Astroscale Japan to Mature Electric Refueling for Future GEO Servicing
Astroscale Japan, a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings, secured a contract under JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund to develop electric propellant refueling technology for geostationary orbit (GEO) servicing. The program will integrate orbital transfer vehicles with on‑orbit refueling systems, aiming to standardize mechanical and fluid interfaces for modular space logistics. Japan’s space strategy projects the on‑orbit services market to reach roughly one trillion yen by 2030, positioning the nation as a key player in the emerging sector. The initiative seeks to make satellite servicing more scalable and cost‑effective.
Voyager Wins NASA ISS Mission Management Role Through 2030
Voyager Technologies secured a NASA Johnson Space Center indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract worth up to $24.5 million over four years, extending mission‑management services for International Space Station payloads through 2030. The agreement uses a task‑order structure that lets NASA add scope...
JWST Study Links Sulfur Rich Gas Giants to Core Growth in Distant HR 8799 System
Using JWST’s high‑resolution spectroscopy, researchers examined the atmospheres of three massive planets in the HR 8799 system. They detected sulfur‑bearing molecules, notably hydrogen sulfide, indicating that solid cores formed before gas accretion. The uniform enrichment of sulfur, carbon and oxygen mirrors...
Amino Acids in Bennu Asteroid Hint at Icy Radioactive Origin
A new Penn State study of NASA’s OSIRIS‑REx Bennu samples reveals that the amino acid glycine likely formed in an icy, radioactive environment rather than warm liquid water. Isotopic analysis shows Bennu’s amino acids have signatures distinct from those in...
I Guess We’re Doing Moon Factories Now
SpaceX is refocusing on lunar development to build space‑based factories that will produce AI‑intensive hardware, leveraging Starship’s high launch cadence. The economic model hinges on turning microwave power into high‑value data, as demonstrated by Starlink, and extending it to orbital...
Harnessing Nuclear Power
In this brief episode, the hosts discuss NASA's renewed partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop safe nuclear power systems for space missions. They explain how compact fission reactors could provide reliable energy for deep‑space exploration, lunar bases,...
Europa’s Ice Shell May Be Surprisingly Thick, Does It Affect the Odds of Alien Life?
New analysis of Juno’s microwave radiometer data indicates Europa’s ice shell may be as thick as 18 to 24 miles, far thicker than many earlier estimates. Such a massive crust would impede the transfer of oxygen and nutrients from the...
Ken Kremer Live Interview Fox 35 Orlando Previewing NASA SpaceX Crew 12 Mission to International Space Station and Science Investigations:...
Ken Kremer, Managing Editor of Space UpClose, appeared on Fox 35 Orlando on Feb. 9, 2026 to discuss NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑12 launch to the International Space Station. The pre‑launch briefing revealed the Falcon 9 Crew Dragon Freedom stack will now lift off on Feb. 12 after...
A Road Map to Truly Sustainable Water Systems in Space
Sustaining human life in space hinges on efficient water reclamation, a challenge highlighted in a new review by David Olawade and colleagues. The International Space Station’s Environmental Control and Life Support System demonstrates closed‑loop capability but remains energy‑intensive and costly...
Why Does the Travel Time From Earth to Mars Vary?
Travel time between Earth and Mars is not fixed; it depends on the planets’ relative positions and the orbital path chosen. A Hohmann transfer orbit, the most fuel‑efficient trajectory, typically yields a seven‑to‑nine‑month cruise. Because Earth and Mars align favorably...
Teledyne Advances U.S. National Defense with SDA’s Tranche 3 Tracking Layer Program
Teledyne Technologies announced multiple contract awards from the U.S. Space Development Agency to supply infrared focal‑plane modules for the SDA’s Tranche 3 Tracking Layer. The sensors will augment the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, providing low‑Earth‑orbit coverage against hypersonic glide vehicles and...
NASA Wants to Bring Talent Back In-House.
