Know What's Happening in SpaceTech
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Daily
Every morning
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Satellite IoT uses orbiting satellites to connect devices where terrestrial networks cannot reach, turning remote oceans, deserts and polar regions into data‑rich zones. The rise of low‑Earth‑orbit mega‑constellations has slashed launch and operating costs, making satellite connectivity viable for logistics, agriculture and environmental monitoring. Standardised 3GPP Non‑Terrestrial Networks (NTN) now let existing cellular chipsets operate over satellite links, blurring the line between terrestrial and space‑based IoT. Hybrid solutions that blend satellite with cellular or LPWAN are becoming the default architecture for global asset tracking.
A new study using NASA's ShadowCam on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter finds that water ice in most of the moon’s permanently shadowed craters is limited to less than 20‑30 percent by weight, and many regions may have none at...
NASA’s Perseverance rover used its ground‑penetrating radar to probe deeper than before in Jezero Crater. The instrument identified buried river‑carved slopes and a delta more than 35 meters below the surface. Analysis of the radar echoes indicates these features formed around...
SATShow Week 2026 unveiled nine fresh leaders spanning investment, manufacturing, policy and operations, underscoring the event’s expanding GovMilSpace focus. Ellen Chang highlighted the need for terrestrial infrastructure financing, while Apex’s Ian Cinnamon disclosed a $400 million fundraising round to scale bus...
SpaceX’s Starlink has applied to Ofcom for two new Ka‑band Earth stations—one in London’s Mulberry Wharf and another in Harlow, Essex—targeting early 2026 deployment. The company says its current gateway network is nearing capacity, forcing it to limit service to...
A roundtable of leaders from Viasat, SpinLaunch, Voyager Technologies, ArkEdge Space and Planet highlighted three dominant themes for SATShow Week 2026: the rise of multi‑orbit and hybrid satellite networks, the growing importance of dual‑use space systems for defense and commercial...
China’s Shenzhou‑21 crew performed a seven‑hour extravehicular activity on March 16, installing a space‑debris protection device on the Tiangong station. The EVA marks the mission’s second spacewalk, the 26th overall for Chinese astronauts, and brings commander Zhang Lu’s total to...
ALL.SPACE announced on March 18, 2026 that its electronically scanned antenna terminal received the industry’s first certification for simultaneous multi‑orbit connectivity on SES’s O3b mPOWER MEO constellation. The ESA can track GEO, MEO and LEO satellites concurrently without mechanical parts, offering...
In this episode, Colonel Andrew Menchner, Deputy Commander of Space Systems Command (SSC), explains how SSC acquires, builds, and fields critical space capabilities—such as GPS, missile warning, and satellite communications—for the joint force, allies, and partners. He highlights the command’s...
Two Los Alamos studies show that fiber‑optic cables can be laid on the Moon’s surface to record moonquakes, eliminating the need for heavy, buried seismometers. Laboratory tests in simulated regolith found burial depth irrelevant, while stiffer, thicker fibers improved signal...
The European Space Agency announced a €50 million incentive to encourage the use of Ariane 6 or other European launchers for its ALADDIN demonstration missions, part of the LEO Cargo Return Services program. Up to €420 million per contract will be awarded, split...
China’s Shenzhou‑21 crew performed a seven‑hour extravehicular activity on March 16, installing a space‑debris protection device on the Tiangong station. The operation, the 26th Chinese spacewalk and the sixth for commander Zhang Lu, underscores Beijing’s focus on shielding its only independently...
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...
The global space economy is set to surge from $630 billion in 2023 to $1.7 trillion by 2035, yet the legal framework remains fragmented and largely government‑centric. Private actors face a regulatory vacuum that could trigger lunar land grabs, inflate costs, and...
On March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performed the first human spacewalk during the Voskhod 2 mission. He spent roughly 12 minutes outside the capsule before a suit malfunction forced him to depressurize and crawl back, narrowly surviving. While in...
China’s space agency has identified Aten‑class asteroid 2016 WP8 as the target for its first planetary‑defense kinetic‑impact test, slated for a December 2027 launch on a Long March 3B from Xichang. The mission will deploy two spacecraft—a kinetic impactor that will strike the asteroid...
