Interplanetary Science Needs a Commercial Backbone
Planetary science is shifting from costly, decade‑long government flagships to a commercial‑driven model that promises faster, cheaper missions. Rocket Lab’s ESCAPADE demonstrated that fixed‑price, university‑industry teams can deliver decadal‑class science in under four years. The article calls for regular funding of SIMPLEx and Explorer programs, broader adoption of firm‑fixed‑price contracts, and investment in deep‑space communications infrastructure such as a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter. Achieving ten $100 million missions by 2026 could sustain U.S. leadership and enable timely Mars sample return.
Alaska Airlines Accelerates Starlink Wi-Fi Rollout
Alaska Airlines is accelerating the rollout of SpaceX’s Starlink in‑flight Wi‑Fi across its entire fleet, following successful testing on Embraer E175 aircraft. The airline plans to install the system on its E175, 737 and 787 jets through 2026, with full...
'Super Star' Being Shredded by Black Hole Releases as Much Energy as 400 Billion Suns
Astronomers observed a tidal disruption event dubbed “the Whippet,” where a super‑massive star was torn apart by a black hole, releasing energy comparable to 400 billion suns. The flare, first spotted by the Zwicky Transient Facility and confirmed with NASA’s Swift...
Chinese Astronauts Hone Extreme Cave Survival Skills
China’s Astronaut Center completed its first cave‑survival program, training 28 astronauts and trainees in Chongqing’s Wulong district over a near‑month. Participants lived six days underground, conducting mapping, environmental monitoring, and psychological drills in 8 °C, 99 % humidity conditions. The exercise emphasized...
Sierra Space Finishes First Plane of SDA Missile Tracking Satellite Structures
Sierra Space has delivered the first nine satellite structures—Plane 1—of the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer, finishing three months ahead of schedule. The milestone was achieved using the company’s new Victory Works high‑rate manufacturing facility. The next phase moves to...
Rogue Planet Mass Pinned Down for the First Time
An international team led by Dong Subo has obtained the first precise mass measurement of a rogue planet, confirming it as a Saturn‑mass object (~0.2 Jupiter). The measurement leveraged simultaneous observations from Gaia, KMTNet, and OGLE, using microlens parallax to...
US Space Command APEX Summit Explores AI for Campaign Planning
The U.S. Space Command held its first AI‑enabled APEX summit in November 2025, gathering over 70 senior leaders to test artificial‑intelligence tools for the 2026 Coordinated Campaign Order. Participants used three different AI platforms across four strategic lenses, producing human‑curated,...
Satellites to Extend 5G and 6G Coverage Worldwide
Satellite communication is being woven into 5G and upcoming 6G networks to close coverage gaps in remote and underserved regions. 3GPP Release 17 formally recognizes non‑terrestrial networks, enabling direct satellite‑to‑device links and IoT services. Advances in LEO constellations, beamforming payloads, and...
Starfighters Space Positions for Rapid Hypersonic Era Missions
Starfighters Space Inc. is leveraging a fleet of seven F‑104 Starfighter jets to air‑launch payloads to 45,000 feet, offering sustained Mach 2 missions and rapid, on‑demand access for small‑sat and hypersonic testing customers. The company positions its $15,000 per kilogram price point...
Defence Backs Australian STARS System for Autonomous Space Threat Detection
Australia’s Defence Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator has awarded Space Machines Company a A$2.9 million contract to develop the Space Threat Analysis and Response System (STARS). The autonomous platform will ingest data from ground‑based and commercial sensors to predict close approaches, rendezvous...
Thin Ice May Have Protected Lake Water on Frozen Mars
Researchers at Rice University used a Mars‑adapted climate model to show that thin, seasonal ice could insulate ancient lakes, allowing liquid water to persist for decades despite sub‑freezing average temperatures. The study, published in AGU Advances, ran 64 simulations of...
ALMA Views Giant Dusty Disk in Gomezs Hamburger with Signs of Early Giant Planet Formation
Astronomers using ALMA have captured a nearly edge‑on view of Gomez’s Hamburger (GoHam), revealing distinct vertical layers of millimeter‑sized dust and multiple gas molecules. The disk stretches to almost 1,000 AU in radius, with gas extending several hundred AU above the...
