Recent Posts
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 Ganquan Capital, alongside state‑linked investors.
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
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
News•Jan 8, 2026
January 8, 2026 Quick Space Links
Europe’s Orion service module for Artemis‑4 arrived at Kennedy Space Center for testing and integration, marking a key European contribution to NASA’s next lunar landing slated for no earlier than 2030. Russia announced it will rely on legacy Proton and...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 8, 2026
South Korean Rocket Startup Innospace Signs Deal with Portugal’s Santa Maria Spaceport
South Korean rocket startup Innospace has signed a five‑year agreement to use Portugal’s proposed Santa Maria spaceport in the Azores, beginning in 2026. The company aims to complete launch infrastructure and conduct its first commercial flight in the fourth quarter...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 8, 2026
Billionaire to Fund Construction of an Orbiting Optical Telescope Larger than Hubble
Schmidt Sciences, the foundation of Google co‑founder Eric and Wendy Schmidt, announced a multi‑billion‑dollar private program to build four research observatories, including Lazuli, a 3.1‑meter optical space telescope that outstrips Hubble’s 2.4‑meter mirror. The telescope will operate from a lunar‑resonant...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 8, 2026
Second Escapade Mars Orbiter Completes a Delayed Engine Burn
NASA announced that the second Escapade Mars orbiter successfully completed a delayed engine burn, correcting its trajectory after an earlier mid‑course correction showed unexpectedly low thrust. The telemetry anomaly, which indicated the engine was under‑performing, was addressed, though NASA provided...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 8, 2026
Zimmerman Op-Ed at PJ Media
Robert Zimmerman published an op‑ed on PJ Media urging President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to remove the crew from the upcoming Artemis II mission. He cites the Orion capsule’s heat‑shield damage during its 2022 re‑entry as a clear safety...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 6, 2026
An Excellent Summary of Europe’s Rocket Companies, Both Established and Startups
A new European Spaceflight report catalogues every active launch company across the continent, from the long‑standing ArianeGroup and Avio to a wave of emerging startups. The list provides concise status updates and ranks firms based on recent activity and announced...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 6, 2026
Computer Model: A Thin Ice Cap Can Preserve Liquid Water on Mars
Scientists using a computer model have shown that a thin seasonal ice cap can act as an insulating lid, allowing liquid water lakes on Mars to persist for centuries. By combining climate outputs from the Mars Weather Research & Forecasting...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 6, 2026
Rocketdyne to Reappear with Sale by L3Harris of Its Civilian Rocket Engine Division
L3Harris is divesting a 60% stake in its civilian rocket engine division to private‑equity firm AE Industrial Partners for $845 million, while retaining a 40% share. The newly formed entity will revive the historic Rocketdyne name and focus on NASA‑related propulsion...
By 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
News•Jan 5, 2026
Detection of the Wake of Betelgeuse’s Companion Star
Astronomers using Hubble and ground‑based observatories have identified the wake of Betelgeuse’s elusive companion, dubbed Siwarha, by tracking subtle light variations over eight years. The wake appears each time the companion transits the red supergiant’s surface, roughly every 2,100 days,...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 5, 2026
January 5, 2026 Quick Space Links
On Jan 5, 2026 a Spanish communications satellite was struck by a high‑velocity micro‑meteoroid, highlighting ongoing collision risks in low‑Earth orbit. The post also marks two historic anniversaries: Sputnik’s re‑entry on this date in 1958 and the Spirit rover’s landing in Gusev...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 5, 2026
A UK Law Professor and News Outlet Prove the UK Is Not the Place to Launch Rockets
A University of Dundee law professor praised UK space regulation as "very good," despite a decade of red tape that bankrupted a rocket startup and stalled launches at proposed UK spaceports. Licences have been granted for a vertical launch at...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 5, 2026
The Space Station Race: Startup Max Space to Establish Factory at Kennedy in Florida
Max Space is establishing a 20,000‑30,000 sq ft manufacturing plant at Kennedy Space Center, hiring 30‑50 staff by mid‑2026. The startup will produce inflatable habitat modules for its own Thunderbird space station, with a demonstration launch slated for 2027 on a Falcon 9....
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 5, 2026
Innospace Releases Preliminary Results of Launch Failure
Innospace released its first preliminary investigation of the December 22 2025 Hanbit‑Nano launch failure. Video and telemetry show the vehicle climbed nominally for about 30 seconds before cloud‑induced communication loss, after which unexplained structural damage caused breakup and engine thrust termination. The flight...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 4, 2026
Review of SpaceX’s 2026 Superheavy/Starship Test Flights
SpaceX is expanding its launch infrastructure with two Starship pads at Boca Chica and three at Cape Canaveral, each backed by near‑continuous manufacturing facilities. The company completed five Superheavy/Starship test flights in 2025, maintaining an average cadence of one launch...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 4, 2026
SpaceX Launches 29 More Starlink Satellites, Plus a Review of Its Falcon 9 First Stage Fleet
SpaceX successfully launched 29 additional Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, marking its second launch of 2026. The rocket’s first‑stage booster landed safely on an Atlantic drone ship, adding to an estimated 25 active boosters. A review of...
By Behind the Black
News•Jan 3, 2026
NASA: The Leak in the Zvezda Module on ISS Has Apparently Been Sealed
NASA confirmed that the long‑standing leaks in the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station have been sealed, stabilizing pressure in the PrK transfer tunnel. The leaks, traced to stress fractures from the module’s 25‑year orbital life and repeated...
By Behind the Black