Isar Postpones 2nd Spectrum Rocket Launch Attempt, No New Date Set
Isar Aerospace cancelled its second attempt to launch the Spectrum rocket from Norway’s Andoya spaceport after detecting a pressurization‑valve fault. The company said it will assess a new launch window but gave no specific date, suggesting a delay that could push the attempt into spring. The postponement underscores the technical challenges of early‑stage launch providers and adds uncertainty to Europe’s emerging spaceport race, where Andoya competes with Sweden’s Estrange and stalled UK sites.
French Startup The Exploration Company Negotiating Purchase of UK Rocket Startup Orbex
Orbex, the UK‑based small‑sat rocket developer, has signed a letter of intent with French startup The Exploration Company to sell its assets. The move follows years of delays caused by the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s licensing hurdles, which forced Orbex...
JAXA Releases Preliminary Results of Investigation Into December 2025 H3 Rocket Launch Failure
JAXA released preliminary findings on the December 2025 H3 launch failure, pinpointing premature fairing separation that damaged the satellite mounting section and ruptured the second‑stage fuel tubing. The damage halted engine combustion and caused the Michibiki‑5 satellite to detach when...
New Spaceport Proposed in India Independent of Its Space Agency ISRO
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu announced preliminary talks with Greenko Group to develop a commercial spaceport on Hope Island near Kakinada. The site offers a more efficient launch trajectory for polar orbits, reducing fuel compared with ISRO's Sriharikota facility....
Another Zimmerman Op-Ed Today at PJ Media
Robert Zimmerman’s latest PJ Media op‑ed condemns mainstream coverage of NASA’s Artemis II rollout as propaganda, arguing that nearly twenty outlets praised the mission without addressing critical safety concerns. He points out that only a single article mentioned Orion’s heat‑shield issues,...
China Launches More Satellites in Its Guowang Satellite Constellation
China successfully placed the 19th group of Guowang (SatNet) satellites into orbit using a Long March 12 launch from the Wencheng coastal spaceport. The launch brings the constellation to roughly 150 satellites, positioning it as a direct competitor to SpaceX’s...
Japan’s Government Gives Ispace a $125 Million Contract to Build a High-Precision Lunar Lander
Japan’s government awarded lunar‑exploration startup Ispace a $125 million contract under the second phase of the Space Strategy Fund to develop a high‑precision lander aimed at a 2029 launch to the Moon’s polar regions. The agreement also funds a lunar orbiter...
China’s Damaged Shenzhou-20 Manned Capsule Successfully Returned Unmanned Today
China successfully recovered the Shenzhou-20 crew capsule unmanned after a reported window breach, touching down in Inner Mongolia. State media released only distant photos, showing a damaged window but no clear view of the alleged debris impact. The limited visual...
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s High Resolution Camera Is Showing Its Age
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera is showing clear signs of aging, with new vertical data gaps and color drop‑outs appearing in recent images. Engineers identified two primary faults: intermittent RED4 sensor failures that erase color data, and increasing bit‑flip‑induced...
Astronomers Detect a Bar of Iron in the Center of the Ring Nebula
Astronomers using the new WEAVE spectrograph on the Herschel Telescope in Chile have identified a narrow bar of ionised iron (Fe V and Fe VI) crossing the inner cavity of the Ring Nebula (M57). The structure stretches roughly 500 times the orbital...
The Recent Computer Hack of the European Space Agency Was Bigger than It Admitted
The European Space Agency (ESA) disclosed a December‑era hack that it described as limited, but new reports reveal a far larger breach. Security researchers say attackers gained initial access in September via an unpatched public CVE and exfiltrated roughly 500 GB...
China Launches Four Satellites for Another Chinese Constellation
Galactic Energy successfully placed four additional satellites into its Tianqi internet‑of‑things constellation using a Ceres‑1 solid‑fuel rocket launched from a sea platform off China’s northeast coast. The mission marks the sixth launch for Tianqi, bringing the total to 41 satellites,...
Lockheed Martin and General Electric Complete Tests of a Rotating-Detonation Engine
Lockheed Martin and GE Aerospace announced successful tests of a liquid‑fuel rotating‑detonation ramjet (RDR) designed for hypersonic missiles. The joint effort proved the engine can generate high thrust at super‑ and hypersonic speeds while being smaller and lighter than conventional...
The European Space Agency and China Hold the First Joint Meeting in Almost a Decade
The European Space Agency hosted China National Space Administration leaders in Paris, marking the first joint meeting since 2017. Delegates highlighted recent technical milestones, including the Tianguan (Einstein Probe) launch with ESA hardware, progress on the SMILE mission, and ESA’s...
China Launches Classified Military Satellite in Partnership with Algeria
China launched a classified military remote‑sensing satellite on a Long March 2C from Jiuquan, marking the first payload under its joint remote‑sensing program with Algeria. The satellite, built by the China Academy of Space Technology, is intended for land‑planning, disaster prevention...
China Claims It Has Launched and Landed a New Suborbital Reusable Spacecraft
China’s state‑owned CAS Space announced that its PH‑1 suborbital reusable spacecraft completed a test flight on Jan. 13, reaching roughly 120 km altitude and crossing the Kármán line. After re‑entry, the capsule deployed a parachute at about 10 km and landed at a...
Portugal Signs Artemis Accords
Portugal officially joined the Artemis Accords, becoming the 60th nation to endorse the U.S.-led lunar partnership. The signing completes a near‑full European roster, with only a few states yet to ratify. Earlier reports suggested Latvia had already signed, but NASA’s...
Space Station Starlab Gets Major New Investor
Voyager Technologies‑led consortium building Starlab announced a major new investor, Seven Grand Managers, a New York firm with over $1 billion in assets. While the exact amount was not disclosed, the investment is described as “significant,” adding to Starlab’s existing $383 million...
India’s PSLV Rocket Experiences the Second Launch Failure in a Row
India’s ISRO attempted its first 2026 launch using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), but the rocket’s third stage failed again near the end of its burn. The malfunction caused the stage to tumble, aborting engine thrust and resulting in...
SpaceX Launches NASA’s Pandora Exoplanet Space Telescope
SpaceX successfully launched NASA’s Pandora exoplanet telescope aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, marking the rocket’s fifth first‑stage recovery and a landing on the West Coast. Pandora, a smallsat designed to repeatedly observe 20 known transiting exoplanet host stars, flew alongside...
The First Preliminary Research Into Landing a Mars Helicopter in the Starship Landing Zone
Researchers at the Planetary Science Institute have released a preliminary, unfunded study mapping possible Mars helicopter landing sites inside SpaceX’s Starship candidate zone. Using five recent Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images, they identified locations near the low Erebus mountain chain that...
Chinese Pseudo-Company Building 3/4 Billion Dollar Rocket Factory
Chinese launch startup Space Epoch announced a 5.2 billion‑yuan ($740 million) factory to mass‑produce reusable, medium‑to‑large liquid‑fuel rockets that can land on sea platforms. The plant, slated to start operations soon, aims to build up to 25 rockets annually, targeting a launch...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...