NASA Picks Blue Origin to Deliver Lunar Rovers to the Moon
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a minimum $188 million contract to deliver the first lunar terrain vehicles to the Moon’s South Pole. The agency also granted $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost to build the rovers that Blue Origin will transport. These contracts are part of NASA’s Moon Base program, which targets a sustained human presence by the 2030s and a crewed landing by 2028. Additional funding went to Firefly Aerospace for a $75 million lunar‑drone spacecraft slated for 2028.
SpaceX Just Won a $2 Billion Contract to Make Satellites for the Space Force
SpaceX has been awarded a $2.29 billion fixed‑price contract by the U.S. Space Force to build satellites for its Space Data Network Backbone. The program envisions a low‑Earth‑orbit constellation that could number in the hundreds or thousands, delivering high‑speed communications to...
NASA to Announce Artemis III Crew, Provide Mission Progress Update
NASA will host a live event on June 9 at 11 a.m. EDT from Johnson Space Center to announce the four astronauts selected for the Artemis III test flight. The announcement will be streamed on NASA+ and YouTube, with limited in‑person and virtual...
NASA Outlines New Program of Unmanned Missions to Moon
NASA unveiled an aggressive, unmanned lunar program designed to lay the groundwork for a future crewed base. The plan calls for up to 25 landings by 2029, beginning with four missions this year and adding new contracts for Blue Origin,...
NASA Takes Steps Toward Building Moon Base, Including Discussing a "Perimeter"
NASA announced contracts to build two one‑ton lunar rovers—Astrolab’s CLV‑1 and Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus—each funded with roughly $219 million and $220 million respectively, slated for delivery by 2028. Blue Origin secured a $280.4 million award to launch the rovers on its Blue Moon...
In 1999, NASA Lost a $125 Million Mars Spacecraft because of a Metric-versus-Imperial Mix-Up — the Kind of Conversion Mistake...
In December 1998 NASA launched the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter to study Martian weather and support the Polar Lander. On 23 September 1999 the probe entered Mars orbit but a unit‑conversion error in navigation software dropped its trajectory 170 km lower than planned,...
Nasa Unveils Next Steps to Build Permanent Moon Base
NASA unveiled the next phase of its Ignition Moon Base program, outlining a roadmap that includes robotic landers, hopping drones, and crew transport vehicles to establish a permanent lunar outpost by 2032. The agency awarded contracts to Blue Origin, Intuitive...
NASA Selects Lunar Outpost to Deliver Next-Gen Crewed Lunar Terrain Vehicle for Artemis Astronauts and Moon Base
NASA has chosen Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus Lunar Terrain Vehicle as one of two providers under its High Achievability Mission task order, part of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract. The two‑seat, autonomous‑capable rover will support Artemis crews at the Moon’s...
Op-Ed: Commercial Demand in LEO Is Lacking. The Government Can Help.
The op‑ed warns that commercial demand for low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) activities remains weak, prompting NASA to retreat from fully funding free‑flying stations and instead finance a modest core module. Without a clear market for in‑space manufacturing, especially in biotech, the United...
Maritime Launch Services Reports Q1 2026 Results, Anchored by $200M DND Spaceport Lease, Announces New Orbital Launch Agreement
Maritime Launch Services (MLS) posted its Q1 2026 results, marking its first revenue‑generating quarter after a landmark 10‑year lease with Canada’s Department of National Defence. The lease delivered a $200 million CAD ($148 million USD) payment, accounting for $921,649 CAD ($682 k USD) of the $946,603 CAD ($700 k USD) total...
Voyager Wins $16.5 Million DARPA Contract to Give Solid-Fueled Rockets Variable Thrust
Voyager Technologies secured a $16.5 million contract from DARPA to develop variable‑thrust capability for solid‑fuel rocket motors. Over a 20‑month period the startup will create proof‑of‑concept hot‑fire tests, integrate structural health monitoring, and design scalable manufacturing processes. The effort targets all...
Starship Shows It Can Deploy Satellites, but Moon Mission Clock Still Ticks
SpaceX’s 12th Starship test lifted off on May 22, igniting all 33 Super Heavy Raptor 3 engines and deploying 20 Starlink simulators plus two modified satellites. A booster engine shutdown and a hot‑staging anomaly caused the Super Heavy to tumble and...
