"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 leadership in mission control. The interviewees stress that diverse, inclusive teams foster creativity and reduce errors, while visibility and early role modelling combat self‑selection barriers for women in STEM. ESOC’s culture, anti‑discrimination policies, and mentorship programs aim to normalise women’s presence in space operations.
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...
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 Launches 25 More Starlink Satellites
SpaceX successfully launched 25 additional Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The rocket’s first stage marked its seventh flight, achieving a precise drone‑ship landing in the Pacific. With this mission, SpaceX’s 2026 launch tally of 29...
Apollo Cosplay on a 21st-Century Clock – Why Artemis Keeps Slipping Toward 2029 – Part 3
NASA’s Artemis program is reshaping its roadmap to echo Apollo, scheduling a crewed lunar flyby in 2026, a low‑Earth‑orbit rendezvous in 2027, and a south‑pole landing originally slated for 2028. The timeline now drifts toward 2029 as hardware setbacks, SLS...
A.i. Solutions Partners with USGS to Integrate AI Into Landsat Flight Operations
On March 5, 2026, a.i. solutions entered a CRADA partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey to embed artificial‑intelligence and machine‑learning tools into Landsat’s flight operations. The collaboration will automate anomaly triage, telemetry trending, and orbital mechanics analysis for the sun‑synchronous Landsat constellation....
BlackSky Awarded $99M Air Force Contract for Advanced Optical Testbed; Lockheed Martin Expands Missile Production
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded BlackSky Geospatial Solutions a $99 million SBIR Phase III contract to build an advanced optical imaging testbed for the Air Force Research Laboratory. Simultaneously, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control received a $53.1 million contract modification to...
Space Launches Are Changing the Chemistry of Earth's Atmosphere, Studies Warn. Here's What Can Be Done
Recent studies warn that the surge in satellite launches and uncontrolled re‑entries is altering the chemistry of the middle and upper atmosphere. By the 2030s, re‑entering spacecraft could inject thousands to tens of thousands of tonnes of alumina and other...
EarthDaily’s Dave Gebhardt on the Future of Satellite Data in Agriculture
EarthDaily, formerly EarthDaily Analytics, rebranded to emphasize its satellite‑driven data focus. In June 2025 the company launched its first satellite, marking the start of a global constellation aimed at agriculture. It now offers daily, five‑meter resolution imagery and low‑touch analytics...
NASA Picks 16 Finalists for LunaRecycle Challenge Phase 2
NASA announced 16 finalists for Phase 2 of the LunaRecycle Challenge, a $3 million competition aimed at creating waste‑recycling technologies for lunar missions. The teams, drawn from 11 U.S. states, will spend the next six months refining prototypes or digital‑twin systems before...
March 8, 1986: The Second of Five Probes Flies by Halley’s Comet
On March 8 1986, Japan’s Suisei probe became the second spacecraft to fly past Halley’s Comet, part of an international “Halley Armada” that also included two Soviet Vega probes, Japan’s Sakigake, and ESA’s Giotto. The comet’s perihelion occurred on February 9, placing it...
France’s Aldoria Inks Agreement With India’s AXISCADES For Optical Station Based SSA
French space‑tech firm Aldoria has signed a contract with Indian engineering company AXISCADES to deliver optical stations for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) in India. The first station will be deployed in 2026, with a phased rollout targeting more than a...
HEBI Robotics Awarded $850,000 Business Contract by NASA
NASA has granted HEBI Robotics an $850,000 Phase II SBIR contract to develop and test space‑rated actuation hardware. The two‑year effort will produce modular actuators and compatible avionics for low‑Earth‑orbit and geosynchronous missions. HEBI’s technology aims to survive ionizing radiation and...
A New Low Earth Orbit Regime Must Be Grounded in Geopolitics, Not Detached From It
Low Earth Orbit is on track to host up to half a million satellites by 2040, driven by aggressive mega‑constellation plans from both commercial firms and nation‑states. Existing licensing relies on UN notifications and national approvals, with little cross‑agency coordination,...
Israeli Space Startup Remondo Unveils A Unique Cost-Cutting Plan
Israeli startup Remondo unveiled its Partial Aperture Imaging System (PAIS), a novel approach that replaces costly large mirrors and sensors with rings of smaller mirrors, a light modulator and coding to achieve 30‑cm resolution imagery. The design cuts satellite development...
NASA Awards ULA’s Centaur-5 Upper Stage for Future SLS Launches
NASA announced a sole‑source contract awarding United Launch Alliance (ULA) the Centaur‑5 upper stage for future Space Launch System (SLS) flights after Artemis‑3. The decision leverages the proven RL10 engine heritage, compatibility with Mobile Launcher 1, and ULA’s existing work with...
