What Is Space-Track, and Why Is It Important?
Space‑Track is the U.S. government’s public portal for space situational awareness, offering satellite catalog data, two‑line element sets, decay predictions, and conjunction support. Its REST‑style API enables operators, researchers, and developers to integrate real‑time orbital information into automated workflows. Though rooted in U.S. Space Force tracking infrastructure, the service remains essential for commercial and civil users, especially as low‑Earth‑orbit traffic intensifies. The platform now serves as a bridge to the emerging civil‑led Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), which will gradually assume public safety functions.
WA Innovation Booster Grants Reopen With $50,000 Available Per Applicant
Western Australia has reopened its Innovation Booster Grants, offering up to $50,000 per applicant, as part of a broader $2 million funding push. The state also launched a $1.75 million Spaceport Establishment Support grant to lure commercial launch operators. In parallel, AI‑tax...
Starbase After Dark: Musk’s Latest Photo Captures a Spaceport on the Brink of History
Elon Musk’s recent night‑time photo of SpaceX’s Starbase reveals two fully erected Starship launch towers, including the 474‑foot OLIT‑3 on Pad B with a water‑cooled flame trench. Pad 2 is nearing hardware completion, featuring upgraded chopstick arms, a chill‑down vent system, and...
Kenya Reviews Airtel–Starlink Satellite-to-Phone Deal
Kenya’s Communications Authority has opened a review of Airtel’s partnership with SpaceX to launch Starlink Direct‑to‑Cell, assessing potential interference with 3G, 4G and 5G networks. The regulator’s decision could set precedent for satellite‑to‑phone services across Africa, where the technology promises...
Airbus CSO on Supply Chain Blind Spots, Space Threats, and the Limits of AI Red-Teaming
Airbus Chief Security Officer Pascal Andrei warns that the aerospace and defense supply chain’s deepest vulnerabilities now reside in sub‑tier suppliers and the digital threads linking them. He highlights Airbus’s shift toward a collaborative, intelligence‑led model, tighter integration of security...
Ground Control & ArduPilot Demonstrate MAVLink Telemetry over Iridium Certus
Ground Control and the ArduPilot team demonstrated that MAVLink telemetry can operate reliably over Iridium Certus 100 satellite service using the RockREMOTE UAV OEM modem. Tests showed round‑trip latencies between 600 ms and 1,600 ms, keeping data flow within a sub‑2‑second window. The...
University Joins UK's £17bn Space Sector
The University of Southampton has launched the Southampton Space Institute, positioning the city as a hub for the UK’s rapidly expanding £17 bn annual space sector. The institute consolidates decades‑long aerospace expertise and partners with the Space South Central cluster, linking...
The Skylab Program
In the early 1970s NASA turned surplus Apollo hardware into Skylab, the United States’ first space station, launching it on the final Saturn V rocket in May 1973. The initial crew repaired a damaged solar panel and installed a sunshade, demonstrating that...
Designing for the Next Generation of GEO With Swissto12 CEO Emile De Rijk
In this episode, Swiss212 CEO Emil de Rijk explains how his company is disrupting the geostationary market by building smaller, faster, and more affordable satellites with advanced, in‑house RF payloads. He discusses the trade‑offs between payload flexibility and performance, the...
Metalysis Garners Nearly €1m From ESA For Titanium Processing
Metalysis, a South Yorkshire firm, secured nearly €1 million from the European Space Agency for a two‑year initiative to commercialise a continuous or quasi‑continuous titanium production method using its patented FFC process. The funding reflects ESA’s drive to create a greener,...
Falcon 9 Lifts Off with Echostar XXV Satellite
LAUNCH at 0419 UTC Mar 10 of a Falcon 9 from Canaveral with the Echostar XXV communications sat
Phantom Space: Countering China's Expanding Space Ambitions
Thank goodness for Phantom Space. Here to save us from the rising tide of China’s space program. 🤔
SpaceX Launches Direct Television Satellite for EchoStar
SpaceX lifted off a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on March 9, 2026, deploying EchoStar‑25, a direct‑to‑home television satellite for Dish Network. The booster, B1085, completed its 14th flight and landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, marking the vessel’s 146th...
