Space news

The first mission devoted to observing the Martian atmosphere and its evolution, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), has ended after more than 11 years in orbit at Mars and a decade beyond its primary, one-year mission. The spacecraft was heard last on Dec. 6, when it experienced an unexpected loss of signal after […]

Europe is rapidly rewriting its security architecture. Faced with Russian aggression, mounting doubts about long-term American commitment and growing pressure to shoulder more of its own defense burden, European states […] The post Europe is rearming together — except in space appeared first on SpaceNews.

Muon Space announced a Starship-class satellite platform June 3 designed from the ground up to meet the demands of the emerging orbital data center market, with an initial launch slated for 2028 after securing customers. The post Muon Space unveils Starship-class satellite platform for orbital data centers appeared first on SpaceNews.

Blue Origin’s CEO says damage to its New Glenn launch pad is not as bad as feared and the rocket could return to flight by the end of the year. The post Blue Origin seeks to resume New Glenn launches by year’s end appeared first on SpaceNews.

"Everyone is in a place where it’s no fun to be there."

SSC Space launched its SubOrbital Express-5 mission on 31 May from the Esrange Space Centre in northern Sweden. The rocket carried 12 individual experiments, one of which examined the effects of microgravity on red hair samples from a Swedish influencer. The 13-metre-tall sounding rocket used for the mission was powered by Red Kite rocket motors […] The post SSC Space Launches Red Kite-Powered Sounding Rocket Carrying 12 Experiments appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The sprawling storm promised to deliver torrential rain across a wide swath of southern Japan.

The Starlink 17-47 mission will see SpaceX attempt its 200th landing on the drone ship called ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 7:36 a.m. PDT (10:36 a.m. EDT / 1436 UTC).

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, in an overnight post on the social media platform X, said propellant tanks at launch pad 36 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station made it through the blast in good shape, as did a nearby processing hangar. The main support gantry, while damaged, can be repaired in place.

Blue Origin has wasted no time launching inspection, repair, and reconstruction activities at Launch Complex-36… The post Blue Origin initiates LC-36 recovery, targets RTF by end of 2026 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The Starlink 10-43 mission will fly on a Falcon 9 rocket heading on a north-easterly trajectory. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 6:11 a.m. EDT (1011 UTC).

NASA is moving up the launch date for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.  In April, the agency said it would lift off in early September, but NASA Administrator Jared […]

In a confirmation hearing, Roger Mason said clear government demand signals are needed as private investment transforms the space intelligence market The post NRO nominee says commercial space, AI are reshaping spy satellite agency appeared first on SpaceNews.

Microbiology,  biotechnology, and physics were the dominant research themes aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as the Expedition 74 crew explored how microgravity affects bacteria, cartilage growth, and metallic structure. Scientific hardware maintenance rounded out the schedule for the orbital residents to ensure continuous experimental operations.

The Fly Foundational Robots (FFR) mission will launch a robotic arm, with seven degrees of freedom, to low Earth orbit. NASA is opening access to the robotic arm to a select group of U.S. researchers — principal investigators, post-doctoral researchers, professors, and highly qualified graduate students — who have a compelling experiment and the capability […]

Astronauts Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) and Jack Hathaway of NASA, both Expedition 74 flight engineers, look out a window in the cupola, monitoring the automated approach and docking of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station on May 17, 2026. The orbital outpost was soaring 259 miles above the […]

"The propellant farm, oxygen, liquid hydrogen, and LNG tanks are all in good shape."

Paris, France – May 2026 – The 2nd edition of Novaspace’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) report points to a pivotal decade ahead, with cumulative global spending projected to reach $61 […] The post Global SSA Market to Reach $61B as Governments Prioritize Space Security, Resilience, and Orbital Safety appeared first on SpaceNews.

A mobile wastewater treatment system built at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida that can help prepare for long-duration missions on the Moon and Mars departed the spaceport and arrived at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Graduate students at the university will test the technology under conditions designed to closely mimic the […]

Help identify star-forming clumps in galaxy images, and help train machines to do the same.

The rapid expansion of human and robotic activity in low Earth orbit makes critically important the need to implement effective space traffic management (STM). This will be one of the […] The post The importance of determining an equilibrium state for space traffic management appeared first on SpaceNews.

The U.K. government is exploring sending British astronaut John McFall to Vast’s planned Haven-1 space station in a mission it says could make him the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit. The post UK explores Vast space station mission for astronaut with physical disability appeared first on SpaceNews.

Impulse Space has raised $500 million to expand production of orbital transfer vehicles and other spacecraft to support growing commercial and government demand. The post Impulse Space raises $500 million appeared first on SpaceNews.

"The market's going to continue to find exciting new things."

