Space Start-Ups Gain Siemens Nous
Siemens has joined the European Space Agency’s EPIC programme, offering its Xcelerator software suite and digital‑twin capabilities to start‑ups nurtured by ESA Business Incubation Centres. The partnership gives fledgling space firms access to virtual design, simulation and engineering tools that can accelerate product development. Siemens’ board member Cedrik Neike framed the move as part of a broader effort to position Europe at the forefront of the global space market. The initiative taps a network of 37 ESA incubators that have already supported more than 2,000 companies.
Oops! NASA Once Lost a $125 Million Spacecraft Because Engineers Forgot to Convert to Metric
The Mars Climate Orbiter, a $125 million NASA mission launched in 1998, was lost in September 1999 when it descended far too low over Mars. The failure was traced to a simple unit‑conversion mistake: Lockheed Martin’s navigation software used Imperial units instead of...
Scottish Rocket Firm Skyrora Shortlisted for British Business Awards
Edinburgh‑based Skyrora has been shortlisted for Technology Company of the Year at the British Business Awards, a competition run with The Times and The Sunday Times. The shortlist places the rocket firm alongside energy leader Octopus Energy and fintech outfits...
2026 AIAA Von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics on Learning and Controlling Autonomous Space Systems to Be Presented by Maruthi Akella...
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected UT Austin professor Maruthi Akella to deliver the 2026 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics. His talk, “Opinion Dynamics, Learning, Trust, and Control of Autonomous Space Systems,” will be held on May 20 during...
2026 AIAA David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Presented by Blue Origin’s Tory Bruno During ASCEND 2026
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has awarded the 2026 David W. Thompson Lectureship in Space Commerce to Tory Bruno, former ULA CEO and now President of Blue Origin’s Blue National Security unit. Bruno will present his talk, “Transforming ULA: Shaping...
Delta In-Flight Connectivity Takes Off with Amazon Leo
Delta Air Lines has partnered with Amazon to equip its fleet with high‑speed, low‑latency internet via Amazon Leo, the company’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellite service. The rollout will begin in 2028 with an initial installation on 500 aircraft, expanding Delta’s existing AWS‑based...
Q&A With Lunar Base Manager Carlos Garcia-Galan
NASA has appointed Carlos Garcia‑Galan as the program executive overseeing its accelerated plan to build a lunar surface base. He outlined a shift in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program toward tighter NASA‑commercial collaboration and a two‑phase Lunar Terrain...
Es’hailSat, EgyptSat Expand Partnership with New Satellite Capacity Agreement
Es’hailSat and EgyptSat have signed a multi‑year satellite capacity agreement to expand VSAT services across Egypt and the broader MENA region, building on a partnership established last year. The deal taps Es’hailSat’s two high‑throughput satellites at 25.5°/26° East and its Tier‑4...
China Targets 140 Launches in 2026 Amid Commercial Space Surge
China aims to conduct about 140 orbital launches in 2026, a 52% jump from 2025’s record 92 missions. The surge is driven by expanding launch infrastructure at sites such as Jiuquan, Hainan’s commercial pads, and Haiyang, as well as rapid...
‘This Feels Fragile’: How a Satellite-Smashing Chain Reaction Could Spiral Out of Control
Earth’s orbital environment is now crowded with more than 30,000 tracked objects, a number that is rising exponentially as commercial and governmental launches accelerate. Analysts project that by the end of the decade the count of active satellites could exceed...
Indra Develops New Satellite Communications Terminal for Submarines
Indra has finished development and certification testing of the TSUB‑40Ka, a Ka‑band satellite communications terminal designed for submarines. The Ka band permits smaller antennas and markedly higher data‑rate links than traditional X‑band or Ku‑band systems. The terminal complies with MIL‑STD/STANAG...
Europe’s Space Sector Faces Power Shift as Funding Grows
A new Aerospace Corporation report warns that the European Union is set to become the dominant political and financial driver of Europe’s space sector, with proposed 2028‑2034 budgets potentially raising defense and space spending to about $150 billion. The EU could...
