Space news

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 30, 2025 Large Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations promise continuous, high-capacity information services, but planners must work within limits set by launch cadence, payload capacity, and orbital mechanics to deploy satellites in batches at reasonable cost. Researchers Junru Lin, Tiantian Zhang, and Min Hu at Space Engineering University in Beijing have developed an optimization framework that keeps de

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 30, 2025 Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) will provide direct-to-Earth forward and return Ka-band links through its global ground station network to support NASA's Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) technology demonstration. PExT, managed by NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, is an in-flight Ka-band wide

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 30, 2025 Of the four mice that recently flew aboard China's space station, one female has now given birth to healthy offspring on Earth, in a mission that also saw the public help name the pioneering "flying mice" crew. The Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CSU) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said the experiment marks China's first full-cycle mammalian space study, fro

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 30, 2025 China's manned space program has used a nationwide resource mobilization system to manage a recent contingency involving the Shenzhou-20 mission and to launch its follow-on Shenzhou-22 spacecraft within 20 days. After the Shenzhou-20 return vehicle suffered minor window damage from space debris, the China Manned Space Agency activated its first contingency plan of this kind, coordinating e

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 30, 2025 On the fourth launch anniversary of the NASA ESA CSA James Webb Space Telescope, the European Space Agency has released a 43 minute fly through video built from many of Webbs best known images, presented as a single continuous journey across the cosmos. The compilation revisits a wide range of Webb observations, arranging them as a sequence of progressive zooms that simulate a flight through dif

An Intertwined History: The Earth Observer and EOS The Earth Observer, a newsletter issued for more than 36 years, will release its last online content at the close of 2025. This newsletter evolved in parallel with NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS). It is almost impossible to speak of this newsletter without mentioning EOS. As The Earth […]

Rocket Lab had its most successful year to date in 2025, with its Electron rocket… The post After record-breaking 2025, Rocket Lab prepares for Neutron’s debut in 2026 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

A French launch startup that recently closed a funding round is seeking defense applications for its hybrid propulsion technology. The post HyPrSpace looks for applications beyond launch for its hybrid propulsion technology appeared first on SpaceNews.

Introduction Launched into the night sky nearly 26 years ago, on December 19, 1999, from Vandenberg Air Force Base (now Space Force Base), Terra was NASA’s first Earth Observing System (EOS) Flagship mission to study Earth’s land surface from space via a coordinated series of polar-orbiting and low-inclination satellites that produce long-term global observations useful […]

It is with a heavy heart that I announce that NASA Earth Science Communications has directed The Earth Observer to conduct an orderly shutdown of the publication. No new content will be published after Dec. 31, 2025. While the sunset of The Earth Observer is bittersweet for our team, the good news is that all […]

Introduction The Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) was initially designed in the late-1980s and early-1990s as a facility instrument for NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS). Since its inception, NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC) has led this effort. CERES has a long history with seven different instruments flying on five different missions since […]

2025 marks another year pushing the boundaries of scientific research aboard the International Space Station. This past year, over 750 investigations were conducted aboard the space station, supported by crewed missions and resupply vehicles delivering essential cargo and experiments to the orbiting laboratory. This year’s research included testing DNA’s ability to store data, producing vital […]

On Monday, SpaceX’s Dragon fired its thrusters, located in the spacecraft’s trunk, for just over 19 minutes, boosting the International Space Station’s orbit.

NASA astronauts will conduct a pair of spacewalks in January outside of the International Space Station to prepare for the installation of a roll-out solar array and complete other tasks. Experts from NASA will preview the spacewalks in a briefing at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 6, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Watch […]

Mid-infrared data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (in white, gray, and red) and X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (in blue) come together in this photo of colliding spiral galaxies released on Dec. 1, 2025. The pair grazed one another millions of years ago; billions of years in the future, they will merge […]

A proposal by the Trump administration to dismantle a leading atmospheric science center would also have implications for space science. The post Proposal to dismantle NCAR would have space science impacts appeared first on SpaceNews.

Listen to this audio excerpt from Jen Madsen and Trey Perryman, leads of the Orion Mission Evaluation Room for the Artemis II mission: During NASA’s Artemis II mission, Jen Madsen and Trey Perryman will be leading a team monitoring the Orion spacecraft as it carries four astronauts around the Moon. The team works in the […]

China reached 90 orbital launches in 2025 with consecutive Long March missions deploying Guowang megaconstellation satellites and the advanced Fengyun-4C weather spacecraft. The post China hits 90 launches as Guowang deployment continues, Fengyun-4C heads to GEO appeared first on SpaceNews.

