Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur-4 Rocket Launches Three Payloads for War Department
Northrop Grumman successfully launched its Minotaur-4 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, delivering three experimental payloads for the Navy’s Naval Research Laboratory. The payloads—LARADO, GOSAS, and GARI-1C—focus on space‑debris tracking, advanced GPS‑type navigation for military use, and gamma‑ray detection for nuclear test monitoring. This mission marks Northrop’s first launch of 2026, while SpaceX continues to dominate global launch totals. The launch underscores the U.S. defense sector’s push for enhanced space situational awareness and resilient navigation capabilities.
EdgeRunner Wins U.S. Space Force Contract for AI Agents
EdgeRunner AI has been awarded a firm‑fixed price contract by the U.S. Space Force to deliver domain‑specific artificial‑intelligence agents for Guardians. Over the next six months the startup will deploy its on‑device platform into the Space Force’s IL‑5 classified environment,...
The Next Decade in Space: Global Exploration Missions From 2026 to 2036
The 2026‑2036 decade will see a surge of space missions across the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the outer planets, driven by NASA, ESA, CNSA, ISRO, JAXA and an expanding commercial sector. NASA’s Artemis IV targets the first crewed lunar...
Has Artemis II Shown We Can Land on the Moon Again?
NASA’s Artemis II crewed test flight demonstrated that the Space Launch System delivered its full 8.8 million‑pound thrust and that Orion’s translunar‑injection burn was flawless, eliminating the need for planned mid‑course corrections. The mission revealed typical human‑factor hiccups—toilet, water‑dispenser, and helium system...
Are Musk and Bezos Turning the Sky Into a Landfill?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin have jointly filed to launch roughly 1.1 million satellites, dwarfing today’s constellations and aiming to create orbital AI data centers. A recent German‑British study detected a ten‑fold lithium spike 60 miles up after a...
NASA’s Space Reactor-1 Freedom: America’s First Nuclear-Powered Mission to Mars
NASA announced Space Reactor‑1 Freedom, a nuclear‑electric spacecraft slated for a December 2028 launch to Mars, marking the United States’ first deep‑space mission powered by a fission reactor. The vehicle repurposes the Lunar Gateway Power and Propulsion Element, pairing a >20 kW...
Firefly Signs Deal with Modular Sea Launch Startup Seagate
Seagate Space Corporation and Firefly Aerospace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop a modular offshore launch platform for Firefly’s Alpha rocket. The platform, based on Seagate’s Gateway Series, is designed to provide a purpose‑built sea‑based spaceport capable...
Astroscale Plans World-First Multi-Orbit Satellite Inspection Mission
Astroscale Japan announced the ISSA‑J1 mission, the first multi‑orbit satellite inspection to demonstrate a single servicer spacecraft navigating between distinct orbits and approaching non‑cooperative targets. The mission will inspect Japan’s retired ALOS satellite and the failed ADEOS‑II, capturing high‑resolution imagery...
Artemis II Sets New Human Distance Record During Lunar Flyby
NASA’s Artemis II mission completed a historic lunar flyby, sending four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans before them. The crew reached roughly 260,000 miles (about 418,000 km) from the planet, eclipsing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970. The flight marked the...
Artemis II Photos
NASA has added a new Flickr album featuring photos from the Artemis II mission, the first crewed test flight of Orion and the Space Launch System. The collection includes “Earthset,” a visual homage to Apollo 8’s Earthrise, and a striking image of...
State of Tuesday: WHITEY ON THE MOON
Victor Glover, the Black astronaut piloting NASA’s Artemis II mission, publicly invoked Christian teachings while the crew passed behind the Moon. His remarks sparked immediate praise from conservative circles, while liberal commentators highlighted NASA’s broader diversity agenda. The post ties Glover’s...
An AI Company with an Arsenal of Spacecraft: What Exactly Is SpaceX?
