European Union to Restructure Its Space Bureaucracy
The European Commission announced that the European Union Agency for the Space Programme will be renamed the European Union Space Services Agency (EUSPA). The rebranded agency will take charge of operating Galileo, upcoming communications constellations, and security‑focused satellite projects from 2028 to 2034. The change is framed as a shift from programme administration to an operational service role within the EU’s broader space strategy. Meanwhile, several member states are accelerating private‑sector space initiatives to bypass perceived bureaucratic delays.
For 40 Minutes, the Greatest Solitude Humans Have Known
During Artemis II’s lunar flyby, the four‑person crew spent 40 minutes behind the Moon, completely out of radio contact with Earth. Commander Reid Wiseman and his teammates watched the far side with the naked eye, a first for humans, while sharing...
Advanced Solar Power Systems for Satellites in 2026
In January 2026 NASA’s Gateway Power and Propulsion Element successfully started a roll‑out solar array capable of 60 kW, underscoring the shift from traditional rigid wings to high‑power, low‑mass deployable systems. Multi‑junction III‑V cells remain the efficiency benchmark, delivering over 32 % conversion...
Global Policies Governing Earth Observation Applications
Global earth‑observation (EO) policies are diverging as the United States clings to a Cold‑War‑era licensing regime, while the EU’s Copernicus programme champions free, open‑access data. China’s data‑sovereignty laws tightly control geospatial exports, and India’s 2023 space policy opens the market...
ESA Paid Arianespace About $96 Million for an Ariane-6 Launch
The European Space Agency has paid Arianespace €82 million (about $96 million) to launch the Sentinel‑1D Earth‑observation satellite on an Ariane‑62 rocket in November 2025. This is the first public disclosure of an Ariane‑6 launch price, positioning the vehicle against SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which...
TRAI Floats Satellite Spectrum Framework, Seeks Industry Views on Direct-to-Mobile Services
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper proposing a Satellite Communication Network framework that would permit Direct‑to‑Device (D2D) satellite services using either Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) or International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum. The initiative aims to...
TJ Green LLC Announces 29th Annual CMSE Conference & Exhibition
The 29th annual Components for Military & Space Electronics (CMSE) conference will take place April 28‑30, 2026 at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel, featuring over 35 high‑reliability component suppliers. The program highlights keynote addresses from IBM Research, the Defense...
Is Space Exploration Worth the Money and Effort? | Letters
The Guardian published a letters page reacting to Zoe Williams’s claim that the U.S. space race is wasteful. Critics highlight the Artemis program’s roughly $100 billion price tag, arguing it could fund the UN World Food Programme for a decade. Supporters counter...
Artemis 2 Crew Discusses Spaceflight Risks and Canadian Collaboration with Prime Minister Mark Carney
On Flight Day 8 of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, the Orion crew held a live dialogue with the Canadian Space Agency, Prime Minister Mark Carney, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, and students across Canada. Canadian astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen, the first CSA member aboard Artemis 2,...
Saxavord Spaceport Lost About $7 Million in Both ’23 and ’24; Andoya Launch Scheduled for Today
Saxavord spaceport on the Shetland Islands reported a pre‑tax loss of about $7.25 million in both 2023 and 2024, even as revenue rose 32 percent to £2.5 million (≈$3.2 million). The losses are tied to prolonged licensing delays by the UK Civil Aviation Authority,...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Daniel Bock, Morpheus Space
Morpheus Space, founded by TU Dresden researchers, commercialized NanoFEEP electric propulsion for CubeSats and larger platforms. After an in‑orbit qualification in February 2019, the startup raised a diverse 2020 round led by Vsquared Ventures with investors such as Airbus Ventures and...
Starlink Clears Security Hurdle, DCC Nod Likely Next Week
Starlink has satisfied India’s law‑enforcement security requirements, clearing the biggest regulatory hurdle for its commercial launch. The Digital Communications Commission is slated to meet next week, after which the proposal will move to the Union Cabinet for final approval. Executives...