Brussels Plans to Ringfence Two-Thirds of EU Mobile-Satellite Spectrum for European Firms
The European Commission plans to allocate two‑thirds of the 2 GHz mobile‑satellite services (MSS) band exclusively to EU‑registered operators. This leaves US‑based Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper able to compete for only the remaining one‑third of the spectrum. The reserved portion...
SpaceX’s Starship V3 Reaches Key Milestones Despite Booster Loss
SpaceX successfully flew the latest Starship‑Super Heavy configuration, dubbed Version 3, on May 22, completing a full suborbital trajectory and hitting all pre‑flight objectives. The vehicle’s first‑stage booster detached prematurely and was lost, but the Starship upper stage continued on schedule, executing...
Pioneering High-Pressure Cold Spray Transforms Manufacturing of Complex Copper Rocket Nozzles
Engineers at Scotland's National Manufacturing Institute have demonstrated a high‑pressure cold spray process that builds large copper rocket nozzles layer by layer. The solid‑state method deposits up to 10 kg of copper per hour, eliminating melting‑related distortion and cutting lead times...
$11.4 Billion and Zero Churn: What SpaceX Said About Starlink’s Travel Industry Grip
SpaceX’s IPO prospectus shows Starlink generated $11.4 billion in 2025 revenue and has experienced zero churn among major airline and cruise customers since 2023. The service now powers carriers such as United, Southwest, British Airways, Lufthansa, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, delivering...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Daniele Dallari, PLD Space
PLD Space announced it raised a total of €210 million ($227 million) in 2026, yet it has not completed an orbital launch. The Spanish startup is preparing its two‑stage Miura 5 vehicle, capable of delivering up to 1,040 kg to low‑Earth orbit, with a...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Dr. Giuseppe Borghi, European Space Agency Φ-Lab
Dr. Giuseppe Borghi, who has led ESA’s Φ‑lab since 2020, is steering the agency’s open‑innovation hub toward AI‑driven Earth observation. The lab’s portfolio now spans geospatial foundation models, onboard AI, quantum computing and virtual‑reality tools that turn raw Sentinel‑2 imagery...
SEOPS Will Start Waymaker LEO Rideshares In 2028
SEOPS announced its Waymaker rideshare service for low‑Earth orbit, targeting a first launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in 2028. The offering features a custom payload adapter that can accommodate larger or irregularly shaped payloads and includes two months of post‑separation...
China Keeps Adding A Very Specific Type Of Space Debris
China is increasingly leaving entire rocket bodies in high Low Earth Orbit (600‑2000 km), adding roughly 252 metric tons of debris—about five times the mass of U.S. remnants in the same band. The practice contrasts with historic U.S. and Soviet launches, which...
NASA Readies Mission to Reverse the Swift Observatory’s Skyfall
NASA is preparing a June launch of a robotic spacecraft, nicknamed LINK, to rendezvous with and re‑boost the aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory before it succumbs to atmospheric drag. The $30 million contract was awarded to Arizona‑based Katalyst Space Technologies, marking its...
A Battery-Powered Starlink Mini Is Likely on the Way
SpaceX’s Starlink Mini appears poised for a battery‑integrated version, as recent firmware reveals a “DishBatteryStats” module that tracks charge level and charging state. The code also defines three power states, indicating the dish can run on USB‑C, its internal battery,...
With Shortfall Doc, NASA Tells Industry What Civilian Space Needs Next
NASA released its 2026 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking, consolidating over 450 responses from industry, government and academia. The list pinpoints technology areas lacking development that are essential for upcoming exploration, science and other missions. By mapping these shortfalls, NASA intends...
Products and Services That Keep the Space Industry Running
The ancillary economy that supports rockets and satellites is emerging as one of the largest chapters of the space sector. While the global space‑technology market is projected to reach $770 bn by 2030, services such as ground‑station networks, propellant supply, testing,...
