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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 module for NASA’s Gateway, and a high‑level concept for a lunar launch‑landing hub. By consolidating these projects, OHB aims to support Europe’s goal of a sustainable, independent presence on the Moon.
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...
On February 7, 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless II performed the first untethered spacewalk, drifting away from the Space Shuttle Challenger using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). He reached a maximum distance of 320 feet (98 meters) and stayed outside for 1 hour 22 minutes, testing the nitrogen‑propelled...
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...
German aerospace startup POLARIS has secured a contract from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In‑Service Support (BAAINBw) to develop, manufacture and operate a two‑stage, horizontal‑take‑off reusable hypersonic vehicle. The vehicle, called HYTEV, will integrate twin turbofans,...
China launched its experimental reusable spaceplane for the fourth time on Feb. 7 using a Long March 2F T rocket from Jiuquan. The mission, shrouded in secrecy, will conduct technological verification and likely repeat satellite releases and rendezvous operations seen in earlier flights....
SpaceX is slated to launch the Falcon 9 Starlink 17‑33 mission from Vandenberg on Feb 7, marking its first return‑to‑flight after a brief stand‑down caused by a second‑stage anomaly on Feb 2. The launch will deploy 25 additional Starlink satellites, pushing the constellation past...
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has refined Jupiter’s dimensions, measuring an equatorial radius of 88,841 miles and a polar radius of 83,057 miles—slightly smaller than the long‑standing textbook values. The new figures come from 32 radio‑occultation data points, far surpassing the six...
Scientists predict Venus will encounter a meteor shower on July 5, 2026, generated by debris from a recently split asteroid. The dust originates from two Atira‑group asteroids, 2021 PH27 and 2025 GN1, which share a common parent body that fractured under solar...
The latest market assessment shows asteroid‑mining valuations are built on optimistic assumptions about metal concentrations, extraction efficiency, and future prices. Detailed analysis reveals that technical hurdles—such as micro‑gravity mining, in‑space processing, and costly return logistics—make realistic mission economics far less...
OrbitAID Aerospace Pvt Ltd is in talks with ISRO and SpaceX to launch a pair of 110‑kg satellites that will demonstrate autonomous docking, fuel and power transfer, and on‑orbit life‑extension capabilities. The twin spacecraft – a target and a chaser...
The FAA has cleared SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to resume flights, ending a four‑day grounding caused by an upper‑stage engine failure during a Feb 2 Starlink launch. With clearance secured, NASA’s Crew‑12 mission is set to lift off on Feb 11 from Cape Canaveral,...
Canadian astronomers using the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory have completed the Global Magneto‑Ionic Medium Survey (GMIMS) of the northern sky, producing the first full‑spectrum map of the Milky Way’s magnetic field. The effort, led by Dr. Jo‑Anne Brown and Dr....
The Event Horizon Telescope collaboration released new VLBI images that pinpoint the launch point of M87*'s relativistic jet. By exploiting intermediate baselines, researchers identified a compact emission region about 0.09 light‑years from the black‑hole shadow, linking it to the jet’s...
Viasat reported a modest 3% year‑over‑year revenue increase to $1.16 billion in Q3 FY2026, driven primarily by its Defense and Advanced Technologies segment, which grew 9%. The company announced that its second ViaSat‑3 satellite (F2) is about 34 days from on‑station...
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a powerful X4.2 solar flare on February 4, 2026, visualized in extreme ultraviolet light. The flare, one of the strongest recorded this solar cycle, erupted from the Sun’s surface and was highlighted in blue‑red colorization. Such X‑class...
Researchers using the full Landsat archive confirmed that the world’s boreal forest has expanded and migrated northward over the past four decades. Between 1985 and 2020 the forest grew by 0.844 million km², a 12% increase, and its mean latitude shifted...
Blue Origin unveiled TeraWave, a planned constellation of 5,280 low‑Earth‑orbit and 128 medium‑Earth‑orbit satellites linked by optical cross‑links and operating in the Q/V‑band. The service is aimed at roughly 100,000 enterprise and data‑center customers seeking fiber‑like throughput and resilient middle‑mile...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman issued a Workforce Directive aimed at restoring the agency’s core engineering and operational competencies by reducing reliance on contractors. The plan calls for 30‑day assessments of outsourced work and a 60‑day transition strategy to convert key...
Elon Musk announced the merger of SpaceX and his AI startup xAI, creating a unified "everything" conglomerate that could reshape Silicon Valley’s power dynamics. With a personal net worth near $800 billion, Musk positions the combined entity to accelerate innovation across...
An FAA spokesperson told us within the past hour that Falcon 9 rocket mishap investigation, stemming from the Starlink 17-32 mission, remains ongoing. The FAA didn't speculate as to whether it would be resolved prior to the scheduled launch on...
