Recent Posts
Deals•Feb 25, 2026
Ispace Raises $730M in Record-Breaking Funding Round to Develop Reusable Rocket
Ispace, a Chinese private aerospace firm, announced a record $730 million fundraising round, the largest in China’s private aerospace sector. The round was led by Cowin Capital and Jingming Capital, with participation from Spring Partners, Chengdu Industry Group and Qianlima Capital, and will fund the development of the reusable Hyperbola‑3 rocket and related launch capabilities. The company also indicated that a pre‑IPO advisory process is underway.
Orbital Today
Deals•Feb 9, 2026
The Exploration Company (TEC) in Advanced Talks to Acquire UK Rocket Maker Orbex
German‑French space startup The Exploration Company (TEC) is in advanced negotiations to acquire British rocket manufacturer Orbex, a move that would consolidate Europe’s small‑launch market. The potential acquisition has drawn scrutiny due to TEC’s leadership ties to Russian space entities,...
Orbital Today
Deals•Feb 1, 2026
IN-SPACe Provides ₹350 Crore Loan to PixxelSpace India-Led EOS Consortium
The Indian space regulator IN‑SPACe signed a PPP agreement with a consortium led by PixxelSpace India, providing a ₹350 crore loan to fund the development of a 12‑satellite Earth Observation constellation. The deal, announced on Wednesday, marks a major public‑private partnership...
Orbital Today
News•Jan 19, 2026
Billionaire Fight Night: Insults Fly as Musk Takes on Ryanair
Elon Musk and Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary have turned a technical debate over Starlink satellite Wi‑Fi into a public feud, trading barbs on social media. Ryanair estimates the equipment would increase fuel burn by about 2%, costing roughly $250 million annually,...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 19, 2026
Mitsubishi Joins Starlab as Key Customer, Expands Space Station Partnership
Mitsubishi Corporation has reserved and pre‑purchased payload capacity on Starlab’s upcoming commercial space station, becoming a key customer and board member. The deal expands Mitsubishi’s equity stake, giving Japanese research institutions guaranteed access to microgravity labs aboard the AI‑enabled platform....
By Orbital Today
Deals•Jan 19, 2026
Mitsubishi Corporation Invests in Starlab Space, Becoming Key Customer and Board Member
Mitsubishi Corporation announced it will pre-purchase capacity on Starlab Space’s upcoming commercial space station and increase its equity investment in the company, joining Starlab’s board of directors. The partnership gives Mitsubishi rights to payload space and laboratory access, supporting Japanese...
Orbital Today
News•Jan 18, 2026
Dcubed to Supply Solar Panels for Lunar Rover on Blue Ghost 3 Mission
Blue Origin’s Honeybee Robotics has chosen Dcubed to provide five body‑mounted solar array panels for its lunar rover, which will ride aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 3 lander in 2028. The rover will explore the previously unvisited Gruithuisen Domes, operating...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 18, 2026
FZ Scraps Major Proposal to Prevent Space Debris
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the withdrawal of its 2023 proposed rule that would have mandated the removal of launch vehicle upper stages from orbit within 25 years. The decision follows a limited comment period in which industry stakeholders highlighted...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 17, 2026
US Office of Space Commerce Seeks Industry Feedback on Indian Space Market
The U.S. Office of Space Commerce has issued a formal request for input from American space firms about the regulatory landscape and competitiveness of the Indian market. The solicitation focuses on the 2023 India Space Policy, the 2024 Non‑Governmental Entity...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 16, 2026
Ispace Expands to Saudi Arabia as Lunar Race Draws in the Middle East
Japanese lunar explorer ispace announced the formation of a Saudi Arabian subsidiary, following the Saudi‑Japan Ministerial Investment Forum. The company has obtained an Investment Registration Certificate and is completing commercial registration, enabling direct operations in the Kingdom. The new entity...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 15, 2026
Titan Isn’t What We Thought: New Evidence Wipes Out the Case for a Buried Ocean
A new Nature study reexamines Cassini radio‑tracking data and finds Titan’s interior dissipates far more tidal energy than previously thought. The measured 3–4 TW of heat loss cannot be reconciled with a global subsurface ocean, prompting a shift to a model...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 14, 2026
Astroscale Wins ESA Backing For World-First Plan To Repair Satellites In Orbit
Astroscale UK has secured a €399,000 Phase A contract from the European Space Agency to design the In‑Orbit Refurbishment and Upgrading Service (IRUS), a world‑first capability to repair satellites in space. The eight‑month study will evaluate technical feasibility and commercial viability,...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 14, 2026
Navy Trains F-35 Pilots To Fly With Uncrewed Wingmen
The US Navy completed a major training milestone by using the Joint Simulation Environment to develop tactics for F‑35 pilots operating alongside Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the service’s uncrewed wingmen. In the virtual exercises at Patuxent River, pilots used tablet controls...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 14, 2026
Space Force Overhauls Fitness Rules in Bold Push to Future-Proof Guardians
The U.S. Space Force is revamping its fitness program under a Holistic Health Approach, mandating two structured physical evaluations per year starting in 2026. The new system assesses aerobic capacity, muscular performance, core endurance, and body composition, with results appearing...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 13, 2026
Studying Space Science Today: Tools and Technologies Students Should Know
The article outlines the essential digital and observational tools that modern space‑science students must master, from Python and MATLAB programming to high‑performance computing, ground‑ and space‑based telescopes, remote‑sensing satellites, AI, and virtual labs. It emphasizes hands‑on experience with mission archives,...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 13, 2026
Weird Blobs And Ribbons May Help Reveal The Secrets Of Solar Flares
