Space news

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev waved to family, friends, and supporters as they walked out of the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building in Florida. The crew walkout and greeting are a tradition that dates […]

Suit leak checks are complete for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 as they prepare to leave the Astronaut Crew Quarters at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to head to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for launch. Moments ago, the crew members played the traditional card game. The […]

NASA and its partner SpaceX will be tracking several milestones leading up to the launch of the agency’s SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off at 5:15 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. […]

Live blog coverage is underway for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft no earlier than […]

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Researchers working on the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) experiment have developed a Unity-based virtual reality system that immersively visualizes detector geometry and event information. The new framework is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional visualization tools and provide a three-dimensional, interactive view of complex neutrino detector data. The VR

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 AST SpaceMobile has completed the unfolding of its next generation BlueBird 6 satellite, deploying what it describes as the largest commercial communications array antenna yet placed in low Earth orbit. The Midland, Texas based company is developing a space based cellular broadband network designed to connect directly with everyday smartphones for commercial and government users. BlueBird

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 NASA has adjusted operations of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to reduce atmospheric drag and prepare the spacecraft for a planned orbit-raising mission. On Feb. 11 the mission team temporarily suspended most science activities so controllers can keep the satellite in an orientation that minimizes drag and slows its gradual loss of altitude. Swift normally slews rapidly to observe tran

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Astronomers have obtained some of the most detailed images yet of debris discs around fully formed, so called teenage planetary systems, and say the irregular structures they see could reveal the presence of hidden outer planets. The study used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to image 24 debris discs made of dust, gas and rocks orbiting stars in systems bet

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Hydrogen sulfide is what makes rotten eggs stink. But the discovery of this gas in the atmospheres of four distant, Jupiter-like planets is turning heads for a pleasant reason: It solves the mystery of how some gas giants form. The discovery, made by UCLA and University of California San Diego astronomers, marks the first time that hydrogen sulfide has been detected in a distant gas giant outsid

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Recent modeling work suggests that Saturns largest moon, Titan, may be the product of a violent collision between two earlier moons rather than a relic left over from the systems formation. In this scenario, a large Proto Titan and a smaller Proto Hyperion merged in a giant impact that reshaped Titan, erased many of its impact craters, and helped set up the conditions that later produced Saturns

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 On 10 February 2026 the European Space Agency signed a contract with OHB Italia to develop the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety, known as Ramses, securing the next phase of Europes dedicated mission to asteroid Apophis ahead of its close Earth flyby in 2029. Launching in 2028, Ramses will rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid before its rare encounter with our planet, providing detailed

Boulder CO USA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 What appears to be a single volcanic eruption is often the result of complex processes operating deep beneath the surface, where magma moves, evolves, and changes over long periods of time. To fully understand how volcanoes work, scientists study the volcanic products that erupt at the surface, which can reveal the hidden magmatic systems feeding volcanic activity. New research published r

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the CAS Aerospace Information Research Institute, and collaborating institutions have used samples from China's Chang'e-6 mission to revise the long-standing lunar crater chronology model. The new analysis relies on material collected from the far side of the Moon and complementary remote sensing im

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Europe's Ariane 6 launcher has completed its first mission using a four booster configuration, delivering a full suite of payloads to orbit in a demonstration of its maximum performance variant. Designated flight VA267, the mission lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, during a launch window between 16:45 and 17:13 GMT, carrying 32 satellites for Amazon's Leo constel

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 Stoke Space Technologies has expanded its previously announced Series D financing round to a total of 860 million dollars as it advances work on its fully and rapidly reusable Nova launch vehicle and related infrastructure at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The company, based in Kent, Washington, is developing medium lift launch vehicles designed for high cadence operations to sup

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 China has carried out a pivotal flight test of a prototype rocket and crew spacecraft for its planned manned lunar landing program, validating key ascent, abort, and recovery technologies needed for future missions to the Moon. In the demonstration, a prototype of the new-generation Mengzhou crew spacecraft was mounted on a prototype first-stage booster of the Long March 10 heavy-lift rock

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026 A major water system activation at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) has moved NASA Stennis Space Center a step closer to Green Run testing of the exploration upper stage for the Artemis IV mission. The Jan. 30 activation exercised new cooling hardware and pushed the site's high pressure industrial water network to full capacity in preparation for operating the more powerful upper stage. T

The glacier in southeastern Svalbard pulses with the changing seasons, speeding up and slowing its flow toward the sea.

NASA and SpaceX teams gave a “go” to launch Crew-12 at 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, Feb.13, on its mission to the International Space Station following a final weather briefing before flight controllers move to their consoles. NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey […]

SpaceX and NASA are set for the launch of the 12th operational crew rotation mission… The post NASA, SpaceX set for launch of Crew-12 to ISS appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

United Launch Alliance’s (ULA’s) new Vulcan rocket delivered U.S. Space Force satellites to geosynchronous orbit today despite a “significant performance anomaly” on one of the Solid Rocket Boosters. This was […]

Young space companies are gaining more ways to cash out or raise larger pools of capital as the industry matures and investors grow more comfortable with the sector. The post Space startups find more paths to liquidity as investors warm to maturing sector appeared first on SpaceNews.

