Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s High Resolution Camera Is Showing Its Age
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera is showing clear signs of aging, with new vertical data gaps and color drop‑outs appearing in recent images. Engineers identified two primary faults: intermittent RED4 sensor failures that erase color data, and increasing bit‑flip‑induced dead pixels that produce black stripes. Raising the CCD electronics temperature can temporarily suppress the bit‑flip issue, but calibration challenges and tight funding complicate long‑term fixes. Despite these problems, the team expects the camera to keep delivering images for at least another decade, albeit with narrowing usable swaths.
Global Space Industry Associations: The Architecture of Collaboration in 2026
In 2026, space industry associations have become the backbone of global space governance, linking governments, commercial firms, and academia. Organizations such as the International Astronautical Federation, Eurospace, and the Global Satellite Operators Association shape standards for orbital safety, spectrum allocation,...
Northern Lights May Be Visible in 15 States Tonight
An incoming high‑speed solar‑wind stream from a large coronal hole is set to disturb Earth’s magnetosphere, prompting minor to moderate (G1‑G2) geomagnetic storms. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts that the aurora may be visible across 15 U.S. states, from...
Live Coverage: NRO, SpaceX to Launch Reconnaissance Satellites From Vandenberg
SpaceX will launch the NRO’s NROL‑105 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday night, carrying a batch of classified Starshield satellites into low‑Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 booster B1100, on its second flight, is slated to return to Landing Zone 4,...
Astronomers Detect a Bar of Iron in the Center of the Ring Nebula
Astronomers using the new WEAVE spectrograph on the Herschel Telescope in Chile have identified a narrow bar of ionised iron (Fe V and Fe VI) crossing the inner cavity of the Ring Nebula (M57). The structure stretches roughly 500 times the orbital...
The Recent Computer Hack of the European Space Agency Was Bigger than It Admitted
The European Space Agency (ESA) disclosed a December‑era hack that it described as limited, but new reports reveal a far larger breach. Security researchers say attackers gained initial access in September via an unpatched public CVE and exfiltrated roughly 500 GB...
China Launches Four Satellites for Another Chinese Constellation
Galactic Energy successfully placed four additional satellites into its Tianqi internet‑of‑things constellation using a Ceres‑1 solid‑fuel rocket launched from a sea platform off China’s northeast coast. The mission marks the sixth launch for Tianqi, bringing the total to 41 satellites,...
AO-Resistant Material Boosts VLEO Satellite Longevity
Deposition Sciences, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, announced that its Sunshade® thermal‑control material can survive atomic oxygen (AO) fluences above 1 × 10²² atoms cm⁻², equivalent to eight years in very low‑Earth orbit. The material, available as free‑film or adhesive tape, showed negligible performance loss from...
Revolutionising Astronaut Fitness for Deep Space Missions
The European Space Agency unveiled the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D), a compact, multi‑mode workout system designed for long‑duration microgravity missions. E4D combines resistive training, cycling, rowing and rope pulling, delivering up to 270 kg of load and more than...
NASA’s Crawler Preps for Artemis II Rollout
On Jan. 9, 2026 NASA’s Crawler‑transporter 2 rolled toward the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, positioning itself for the Artemis II rollout. The massive vehicle will carry the Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule to Launch Complex 39B for a crewed...
Behind-the-Scenes Look at Preparations for Artemis II Launch
NASA is finalizing preparations for Artemis II, the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. The Space Launch System and Orion capsule are undergoing last‑minute checks at Kennedy Space Center. The rocket is slated to roll out to Launch Pad 39B...
Jan. 16, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia’s Final Launch
On Jan. 16, 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia launched on its 28th mission, STS‑107, dedicated to scientific research. The crew performed nearly 80 experiments over 16 days before a foam‑insulation strike damaged the left wing during ascent. The breach allowed super‑heated gases...
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: State-Led Initiatives
Vermont lawmakers introduced bill H.654 to establish a ten‑person state task force focused on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). The task force will rely on the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) for scientific analysis of reports ranging from drones to...
