Chinese Spaceplane Shifts to Near‑circular 588‑km Orbit
The Chinese spaceplane maneuvered from a 349 x 592 km orbit to a circular 588 x 597 km orbit at about 0050 UTC Feb 12. (Shown: perigee, average, apogee heights) https://t.co/X9FhHPTxwJ
Space’s Role Crucial as Europe Boosts Defense
Great weekend at @MunSecConf. The world is in transition, and it’s clear Space is incredibly relevant. I met with leaders incl @NATO_SACT and @DavidMcGuinty, and was inspired by remarks from @ZelenskyyUa, @vonderleyen, @Keir_Starmer and others on the critical need for...
Roskosmos Preps Progress MS-33 for Site 31 Return
Roskosmos resumes processing of the Progress MS-33 cargo ship in Baikonur in anticipation of the return to flight from the restored Site 31 after the service platform collapse last year: https://t.co/mN4Hi2mIUG https://t.co/dpnK9COwOB
Questioning Transfer Costs and Feasibility of Permanent Base
Thought about this for more than a day now and still don’t know if it’s a good plan. What does each transfer stage cost? It seems like this is a plan to be “first”, but not much more. Will it be feasible...
NASA Withholds SLS Confidence Test Details Until Evening
NASA Admin Isaacman replying to Eric Berger @SciGuySpace about the "confidence test" they did on SLS on Thursday (Feb 12) and why NASA didn't share info until last night (Friday, at 7:51 pm ET) about it or the problem they...
NASA Let Hydrogen Leak Grow During Artemis Gap
It turns out NASA used the three-year interim between Artemis I and Artemis II to get comfortable with a more significant hydrogen leak, instead of fixing the leaks themselves. https://t.co/XX1eeIJnR0
Legacy GEO Giant Eutelsat Shifts Focus to LEO
This is pretty remarkable. Eutelsat is one of the big three legacy GEO operators, now pivoting to LEO.
NASA Tests SLS LH2 Flow, Fixes Equipment Issue
As reported by Bill Harwood (@cbs_spacenews) and others, on Thurs NASA flowed LH2 thru the new seals on SLS. Now there's a blog post explaining that ground support equipment problem reduced the flow. Working on it this weekend. https://t.co/PbuyJHZMNV
SLS Costs 23× XB‑1, Draining Private Innovation Potential
The NASA SLS costs 23X the entire XB-1 program. Every time it launches. What could private innovators create had this capital not been confiscated by gov’t and pissed away? Each time SLS launches 23 XB-1s go up in smoke. We don’t...
NASA's $650M SLS Ground System Overdue After Artemis I
NASA had literally three years after Artemis I to work on, and improve the SLS rocket ground systems. The annual budget for SLS "Ground Support Equipment" is around $650 million. It's completely unacceptable.
NASA's SLS Test Fails, Delayed Update on Ground‑system Issue
Yikes. NASA couldn’t even complete a test of the SLS rocket’s ground system seal for liquid hydrogen because something else broke with the ground systems. And they wait until 8 pm ET Friday to send an update on something they...
Proton Rocket Launches Russia Weather Satellite with Iran TV Payload
The Proton launch of Russia's Elektro-L No. 5 weather satellite carried a secondary payload, Iran's Jam-e Jam 1 television broadcasting sat, also called Iran-DBS. Elektro-L-5 has a mass of 2120 kg; Jam-e Jam 1 is likely only 150 kg...
Iridium Leverages L‑Band Spectrum to Counter Competitors
.@IridiumComm to market: Don't like our growth story? Well, I do happen to have some L-band spectrum here... @SpaceX @EchoStar @Viasat @space42ai @AST_SpaceMobile.https://t.co/Dl5XyXjk6X https://t.co/BvsN3zA7Q1
FAA Clears New Airspace for Starship Launches
FAA has completed the Final Tiered Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision for updates to airspace closures for additional launch trajectories and Starship landings at Starbase, TX. https://t.co/WvzFoXualX
OneWeb Boost
.@EutelsatGroup: OneWeb rev up 59.7% in 6M to Dec. 31; 600 aircraft have our connectivity hardware; hosted payloads, ground segment seen as fresh revenue sources; cancelling @Thales_Alenia_S GEO sat saves EUR 100M in capex, costs 60M in impairment charges.https://t.co/f8cngyWfes https://t.co/iWpscm5aIi
Crew‑12 Soars to ISS on SpaceX Falcon 9
Crew-12 Launches https://t.co/PlDPhkPt1o NASA/Aubrey Gemignani A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Ha… https://t.co/XmbMWYpRhE
Blue Origin Unveils Ambitious New Lunar Mission Roadmap
I got a peek at Blue Origin’s new lunar plans. Here’s what I found: https://t.co/cOEKOK9aKd
SpaceX's 20th Crew Flight Delivers Valentine's to ISS
🚀❣️ Cupid's Crew is delivering the Valentines to the ISS. Dragon Freedom is en route for a Feb 14 arrival with NASA's Crew-12 astronauts. This is SpaceX's 20th flight of humans to orbit. https://t.co/MpufCmPn1J
Falcon 9 Booster B1101 Achieves First RTLS Landing
SpaceX's Falcon9 Booster B1101 successfully completes first Return To Launch Site, RTLS, landing at LC-40 at CCSFS, FL. 📷by @rpg571 https://t.co/uKq0saMaYW
Starlink Shutdown Blinds Russian Drones and Command Posts
“The shutdown didn’t only reduce Russian drone strikes. On the front lines, it also partially blinded Russian command posts and drone crews that relied on Starlink for communication, livestreams and more-precise control of assaults as commanders got real-time footage of...
