Canada-Japan Agreement Signals Shift to Dual-Use Space Defence Tech
Canada and Japan have signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that merges their space and defence industrial bases. The deal expands the earlier Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement, targeting joint development of space communications, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. By moving space initiatives into Canada’s Department of National Defence, the partnership frames orbital assets as critical military capabilities. The agreement also opens a pathway for Canadian SMEs to supply dual‑use technologies to Japan’s defence procurement pipeline.
Space Warfare Mirrors 1930s Air Superiority Era
“Where we are today in space warfare is very similar to where air superiority was in the 1930s.” https://t.co/vdPDSKfwkt
Obsessed with the Name of China's Lunar Rocket
Speaking of going insanely hard, I’m obsessed with the name of the rocket that will take the first Chinese astronauts to the moon https://t.co/62ZZ4ZV2lS
NASA Shifts From Boeing and SLS Towards SpaceX for Moon Missions
NASA has proposed a new Artemis architecture that moves translunar injection and lunar landing responsibilities from the SLS/Orion stack to SpaceX's Starship. Artemis III in 2027 will serve as a low‑risk LEO docking rehearsal that mirrors the new flow. Artemis...
Dogfighting in Space Won't Look Like the Movies, but This Company Wants in on It
True Anomaly, a stealth‑born startup, is building the Jackal satellite platform— a refrigerator‑sized, highly maneuverable spacecraft designed for low‑cost, mass‑produced space‑to‑space engagements. The company has already flown two test missions and plans a third, while securing roughly $400 million in venture...
NASA Outreach Sugar Highs
NASA recently aired two high‑profile advertisements on CNN, featuring Credit One and Old Spice, to promote the upcoming Artemis II mission and the popular novel “Project Hail Mary.” The campaign delivers roughly twelve days of heightened public exposure before the buzz...
ESA Cancels Mars Return Orbiter After US Budget Cut
.@ESA to shut down Mars Earth Return Orbiter after US budget decision; will meet @NASA next week on Artemis status; ESA-@defis_eu Iris2 negotiations with @SES @Eutelsat @Hispasat to wind up late April; ESA Launcher Challenge adapts to @orbexspace exit.https://t.co/TINqTgL6lQ https://t.co/uSutmbuWTG
Register Now: The Energy Imperative Driving the Push Toward Orbital Data Centers
The surge in AI and cloud workloads is straining global electricity grids, prompting industry leaders to explore orbital data centers as a potential solution. SpaceNews and StarCatcher, together with the Commercial Space Federation, are hosting a virtual panel on March 31...
'Miracle': Europe Reconnects with Lost Spacecraft
The European Space Agency has re‑established communication with the Proba‑3 coronagraph satellite after it lost contact in February. The spacecraft entered survival mode when its solar panels turned away from the Sun, draining its batteries. ESA engineers used a brief...
U.S. Space Force Awards $446.8 Million Agreement to Kratos for MEO Missile Tracking Ground Segment
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command awarded Kratos Technology & Training Solutions a $446.8 million Ground Management and Integration contract to build the command‑and‑control backbone for the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking program in medium‑earth‑orbit. The agreement, structured as an...
Portal Space Systems and Paladin Space Plan Debris Removal Service
Portal Space Systems has teamed with Australian startup Paladin Space to launch a commercial orbital‑debris removal service. The partnership will mount Paladin’s Triton payload on Portal’s highly maneuverable Starburst spacecraft, which can change velocity by one kilometre per second. Scheduled...
Portal, Paladin Team On Debris Removal Service
Portal Space Systems and Paladin Space have formed a partnership to launch a Debris Removal as a Service (DRAAS) offering that can capture and dispose of 20‑50 pieces of orbital junk per mission. The solution combines Portal’s maneuverable Starburst spacecraft...
Helium-3 From the Moon: New U.S. Department of Energy Contract
Black Moon Energy Corp. has secured a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Isotope Program to supply lunar Helium‑3, marking a pivotal step toward commercializing the isotope. The company plans to scale production within eight years and will conduct...
ESA Council Approves Record €22 Bn Budget, EPIC Mission and Expands Membership
The European Space Agency’s Council meeting in Interlaken approved a record €22 billion budget for 2026‑2030, endorsed the EPIC crew‑flight concept to the International Space Station and the ESA‑JAXA RAMSES asteroid‑defence mission. At the same time, Cyprus became an associate member...
Getting Better Outcomes In Space: How Will the UK Embrace the Challenge?
At Space‑Comm London, a panel of government and industry leaders warned that space has become a core national security arena, with satellite jamming and anti‑satellite weapons now routine. Speakers stressed the need for the UK to protect its interests by...
Artemis Moon Missions Take Center Stage at Wichita Engineers Week Banquet
Alicia Dwyer Cianciolo, a veteran NASA systems engineer, outlined the Artemis program’s Human Landing Systems (HLS) at the Wichita Engineers Week banquet. She explained that Artemis III will now be uncrewed, while Artemis IV remains on track for a crewed lunar south‑pole landing...