In this episode, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlines a strategy to bring critical capabilities back in-house, emphasizing the restoration of the agency’s core competencies. The discussion highlights a $54.5 million contract awarded to Starfish Space for an Otter satellite‑servicing vehicle for...
Es’hailSat Form LEO Strategic Partnership With Telesat
Telesat and Qatar’s Es’hailSat announced a strategic partnership to bring low‑Earth‑orbit satellite connectivity to Qatar and other key markets. The agreement covers service validation, market development and local infrastructure integration. Telesat will launch two Lightspeed pathfinder satellites in late 2026,...
Amazon Expects to Increase Spending on Amazon Leo by $1B in 2026
Amazon announced it will increase spending on its Leo satellite broadband constellation by roughly $1 billion in 2026, reflecting a surge in launch activity. CFO Brian Olsavsky said more than 20 launches are slated for 2026 and over 30 for 2027,...
Momentus to Demonstrate Multispectral Sensor for Space Force, With NASA Support, in March
Momentus will launch its Vigoride 7 orbital service vehicle on a SpaceX Transporter mission in March, carrying NASA’s R5‑S10 cubesat and additional payloads. The flight will demonstrate a low‑cost multispectral rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) sensor suite under a $1.86 million SpaceWERX...
SpaceX Is Building Its Own Particle Accelerator
SpaceX announced plans to construct a 230 MeV cyclotron at its Florida site to bring radiation testing in‑house. The accelerator will fire high‑energy protons at electronics, simulating solar‑storm particle impacts on Starlink, Starshield and other spacecraft hardware. By characterizing chip and...
Kepler Communications’ Next-Generation Optical Data Relay Constellation Launched
Kepler Communications has launched the first operational tranche of its next‑generation optical data relay constellation, deploying ten 300‑kg satellites into a Sun‑Synchronous orbit via a SpaceX Falcon 9 "Twilight" rideshare. The Aether series carries SDA‑compatible laser terminals, multi‑GPU compute modules and...
Build Moon Base First to Accelerate Human Presence
Moon first, Mars next? What matters most is momentum and building a permanent human presence beyond Earth, fast. If the Moon accelerates that path—let’s build.
Tragedy of the Commons and the Space Economy
The article frames Earth’s orbital environment as a classic tragedy of the commons, where easy access, shared costs, and long‑lived harms drive over‑use of low‑Earth orbit, geostationary slots, radio spectrum, and even the night sky. It details how mega‑constellations, orbital...
Why only a Small Number of Planets Are Suitable for Life
Researchers at ETH Zurich have identified a narrow oxygen range during planetary core formation that preserves phosphorus and nitrogen on the surface, a prerequisite for life. Their models show Earth uniquely fell within this chemical Goldilocks zone, while Mars and...
In Antarctica, Balloon Lands After 23-Day Search for Particles From Outer Space
University of Chicago’s PUEO payload lifted off on a NASA balloon on Dec. 20, 2025, and spent 23 days circling Antarctica at 120,000 feet. The instrument, equipped with 96 ultra‑sensitive radio antennas, scanned the ice for ultra‑high‑energy neutrinos—particles far more energetic than...
![The Downlink [Feb 08, 25] Space Money: The Space Force Budget And A New Leader](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/b15d6f1cb9aee2070efecd81eec3386a.webp)
The Downlink [Feb 08, 25] Space Money: The Space Force Budget And A New Leader
The U.S. Congress approved and President Donald Trump signed the Space Force’s FY 2026 budget of $26 billion. The allocation marks a modest increase over the previous year and underscores continued investment in space‑based defense capabilities. At the same time, the Space...
CMA CGM Group, Marlink, and Eutelsat Partnership
CMA CGM, Marlink, and Eutelsat have signed a multi‑year partnership to equip over 300 CMA CGM vessels with OneWeb LEO satellite connectivity. The rollout will be completed within nine months, using a hybrid LEO/GEO architecture via Marlink’s XChange NextGen edge...
NASA Let AI Drive The Perseverance Rover For Two Days
NASA employed Anthropic’s Claude AI to generate waypoints for Perseverance, enabling the rover to travel 456 meters over two days without human control. The AI processed HiRISE orbital images and digital elevation models to identify hazards and plot a safe path....