Voyager Details Its Plans for In-Space Manufacturing
Voyager Technologies has secured a U.S. patent for a microgravity process that grows ultra‑large optical crystals, a key component of next‑generation communications and computing hardware. The company will launch a demonstration to the International Space Station this spring, aiming to...
How Astronauts Will Fix Their Gear Using Thin Air
A new arXiv paper shows that carbon dioxide, the dominant component of Mars’ atmosphere, can serve as a viable shield gas for selective laser melting (SLM) metal 3D printing. While Argon delivers about 98% area retention, CO₂ achieves roughly 85%,...
Astronomer Uses 'China Sky Eye' To Reveal Binary Origin of Fast Radio Bursts
An international team using the Five‑hundred‑meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), nicknamed “China Sky Eye,” has delivered the first decisive evidence that some fast radio bursts (FRBs) arise in binary stellar systems. After 20 months of monitoring the repeating source FRB 220529A,...
China Advances Plans for Dual Solar System Boundary Missions
China has detailed coordinated plans for two solar‑system‑boundary missions, targeting the heliosphere’s head and tail with launches in 2033 and 2032 on Long March 5 rockets. Both spacecraft will carry 1 kWe nuclear heat‑pipe reactors, enabling over 30 years of operation and a mass...
Early Universe Dark Matter Born Red Hot Before Cooling
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Université Paris‑Saclay propose that dark matter may have been born ultrarelativistic—essentially "red hot"—during the post‑inflationary reheating era, contrary to the long‑standing belief that it must be cold from birth. Their analysis shows that such...
Frozen Hydrogen Cyanide Crystals May Have Helped Spark Early Chemistry for Life
Researchers used atomistic simulations to show that frozen hydrogen cyanide (HCN) crystals generate intense electric fields on their facets, accelerating chemical reactions at cryogenic temperatures. The study identified surface pathways that convert HCN into its more reactive isomer, hydrogen isocyanide...
Slow Orbital Wobble Patterns Drive Ancient Greenhouse Climate Swings
A new study shows Earth’s axial precession can drive abrupt, millennial‑scale climate swings even without ice sheets. Using high‑resolution sediment cores from China’s Songliao Basin, researchers identified 4,000‑5,000‑year humid‑arid cycles during the Late Cretaceous, a greenhouse period with CO₂ around...
NASA Back for Seconds with New Food System Design Challenge
NASA has launched the Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, a global competition that asks innovators to design a self‑sustaining, Earth‑independent food system for long‑duration missions to the Moon and Mars. The contest, backed by a prize pool of up...
Spire Adds Hyperspectral Sounder and Myriota Payloads on SpaceX Twilight Launch
Spire Global launched nine satellites on SpaceX’s Twilight mission, featuring its first hyperspectral microwave sounder (HyMS) and eight Myriota IoT payloads. HyMS is designed to deliver high‑resolution temperature, humidity and precipitation profiles, especially in cloudy conditions, to improve numerical weather‑prediction...
Japanese Launch Company Interstellar Technologies Raises $130 Million
Japanese launch startup Interstellar Technologies announced a Series F financing round that raised 20.1 billion yen (about $130 million), nearly doubling its total capital to 44.6 billion yen. The round combined 14.8 billion yen of equity, led by Woven by Toyota, and 5.3 billion yen of...
Say Goodbye to Comet 3I/ATLAS! Watch It Head for Interstellar Space in Real-Time with This Free Livestream Today
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered on July 1 2025, is making its final public appearance via a Virtual Telescope Project livestream on Jan 16 2026. After a bright perihelion on Oct 29 2025 and a close Earth flyby on Dec 19 2025, the comet will swing past Jupiter in March 2026...
Ispace Expands to Saudi Arabia as Lunar Race Draws in the Middle East
Japanese lunar explorer ispace announced the formation of a Saudi Arabian subsidiary, following the Saudi‑Japan Ministerial Investment Forum. The company has obtained an Investment Registration Certificate and is completing commercial registration, enabling direct operations in the Kingdom. The new entity...
Earth From Space: The Fate of a Giant
The A23a iceberg, once the planet's largest floating ice mass, is now showing clear signs of imminent breakup, captured in a cloud‑free Sentinel‑2 image over the South Atlantic. The satellite data reveal fissures and meltwater channels that suggest rapid disintegration....
