Orbital Paradigm: Ill-Fated PSLV’s 4th Stage Ignited. KID Taught Us A Ton
India’s PSLV‑C62 suffered a third‑stage anomaly, yet its fourth stage ignited while the vehicle was already descending. Spanish firm Orbital Paradigm’s KID demonstrator survived the uncontrolled re‑entry, separated, and transmitted telemetry back to Earth. The post‑flight report reveals that intense heating triggered a thermal opening mechanism that ejected the payload, providing rare real‑world data on hypersonic flight stability. Orbital Paradigm now plans a “Learn to Fly” mission with full recovery capability, leveraging the lessons learned.
The PRSC-EO2 Milestone: How Pakistan’s Latest Satellite Completes a High-Res ‘Sensor Triad’
Pakistan's SUPARCO launched its second earth‑observation satellite, PRSC‑EO2, on 12 February aboard China’s Smart Dragon‑3 rocket. Three days later it activated Pak‑SBAS, a satellite‑based augmentation system that leverages China’s BeiDou GNSS for higher‑precision positioning. Together the high‑resolution imaging payload and the...
Year In Orbit Physically Shifts The Human Brain, Scientists Warn
New MRI analysis of 26 astronauts shows the brain moves upward and backward inside the skull after spaceflight, with shifts exceeding two millimetres in year‑long missions. Researchers mapped over 100 brain regions, revealing that displacement scales with mission length and...
Hunting Cosmic Ghosts From the Edge of Space
University of Chicago’s PUEO experiment launched from Antarctica on Dec 20, 2024, spending 23 days at 120,000 feet searching for ultra‑high‑energy neutrinos. The payload carried 96 radio antennas and a sophisticated onboard processor to capture faint radio bursts generated when...
Southwest Airlines to Launch Free Starlink Wi-Fi This Summer — Here’s the Rollout Timeline
Southwest Airlines announced it will upgrade its in‑flight connectivity by installing Starlink satellite internet on its fleet, beginning this summer. The airline already provides free, unlimited Wi‑Fi to Rapid Rewards members via T‑Mobile on more than 800 aircraft. Southwest plans...
Firefly Returns to Flight with ‘Stairway to Seven’
Firefly Aerospace is set to launch the seventh flight of its Alpha small‑lift rocket, dubbed “Stairway to Seven,” on Feb 20 from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 2 West. The mission marks the final flight of the Block 1 configuration and will test Block 2 avionics...
A New Concept for Catching Up with 3I/ATLAS
Researchers from i4is propose a Solar Oberth maneuver to intercept interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, requiring a 2035 launch and a 50‑year flight. Direct chemical‑rocket missions are infeasible because the object was detected after its optimal launch window and moves faster than...
JAXA Awards Rakuten Mobile $71.9 Million to Advance Satellite-Terrestrial 5G Integration
Japan’s aerospace agency JAXA has awarded Rakuten Mobile and the University of Tokyo up to 11 billion yen (about $71.9 million) to develop AI‑enhanced satellite‑terrestrial 5G integration. The five‑year project, running from 2026 to 2031, will create protocols for dynamic frequency sharing,...
Starlink Restrictions Hit Russian Forces as Moscow Seeks Workarounds
Ukraine introduced a national verification system for Starlink terminals, disconnecting any unregistered devices in its territory. The move followed evidence that Russian forces were mounting Starlink‑enabled kamikaze drones, making them harder to jam. Since the crackdown, Ukrainian officials report a...
Video: “Drive Me To The Moon” – The Inside Story From Lunar Outpost
The documentary “Drive Me To The Moon” showcases Colorado‑based Lunar Outpost’s inaugural lunar mission, Lunar Voyage 1, and its Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover. The mission was compromised when Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander tipped onto its side on March 6 2025, preventing...
New Tool Could Reduce Collision Risk for Earth-Observation Satellites
University of Manchester researchers have unveiled a modeling framework that integrates collision risk directly into Earth‑observation satellite mission design. The tool links image‑resolution requirements, satellite size and constellation density with debris probability, revealing that 0.5 m resolution satellites face the highest...