Firefly Aerospace Prepares for Blue Ghost Mission 2 Following Historic Lunar Success
Firefly Aerospace announced accelerated assembly and testing for Blue Ghost Mission 2, its second lunar delivery slated for no earlier than late 2026 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. The mission follows the historic March 2025 soft‑landing of Mission 1, the first commercial spacecraft to touch...
Canada’s Spotty Support for Innovation Is Grounding Its Space Ambitions
Canada’s space sector is contracting despite recent high‑profile achievements, as the government cancelled the $43 million Canadian Lunar Rover and paused the $1 billion Canadarm3 program tied to the stalled Lunar Gateway. The cancellations expose a systemic flaw: the Canadian Space Agency...
India Takes a Step Closer to Direct-to-Device with Spectrum Consultation
India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has launched a consultation on how to allocate spectrum for direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite services. The regulator is weighing whether providers should use Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum or International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum, a decision...
Lockheed Martin Outlines Strategic Space Technology Roadmap for 2026
Lockheed Martin released a 2026 space technology roadmap that emphasizes proliferated satellite constellations, high‑rate small‑sat production, and advanced defense payloads. The company’s Small Satellite Processing & Delivery Center can build up to 180 spacecraft annually, supporting the launch of 18...
Russia’s Latest Plans for Its Post-ISS Space Station
Russia’s Roscosmos unveiled a roadmap to transition from the International Space Station to a standalone Russian Orbital Station (ROS). The plan calls for attaching a new module to the ISS, then in 2030 detaching it along with the Prichal and...
All Operational, Underdevelopment, or Planned Human Crewed Space Capsules
In April 2026 Orion’s Artemis II carried four astronauts beyond low‑Earth orbit, confirming that crew capsules now serve lunar missions as well as orbital ferry work. The active capsule fleet includes SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, Russia’s Soyuz MS, China’s Shenzhou, NASA’s Orion, and Blue Origin’s...
The Role of Defense Spending in Expanding the Space Economy
Defense spending is reshaping the space economy by providing a reliable launch market, fueling large‑scale satellite constellations, and driving demand for data and analytics services. The U.S. Space Force’s Phase 3 launch manifest and the Space Development Agency’s Tranche programs have...
Orion Heat Shield Faces Critical Test as Artemis II Nears Reentry
NASA’s Orion crew capsule is set to splash down tomorrow, marking the final re‑entry phase of the Artemis II mission. Engineers have been monitoring the vehicle’s ablative heat shield since pre‑launch, when experts warned that the shield’s performance could be a...
Earth and Moon, Then and Now
In December 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts reoriented their spacecraft and witnessed the first colour view of Earth rising above the Moon’s far‑side horizon, a moment captured by Bill Anders and instantly became an iconic image. The photograph, known as “Earthrise,” symbolized...
April 9, 1959: The Mercury 7 Debut
On April 9, 1959 NASA introduced the Mercury 7, America’s first astronaut corps, after a rigorous selection from 508 candidates. The seven pilots—Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton—became the public face of...
Starlink 'Carving Out a Niche' In Urban US – Ookla
Ookla’s Speedtest data for the second half of 2025 shows Starlink shedding its rural‑only image, with five states—Florida, Massachusetts, Hawaii, New Jersey and Connecticut—recording more urban than rural subscribers. At the same time, the share of Starlink users achieving the...
This Founder Helped Build SpaceX’s Most Powerful Rocket Engine. Now He’s Building a ‘Fighter Jet for Orbit.’
Portal Space Systems, founded by former SpaceX Raptor engineer Jeff Thornburg, announced a $50 million Series A round that values the startup at $250 million. The company is developing solar‑thermal propulsion, which concentrates sunlight to heat propellant and deliver high‑speed thrust for satellites...
Portal Closes $50M Series A
Portal Space Systems announced a $50 million Series A round led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33, with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, Ark Invest, AlleyCorp and FUSE. The capital will fund the first flight of its Starburst spacecraft on Transporter‑18 and a...
