Space news

The explosion of a New Glenn rocket has generated reverberations across the space industry with the rocket out of service for potentially a year or more. The post New Glenn failure worsens constrained launch market appeared first on SpaceNews.

China capped a busy month of launches by sending four new satellite internet test satellites into orbit with a workhorse hypergolic rocket. The post China launches test direct-to-device satellites for multiple projects appeared first on SpaceNews.

Satellites observed striking upper-atmosphere phenomena generated by an intensifying tropical cyclone.

Using the joint NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, an international team… The post Ancient black hole sheds new light on Webb’s Little Red Dots appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of May 31-June 6, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate and House are in […]

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has enlisted students from the country’s Naval Academy aboard a tall ship to examine how the human body responds to the stresses of long-duration spaceflight as part of its ICE-Blue initiative. In 2024, ASI signed an Operational Agreement with the Italian Navy, under which the ICE-BLUE initiative was launched in […] The post Italy Turns to Tall Ship to Simulate Stresses of Long-Duration Spaceflight appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Federal Aviation Administration documents have provided new details about a SpaceX project to develop and test reentry vehicles that could be used to support in-space manufacturing projects. The post FAA documents outline SpaceX plans for Starfall reentry vehicles appeared first on SpaceNews.

U.S. Space Force, National Reconnaissance Office ‘remain committed partners with Blue Origin’ The post Blue Origin gets national security launch task order hours before New Glenn explosion appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starlink 17-41 mission is SpaceX’s 10th and final launch of May. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 8:25 a.m. PDT (11:25 a.m. EDT / 1525 UTC).

ULA has launched the majority of Amazon Leo satellites on orbit

The repercussions of last night’s explosion of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during a pre-launch test will take some time to assess. Among the key questions are not only what […]

The Leo Atlas 07 mission is the second to last flight that Amazon booked on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled during a window that opens at 7:33 p.m. EDT (2333 UTC).

NASA has selected seven companies to provide construction, revitalization, and infrastructure improvements at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Johnson Space Center Multiple Award Construction Contract supports up to $300 million in upgrades to mission‑support facilities, utilities, and equipment across the NASA Johnson campus. All funds must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2026. […]

NASA will host a public event featuring three crew members from the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission at 11 a.m. EDT Monday, June 1. The event, which takes place during the crew’s standard postflight visit, will be held in the Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in the Mary W. Jackson building, 300 E. Street SW in […]

China’s three-man Shenzhou-21 (SZ-21) crew returned to Earth today after 210 days aboard the Tiangong space station. They landed not in the SZ-21 spacecraft, however, but SZ-22. SZ-22 was launched […]

The Expedition 74 crew members primarily focused their science work on blood-clotting and immune function in microgravity to advance human health on Friday. Meanwhile, spacesuit maintenance continues aboard the International Space Station following a spacewalk on Wednesday.

The low-orbit satellite constellation is intended to track aircraft, cruise missiles and other airborne threats The post Space Force awards SpaceX $4.16 billion to build satellite network for airborne target tracking appeared first on SpaceNews.

Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, have completed their final inspection of a key element for the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: the primary mirror. This 7.9-foot (2.4-meter) mirror will collect and focus light from cosmic objects near and far, helping Roman capture stunning panoramas of space. “The Roman engineering […]

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image released on May 27, 2026, features the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 490-017, roughly 12,000 light-years in diameter and some 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. The galaxy’s low surface brightness makes it appear as a faint, starry swarm behind brighter foreground stars that are easily recognized by their diffraction spikes. […]

What did space deliver for Europe this month? From asteroid flybys to Mars landing tests, new discoveries from Webb and Hubble, and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot capturing shooting stars from orbit, here’s your monthly roundup from the European Space Agency.

COMSO chief Col. Tim Trimailo says transparency, patience and a clear military value proposition matter as much as technical innovation The post Space Force’s commercial gatekeeper offers a playbook for startups seeking defense business appeared first on SpaceNews.

South Korean optical payload developer TelePIX and Indian propulsion specialist Bellatrix Aerospace have teamed up on a very low Earth orbit geospatial demonstration mission slated for 2028. The post Bellatrix and TelePIX plan 2028 air-breathing VLEO imaging demonstration appeared first on SpaceNews.

Week in images: 25-29 May 2026

From the ESA Blogs.

"I hope that it makes it far enough away from the pad that it does not cause pad damage."

"I hope that it makes it far enough away from the pad that it does not cause pad damage."