SpaceX filed a confidential S‑1 seeking a valuation up to $1.75 trillion, combining its rocket launch business, Starlink satellite‑internet service, and the newly‑acquired AI firm xAI. The filing, which could lead to an IPO as early as June, positions Elon Musk’s...
Artemis II Crew Describe ‘Overwhelming’ Emotions After Soaring Past the Moon
NASA’s Artemis II crew reported overwhelming emotions while soaring past the moon, describing vivid reactions to the lunar landscape and Earthrise. Astronauts captured unprecedented images of the far‑side Orientale impact basin, bright new craters, and a solar eclipse. The mission set...
'Unreal' Solar Eclipse: Artemis 2 Crew Just Saw One of the Rarest Sights in Spaceflight History
NASA’s Artemis 2 crew witnessed a total solar eclipse from the far side of the Moon on 6 April 2026. The Orion spacecraft’s trajectory placed the astronauts in a position to see the Moon completely block the Sun for about 53 minutes, far...
NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Celebrate Epic Lunar Flyby with Stunning New Images
NASA’s Artemis II crew completed a historic lunar flyby, becoming the farthest humans from Earth and capturing unprecedented images of the Moon’s far side. The mission also featured the first Earthrise and total solar eclipse observed by astronauts since Apollo, along...
Streaming Giants Broadcast Artemis II Lunar Flyby, Marking New TV Era
NASA partnered with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Hulu, HBO Max, Roku and its own NASA+ service to livestream the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6. The multi‑platform rollout follows an 18.1 million‑viewer broadcast of the launch and signals a...
From Giants' Shoulders to Moon's New Foundations
Your whole life you hear about the shoulders of giants. Then one day you wake up and find you're the shoulders. Four broad new sets of shoulders just orbited the Moon. Imagine how many more will stand upon them. nasa canadianspaceagency #Artemis
China’s CZ‑8 Lifts Qian
LAUNCH at 1332 UTC Apr 7 of a Chang Zheng 8 from Hainan with batch 7 of the commercial Qianfan internet satellite system - the first Qianfan launch since Oct 2025
April 7, 1991: Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Is Deployed
NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was deployed from Space Shuttle Atlantis on April 7, 1991, marking the launch of the agency’s third Great Observatory focused on gamma‑ray astronomy. A thermal‑blanket snag that prevented the high‑gain antenna from opening required an unscheduled...
Nikon D5 DSLR Captured Lunar Flyby Through Spacecraft Window
According to @grok the images were handheld with a Nikon D5 DSLR camera, shot through one of the spacecraft's forward windows during the lunar flyby. https://t.co/KKMdddZbeq
Orion Leaves Lunar Sphere, Crew Chats with ISS
Orion will depart the sphere of lunar influence today at 1:25 pm ET and the crew will speak to the ISS astronauts at 2:40 pm ET. Mission status briefing at 4:30 pm ET. List of events (times...
Starfish Closes $100M+ Series B
Starfish Space announced a Series B round exceeding $100 million, led by Point72 Ventures and co‑led by Activate Capital and Shield Capital, with participation from several other investors. The capital will fund the company’s first full‑scale Otter mission, expand production capacity,...
PLD Space Secures €30M Debt, Aims First Orbital Flight
Spanish launcher startup @PLD_Space secures EUR 30M ($34.6M) venture debt facility from @EIB, bringing total funding to $438M. PLD is targeting 1st orbital flight this year from Europe's @EuropeSpacePort. @esa @defis_eu @aee_gob. https://t.co/gp12v7W6YI https://t.co/vKQAUHfGZS
Artemis II Records Earthset From Moon’s Far Side After 50 Years
Artemis II captures “Earthset” from the far side of the Moon for first time in over 50 years https://t.co/XbozFoH8GG
Starfish Space Raises More than $100 Million
Starfish Space announced a Series B round that raised over $100 million, led by Point72 Ventures and co‑led by Activate Capital and Shield Capital. The capital will be used to scale production of its Otter line of satellite‑servicing spacecraft and to hire...