Chandra's 27‑year Age Signals Urgent Need for Replacement
Very bad news for the future of X-ray astronomy. Chandra continues to operate well but it is almost 27 years old already, we really need to be working on a replacement
Designing for the Next Generation of GEO With Swissto12 CEO Emile De Rijk
Swissto12, founded by Emile de Rijk, is reshaping geostationary orbit (GEO) access by building smaller, more flexible satellites that cut launch costs and delivery times. The CEO discussed the company’s advanced payload technology, its relevance to sovereign space initiatives, and...
Hughes Network Systems Tapped for AFRL Space Data Networking Experimentation
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Hughes Network Services a contract under its RAPID program to support the STAR‑FISH procurement for space data networking experimentation. The effort targets resilient, hybrid satellite‑terrestrial networks that can dynamically route data across multiple domains....
Rocketry: RFTS Rocket Competition + NM Spaceport Hosts Student Launches + FAR‑OUT Rockets at Mojave
The Rocketry Federation of the Stars (RFTS) is running its 18th National Rocket Competition for students aged 10‑18, while New Mexico State University and the Albuquerque Civil Air Patrol launched eleven rockets from Spaceport America on Feb. 14, 2026. Ten of those...
China's 1st Moon Astronauts Could Land in Rimae Bode, a 'Geological Museum' On the Lunar Near Side
China is targeting a crewed lunar landing before the decade ends, and a new Nature Astronomy study highlights the Rimae Bode region on the near‑side as a prime candidate. The volcanic‑rich area meets engineering constraints—flat terrain, low latitude, and reliable communications—while...
Flammability Testing Configuration and Approach of Barrier MaterialAssemblies Designed for Space Flight Applications
NASA’s Engineering and Safety Center teamed with Johnson Space Center, White Sands Test Facility, and Marshall Space Flight Center to create a dedicated flammability test for barrier material assemblies. The test evaluates how effectively these barriers can isolate a cabin...
North Korea Is Getting Serious About Space Weapons
North Korea’s latest five‑year defense plan formally prioritizes “special assets for attacking enemy satellites,” marking its first official commitment to counter‑space weapons. Analysts see this as a potential move toward kinetic or nuclear anti‑satellite (ASAT) systems that could threaten the...
Webb Studies Cranium Nebula
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured Nebula PMR 1, nicknamed the “Exposed Cranium” nebula, in near‑infrared light, emphasizing its uncanny brain‑like shape within a transparent skull. The image shows an outer hydrogen‑rich shell and a structured inner cloud separated by a...
Skylo's Trajectory Toward the 'Standardized Sky' Looks to Include Multiple Orbits
Skylo is pursuing a partner‑centric satellite messaging model, leasing capacity from Viasat and EchoStar rather than building its own constellation. At Mobile World Congress the CEO highlighted a network that now spans 36 countries, supports over 20 carrier interfaces and...
Blues Integrates Skylo NTN Satellite with Cellular and Wi-Fi in a Single Notecard IoT Module
Blues and Skylo unveiled Notecard for Skylo, a single IoT module that merges NTN satellite, narrowband cellular, and Wi‑Fi connectivity with automatic failover. The device eliminates the need for separate radios and satellite contracts by offering pay‑as‑you‑go satellite usage. It...
Terraforming Mars Isn't a Climate Problem—It's an Industrial Nightmare
A new pre‑print by NASA JPL’s Slava Turyshev outlines five terraforming milestones for Mars and quantifies the massive resources required at each stage. To raise surface pressure to just 1 mbar would need roughly the mass of Mars’s moon Deimos, while...
Avio Lands $65 Million Deal Days After Shareholders Approve New Bylaws
Avio announced a $65 million contract with Defense Systems and Solutions to develop, qualify and initially produce a solid‑rocket motor for air‑defence applications. The three‑year deal leverages Avio’s Italian plant while planning full‑scale production at its new Hurt, Virginia facility from...
