OQ Technology Secures New IoT Partnership With Monogoto
OQ Technology announced a partnership with Monogoto at CES 2026, integrating its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation into Monogoto’s hybrid IoT connectivity platform. The deal expands Monogoto’s ecosystem, which already includes GEO satellite links, to offer a true multi‑layer network. Customers will gain a single SIM solution with unified IP addressing and consistent APIs across cellular, Wi‑Fi, GEO and LEO links. The collaboration aims to simplify connectivity for devices operating in remote, mobile or intermittently connected settings.
First Galaxy-Wide Wobbling Black Hole Jet Discovered in a Disk Galaxy
Astronomers using Keck, JWST and the VLA have identified a precessing, galaxy‑wide jet from the supermassive black hole in the disk galaxy VV 340a. The jet drives a stream of super‑heated gas that reaches roughly 20,000 light‑years, the most extended outflow...
Space Force Looks to Expand West Coast Heavy Launch Capabilities
Space Launch Delta 30 has issued a Request for Information to commercial launch providers to develop Space Launch Complex‑14 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The proposed pad would be the first dedicated super‑heavy launch complex on the West Coast, capable of...
Simultaneous Packing Structures in Superionic Water May Explain Ice Giant Magnetic Fields
Researchers at SLAC and the European XFEL have shown that superionic water can host multiple atomic packing structures under identical temperature‑pressure conditions. Using laser‑driven shock compression and ultrafast X‑ray diffraction, they detected simultaneous BCC, FCC and HCP lattices within the...
South Korean Rocket Startup Innospace Signs Deal with Portugal’s Santa Maria Spaceport
South Korean rocket startup Innospace has signed a five‑year agreement to use Portugal’s proposed Santa Maria spaceport in the Azores, beginning in 2026. The company aims to complete launch infrastructure and conduct its first commercial flight in the fourth quarter...
The Comprehensive Guide to Space Economy and Technology Taxonomies, Version 1/8/26
The article presents a comprehensive overview of the multiple taxonomies that structure today’s multi‑trillion‑dollar space economy. It details economic frameworks such as the OECD and BEA SESA models, technical classifications ranging from orbital regimes to technology readiness levels, and market...
Roman Space Telescope on Track for September Launch
NASA announced that the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will launch on September 28, 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. The spacecraft is now fully assembled at Goddard, entering vibration and acoustic testing in February before shipping to Florida in June. The mission remains...
NASA to Provide Media with International Space Station Update Today
NASA will hold a live news conference at 5 p.m. EST Thursday from its Washington headquarters to update media on the International Space Station. The briefing follows the agency’s Jan 7 announcement postponing a Jan 8 spacewalk while a crew member’s medical condition...
European Space Agency DG Aschbacher Highlights 2026 Milestones in Annual Address
European Space Agency announced a record €22.3 billion budget for 2026‑2028, a 31% rise over the previous cycle, with the 2026 allocation at €8.26 billion. Canada increased its contribution to €407.7 million, four times its prior level. Ariane 6 achieved five successful flights in...
Billionaire to Fund Construction of an Orbiting Optical Telescope Larger than Hubble
Schmidt Sciences, the foundation of Google co‑founder Eric and Wendy Schmidt, announced a multi‑billion‑dollar private program to build four research observatories, including Lazuli, a 3.1‑meter optical space telescope that outstrips Hubble’s 2.4‑meter mirror. The telescope will operate from a lunar‑resonant...
Best of 2025: Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test
NASA conducted the Artemis II Countdown Demonstration Test on Dec. 20, 2025, rehearsing the full launch day sequence for the crew of Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman. The simulation covered suit‑up, walkout, and ingress/egress of the Orion capsule atop the Space Launch System....
Earliest Known Barred Spiral Galaxy Spotted Just 2 Billion Years After Big Bang
Astronomers using spectroscopy have identified galaxy COSMOS‑74706 as the earliest confirmed barred spiral, existing roughly 2 billion years after the Big Bang (about 11.5 billion years ago). The detection, presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting, sets a new high‑redshift record for...
