Space news

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 06, 2026 Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope with ground-based observatories, astronomers have traced how Betelgeuse's recently identified companion star, Siwarha, disturbs gas in the red supergiant's extended atmosphere and produces a dense wake of material. The work, led by researchers at the Center for Astrophyphysics | Harvard and Smithsonian (CfA), links this wake to puzzling changes in Betelgeuse's

Paris, France (SPX) Jan 06, 2026 A team using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has identified a new type of astronomical object, a starless gas-rich dark-matter cloud considered a relic of early galaxy formation and nicknamed "Cloud-9." The object is the first confirmed example of a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud, or RELHIC, a neutral hydrogen cloud from the early universe that never formed stars. Program principal investiga

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 06, 2026 Peking University, January 2, 2026: A coordinated observation campaign using space- and ground-based telescopes has yielded the first precise mass measurement of a rogue planet, confirming that one long-standing candidate is indeed a planet. Unlike planets in the Solar System, rogue planets travel through space without orbiting a host star. Over the last decade, astronomers have identified

Houston TX (SPX) Jan 06, 2026 Small lakes on ancient Mars may have remained liquid for decades, even with average air temperatures well below freezing. Using a climate model adapted for Martian conditions, a team of researchers from Rice University discovered that lakes in locations such as Gale Crater, near Mars' equator, could have persisted under thin seasonal ice for at least decades and likely as long as climate conditi

The U.S. Space Force aims to attract new launch capabilities for the Western Range to bolster domestic access to space. Responses are due by Feb. 12, 2026.

"There's very little to not like in this."

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees released the text of their joint conference agreement on the FY2026 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) bill today with a wholesale rejection of the dire cuts to […]

By Michael Allen  For the first time, scientists have used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star. Using IXPE’s unique X-ray polarization capability, astronomers examined a star called the intermediate polar EX Hydrae, unlocking the geometry of energetic binary systems.  In 2024, IXPE spent nearly one week focused on EX Hydrae, a […]

NASA announced Monday the selection of industry proposals to advance technologies for the agency’s Habitable Worlds Observatory concept – the first mission that would directly image Earth-like planets around stars like our Sun and study the chemical composition of their atmospheres for signs of life. This flagship space telescope also would enable wide-ranging studies of […]

Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest all year, the Moon and Saturn pair up, and the Beehive Cluster buzzes into view.

The Expedition 74 crew is gearing up for the first spacewalk of 2026 this week that will see two astronauts prepare the International Space Station for a new set of roll-out solar arrays. The orbital residents also had time on Monday to conduct microgravity research, pack a U.S. cargo craft, and maintain communications and life support systems.

Using new observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based observatories, astronomers tracked the influence of a recently discovered companion star, Siwarha, on the gas around Betelgeuse. The research, from scientists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), reveals a trail of dense gas swirling through Betelgeuse’s vast, extended atmosphere, shedding light […]

Listen to this audio excerpt from Jacki Mahaffey, Artemis II chief training officer: When the Artemis II crew travels around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, they will have spent countless hours training for their lunar mission, and Jacki Mahaffey will have played a role in preparing them for their journey. As the Artemis II […]

Startup aims to mass-produce radar hardware and deploy formation-flying satellites The post Array Labs raises $20 million to scale production of radar satellites for 3D Earth mapping appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA astronauts will conduct two spacewalks Thursday, Jan. 8, and Thursday, Jan. 15, outside the International Space Station, and the agency will provide comprehensive coverage. The first spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. EST on Jan. 8 and last about six hours and 30 minutes. NASA will provide live coverage beginning at 6:30 […]

A team using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical object — a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud considered a “relic” or remnant of early galaxy formation. Nicknamed “Cloud-9,” this is the first confirmed detection of such an object in the universe — a finding that furthers the understanding of galaxy formation, […]

A team using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical object – a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud that is considered a 'relic' or remnant of early galaxy formation. Nicknamed 'Cloud-9,' this is the first confirmed detection of such an object in the Universe.

A scientific balloon starts its ascent into the air as it prepares to launch carrying NASA’s Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO) mission. The mission lifted off from Antarctica at 5:56 a.m. NZST, Saturday, Dec. 20 (11:56 a.m., Friday, Dec. 19 in U.S. Eastern Time). The PUEO mission is designed to detect radio signals created […]

Rocket Lab’s Electron made a rare orbital flight out of Wallops Island, Virginia on December 18, 2025, lifting off just

Media representatives joined French ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, on Monday 5 January, for a hybrid press conference to learn more about her first mission to space.

House and Senate appropriators have released the text of a final appropriations bill for fiscal 2026 that largely rejects the steep cuts the Trump administration proposed for NASA. The post Minibus provides $24.4 billion for NASA for fiscal year 2026 appeared first on SpaceNews.

Dubai / Male’ November 18, 2025 – ARCHE ORBITAL SYSTEMS, a global space-technology company specializing in advanced mission design and in-orbit services operations, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) […] The post ARCHE ORBITAL SYSTEMS Signs Strategic MoU with MSRO to Advance National Space Capabilities for the Maldives appeared first on SpaceNews.

A small but important change can be found at the end of President Trump’s sweeping December 18, 2025, Executive Order, “Ensuring American Space Superiority.” The Executive Order removes the requirement for the United States government to make basic space situational awareness data and space traffic management services available “free of direct user fees,” instead saying […] The post No more free rides: it’s time to pay for space safety appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

From the ESA Blogs.