LMT Group and Sateliot Partner with ESA to Advance Dual-Mode 5G Satellite IoT
LMT Group and Sateliot have launched a 12‑month partnership with ESA to create a universal dual‑mode 5G IoT module that can switch between terrestrial cellular networks and Sateliot’s LEO satellite constellation. The module follows 3GPP Release 17 NB‑IoT NTN standards and...
Fairing From India’s Bahubali Rocket Launched in December Found in Maldives
A fisherman off a remote Maldivian island recovered fragments that appear to be the fairing from India’s LVM3 (Bahubali) rocket, which launched AST SpaceMobile’s sixth Bluebird satellite in December. Similar debris was reported on a Sri Lankan island in late...
If Alien Signals Have Already Reached Earth, Why Haven't We Seen Them?
A new EPFL study uses Bayesian statistics to ask how many alien technosignatures must have crossed Earth since 1960 for today’s instruments to have a realistic chance of detection. The analysis shows that achieving a high detection probability within a...
The Space Nuclear Power Bottleneck — and How to Fix It
Nuclear power is poised to transform U.S. deep‑space and lunar missions, with NASA targeting a nuclear propulsion test by 2028 and a surface fission reactor on the Moon by 2030. While reactor designs and fuel supplies are mature, the real...
A New Concept for Catching up with 3I/ATLAS
The article outlines a new mission concept to intercept 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever recorded. It highlights the scientific payoff of a close‑up study and the steep engineering hurdles such a rendezvous entails. Central to the discussion is the...
NASA SPHEREx Mission Sheds More Light On Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s SPHEREx infrared survey observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in December 2025, detecting organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide and methane. The mission also recorded a pronounced increase in the comet’s brightness two months after perihelion, attributed to sublimation of carbon‑rich...
When Second Best Is Good Enough: The Initial Defense Satellite Communications System
The U.S. Air Force launched the Initial Defense Satellite Communications System (IDSCS) as a low‑cost, quickly fielded alternative after the ambitious Advent program was cancelled. Program 369 employed small 45‑kg Philco satellites, initially designed for medium‑altitude orbits and later placed in...
Seattle's Lessons for Rocket Reusability
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 demonstrated that first‑stage reuse can dramatically cut launch costs, reshaping the industry’s economics. Blue Origin has announced a hiring push for a “Reusable Upper Stage Development” manager, signaling its intent to explore second‑stage reuse. Analysts compare approaches: Rocket...
Tame the Wolf, Release the Panda: The Case for US-China Space Cooperation
The Space Review argues that the United States should repeal the Wolf Amendment and open a cooperative space relationship with China. It contends that China’s space ambitions are driven primarily by prestige and a desire for status recognition rather than...
Review: Webb's Cosmos
*Webb’s Cosmos* is a 2025 hardcover that gathers more than 300 James Webb Space Telescope images into a beautifully designed volume. Edited by Marcin Sawicki and Firefly Books, the book blends striking photography with concise, first‑person narrative about JWST’s launch, operations,...
Low-Profile Chinese Launch Firm Conducts First Stage Static Fire
Zenk Space performed a first‑stage static‑fire test of its Zhihang‑1 rocket on Feb. 11 from a mobile sea platform off Shandong, confirming engine ignition and thrust stability. The 50‑metre, three‑stage vehicle uses four CASC‑developed YF‑102 kerolox engines and can deliver 4,000 kg...
Southern California Sky Is Lit up by Valentine's Day SpaceX Launch
On Valentine’s Day, SpaceX lifted off a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, deploying 24 Starlink broadband satellites into low‑Earth orbit. The launch marked the fourth Falcon 9 mission from the California site this month, with three additional flights slated for...
Eutelsat Renews Viewsat Capacity Deals at 7/8° West Video Neighbourhood
Eutelsat has renewed several capacity agreements with Egypt‑based Viewsat, extending a long‑standing partnership focused on the 7/8° West video hotspot. The deals support Egyptian broadcasters and reinforce Eutelsat’s strategy in the MENA region. The 7/8° West position reaches roughly 66 million...
The Sky Today on Monday, February 16: Catch Comet Wierzchoś in Twilight
Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) has brightened to roughly 7th magnitude and is visible in the Northern Hemisphere after sunset on February 16. Observers can spot it about 30 minutes post‑sunset, low in the southwestern sky at roughly 10° altitude, near the 4th‑magnitude...
