A Bizarre 'Decapitated' Asteroid Likely Made the Moon's Largest Impact Crater. NASA's Artemis Astronauts May Land Near the Proof
A new study using high‑resolution 3‑D simulations argues that the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken basin was formed by a 260‑km differentiated asteroid that was ‘decapitated’ on impact, leaving its iron core to carve the basin’s tapered shape. The shallow, north‑to‑south impact would have ejected mantle material toward the lunar south pole, where NASA’s Artemis IV crew is slated to land. If astronauts collect these ejecta, samples could reveal the basin’s age and the composition of the Moon’s deep interior, shedding light on lunar evolution over 4 billion years.
US Air Force Sets Its Sights On Space Solar Power
The U.S. Air Force has awarded its first contract to startup Overview Energy to demonstrate space‑solar technology that beams power from geosynchronous orbit to Earth. Overview, which raised $20 million from investors, plans to launch satellites in 2028 and deliver megawatt‑scale...
NASA Welcomes Paraguay as 67th Artemis Accords Signatory
On May 7, 2026, Paraguay signed the Artemis Accords in Asunción, becoming the 67th nation to endorse the framework governing peaceful, transparent space exploration. The agreement aligns Paraguay’s emerging space program, which recently launched GuaraníSat‑1 and plans a GuaraníSat‑2 launch...
With Launches Slated to Grow a Hundredfold, Space Force Seeks More Sites, Money, People, and AI
The U.S. Space Force announced a plan to expand its launch cadence from more than 200 rockets this year to as many as 3,000 annually by 2036. Achieving that scale will require additional launch pads, significantly higher funding, a doubled...
Hawkeye360 IPO Jumps to $34
Signals-intel satelite fleet operator @hawkeye360 listed at $26 on @NYSE IPO May 7, opened at $33.80 and closed at $34 with a market cap of $3.17B. https://t.co/DDXHxVbqYD
United Airlines Gets FAA Nod for Starlink-Equipped Embraer 175
United Airlines has secured Federal Aviation Administration certification to outfit its Embraer 175 regional jets with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband. The airline plans to launch passenger flights using the system in May, marking the first FAA‑approved low‑Earth‑orbit connectivity on a...
Planet Labs Adds Three Pelican High‑resolution Satellites, Boosting Swedish Defense Imaging
Planet Labs has launched three additional Pelican high‑resolution imaging satellites on a rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the first delivery under its agreement with the Swedish Armed Forces. The satellites, capable of 50 cm multispectral imaging and on‑orbit...
MDA Launches High‑volume Satellite Factory, Sees Double‑digit Q1 Growth
.@MDA_space: New high-volume sat factory on schedule for @Telesat and @Globalstar constellations and we're pitching it to military customers for low-volume space defense missions. MDA reports double-digit increases in Q1 rev, EBITDA, net income.https://t.co/JLgJQ5F06O https://t.co/Qumet99zsx
James Webb Space Telescope Brings Details Of Nearby 'Super-Earth' Into Focus
The James Webb Space Telescope used its Mid‑Infrared Instrument to obtain the first surface‑level spectroscopy of the nearby super‑Earth LHS 3844 b. The data reveal a dark, olivine‑rich, featureless crust and a complete lack of CO₂ and SO₂, suggesting an old, airless...
Paraguay Joins Artemis Accords as 67th Signatory.
Paraguay becomes the 67th country to sign the Artemis Accords; third this week and sixth in the last two and a half weeks. https://t.co/VUR7u4OWbr
Preparing For a Congressional Flip At NASA
NASA’s management style shifted dramatically after Jared Isaacman became administrator, moving from largely verbal, undocumented directives that often clashed with congressional intent to a more transparent, documented approach. While the FY 2027 budget mirrors the FY 2026 request, Congress remains uneasy about...
Redwire Pursues Opportunities in Landers and Power Systems for NASA’s Moon Base Plans
Redwire is refocusing on lunar landers and power systems after NASA signaled a steady cadence of moon‑base landings. The company, a CLPS contract holder through its Deep Space Systems acquisition, has yet to win a task order but sees a...