China’s astronaut corps has completed a near month-long underground cave training, conducted in part to prepare for future crewed lunar landing missions. The post China’s astronauts complete cave training amid preparations for moon missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

Private equity firm to revive Rocketdyne name, L3Harris keeps RS-25 engine The post L3Harris to sell majority stake in space propulsion unit to AE Industrial for $845 million appeared first on SpaceNews.

There are some fresh faces entering the rankings this year.

Animation showing a possible interoperability application in orbit of payload deployment and retrieval operations with ESA’s reusable Space Rider.

Animation showing possible operations for ESA’s reusable laboratory Space Rider deploying an inspection drone.

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 05, 2026 A new international assessment details how the January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano in the South Pacific altered the stratosphere, atmospheric chemistry, and radiation while having only a small impact on global surface climate and the Antarctic ozone hole. The Hunga Volcanic Eruption Atmospheric Impacts Report, released under the Atmospheric Processes and their Rol

On 5 January 2026, the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, hosted a special tradition: the planting of an astronaut tree by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot in honour of her first mission to space, εpsilon. This symbolic gesture celebrates her achievements and future mission while reinforcing the deep connection between space explorers and the planet they call home. 

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 01, 2026 A recent study presents ACA-SIM, an atmospheric correction algorithm that uses satellite-in situ matchup data and neural networks to improve ocean color retrievals over coastal waters. The approach relies on real satellite radiance and in situ reflectance from Aerosol Robotic Network-Ocean Color (AERONET-OC) sites to reduce errors and striping artifacts in derived ocean color products, particula

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026 OPERA the Observational Products for End-Users from Remote Sensing Analysis project was created in 2021 at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory to supply federal agencies with satellite products that match their highest priority data needs as identified by the interagency Satellite Needs Working Group convened by the White House Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Pol

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 01, 2026 Alen Space has completed the first demonstrator pilot campaign of VDES technology using its SATMAR satellite over the Bay of Algeciras in southern Spain. Over the past week, the company worked with Egatel and the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras to run several operational tests in a real maritime setting. In the first pilot, SATMAR supported message exchanges between a vessel and the

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026 The airliners of coming decades may feature long, slender wings that change the look of commercial aircraft while improving ride quality and cutting fuel use. Those high aspect ratio wings promise lower drag and better efficiency, but their increased flexibility introduces structural and control challenges that engineers must address before airlines can adopt them. As part of the Int

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 31, 2025 Researchers from Zhengzhou University, the University of Kent, and City University of Hong Kong have developed a framework to evaluate and optimize the spatiotemporal resilience of Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled unmanned system of systems operating in complex missions. The work responds to the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned vehicles in hazardous environments where maintai

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026 Terran Orbital has been selected by Lockheed Martin to supply satellite bus platforms for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 3 Tracking Layer within the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Under this program, Lockheed Martin will deliver 18 space vehicles that provide missile warning, tracking, and defense functions for SDA's Tranche 3 Tracking Layer. Terran Orbital will supply

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 01, 2026 A multinational research team led by UiT The Arctic University of Norway has identified the deepest known gas hydrate cold seep on Earth during the Ocean Census Arctic Deep - EXTREME24 expedition, documenting the Freya Hydrate Mounds at 3,640 meters depth on the Molloy Ridge in the Greenland Sea. The work reveals a previously unknown ecosystem on the Arctic seafloor where exposed gas hydrate, me

The colorful formations found in this bowl-shaped escarpment in southwestern Utah are the centerpiece of Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Seoul (AFP) Jan 5, 2026 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of "cutting-edge" hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang's nuclear forces for war, state media said Monday. Pyongyang said Sunday's test was made all the more necessary by "recent geopolitical crisis" - a clear nod to this weekend's events in North Korea's socialist ally Venezuela. Seoul and Tokyo said Sunday they had detected the

In a strategic push to bolster launch infrastructure amid growing military and commercial demands for… The post Space Force requests launch provider interest in Cape and Vandenberg pads appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of January 4-10, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session […]

The Department of the Air Force is planning upgrades across 14 Space Force bases under the “Base Infrastructure Modernization” IDIQ contract The post Space Force begins base network overhaul as cybersecurity demands grow appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starlink 6-88 will add 29 broadband internet satellites to the constellation of more than 9,300 in low Earth orbit. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 12 a.m. EST (0500 UTC).

Orbital launch activity set another annual record in 2025, although future growth may depend on factors different from those that fueled the recent surge. The post SpaceX, China drive new record for orbital launches in 2025 appeared first on SpaceNews.

A Spanish military communications satellite launched in October was struck by what its operator described as a “space particle,” an incident that could jeopardize the spacecraft’s mission. The post New Spanish communications satellite suffers ‘space particle’ impact appeared first on SpaceNews.

Indra Group has announced that the SpainSat NG II communications satellite was struck by a “space particle” as it was en route to its operational orbit. According to the company, it is currently assessing the extent of the damage. In 2019, Hisdesat selected a consortium led by Airbus, alongside Thales Alenia Space, to build two […] The post Spain’s New Communications Satellite Suffers “Space Particle” Strike appeared first on European Spaceflight.

MILAN – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, successfully launched a second-generation satellite for Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed Earth observation constellation, on Jan. 2 at 6:09 p.m. Pacific time.   The Falcon 9 deployed COSMO-SkyMed CSG-FM3, the third into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 618 kilometers at 2:22 […] The post SpaceX launches next second-generation Italian COSMO-SkyMed satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starship program had an eventful year in 2025, with five full-stack test flights, of… The post SpaceX laying the Starship foundations for 2026 and beyond appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.