Nitride Global, USLLC and Axiom Space Awarded NASA SBIR Grant
Nitride Global, United Semiconductors LLC, and Axiom Space have won a NASA SBIR grant to develop a physical vapor deposition reactor that can grow high‑purity aluminum nitride (AlN) crystals in micro‑gravity. The Phase I prototype achieved temperatures of 2,800‑3,200 °C while consuming...
Can We Ever Know the Shape of the Universe?
The article examines the ongoing quest to determine the universe's overall geometry, weighing gravity’s pull against dark energy’s expansion. It outlines how cosmic microwave background measurements, galaxy surveys, and supernova observations constrain curvature, suggesting a near‑flat cosmos. Yet the possibility...
AALTO Targets Australia for Zephyr’s Next Operating Site, Launching Call to National Payload Industry
AALTO HAPS, an Airbus subsidiary, announced that northern Australia will host its second Zephyr launch and landing site, dubbed AALTOPORT, following the successful 67‑day stratospheric flight in 2025. The company is calling Australian payload developers to join bilateral talks at...
Microbes Harvest Metals From Meteorites Aboard Space Station
Researchers from Cornell and the University of Edinburgh demonstrated that microbes can biomine platinum‑group metals from a meteorite in microgravity aboard the ISS. The fungal species Penicillium simplicissimum showed especially high palladium extraction, while bacterial Sphingomonas desiccabilis also contributed to...
Smart Dragon 3 Rocket Sends Seven Satellites to Orbit From Sea Platform
China’s Smart Dragon 3 solid‑propellant carrier rocket lifted off from a sea‑based launch ship off Guangdong, delivering seven satellites—including a Pakistani remote‑sensing platform—into sun‑synchronous orbit. The 31‑metre vehicle, capable of carrying up to 1.5 tonnes per flight, completed its ninth mission, marking the...
Mohe Ground Station Boosts Polar Satellite Data Coverage
China’s Mohe Satellite Data Receiving Station, the nation’s highest‑latitude ground facility, began operations on Dec 12, 2025. Leveraging its polar location, the station expands China’s remote‑sensing footprint by roughly 4 million km² and supports 25 land‑observation satellites. It processes over 24 satellite tracks...
The Balloon Mission Raising the Bar for Exoplanet Science
Exoplanet atmospheric characterization has been dominated by the James Webb Space Telescope, but its high demand limits observation time. Researchers have introduced EXCITE, a balloon‑borne infrared telescope designed specifically for exoplanet climate studies. By flying on a high‑altitude gondola, EXCITE...
Earth's Radiation Fingerprint
Chinese researchers demonstrated that observing Earth from the lunar surface yields a unified measurement of the planet’s radiation budget, overcoming the spatial‑temporal trade‑offs of low‑Earth‑orbit and geostationary satellites. Their analysis showed that more than 90% of Earth’s outgoing radiation pattern...
Isaacman Planning to Meet with Head of Roscosmos
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced he intends to attend the upcoming Soyuz MS‑29 crewed launch from Baikonur this summer, marking the first time a NASA chief will be present at a Russian launch since 2018. He also plans to meet with...
Simulation Shows That Nuking Earth-Bound Asteroids Might Be Safe
Researchers from the University of Oxford and deflection startup OuSoCo used the HiRadMat particle accelerator to expose a Campo del Cielo iron meteorite sample to intense radiation, mimicking a nuclear blast. The sample first softened, then flexed and ultimately restrengthened,...
Webb Reveals a Plethora of Organic Molecules in a Bright Local Infrared Galaxy
The James Webb Space Telescope examined the ultra‑luminous infrared galaxy IRAS 07251‑0248 and uncovered an unexpectedly rich inventory of organic molecules in both gas and solid phases. Using NIRSpec and MIRI, researchers identified methyl radical, benzene, methane, acetylene, diacetylene, triacetylene, carbonaceous...
Study Outlines How JWST and Ariel Could Team up on Exoplanet Atmospheres
A new pre‑print from the Ariel‑JWST Synergy Working Group details how the James Webb Space Telescope and ESA’s upcoming Ariel mission can coordinate to study exoplanet atmospheres. The paper proposes joint target selection, simultaneous infrared spectroscopy, and shared data‑fusion pipelines...
