Space exploration, satellites, and aerospace technology
The FCC approved a second tranche of 7,500 Starlink Gen2 satellites Jan. 9, expanding the size of SpaceX’s authorized next-generation constellation. The post FCC approves 7,500 additional Starlink satellites appeared first on SpaceNews.
As NASA moves closer to launch of the Artemis II test flight, the agency soon will roll its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad for the first time at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final integration, testing, and launch rehearsals. NASA is targeting no earlier […]
Heated, cooled, shaken, and settled – NASA’s StarBurst instrument is several steps closer to being ready for launch. The small satellite is now awaiting instrument calibration following a successful integration in Canada and rigorous testing by engineers at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. StarBurst is designed to detect the initial emission […]
NAFI and AeroSummit team up to launch new ‘education-forward’ conference.
In sending a car-sized rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, NASA’s Dragonfly mission will undertake an unprecedented voyage of scientific discovery. And the work to ensure that this first-of-its-kind project can fulfill its ambitious exploration vision is underway in some of the nation’s most advanced space simulation and testing laboratories. Set for launch in in […]
Commercial launch startup Landspace has secured formal contracts to launch satellites for China’s two main megaconstellation projects, helping to address a launch capacity bottleneck. The post Landspace secures launch contracts for China’s megaconstellation projects appeared first on SpaceNews.
As booster manager for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System), Dave Reynolds’ path to NASA is embodied by his childhood poster of the space shuttle’s Return to Flight initiative, which hangs in his office, serving as a constant reminder that his journey to the agency began decades ago. Growing up in Roy, Utah, Reynolds remembers standing […]
A new NASA spacecraft called Pandora is awaiting launch ahead of its journey to study the atmospheres of exoplanets, or worlds beyond our solar system, and their stars. Along for the ride are two shoebox-sized satellites called BlackCAT (Black Hole Coded Aperture Telescope) and SPARCS (Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat), as NASA innovates with ambitious science […]
America faces a choice in space: lead or follow. There’s no middle ground anymore. China is methodically executing a plan to dominate the moon and cislunar space. The question isn’t whether someone will control humanity’s next economic frontier — it’s whether that someone will be us or them. And if we want it to be […] The post The U.S. will seize space leadership – or China will take it appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA has decided to bring home early four members of the International Space Station crew because of a medical issue with one of them, a first for NASA. The post Medical issue prompts early return of Crew-11 from ISS appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA has confirmed that the SpaceX Crew-11 mission will cut its stay on the International Space Station (ISS) short following a medical concern involving one of its crew members. The issue requires treatment on Earth, prompting an expedited return. At a press briefing at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced […]
NASA expects to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as soon as September, seeing it as evidence the agency can do flagships on cost and schedule. The post Roman Space Telescope on track for September launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA will host a live news conference at 5 p.m. EST on Thursday from the agency’s headquarters in Washington to discuss the International Space Station and its crew. On Jan. 7, the agency announced it was postponing a planned spacewalk originally scheduled for Jan. 8 while teams monitored a medical concern with a crew member […]
Artemis II crewmembers (left to right) NASA astronauts Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Victor Glover, pilot; CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander are led by Bill Owens of the Closeout Crew from the elevator at the 275-foot level of the mobile launcher to the crew access […]
Development continues on NASA’s Power and Propulsion Element, a solar electric propulsion spacecraft designed to provide power for Gateway in lunar orbit. Able to generate 60 kilowatts of power, the element was successfully powered on earlier last year. The milestone demonstrates the element can provide the spacecraft with power, high-rate communications, attitude control, as well […]
A billionaire-backed philanthropic organization is funding the development of a series of new observatories, including a space telescope larger than Hubble. The post Private group unveils plans for large space telescope appeared first on SpaceNews.
Launchers Isar Aerospace is expected to attempt its second two-stage Spectrum vehicle test flight, a key step after its first, partially successful liftoff in 2025. In parallel, Spain’s PLD Space and its Miura-5 remain the second contender — after Isar — for the European Launcher Challenge, a competition that increasingly looks like Europe’s closest analogue […] The post 2026 will clarify Europe’s new priorities for space appeared first on SpaceNews.
In this special episode of Space Minds, our show is split into two segments from the recent SpaceNews annual Icon Awards. The post The moon, AI and the high-stakes decisions shaping space’s future appeared first on SpaceNews.
LiDAR costs, compute power and AI training are the “big three” usually associated with the high cost of autonomous vehicles (AVs). We rarely look up. But maybe we should. High above the Earth, the ionosphere, a chaotic, sun-charged layer of our atmosphere, is levying an invisible tax on every self-driving car in development. If you […] The post The ‘space tax’ on your self-driving car appeared first on SpaceNews.
An unspecified “medical concern” involving one of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station has postponed a spacewalk and could force an unprecedented early return of part of the crew. The post Medical issue could force early end of Crew-11 ISS mission appeared first on SpaceNews.