Space news

The first two launches of Orion felt hollow, but NASA is finally on a better course.

The first launch opportunity for Artemis II, the first mission to bring astronauts towards the Moon in over 50 years, is set for 1 April at 18:24 local time (2 April at 00:24 CEST). Tune in from one hour before launch at 22:24 BST / 23:24 CEST on ESA Web TV to watch the launch.

From the ESA Blogs.

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir took this photo of an Artemis program patch floating in the International Space Station’s cupola. She posted it on X on March 30, 2026, with the following caption: “Our work on the @Space_Station has provided the foundation to explore further, preparing us to return humans to the Moon this week. Stay […]

The Swedish government has proposed adding SEK 400 million (approximately €36.5 Million) to its Spring budget to support the development of sovereign launch capability at Esrange, with a focus on enabling military space operations. The funding will also support improvements to the country’s space licensing system. During a press conference on 31 March, Sweden’s Minister […] The post Sweden’s 2026 Spring Budget to Include €36.5 Million More for Space appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA is preparing for the launch of Artemis II, the first mission to send humans to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. With launch now mere hours away, NASA and the astronauts are moving into final preparations for flight.

Géraldine Naja took up duty as Director of Space Transportation (D/STS) at the European Space Agency on 1 April 2026. She will continue to serve as head of her former directorate, now called the Commercialisation and Industry Partnership directorate (D/CIP), as acting director.

In two recent studies, researchers used Landsat data to fill key gaps in our knowledge of reservoir structure and dynamics.

The future of space warfare will be determined by the speed of decision. As satellite constellations proliferate and adversaries field increasingly sophisticated counterspace capabilities, the ability to sense, analyze and act faster than an opponent will dictate who controls the space domain. Artificial intelligence is already improving complex military decision-making. But agentic AI — a […] The post Agentic AI: the future of space warfare appeared first on SpaceNews.

Los Altos, California — Antaris™, creator of the AI-powered Antaris Intelligence™ platform that simplifies satellite design, simulation, manufacturing, and operations for ISR and communications satellite missions, today announced the first close […] The post Antaris™ Raises $28 Million Series A to Accelerate AI-Driven Space Missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

China plans to conduct around 140 orbital launches this year, according to a commercial launch executive, marking a sharp acceleration in the country’s launch cadence. The post China targets 140 launches in 2026 amid commercial space surge appeared first on SpaceNews.

New report from Aerospace Corp. highlights rising EU funding and defense focus The post Europe’s space sector faces power shift as funding grows appeared first on SpaceNews.

Eight CubeSats and one payload supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) reached orbit, where they will demonstrate various applications aimed at improving how data is sent around and processed. Thanks to these demonstrations, practical and – sometimes – even life-saving data enabled from space will move more efficiently and reach the right actors on time in the future.

Eight satellites have been added to Italy’s IRIDE Earth observation programme, following launch on board a Falcon-9 rocket. The successful launch brings the total number of satellites in orbit for the Italian programme to 24.

The two-day countdown for the Artemis 2 mission around the moon started March 30 with NASA officials reporting no major issues for the launch. The post Artemis 2 countdown underway appeared first on SpaceNews.

Dry, warm, and windy conditions across the U.S. Great Plains led to extreme fire activity in March 2026.

For the second time in just over three months, a SpaceX Starlink satellite has generated debris from an apparent on-orbit malfunction. The post Second Starlink satellite suffers anomaly, generating debris appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Artemis II crew, rocket, and spacecraft are ready for liftoff on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 6:24 pm ET. No technical issues are currently being worked, with weather the […]

Decision clears path for April closing after months of scrutiny over keeping key space technology in domestic hands The post Rocket Lab wins German approval for Mynaric deal appeared first on SpaceNews.

Nine launches are scheduled this week, with rockets expected to liftoff from Florida, California, Russia,… The post Launch Preview: SLS, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Soyuz launches comprise busy launch manifest appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Expedition 74 started the week training for the arrival of the next U.S. cargo mission and continuing to clean up after last week’s spacewalk. The orbital residents also practiced medical emergency procedures, unloaded supplies from a new Roscosmos resupply ship, and ensured the International Space Station remains in tip-top shape.

Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is scheduled for the opening of the launch window at 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 UTC).

Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is scheduled for the opening of the launch window at 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 UTC).

Rhea Space, Sandia and NASA hardware to gather data during high-speed descent The post Varda flies navigation payload, heat shield tests on sixth reentry mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

From left to right, NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronauts Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen pose for a photo before the Artemis II crew proceed to a media event on March 27, 2026. Douglas and Gibbons are the backup crew members […]

MILAN — The European Space Agency has launched the first two satellites of the Celeste in-orbit demonstration mission from New Zealand aboard a Rocket Lab Electron launcher on March 28. The two satellites were launched at 10:14 CET and separated from the launcher about an hour later into a quasi-polar low Earth orbit at 510 […] The post ESA launches first Celeste satellites to test complementary LEO navigation layer appeared first on SpaceNews.