Eileen Collins on What It Takes to Become Space Shuttle Commander
Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and later command a Space Shuttle, appears on SpaceNews’ Space Minds podcast to discuss the habits and leadership principles that propelled her career. Hosted by David Ariosto, the episode blends personal anecdotes with...
How We Protected the UK and Space in February 2026
In February 2026 the UK National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) logged 66 re‑entries, most of which were satellites, while collision alerts for UK‑licensed assets dropped to 2,117, the lowest figure of the year. The in‑orbit population rose to 33,165 objects,...
NewSpace Systems Opens Africa’s Largest Commercial Space Hardware Manufacturing Facility
NewSpace Systems inaugurated a 5,200 m² manufacturing hub in Somerset West, South Africa, becoming the continent’s largest commercial space hardware facility. The plant features a 1,260 m² ISO‑14644‑1 cleanroom, six LEAN‑certified assembly lines, and dedicated labs for GNC components such as sun...
ESA Chief Welcomes NASA's International Artemis Briefing in DC
At the ESA press briefing this morning, DG Aschbacher said NASA is bringing the international community together here in DC next week. He's looking fwd to learning about the new Artemis architecture incl Gateway. "A welcome opportunity" to see what...
K2 to Launch Its First High-Powered Satellite for Space Compute
Space startup K2 Space is set to launch Gravitas, a two‑ton, 40‑meter satellite capable of generating 20 kW of electrical power, on a Falcon 9 before month‑end. Backed by $450 million in funding and a $3 billion valuation, the mission will carry 12 customer...
GMV-Led Consortium Launches MYRIAD to Advance AI-Driven Satellite Intelligence for EU Defense
The European Defence Fund has launched the MYRIAD research project, a 48‑month, €5 million initiative coordinated by GMV to embed AI into satellite imagery analysis for EU defence. Nine European partners will develop multi‑sensor fusion, radiometric calibration and explainable AI to...
ESA Restores Contact with Proba-3 Coronagraph After Month‑Long Silence
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher says at a press briefing that controllers have just managed to restore contact with the Proba-3 coronagraph spacecraft, which had been out of contact since last month. Recovery efforts underway.
SwissTo12 Scales to Eight HummingSats Annually with ESA Funding
Small-GEO sat builder @Swissto12, now w/ 7 sats in production (2 unnamed), uses @ESA investment to expand production capacity. Goal is 8 HummingSats/year. @SES_Satellites @viasat.https://t.co/9uOrjCLVKk https://t.co/bM1pA0m3hY
Artemis II Rollout Set, Crew Begins Quarantine
NASA plans to begin the Artemis II rollout at 8 p.m. EDT on March 19, moving the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B via crawler‑transporter 2. The four‑mile journey may take up to 12 hours, after...
NATO Pledges Swift Space Contracts, Bureaucracy Stalls Progress
.@NATO to commercial space: We're ready to move quickly on multi-orbit, multi-frequency and other fronts with contracts that spend years in our bureaucracy before closing. @NCIAgency @govsatcom @defis_eu.https://t.co/5dHFzsqHN6 https://t.co/9FZlet5yQq
US-Israel Strike Destroys Iran's Space Research Centre Amid Operation Roaring Lion
The United States and Israel jointly bombed the Iranian Space Research Centre on Feb. 28, 2026, as part of Operation Roaring Lion. The hit eliminates a key hub for Iran's satellite design and space science, deepening the third‑week war that...
Guerrilla RF Expands Aerospace & Defense Focus with New SatCom Initiative
Guerrilla RF announced an expanded aerospace and defense focus, unveiling a new satellite communications (SatCom) initiative that adds more than 100 commercial‑off‑the‑shelf RFIC and MMIC solutions for both ground and space platforms. The company released a SatCom product selection guide...
HyImpulse Signs Launch Agreement with SaxaVord
Germany’s HyImpulse Technologies signed a launch service agreement to fly its SR75 hybrid suborbital rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, targeting a Q3 2026 lift‑off. SaxaVord, equipped with three pads, telemetry, and a UK Civil Aviation Authority licence...
Nihon University's Tenkoh
Nihon University's Tenkoh-2 cubesat, deployed from the HTV-X1 cargo ship on Mar 11, has been cataloged as object 68261, in a 495 x 501 km x 51.6 deg orbit.
Apex Signs First Japanese Bus Contract With NEC
Apex Space announced its first Japanese contract, selling an Aries satellite bus to NEC for a 2027 low‑Earth‑orbit optical communications demo. NEC plans to merge its long‑standing payload expertise with Apex’s standardized, rapid‑development platform to accelerate the mission. The deal...
SpaceX Starship V3 Initiated a Ten Engine Static Fire
SpaceX completed the initial activation campaign for the Super Heavy V3 booster, loading cryogenic propellant and conducting a ten‑engine static fire on Starbase Pad 2. All ten Raptor 3 engines ignited, confirming the new engine design’s start‑up reliability. The test was cut...