Eutelsat in Talks with India's Space Agency to Boost Satellite Launch Options
Eutelsat is negotiating with India’s ISRO to add launch capacity, aiming to cut dependence on SpaceX and Ariane rockets. The talks come after the OneWeb merger and a plan to launch 440 new satellites, a programme estimated at €2 bn ($2.3 bn)....
First Canadian Astronaut Will Travel to the Moon Amid Fraying U.S.-Canada Relations
Canada will see its first astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, fly aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The four‑person crew will launch from Kennedy Space Center and circle the Moon before returning to Earth. Hansen’s participation makes...
Starlink to Appeal Namibia Licence Rejection
Starlink will appeal Namibia's telecom regulator decision that rejected its licence and spectrum access because the company is fully foreign‑owned, violating the country's 51% local‑ownership rule. Nigeria's communications authority has mandated that telcos compensate customers with airtime credits when service...
Eight More Satellites Added to IRIDE Space Programme
Italy’s IRIDE Earth‑observation programme has added eight new Eaglet II satellites, raising the total constellation to 24 assets in orbit. The launch, performed on SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 from Vandenberg, placed the satellites alongside the first batch deployed in November 2025. Each spacecraft carries...
Countdown Begins for the Artemis-2 Mission Around the Moon
NASA initiated a two‑day countdown on April 1 for the Artemis‑2 mission, targeting a 6:24 pm Eastern launch. The flight will carry three American astronauts and a Canadian aboard the Orion capsule, propelled by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Artemis‑2 marks...
Artemis 2 Countdown Underway
NASA kicked off the two‑day Artemis 2 countdown on March 30, targeting an April 1 launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B within a two‑hour window. Mission managers reported no major issues with the Space Launch System rocket, Orion crew capsule, or ground...
What Is Terrain Relative Navigation, and Why Is It Important?
NASA’s Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) lets spacecraft compare live images with onboard maps to pinpoint safe landing zones. First proven on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, TRN reduced landing uncertainty from miles to roughly 50 meters. The system’s compact camera‑computer design has...
Türkiye Negotiating LEO Satellite Operations With SpaceX And Amazon
Turkey’s Deputy Transport and Infrastructure Minister met with SpaceX and Amazon at the SATShow expo in Washington on March 26, 2026 to discuss operating low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellites over Turkish territory. The talks centered on meeting Turkey’s regulatory and security requirements...
QuantX Labs Launches Optical Frequency Comb for Orbital Clock Demonstration
QuantX Labs has placed an optical frequency comb into orbit aboard Exotrail’s spacevan™ on a SpaceX launch, marking the first in‑space test of the core subsystem for its TEMPO.Space optical atomic clock. The demonstration, part of Australia’s KAIROS program, will...
Second Starlink Satellite Suffers Anomaly, Generating Debris
SpaceX confirmed that Starlink‑34343 suffered an on‑orbit anomaly on March 29, generating tens of debris fragments at a 560‑kilometer altitude. Radar firm LeoLabs detected the debris and expects most fragments to deorbit within weeks because of the low orbit. SpaceX...
NSS Position Paper: Lunar Bases Should Be the Focus of Artemis
The National Space Society released a position paper urging NASA’s Artemis program to shift focus from brief lunar landings to establishing permanent, commercially operated lunar bases. The paper recommends NASA act as an anchor tenant while private firms own and...
Heat Shield Safety Concerns Raise Stakes for NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission
NASA’s Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a 10‑day lunar flyby, but the mission’s safety hinges on Orion’s heat shield after uneven ablation was observed on Artemis I. The shield, built from 180 Avcoat blocks, lost material in chunks during the...
Rocket Lab Wins German Approval for Mynaric Deal
Rocket Lab received approval from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to acquire laser‑communications firm Mynaric for roughly $150 million, clearing the final regulatory hurdle. The approval, announced on March 30, enables the deal to close in April and marks...
WAVE Achieves First Cloud-to-Gateway Satcom Virtualization with AI Signal Analysis
Members of the IEEE‑backed WAVE Consortium—AWS, Gilat Defense, and SES Space & Defense—demonstrated the first standardized cloud‑to‑gateway satellite communications virtualization using FPGA acceleration. A 10 Mbps video stream was transmitted through a DVBS‑2X modem, digitized at an SES gateway, and processed...