Voyager Technologies will acquire Astrobotic, a company developing lunar landers and reusable suborbital vehicles, in a deal worth up to $300 million. The post Voyager to acquire lunar lander developer Astrobotic appeared first on SpaceNews.

BOULDER, Colorado — Researchers are calling for increased attention and better protection against the rising introduction of exotic materials into Earth’s atmosphere from satellite and space hardware re-entry, especially in […] The post Researchers call for regulations to protect low Earth orbit environment appeared first on SpaceNews.

Scott Wray’s experience with spacewalks started when he was about 6 years old. A tent resembling a lunar lander provided the perfect imaginary spacecraft. “I would lie on my back with my feet propped up on a pillow as I imagined going through a launch countdown sequence,” he said. “Then I would exit the tent […]

In May, the European Space Agency (ESA) joined the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding of the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE). This initiative aims to strengthen the global geodesy supply chain and promote international cooperation to produce reliable geodetic products, which are essential for many satellite applications, including positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.

NASA is withdrawing a proposal to revamp its strategy for transitioning from the International Space Station to commercial stations, one that had been criticized by the companies developing such stations. The post NASA abandons ‘core module’ concept for commercial space station development appeared first on SpaceNews.

A wildland fire charred grassland, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral across one-third of the island, the second largest of the Channel Islands.

Commercial space station developer Vast has reached an agreement with the French government to fly two French astronauts on its missions, including the first flight to its Haven-1 space station. The post France to fly two astronauts on Vast missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA is backing off its March announcement proposing a significant change to ensuring that at least one commercial space station is ready to replace the International Space Station (ISS) at […]

NASA selected Denmar Technical Services of Nevada to provide aircraft modifications, maintenance, and testing services to the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and Johnson Space Center in Houston. The award is a firm-fixed-price contract and will be time and material for any over and above and unforeseen […]

SpaceX and Chinese launches dominate this week’s launch manifest, which features six missions from five… The post Launch Preview: SpaceX and Chinese rockets to launch internet satellites to LEO appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Registration is open for media to cover the arrival of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the coming weeks. The observatory will arrive aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where teams completed its construction, assembly, and testing. Credentialed media […]

PLD Space has announced that it will invest €35 million in the development of its launch facility at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana, more than triple the amount the company initially planned. In June 2024, PLD Space announced that it planned to “make a very efficient 10 million euros investment for the construction […] The post PLD Space Triples Investment in Launch Facility to €35 Million appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Five research aircraft will support a Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) mission out of Ellington Field in Houston. Flights are expected from Wednesday, June 3 to Saturday, June 13. During the mission, select maneuvers will be conducted at low altitudes over the Houston area.  Pilots will fly remote sensing payloads in raster patterns, or parallel back-and-forth lines. The instruments flown could help […]

Venus and Jupiter meet after sunset, the Moon passes in front of Venus, summer begins, and deep-sky treasures rise into view.

The Expedition 74 crew kicked off June with a busy schedule of microgravity research harvesting stem cells, installing physics hardware, and watering plants aboard the International Space Station. Spacesuit work and life support maintenance rounded out the day for the orbital residents.

Despite Starliner being perhaps the most visible example of a commercial program gone wrong, it is far from unique in its problems.

Introduction From the first glider flight to the first powered flight, aviation pioneers have paved the way for remarkable innovations in flight. At NASA, our pilots conduct research, study wildfires, and support unmanned aircraft missions. In fact, out of the 360 astronauts who have been selected, 191 of them have been pilots!   The History of Pilot Certificates […]

Pilot Flight Logs Pilot flight logs, which have been around in one form or another since the beginning of flight, have served several purposes. Today, pilot logbooks are used by aviators to provide a record of their flights, including current and accumulated flight time, number and locations of takeoffs and landings, as well as unique […]

From the ESA Blogs.

The Los Angeles-based startup manufactures standardized satellite buses designed to be produced more quickly and at lower cost than traditional government spacecraft The post Northrop Grumman partners with Apex on space-based interceptors for Golden Dome appeared first on SpaceNews.

This image of Westerlund 2 released on March 19, 2026, features Chandra X-ray Observatory data (pink) and infrared data from NASA’S James Webb Space Telescope (red, orange, green, cyan, and blue). Scores of gleaming stars ringed in neon pink stretch across the frame, highlighting a cluster where stars are between one and three million years […]

Smile successfully launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on 19 May 2026.

After more than three decades in public and project finance, I have learned that real inflection points in infrastructure development rarely announce themselves loudly. They usually arrive embedded in financing […] The post Spaceport facility bonds are now law – and they fundamentally change space infrastructure finance appeared first on SpaceNews.

China conducted the maiden launch of its reusable Long March 12B rocket Monday, providing no advance warning and delivering operational payloads to orbit. The post China conducts surprise launch of Long March 12B, delivers Qianfan satellites on debut flight appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.