NT to Review Feasibility of Satellite Slot
National Telecom (NT) is racing to decide by year‑end whether to invest in a geostationary satellite for its 126°E orbital slot, a right it won for roughly $224,000. A feasibility review in June will weigh a $84 million build cost against...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Stewart Marsh, Cambridge Consultants
Stewart Marsh, head of Satellite and Space at Cambridge Consultants, will speak on Day 1 of SmallSat Europe about the European small‑sat market outlook. Marsh’s team helped create Iridium’s Extreme Push‑to‑Talk service, which locks onto a satellite in under two seconds,...
In 1995, NASA’s Galileo Spacecraft Sent a Probe Into Jupiter’s Atmosphere that Kept Transmitting for Just 58 Minutes as It...
On 7 December 1995 NASA’s Galileo spacecraft released a 339‑kg probe that plunged into Jupiter’s atmosphere at 47 km/s, transmitting data for 58 minutes before heat and pressure silenced it. The probe survived the extreme deceleration—over 200 g—and temperatures near 16,000 °C, deploying a parachute after...
SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Memorial Day
SpaceX launched 29 additional Starlink satellites on Memorial Day from Cape Canaveral, bringing the constellation to more than 10,000 units in low‑Earth orbit. The mission marked SpaceX’s 60th orbital flight of 2024, comprising 59 Falcon 9 and one Falcon Heavy launches. The...
When a Soviet Rover Went Silent on the Moon in 1971, Scientists Assumed It Was Gone for Good — but...
In 1970 the Soviet Luna 17 mission delivered Lunokhod 1, the first rover on another world, equipped with a French‑built laser retroreflector. The rover went silent in September 1971 and its reflector was presumed lost for decades. High‑resolution images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance...
SpaceX Launches 29 More Starlink Satellites
SpaceX lifted off from Cape Canaveral early Thursday, deploying 29 additional Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9. The mission marked the 28th flight of booster B1078, tying it for seventh‑most‑flown launch vehicle in history. The first stage landed on a drone...
SpaceX Launches Improved Starship Rocket in Latest Development Milestone
SpaceX successfully conducted a test flight of the upgraded Starship V3 from its Boca Chica launch site on Friday. The vehicle featured a reinforced heat shield, upgraded Raptor engines, and a revised aerodynamic layout. The flight lasted roughly four minutes...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Jenna Herrera, Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab’s Global Launch Services Manager Jenna Herrera is steering the company’s push into Europe, linking European agencies and commercial users with Rocket Lab’s launch sites in New Zealand and Virginia. The firm now offers the Electron small‑sat launcher and the...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Luis Gomes, AAC Clyde Space
AAC Clyde Space, a Glasgow‑based smallsat builder, secured the EPS‑Sterna contract with EUMETSAT in January 2026, lifting its order backlog to roughly SEK 1.1 billion (about $121 million). The company now projects 2026 revenue of SEK 475 million ($52 million), a 61 percent increase over 2025, and...
New Material Could Help NASA Melt Moon Rocks, Harness Lunar Resources
NASA researchers at the Glenn Research Center have identified a previously unknown scandium‑oxide‑based composite that can survive the extreme temperatures of molten lunar regolith, up to roughly 2,900 °F. The material resists corrosion from molten Moon dust and is significantly cheaper...
BSNL, Starlink Explore Partnership for Backhaul, Enterprise Business
BSNL and Elon Musk’s Starlink are in early talks to partner on satellite backhaul and enterprise services in India. The collaboration would let BSNL connect remote 4G/5G towers via Starlink’s Ku/Ka‑band satellites, speeding broadband rollout to the roughly 30,000 villages...
Scientists Want to Send a Roly-Poly Robot Filled with 'Dandelion Drones' To Investigate Hidden Tunnels on Mars
Scientists propose a pillbug‑inspired "roly‑poly" robot that can slip through skylights in Martian lava tubes and unleash thousands of tiny "dandelion" drones. The drones would ride either natural wind currents or an onboard fan, using piezoelectric polymer for power, to...
The Starlink Service that Can Revolutionise Mobile Connectivity in South Africa
SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile, detailed in its S‑1 filing, offers satellite‑to‑mobile connectivity that works directly with standard smartphones through partnerships with mobile network operators. As of 31 March 2026 the service supports roughly 7.4 million unique devices across 30 countries using a dedicated fleet...
Surprising Case for Nuclear Energy on the Moon
In August, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, then acting NASA administrator, announced a goal to land a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030. The proposal, while ambitious, is gaining traction among space and energy experts who argue that...