Falcon‑9/Dragon Launches First 2026 ISS Crew
Falcon-9/Dragon lifts off from Cape Canaveral carrying the first International Space Station crew of 2026 (USCV-12). It is 303rd mission of the ISS poject: https://t.co/z0hQPyE0Zn https://t.co/113UjWl1F5
Sunlight Converts Lunar Regolith Into Usable Oxygen
Sunlight Extracts Oxygen From Regolith Using Solar Chemistry https://t.co/7D6ySKDwz4 A solar concentrator is tested as part of the Carbothermal Reduction Demonstration (CaRD) project, which aims to produce oxygen from simulated lunar regolith for use a… https://t.co/oJ9ElSXJi0
Vulcan Centaur Reaches Orbit Despite Booster Glitch
LAUNCH at 0922 UTC Feb 12 of a Vulcan Centaur from Canaveral with the Space Force's GSSAP 7 and 8 satellites, and possibly other payloads. One of the GEM 63XL solid boosters malfunctioned but the vehicle was reportedly able to reach...
Two Feb 12 Launches Deploy Seven Satellites and a Weather Probe
LAUNCH at 0637 UTC Feb 12 of a Jielong-3 from the DFHT ship off Yangjiang, placing seven sats in orbit including Pakistan's PRSC-EO2 imaging sat. LAUNCH at 0852 UTC Feb 12 of a Proton from Baykonur with the Elektro-L weather sat.
Space Systems Command Confirms Two GSSAPs on USSF‑87
Space Systems Command says there were two GSSAPs on USSF-87. This is their response to my question on the matter last month. https://t.co/IqQ6LR4m9P
ULA Encounters New Issue Despite Earlier Fix
Interesting situation for ULA. Not great to see after the previous issue that we thought was fixed.
B
Senate Cmrc approved the SAT Streamlining bill after RM Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chr Ted Cruz (R-TX) reached agreement over "deemed granted" prvsn that originally meant FCC had 18 months to rule on a satellite appl or it wld be...
Vast Secures First ISS Private Astronaut
Vast just won its first private astronaut mission (PAM) to the ISS. Will be the 6th PAM. (Axiom's done 4 and got contract for the 5th last month.) https://t.co/wMfSkzsZTU NASA Admin Isaacman's own private astronaut missions, Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn, didn't visit...
NASA Chooses Vast for First Non‑Axiom Private ISS Mission
NASA has selected Vast for a private astronaut mission to the ISS no earlier than mid-2027. This will be the sixth such private mission to the ISS but the first by a company other than Axiom Space. https://t.co/AXHjd7a0xH
Vulcan Launch Anomaly Reported, Payload Still Delivered
ULA statement re anomaly on this morning's Vulcan launch. Payload reached its destination nonetheless. https://t.co/J8cN2YByhj
From Labor to Compute: Economy’s Next Quantum Leap
1900: Internal Combustion + Electricity = 5x GDP growth. 2026: AGI + Humanoid Robotics + Space-based Energy = 50x GDP growth. This is NOT a cycle; instead, we are in a phase change for the species. The transition from being...
Southwest Keeps Viasat Wi‑Fi on Line‑Fitted Planes
Reports quoting financial services firm William Blair suggest that Viasat’s inflight connectivity system will remain in play on linefitted aircraft at Southwest, even as it brings Starlink to aged jets. RGN has sought confirmation from Southwest. https://t.co/48cTJCGB56
Seeing Earth From Space Shifts Perspective Forever
No matter where you're from, what you believe in, or what your goals are – viewing the earth from space will alter your entire perspective on life. I joined @mrjakehumphrey on @roomwherepod to talk about the transformative impact of spaceflight &...