EarthDaily Secures $1.2M NRO Contract to Evaluate Multispectral Imagery
Vancouver‑based EarthDaily Analytics has secured a $1.2 million contract from the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office to evaluate its commercial multispectral imagery under the agency’s Strategic Commercial Enhancements program. The award follows the company’s recent appointment to the INSA Space Intelligence Council,...
Misinformation and the Space Economy
Misinformation is emerging as a systemic risk for the $613 billion global space economy, threatening demand, financing, and procurement across launch services, satellite navigation, and Earth‑observation markets. The Space Foundation and OECD note that false claims can ripple into downstream sectors...
Industry Moon Lander Training Cabin Lands at NASA for Artemis
NASA’s Johnson Space Center now houses a full‑scale mock‑up of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 crew cabin, a 15‑foot‑tall training module for the Artemis lunar program. The trainer will support human‑in‑the‑loop simulations, suit checkouts and docking rehearsals as NASA prepares...
Juno Flies Past the Jupiter Moon Thebe
On May 1, 2026 NASA’s Juno spacecraft executed a close flyby of Jupiter’s inner moon Thebe, skimming within roughly 3,100 miles (5,000 km). The encounter yielded the clearest image of Thebe to date, captured by Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit camera, though the navigation‑focused...
Anduril Secures $100M Modification to Modernize Space Surveillance Network
Anduril Industries has secured a $100.3 million contract modification from the U.S. Space Force to expand and modernize the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The award funds the rollout of SDANet, a mesh‑based communications architecture built on Anduril’s Lattice software, replacing fragmented...
Air Force Plans to Ditch BACN Jets for Satellite Communications
The U.S. Air Force will retire its seven E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) aircraft by fiscal year 2028, shifting the mission to satellite‑based communications. The transition will be driven by the Hybrid SATCOM Terminal program, which aims to field...
MDA Space Reports 32% Revenue Growth in Q1 2026 as Backlog Conversion Accelerates
Canadian aerospace firm MDA Space posted Q1 2026 consolidated revenue of $464.1 million CAD (≈$343 million USD), a 32.2% year‑over‑year increase, driven primarily by a 41% jump in its Satellite Systems segment. The company’s backlog shrank to $3.7 billion CAD (≈$2.7 billion USD) as...
AST SpaceMobile Pivots to SpaceX for Mid-June Launch of Three BlueBird Satellites
AST SpaceMobile announced that its next three BlueBird Block 2 satellites will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in mid‑June 2026, after the April New Glenn failure left BlueBird 7 unrecoverable. The shift to SpaceX restores deployment momentum for the company’s low‑Earth‑orbit cellular broadband constellation....
A Grapefruit-Sized Quantum Device Mapped Earth’s Magnetic Field From Space
Researchers aboard the International Space Station deployed OSCAR‑QUBE, a 10‑centimeter quantum magnetometer built around a diamond with nitrogen‑vacancy defects, to map Earth’s magnetic field over a ten‑month period in 2021‑2022. The device’s readings aligned closely with established magnetic field models,...
Real Wireless Tapped by UK Spectrum Policy Forum for Lunar Connectivity Study
On May 7, 2026 the UK Spectrum Policy Forum commissioned Real Wireless to produce a three‑month study on the regulatory frameworks needed for lunar communications. The consultancy will chart spectrum demand, identify suitable frequency bands and propose rules that enable Earth‑ground, orbital...
Multiple Russian, Chinese, and American Satellites in Maneuvering Dance in Orbit
Recent reports document a series of proximity operations involving military satellites from Russia, China and the United States. Russia’s Cosmos‑2581, 2582 and 2583 flew within roughly 3 m of each other in low‑Earth orbit, while the U.S. inspector satellite USA‑325 and...
Skyroot Aerospace Hits $1 B Unicorn Valuation Ahead of First Orbital Launch
Skyroot Aerospace announced a fresh financing round that pushes its valuation past $1 billion, making it India’s first space‑technology unicorn. The round, led by Singapore sovereign funds GIC and Temasek and BlackRock‑managed funds, is timed for the company’s inaugural orbital launch...