Live in the Booth: AST SpaceMobile President Scott Wisniewski Talks Spectrum Strategy and Defense Potential
AST SpaceMobile President and Chief Strategy Officer Scott Wisniewski highlighted the recent launch of the BlueBird 6 satellite, a new agreement with European carrier Orange, and the company’s evolving spectrum strategy. He announced that AST secured its first Space Development Agency...
SpaceBridge Launches UniHub as Streamlined VSAT Platform
SpaceBridge unveiled UniHub, a compact all‑in‑one VSAT hub that consolidates SDR multichannel modulation, burst demodulation for up to 800 carriers, network communication center functions, QoS, and advanced waveforms like TDMA and dSCPC. The platform promises reduced footprint, lower SWaP, and...
Varda Flies Navigation Payload, Heat Shield Tests on Sixth Reentry Mission
Varda Space Industries launched its sixth re‑entry capsule, W‑6, aboard SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 rideshare from Vandenberg on March 30. The mission carries U.S. defense‑funded experiments, notably Rhea Space Activity’s autonomous navigation system that uses onboard cameras and the AutoNav algorithm to determine...
Heading to Florida for NASA's Artemis 2 Moon Launch? Here's What to Know Before You Go
NASA plans to launch the crewed Artemis 2 mission from Kennedy Space Center between April 1 and April 6, 2026. Cell‑phone data shows the previous Artemis 1 launch attracted 150,000‑200,000 visitors, and tourism officials expect a comparable crowd. Overnight guests typically spend about $350...
Dominican Republic Finds Itself In The Middle Of The US-China Space Race
Launch on Demand, a Florida‑based firm, is preparing a $600 million rocket launch complex in Pedernales, Dominican Republic. The site’s equatorial location promises more efficient heavy‑lift launches for U.S. satellites, while also serving as a geopolitical counterweight to China’s expanding space...
Another Rocket Startup in India Hopes to Launch From Its Own Spaceport
Bharath Space Vehicle (BSV), an Indian rocket startup founded by former ISRO engineers, is developing the liquid‑fueled Agasthya‑1 small‑sat launch vehicle. The company has submitted a proposal for a private spaceport near Kodinar in Gujarat, a coastal site offering open...
China’s Kinetica-2 Rocket Debuts Successfully, Sending Prototype Cargo Spacecraft to Orbit
Chinese commercial launch firm CAS Space successfully lifted its new Kinetica‑2 rocket into orbit on March 30, delivering a prototype cargo spacecraft and two other payloads. The 53‑meter vehicle can carry up to 12 tonnes to low‑Earth orbit and features a modular...
AAC Clyde Space Expands Orbital Presence with Transporter-16 Launch
On March 30, 2026 SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 rideshare launched 119 payloads, including seven satellites from Swedish‑based AAC Clyde Space. The flight introduced the first two VIREON‑1 and VIREON‑2 Earth‑observation cubesats, delivering 1.5‑meter multispectral imagery for agriculture and forestry. AAC also flew...
Indra Showcases Sovereign Space and Defense Technologies at FIDAE 2026
Indra will showcase its sovereign space and defense technologies at FIDAE 2026 in Santiago, Chile, from April 7‑12. The company will deploy its Crow counter‑drone system to protect the air base and attendees, and highlight the Vorax low‑Earth‑orbit satellite for independent...
WISeSat.Space Expands IoT Constellation with 21st Satellite Launch via SpaceX
On March 30, 2026, WISeSat.Space, the satellite arm of WISeKey International, placed its 21st picosatellite into low‑Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare. The satellite extends the company’s secure IoT constellation, which embeds WISeKey’s proprietary Root‑of‑Trust cryptography to protect data...
Satellite 2026 – NTN and Flat Panel Arrays
Satellite 2026, the industry’s largest gathering in Washington, D.C., highlighted non‑terrestrial networks (NTN) and flat‑panel arrays as the year’s hot topics. Major announcements included Airbus Defence and Space teaming with Greenerwave to deliver low‑power, multi‑orbit flat‑panel antennas, and Kymeta unveiling the...