NASA Practically Eliminates Any Starliner Flights Before ISS Retires
NASA’s May 18 procurement filing adds up to six additional crewed flights for SpaceX, extending its commercial crew contract through late 2030. The extension covers three years of ISS operations at a cadence of one mission every six months, effectively crowding out...
China Launches Three Astronauts to Its Tiangong-3 Space Station
China successfully launched three astronauts aboard a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan to its Tiangong‑3 space station. The crew is slated to dock within 3.5 hours and begin a six‑month stay that could be extended to a year based on performance. One...
This Zurich Startup Built a Four-Armed Robot for Space Stations. Each Astronaut Hour It Saves Is Worth $140,000.
Zurich‑based Orbit Robotics unveiled Helios, a four‑armed robot built for microgravity environments on space stations. The design replaces legs with two anchoring arms and two working arms, using tendon‑driven actuation to keep weight low while maintaining dexterity. Helios targets the...
Tumbleweed Mars Testing: Harnessing Wind Energy
The Tumbleweed Mars prototype, a wind‑driven rover without wheels or fuel, completed the first day of a ten‑day desert test in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Developed over a decade by TU Delft, ESA and Europlanet, the lightweight 8‑lb (3.5‑kg) elliptical device can...
China Is Sending an Astronaut to Its Space Station for a Full Year — a National Record — as Beijing...
On May 24, 2026 China will launch Shenzhou‑23 on a Long March‑2F rocket, sending three astronauts to the Tiangong space station for a historic year‑long stay. The mission marks the longest Chinese crewed flight and includes Li Jiaying, the first...
India’s First Four-Engine Cluster Firing Marks New Frontier for Agnikul Cosmos
Agnikul Cosmos, the Chennai‑based private launch firm, successfully fired four semi‑cryogenic, 3D‑printed rocket engines in a synchronized cluster—the first such test in India. The test required eight electric pumps, eight motors and eight independent speed‑control algorithms to operate in perfect...
NASA Spacecraft Beams Back Blue Images of Mars on Its Way to a Metal Asteroid — Space Photo of the...
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft performed a close flyby of Mars on May 15, skimming 2,864 miles (4,609 km) above the surface and returning vivid color images of Huygens crater, the southern highlands, wind‑blown streaks and the south polar cap. The gravity‑assist maneuver added roughly...
The Voyager Golden Record Carries Greetings in 55 Languages — a Deliberate Attempt to Send a Small Sample of Human...
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory turned off Voyager 1’s Low‑energy Charged Particles experiment in April 2026 to stretch the spacecraft’s dwindling power supply, signaling the final decade of active transmissions. The Voyager Golden Record, a 12‑inch gold‑plated copper disc launched in 1977, carries...
Before He Climbed the Ladder for the Last Time, the Final Astronaut to Walk on the Moon Knelt and Traced...
On December 14, 1972, Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan knelt on the Moon and traced the letters “TDC” – the initials of his nine‑year‑old daughter Tracy – into the lunar dust. The gesture came just before he climbed the ladder for...
A NASA Satellite Launched in 1976 Carries a Carl Sagan–Designed Plaque Sealed Inside Its Core, Mapping Earth’s Continents 268 Million...
On 4 May 1976 NASA launched LAGEOS‑1, a 60‑cm brass‑aluminium sphere that serves as a passive laser‑ranging target for measuring Earth’s tectonic motion. Inside its core are two stainless‑steel plaques designed by Carl Sagan, each displaying three continental maps: Pangaea...
US Must Return to Moon to Counter ‘Belligerent’ China, Think Tank Warns
A new Mitchell Institute report warns that without a sustained American presence on the Moon, the United States could lose its strategic edge to a militarily‑driven Chinese space program. Beijing is advancing crewed lunar capabilities and plans an International Lunar...
Atomic Oxygen in Low Earth Orbit Slowly Eats Spacecraft Surfaces, and the ISS Survives because Engineers Learned to Coat, Test,...
Atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit continuously erodes exposed spacecraft polymers, a problem first noticed when early satellites returned with scoured paint and brittle Kapton. NASA’s Glenn Research Center addressed the issue through the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE),...