Space news

At 11:44 p.m. PST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of California, marking the return of the company’s 33rd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

NASA announced major changes to its Artemis lunar architecture, adding a test flight of lunar landers in low Earth orbit while canceling planned upgrades to the Space Launch System. The post NASA revises plans for future Artemis missions, cancels upgrades to SLS appeared first on SpaceNews.

"Launching SLS every three and a half years or so is not a recipe for success."

"Launching SLS every three and a half years or so is not a recipe for success."

On 26 February, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot conducted her first in-flight call with selected French media.

Week in images: 23-27 February 2026

The failure of a propellant tank during testing in January will delay the first launch of Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket to at least the fourth quarter of this year. The post Rocket Lab delays Neutron debut to late 2026 appeared first on SpaceNews.

"As the original architect of Vector’s vision, it’s deeply meaningful to bring these assets home."

China will begin its first one-year duration astronaut mission this year, while the first international astronaut will make a short visit to Tiangong space station. The post China set for its first one-year human spaceflight mission, confirms Pakistani astronaut flight appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

ArianeGroup announced on 25 February that it had successfully completed a months-long test campaign of its Greta rocket engine and secured a European Space Agency contract to continue its development. Greta is an evolution of the Berta rocket engine, which was also developed by ArianeGroup under an ESA Future Launchers Preparatory Programme contract and first […] The post ArianeGroup Test Fires Greta Engine and Secures New ESA Contract appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Nearly 50 years ago, the first Landsat satellite captured the rare sight of Mid-Atlantic waterways frozen over.

As NASA prepares to launch the Artemis II crew around the Moon in the very near future, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) is raising warning flags about the next […]

Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with 29 Starlink satellites is scheduled for 5:20:50 a.m. EST (1020:50 UTC).

One week after promising leadership changes stemming from the 2024 Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test incident, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has replaced the heads of the Space Operations Mission Directorate […]

Officials insist there are no plans to deploy troops in orbit, but commercial infrastructure and cislunar ambitions are reshaping the debate The post Space Force keeps door open to future human presence in orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

British mobile operator Virgin Media O2 said it started offering satellite-to-smartphone connectivity in the United Kingdom Feb. 26, marking the first commercial deployment of Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell service in Europe. The post Virgin Media O2 launches Europe’s first Starlink direct-to-smartphone service appeared first on SpaceNews.

Description With a simple motion, a jack-in-the-box-like spring designed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed the potential of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, to cut costs and complexity for futuristic space antennas. Called JPL Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), the spring deployed on the small commercial spacecraft Proteus Space’s Mercury One on Feb. 3, 2026. […]

With NASA awarding back-to-back Private Astronaut Missions to aerospace companies Vast Space and Axiom Space… The post Vast and Axiom awarded new private missions to ISS, continue work on commercial space stations appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

For over 50 years, the Landsat program has provided the longest continuous satellite record of Earth’s land surface from space. Landsat 9, launched in 2021, is the latest mission in this remarkable legacy.

NASA astronaut and deputy director of the Flight Operations Directorate Kjell Lindgren takes a selfie with panelists and the audience at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Feb. 25, 2026. Actors Ryan Gosling and Sandra Huller, screenwriter Drew Goddard, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and producer and writer of the “Project Hail Mary” novel […]

At 12:05 p.m. EST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module following a command from ground controllers at SpaceX.

The unpiloted SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will undock at 12:05 p.m. EST from the forward-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module and fire its thrusters to move safely away from the orbiting complex. NASA will not stream splashdown but will post updates on its space station blog.

MILAN – Two of Europe’s largest primes, Airbus and Leonardo, reported increased revenues in their respective space businesses from last year. The results, which were announced earlier this week in separate earnings reports, come as the two companies are in discussions with Thales on a joint venture named Project Bromo. Neither discussed the topic on […] The post Airbus and Leonardo report increased space revenues for 2025 appeared first on SpaceNews.

With rollback of NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building complete, the agency will host a news conference at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 27. Live from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, leadership will discuss the work ahead for the test flight, as well as […]

Mars is not what it used to be. Once warm, watery, and blanketed by a thick atmosphere, today the Red Planet is cold, dry, and draped by a thin atmospheric veil. The main culprit is a relentless stream of particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind. Over billions of years, the solar wind has stripped away […]

On Thursday, NASA announced Joel Montalbano will serve as the acting associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, and Dana Hutcherson will serve as the acting program manager of the Commercial Crew Program.  SOMD’s programs and activities include the Commercial Crew Program, the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Program, the Human Research Program, […]

For some reason, NASA chose not to publicly release its Mars orbiter objectives.

