Space news

The mission pairs Rocket Lab spacecraft with a True Anomaly vehicle in orbit to demonstrate rapid threat characterization and rendezvous operations The post Rocket Lab launches satellite for U.S. Space Force Victus Haze responsive space exercise appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is scheduled to launch a sounding rocket carrying student-developed experiments for the agency’s RockSatX and RockOn programs Wednesday, June 24, between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m. EDT, with a backup day on Thursday, June 25. The RockSat and RockOn programs provide technical training and hands-on experiences that prepare and equip […]

The Republic of Botswana will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 25, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation David Tshere and U.S. Department of State Senior Advisor for Space Gregory Autry for the event. This event […]

At NASA, innovation begins well before an aircraft takes flight. The Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transforms engineering concepts into mission‑ready hardware for research aircraft and technology development. This capability helps the agency deliver advancements that benefit the public by improving aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability. The branch […]

China’s secretive spaceplane has released an object into orbit during its ongoing fourth mission, according to space surveillance firm LeoLabs. The post Chinese spaceplane releases object into orbit, according to commercial space surveillance appeared first on SpaceNews.

Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers may have found a supernova remnant – seen in this June 11, 2026, image – in an intriguing neighborhood in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy. Supernova remnants are the expanding remains of exploded stars and provide elements like iron, oxygen, and silicon that are critical […]

Bioengineering cartilage tissues and manufacturing advanced materials kicked off the week aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 74 crew members also ramped up preparations for a spacewalk and conducted vision tests on Monday.

NASA astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, June 30, to replace a wrist joint on the orbital complex’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at approximately 8 a.m. EDT. Experts from NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will preview the upcoming spacewalk during a news conference at 2 […]

The third identified interstellar comet in human history has a surprising chemical makeup, raising questions as to how common, or unusual, conditions in our own Solar System may be.

As interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS began moving away from the Sun in December 2025, astronomers took the opportunity to turn NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope in its direction and capture detailed measurements of its chemical components. The comet was freshly warmed from its closest pass by the Sun, and its ancient ice had been converted […]

"I don’t know of a bigger question we can answer as humans."

If the Trump administration is serious about executing its “America First in Africa” policy and transforming American engagement on the continent, it needs to focus on sectors where it still […] The post America is about to cede Africa’s space industry to China, and nobody’s talking about it. appeared first on SpaceNews.

Satellite servicing company Astroscale is working to transition from technology demonstrations to a regular series of missions, bolstered by a recent capital infusion. The post Astroscale raises funding to support growth strategy appeared first on SpaceNews.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has tested a European intravehicular activity (IVA) spacesuit prototype aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to testing in space, a second prototype has undergone a water survival test campaign in Marseille. The EuroSuit project was initiated by the French space agency CNES in December 2023, with its development led […] The post ESA Astronaut Tests European Spacesuit Prototype Aboard ISS appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The ESA Open Days season is almost here and our teams across our establishments in Europe are already gearing up, preparing to give thousands of visitors a truly special experience.

Drifting sea ice fragments near Alaska’s Saint Lawrence and Nunivak islands and colorful water around the Yukon Delta heralded the approach of the summer solstice.

The $4.3 billion observatory will go through about 70 days of prelaunch processing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center before it launches on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket no earlier than August 30.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of June 21-27, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session […]

Lunar lander developer Astrobotic decided to sell to Voyager Technologies so it could quickly scale up to meet the projected demands of NASA’s lunar base initiative. The post Astrobotic says sale to Voyager will allow it to scale up appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starlink 17-28 mission is the 58th mission launching the broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 8:12:16 a.m. PDT (11:12:16 a.m. EDT / 1512:16 UTC).

Jio Platforms, which owns India’s largest telco, is looking to lease broadband capacity from satellite constellations to jumpstart its own sovereign LEO network in the country. The post India’s Jio lays out sovereign LEO constellation plan ahead of IPO appeared first on SpaceNews.

As Artemis III kicks off, NASA continues working to streamline SLS production.

MDA Space is buying smallsat manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) for $620 million, giving the Canadian company greater access to the lucrative U.S. government market. The post MDA Space to buy Blue Canyon Technologies to gain foothold in U.S. market appeared first on SpaceNews.

ElevationSpace Inc. (CEO: Ryohei Kobayashi), a company developing Space-to-Earth transportation as well as a Space Environment Utilization and Recovery Platform, has raised a total of US $40 million in its […] The post ElevationSpace Secures US $40 Million in Series B Funding, Bringing Total Raised to US $63.5 Million appeared first on SpaceNews.

Meet the voices astronauts hear in space. At ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, the EUROCOM team is the link between crew and ground, guiding astronauts like ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot through their daily work on the International Space Station. Join us as EUROCOM expert Andreas Orth explains how complex operations are translated into clear, real-time communication and what it means to be the one voice connecting Earth and orbit.

Billions in private investment have created room for growth, but suppliers need predictable demand, says the head of Northrop Grumman’s solid rocket motor business The post Northrop Grumman says industry ready to scale solid rocket production, with longer contracts appeared first on SpaceNews.