Avalanche Technology To Be Deployed in Next-Gen Unmanned Rovers and Deep Space Exploration Platforms
Avalanche Technology announced its Space Grade MRAM will be integrated into Aitech’s unmanned rovers and deep‑space exploration platforms. The memory delivers radiation immunity, permanent data retention, unlimited writes and nanosecond write latency, satisfying all five Space Grade criteria. By removing bulky redundant...
Astrobotic Wins Lunar Wheel Contract For Italian Habitat
Astrobotic has won a contract from Thales Alenia Space to build the wheel assemblies for the Italian Space Agency’s Multi‑Purpose Habitation, a driveable lunar habitat designed for a ten‑year mission. The undisclosed‑value deal pairs Astrobotic’s lunar‑mobility expertise with Thales Alenia’s...
Open Cosmos Announces ConnectedCosmos
Open Cosmos unveiled ConnectedCosmos, a sovereign low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) constellation delivering secure broadband and direct‑to‑device IoT connectivity for enterprises and governments. The network integrates real‑time Earth observation data from the Open Constellation, creating an “active” resiliency service that enables rapid threat...
How Nasa Contractors Are Pressing on to Bring Humans to the Moon with Artemis
NASA has shifted its Artemis lunar landing schedule, pushing the first crewed landing to Artemis IV in 2028. The delay follows cost overruns and technical setbacks, prompting a restructuring of the program’s strategy. Private contractors like Lunar Outpost see new opportunities,...
Reforging Vulcan
On February 12, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur lifted off on the USSF‑87 mission but displayed a significant performance anomaly in one of its four solid rocket boosters. The anomaly, similar to the nozzle‑loss issue on the October 2024 Cert‑2 flight, prompted...
Review: Why Space?
Rick Tumlinson’s new book *Why Space?* argues that humanity’s purpose is tied to expanding life beyond Earth, leveraging the rapid growth of commercial space. He frames this mission through three "Principles of Purpose": protecting life, evolving humanity, and exploring the...
Smile Arrives at Europe’s Spaceport
The ESA‑CAS Smile spacecraft landed at the Guiana Space Centre on 26 February after a two‑week sea voyage aboard the cargo ship Colibri. Over the next weeks the probe will undergo health checks, propellant loading and integration with the Vega‑C launch...
"She Flies Satellites. One Day, I Can Too."
ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) spotlighted five senior women who lead spacecraft missions such as JUICE, EarthCARE, and the ExoMars rover, sharing their daily skills and career paths. They highlight the importance of interpersonal communication, calm decision‑making, and human‑centred...
ESA and CDL-Milan to Host the 3rd CommEO Award Selection Round in Milan
ESA’s Φ‑lab and Creative Destruction Lab‑Milan are hosting the third CommEO Award selection round in Milan, targeting early‑stage downstream Earth Observation startups in resilience, climate and infrastructure. The live pitch and demo event will choose five winners who advance to...
MTN Zambia Partners with Starlink to Offer D2C Services
MTN Zambia has partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink to pilot Direct‑to‑Cell (D2C) service, completing the first data session and fintech transaction over the satellite network. The test proves that 4G handsets can connect directly to Starlink’s LEO constellation, delivering voice, video...
Changing the Rules Mid-Race - How Artemis Lets Washington Redefine "Winning" At the Moon - Part 4
The Artemis program is being reshaped to win the Moon race through diplomatic leverage rather than pure hardware milestones. By emphasizing the Artemis Accords, the United States counts partner sign‑ups and normative leadership as victories, even as launch schedules slip....
Swift Observatory Changes Operations Ahead of Planned Orbit Reboost
NASA has altered the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s operating mode to reduce atmospheric drag and preserve its altitude ahead of a scheduled orbit‑raising mission. Since February 11, most science activities have been paused, with the spacecraft held in a drag‑minimizing attitude and...
Course Correction or Controlled Crash? Inside NASA's Artemis Overhaul - Part 1
NASA has reshuffled the Artemis program, turning Artemis III into a low‑Earth‑orbit test flight in 2027 and pushing the first lunar south‑pole landing to Artemis IV in early 2028. The change follows the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s warning that the original landing...
