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News•Mar 1, 2026
SpaceX Launches 25 More Starlink Satellites
SpaceX successfully lofted 25 additional Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking another milestone for its broadband constellation. The Falcon 9’s first stage completed its 20th flight and returned to a drone ship in the Pacific. With 26 launches so far in 2026, SpaceX’s cadence outpaces the combined total of all other launch providers. Concurrently, Firefly and Japan’s Space One have launches scheduled, underscoring a busy week for the commercial space sector.
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 28, 2026
Cargo Dragon Successfully Returns to Earth
NASA’s Cargo Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific on Feb. 26, 2026 after a six‑month stint on the International Space Station. During its stay the vehicle fired its thrusters six times, raising the station’s orbit and proving a commercial...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 28, 2026
Rocket Lab Completes Another HASTE Suborbital Mission
Rocket Lab completed its seventh HASTE suborbital mission, repurposing the first stage of an Electron rocket to launch an Australian Hypersonix test vehicle from Wallops Island. The flight marks the company’s second Department of Defense hypersonic test in three months...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 27, 2026
Japanese Rocket Startup Space One to Attempt Third Orbital Launch This Weekend
Tokyo‑based Space One has set a third attempt to launch its Kairos small‑rocket for Sunday, March 1, 2026, from the private Spaceport Kii in Wakayama. The mission will loft five satellites, including one built by the Taiwan Space Agency, after two earlier...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 27, 2026
Europe’s Jupiter Probe Juice Releases Its First Image of Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) has released its first image of interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, captured on 6 November 2025, seven days after the comet’s perihelion. The picture shows a bright coma, an extended tail and fine structures such as jets, rays and...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 23, 2026
Webb Imaged a Star Before It Went Supernova
The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the first infrared image of a star before it exploded as a supernova, identifying the progenitor in galaxy NGC 1637. By aligning archival Hubble data with Webb’s MIRI and NIRCam observations from 2024, astronomers...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 23, 2026
Exolaunch Integrates Five Satellites in Isar’s Spectrum Rocket
Exolaunch has completed integration of five university CubeSat payloads for Isar Aerospace’s second launch attempt, slated for 19 March 2026 from Norway’s Andoya spaceport. The payloads—CyBEEsat, TRISAT‑S, STS1, Platform 6 6UXL and FramSat1—represent student projects from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Bulgaria and Norway. Isar’s first...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 21, 2026
SpaceX Launches 25 More Starlink Satellites
SpaceX launched 25 additional Starlink satellites from Vandenberg aboard a Falcon 9, marking the booster B1063’s 31st flight and successful drone‑ship landing. The launch pushes SpaceX’s 2026 tally to 21 missions, outpacing all other providers combined. Reuse statistics place the B1063...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 20, 2026
February 20, 2026 Quick Space Links
The post shares three space‑related items: Starlab’s full‑scale mock‑up displayed at Johnson Space Center, a reminder that Atlantis delivered the Destiny module to the ISS 25 years ago after three spacewalks, and the launch of Robert Zimmerman’s book *Genesis: the...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 20, 2026
India Negotiating a Possible Gaganyaan Docking at ISS
India’s space agency ISRO is in talks with NASA to conduct an uncrewed docking of the Gaganyaan orbital module to the International Space Station. The agreement would include extensive astronaut and ground‑crew training, as well as joint work on docking,...
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 19, 2026
Engine Problems for Japan’s Lunar Lander Company Ispace
Japanese lunar lander firm ispace announced delays in its third mission after encountering development problems with the VoidRunner engine, a joint effort with Agile Space Industries. The engine replacement forced redesigns, pushing the NASA‑backed CLPS mission from 2026 to 2027....
By Behind the Black
News•Feb 16, 2026
Fairing From India’s Bahubali Rocket Launched in December Found in Maldives
A fisherman off a remote Maldivian island recovered fragments that appear to be the fairing from India’s LVM3 (Bahubali) rocket, which launched AST SpaceMobile’s sixth Bluebird satellite in December. Similar debris was reported on a Sri Lankan island in late...
By Behind the Black
Deals•Feb 13, 2026
Chinese Rocket Startup iSpace Raises $729 Million in D++ Funding Round
Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd. (iSpace), a Chinese pseudo‑company rocket startup, announced on Feb 13 2026 that it raised $729 million in a D++ funding round. The round was co‑led by Tongchuang Weiye and Jingming Capital, with participation from CDH Baifu and...
Behind the Black
Deals•Feb 11, 2026
Stoke Space Raises $350M in Private Investment Capital
Rocket startup Stoke Space announced an additional $350 million in private investment capital, boosting its funding to accelerate development of its next-generation reusable launch vehicle and expand launch capabilities.
Behind the Black
News•Feb 10, 2026
Has Roscosmos Gotten Its Baikonur Soyuz-2 Launchpad Fixed Already?
Roscosmos is said to have finished repairs on Baikonur Site 31, the Soyuz‑2 launchpad, by February 10, 2026. The pad was rendered inoperable after a service platform fell into the flame trench during the November launch, an incident attributed to improper attachment. Earlier...
By Behind the Black
Deals•Jan 30, 2026
French Startup The Exploration Company Acquires Assets of UK Rocket Maker Orbex
The article reports that British rocket startup Orbex was forced to shut down and sell its assets to French startup The Exploration Company after the UK government withheld promised funding. The sale follows years of regulatory delays and a shortfall...
Behind the Black
Deals•Jan 21, 2026
The Exploration Company in Talks to Acquire Orbex
French startup The Exploration Company has entered negotiations to acquire UK rocket maker Orbex, following a letter of intent signed on 21 January. Orbex, which has faced regulatory delays and financial strain, is looking to sell its assets. Details of...
Behind the Black
Deals•Jan 12, 2026
Starlab Secures Major New Investor Seven Grand Managers in Strategic Funding Deal
The Starlab space station consortium, led by Voyager Technologies, announced it has secured a major new investor, Seven Grand Managers, in a strategic funding round. While the exact amount was not disclosed, the investment adds to Starlab’s prior $383 million public...
Behind the Black
Deals•Jan 6, 2026
L3Harris Sells 60% of Civilian Rocket Engine Division to AE Industrial Partners for $845M
L3Harris announced the sale of a 60% stake in its civilian rocket engine division to private‑equity firm AE Industrial Partners for $845 million, retaining a 40% share. The transaction revives the historic Rocketdyne name for the new entity, while the RS‑25...
Behind the Black