Second Escapade Mars Orbiter Completes a Delayed Engine Burn
NASA announced that the second Escapade Mars orbiter successfully completed a delayed engine burn, correcting its trajectory after an earlier mid‑course correction showed unexpectedly low thrust. The telemetry anomaly, which indicated the engine was under‑performing, was addressed, though NASA provided...
MDA Space Added as a ‘Golden Dome’ Contractor by the Missile Defense Agency
MDA Space has been added as a contractor to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program, part of the broader Golden Dome strategy. The SHIELD initiative carries a $151 billion ceiling over ten years and...
Animal Life Unlikely Around a Third of Stars in the Galaxy, Study Says
A new arXiv study finds that late‑type M‑stars, which host many detectable Earth‑sized planets, are unlikely to nurture complex animal life. Their red‑shifted spectra provide less than one percent of the photosynthetically active radiation needed for oxygenic photosynthesis, dramatically slowing...
2026 Will Clarify Europe’s New Priorities for Space
2026 will be a pivotal year for Europe’s space agenda, as launch providers, national programs, and ESA unveil their next steps. Private firms such as Isar Aerospace and PLD Space are vying for the European Launcher Challenge while Ariane 64 and...
Study Offers Possible Solution to a Gravitational Wave Mystery
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder propose that smaller supermassive black holes grow faster during galaxy mergers, a process called preferential accretion. By adjusting merger simulations to give the secondary black hole about 10% extra mass, their model raises...
Vulcan to Open 2026 with National Security Launch
United Launch Alliance will kick off 2026 with Vulcan Centaur's VC4S launch of USSF‑87 on Feb 2 from Cape Canaveral, deploying two GSSAP‑7 and GSSAP‑8 satellites for space situational awareness. This marks Vulcan’s fourth flight and second national‑security mission, testing...
Comet 24P/Schaumasse Makes Its Closest Approach to the Sun Today: But Will You Be Able to See It?
Comet 24P/Schaumasse will reach perihelion on Jan 8, 2026, passing 109.7 million miles from the Sun. At that point its apparent magnitude is roughly +10.8, far too faint for naked‑eye viewing. Observers will need a telescope of at least a 6‑inch aperture and should...
Mysterious Star That Vanished For 130 Years Has Been Found
In 1892 Edward Emerson Barnard reported a bright, seventh‑magnitude star near Venus that seemingly vanished on a second look, sparking over a century of speculation. Recent amateur astronomers Tim Hunter and Roger Ceragioli revisited the region with a vintage eyepiece...
The ‘Space Tax’ on Your Self-Driving Car
Autonomous vehicles depend on GNSS for centimeter‑level positioning, yet ionospheric turbulence intermittently blanks satellite signals, especially over Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. To safeguard navigation, manufacturers add expensive inertial sensors, extra cameras and high‑power processors, inflating vehicle prices—a phenomenon...
Astrophysicists Map How Many Ghost Particles All the Milky Way's Stars Send Towards Earth
Astrophysicists at the University of Copenhagen have released the first detailed model estimating how many neutrinos—often called ghost particles—are emitted by every star in the Milky Way and how many reach Earth. By integrating advanced stellar evolution calculations with ESA's...
Repeating Fast Radio Burst Shows Diverse Activity and Hints at Magnetar Origin
Indian astronomers using the upgraded GMRT observed the repeating fast radio burst FRB 20201124A across 300‑1460 MHz, recording 146 bursts primarily in the 550‑950 MHz band. The dataset includes sub‑second burst pairs as close as 17 ms and shows activity persisting at lower frequencies...
Space Telescopes Capture Breathtaking Galactic Hug | Space Photo of the Day for Jan. 8, 2026
NASA’s James Webb and Chandra observatories have released a striking composite image of the interacting galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207, located about 120 million light‑years away in Canis Major. The infrared view from Webb highlights dust lanes and active star‑forming regions, while Chandra’s X‑ray...
Op-Ed: Golden Dome Will Stand or Fall on Its Sensors. Here’s How to Make Them Endure
The op‑ed warns that the U.S. Golden Dome missile‑defense concept hinges on a robust sensor network. Emerging threats—hypersonic glide vehicles, drone swarms, sophisticated decoys, and cyber‑spoofed signals—target the sensor layer as its weakest link. The authors argue that only a...
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...
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...