NASA Seeks SmallSat Mission Concepts Using Adaptive Sensing and Edge AI
NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office announced the Space to Soil Challenge, inviting proposals for SmallSat missions that leverage adaptive sensing and edge AI. The initiative aims to advance onboard processing capabilities that can deliver rapid, high‑resolution data for land‑resilience applications such as soil health and agricultural monitoring. Submissions are open to industry, academia, and startups, with potential funding and partnership opportunities for selected concepts. The challenge reflects NASA’s push to integrate cutting‑edge AI directly on small satellites to reduce latency and improve data utility.
Private Company to Land on Asteroid Apophis as It Flies Close to Earth
In 2029, asteroid Apophis will skim Earth at just 32,000 kilometres, a once‑in‑millennia event visible to the naked eye. A private U.S. company plans to deploy two landers as part of an international armada that includes spacecraft from Europe, Japan...
Live Coverage: SpaceX to Launch 25 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Rocket From Vandenberg SFB
SpaceX is set to launch its 30th Starlink batch of 2026, deploying 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, designated Starlink 17‑15, will lift off at 2:51:49 p.m. PDT and follow a southerly trajectory into...
Amazon Leo Vs. SpaceX Starlink: The Race to Own Low Earth Orbit
SpaceX’s Starlink crossed the 10,000‑satellite threshold in March 2026 and now serves over 10 million customers across roughly 160 countries. Amazon’s rebranded Leo constellation, launched in 2025, has about 250 satellites in orbit and began a limited commercial rollout in early...
The Scientific Domains of Space Exploration
The article outlines how space exploration is a sprawling scientific ecosystem rather than a single discipline, linking physics, geology, biology, engineering, law, economics, and more. It traces the evolution from Apollo’s multidisciplinary sample analysis to modern missions like Artemis and...
NASA Won't Give up Hope on Silent MAVEN Mars Probe: 'We're Still Looking for It'
NASA announced on March 16 that it still has not re‑established contact with the MAVEN orbiter, which went silent after emerging from Mars’ far side on Dec. 6, 2025. The agency has resumed Deep Space Network attempts following a solar conjunction,...
Kayhan Targets Investors, Insurers with Expanded Orbital Intelligence Platform
Kayhan Space unveiled Satcat Terminal, an AI‑driven platform that translates orbital data into business insights for investors and insurers, echoing the functionality of a Bloomberg Terminal for space assets. The service draws on a catalog of more than 36,000 tracked...
T-20 Days: Smile to Launch on 9 April
The European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences will launch the Smile mission on a Vega‑C rocket from French Guiana on Thursday 9 April at 08:29 CEST. The spacecraft will perform the first X‑ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field and monitor...
Globalsat Becomes Amazon Leo Reseller
Globalsat Group announced it will act as an authorized reseller for Amazon Leo, Amazon’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellite broadband network. The deal enables Globalsat to deliver high‑speed, low‑latency connectivity to enterprise customers across North, Central and South America. Amazon Leo now operates more than...
NASA's Artemis Missions Promise a Return to the Moon—But When?
NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby is slated for April 2026, marking the first human deep‑space mission in over five decades. The program’s flagship landing mission, Artemis III, has been pushed back, with a crewed touchdown now expected in 2028 under the Artemis IV...
China Considers Volcanic Site For Its First Moon Landing
China is targeting a crewed lunar landing in 2030 and has identified the volcanic Rimae Bode region as the preferred site after evaluating 106 candidates and narrowing them to 14. The area’s mix of dark pyroclastic deposits, mare basalts, rille...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Discovers Even Older Lost Rivers at Jezero Crater
NASA’s Perseverance rover used its ground‑penetrating radar to probe deeper than before in Jezero Crater. The instrument identified buried river‑carved slopes and a delta more than 35 meters below the surface. Analysis of the radar echoes indicates these features formed around...
9 New Faces for SATShow Week 2026
SATShow Week 2026 unveiled nine fresh leaders spanning investment, manufacturing, policy and operations, underscoring the event’s expanding GovMilSpace focus. Ellen Chang highlighted the need for terrestrial infrastructure financing, while Apex’s Ian Cinnamon disclosed a $400 million fundraising round to scale bus...
SpaceX’s Starlink Asks Ofcom for Permission to Build Two New Earth Stations in London and Essex
SpaceX’s Starlink has applied to Ofcom for two new Ka‑band Earth stations—one in London’s Mulberry Wharf and another in Harlow, Essex—targeting early 2026 deployment. The company says its current gateway network is nearing capacity, forcing it to limit service to...
Industry Roundtable With ’10 Hottest’ Executives
A roundtable of leaders from Viasat, SpinLaunch, Voyager Technologies, ArkEdge Space and Planet highlighted three dominant themes for SATShow Week 2026: the rise of multi‑orbit and hybrid satellite networks, the growing importance of dual‑use space systems for defense and commercial...
ALL.SPACE Achieves Industry-First Multi-Orbit Certification for SES O3b mPOWER
ALL.SPACE announced on March 18, 2026 that its electronically scanned antenna terminal received the industry’s first certification for simultaneous multi‑orbit connectivity on SES’s O3b mPOWER MEO constellation. The ESA can track GEO, MEO and LEO satellites concurrently without mechanical parts, offering...
Using Fiber-Optic Cables to Detect Moonquakes
Two Los Alamos studies show that fiber‑optic cables can be laid on the Moon’s surface to record moonquakes, eliminating the need for heavy, buried seismometers. Laboratory tests in simulated regolith found burial depth irrelevant, while stiffer, thicker fibers improved signal...
Frontier Justice: Navigating the Future Legal Landscape for Private Actors in Space Law
The global space economy is set to surge from $630 billion in 2023 to $1.7 trillion by 2035, yet the legal framework remains fragmented and largely government‑centric. Private actors face a regulatory vacuum that could trigger lunar land grabs, inflate costs, and...
March 18, 1965: The First Spacewalk
On March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performed the first human spacewalk during the Voskhod 2 mission. He spent roughly 12 minutes outside the capsule before a suit malfunction forced him to depressurize and crawl back, narrowly surviving. While in...
