Space news

NASA instructed astronauts on the International Space Station to briefly shelter in a Dragon spacecraft June 5 as cosmonauts attempted to repair an air leak in a Russian module. The post Astronauts briefly shelter in Dragon during ISS leak repair appeared first on SpaceNews.

One year after Gemini IV astronaut Edward H. White completed NASA’s first spacewalk the agency prepared for a demanding second excursion. Originally scheduled for Gemini VIII, the extravehicular activity (EVA) was reassigned to Gemini IX-A after that mission ended early, with Gene Cernan taking on the task. On June 5, 1966—the mission’s third day—Cernan exited […]

The precautions were announced the same day as NASA said Roscosmos cosmonauts are set to perform “a more extensive repair operation”, but without providing details as to what that entails.

Arianespace has announced that the first Ariane 64 rocket equipped with its upgraded P160C solid-fuel boosters will be launched on 17 June. The rocket will carry 36 satellites to low Earth orbit for Amazon. Since its introduction in July 2024, a total of seven Ariane 6 flights have been launched from the Guiana Space Centre’s […] The post Launch of Most Powerful Ariane 6 to Date Set for 17 June appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Amazon will fly its largest number of broadband satellites to date later this month on the first Ariane 6 launch to use upgraded boosters. The post Next Ariane 6 launch to carry 36 Amazon Leo satellites using upgraded boosters appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

Week in images: 01-05 Jun 2026

English

These are heady days for NASA and the space industry. The Artemis 2 crew flew around the moon, traveling farther into space than any humans previously had; NASA announced an […] The post Let’s build the moon base, but not lose sight of Mars appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

Construction of the Shanghai-led Qianfan constellation continued to accelerate this week with a pair of Long March launches, following on from two recent experimental flights. The post Qianfan constellation deployment hits 200 satellites with Long March 8 and 6A launches appeared first on SpaceNews.

Apex has raised more than $200 million to expand in-house satellite production capabilities, announcing a funding round June 5 it says nearly doubled the four-year-old manufacturer’s valuation to $2.3 billion. The post Satellite maker Apex’s valuation rises to $2.3 billion after latest $200 million raise appeared first on SpaceNews.

Scenes from a hot-fire test campaign on the Teprel-C engine developed by Spain’s PLD Space.

The Exploration Company performed a drop test of the Nyx spacecraft it is developing to transport cargo to low Earth orbit ahead of a 2028 test flight. The post The Exploration Company completes drop test of Nyx capsule appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

From the ESA Blogs.

Axiom Space announced June 4 that it added more than $175 million to its latest funding round, with Japan’s largest bank joining the company’s investors. The post Axiom Space adds more than $175 million to funding round appeared first on SpaceNews.

In fire-prone ecosystems in Australia’s Northern Territory, prescribed burns are lit to minimize the severity of fires later in the season.

House Armed Services Committee seeks to preserve a missile-warning satellite program the Pentagon wants to cancel. It also criticizes a recent tactical communications satellite procurement and GPS oversight The post HASC NDAA markup challenges Space Force on satellite programs appeared first on SpaceNews.

3D bioprinting and stem cell research were the main research topics aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. The Expedition 74 crew members also photographed growing plants and lab windows for inspection while continuing to pack a U.S. cargo spacecraft.

NASA’s Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project brought together its full team of Advanced Composites Consortium partners for a 2026 spring review at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.   The meeting took place May 5-7, bringing together about 150 people from the consortium, a 22-member public-private partnership.   The review gave NASA and industry partners a chance to look at recent progress and […]

The change was confirmed by the agency a week after a New Glenn testing explosion destroyed the rocket and damaged Launch Complex 36.

Over the last decade, wildfires have worsened ground-level ozone pollution across much of the contiguous United States, creating unhealthy air far from active flames.

Following a recent update to its website, The Exploration Company has revealed that it is developing a reusable heavy-lift rocket powered by its Storm engines. Beyond a brief mention on its updated homepage, the company has not made any public statements about the project. The Exploration Company was founded in 2021 with the aim of […] The post The Exploration Company is Developing a Reusable Heavy-Lift Rocket appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Asteroid mining startup AstroForge has completed assembly of its latest spacecraft for launch later this year, incorporating lessons from a failed mission last year. The post AstroForge completes DeepSpace-2 spacecraft appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of Jupiter’s northern hemisphere during its 61st close flyby of the giant planet on May 12, 2024. Citizen scientist Gary Eason made this image using raw data from the JunoCam instrument, applying digital processing techniques to enhance color and clarity. It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds […]

This episode of Space Minds is from SpaceNews’ recent event on orbital data centers. There, Jeff Foust talks with talks with Founders Fund’s Delian Asparouhov about why he’s warming to […] The post Delian Asparouhov and Philip Johnston on making the case for orbital data centers appeared first on SpaceNews.