PROFEN and Azercosmos Expand Satellite Services Across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
PROFEN, a Turkish satellite communications provider, and Azerbaijan’s Azercosmos have signed a cooperation agreement at SAHA Expo 2026 to use capacity on the Azerspace‑1 and Azerspace‑2 GEO satellites across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The deal leverages PROFEN’s ground...
ESA and JAXA Team up on Planetary Defence, Ramses Mission to Asteroid Apophis
The European Space Agency and Japan’s JAXA have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to deepen planetary‑defence collaboration, launching the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). Ramses will lift off in 2028 and rendezvous with asteroid (99942) Apophis ahead of its...
Lockheed Martin Fights Request to Ease 2018 Restrictions on Northrop Grumman’s Solid Rocket Business
Lockheed Martin has formally objected to Northrop Grumman’s petition to the FTC to lift a 2018 consent order that obligates Northrop to sell its solid rocket motors (SRMs) to competitors on a non‑discriminatory basis and to keep the SRM unit...
Indian Rocket Startup Skyroot Raises $60 Million in Private Investment Capital
Indian launch startup Skyroot announced a $60 million private‑investment round that lifts its total capital to $160 million and values the company at $1.1 billion. The round was co‑led by Sherpalo Ventures, backed by early Google investor Ram Shriram, and Singapore’s sovereign wealth...
For 6 Days, NASA’s Mars Rover Battled a Rock
NASA’s Curiosity rover became entangled with a 28‑lb, 1.5‑foot‑wide rock dubbed Atacama during a routine drill on April 25. The rock clung to the drill sleeve, forcing engineers to spend six days employing vibration, arm reorientation, and spin to free...
A Light in the Dark
NASA released a striking April 3 2026 image from the Artemis II mission, showing Earth’s thin, sun‑lit limb against the darkness of space. Artemis II was the agency’s first crewed deep‑space flight, orbiting the Moon to test Orion’s life‑support, propulsion and navigation systems. The...
Shake It Off—NASA’s Curiosity Rover Gets Its Robotic Arm Stuck Inside a Rock on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover became stuck on April 25 when its drill arm lodged onto a 28.6‑lb, 1.5‑ft Atacama rock. After several failed shake‑and‑vibrate attempts, engineers tilted, rotated and spun the bit on May 1, freeing the arm and breaking the rock into...
Military Space Boom Meets Beltway Friction
Washington plans to more than double the Space Force budget to over $71 billion in FY2027, marking the largest peacetime infusion of funds into U.S. military space. While the budget promises a wave of contracts for satellite makers and launch firms,...
Mysterious Russian Satellites
A mysterious cluster of Russian satellites is reported barging in on amateur radio for unknown reason DETAILS: https://t.co/DQwY8BwFyJ
The Exploration Company Fires Up Rocket Engine for Moon Lander
The Exploration Company completed a seven‑week hot‑fire campaign for its 15 kN Huracan rocket engine, achieving 26 firings and 375 seconds of total burn time. The test demonstrated full‑power operation, throttling from 50 % to 100 % and a longest single burn of...
ASCEND 2026 Program to Launch with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
ASCEND 2026 launches on May 19 with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman delivering the opening keynote. The week‑long event features more than 200 speakers from commercial space firms, national‑security agencies, NASA, and international partners. New event partners add a Classified Day with NRO...
2 Top Space Stocks I Like Better Than SpaceX
Wall Street anticipates a SpaceX IPO this year, valuing the Musk‑led rocket maker at roughly $2 trillion. Analysts argue that such a massive valuation leaves limited upside for public investors, especially as the company pivots into generative‑AI through its xAI acquisition....
SatVu’s New HotSat-2 Satellite Captures Cuban Attempts At Oil Refining
SatVu announced that its HotSat‑2 satellite has achieved first‑light, delivering high‑resolution thermal infrared imagery of three strategic energy sites: Jamnagar refinery in India, Gorgon LNG plant in Australia, and the Hermanos Díaz refinery in Cuba. The satellite detected Cuba’s attempt to...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Araz Feyzi, Kayhan Space
Kayhan Space, co‑founded by Araz Feyzi, launched its Satcat Product Suite in February 2025, delivering the first unified platform that merges real‑time space situational awareness with autonomous traffic coordination. The system monitors over 60,000 objects in orbit and claims to slash...