We are in the geospatial era of warfare in which information derived from satellites is as strategically critical as territorial control. The progressive dissolution of the distinction between the civil […] The post Spatial data has become a weapon of war in the US-Iran war appeared first on SpaceNews.

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the active spiral galaxy Messier 88 (M88), located about 63 million light-years away.

A number of new Chinese state-led and commercial rockets are set for debuts and fresh first stage recovery attempts in the coming weeks and months. The post China’s latest batch of new and reusable rockets are close to launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

From the ESA Blogs.

The European Space Agency has greenlit its HiBiDiS and SOVA-S Scout missions, with development led by SITAEL and OHB Czechspace, respectively. These missions are required to progress from initial approval to launch within three years, with costs capped at €35 million. On 20 May, the agency announced that it had selected its next two Scout […] The post ESA Greenlights Two Budget-Friendly Earth Observation Missions appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, during a May 28 hotfire test, destroying the rocket and causing extensive pad damage. The post New Glenn rocket explodes on Cape Canaveral pad appeared first on SpaceNews.

The explosion happened at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 UTC) during a static fire test of the rocket at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Blue Origin was slated to launch a mission for Amazon Leo as soon as June 4.

Radar data from an agricultural area in South Africa, shown in a vivid color palette, reveal crop types and how they changed during the Southern Hemisphere’s growing season.

Blue Origin experienced a major anomaly during a planned hot-fire test of its New Glenn… The post Blue Origin’s New Glenn explodes during Static Fire test at LC-36 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded during a pre-launch test this evening. The company said all personnel are safe and accounted for following the “anomaly.” The company was conducting a […]

New Glenn was due to play a starring role in NASA's Artemis Program.

The Starlink 10-53 mission will be the 49th mission dedicated to flying SpaceX’s broadband internet satellites to low Earth orbit in 2026. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 8:03 a.m. EDT (1203 UTC).

These facilities are intended to ensure military space missions can continue during wartime when installations could come under attack The post Space Force plans nationwide network of ‘resilient operations centers’  appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is preparing for some of its most significant flights yet. The X-plane is about to begin a new block of test flights that will include its first time flying faster than the speed of sound and other mission-critical objectives. “What comes next is the first time this one-of-a-kind aircraft […]

Observable Space, a company that develops optical systems for laser communications and space domain awareness, has raised $90 million and secured a U.S. Space Force contract. The post Observable Space raises $90 million and wins Space Force contract for optical systems appeared first on SpaceNews.

Listen to this audio excerpt from Daniel Stubbs, NASA aerospace engineer: If you’ve driven through a cloud of dust and dirt that temporarily obscured your view, you’ve gotten a partial picture of a potential problem that NASA’s human landing systems for Artemis will face when they land on the Moon. Daniel Stubbs, an aerospace engineer […]

From May 5 to 7, the Landsat Science Team meeting convened at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Co-moderated by Landsat 8, 9, and 10 Project Scientist Chris Neigh, the three-day event officially introduced the new 2026–2030 Science Team members.

Space physics, eye checks, and workout gear maintenance filled Thursday’s schedule for the Expedition 74 crew members aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. Three cosmonauts are also cleaning up and relaxing following a spacewalk on Wednesday.

Written by Abigail Fraeman, Deputy Project Scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology Earth planning date: Friday, May 22, 2026 I spent this past weekend eagerly awaiting the downlink from Mars that would show us the results of Curiosity’s drill attempt at “Campo Marte.” A few weeks ago, when Curiosity drilled the “Atacama” […]

Scientists analyzed 20 Martian samples collected by NASA’s Curiosity Rover and found that differences in hematite crystallite size at varying elevations could serve as a new mineralogical marker for understanding Mars’ ancient climate.

NASA/Jenny Mottar Downloads Print high resolution PDF May 28, 2026 PDF (144.47 MB) Print high resolution image May 28, 2026 PNG (45.60 MB) Smaller image for web view May 28, 2026 PNG (3.75 MB)

In December 1972, Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent 75 hours on the lunar surface during Apollo 17. They drove a rover, conducted three spacewalks and collected samples across the […] The post Setting up a permanent lunar presence needs investment in biology appeared first on SpaceNews.

Kenny Heckle grew up in Orlando, just west of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An 80s child, he comes from a long line of union pipefitters and fabricators. Heckle recalls the day 42 years ago at KARS Park, which is a NASA Exchange–run recreation area for the agency’s workforce and their guests, when he […]