Icy Hudson River
In late January 2026, Landsat 8’s Operational Land Imager captured a striking view of ice covering the Hudson River along Manhattan’s western shore. The false‑color image, taken on Jan 28, highlights light‑blue ice, red vegetation, and snow‑covered banks. Scientists attribute the ice...
FAKE Chandrayaan-2 Images of the Apollo 11 and 12 Landing Sites
A recent blog post debunks two circulating images that claimed India’s Chandrayaan‑2 lunar orbiter photographed the Apollo 11 and 12 landing sites. The author confirms the pictures are fabricated and do not match authentic Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photos. Earlier reports had...
Using Foldable Structures To Guide Microwaves
Researchers at UIUC have created origami‑inspired electromagnetic waveguides that fold compactly for launch and expand in space. The paper‑based structures, coated with a 35 µm aluminum laminate, achieve up to 87 % reduction in stowed volume while preserving low signal loss. Prototypes...
Interview with RFA CEO Indulis Kalnins
In this interview, Rocket Factory Augsburg CEO Prof. Dr. Indulis Kalnins reflects on his first nine months leading a young, international team and outlines the company’s focus on completing the Helix engine development, finalizing the RFA ONE first stage, and preparing the...
NASA Provides Update on Artemis-2 Repairs for Future Dress Rehearsal Countdown
NASA posted an update on Artemis‑2 fuel‑leak repairs ahead of a second wet dress rehearsal. Engineers expect to reconnect the affected interfaces by Feb 9 and will test plate dynamics at Stennis Space Center. Countdown changes include a closed Orion hatch,...
A Long-Lost Soviet Spacecraft: AI Could Finally Solve the Mystery of Luna 9's Landing Site
Researchers from the UK and Japan used a machine‑learning model, YOLO‑ETA, to pinpoint possible landing locations for the Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft, the first soft‑lander on the Moon. The algorithm, trained on Apollo site imagery, successfully identified known Soviet landers and...
Can Current Space Law Handle the New Space Age?
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, drafted during the Cold War, now underpins a space sector transformed by cheap launches, megaconstellations and commercial lunar missions. Rapid orbital growth has exposed gaps in debris mitigation, traffic coordination and liability, prompting calls for...
Crew‑12 Launch Set for Feb 12 After Weather Delay
From NASA: NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier 5:38 a.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 12, for launch of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Mission teams completed a weather review on Monday and elected to waive off a Wednesday, Feb. 11, launch opportunity due...
Crew-12 Launch Delayed to Thursday Due to Weather
NASA and SpaceX are forgoing a launch attempt of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday, Feb. 11, due to weather and are targeting Thursday, Feb. 12, instead. Learn more about what comes next ahead of liftoff. 📰:...
Third Exoplanet Detected in the Planetary System HD 176986
Astronomers using the HARPS and HARPS‑N spectrographs have identified a third planet orbiting the nearby K‑type star HD 176986. The new world, HD 176986 d, circles the star every 61.38 days at 0.28 AU and has a minimum mass of about 6.8 Earth masses. The discovery...
Turkish Satellites Identified on Bandwagon‑4, Owner Unclear
The Semi-1N, Semi-1P, Semi-1L payloads from Nov 2025's Bandwagon-4 launch are now identified and revealed to be Turkish satellites. As far as I know the specific owner has still not been revealed - anyone know?
Telcos Demand Iris2 Compete with Starlink Pricing
Telcos @orange & @deutschetelekom: We'll only purchase future Iris2 broadband capacity if it's competitive with @Starlink et al. We can't afford to do otherwise. @defis_eu @SES_Satellites @Eutelsat @Hispasat @esa @Starlink #Europeanspaceconf. https://t.co/za6J3f6pSE https://t.co/izhnBnDNQ5
ESA Is Preparing to Announce Aeolus-2 Prime Contractor
The European Space Agency has cleared a €70 million award to launch Phase B2 of its Aeolus‑2 weather satellite programme and is set to announce the prime contractor. Aeolus‑2 will consist of two 2.5‑tonne satellites equipped with a Doppler wind lidar, delivering...