How a Certain Form of Dark Matter May Lead to the Generation of Cosmological Magnetic Fields
Researchers at McGill University and ETH Zurich propose a new origin for the universe’s pervasive, weak magnetic fields. Their Physical Review Letters paper links the generation of cosmological magnetism to a pseudo‑scalar quantum field that could constitute ultralight dark matter....
From Soyuz to the Stars: A Roscosmos Trivia Quiz
The article presents a Roscosmos‑focused trivia quiz that highlights the agency’s Soviet heritage and its contemporary role in spaceflight. It notes that the modern Russian space agency was established in 1992 and that the Vostochny Cosmodrome was built to lessen...
Miliband Targets The Sky With Radical Plan To Beam Energy From Space
Britain’s new net‑zero roadmap, championed by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, proposes orbiting solar power stations to supply the UK with continuous, large‑scale electricity. The government‑commissioned study outlines ultra‑light satellites that convert sunlight to microwave beams, received by ground rectennas. Early...
Report: Crowded Orbits – A Call to Action on Space Debris
The World Economic Forum and the Center for Space Futures released a report warning that orbital congestion has surged as commercial launches multiply, raising collision risk to 29% in certain altitude bands by 2032. The study, produced with the Saudi...
Trump's Greenland Grab Is Part of a New Space Race – and the Stakes Are Getting Higher
President Trump’s push to expand U.S. presence in Greenland highlights the island’s emerging role as a strategic gateway for space operations. High‑latitude launch sites in Greenland enable efficient polar and sun‑synchronous orbits, making the territory attractive to private launch firms...
The New Space Station Gold Rush: Which Companies Are Actually Ready for LEO?
The International Space Station will retire by 2030, prompting a surge of private firms racing to build replacement outposts in low‑Earth orbit. Vast Space plans to launch its single‑module Haven‑1 in early 2027, while Axiom Space is incrementally adding modules...
What Are the Dangers of Moon Dust?
Moon dust, the fine fraction of lunar regolith, is uniquely sharp, abrasive, chemically reactive, and electrostatically charged, making it a multi‑domain hazard for human health and hardware. Apollo missions documented irritation to eyes, lungs, and skin, as well as accelerated...
What Are the Impacts of GNSS Outages?
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) outages are emerging as a systemic risk for modern infrastructure, affecting both positioning and, critically, precise timing. Interference such as jamming and spoofing can disrupt multiple constellations simultaneously, while system‑level faults can degrade services worldwide....
Best-Selling Nonfiction Books About Space Stations
The article surveys the most popular nonfiction titles that focus on space stations, highlighting memoirs, human‑factors science, and technical “how‑it‑works” books. It explains how these works prioritize lived experience, routine operations, and system explanations over pure engineering detail. The piece...
NASA Launches Twin Rocket Missions From Alaska to Study Mysterious Black Auroras
NASA launched two sub‑orbital sounding rockets from Alaska’s Poker Flat Research Range to investigate the electrical dynamics of auroras. The BADASS mission reached 224 miles altitude to study rare black auroras, while the GNEISS mission deployed twin rockets to 198...
China Launches AI-Driven Satellite Constellation to Transform Space Computing
China’s Zhejiang Lab has deployed a 12‑satellite AI‑driven constellation, the first phase of its Three‑Body Computing Constellation. The satellites host two 8‑billion‑parameter AI models for remote sensing and astronomical analysis, and have demonstrated inter‑satellite networking and on‑orbit data processing. In...
SpaceX Dragon as a Rescue Vehicle for Artemis
SpaceX is evaluating a modified Dragon capsule, dubbed “Dragon Block R,” as a dedicated lifeboat for NASA’s Artemis program. The concept adds a propulsive “Super Trunk” service module, a fifth crew seat, and an Umbilical Interface Adapter kit to accommodate Orion...
$1.5-Billion NISAR Satellite Powers Near-Real-Time Soil Moisture Tracking Across India
The $1.5 billion NASA‑ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, launched in July 2025, now delivers 100 m resolution soil‑moisture products across India on a 12‑day repeat cycle. Using dual‑frequency S‑ and L‑band radar, the mission provides near‑real‑time moisture maps for irrigated, rain‑fed...