A foundation model trained on Earth observation data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 has been made widely available to researchers, it was announced at a computer industry conference this week in Denver, US.

The Exploration Company (TEC), developing the reusable Nyx spacecraft, has taken a significant step forward… The post The Exploration Company advances Nyx parachute recovery appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

The Exploration Company has completed a key milestone in the development of its Nyx spacecraft after successfully conducting a drop test designed to validate the performance of its recovery system. Nyx is designed as a reusable space capsule that will be used to transport cargo and, potentially, crew to low Earth orbit. The company is […] The post The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Drop Test appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA is working on a streamlined management approach for a nuclear electric propulsion demonstration mission the agency wants to launch in two and a half years. The post NASA working to streamline development of nuclear electric propulsion demo mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

China is establishing an industrial policy framework to support a push to build space-based computing infrastructure, with the emergence of influential coordinating bodies. The post China builds institutional framework for space computing push appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

Last year, the European Space Agency (ESA) unveiled its long-term vision for the decades ahead with ESA Strategy 2040. Framed around five encompassing goals which demonstrate the important role space can play in every aspect of citizens’ lives across Europe. Today, ESA is taking a decisive step forward to bring this vision to life through a comprehensive brand transformation.

In the region where the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life, clay deposits extend beyond previous estimates, a new study finds. One hypothesis even suggests a vast ocean once covered the landing site.

An astronaut’s photo, taken en route to the Moon, reveals our planet and its place in space in a novel way.

SpaceX plans to raise at least $75 billion in its initial public offering, valuing the company at more than $1.75 trillion. The post SpaceX to raise at least $75 billion in IPO appeared first on SpaceNews.

By Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK Earth planning date: Friday, May 29, 2026 Drilling always keeps the rover in place for a little while, and our 47th successful drill, “Campo Marte,” was no exception. The team used the time wisely and on top of the drilling, we also […]

NASA has formally ended a Mars mission that has been out of contact for six months while the investigation into the spacecraft’s demise continues. The post NASA declares end to MAVEN Mars mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45), which operates the Eastern Range, have cleared a major… The post Space Force evaluating anomaly-related damage, future danger areas appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

AST SpaceMobile expects Blue Origin’s recent launchpad explosion will delay its direct-to-smartphone constellation by three to six months, investment bank William Blair said in an equity research note, pushing initial commercial services into the first half of 2027. The post AST SpaceMobile sees New Glenn setback delaying initial commercial service into 2027 appeared first on SpaceNews.

While there is some uncertainty regarding timelines and landers, the Artemis III mission — currently… The post Artemis III’s remaining solid rocket booster segments shipped from Utah to Florida appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Wednesday’s science schedule aboard the International Space Station encompassed human research, microbial analysis, and 3D bioprinting to advance health on and off the Earth. The Expedition 74 crew members also worked on spacesuit maintenance and cargo spacecraft duties throughout the day rounding out their shift.

ESA and China recently launched the joint SMILE magnetosphere mission after a decade of cooperation, but despite similar goals, another collaboration appears distant. The post After cooperation on SMILE mission, ESA and China chart parallel but separate paths appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA-supported scientists have provided new information about how the early Earth may have acquired some elements necessary for the planet to become habitable. They also suggest a new role for Jupiter in the distribution of these elements throughout the young solar system. The study, published today in Science Advances, examines this history by looking at […]

Description Sea level height data from the international Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite collected from March to May 2026 show higher, warmer water moving from the western Pacific Ocean to just off the coast of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. This phenomenon is known as a warm Kelvin wave, signified in this animation of the data by […]

The focus of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image released on May 29, 2026, is an active spiral galaxy on a journey lasting hundreds of millions of years. The galaxy Messier 88 (M88), also known as NGC 4501, is located about 63 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair). M88 is an active galaxy, which means that its center harbors […]

Xona is developing a low Earth orbit network to provide backup to GPS-dependent systems The post Electronics manufacturer Murata to explore Xona satellite timing service for telecom, data centers appeared first on SpaceNews.

Monaco-based space technology company Venturi Space has announced plans to increase its investment in the construction of its new Toulouse facility by €150 million. Founded by billionaire Gildo Pastor in 2020, Venturi Space manufactures technology for lunar and Martian mobility solutions. In January 2026, during a meeting organised by the Association of Professional Aeronautics and […] The post Venturi Space to Build €250M Lunar and Martian Rover Factory in Toulouse appeared first on European Spaceflight.

A powerful but mostly unseen water system at work during rocket engine tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, underwent an upgrade in May. Crews brought the High Pressure Industrial Water Facility’s 66-million-gallon reservoir to its lowest level since construction in the 1960s by pumping out about 40 million gallons of […]