NASA’s planetary science division received $2.54 billion for FY 2026, about $200 million less than the $2.72 billion allocated in the two prior years. The shortfall forces the agency to make "strategic choices" about which missions can continue, with particular uncertainty around the Venus...
The UK Space Agency and Ukraine’s State Space Agency have signed a memorandum of understanding, marking the first agency‑to‑agency space agreement between the two nations. The MoU commits both parties to collaborate on civil and commercial space projects, supporting the...
The United States and Israel launched a coordinated airstrike on Feb. 28 2026 that reduced Iran's Space Research Centre to rubble, part of Operation Roaring Lion that also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The strike removes a key node in Iran's...
In the first quarter of 2026 ESA demonstrated Europe’s autonomous heavy‑lift capability with the successful four‑booster Ariane 6 launch. Copernicus‑3 radar monitored severe flooding in Bordeaux, while astronaut Sophie Adenot joined the International Space Station. A student team prepared a CubeSat...
Today, high above your head, 2 human beings will be working outside in the eternal emptiness of the universe. astro_chrisw (1st spacewalk) & astro_jessica (4th) are improving solar arrays. Needed, as the International Space Station will be up & working through...
@MDA_space to build/maintain 3 ground-based optical space surveillance sensors by 2028 to complement current 150-kg Sapphire sat, launched in 2013. Valued at CAD 32M ($23.4M), it's part of CAD 375M @NationalDefence Surveillance of Space 2 program, to include Sapphire successor....
The European Space Agency awarded OHB Sweden a contract to build 20 satellites for the EPS‑Sterna weather constellation, with six operational units at any time and two spares. The first six satellites are targeted for launch in 2029, and the...
Artemis II SLS/Orion rollback to the launch pad is now set for tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, at 8:00 *pm.* It'll stream on NASA's YouTube channel.
House SS&T will hold a hrg on Mar 25 at 10:00 am ET on The Future of LEO: From the ISS to Cmrcl Platforms. NASA's Joel Montalbano (Acting AA for Space Ops Mission Directorate), Dave Cavossa (CSF), Charlie Precourt (mbr,...
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory successfully tested the Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), a 3‑D‑printed titanium spring mechanism, aboard Proteus Space’s Mercury One satellite in low Earth orbit. The compact device unfolded from a one‑inch stowed height to six inches, demonstrating that...
The House Science Committee's space subcommittee will hold a hearing next Wednesday on "The Future of Low Earth Orbit: From the ISS to Commercial Platforms". https://t.co/OyC3IQLGDd
Spacewalk US EVA-94 is underway on the ISS. Astronauts Meir and Williams, in suits 3015 and 3003 and with SAFER packs 15 and 18 depressurized the airlock past 50 mbar at 1246 UTC, opened the hatch at 1251 UTC and...
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...
.@NanoAvionics books contract w/ Korea's #FlexellSpace to provide solar arrays for #HanwhaSystems sovereign LEO constellation, outlines expansion in Lithuania. https://t.co/exuih6qIYE https://t.co/oj4ge9ZhkE
Free space lecture, RAeS Farnborough Branch, 18 March (with the IET) Skynet Stories https://t.co/cnpzx0gqO3 https://t.co/0kVai1yf4T
NASA postponed a long‑delayed EVA after the International Space Station’s first medical evacuation forced a reshuffle of crew assignments. Astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams will now perform a 6.5‑hour spacewalk on March 18, marking the first EVAs of 2026 and...
On March 18, 1945, Germany’s Battery 485 launched a V‑2 missile from The Hague that struck London minutes later, narrowly missing the father of NASA Watch founder Keith Cowing. The V‑2’s groundbreaking propulsion and guidance technology was seized after the war and...
On March 17, 2026, SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 missions that together placed 54 new Starlink satellites into low‑Earth orbit, taking the number of active units past the 10,000 mark. The first launch lifted 25 satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base,...
