Chinese Firm MizarVision Accused Of Providing Satellite Images To Iran
U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency officials allege Chinese firm MizarVision has supplied AI‑enhanced satellite imagery to Iran, enabling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to pinpoint U.S. bases in the Middle East. The company, in which the Chinese government holds a minority stake, posted detailed images of U.S. installations on its Weibo account, images that were reportedly used in the attack on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base. MizarVision has not responded to the claims, while U.S. competitor Planet Labs has halted imagery of Iran amid the escalating conflict.
EdgeRunner Wins U.S. Space Force Contract for AI Agents
EdgeRunner AI has been awarded a firm‑fixed price contract by the U.S. Space Force to deliver domain‑specific artificial‑intelligence agents for Guardians. Over the next six months the startup will deploy its on‑device platform into the Space Force’s IL‑5 classified environment,...
Australia Rejects Call To Pursue Full European Southern Observatory Membership
On 1 April 2026 the Australian government rejected a proposal to become a full member of the European Southern Observatory, citing a $40 million AUD (≈$26 million USD) annual fee. The move will terminate Australia’s partnership with ESO by 2027, cutting access to the world’s...
UK Develops Robotic Lab to Study Moon and Mars Rocks
The University of Leicester’s Space Park has unveiled a Double‑Walled Isolator (DWI), an ultra‑clean robotic laboratory designed to store, handle and analyse lunar and Martian samples without contamination. NASA and ESA officials toured the facility and observed the system unpack,...
Artemis II Astronauts Will Recreate Apollo 8’s Iconic “Earthrise” Photo TODAY
NASA’s Artemis II crew will attempt a deliberate recreation of Apollo 8’s iconic Earthrise photograph during today’s lunar flyby. The mission timeline allocates a few minutes on the far side of the Moon for both Earthrise and Earthset shots. Modern digital cameras...
Venus Has A Giant Volcanic Cave Beneath Its Surface
A University of Trento team re‑examined NASA’s 1990s Magellan radar data and identified a massive volcanic cave beneath the Nyx Mons region on Venus. The skylight‑like pit is roughly 1 km wide, with a 150 m thick roof, 375 m height and a 45 km‑long...
India’s NavIC Satellite Network Faces 15–18 Month Revival
India’s NavIC satellite navigation system is projected to need another 15‑18 months to regain partial functionality, according to a parliamentary committee report. Only three of the eleven launched satellites currently deliver positioning, navigation and timing services, and their performance is...
What On Earth Is A Medicane?
Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones, known as medicanes, have long lacked a clear definition, limiting scientific comparison and public alerts. In March 2026, satellite observations captured Medicane Jolina, a rare March storm that transitioned from a cold‑core low to a warm‑core, eye‑like...
Space Pioneer Tianlong-3 Rocket Fails Its Debut Launch Attempt
China’s private launch firm Space Pioneer saw its Tianlong‑3 rocket fail on its maiden flight on April 3, 2026, after an engine‑bay explosion at about 33 seconds. The partially reusable vehicle, designed to lift up to 20 metric tons to...
Vast Safely Deorbits Haven Demo, Marking Key Step Toward Commercial Space Stations
Vast successfully performed a controlled deorbit of its Haven Demo spacecraft on 4 February 2026, concluding a three‑month orbital test campaign that hit 49 objectives. The mission, launched on a SpaceX rideshare in November 2025, validated critical systems such as...
All the Space Events, Conferences, and Meetups Worth Your Time in April 2026
April 2026 hosts a dense schedule of space‑focused events across the United States and abroad, ranging from policy‑driven summits to hands‑on technical workshops. Highlights include the Assured PNT Summit in Washington, the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, and the...
India Targets LVM3 Rocket Power Upgrade by End of 2026
India’s space agency ISRO is targeting an integrated hot‑test of its indigenous semi‑cryogenic SE/SCE‑2000 engine by the end of 2026, with test facilities already in place. The 2,000 kN thrust engine could serve as LVM3’s second stage or replace the existing...