CesiumAstro Secures $200M Government Financing
CesiumAstro secured $200 million in government financing, split between a $185 million EXIM‑authorized debt facility and a $15 million revolving‑credit line from JPMorgan. The funding underpins the company’s plan to expand its Texas manufacturing footprint, including a 270,000‑sq‑ft facility slated to start operations...
ESA Calls for EO Companies to Join the Insurance Game
The European Space Agency (ESA) and Liberty Mutual Reinsurance have launched a three‑year partnership to develop parametric insurance products using satellite Earth observation data. The collaboration will begin with a February workshop where LMRe outlines forestry‑related climate risks and invites...
Unlocking Earth’s Secrets Through Hyperspectral Satellite Imaging
Hyperspectral satellite imaging is moving from niche scientific missions to commercial constellations, delivering hundreds of narrow spectral bands for every pixel. This capability reveals material composition, enabling early crop disease detection, precise water‑stress mapping, mineral identification, and methane‑leak monitoring. Private...
Congress Passes Minibus Spending Bill that Rejects Proposed NASA Cuts
Congress approved a FY2026 minibus appropriations bill that restores NASA funding to $24.438 billion, far exceeding the Trump administration’s $18.8 billion request. The legislation revives the agency’s science budget to $7.25 billion and maintains space‑operations funding near prior levels, while only modestly trimming...
Beneath the Ice: Satellites Help Map Antarctica's Subglacial Surface Like Never Before
Researchers led by Helen Ockenden used Ice Flow Perturbation Analysis (IFPA) to produce the most detailed satellite‑derived map of Antarctica’s subglacial topography. The model infers bedrock shapes from ice‑surface observations, resolving features between 2 and 30 km and revealing previously unknown...
Concordia University Seeks and Gets Injunction Against Polaris Aerospace in ‘Launch the North’ Dispute
Concordia University obtained a provisional 10‑day injunction against former student and Polaris Aerospace co‑founder Oleg Khalimonov for allegedly misusing Starsailor project intellectual property in the Department of National Defence’s Launch the North challenge. The Superior Court of Québec ruled Concordia...
Lynk Global Tests D2D in Philippines With Smart Communications
Lynk Global partnered with Smart Communications to test its direct‑to‑device satellite service on Catanduanes, a typhoon‑hit island in the Philippines. The trial successfully sent text messages between a phone on Catanduanes and one in Manila, and enabled two local phones...
Sodern Execs Detail Expansion to Establish Star Tracker Manufacturing in US
French space‑optics leader Sodern announced the creation of Sodern America, a Colorado‑based subsidiary that will manufacture its flagship Auriga star trackers and test the high‑performance Hydra units. The company hired veteran space executive Tiphaine Louradour as CEO to lead the...
Red Dwarfs Are Too Dim To Generate Complex Life
A new study examines whether planets orbiting dim red dwarfs can trigger a Great Oxidation Event (GOE) like Earth’s. Using TRAPPIST‑1e as a proxy, the authors find it receives only 0.9% of Earth’s photosynthetically active radiation, implying a 63‑billion‑year timescale...
Hidden Magma Oceans Could Shield Rocky Exoplanets From Harmful Radiation
Researchers at the University of Rochester have identified deep basal magma oceans (BMOs) inside super‑Earths as a novel source of planetary magnetic fields. Laboratory laser‑shock experiments and quantum‑mechanical simulations show that molten rock under extreme pressure becomes highly conductive, sustaining...
Arianespace to Begin Amazon Leo Launches in February
Arianespace will launch the first 32 Amazon Leo satellites on Feb. 12, marking the debut of the Ariane 64, the Ariane 6 variant with four solid‑rocket boosters. The mission initiates a 2022 contract for 18 Amazon launches, positioning Amazon as Arianespace’s largest commercial...
Cyberthieves Hit European Space Agency, Stealing Hundreds of Gigabytes of Data
European Space Agency (ESA) disclosed that it has been hit by successive cyber‑attacks, resulting in the theft of over 700 GB of data, including proprietary software, credentials, and mission documentation. The first leak, attributed to hacker “888,” exposed more than 200 GB,...
