Know What's Happening in SpaceTech
Know What's Happening in SpaceTech
SpaceTech Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
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 Base logged 71 launches, also dominated by SpaceX. Both ranges are pouring nearly $1.8 billion into infrastructure to support a projected 500‑plus annual launches by the early 2030s. New launch pads and upgrades for methane handling, roads, and harbors aim to eliminate the next bottlenecks.
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
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...
As lunar and Martian missions accelerate, NASA’s Deep Space Network is proving inadequate for the growing demand. Researchers are championing a Solar System Internet built on Delay‑Tolerant Networking and the Bundle Protocol to create a store‑and‑forward overlay that tolerates minutes‑long...
James Van Laak’s new book *To See Far* offers a candid, insider account of the International Space Station’s early years, chronicling his roles on Space Station Freedom, the Shuttle‑Mir partnership, and the ISS assembly phase. He details technical hurdles, but emphasizes the...
The New START treaty between the United States and Russia expired on February 5, 2026, leaving the world without its primary nuclear‑arms‑control framework. Researchers at the Federation of American Scientists propose a "cooperative technical means" system that leverages existing satellite constellations...
AXA Digital Commercial Platform announced a partnership with ICEYE, granting the insurer access to the world’s largest synthetic‑aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation. The collaboration enables AXA’s clients to receive near‑real‑time Earth observation data for tracking extreme weather and natural hazards....
Rolls‑Royce has suspended work on its 100 kW mini nuclear reactor intended for lunar habitats after the UK government contract that funded the project expired last year. The initiative, launched in 2023 with £9 million of public money, aimed to deliver a...
NASA technology brings the golden age of exploration to Earth.
NASA issued an update this evening (Sunday, Feb 8) on progress with Artemis II, but did not set a date for the next WDR or launch. https://t.co/KR4n5W5P49
SpaceX announced it is de‑prioritizing its long‑term Mars ambitions to focus on building a self‑sustaining city on the Moon. Elon Musk highlighted that lunar missions can launch every ten days, compared with Mars’ 26‑month alignment windows, allowing a settlement in...
This evening, NASA shared an update on the work being done to prepare for the launch of Artemis 2, offering some additional details following the wet dress rehearsal tanking test of the SLS rocket that concluded on Feb. 2. Full post:...
In a filing with the FCC late Jan. 30, SpaceX proposed an orbital data center constellation of up to one million satellites in low Earth orbit. The satellites would operate at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, in 30-degree and...
Steve Durst, founding director of the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) and longtime publisher of Space Age Publishing, died in early February 2026. Durst was instrumental in fostering U.S.–China space collaboration, notably securing a wide‑field telescope (ILO‑C) as a payload...
Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers propose using lunar observations to overcome the limitations of low‑Earth‑orbit satellites for studying Earth’s radiation patterns. From the Moon, Earth appears as a full disk, allowing scientists to capture planet‑scale signals while filtering out localized...
The James Webb Space Telescope uncovered a population of bright, red point sources in the early universe that were initially labeled "Little Red Dots." Follow‑up spectroscopy and modeling now identify these objects as direct‑collapse black holes, a hypothesized pathway for...
A new Nature Communications paper reports that metal‑rich asteroid material becomes stronger after exposure to intense proton pulses, suggesting nuclear blasts could deflect large asteroids without shattering them. Researchers at CERN used the Super Proton Synchrotron and HiRadMat facilities to...
China’s Shenzhou‑21 crew, now three months into their Tiangong stay, has been busy conducting a suite of scientific and maintenance tasks. The trio of astronauts—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang—collected biomedical samples, ran microgravity physics experiments, and performed extensive cabin upkeep. Their...
The Trump administration is moving to fragment the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a unique NSF‑funded hub that blends observation, supercomputing, and applied research. While Congress rejected outright budget cuts, the latest spending bill lacks language protecting NCAR as...
Private companies are reshaping the space frontier as launch costs fall, turning low‑Earth orbit into a bustling commercial marketplace. Meanwhile, the United States and China are locked in a geopolitical race to return humans to the lunar south pole by...
An international research team has modeled Venusian lava tubes, suggesting they could be up to 0.62 miles (one kilometer) wide and remain structurally stable under the planet’s 91%‑Earth gravity. Using Finite Element Limit Analysis, the study links these potential voids...
SpaceX performed a ten‑second static fire of the Falcon 9’s nine Merlin 1D engines on Feb 8, 2026, confirming vehicle readiness for the upcoming Crew‑12 launch. The mission will send NASA, ESA and Roscosmos astronauts on an eight‑month stay aboard the International Space...
A newly released Copernicus Sentinel‑2 satellite image captures the full footprint of the 2026 Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics, showing venues spread across northern Italy from the Alpine valleys to the urban sprawl of Milan. The picture highlights the Games’ lack of...
The so-called 'big vent' is underway at pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as SpaceX continues to fuel its Falcon 9 rocket. T-0 for the static fire test is anticipated at 3:16 a.m. EST (0816 UTC). This is...
In a statement Feb. 2, SpaceX said it acquired xAI, which develops artificial intelligence technologies and operates the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, as part of its efforts to develop orbital data centers. https://t.co/NxQmbWiybc
The Emerging Space Economy reading series maps the shift from government‑run space programs to a vibrant private sector, highlighting how reusable launchers, satellite miniaturization, and evolving regulations are unlocking new markets. It categorises the growing literature into billionaire rivalries, investment...