SpaceX’s Starship V3 Is Almost Ready and It Will Change Space Travel Forever
SpaceX is gearing up for an April test flight of Starship V3, the next‑generation launch system featuring a taller Super Heavy booster and upgraded Raptor 3 engines. The new vehicle boosts low‑Earth‑orbit payload capacity to roughly 200 tons, a dramatic jump from...
Dawn’s Suborbital Spaceplane Completes Radar Tracking Experiment with Defence Science and Technology
New Zealand’s Defence Science and Technology agency and the Royal Navy teamed with Dawn Aerospace to conduct the DARTE radar‑tracking experiment, using the Aurora suborbital spaceplane off the Canterbury coast. The trial demonstrated that the frigate HMNZS Te Kaha’s surveillance radar can...
The Science of Splashdown
The article explains that splashdown is a complex fluid‑impact problem where capsule shape, parachute timing, sea state, and crew posture determine survivability. It traces splashdown from Mercury through Apollo to modern Orion and SpaceX Dragon missions, highlighting why water remains...
UK Space Agency and Ukraine Sign €100,000 MoU to Deepen Civil Space Cooperation
The UK Space Agency and Ukraine’s State Space Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Ukrainian embassy in London, pledging €100,000 to joint ESA‑Ukrainian activities and establishing a formal framework for civil and commercial space cooperation. The deal marks...
Space Command to Launch Wargame Series for Industry
U.S. Space Command will host the first of a quarterly "commercial wargames" series on March 23, inviting 25 industry firms to a classified tabletop exercise in Colorado Springs. The inaugural session will tackle the threat of weapons of mass destruction...
Rocket Lab Scores Timely Capability Win
Impressive win here for Rocket Lab: delivering the right capability at the right time. https://t.co/8vUinNNlgG
Hong Kong: AI, Robotics Drive New Aerospace Technologies
A research partnership between Hong Kong’s Space Robotics and Energy Centre and Southeast University is accelerating autonomous space‑robotics, AI‑enabled navigation, and deep‑space energy management. The collaboration, supported by HKUST labs, targets rugged robotic platforms, precision manipulation, and modular power systems...
Canadian Space Agency Terminates Lunar Rover Mission in 2026-27 Plan
The Canadian Space Agency’s 2026‑27 Departmental Plan announces a $913.9 million budget but mandates internal savings, leading to the outright termination of the Lunar Rover Mission approved in 2022. The cut begins with a $6.66 million reduction in 2026‑27 and will grow...
Modified Vulcan Expected to Launch This Summer
United Launch Alliance (ULA) plans to launch its first modified Vulcan rocket this summer, after accelerating pre‑planned upgrades to the engine nozzle and solid rocket boosters. The enhancements aim to improve performance margins and address issues highlighted by a February...
The Comedy of Errors That Was the First-Ever Space Walk
On March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performed humanity’s first extravehicular activity, stepping outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft for roughly ten minutes. The EVA quickly turned hazardous as his suit swelled, causing glove and boot failures and forcing him to...
Spacewalk Safety Tech Stuns While Working on Laptop
Doin some laptop work and watching the latest ISS space walk. Amazing how much tech goes into the safety of it. https://t.co/2vpLaqhNEd
Ligado Tells FCC That SkyTerra Next Proposal Won’t Cause Interference
Ligado filed a new FCC petition to modify its satellite license and host the SkyTerra Next L‑band payload on AST SpaceMobile’s low‑Earth‑orbit constellation. The company argues the deployment will operate within existing L‑band coordination agreements and will not interfere with...
UK Space Agency and Ukraine Sign Landmark MoU, Funding €100k for Joint Projects
The UK Space Agency and Ukraine’s State Space Agency signed a first‑ever agency‑to‑agency memorandum of understanding, pledging €100,000 to support joint Earth‑observation projects and formalising cooperation under the UK‑Ukraine 100‑Year Partnership. The deal aims to deepen civil and commercial space...
Market Analysis: The ISR Latency War and Who Wins When “Minutes” Decide Mission
Industry data released March 18, 2026 shows ISR is shifting from resolution‑focused satellites to latency‑first architectures. Commercial firms such as BlackSky and Planet Labs reported record revenues while emphasizing rapid data delivery, with BlackSky posting $107 million in 2025 revenue and a $345 million...
Fluorescent Ruby-Like Gems Have Been Found on Mars for the First Time
NASA's Perseverance rover has identified tiny corundum crystals—ruby or sapphire‑like gems—inside a Martian pebble named Hampden River. The rover’s SuperCam instrument used dual‑laser spectroscopy and luminescence imaging to match the spectral signature of the grains to laboratory ruby standards. This...
MDA to Add Three Optical Sensors by 2028
@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....
Satellite IoT: How Non-Terrestrial Networks Extend Global Coverage
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,...
There Might Be Less Water on the Moon than We’d Hoped
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...