ESA and Playmobil Launch Mars Mission Collection
The European Space Agency and Playmobil have unveiled the ESA Space Range, a four‑piece Mars‑mission toy collection released on 9 January across Europe, the United States and Mexico. Each set – the Mars Research Rocket, Exploration Rover, Space Glider and Astronaut...
Hubble Captures Stunning and Dramatic Blue Gas Outflow From Galaxy NGC 4388
Hubble’s newest multi‑wavelength images of the edge‑on spiral NGC 4388 reveal a vivid blue plume of ionized gas extending from the galaxy’s core. The outflow appears to be energized by radiation from the central supermassive black hole and shaped by ram‑pressure...
Canadian Commercial Astronauts: The Evolution of Private Spaceflight
Canada’s commercial astronaut program has progressed from Guy Laliberté’s 2009 tourist flight to Mark Pathy’s research‑focused Axiom Mission 1, Jesse Williams’ suborbital New Shepard experience, and the upcoming bio‑astronautics flight of Dr. Shawna Pandya. Each mission reflects a shift from pure tourism...
Starfighters Space Completes Supersonic Flight Test
Starfighters Space announced a successful supersonic flight test using its F‑104 platform under GE Aerospace’s ATLAS program, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The aircraft carried an advanced propulsion test vehicle three times at Kennedy Space Center, demonstrating solid‑fuel...
SpaceX Scrubs Midday Starlink Mission Launch From Cape Canaveral
SpaceX scrubbed the early‑afternoon Falcon 9 launch of the Starlink 6‑96 mission on Jan. 8, pushing the next attempt to Jan. 9. The delay was attributed to late arrival of the payload fairings containing 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites. The booster, tail‑number B1069,...
Zimmerman Op-Ed at PJ Media
Robert Zimmerman published an op‑ed on PJ Media urging President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to remove the crew from the upcoming Artemis II mission. He cites the Orion capsule’s heat‑shield damage during its 2022 re‑entry as a clear safety...
DEX Logs Dust Signals In Space: ISRO
India's space agency ISRO announced that its Dust Experiment (DEX) instrument successfully logged orbital debris impacts from 1 January to 9 February 2024. The 140‑degree wide‑view detector, mounted on the PSLV‑C58 XPoSat mission, recorded a hit roughly every thousand seconds while skimming the...
NASA Weighs an Earlier End to the Crew-11 Mission After a ‘Medical Situation’ with an ISS Crew Member Postpones First...
NASA announced it is evaluating an early termination of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission after a medical situation involving an ISS crew member was reported. The issue prompted the postponement of the first scheduled spacewalk of 2026, originally set for Jan....
Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: The Current State of Knowledge and Uncertainty
The article outlines the evolving UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) landscape, noting the shift from UFO stigma to a scientific framework that includes air, space, and maritime domains. Government bodies such as the DoD’s AARO and NASA now collect standardized reports,...
These Strategic ISRO Missions Are Set For 1Q 2026
India’s space agency ISRO will launch two strategic satellites in the first quarter of 2026. On 12 January, PSLV‑C62 will lift the DRDO‑built hyperspectral Earth‑observation satellite EOS‑N1 (Anvesha) alongside 18 small‑satellite co‑passengers. Later in Q1, GSLV‑F17 will place the GISAT‑2 (EOS‑05)...
X-Ray Spectra Could Help Reveal Dark Matter in Galaxy Clusters
A new XRISM study led by the University of Alabama in Huntsville team reports that high‑energy‑resolution X‑ray spectra can be used to search for decay signatures of dark matter in galaxy clusters. By combining three months of XRISM data, the...
Astronomers Discover the Earliest, Hottest Galaxy Cluster in the Universe, and It Breaks All the Rules
Astronomers using ALMA have identified galaxy cluster SPT2349‑56, a compact assembly of more than 30 galaxies within a 500,000‑light‑year volume, existing just 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. The cluster’s intracluster medium is measured at temperatures at least five times...
Solar Physicists Discover Long-Hidden Source of Gamma Rays Unleashed by Flares
Solar physicists at NJIT’s Center for Solar‑Terrestrial Research have identified a previously unknown, MeV‑peaked electron population in the solar corona that generates the long‑standing gamma‑ray signatures of major flares. By merging Fermi gamma‑ray data with high‑resolution microwave imaging from the...