Crew‑12 Launch Delayed to Thursday Amid Weather Uncertainty
At the moment the Crew-12 launch is skld for 5:38 am ET Thurs (delayed from Wed.) and has priority on the range, but at pre-launch presser an hour ago NASA sounded as tho Crew-12 ascent corridor wx probably won't be...
NASA Shifts Workforce Toward Civil Servants for In‑House Expertise
.@NASA is rebalancing its workforce towards civil servants to bring more expertise in house, according to a Friday announcement from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. https://t.co/jeFpQdG00n
The Heart of a Giant Telescope | Space Photo of the Day for Feb. 9, 2026
The European Southern Observatory is advancing construction of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) on Chile’s Cerro Armazones, a 39‑meter primary mirror that will become the world’s largest optical instrument. The site, already home to the Very Large Telescope, positions the...
Proton Rocket Returns to Pad After Three Years
Proton rocket returned to launch pad this morning in preparation for its first flight in nearly three years on Thursday: https://t.co/DyHPm6OdhH https://t.co/KXqkCYSXcA
NASA, SpaceX Brief Crew‑12 Launch Set for Feb 12
Happening now, NASA and SpaceX leadership are holding a news briefing on the Crew-12 mission, now launching no earlier than Feb. 12 at 5:38 a.m. EST. Follow this thread for updates🧵1/n Watch live: https://t.co/Ub6fx27Z5m https://t.co/CwFUNoXkTr
There’s a Way Forward for Sovereign European Space Intel, but Is There the Will?
German intelligence leaders are urging the creation of a European spy network to curb reliance on U.S. satellite intelligence after Washington halted data sharing with Ukraine. Europe currently operates only 17% of NATO’s military satellites, leaving a capability gap that...
Crew-12 Launch Delayed To
The Crew-12 launch is being delayed a day due to weather. Now Feb 12 at 5:38 am ET. https://t.co/dE9diCzJMG
Japan Airlines Adds LEO Satellite Wi‑Fi to 787‑9 Fleet
Japan Airlines plans to bring LEO satellite-powered inflight connectivity to both existing and new Boeing 787-9s, as part of a broader plan to refresh the twinjets’ interiors. https://t.co/44fW9OnTt7
The Dominance of Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center set a 2025 record with 109 launches, driven largely by SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The Eastern Range’s “Drive for 48” initiative has far outpaced its original weekly launch goal, while Vandenberg Space Force...
Europe Needs Will to Achieve Sovereign Space Intelligence
There’s a way forward for sovereign European space intel, but is there the will? https://t.co/XDdwupELW0 https://t.co/WjgzvswSML
CMA CGM Outfits 300 Ships with OneWeb‑linked Terminals
Maritime cargo fleet operator @cmacgm will equip 300 vessels with @Marlink_News XChange NextGen satellite terminals connected to @EutelsatGroup OneWeb satellites. Installation to occur over 9 months. CMA GGM owns 7.46% of Eutelsat's equity. https://t.co/2F9FxpKx3v
Germany Prepares for Orbital Conflict With Lasers, Spy Satellites and €35bn War Chest
Germany has allocated €35 billion to expand its military role in space, launching the SATCOM Stage 4 network of over 100 low‑Earth‑orbit satellites and investing in laser‑based jamming and other non‑kinetic tools. The programme reflects a shift away from viewing space as...
Iris2 Satellite Constellation Targets 2029 Launch, 2032 Full Capability
Eur gov, industry players on @defis_eu #Iris2 constellation status: Initial version in 2029, full capability in 2032; final go/no-go decision in April. @esa @SES_Satellites @EutelsatGroup @Hispasat @AirbusSpace @aerospacelab_. #eurospaceconf.https://t.co/YsDZHGlM4L https://t.co/tRb4olZnoV