Blue Origin announced Jan. 30 that it will halt flights of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle for at least two years as it shifts its focus to human lunar exploration. https://t.co/tQGS3qMWtt
Azista Space’s 80‑kg Azista First Runner (AFR) satellite captured the International Space Station from 250‑300 km away, delivering 2.2‑metre sampling resolution across 15 frames. The privately built, Indian‑operated satellite performed two independent imaging attempts with 100% success, validating its indigenous tracking...
India has overhauled its startup framework, extending deep‑tech status to 20 years and raising the revenue eligibility threshold to ₹3 billion. The change dovetails with a ₹1 trillion Research, Development and Innovation fund and the $1 billion‑plus India Deep Tech Alliance, aimed at easing...
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) will build a new Human Exploration Control Center (HECC) at Oberpfaffenhofen, expanding the existing German Space Operations Center. Bavaria is contributing €58 million and DLR €20 million, bringing total funding to €78 million. The facility will manage European...
Israeli satellite‑communications firm Gilat Satellite Networks has landed a multimillion‑dollar contract with a leading global avionics manufacturer for its Sidewinder electronically steered antenna (ESA) inflight connectivity terminals. Deliveries will begin within six months, covering commercial, business, VIP, government and military...
Britain has awarded GMV a contract to develop a Two‑Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer (TWSTFT) system under the TOUCAN project, aiming to provide assured position, navigation and timing (PNT) services for critical national infrastructure. The system will create a...
Curiosity has reestablished contact after the recent solar conjunction and resumed surface operations on Mars. The rover spent the first planning day conducting instrument checks on a fractured white rock and imaging a nearby sand patch before moving to a...
NASA researchers report that non‑biological processes cannot fully account for the decane, undecane and dodecane detected by Curiosity in Gale Crater. By combining radiation‑damage experiments, mathematical modeling, and rover data, they estimate pre‑exposure organic inventories far exceeding what meteorite delivery...
A study led by University of Hong Kong and UCLA researchers demonstrates that Alfvén waves act as a persistent energy source for the stable electric fields that accelerate electrons and create auroral arcs. Using coordinated measurements from NASA’s Van Allen...
Chinese engineers at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology have unveiled the TPG1000Cs, a compact high‑power microwave system capable of delivering 20 gigawatts in 60‑second bursts. Weighing about five tonnes and measuring four metres, the device can be mounted on trucks,...
NASA’s Crew‑12 mission will launch aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon on Feb. 11, carrying two NASA astronauts, an ESA specialist, and a Russian cosmonaut. While aboard the ISS, the crew will conduct the Venous Flow study to assess blood‑clot risk and a...
After just 50 days as NASA's chief, Jared Isaacman has toured every NASA center, conducted a dozen town‑hall meetings, and sifted through thousands of workforce submissions. He concluded that the agency must better empower its people and concentrate resources on...
The article revisits the origins of extra‑dimensional physics, beginning with Theodor Kaluza’s 1919 proposal to add a fifth dimension for unifying gravity and electromagnetism, and Oskar Klein’s 1926 compactification idea that hides the dimension at the Planck scale. It explains...
German space contractor OHB announced the launch of Luna Europa – the European Moonport Company – to centralise its lunar‑related activities. The subsidiary, founded in May 2025 and disclosed on 4 February 2026, will coordinate work on ESA’s Argonaut lander, the ESPRIT...
The House Science Committee voted 37-0 to favorably report the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, sending it to the full House for consideration after adopting dozens of amendments. The legislation largely reaffirms existing NASA programs and policies. https://t.co/4Km1g6A5Rs
Investor Kirk Konert said a potential SpaceX IPO this summer could unlock unprecedented capital for the space sector, with the launch expected to raise tens of billions at a valuation above $1.5 trillion. Recent IPOs of Firefly Aerospace and York Space...
SpaceX is counting down towards the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 17-33 mission at 12:58:09 p.m. PST (3:58:09 p.m. EST / 2058:09 UTC) from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Watch live: https://t.co/cWkTUo51Hh
On 28 February 2026 six planets—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—will form a visible arc across the evening sky. Four of the planets are bright enough to see with the naked eye, while the two outer giants require binoculars or a...
Astronomers monitoring the Large Magellanic Cloud’s red supergiant WOH G64 have recorded a rapid decline in visual brightness, a modest temperature rise, and an unprecedented surge in dust ejection over the past decade. High‑resolution imaging in 2024 revealed a fresh dust...
China appears set for an in-flight abort test of its new-generation Mengzhou spacecraft next week in a key step for the country's human spaceflight plans. The demonstration will be a crucial step in China's plans to attempt to land astronauts...
A team led by Sukanya Chakrabarti reported in Physical Review Letters that timing measurements of a nearby pulsar binary and solitary pulsars show a subtle acceleration inconsistent with known masses. The distortion implies an invisible object of roughly tens of...
Space Force awards $54.5 million contract to Starfish Space for GEO servicing vehicle https://t.co/EDgpAh3l68 https://t.co/2B7dPXaZFG
The U.S. Space Force awarded Starfish Space a $54.5 million contract to build and operate its Otter space‑tug for geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) missions. The five‑year contract, with two optional extension years, covers manufacturing, testing, launch and on‑orbit commissioning of a...
Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong space station successfully hatched a butterfly from a chrysalis in zero‑gravity, using a self‑sustaining 14.2‑liter capsule that lacked radiation shielding or human oversight. The insect navigated the chamber, fluttered its wings and rested on leaves...