NASA’s New Moon Base Project Requires Operational Technology Systems in Space, but They Are Vulnerable.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a $20 billion Moon‑base program, shifting from a lunar‑orbit station to a surface settlement. The plan, timed against China’s 2030 lunar landing goal, includes robotic landers, drones, and a future nuclear power plant. Experts warn the...
Nominate Space Industry Leaders for the 2026 SpaceNews Icon Awards
SpaceNews has opened nominations for its 2026 Icon Awards, inviting the global space community to recognize innovators, collaborators and change‑makers. Nominations close on August 14, with the awards ceremony scheduled for December 1 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center in...
In-Space Manufacturing’s Billion-Dollar Problem: Great Science, No Business Model
In‑space manufacturing has demonstrated scientific promise for decades, yet no product has achieved commercial viability. The primary obstacle remains the economics of launching, operating, and returning payloads, which far exceed the market value of niche items like ZBLAN fiber or...
The State of EO 2026
The Earth observation (EO) market is shifting toward sovereign satellite capabilities as nations seek independent data amid geopolitical tensions, highlighted by recent wars in Ukraine and Iran. Companies such as BlackSky, Vantor, and Planet secured multi‑million‑dollar contracts, with BlackSky alone...
How Earthlings Got Views of the Lunar Fly By
Redwire has equipped NASA’s Orion crew capsule with 11 high‑resolution cameras positioned inside and outside the vehicle. The interior lenses will stream crew window and instrument panel views, while exterior cameras will document key events such as service module separation,...
After Artemis: What a Sustained Lunar Presence Actually Means for Deep Space Exploration Economics
The Artemis program, now entering its crewed Artemis II flight, aims to transition from short‑term visits to a permanent lunar presence, with landings slated from 2028 and a base camp envisioned for the 2030s. Total program costs through 2025 are projected...
NASA’s Artemis Era May Finally Solve Three Major Moon Mysteries
NASA’s Artemis program, now in its crewed Artemis II flight, is laying the groundwork for a sustained lunar presence that could finally answer three long‑standing moon mysteries. Upcoming Artemis IV (targeted for 2028) will deliver the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, creating the...
Orion Streams Stunning Moon‑orbit Photos on Return
Amazing photos and videos continue to come back from the Orion spacecraft as it rounds the Moon and heads home. https://t.co/uLvZnKyfjq
Earth Observation Weekly Briefing - April 7, 2026
TerraWatch’s April 7 briefing highlights that orbital data centres remain a core Earth observation (EO) business, but their long‑term role is uncertain as edge computing gains traction. The piece outlines how EO providers currently monetize raw satellite imagery through centralized...
Does Humanity Actually Need Astronauts?
The article argues that human spaceflight is vastly more expensive than robotic alternatives, citing the Artemis program’s $93 billion price tag versus the $2.7 billion Perseverance rover. It highlights that robotic missions such as Voyager, Perseverance, and the James Webb telescope have produced...
Earth Observation Operators Push to Deliver Satellite Images Within Minutes
Earth‑observation firms are racing to shrink image‑delivery latency from hours to minutes, with Vantor showcasing a 13‑minute turnaround and BlackSky’s Gen‑3 satellite delivering first‑light imagery within hours of launch. Government and commercial clients now demand sub‑20‑minute, often sub‑10‑minute, access to...
How the European Space Agency Became the Quiet Power Behind Most of Humanity’s Earth Observation Infrastructure
ESA’s Copernicus programme provides free, high‑resolution Earth observation data that underpins a global analytics ecosystem. The policy has enabled European satellite constellations like Sentinel and national projects such as Italy’s IRIDE, creating a distributed industrial supply chain across dozens of...