Vietnam’s New AI Robot Cuts Bone to Millimetre Accuracy While the Surgeon Watches
Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has become Vietnam's first site to use the CUVIS‑Joint AI surgical robot, making the country the ninth worldwide to deploy the fully autonomous knee and hip replacement system. Developed by South...
A Study Claims That Small Dwarf Galaxies Helped Light Up The Universe
A new study using Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope data shows that tiny dwarf galaxies were the primary source of ionising photons that cleared the primordial hydrogen fog after the Big Bang. Observations of the Abell 2744 cluster reveal these...
NASA’s Artemis 2 Has a Space Toilet Issue – And It’s More Important Than You Think
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed lunar flight in over five decades, reported a malfunction in Orion’s Universal Waste Management System within hours of launch. A jammed fan has limited urine collection, though solid waste disposal remains operational. Engineers are...
TOP 5 Most Notable US Rocket Launch Sites with Long Histories
The United States now operates a mixed network of government‑run and privately‑licensed launch sites, with twelve commercial spaceports complementing four federal facilities. Vandenberg Space Force Base tops the list with over 700 launches since 1959, while Cape Canaveral Air Force...
Charles III Writes To Canada’s Astronaut On Artemis II Flight, Astra Carta
King Charles III wrote to Canadian astronaut Col. Jeremy Hansen ahead of the Artemis II mission, invoking his Astra Carta vision for responsible space development. The letter praises Hansen as the first Canadian to travel beyond low‑Earth orbit and frames the Moon...
Ispace and UEL Sign Lunar Payload Agreement
Japanese lunar‑services firm ispace and South Korean rover maker UEL have signed a payload service agreement to transport UEL’s SCARAB rover to the Moon. The two‑wheeled, 2 kg rover will ride aboard ispace’s ULTRA lander on Mission 3, scheduled for launch in...
Max Space Thunderbird Station: Can Inflatable Habitats Replace the ISS by 2030?
Max Space plans to launch its Thunderbird inflatable station in 2029, positioning it as a full‑scale commercial habitat to replace the ISS after its 2030 retirement. The design relies on a compact launch package that expands in orbit, delivering more...
Scottish Rocket Firm Skyrora Shortlisted for British Business Awards
Edinburgh‑based Skyrora has been shortlisted for Technology Company of the Year at the British Business Awards, a competition run with The Times and The Sunday Times. The shortlist places the rocket firm alongside energy leader Octopus Energy and fintech outfits...
Türkiye Negotiating LEO Satellite Operations With SpaceX And Amazon
Turkey’s Deputy Transport and Infrastructure Minister met with SpaceX and Amazon at the SATShow expo in Washington on March 26, 2026 to discuss operating low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellites over Turkish territory. The talks centered on meeting Turkey’s regulatory and security requirements...
Dominican Republic Finds Itself In The Middle Of The US-China Space Race
Launch on Demand, a Florida‑based firm, is preparing a $600 million rocket launch complex in Pedernales, Dominican Republic. The site’s equatorial location promises more efficient heavy‑lift launches for U.S. satellites, while also serving as a geopolitical counterweight to China’s expanding space...
NASA Science and Engineering Projects Going Up In SpaceX’s Transporter 16 Launch
On March 30, SpaceX will launch the Transporter 16 rideshare mission from Vandenberg, carrying a suite of NASA CubeSats and technology demonstrators. The payloads include AEPEX for monitoring high‑energy particle precipitation, TechEdSat23 testing radiation shielding and rapid deorbiting, and R5‑S10...
Airbus Helicopters To Supply Flexrotor UAS To India’s Garuda Aerospace
Airbus Helicopters has signed a deal to deliver up to 18 Flexrotor uncrewed aerial systems to Indian drone maker Garuda Aerospace. Garuda will lease the high‑end UAS for civil and parapublic missions, ranging from infrastructure inspection to disaster response. The...
Europe’s Space Agencies Prepare For A Brave New NASA
During NASA’s high‑profile Ignition conference in Washington, European space agencies convened at the Munich Space Summit to gauge the implications of the U.S. agency’s new lunar‑Mars roadmap. While the summit’s main sessions barely mentioned NASA’s plans, breakout discussions revealed a...