The European Space Agency has cancelled a call for proposals to procure commercial cargo transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS). The services were intended to help the agency meet its obligations under the station’s Common System Operations Costs (CSOC) framework, which defines the shared responsibility of ISS partners to contribute to the station’s […] The post ESA Cancels Call to Procure Commercial Cargo Services to the ISS appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2025 Researchers at Empa are refining the multilayer insulation foils that wrap many satellites and space probes, aiming to improve their mechanical robustness while maintaining thermal protection. These foils, known as multilayer insulation or superinsulation, are built from stacked layers of a strong polymer coated with thin metal, typically aluminum, and are also used on Earth in items such as sur

Tokyo (AFP) Dec 22, 2025 Japan's flagship H3 rocket failed to launch a geolocation satellite into orbit on Monday due to engine failure, the country's space agency said. The second-stage engine "terminated prematurely" after the rocket blasted off at 10:51 am (0151 GMT) from the Tanegashima space centre in southern Japan, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It could not release into orbit

London, UK (SPX) Dec 18, 2025 Researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, working with Huzhou University in China, have shown that a standard source of entangled photons used in quantum optics carries a rich set of hidden topological structures in high dimensions. They report entanglement across 48 dimensions with more than 17 000 distinct topological signatures, providing a large alphabet for encodin

After launching in March and collecting near-infrared data throughout 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx observatory has completed… The post SPHEREx produces first all-sky map, highlights entire universe in infrared light appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the next two weeks, December 28, 2025-January 10, 2026, and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate […]

The project reflects a broader global shift toward using commercial remote-sensing satellites for national security missions The post Synspective tapped to provide satellite imagery for Japan’s new military constellation appeared first on SpaceNews.

The planned Saturday evening flight will be SpaceX’s 166th Falcon 9 launch of the year. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:09 p.m. PST (9:09 p.m. EST / 0209 UTC).

Along Florida’s Space Coast, two ambitious aerospace companies are rapidly transforming historic launch sites into… The post Commercial neighbors Stoke Space and Relativity Space Advance make progress on Cape launch sites appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Bruno’s resignation from United Launch Alliance was announced just four days ago on Dec. 22. He led that company for nearly 12 years.

Tory Bruno, who recently stepped down as chief executive of United Launch Alliance, is joining Blue Origin as head of the company’s new national security business unit. The post Former ULA chief Bruno joins Blue Origin appeared first on SpaceNews.

Blue Origin announced today that Tory Bruno is joining them as head of their new National Security Group.  Until Monday, Bruno was the President and CEO of United Launch Alliance […]

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is continuing its mission to collect samples despite uncertainty about how, when or even if those samples will be returned to Earth. The post Perseverance continues science mission amid uncertainty about Mars Sample Return appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this Oct. 20, 2025, photo, tiny ball bearings surround a larger central bearing during the Fluid Particles experiment, conducted inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) aboard the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module. A bulk container installed in the MSG, filled with viscous fluid and embedded particles, is subjected to oscillating frequencies to observe […]

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 19, 2025 In a historical milestone, catastrophic collisions in a nearby planetary system were witnessed for the first time by astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. As they observed the bright star Fomalhaut, the scientists saw the impact of massive objects around the star. The Fomalhaut system appears to be in a dynamical upheaval, similar to what our solar system experienced in its firs

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2025 Scientists using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have identified an exoplanet with an atmosphere unlike any seen before, orbiting a rapidly spinning neutron star known as a pulsar. The object, officially designated PSR J2322-2650b, has a mass comparable to Jupiter but is stretched into a lemon-like shape by the strong gravitational pull of its compact host star. Its atmosphere appears dominate

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 17, 2025 December 16, 2025 - Southwest Research Institute's Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment (CoDICE) instrument aboard NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) spacecraft has begun returning first-light particle measurements. IMAP launched in September to help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble that surrounds and protects our solar

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 19, 2025 Launched in March 2025, NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky, capturing data in 102 distinct wavelengths that are invisible to human eyes but common throughout the cosmos. SPHEREx, which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer, surveys the sky from Earth orbit about 14.5 times p

Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Dec 24, 2025 Astronomers report that starlight acting on stardust around the red giant star R Doradus cannot by itself power the strong stellar winds that spread key elements for life across the galaxy. For decades, models of red giant winds have assumed that radiation pressure on newly formed dust grains is the main driver of mass loss in these evolved stars, which enrich interstellar space with carbo

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 The race toward sixth generation 6G mobile networks is intensifying, with commercial deployment expected around 2030. The International Telecommunication Union ITU expects 6G systems to support scenarios such as integrated artificial intelligence and communication and ubiquitous connectivity. In this context, a recent article in the journal Engineering titled Space-Ground Fluid AI for 6G Edge In

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 Finding accurate positions in dense urban areas remains difficult for satellite-based navigation systems, where high-rise buildings and signal blockages can cause large errors or complete loss of service. A recent study outlines a deeply integrated positioning method that combines commercial 5G New Radio (NR) signals with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to address these issues. By rei

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 Axelspace Corporation has signed a multi-launch agreement with Exolaunch to support a series of missions using Axelspace microsatellites. The framework covers multiple launches and is intended to secure launch access and mission management for Axelspace programs, including new spacecraft assigned to in-orbit demonstration services. Under the agreement, one satellite is scheduled to launch

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 AST SpaceMobile Inc. has confirmed the successful orbital launch of its BlueBird 6 satellite, described as the largest commercial communications array deployed in low Earth orbit and designed to support space-based cellular broadband services for commercial and government users. The mission lifted off at 10:25 p.m. EST on December 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Indi

Pasadena CA (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 While much of Perseverance's work focuses on ancient rocks that record Mars' long-lost rivers and lakes, megaripples offer a rare opportunity to examine processes that are still shaping the surface today. Megaripples are sand ripples up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) tall that are mainly built and modified by wind. However, when water in the atmosphere interacts with dust on the ripple surface, a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 NASA engineers continue attempts to regain contact with the MAVEN Mars orbiter, which last communicated with Earth on Dec. 6. Working with the Deep Space Network, the team is uplinking recovery commands and listening for any signal that would confirm the spacecraft has resumed communications. Specialists are processing fragments of tracking data captured on Dec. 6 during a radio science ca

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 Researchers from Beijing Institute of Technology, China Academy of Space Technology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a theoretical model that links electrostatic forces and contact mechanics to describe how low-velocity charged lunar dust particles either adhere to or escape from spacecraft surfaces within a surrounding plasma sheath. The work aims to clarify mechanisms that d

Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 26, 2025 As we all prepare for the holiday season here on Earth, we have been planning a few last activities before Curiosity and the team of scientists and engineers take a well-deserved, extended break. This holiday season coincides with conjunction - every two years, because of their different orbits, Earth and Mars are obstructed from one another by the Sun; this one will last from Dec. 27 to Jan. 20

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 China conducted the debut flight of the Long March 12A carrier rocket on Tuesday, with the launch mission succeeding while the recovery attempt ended in failure. A 70.4-meter-high Long March 12A, the tallest space vehicle China has ever built, blasted off at 10 am from a newly constructed service tower at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Af

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 26, 2025 The global space sector is entering a phase of large-scale satellite constellations and expanded human lunar activity, driving a sharp increase in demand for access to orbit. Within the next two decades, the total mass launched to space is expected to reach several hundred thousand tons, with annual launch counts projected in the tens of thousands and continuing to grow. Launch providers therefo

On the launch anniversary of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, ESA presents a unique compilation of zooms into stunning cosmic views.

The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) has awarded Italian rocket builder Avio a launch contract for its FORMOSAT-8C and 8D, and FORMOSAT-9A and 9B Earth observation satellites. On 19 December, Avio announced that it had signed two launch contracts with undisclosed customers, with a combined value of over €100 million. While the company left it up […] The post Avio to Launch Four Earth Observation Satellites for Taiwan appeared first on European Spaceflight.

South Korea’s Innospace said it will attempt a second launch of its small rocket in the first half of 2026 after its inaugural flight failed shortly after liftoff Dec. 22. The post Innospace plans second launch in 2026 after failure of first Hanbit-Nano rocket appeared first on SpaceNews.