Moon Milestones: A Rundown of Artemis 2's Many Spaceflight Firsts
Artemis 2 launched on April 1, marking NASA’s first crewed flight toward the Moon in over five decades and the inaugural launch of astronauts aboard an Orion capsule mounted on a Space Launch System rocket. The mission followed a full free‑return trajectory,...
NASA’s Artemis II ‘Free Return’ Trajectory Lets Gravity Do the Driving
NASA’s Artemis II mission began its return leg on April 6, following a free‑return trajectory that uses lunar gravity to swing the Orion capsule back to Earth without major engine burns. The crew set a human spaceflight distance record of 252,756 miles,...
News Diary 6-12 April: Artemis II Returns to Earth, EU Entry/Exit System Goes Live, the Masters
NASA’s Artemis II crew set a new record for the farthest human distance from Earth and is slated for a Pacific Ocean splashdown later this week, marking a critical milestone toward a lunar landing. Meanwhile, the European Union’s Entry/Exit System went...
China Upgrades GPS Rival, BeiDou as It Eyes International expansion...China Sees IPOs Increase 56% as Restrictions eased...Chinese University Claims to...
China is overhauling its BeiDou satellite navigation system, trimming the constellation to 37 third‑generation satellites to boost global coverage and challenge GPS dominance. In the first quarter of 2026, mainland IPOs surged 56% to roughly $3.7 bn after the regulator eased...
From York to Glover: What Two Centuries of Erased Exploration Tell Us About Who We Send Into the Unknown
NASA’s Artemis II mission on April 6 saw Victor Glover become the first Black astronaut to orbit the Moon, piloting the Orion spacecraft past the lunar far side. The flight covered roughly 252,800 miles, breaking Apollo 13’s distance record and marking a historic...
Billionaire NASA Chief Who’s Been to Space Twice Says Critics of Billionaire Space Travel Are ‘Outright Wrong.’
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, a $1.5 billion payments mogul who has flown to space twice, defended billionaire‑driven space travel against critics like UN Secretary‑General António Guterres. He praised Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson for investing their own capital in...
Ukrainian Astronaut Steps Onto Moon, Future Realized
The Moon, 10 minutes after the first Ukrainian sets foot on its surface in the future: https://t.co/uoaw7IQY7a
What Scientists Hope to Learn From Artemis II's Moon Mission
Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo, will orbit the Moon to test life‑support, navigation and deep‑space communications. Astronauts will provide human observations that can reveal surface details cameras miss, echoing Apollo’s unexpected discoveries. The mission focuses on the...
Firehawk Launches Oklahoma Rocket Motor Plant
Firehawk, a Dallas‑based aerospace firm, broke ground on its Great Plains Arsenal rocket motor and propellant plant in Lawton, Oklahoma. The 340‑acre facility is designed to scale domestic production of 3D‑printed hybrid rocket motors for defense applications. The move follows...
Dealing with Jamming and Spoofing — the Growing Importance of Civilian GNSS Resilience
Civilian reliance on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has exploded, making accurate position, navigation and timing (PNT) essential for sectors ranging from aviation to finance. However, GNSS signals are vulnerable to jamming, spoofing, space weather and urban multipath, which can...
The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Pressure Tests
The Exploration Company announced on 31 March that it has completed pressure testing of the Nyx Structural Test Model’s pressurised compartment, confirming the structure behaves as expected. The test article, built by France’s CNIM Systèmes Industriels and delivered in mid‑February,...
Artemis, the Moon and the Case for Utopia
NASA’s Artemis II mission launched four astronauts on a 252,757‑mile journey around the Moon, marking the first crewed lunar flight since 1972. The program, projected to cost about $93 billion, is positioned as the first step toward a permanent lunar base. At...
Trump Calls Artemis II Astronauts After Their Historic Journey Around the Moon
President Donald Trump held a brief call with the Artemis II crew hours after their Orion spacecraft completed a historic flyby of the Moon’s far side, marking the deepest human journey from Earth since the Apollo era. The president praised the...