NASA’s NISAR Radar Cuts Through Clouds to Reveal the Pacific Northwest Like Never Before
NASA’s joint NASA‑ISRO NISAR mission released a radar image of the Pacific Northwest captured on 10 November 2025. The L‑band radar pierced dense cloud cover to deliver a sharp view of Seattle, Puget Sound, Portland and surrounding landmarks. NISAR’s 12‑meter antenna and...
Historic Space Debris Mission Winds Down as ADRAS-J Begins Descent
Japan’s Astroscale has begun the controlled descent of ADRAS-J, the pioneering satellite that spent ten months inspecting space debris. Over 293 days the craft performed unprecedented close-range approaches, photographing an 11‑meter, 3‑ton defunct rocket stage within 15 meters and validating rendezvous-and-proximity-operations...
Firefly Aerospace Quick-Steps On VICTUS DIEM Exercises
Firefly Aerospace teamed with Lockheed Martin to support the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS DIEM responsive‑space exercises, demonstrating rapid payload handling and launch capabilities. The joint effort completed payload processing in under 12 hours and executed a 36‑hour launch simulation, testing emergency protocols. Participants...
PAVE Space Secures $40 Million To Move Satellites Into Higher Orbits
German‑based PAVE Space announced the close of a $40 million seed round, led by Visionaries Club, Creandum and other investors. The funding will be used to develop its orbital transfer vehicles, LYOBA and IBEX, designed to reposition satellites from low‑Earth orbit...
AI May Have Just Revealed The Rules Of An Ancient Roman Board Game
Scientists used an AI‑driven system called Ludii to decode the rules of a limestone slab from the Roman town of Coriovallum, now Heerlen, Netherlands. By simulating thousands of possible rule sets, the AI identified the artifact as a blocking‑style board...
NASA Awards Intuitive Machines a $180.4 Million CLPS Contract
NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines a $180.4 million contract under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program for its fifth task order, dubbed IM‑5. The mission will deploy a larger Nova‑D lunar lander to the South‑Pole ridge Mons Malapert, delivering seven science...
AI Can Slow Climate Change By Helping Urban Planners Design Smarter Cities
Researchers at the University of Helsinki are leveraging artificial intelligence to help urban planners design greener, more efficient cities. By applying reinforcement‑learning models, AI can simulate traffic patterns and evaluate infrastructure changes in minutes rather than years. The same technology...
The New SatVu HotSat-2 Satellite Prepares For Launch
The British‑made HotSat‑2 satellite is set to launch on March 29 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 rideshare from Vandenberg. Equipped with a world‑leading infrared camera, it can detect thermal signatures through structures, surpassing the capabilities of NASA’s Landsat thermal sensors. Backed by roughly...
Amazon Leo Prepares To Boost Satellite Production And Launch
Amazon Leo announced a plan to double its launch cadence, targeting 20 missions in the second year after completing 11 launches in the first year. The company already operates more than 200 satellites and has hundreds of flight‑ready units stored...
Cornwall Space Station to Support NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Mission Since Apollo
Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall will track NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby using its 32‑metre GHY‑6 antenna, marking the first human deep‑space mission since Apollo 17. The commercial facility previously supported the uncrewed Artemis I flight and historically relayed the 1969 Apollo 11...
The ISS Is Retiring: Is Axiom Station a Perfect Bridge to Commercial Space?
NASA plans to retire the International Space Station by 2030, ending more than 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit. Rather than building a government‑owned replacement, the agency will buy services from private platforms to cut costs and sustain...
Aurora Avionics Expands Into Edinburgh Hub as Europe’s Launch Race Heats Up
Aurora Avionics has moved its headquarters and R&D to the Edinburgh Innovation Hub, scaling up operations as Europe intensifies its launch capabilities. Backed by £320,000 in funding, the startup secured partnerships with Pangea Propulsion and ATMOS Space Cargo to integrate...