The Russians are causing problems again. It was reported this week that Russian spysats may have intercepted what were supposed to be secure comms from European GEO satellites several times during the past three years. https://t.co/2kQy8PtQwG
The Nimoy‑Knight Foundation awarded Dr. Jessica Schonhut‑Stasik, known as “Girl Spock,” its Live Long & Prosper Tribute Award. Schonhut‑Stasik, an astrophysicist and neurodiversity advocate, aims to become the first openly autistic woman in space. The award celebrates Leonard Nimoy’s legacy of hope, logic,...
.@viasat: focus #1: Get final Viasat-3 sats into operation: F2 by May and F3 (if all OK with F2) by September. Priority on cutting debt. Negotiations on #Equatys MSS satellite infrastructure with @space42ai continue, no word on Viasat investment. https://t.co/ERfwbfBgEn
Satellite startup Logos received partial FCC approval for its planned 4,178‑satellite internet constellation, authorizing use of K‑, Q‑ and V‑band frequencies. The network will span seven orbital shells between 870 km and 925 km with inclinations from 28° to 90°. FCC rules...
In 2025, the federal space workforce shrank by 13%, with 322,000 civil servants leaving, marking the steepest post‑World‑War II decline. The interview with Shawn Phillips, a 27‑year veteran of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Propulsion Division, illustrates this exodus as he...
In this episode, host Dr. Oleg Demidov interviews Luke Fischer, CEO of SkyFi, to explore the $3.8 trillion market built around satellite imagery and AI. They discuss how Earth‑observation data has fallen from $20,000 per image to $20 per insight, shifting...
The UK government has announced a 30% reduction in funding for astronomy, particle and nuclear physics through the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The cuts arrive after a previous 15% reduction and follow a decline in the UK’s contribution to...
Russia successfully placed nine classified military satellites into orbit using a Soyuz‑2 rocket launched from the Plesetsk spaceport. The Fregat upper stage first released a primary payload at roughly 330 km before maneuvering to about 500 km to deploy the remaining eight...
Voyager Technologies, the lead of the Starlab consortium, and Max Space, developer of the Thunderbird inflatable station, have announced a partnership to co‑develop inflatable planetary habitats for lunar and Martian use. The collaboration will combine Voyager’s single‑module Starlab, slated for...
Michael Bakich adds ten fresh solar facts, highlighting the Sun’s differential rotation, elemental makeup, magnetic polarity reversal, historic Carrington flare, and expansive corona. The piece quantifies rotation periods (25.6 days at the equator, 33.5 days at the poles) and details...
On Apollo 14 in February 1971, astronaut‑commander Alan Shepard turned a lunar sampling tool into a makeshift 6‑iron and took two historic golf swings on the Moon. The first ball vanished into a crater, while the second was lofted far enough for...
The Antares launch vehicle has been the workhorse for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services, delivering Cygnus cargo to the ISS since its first flight in 2013. After the 2014 Orb‑3 failure, the aging AJ26 engines were swapped for Russian RD‑181 units,...
United Launch Alliance has offloaded the first Vulcan rocket booster and upper stage at Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the inaugural West Coast launch of its next‑generation launch vehicle. The hardware arrived via the R/S RocketShip barge after transiting from...
.@skyperfectv: Rev, operating income up for 9M to Dec 31, contract to operate future Japan ISR constellation expected this month. #constellr @SpeQtral_Space @QPS_Inc @synspective @SpaceCompassCo1. https://t.co/yi02Jb63Ce
Satellite megaconstellations are set to launch tens of thousands of low‑cost satellites, each with a 5‑10‑year lifespan. To avoid the Kessler Syndrome, operators plan to deorbit them by burning up in the atmosphere, potentially as many as 23 satellites per...
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) has now been in development for 15 years, accumulating more than $30 billion in taxpayer spending. The program’s launch cadence remains painfully slow, with fewer than one flight per year, undermining its intended role in deep‑space...
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite has released a high‑resolution view of northern Italy as the 2026 Winter Olympics open. The image spotlights the main competition venues, from alpine slopes to the Olympic village, illustrating the mission’s precise Earth‑observation capabilities. ESA used...
ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot is set to launch on the εpsilon mission, her first flight to the International Space Station. She will travel alongside NASA and Roscosmos colleagues as part of a multinational crew. On the ISS, Adenot will conduct a...
Europe’s new Meteosat Third Generation‑Sounder (MTG‑S) has begun delivering its first infrared temperature and humidity data after 15 years of development. The hyperspectral sounder, operating from geostationary orbit, produces global surface‑heat and cloud‑top temperature maps as well as moisture fields...
French satcom startup Univity is pivoting its very‑low‑Earth‑orbit (VLEO) constellation to offer direct‑to‑device (D2D) connectivity, adding a cellular‑compatible antenna and boosting satellite transmit power. The company will launch two demo satellites in 2027, then begin a 1,500‑satellite rollout in 2028...
Mengzhou atop of the CZ-10A test stage. Grid fins and recovery hooks visible at the top of the stage, with people offering perspective of scale. Low-altitude test flight and abort test at maxQ scheduled for Feb. 11. https://t.co/oht5CPXIVu https://t.co/7E3tRMolAk