Living in Space Can Change Where Your Brain Sits in Your Skull – New Research
A new MRI analysis of 26 astronauts reveals that microgravity causes the brain to shift upward and backward inside the skull, with movements up to more than 2 mm in year‑long missions. The study segmented the brain into over 100 regions,...
Book Review: The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan’s Space Programs
Subodhana Wijeyeratne’s "The Islands and the Stars" offers the first comprehensive English‑language chronicle of Japan’s space program, tracing its evolution from 1920s wartime rocketry to the 2003 creation of JAXA. The book highlights Japan’s early emphasis on unmanned missions, the...
Taiwan Ramps up Space-Defense Drive Amid Beijing Threats
Taiwan is fast‑tracking a government‑led space‑defense program to counter growing Chinese threats. The Taiwan Accelerator Plus (TAcc+) initiative, managed by ITRI and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, has supported 42 startups developing satellites, rocket engines and geospatial tools...
USSF Eyes ‘Dual-Use’ Ways to Boost Space Superiority, Prep for Guardians in Orbit
U.S. Space Force leaders are exploring dual‑use initiatives that can sustain today’s space‑superiority mission while laying groundwork for future Guardians—military astronauts—operating in orbit. At the AFA Warfare Symposium, officials warned that China’s fully integrated civil‑military space program could give it...
NASA Changed an Asteroid’s Orbital Path Around the Sun, a First for Humankind
In September 2022 NASA’s DART spacecraft slammed into Dimorphos, the smaller member of the Didymos binary, deliberately altering its orbit. New analysis published in Science Advances shows the impact also slowed the entire binary system’s heliocentric speed by roughly 12 microns...
NASA Must Delay Deorbiting the ISS, U.S. Lawmakers Say
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee added a draft provision to the NASA Authorization Act of 2026 that would extend the International Space Station’s operational life to 2032, two years beyond the current plan. The measure also bars NASA from deorbiting the...
Logic Robotics Develops a Logistics Operating System for the Space Economy
Logic Robotics unveiled a logistics operating system designed to automate the movement of palletized cargo from terrestrial factories to spaceports and beyond. The platform, called LINK, integrates an AI‑driven digital twin that models facilities, vehicles, and missions in real time,...
Can We Observe Earth-Like Exoplanets From Our Own Planet?
A hybrid observatory that pairs a space‑based starshade with large ground‑based telescopes such as the ELT can achieve the extreme contrast needed to directly image Earth‑like exoplanets. The study, led by Nobel laureates John C. Mather and Michel Mayor, demonstrates...
Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes New Members
The Commercial Space Federation (CSF) announced that LeoLabs, the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), and SurgeStreams have joined as new members. Their inclusion expands CSF’s reach into orbital intelligence, gravitational biology research, and commercial‑space digital infrastructure. Each...
NASA Rules Out Asteroid Smashup on the Moon in 2032
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed asteroid 2024 YR4 in February 2026, confirming it will miss the Moon by about 13,200 miles on Dec. 22, 2032. Earlier analyses in 2025 gave the rock a 4.3% chance of lunar impact, but the new data...
March 6, 1953: The Birth of Carolyn Porco
Carolyn Porco, born March 6, 1953, rose from a doctoral candidate in earth and space sciences to become a leading planetary imaging scientist. She joined the Voyager team in the early 1980s and co‑planned the iconic 1990 “Pale Blue Dot” photograph with...
Hyperscalers Are Coming to an Orbit Near You. Power Will Decide the Winners.
The article warns that power availability will become the decisive bottleneck in the emerging orbital economy of megaconstellations and space‑based data centers. SpaceX has already mitigated this by deploying massive solar arrays, achieving 28 kW peak power and demonstrating the advantage...
Rocket Lab Launches Satellite for Undisclosed Customer
Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from New Zealand on March 5, delivering a single satellite for an undisclosed customer, most likely BlackSky’s Gen‑3 Earth‑observation spacecraft. The mission, announced only five hours before liftoff, placed the payload into a 470‑km mid‑inclination orbit....
A Satellite Receiver Trusted by Pentagon, ESA Has More Than 20 Security Flaws — and the Maker Never Responded
A penetration tester uncovered more than 20 critical vulnerabilities in International Data Casting Corporation's SFX2100 satellite receiver, a device deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense, the European Space Agency and other critical infrastructure operators. The flaws include hard‑coded credentials,...