ESA’s Space Rider Passes Critical Hurdles on Path to Spaceflight
European Space Agency’s Space Rider, its first reusable spacecraft, has cleared two pivotal milestones: a high‑temperature reentry test and a precision autonomous landing demonstration. The tests validate the vehicle’s thermal protection system and guidance, navigation and control software, bringing the...
Three Nations Deploy Secret Inspector Satellites, Escalating Space Militarization
It looks like for the first time, a three-side race broke out between secret Russian, Chinese and US "inspector" satellites 36,000 kilometers from Earth, marking an unprecedented surge of military activities in space. DETAILS, CONTEXT: https://t.co/Jn70BeFqgI https://t.co/a6yJN4FkTo
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave Achieve Precise and Fast ESA Antenna Characterization Using Near-Field Technology
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave demonstrated a near‑field measurement that captured a full Ku‑band radiation pattern of a 50 cm electronically steerable array in just 32 minutes. The results matched simulation and CATR data within 1 dB, proving the method’s accuracy. By using the...
Two Blue Origin Operators Just Joined a MACH 2+ Air-Launch Platform
Starfighters Space (FJET) announced the appointment of two senior leaders from Blue Origin’s New Glenn program—Jose Arias as Vice President of Space Operations and Catrina L. Medeiros as Director of STARLAUNCH Operations. Arias previously slashed integration cycles from 76 to 13 days, while Medeiros...
Pentagon Tells Satellite Builders: Good Enough Now Beats Perfect Later
The U.S. Space Force is redefining satellite acquisition by making speed the top priority, urging contractors to deliver "good enough" capabilities now and improve them later. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman framed this as a shift from an all‑or‑nothing model to...
Space Force Awards Booz Allen Prototype Contract for Space‑Based Interceptor
The U.S. Space Force has granted Booz Allen Hamilton an Other Transaction Authority agreement to develop a prototype for the Space‑Based Interceptor (SBI) under the Golden Dome for America initiative. The contract aims to create a low‑Earth‑orbit constellation capable of...
ESA's Space Rider Clears Thermal Test and Drop‑Model Assembly, Paving Way for First Flight
The European Space Agency announced that its Space Rider reusable spacecraft has survived a high‑heat re‑entry test and that a full‑scale drop‑test model is now assembled. The milestones shift the program from component validation to mission simulation, bringing Europe closer...
SpaceX Files for $55 Billion Texas Semiconductor Fab, Expanding to $119 Billion Chip Hub
SpaceX has filed paperwork for a $55 billion semiconductor fabrication plant in rural Texas, dubbed Terafab. The project will sit beside its existing Bastrop packaging operation, pushing the total Texas investment to roughly $119 billion and giving the launch‑vehicle maker full control...
The Market Has Evolved and the Technology Has Evolved Sheila Kavanagh, Engineer and Network Director Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland achieved a milestone by completing the country’s first mobile video call via satellite using a standard smartphone. The service relies on AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellite, allowing data to be beamed directly between the phone and orbiting hardware. Sheila...
Going to Space? Always, Always Pack a Camera
Artemis II astronauts captured striking lunar and Earth‑from‑space photos, reviving the awe of the Apollo 8 “Earthrise.” The piece honors planetary scientist Candice Hansen‑Koharcheck, whose five‑decade career shaped imaging on Voyager, Juno, and HiRISE missions. Her work turned raw spacecraft data into...
Roadmap for a Space-to-Space Economy
The space industry’s growth is now limited by orbital congestion rather than launch capacity, as low‑Earth‑orbit satellites double every two years. This bottleneck drives up propellant use, shortens mission lifespans, and raises costs. Analysts propose a space‑to‑space (S2S) economy built...
Odin Space Opens U.S. Office in Los Angeles
Odin Space, a British startup that maps sub‑centimeter orbital debris, announced the opening of its first U.S. office in Los Angeles, led by former Iceye CEO Jerry Welsh. The office will serve commercial and government satellite operators needing data on debris...