The more powerful version of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket successfully placed a group of Amazon Leo broadband satellites into orbit on the vehicle’s inaugural launch Feb. 12. The post First Ariane 64 launches Amazon Leo satellites appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA and Vast have signed an order for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than summer 2027 from Florida. This private astronaut mission marks the company’s first selection to the orbiting laboratory, underscoring NASA’s ongoing investment in fostering a commercial space economy and expanding opportunities for […]

Axiom Space has raised $350 million to advance development of a commercial space station and new spacesuits for NASA. The post Axiom Space raises additional $350 million appeared first on SpaceNews.

At 16:45 GMT/17:45 CET the first Ariane 6 rocket with four boosters lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 12 February, taking 32 Amazon Leo satellites to orbit.

The first flight of Ariane 64, the more powerful four-booster variant of the Ariane 6 rocket, has been successfully launched from French Guiana. The rocket carried 32 satellites for the Amazon LEO constellation, formerly known as Project Kuiper. Arianespace launched the first Ariane 6 rocket in its two-booster configuration (Ariane 62) in July 2024. Another […] The post Arianespace Launches First Four-Booster Ariane 6 Rocket appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Watch the broadcast for the launch of Ariane 6 Flight VA267, the first mission featuring the four-booster configuration.

The contract will examine the performance of ThinKom’s “portable gateway” for use by dismounted forces The post ThinKom gets military contract to supply portable ground stations for satellite communications appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA and SpaceX teams are continuing final preparations on Thursday as the four crew members of Crew-12 follow their own precise checklist of activities before they launch to the International Space Station. Crew-12 is set to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 5:15 a.m. EST Friday, Feb. 13, […]

From the ESA Blogs.

From the ESA Blogs.

The next-generation spacesuit for NASA’s Artemis III mission continues to advance by passing a contractor-led technical review, as the agency prepares to send humans to the Moon’s South Pole for the first time. Testing is also underway for the new suits, built by Axiom Space, with NASA astronauts and spacesuit engineers recently simulating surface operations and tasks […]

NASA and SpaceX continue proceeding toward a launch of Crew-12 to the International Space Station for no earlier than 5:15 a.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 13.

At 16:45 GMT/17:45 CET the first Ariane 6 rocket with four boosters lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 12 February, taking 32 Amazon Leo satellites to orbit.

USSF-87 mission precisely delivered directly to challenging geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO)

A familiar anomaly encountered during Vulcan's launch of USSF-87 raises significant concerns for the vehicle’s immediate future.

This image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope released on Feb. 10, 2026, reveals a dramatic interplay of light and shadow in the Egg Nebula, sculpted by freshly ejected stardust. Located approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, the Egg Nebula features a central star obscured by a dense cloud of dust — like a “yolk” nestled […]

NASA is loading liquid hydrogen aboard its Space Launch System moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday for an unpublicized but crucial test of the repairs made to a leaky umbilical that derailed a countdown rehearsal on Feb. 2.

Astronomy and commercial space are often portrayed as being on a collision course, yet their futures are deeply intertwined. As satellite constellations expand, astronomers raise concerns about trails across images, interference with radio telescopes and the loss of dark skies. At the same time, commercial operators point to the enormous economic, scientific and national security […] The post It is time to take astronomy off Earth appeared first on SpaceNews.

The company developed a collaborative project management platform designed to operate in classified environments The post Software startup Integrate makes push into defense market following Space Force award appeared first on SpaceNews.

European satellite communications operator Eutelsat is set to receive almost €1 billion in French government-backed financing to expand its OneWeb broadband constellation. In a June 2025 Investor Presentation, Eutelsat stated that it had already ordered 100 satellites from Airbus Defence and Space in December 2024 to ensure continuity of its current OneWeb service. The presentation […] The post Eutelsat to Take Out Almost €1B in State-Backed Debt for New Satellites appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Launch companies are divided on how to compete with SpaceX in a market where demand outstrips supply, yet customers remain price sensitive. The post Launch companies debate how to compete against SpaceX appeared first on SpaceNews.

The anomaly appears similar to the nozzle burn through seen during the launch of the second certification flight of a Vulcan rocket.

Scientists used the European Space Agency's Cheops satellite to discover that the planetary system around the star LHS 1903 challenges current planet formation theories with the unusual order of its planets. Surprisingly, the most distant outer planet might be rocky and seems to have formed later – in a different environment than the other planets around the star.

USSF-87 sends GSSAP payloads and propulsive ESPA ring on fourth Vulcan flight The post ULA’s Vulcan launches U.S. Space Force mission to geosynchronous orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

Arianespace is set to launch the most powerful configuration of its Ariane 6 vehicle for… The post Inaugural Ariane 64 to launch Amazon Leo satellites from Kourou appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau is pursuing an ambitious agenda for regulatory reform. The space plank of the FCC’s Build America Agenda would allocate additional spectrum for space activities, streamline the satellite licensing process and give spacecraft operators more flexibility to modernize operations. “We’re seeking to extend the reach […] The post FCC Space Bureau chief shares agenda for regulatory reform appeared first on SpaceNews.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, flanked by steep-sided mountain peaks, is the site of several skiing and sliding events in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Russia’s Proton rocket will make its first flight in almost three years on Thursday, as… The post Proton-M to launch Elektro-L No.5 on its final mission with Blok-DM upper stage appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.