Hostage to the Moon - How Artemis Became Industrial Welfare in a Space Suit - Part 2
NASA's revised Artemis plan keeps the SLS Block‑1 configuration, adds yearly flights, and leans on SpaceX and Blue Origin landers, preserving jobs and contracts. The February 2026 overhaul cancels the Block‑1B upgrade and Mobile Launcher 2, but expands the flight cadence through...
A History of Entry, Descent, and Landing for Mars Space Probes
The entry, descent, and landing (EDL) of Mars probes has progressed from hard‑impact crashes to sophisticated systems like airbags, legged landers, and the sky‑crane. Each method emerged to address the planet’s thin, variable atmosphere and the mass limits of payloads,...
GalaxEye Space to Build 300 Kg OptoSAR Satellites. First 2-in-1 Satellite to Be Launched by SpaceX Rocket Soon
Indian startup GalaxEye Space Solutions is preparing to launch the world’s first privately built OptoSAR satellite, a 190 kg platform powered by electric propulsion, aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket within the next two to two‑and‑a‑half months. The Gen‑1 satellite, part of...
China Space Plane: What’s Up With Its Fourth Mission?
China’s reusable Shenlong space plane lifted off from Jiuquan on February 6 and is now on its fourth orbital mission, cruising at a 594 km circular orbit after thruster firings on February 9 and 12. The vehicle shows no evidence of deploying small...
SpaceX Limits to 10 Raptor 3s for Risk‑reduction Test
🚨BOOSTER 19 RAPTOR 3 ENGINES SpaceX just lifted Booster 19 (first V3 Super Heavy) onto the new Pad 2. With only 10 Raptor 3 engines installed. Why only so few engines? Smart risk reduction: New booster design + debut Raptor 3 engines +...
SpaceX Accelerates with First Raptor 3 Test on Pad 2
It may feel like it has been a long time coming, but when you appreciate the scale of the work here, SpaceX have moved at blistering speed. It's a thing of beauty. 😍 https://t.co/1Z2CALxsCe
Van Allen Probe A to Reenter Earth Ahead of Schedule
NASA's Van Allen Probe A, launched in 2012, is expected to reenter tmrw (Mar 10) ~7:45 pm ET (uncertainty of +/- 24 hrs). Some components may survive. When mission ended in 2019, expected reentry was 2034, but solar activity was higher than...
EchoStar Dismisses $1T SpaceX IPO, Faces $1.4B Debt
.@EchoStar's Ergen on $1 trillion+ @SpaceX IPO valuation: 'No amount is crazy here.' @HughesConnects subsidiary has $1.4B in debt due in Aug. EchoStar noncommital on paying it. @NSIL_India wants $117M in Hughes compensation for scrapping sat capacity deal. https://t.co/SLW1OgmkVx https://t.co/73JNfEGG6Z
NASA Schedules Post‑Review Press Conference Amid Artemis II Delays
NASA will hold a news conference on Thursday, March 12, at 3:00 pm ET "after the conclusion of an Artemis II Flight Readiness Review." Watch on YouTube. Isaacman, Glaze, Honeycutt, Quinn, Knight. https://t.co/J4EfWNTiX9 Artemis II is still in the VAB. No date...
Starbase Evolves Into World's Leading Rocket Factory
The growth of Starbase over the last decade, from nothing to arguably the world's premiere rocket factory, is remarkable. This image of V3 rolling out is gorgeous. https://t.co/vVNpNoROaJ
North Korea Joins Space Weapons Race Amid Global Distraction
My latest in @ForeignPolicy: with a war in the Middle East, the world appears to have missed that North Korea is now officially getting into the space weapons game (with strong incentives to put nukes in space). My analysis: https://t.co/z11CO5oeyP
Booster 19 Conducts Tests to Activate Pad 2
Here's the official word: Booster 19 will perform a series of tests to activate Pad 2. ❤️🚀 https://t.co/XaOvA5XgFg