Why Are Some Stars Not Always Visible In The Night Sky? An Astronomer Explains
The article explains why some stars remain visible year‑round while others vanish with the seasons. It contrasts solar and sidereal days, showing that stars rise about four minutes earlier each night because a sidereal day is 23 hours 56 minutes. Circumpolar stars near...
Eutelsat Ends Capacity Lease On Two Russian Satellites
Eutelsat has terminated its 15‑year capacity lease on Russia’s Express‑AT1 and Express‑AT2 geostationary satellites. Express‑AT1 was declared lost after a technical failure, while Express‑AT2 faces operational limits due to Western sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The lease, which...
Airbus Is Fitting AI War Drones for the German Air Force with First Flight Due in 2026
Airbus is integrating its European MARS mission system, featuring the MindShare AI, into two Kratos Valkyrie combat drones for the German Air Force. The first flight is targeted for late 2026, with full operational capability expected by 2029. The Valkyrie...
The $190 Million Military Contract That Makes Rocket Lab America’s Hypersonic Test Pilot
Rocket Lab secured a $190 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, the company’s largest launch deal to date. The agreement funds 20 HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) flights over four years, making the suborbital Electron variant the primary...
South Korean Rocket Failed 33 Seconds In — Now Engineers Know Why
South Korean startup INNOSPACE’s HANBIT‑Nano rocket broke apart 33 seconds after liftoff from Brazil’s Alcântara Space Center on 22 December 2025. A joint investigation with Brazil’s aerospace accident agency CENIPA identified a mis‑compressed sealing component in the forward chamber plug as the...
China Considers Volcanic Site For Its First Moon Landing
China is targeting a crewed lunar landing in 2030 and has identified the volcanic Rimae Bode region as the preferred site after evaluating 106 candidates and narrowing them to 14. The area’s mix of dark pyroclastic deposits, mare basalts, rille...
Thailand Could Send Its First Science Experiment to the Moon With Ispace
Japan’s lunar‑transport firm ispace and Thailand’s Geo‑Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) have signed an MOU to study a Thai‑built life‑science payload for delivery to the Moon. GISTDA will lead design, development and project management, while ispace will provide...
Check Out The UK Space Agency Space Skills And Careers Resources Guide
On 17 March 2026 the UK Space Agency refreshed its online guide of space‑skills and career resources, consolidating links to training, work‑experience and informational content. The updated list spotlights UKSpace101’s introductory portal, Airbus’s Springpod virtual experience for students aged 13+, Nuffield‑funded...
Iran’s Space Research Centre Destroyed in Israeli Air Strikes
Israeli forces struck Iran’s primary Space Research Centre in Tehran on March 13, part of a broader wave of attacks on the capital. The centre, which oversees satellite design, propulsion and high‑resolution imaging, is a cornerstone of Iran’s dual‑use space...
Sweden Opens Esrange to Military Orbital Launches
On March 16, 2026 SSC Space signed a SEK 209 million agreement with Sweden’s Defense Materiel Administration to build a military satellite launch capability at Esrange. The contract includes infrastructure, tracking, security and a launch control centre, targeting operational status by 2028....
ISRO Completes 165-Second Sea-Level Hot Test of CE20 Engine at 22-Ton Thrust
ISRO successfully completed a 165‑second sea‑level hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine at 22‑ton thrust, employing a Nozzle Protection System and a multi‑element igniter. The test validates the engine’s performance at the higher thrust level required for the upgraded...
NASA Tests CryoFILL Technology for Refueling Landers
NASA’s Glenn Research Center is testing CryoFILL, a cryogenic fluid in‑situ liquefaction system that turns extracted lunar oxygen into liquid propellant. The project uses a flight‑like cryocooler capable of operating below –300 °F to condense oxygen, aiming to reduce launch mass...
For The First Time, Humanity Has Changed A Natural Object’s Orbit Around The Sun
In September 2022 NASA’s DART spacecraft struck Dimorphos, the moonlet of asteroid Didymos, at 6.6 km/s, shortening the binary’s mutual orbit by 33 minutes and nudging its solar trajectory by 0.15 seconds. The kinetic impact proved a viable method to alter an asteroid’s...