ESA Academy is inviting university students to apply for the Navigation Training Course, taking place from 22 to 26 June 2026 at ESA Academy’s Training and Learning Facility in ESA ESEC, Belgium. Organized in collaboration with ESA Education and ESA’s Directorate of Navigation, this course is perfect for those curious about the future of satellite navigation

The founder and sole investor behind Canadian launch startup NordSpace has invested in Earth observation operator Wyvern with a new venture arm focused on advancing Canada’s sovereign space capabilities. The post NordSpace founder backs Wyvern with new Canada-focused venture arm appeared first on SpaceNews.

Remnants of Vector Launch have made it back to one of its original architects after Phantom Space bought launch assets that were sold off in 2020 during the small rocket developer’s bankruptcy. The post Phantom Space reclaims former Vector launch technology appeared first on SpaceNews.

SAN FRANCISCO – CesiumAstro announced the acquisition Feb. 26 of Vidrovr, a startup that specializes in artificial intelligence for multimodal signals analysis. Terms of the transaction, which closed in late 2025, were not disclosed. CesiumAstro acquired Vidrovr to accelerate its campaign to embed AI in space telecommunications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance infrastructure, enabling radio-frequency […] The post CesiumAstro acquires Vidrovr to embed AI in communications systems appeared first on SpaceNews.

Founder Fatih Ozmen, who was interim CEO, remains board chair The post Sierra Space names Dan Jablonsky CEO appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke said he was the crew member whose medical issue prompted the early return of the Crew-11 mission from the International Space Station last month. The post NASA astronaut says his medical issue led to early return from the ISS appeared first on SpaceNews.

China’s Tianwen-2 spacecraft is operating normally on its way to a near-Earth asteroid ahead of sampling later this year, according to a rare official update. The post China’s Tianwen-2 probe operating normally on approach to asteroid appeared first on SpaceNews.

Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, is retiring from the agency after the release of a report critical of NASA’s handling of the Starliner crewed test flight. The post Bowersox to retire from NASA appeared first on SpaceNews.

Faster, more secure connections from space could one day make broadband on planes, ships and even remote roads as easy as turning on a light. The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defence and Space, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and German payload manufacturer TESAT (as subcontractor) successfully connected an aircraft to a geostationary satellite using laser communications, bringing people closer to seamless, high‑speed connections in daily life.

UK-based in-orbit propulsion systems provider Pulsar Fusion has announced that the UK Atomic Energy Authority will assist the company with the development of neutron shielding and activation modelling for its Sunbird Migratory Transfer Vehicle. In March 2025, Pulsar Fusion unveiled its Sunbird Migratory Transfer Vehicle, which it claimed had been developed “in complete secrecy over […] The post UKAEA to Help Pulsar Fusion with Shielding for Nuclear Propulsion System appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Delay complicates ULA’s push to accelerate launch cadence The post Space Force halts Vulcan missions pending investigation into solid rocket Issue appeared first on SpaceNews.

Villages and farmland were swamped after unusually heavy early-February rains pushed the Sinú River over its banks.

Seraphim Space announced Feb. 25 it has completed fundraising for its second private early-stage venture fund, after exceeding its $100 million target to back young space technology startups. The post Seraphim closes second early-stage space fund above $100 million target appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), which advises NASA and Congress on safety, has released its 2025 annual report on NASA’s performance and challenges.   While the panel acknowledged NASA’s safety achievements, it warned that the agency’s biggest challenges stem from interconnected factors – workforce, acquisition, technical authority, budgets, and the growing complexity of human spaceflight – requiring sustained attention as missions become more ambitious. “Independent […]

Leaders of U.S. Space Command, U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Northern Command closely involved in Golden Dome planning The post Golden Dome to require unprecedented coordination between U.S. combatant commands appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway smiles up at the camera as he enters the International Space Station Feb. 14, 2026, after docking to the orbiting laboratory aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Since Hathaway and fellow Crew-12 members Jessica Meir of NASA, Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency), and Andrey Fedyaev of Roscosmos began their mission […]

A 6.6-million-pound Apollo-era crawler-transporter rolled up the ramp to pad 38B on Tuesday and was positioned directly under the 3.5-million-pound Space Launch System rocket and its 11.3-million-pound mobile launch platform.

India’s space agency says a valve failure prevented a navigation spacecraft launched more than a year ago from raising its orbit. The post Valve malfunction blamed for failure of Indian satellite to raise its orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

In late February, people in the Northern Hemisphere can look up for a special sight : Six planets will all be visible from clear and dark night skies. New sonifications from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory released [day of week] will help commemorate this latest “planetary parade.” Because the planets in our solar system travel around […]

Certain nutrients critical for human health lack the shelf life needed to span multi-year missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA’s BioNutrients-3 is part of an experiment series testing ways to use microorganisms to produce these nutrients in space and on demand. The on-demand nature of this experiment is similar to making nutrient-dense fermented […]

Human research, advanced robotics, and experimental workout gear filled the schedule for the Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The orbital residents also continued packing a SpaceX Dragon with science experiments and space hardware for its departure on Thursday.