The Soviet Union deployed a fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) using the R‑36O missile from 1969 until the early 1980s, fielding a single regiment of 18 silos. Its chief value was geometric: delivering a nuclear warhead from unexpected southern azimuths...
Telesat announced that its Lightspeed low‑Earth‑orbit satellite service will now enter commercial operation in the first quarter of 2028, slipping from the end‑2027 target due to delays in the ASIC chips supplied by SatixFy. The first batch of satellites is...
Lite Coms, a seven‑year‑old satcom firm, has deployed almost 1,000 tactical VSAT terminals for U.S. and allied forces. Its core strategy centers on multi‑orbit, constellation‑agnostic terminals that operate across GEO, MEO and LEO networks, highlighted by the upcoming 2026 Ku/Ka...
China’s space program has transformed into a full‑spectrum state system by March 2026, operating the Tiangong space station, a growing satellite‑internet fleet, and advanced lunar and deep‑space missions. Recent milestones include Chang’e‑6’s far‑side sample return and Tianwen‑2’s asteroid‑return flight, while reusable...
Detecting the universe’s first light demands a cold, space‑based infrared telescope with a large aperture. JWST’s 6.5‑m mirror and 0.6‑28 µm coverage have already revealed galaxies at redshift > 14, but its sensitivity limits studies beyond z ≈ 16. Future concepts call for 12‑15 m mirrors, sub‑40 K...
Ursa Major has shifted from a launch‑engine startup to a diversified propulsion supplier focused on defense and hypersonics. Its Hadley engine achieved repeated Mach‑5 reusable flights with Stratolaunch and secured a $32.9 million follow‑on contract, while the Draper storable liquid engine...
The U.S. Space Force is introducing Portfolio Acquisition Executives (PAEs) to manage groups of systems tied to specific missions rather than individual programs. Four initial portfolios—infrastructure, battle management, satellite communications/positioning, navigation and timing, and missile warning and tracking—will give PAEs...
In December 2020 Hayabusa2 returned 20 mg of Ryugu dust to Earth, and a Japanese‑U.S. team has now identified all five DNA/RNA nucleobases in the material. Using a refined extraction protocol and high‑resolution mass spectrometry, the researchers detected adenine, guanine, cytosine,...
Looks like SLS/Orion MIGHT roll back to pad on Thursday after all. They’ll decide tomorrow (Wed.).
The Office of Space Commerce is weighing user‑fee options for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) after a December executive order stripped the “free of direct user fees” language from Space Policy Directive 3. Officials say no decision has been...
Voyager‑2’s 1986 flyby produced the sole close‑up photograph of Uranus’s moon Umbriel, captured from 346,000 miles away with roughly 6‑mile resolution. The image reveals a heavily cratered, ultra‑dark surface that reflects only 16% of sunlight, similar to lunar highlands. A...
Novaspace’s new white paper argues that the United States and Europe must prioritize in‑orbit satellite refuelling to secure space superiority. The paper, based on a 2025 conference of defense, commercial and investment leaders, warns that current propellant limits constrain satellite...
.@Telesat: Lightspeed constellation to have 500 MHz of mil-Ka-band, about 25% of total capacity, to meet surging defense interest. 1st 2 sats launch in Dec, with 96 in orbit by end 2027, commercial service starts spring 2028. @MDA_space @SatixFy_satcom @NationalDefence....
Soyuz-5 rocket to fly its inaugural test mission on March 27, according to local authorities in the Yugra Region, warning population on fragments' impact; no confirmation from Roskosmos yet: https://t.co/DBcHRiQe36 https://t.co/wHpGAkKqBV
NASA is reconsidering the south‑pole for Artemis’s first crewed landing, exploring alternative sites to reduce risk and accelerate timelines. Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said performance specs are being opened to allow different lunar orbits and constraints. Administrator Jared Isaacman pushes...
ISPTech, a German spin‑off from the DLR, announced a €5.5 million seed round led by Join Capital and backed by several European venture funds. The capital will fund expanded manufacturing, critical‑infrastructure testing, and the commercial rollout of its non‑toxic propulsion suites,...