Intellian Unveils Dual-Band Military Flyaway Antenna
Intellian Technologies unveiled a 2.4‑meter dual‑band tactical flyaway antenna at Satellite 2026 in Washington, D.C. The system can simultaneously operate on X‑band and Mil Ka‑band, making it the first Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) flyaway capable of dual‑band connectivity. Designed for military and...
The State of Launch 2026
The launch market is hitting a capacity crunch as a million‑satellite data‑center constellation and monthly lunar missions drive unprecedented demand. Rocket Lab, Firefly Aerospace and ULA all report back‑logged customers and limited range availability on Florida’s Eastern Range, which supported...
Musk, Bezos, Both Cry To Trump’s FCC In Bid To Dominate Satellite Broadband
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Amazon are locked in a proxy fight at the FCC over dominance of low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite broadband. SpaceX alleges Amazon’s Project Leo violates orbital‑debris rules by launching satellites at excessively high altitudes, while Amazon...
Keysight and Sateliot Win European Space Agency and GSMA Foundry Challenge for 6G Innovation
Keysight Technologies and Spanish satellite‑IoT firm Sateliot were named winners of the European Space Agency and GSMA Foundry Innovation Challenge at Mobile World Congress 2026. Their joint project, a blockchain‑enabled end‑to‑end anomaly detection platform for 5G non‑terrestrial networks, earned funding...
Artemis II Commander Calls Earth "Special Place" As Spaceship Heads Home
NASA’s Artemis II crew began its return to Earth on April 9, with commander Reid Wiseman describing the view of the Moon eclipsing Earth as a reminder that our planet is a “special place.” The Orion spacecraft, launched on April 1, set a...
Shooting $100 Billion in Taxpayer Funds to the Moon Is Not a Win
Washington is proposing to spend roughly $100 billion of taxpayer money on a renewed lunar program, even as Americans face high inflation, stagnant wages, and a housing shortage. The article argues that such a massive allocation diverts resources from pressing domestic...
Artemis Flight Day 8: “Bubble Wrap Nominal”
Artemis II’s Flight Day 8 focused on validating return‑flight operations as the Orion crew approached Earth. A minor bulkhead issue—likely expanded bubble wrap—was resolved, prompting Mission Control to confirm “bubble wrap nominal.” The crew conducted a manual tail‑to‑Sun maneuver to gather guidance,...
Sateliot Seeks €100M in Latest Funding Round
Sateliot, the Spanish low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite operator, has opened a Series C round seeking roughly $108 million to finance the launch of 16 additional 5G‑capable satellites. The company already has six satellites in orbit and plans to add five more this year,...
EDGX Launches Sterna Satellite Payloads on SpaceX Transporter-16
EDGX successfully launched its first Sterna high‑performance data processing units aboard SpaceX’s Transporter‑16 mission, showcasing an AI‑powered edge computer designed for satellite constellations. The Sterna payload leverages Nvidia’s Jetson Orin NX, can dynamically scale power between 10 W and 45 W, and is...
Space Is Becoming Supply Chain Infrastructure
The space economy has moved from a niche frontier to a core layer of supply‑chain infrastructure. In 2024 the sector was valued at $613 bn, with commercial activity accounting for $480 bn and a launch every 34 hours, led by the United...
The Complete Story of Voyager’s Interstellar Mission: How Two Spacecraft Built in the 1970s Are Still Rewriting What We Know...
Voyager 1 will cross the one‑light‑day threshold in November 2026, placing it about 16 billion miles from Earth and making round‑trip communications take nearly two days. The probe, launched in 1977, continues to send unique measurements of the heliopause and interstellar medium, revealing...
Travelling at the Speed of Light
ScienceClic released a 15‑minute YouTube video titled “Travelling at the speed of light,” directed by French visual artist Alessandro Roussel. The piece uses polished 3D graphics to illustrate how relativistic physics would appear to passengers on a near‑light‑speed craft, covering time...
All Eyes on Orion’s Heat Shield: Artemis 2 Astronauts Will Hit Earth's Atmosphere at Nearly 24,000 Mph on April 10
NASA’s Artemis 2 crewed Orion capsule will begin its return to Earth on April 10, entering the atmosphere at roughly 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) from an altitude of about 75 miles. After the heat‑shield damage observed on the uncrewed Artemis 1 flight, mission planners opted for...