Solar flares unleash massive energy that can disrupt GPS, telecoms and power grids. New high‑resolution images from ESA/NASA’s Solar Orbiter reveal tiny bead‑like blobs and dynamic flare ribbons within the Sun’s chromosphere. These structures, only a few hundred kilometres across,...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 11, 2026
Royal Astronomical Society Announces 2026 Award Winners
The Royal Astronomical Society unveiled its 2026 award winners at the A&G Highlights Meeting on 9 January. Professor Shrinivas Kulkarni received the Gold Medal in Astronomy for pioneering work in time‑domain and multi‑wavelength transient astrophysics, while Professor Andrew Jackson earned the...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 10, 2026
Indian Rocket To Orbit A Temple and Spanish KID. KID To Reenter Earth Atmosphere
India’s PSLV‑C62 mission on 12 January 2026 will loft Spain’s KID re‑entry demonstrator, Brazil’s Orbital Temple, and 13 other satellites, including India’s EOS‑N1 earth‑observation payload. KID will separate at about 504 km, re‑enter after 108 minutes, and transmit data without a parachute. The Orbital...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 10, 2026
What Happened To Four Mice In Orbit Could Change Deep-Space Missions Forever
Four laboratory mice flew aboard China’s Shenzhou‑21 mission for a 14‑day stay on the Tiangong space station. After returning to Earth, a female mouse gave birth to nine pups, six of which are thriving. The experiment demonstrated that short‑term microgravity...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 10, 2026
Leonid Space Releases Deorbit Forecast Validation
Leonid Space completed a comprehensive validation of its deorbit forecasting workflow, testing 934 non‑maneuvering satellites that reentered between 1961 and 2024 across six solar cycles. The company reports median one‑year deorbit errors of 6.0 days with perfect knowledge, 18.6 days...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 10, 2026
Dhruva Space to Enable 10 Missions on ISRO’s PSLV-C62 Rocket
Dhruva Space announced its Polar Access‑1 programme, enabling ten satellite missions on ISRO’s PSLV‑C62 launch scheduled for 12 January. The initiative bundles four satellites, separation systems and ground‑station services into a repeatable Sun‑Synchronous orbit access package. Missions span disaster communications, environmental...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 9, 2026
NASA SWOT Satellite Recorded A Tsunami From Space
NASA’s Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite recorded a high‑resolution view of the July 2025 Kamchatka‑origin tsunami, covering more than 120 km of ocean surface. Researchers combined this imagery with DART buoy data, revealing detailed wave patterns and challenging the long‑standing...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 9, 2026
China Reports Progress On Xuntian Telescope Data Simulations
China’s research team has completed a full data‑simulation workflow for the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), also known as the Xuntian Space Telescope, publishing the results on 7 January. The end‑to‑end suite generates realistic pixel‑level mock observations that mirror the telescope’s...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 9, 2026
ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2026: How to Apply?
The Royal Observatory’s ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition opened for entries on 5 January 2026 and will close at noon GMT on 2 March. The contest accepts adult and youth submissions across eight themed adult categories and a single youth...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 9, 2026
Astronomy’s Northern Blind Spot — And the Canary Island Giant That Could Fix It
Astronomy’s next era hinges on ultra‑large telescopes, yet the Northern Hemisphere lacks a 30‑meter‑class optical instrument. A recent paper argues that relocating the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) to La Palma would fill this gap, enabling rapid follow‑up of multi‑messenger events....
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 8, 2026
Mysterious Star That Vanished For 130 Years Has Been Found
In 1892 Edward Emerson Barnard reported a bright, seventh‑magnitude star near Venus that seemingly vanished on a second look, sparking over a century of speculation. Recent amateur astronomers Tim Hunter and Roger Ceragioli revisited the region with a vintage eyepiece...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 8, 2026
Alaska Airlines Accelerates Starlink Wi-Fi Rollout
Alaska Airlines is accelerating the rollout of SpaceX’s Starlink in‑flight Wi‑Fi across its entire fleet, following successful testing on Embraer E175 aircraft. The airline plans to install the system on its E175, 737 and 787 jets through 2026, with full...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 8, 2026
Hubble Captures Stunning and Dramatic Blue Gas Outflow From Galaxy NGC 4388
Hubble’s newest multi‑wavelength images of the edge‑on spiral NGC 4388 reveal a vivid blue plume of ionized gas extending from the galaxy’s core. The outflow appears to be energized by radiation from the central supermassive black hole and shaped by ram‑pressure...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 8, 2026
Starfighters Space Completes Supersonic Flight Test
Starfighters Space announced a successful supersonic flight test using its F‑104 platform under GE Aerospace’s ATLAS program, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The aircraft carried an advanced propulsion test vehicle three times at Kennedy Space Center, demonstrating solid‑fuel...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 8, 2026
DEX Logs Dust Signals In Space: ISRO
India's space agency ISRO announced that its Dust Experiment (DEX) instrument successfully logged orbital debris impacts from 1 January to 9 February 2024. The 140‑degree wide‑view detector, mounted on the PSLV‑C58 XPoSat mission, recorded a hit roughly every thousand seconds while skimming the...
By Orbital Today
News•Jan 7, 2026
These Strategic ISRO Missions Are Set For 1Q 2026
India’s space agency ISRO will launch two strategic satellites in the first quarter of 2026. On 12 January, PSLV‑C62 will lift the DRDO‑built hyperspectral Earth‑observation satellite EOS‑N1 (Anvesha) alongside 18 small‑satellite co‑passengers. Later in Q1, GSLV‑F17 will place the GISAT‑2 (EOS‑05)...
By Orbital Today