NASA‘s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program has transitioned the agency from spacecraft builder to customer, using a $2.6 billion IDIQ contract to purchase lunar‑surface delivery from private vendors. After mixed results in 2024, the initiative achieved its first reliable commercial...
Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope Enables More Complete View of the Carbon Cycle in Star-Forming Regions
Chinese researchers used the 60‑cm Antarctic Terahertz Explorer (ATE60) at Dome A to capture submillimeter emissions from carbon’s ionized, atomic and molecular phases in two massive star‑forming regions. The study achieved the first complete carbon‑phase inventory, revealing unusually high atomic‑carbon‑to‑CO ratios....
These Gravitationally Lensed Supernovae Could Resolve The Hubble Tension
Astronomers using JWST’s VENUS survey have identified two strongly‑lensed supernovae, SN Ares and SN Athena, whose multiple images arrive at different times. The predicted reappearances—Athena in 2–3 years and Ares in about 60 years—provide a natural time‑delay experiment to measure the Hubble...
Lockheed Martin and General Electric Complete Tests of a Rotating-Detonation Engine
Lockheed Martin and GE Aerospace announced successful tests of a liquid‑fuel rotating‑detonation ramjet (RDR) designed for hypersonic missiles. The joint effort proved the engine can generate high thrust at super‑ and hypersonic speeds while being smaller and lighter than conventional...
Titan Isn’t What We Thought: New Evidence Wipes Out the Case for a Buried Ocean
A new Nature study reexamines Cassini radio‑tracking data and finds Titan’s interior dissipates far more tidal energy than previously thought. The measured 3–4 TW of heat loss cannot be reconciled with a global subsurface ocean, prompting a shift to a model...
NASA’s Top Five Challenges: New Report
The NASA Office of Inspector General released its 2025 Top Management and Performance Challenges report, highlighting five critical agency priorities, including returning humans to the Moon and sustaining low‑Earth‑orbit operations. The report flags a heat‑shield venting defect on Orion’s spacecraft...
The European Space Agency and China Hold the First Joint Meeting in Almost a Decade
The European Space Agency hosted China National Space Administration leaders in Paris, marking the first joint meeting since 2017. Delegates highlighted recent technical milestones, including the Tianguan (Einstein Probe) launch with ESA hardware, progress on the SMILE mission, and ESA’s...
China Launches Classified Military Satellite in Partnership with Algeria
China launched a classified military remote‑sensing satellite on a Long March 2C from Jiuquan, marking the first payload under its joint remote‑sensing program with Algeria. The satellite, built by the China Academy of Space Technology, is intended for land‑planning, disaster prevention...
How Dark Asteroids Die
A new study from Luleå University of Technology experimentally confirms that low‑albedo asteroids undergo instantaneous thermally‑driven erosion when they approach within about 0.1 AU of the Sun. Using the Space and High‑Irradiance Near‑Sun Simulator (SHINeS), researchers observed carbonaceous chondrite simulants heat,...
Managing an Orbital Economy as Space Grows More Congested
In a Space Minds interview, Neuraspace CEO Chiara Manfletti explains how AI‑driven space situational awareness is evolving from debris tracking to automated orbital logistics as megaconstellations and high‑capacity launchers crowd low‑Earth orbit. She highlights the shift toward autonomous decision‑making for...
Parsons Buys Altamira for $375 Million to Expand Space and Intelligence Portfolio
Parsons announced a $375 million acquisition of Altamira Technologies, paying $330 million in cash with a $45 million earn‑out tied to 2026 performance. Altamira, a specialist in signals intelligence, missile‑warning and space‑focused data analytics, brings AI‑enabled tools for processing satellite sensor feeds. The...
Key Senate Staffer Is “Begging” NASA to Get on with Commercial Space Stations
Senate staffer Maddy Davis told the Texas Space Coalition that Sen. Ted Cruz is pressing NASA to fast‑track Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs) so a private space station is operational before the International Space Station retires in 2030. The Senate Commerce...