Plasma Rings Around M Dwarf Stars Offer New Clues to Planetary Habitability
Researchers at Carnegie have identified a doughnut‑shaped plasma torus encircling a young, rapidly rotating M‑dwarf star. Spectroscopic movies reveal that large clumps of cool plasma, trapped by the star’s magnetic field, cause periodic dimming events, effectively creating a natural space‑weather...
NASA Postpones Jan. 8 Spacewalk Due to 'Medical Concern' With an Astronaut
NASA postponed the Jan. 8 extravehicular activity on the International Space Station after a medical concern arose with an unnamed crew member. The EVA, slated for astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, would have prepared a power channel for the new...
Stellant Systems to Be Acquired by TransDigm for $960M
Stellant Systems, a U.S. maker of radio‑frequency and microwave amplification products, agreed to be acquired by TransDigm Group for $960 million in cash. The definitive agreement was announced on Dec. 31 and is subject to regulatory clearance. Stellant will retain its name...
Japan MoD Awards Astroscale Contract to Develop Gripping Mechanism System
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has awarded Astroscale Japan a ¥1 billion (≈$6.4 million) contract to develop a gripping mechanism capable of securing national security satellites under diverse on‑orbit conditions. The agreement includes a ground‑based demonstration and aligns with the 2025 Space Domain...
Evergreen Marine Taps Inmarsat Maritime for NexusWave Connectivity Upgrade
Evergreen Marine has become the first Taiwanese container‑shipping operator to upgrade its fleet to Inmarsat Maritime’s NexusWave bonded connectivity solution. After successful trials, the company is moving from its long‑standing Fleet Xpress service to a multi‑network platform that promises higher...
Industry Report: Canada Risks Falling Behind without Major Overhaul of Space Procurement
Space Canada’s new position paper warns that Canada’s defence space capabilities risk lagging as the nation relies on U.S. suppliers for roughly 75 % of its capital budget. The report urges a sweeping procurement overhaul, championing commercially‑owned, commercially‑operated (COCO) models and...
Lunar Spacecraft Exhaust Could Obscure Clues to Origins of Life
A new study published in *Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets* shows that methane released by lunar landers can travel across the Moon’s surface and become trapped in the permanently shadowed regions of both poles within a week. Simulations of ESA’s...
Why Jeremy Hansen Is Leaving Entertainment Behind for His Trip Around the Moon
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will fly on NASA’s Artemis 2 lunar flyby, marking Canada’s first crewed deep‑space mission. The nine‑day flight is packed with scientific experiments, capsule tests and scheduled downlinks, leaving only brief windows for personal time. Hansen says he...
How the Evidence for Alien Life on K2-18 B Evaporated
In 2023 JWST observations of the sub‑Neptune K2‑18 b appeared to reveal dimethyl sulfide, a gas linked to marine life on Earth, sparking excitement about a possible habitable ocean. A new pre‑print by Welbanks and colleagues re‑analyzes the mid‑infrared MIRI data...
Supernova Remnant Video From NASA's Chandra Is Decades in Making
NASA's Chandra X‑ray Observatory released a new video tracking Kepler's Supernova Remnant over more than 25 years of observations. The animation captures the remnant's evolution from 2000 to 2025, revealing ejecta speeds ranging from 4 million to 13.8 million miles per hour....
Stars that Die Off the Beaten Path
Astronomers combined NSF VLA atomic‑hydrogen maps with ALMA molecular‑gas data to forecast where massive stars in the nearby galaxy M33 will explode as supernovae. By overlaying catalogs of red supergiants, Wolf‑Rayet stars and existing supernova remnants, they created the first...
Four Baby Planets Show How Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes Form
An international team led by UCLA scientists has directly observed four young “baby” planets in the 20‑million‑year‑old V1298 Tau system as they contract and shed their primordial atmospheres. Using a decade‑long series of transit observations from ground‑based and space telescopes, the...