SpaceX launched the latest in its series of dedicated rideshare missions March 30, delivering more than 100 payloads to sun-synchronous orbit. The post SpaceX launches Transporter-16 rideshare mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

Chinese firm CAS Space successfully reached orbit with the first launch of its Kinetica-2 launch vehicle Monday, with a prototype cargo spacecraft among the payloads. The post China’s Kinetica-2 rocket debuts successfully, sending prototype cargo spacecraft to orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s Artemis II mission is ready to launch, and, if all goes to plan, will carry four people farther from Earth than ever before.

From the ESA Blogs.

From the ESA Blogs.

The European Space Agency is seeking a commercial provider to deliver its NILS2 instrument to the Moon to measure negative ions on the lunar surface. On 1 June 2024, ESA’s original Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument touched down on the surface of the Moon aboard China’s Chang’e 6 lunar lander. The instrument […] The post ESA Seeks Commercial Provider to Transport Payload to the Moon appeared first on European Spaceflight.

What really happens when the Sun’s charged particles slam into Earth’s magnetic shield?

Space Force considers shifting to upgraded legacy ground system The post Pentagon weighing termination of Raytheon GPS ground control contract after years of delays appeared first on SpaceNews.

SAN FRANCISCO – Voyager Technologies announced plans March 30 to help Icarus Robotics test a free-flying platform, called Joyride, on the International Space Station. Under the agreement, Voyager will handle payload integration, safety certification, coordination of a 2027 launch, on-orbit operations planning and execution for Joyride-1, a technology demonstration. Icarus Robotics was founded in Brooklyn, […] The post With Voyager’s help, Icarus Robotics to test free-flyer on ISS appeared first on SpaceNews.

Here’s the version of the orbital data center story you keep reading: Elon Musk says space will be the cheapest place to run AI within 36 months. LoneStar announces plans for a lunar data center. NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin Space-1 makes headlines. These are real announcements, and they all have one thing in common. Nobody talks about the source of electricity. While […] The post The race to build orbital data centers is missing its biggest variable: power appeared first on SpaceNews.

Starcloud has raised $170 million to accelerate development of its next-generation spacecraft, reaching a $1.1 billion valuation as it awaits permission to deploy an 88,000-strong orbital data center network. The post Starcloud achieves unicorn status with $170 million raise for orbital data centers appeared first on SpaceNews.

While the Artemis 2 mission is primarily a test flight, the four astronauts on board will conduct some science during the nearly 10-day mission. The post Science finds a place on Artemis 2 appeared first on SpaceNews.

When Artemis II carries astronauts beyond Earth orbit for the first time in 50 years, Europe will be providing the power that makes the journey possible. Built by European industry, ESA’s European Service Module is the propulsion heart of the Orion spacecraft, carrying 33 engines that guide, steer and propel the crew safely towards the Moon and back.

When Artemis II carries astronauts beyond Earth orbit for the first time in 50 years, Europe will be providing the power that makes the journey possible. Built by European industry, ESA’s European Service Module is the propulsion heart of the Orion spacecraft, carrying 33 engines that guide, steer and propel the crew safely towards the Moon and back.

A network of meltwater lakes and drainage channels made an Antarctic ice shelf known for its blue ice areas even bluer.

The Transporter-16 mission is the 21st mission in the company’s smallsat rideshare program. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 4:02 a.m. PDT (7:02 a.m. EDT / 1102 UTC).

Executives say lack of incentives and interoperability slows ‘tipping and cueing’ across vendors The post Satellite imaging industry’s next challenge: getting systems to talk to each other appeared first on SpaceNews.

As NASA prepares for its long-awaited return of crewed launches beyond low Earth orbit with… The post America’s Rocket Factory comes Full Circle with Artemis appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of March 29-April 4, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in […]

While NASA outlined plans to increase the cadence of robotic lunar lander missions at a recent event, it said little about accelerating work on crewed lunar landers. The post ‘Shots on goal and win the game’: NASA’s effort to accelerate lunar landings appeared first on SpaceNews.

SpaceX is set to launch 119 payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit from California for the Transporter… The post SpaceX to deliver 119 payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit on Transporter 16 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Starfish Space has changed plans for a docking demonstration mission after its original partner backed out. The post Starfish Space finds a new partner for docking demonstration mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is sharing more about the medical event that caused an early end to the Crew-11 mission aboard the International Space Station. In an interview with the […]