‘Hybrid Constellations’ Are Making It Hard for Militaries to Hide
Vantor, formerly Maxar, announced a five‑fold expansion of its satellite fleet, adding 40 new spacecraft that will deliver 20 cm resolution imagery and a complementary set of lower‑resolution, high‑revisit satellites. When the hybrid constellation is operational after 2029, it will be...
Vantor Unveils New Sat Classes: Vantage and Pulse
Vantor announced two new satellite classes—Vantage and Pulse—to boost both imagery resolution and revisit frequency. Vantage will deliver 20‑cm resolution images, with two satellites slated for launch in 2029, while Pulse, a smallsat fleet the size of a refrigerator, will...
A Cracked Heat Shield Rattled NASA After Artemis I. Now, Artemis II Will Put the Fix to the Test
NASA will put a revised re‑entry trajectory to the test on Artemis II after a heat‑shield crack was discovered on the uncrewed Artemis I flight. The crewed Orion capsule will plunge into Earth’s atmosphere at 32 Mach, using a direct‑entry path that avoids...
Apex Satellite’s Big Pivot: Why a Small-Sat Company Is Suddenly Building for the Pentagon and Orbital Data Centers
Apex Satellite announced two new spacecraft platforms, the Comet Mini and Comet XL, targeting the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile‑defense architecture and emerging orbital data‑center markets. The Mini will deliver about 20 kilowatts of power, while the XL aims for up to...
Application Spotlight: 3D Printed Replacement Antenna Masts Save Decades of Combined Supply Wait Time
The US II Marine Expeditionary Force faced long‑standing shortages of replacement antenna masts for its Mobile User Object Systems (MUOS), as the original parts became brittle and costly to procure. Leveraging additive manufacturing, the Marines produced 3D‑printed mast replacements that...
NASA Prepares for Artemis II Splashdown After Historic Moon Flyby
NASA is preparing for the splashdown of Artemis II, its first crewed lunar flyby, scheduled for Friday off Southern California. The four‑person crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen—completed a record‑breaking loop around the Moon,...
U.S. Space Force Launches Andromeda Orbital Tracking Program
The U.S. Space Force awarded a $1.843 billion multiple‑award IDIQ contract to 14 companies for its Andromeda program, which will run through April 8 2036. The effort funds space‑domain‑awareness systems that track, identify, and monitor satellites, debris, and potential hostile activity in orbit....
Artemis II Astronauts Witnessed 6 Meteorites Colliding With the Moon
During the Artemis II flyby of the Moon’s far side, astronauts aboard Orion reported six brief white‑blue flashes caused by meteorite impacts. The crew was 6,000‑7,000 km away and observed the events while a solar eclipse darkened the lunar surface, making the...
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On April 6, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft completed a seven‑hour lunar flyby, capturing the striking "Earthset" view as Earth dipped below the Moon’s horizon. The crew surveyed the Moon’s far side, documenting the well‑preserved Orientale basin and discovering two previously unknown...
Sharjah’s Satellite Infrastructure Still Intact After Missile Attack: Space42
On April 7, 2026, a missile struck the administrative building of Thuraya Telecommunications in Sharjah. Space42, Thuraya’s parent, confirmed that satellite services and infrastructure remain fully operational. The attack injured two Pakistani nationals, but no disruption to customers was reported....
Maple Syrup or Nutella? PM Carney Calls Canadian Artemis Astronaut
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held an Earth‑to‑space call with astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a crew member of NASA’s Artemis II mission and the first non‑American to orbit the Moon. Hansen emphasized teamwork and calculated risk, promising to share images after the...
LeoLabs’ Delta Platform Signals a Turning Point: Space Situational Awareness Is Now a Military Product
LeoLabs has launched Delta, a threat‑detection platform that moves space situational awareness from pure collision avoidance to identifying hostile intent in low‑Earth orbit. The system analyzes radar data and orbital patterns to flag co‑planar maneuvers and repeated close approaches that...