Centre Ropes In Spacetech Startups To Build ‘Bodyguard’ Satellites
India’s security agencies have moved to partner with deep‑tech spacetech startups to create “bodyguard” satellites that can shield high‑value space assets. Bloomberg reports that Galaxeye, Agnikul and Dhruva Space are in advanced talks, with a test flight slated for June...
New AI Hub to Empower Space-Enabled Connectivity
The European Space Agency announced a new AI Hub at its ECSAT campus in Oxfordshire, backed by the UK Space Agency. The facility will provide a testbed for AI‑driven satellite and converged communications, extending the capabilities of ESA’s existing 5G/6G...
20 Space Summits Incoming March 2026: UK, US, And World
March 2026 will host more than 20 high‑profile space conferences, summits and workshops across the UK, the United States and globally. The calendar features flagship gatherings such as Space‑Comm Europe in London, the Joint Space Operations Summit in Maryland, LPSC in...
A History of Entry, Descent, and Landing of Human Spacecraft
The article traces the evolution of human spacecraft entry, descent, and landing from Vostok’s ejection‑before‑touchdown to modern capsules such as Dragon, Starliner, and Orion. It highlights how early programs diverged into ocean splashdowns, land touchdowns, and runway glides, with the...
Seraphim Space Investment Trust Posts Record Results
Seraphin Space Investment Trust reported record H2 2025 results, with net asset value climbing 20% to £337.5 million and fair‑value multiples exceeding 200% of cost for the first time. The top ten holdings delivered 79% revenue growth year‑over‑year, while more than 85%...
Poland-Based Liftero Will Provide Chemical Propulsion for Indian Firm OrbitAID’s In-Orbit Servicing Mission
Polish startup Liftero has signed a contract with India’s OrbitAID to provide two multi‑thruster BOOSTER configurations for an in‑orbit servicing mission slated for the fourth quarter of 2026. The boosters use nitrous‑oxide (N₂O) chemical propulsion to deliver six‑degree‑of‑freedom (6‑DOF) maneuvering,...
Toward Practical Laser-Driven Light Sails Using Photonic Crystals
Researchers have created a photonic‑crystal light sail (PCLS) that uses a three‑dielectric nanostructure of germanium pillars, air holes, and polymer matrix to achieve high reflectivity at a propulsion‑specific wavelength. Simulations and electron‑beam fabricated prototypes demonstrate about 90 % reflectivity at 1.2 µm...
New Webb Data Says Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Miss the Moon in 2032
New James Webb Space Telescope observations collected on Feb. 18 and 26 refined the orbit of near‑Earth asteroid 2024 YR4, eliminating any chance of a lunar impact on Dec. 22, 2032. The asteroid is now projected to miss the Moon by about 13,200 miles (21,200 km)....
Missing Technosignatures? Turbulent Plasma May Blur Ultra-Narrow Signals Before They Leave Their Home Star Systems
A new SETI Institute study shows that turbulent plasma in a star’s immediate environment can broaden ultra‑narrow radio signals, spreading their power across frequencies and making them harder to detect. By calibrating plasma‑induced broadening with measurements from solar‑system spacecraft, the...
Terran Orbital Appoints Kwon Park as Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations
Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin company, announced Kwon Park as senior director of manufacturing operations. Park brings more than 20 years of aerospace and defense manufacturing experience, including leadership of a $300 million aerospace site. He will oversee manufacturing execution, production...
Branson Talks Virgin Galactic Return to Flight and Government Backing at Space-Comm Europe
Virgin Galactic announced that its next‑generation Delta Class suborbital vehicle will begin commercial flights by the end of 2026, targeting a rapid 48‑hour turnaround between missions. The move follows Blue Origin’s decision to suspend New Shepard flights, positioning Virgin as...
NGA Awards BlackSky Seven-Figure Order on Luno A Contract
BlackSky has secured a seven‑figure renewal from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency under the Luno A Facility Monitoring Delivery Order. The contract extension reflects strong customer satisfaction with BlackSky’s high‑cadence, AI‑enabled change detection analytics. The company now monitors more than...
Two Satellites in SES’s O3b mPOWER MEO Constellation Come Online
SES announced that the ninth and tenth O3b mPOWER satellites have entered service, raising the constellation to ten operational units out of the planned thirteen. The satellites were launched by SpaceX on July 22 from Cape Canaveral and use redesigned...
Space Development Agency Faces Challenges Scaling Its Growing Constellation
The Space Development Agency’s first operational tranche of 42 satellites launched in late 2024, but on‑orbit checkout and functional testing have lagged due to supply‑chain bottlenecks, a 45‑day government shutdown, and a technical snag with a Lockheed Martin spacecraft. The...