York Space Systems Secures PExT Mission Extension Through 2027 Following BARD Success
York Space Systems announced that NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory have extended the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) mission through 2027 after the BARD mission met all primary objectives. The PExT payload, hosted on a York S-CLASS bus, demonstrated...
Voyager Awarded Contract with Icarus Robotics
Voyager Technologies announced a mission‑management contract with Icarus Robotics to fly the free‑flying Joyride robot on the International Space Station. The agreement covers payload integration, safety certification, launch coordination, on‑orbit operations planning and real‑time execution support. Voyager leverages its heritage...
Artemis II: Space Weather Forecasting, Monitoring the Sun’s Hazardous Conniptions
NASA’s Artemis II mission will carry astronauts beyond Earth’s magnetic shield on a ten‑day lunar flyby, the first human deep‑space flight since Apollo. A powerful solar flare captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory on October 3, 2024 underscores the threat of space‑weather events....
Starcloud Raises $170M Series A at $1.1B Valuation
Starcloud, a Redmond‑based orbital data‑center startup, closed a $170 million Series A round that values the company at $1.1 billion. The financing, led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures with participation from institutional and angel investors, follows the successful November launch of Starcloud‑1, which...
From Advantage to Arena: Space Power 1991-2026
On February 28, 2026, the United States launched Operation Epic Fury with space and cyber forces disabling Iran’s sensors and communications before any aircraft entered Iranian airspace, marking the first conflict where space opened the campaign. The operation highlighted four...
Artemis 2, Project Hail Mary, and the Risks and Benefits of Human Spaceflight
Artemis II is set to launch in early April, sending four astronauts on a lunar flyby that will test systems for a planned 2028 Moon base. The mission coincides with the release of the sci‑fi film *Project Hail Mary*, highlighting public fascination...
A SoCal Native Is Set to Pilot NASA’s Lunar Mission — and Become the First Black Person to Reach the...
NASA’s Artemis II mission, slated for launch in early 2026, will send a crew on a lunar flyby—the first human trip around the Moon in half a century. Victor Glover, a Southern California native and veteran Navy test pilot, will serve...
Why the Lack of Water on Mars Is so Mysterious
Planetary scientists have long agreed that Mars once hosted extensive liquid water and a thick, water‑rich atmosphere. A new comprehensive accounting of water inputs and losses reveals a major discrepancy: the expected ocean depth of 150–250 m at the end of...
Tech Life
The BBC is launching a daily space podcast series, "13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II," beginning Monday, March 30 2026. The show will chronicle NASA’s Artemis II mission, which plans to send four astronauts on a lunar flyby—the first human return to the Moon in...
Telecom News: SES, K2 Space, Satellite Communication to Samsung Galaxy Smartphones
SES partnered with K2 Space to build the meoSphere medium‑Earth‑orbit satellite network, planning 28 high‑power satellites for launch by 2030. The constellation will use software‑defined payloads to deliver faster, lower‑latency connectivity for government, mobility and telecom customers. Meanwhile, India warned...
The Dual-Use SAR Market: How Companies Like ICEYE Are Selling the Same Constellation to Governments and Insurers
ICEYE is targeting more than €1 billion (≈$1.1 billion) in revenue for 2026, buoyed by a €1.76 billion (≈$1.9 billion) German Bundeswehr contract and a €1.5 billion (≈$1.6 billion) backlog. The company’s dual‑use synthetic‑aperture‑radar (SAR) constellation serves high‑margin defense customers while monetising excess capacity in insurance,...
Rocket Lab’s Neutron and the Medium-Lift Market Opening
Rocket Lab announced that its medium‑lift Neutron rocket will attempt its inaugural flight no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2026 from Launch Complex 3 at Wallops Island, delivering up to 13,000 kg to low‑Earth orbit in a reusable configuration. The vehicle’s...
AI as Mission Control: How Autonomous Satellite Operations Are Changing the Ground Segment
AI‑driven automation is reshaping satellite ground segments, making large LEO constellations economically viable. SpaceX operates over 10,000 Starlink satellites with a tiny ops staff, a feat enabled by autonomous health monitoring, collision avoidance and tasking tools. Software‑defined platforms from Leanspace,...
