 11:10 AM ET (1510 GMT)
Blue Origin conducted a static-fire test of its second New Glenn rocket Thursday night. The company ignited the seven BE-4 engines in the...

First HTV-X cargo spacecraft reaches ISS
Posted: Sat, Nov 1 11:06 AM ET (1506 GMT)
A Japanese cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday. The station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm grappled the HTV-X1 spacecraft at 11:58...