ULA Labels Vulcan SRB Issue a Significant Performance Anomaly
ULA's comment on the "observation" (now "significant performance anomaly") seen on one of the Vulcan SRBs on this morning's launch: https://t.co/VePOoE0Ne4
Ariane 64 Launches 32 Amazon LEO Satellites From Guiana
First Ariane 64 heavy-lift rocket lifts off from Europe's Guiana Space Center with 32 Amazon Leo sats. Now wait about 1h29 mins for the start of deployment, which will take 25 minutes at 465 km. @Arianespace @Amazonleo https://t.co/NbkDvLrFjn
Vulcan Launch Shows Possible Solid Booster Nozzle Failure
🚨 Vulcan Problems: Today’s ULA Vulcan launch from SLC 41 seems to have had some sort of solid booster problem. Possibly a nozzle burning through. The only official word from ULA is that they’ve made an “observation”. The sparks are clearly visible in...
Proton Rocket Launches Elektro‑L5 Weather Satellite From Baikonur
Proton rocket lifts off from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, with the Elektro-L5 weather satellite. DETAILS, UPDATES: https://t.co/XRGzszk0qi https://t.co/3ZESECT8GH
Orbex Bankruptcy Highlights UK Launch Policy Uncertainty
UK launcher startup @orbexspace starts bankruptcy procedure after merger/acquisition/funding talks fail. @spacegovuk launch policy looks to be a puzzle. Remaining @nyxcapsule interest uncertain. @esa @defis_eu @SaxaVord_Space. https://t.co/h0Gu8UB0cx https://t.co/RsfCNjTv3u
Long March 10A Completes Soft Landing and Max‑Q Abort
Wait for it! Long March 10A: Soft landing ✅ Mengzhou capsule Max-Q abort test ✅ https://t.co/An8AKMlYm2
SpaceX Barge Delivers Propellant Tanks to Kennedy Space Center
Happening now, one of SpaceX's newer transport barges is arriving at the turn basin at the Kennedy Space Center with some propellant storage tanks. These are likely for Starship operations at either LC-39A or SLC-37. Watch live: https://t.co/tm2wZQmAVD https://t.co/Yz4tdnn2C5
Four New Leaders Join Planetary Science Institute Board
Scott Pace and Dan Dumbacher are 2 of the 4 newest Planetary Science Institute Board members. Others are Stanford's Michael Kuiken (Vice Chair of US-China Economic & Security Review Cmsm) and Lockheed Martin's Lora Koenig (remote sensing for Earth sci)....
Veteran Aerospace Exec Leads NASA
After 23 years with Royal Canadian Air Force, and positions at the Satellite Industry Association and Astroscale, Charity Weeden was appointed associate administrator to lead NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy in September 2023. She worked there until OTPS...
Rep. Meng Applauds Isaacman's Workforce Initiative
Stmt from Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), top Democrat on the House Approps CJS subcommittee, praising Isaacman's workforce initiative: https://t.co/ZnvQrOzfUo
Crew-12 Launch Delayed 24 Hours, Now Set for Feb 13
.@NASA and @SpaceX adjusted the launch of Crew-12 by another 24 hours due to weather along the ascent corridor. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is now targeting Friday, Feb. 13, at 5:15 a.m. EST (1015...
Senate Commerce to Re‑mark up SAT Streamlining Act Feb 11
Senate Commerce confirms that tmrw (Feb 11) it will try again to mark up the SAT Streamlining Act and other bills under consideration on Feb 3 (see our What's Happening Feb 8-14 https://t.co/ZGgCRqAXcJ). The markup is in the...
New Platform Restores Soyuz Launch Pad at Baikonur
Replacement to the collapsed service platform, that disabled the only launch pad for piloted Soyuz rockets, was now installed at Site 31, according to rumors from Baikonur, marking a major milestone in the repairs of the facility: https://t.co/Gej3DU7zrd https://t.co/2jiuluTuxl
Crew-12 Launch Delayed to Thursday Due to Weather
NASA and SpaceX are forgoing a launch attempt of the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday, Feb. 11, due to weather and are targeting Thursday, Feb. 12, instead. Learn more about what comes next ahead of liftoff. 📰:...
Turkish Satellites Identified on Bandwagon‑4, Owner Unclear
The Semi-1N, Semi-1P, Semi-1L payloads from Nov 2025's Bandwagon-4 launch are now identified and revealed to be Turkish satellites. As far as I know the specific owner has still not been revealed - anyone know?
Build Moon Base First to Accelerate Human Presence
Moon first, Mars next? What matters most is momentum and building a permanent human presence beyond Earth, fast. If the Moon accelerates that path—let’s build.
Telcos Demand Iris2 Compete with Starlink Pricing
Telcos @orange & @deutschetelekom: We'll only purchase future Iris2 broadband capacity if it's competitive with @Starlink et al. We can't afford to do otherwise. @defis_eu @SES_Satellites @Eutelsat @Hispasat @esa @Starlink #Europeanspaceconf. https://t.co/za6J3f6pSE https://t.co/izhnBnDNQ5