Fragmentation and Consolidation (Part 2) – Getting Ahead of the Curve
The space sector is transitioning from a fragmented, novelty‑driven phase to a consolidation era where reliability and risk mitigation dominate. Customers no longer ask which component performs best; they demand proven delivery, stable interfaces, and support. Suppliers must shift their...
Terran Orbital Appoints Michael Vishion as Vice President of Program Management
Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin company, announced Michael Vishion as vice president of program management. Vishion brings more than 25 years of aerospace and defense experience, including leadership of multi‑site portfolios worth $200‑$350 million. He will report to CEO Peter...
A Red Moon, a Blue Moon, a Supermoon and More: Your Guide to the Southern Sky in 2026
The 2026 southern‑hemisphere sky will feature a total lunar eclipse on 3 March, a rare blue moon on 31 May, and a supermoon on 24 December. Planetary highlights include a tight Mercury‑Mars‑Saturn grouping in April, a Venus‑Jupiter close approach in June, and a...
Space Force Moves to Standardize Satellites with ‘Handle 2.0’ Contract
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Falcon ExoDynamics a $3.3 million contract to develop Handle 2.0, an upgraded modular interface that links satellite buses and payloads. The effort builds on the original Handle prototype demonstrated on the 2022 Slingshot 1 mission and aims...
Elon Musk’s 10,000 Starship Annual Production Target: Demand Drivers and Infrastructure Imperatives
Elon Musk has set a target of producing 10,000 Starships per year, a rate that translates to roughly 27 launches each day. The ambition hinges on three primary demand drivers: massive cargo shipments for Mars colonization, ultra‑fast point‑to‑point Earth transport,...
Jan. 7, 1610: Galileo Sees Four Moons of Jupiter
On January 7, 1610 Galileo Galilei turned his refined telescope toward Jupiter and recorded three luminous points that would soon be recognized as moons. Within a week he identified a fourth body, and by January 15 he concluded all four orbited the planet,...
SpaceX’s IPO Will Make Space Investment Far Less Niche
The article argues that space investment is shedding its niche status as the sector becomes essential infrastructure for broader economic activity. A potential SpaceX IPO, whether in 2026 or later, is highlighted as a catalyst that could shift capital toward...
United Semiconductors, Aegis Aerospace Partner on In-Space Manufacturing Platform
United Semiconductors and Aegis Aerospace announced a joint effort to launch an in‑space manufacturing platform for semiconductor materials. The partnership will move United's ISS‑tested processes onto Aegis' Advanced Materials Manufacturing Platform, with a demonstration slated for the ISS by late...
The Next Great Space Race: Building Data Centers in Orbit
Tech giants Google, SpaceX, and Blue Origin are racing to develop orbital AI data centers powered by solar‑panel‑equipped satellites. Prototypes are slated for testing by 2027, while experts warn that operational facilities are still years away due to power, radiation,...
NASA Seeks to Accelerate Development of Habitable Worlds Observatory
NASA awarded three‑year, fixed‑price contracts to seven companies to study critical technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a flagship space telescope slated for a 2040s launch. The studies cover mirror coatings, micro‑thruster propulsion, and on‑orbit servicing, while evaluating six‑meter...
FAST J0139+4328 Is a Low-Surface-Brightness Galaxy, Deep Imaging Reveals
Deep optical imaging by Serbian and Russian astronomers has revealed that the neutral hydrogen cloud FAST J0139+4328 is actually a low‑surface‑brightness dwarf galaxy. Using the 1.4 m Milanković and 0.6 m Nedeljković telescopes, the team detected a faint stellar counterpart offset by...
NASA Perseverance Rover Sees Megaripples on Mars | Space Photo of the Day for Jan. 7, 2026.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has obtained its most detailed view yet of an aeolian megaripple, dubbed “Hazyview,” in the Honeyguide field near Jezero Crater. The 2‑meter‑tall sand structure appears largely inactive, with a salty dust crust that preserves ancient wind and...
SkyFi Expands Virtual Constellation with Vantor Satellite Imagery
SkyFi announced the integration of Vantor’s very‑high‑resolution satellite imagery into its marketplace, expanding its virtual constellation of partner‑operated sensors. The new "Vantor Hub" lets commercial and government users order on‑demand imagery through SkyFi’s self‑service portal. By aggregating dozens of spacecraft...