In April, Galileo marked a step forward with the deployment of a new signal component, known as E5a Quasi Pilot, on 12 satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. This upgrade makes Galileo signals easier to access, particularly on emerging mass-market, low-power devices used for Internet of Things and smart city applications.

Week in images: 15-19 June 2026

To some, space is the final frontier. But the reality is that once you leave Earth’s atmosphere, you’re not entering a single, uniform void. There are several frontiers up there […] The post The MEO durability crisis: why LEO hardware will fail the new orbital economy  appeared first on SpaceNews.

On 17 June at 09:21 local time (13:21 BST, 14:21 CEST), Ariane 6 flight VA269 soared to orbit from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. 36 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation left Earth powered by four P160C-based boosters, the first time these upgraded boosters were used – making this launch the most powerful so far for Europe’s heavy-lift rocket.

NASA has selected for development a space science mission that will study how space weather interacts with Earth’s atmosphere. The post NASA selects mission to study space weather interaction with Earth’s atmosphere appeared first on SpaceNews.

A spacecraft developed by Tsinghua University is set to join international missions to study the asteroid Apophis during its close approach to Earth in 2029. The post Chinese university-led mission to study asteroid Apophis during close encounter with Earth appeared first on SpaceNews.

A startup has acquired an aircraft to offer commercial parabolic flight services even as NASA seeks to acquire its own aircraft for reduced-gravity research. The post Mu-g Technologies enters the parabolic flight business appeared first on SpaceNews.

A full-scale drop test of ESA’s Space Rider spaceplane in early May was aborted after an anomaly during the captive ascent phase, the agency told European Spaceflight. In August 2024 and June 2025, ESA completed Space Rider drop test campaigns using a 3,000-kilogram mass simulator. In early 2026, the agency planned to move forward with […] The post Anomaly Delays Full-Scale Space Rider Drop Test Until October appeared first on European Spaceflight.

From the ESA Blogs.

Austrian satellite propulsion startup Gate Space has won 6.3 million euros in funding from Europe’s government-backed accelerator program, joining a wave of European companies attracting capital for greater space sovereignty. The post Austrian propulsion startup joins sovereign space funding surge appeared first on SpaceNews.

The first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season brought intense rainfall and the threat of flash flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute Earth planning date: Friday, June 12, 2026 Rather than going from stage to stage at a music festival to hear different bands playing different varieties of music, Curiosity has been ascending up Mount Sharp through physical bands of exposed rocks with textural and tonal differences. […]

The Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station have seen yet another busy month… The post Canadarm2 repairs planned as CRS-34 departs ISS appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

NASA selected a mission concept to research how space weather and dynamics within Earth’s atmosphere influence the space environment and help improve prediction capabilities for impacts on crucial technology, such as GPS and low Earth orbit satellites, as well as astronauts in space. The DAPHNE (Dynamic Atmosphere-Ionosphere Explorer) mission will enter Phase B of development, […]

"We are reassigning most affected employees across existing opportunities and programs."

Germany has broken ground on a GOVSATCOM Hub facility in Cologne, with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia committing to investing up to €50 million in the project. The European Union’s GOVSATCOM system officially became operational in January 2026 and is designed to provide sovereign, reliable, secure, and cost-effective satellite communications services for European government and […] The post Germany Breaks Ground on One of Two GOVSATCOM Hub Locations appeared first on European Spaceflight.

NASA has selected eight new companies and will acquire new data products from six existing Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition contract holders to expand the range of commercial satellite data available to researchers, civil agencies, and decision-makers. Such measurements supplement NASA’s Earth satellites by contributing high-resolution and frequent observations to enhance the agency’s set of data. […]

Private equity firm EQT is acquiring Exolaunch, a company that has handled the rideshare launches of hundreds of satellites, to help it meet growing launch demand. The post EQT to acquire Exolaunch appeared first on SpaceNews.

Rohit Goeptar was born into a poor family in Suriname, South America, the kind where both parents work three jobs and they still can only provide food and shelter for their family. At around age six, his family moved to California to start a new life. Only two years later, he moved back to South America […]

Description A prototype four-wheel rover developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with advanced mobility and robotic autonomy capabilities trundled across the Colorado Desert near Plaster City, California, during a field test in March 2026. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain), the rover served here as a testbed for autonomy software developed for […]

On a bleak stretch of the Colorado Desert in Southern California, a compact four-wheeled rover recently trundled about 16 miles (26 kilometers) with minimal intervention from the team of engineers trailing it. Called ERNEST (Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain), this prototype is being used by NASA to advance both robotic autonomy and the […]

Even small asteroids lead complex lives. During its flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson last year, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid to be a wobbly, peanut-shaped body that has undergone a lot of activity in its relatively short history. Formed as fragments coalesced after a violent collision 155 million years ago, the asteroid was transformed by the […]

Even small asteroids lead complex lives. During its flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson last year, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid to be a wobbly, peanut-shaped body that has undergone a lot of activity in its relatively short history. Formed as fragments coalesced after a violent collision 155 million years ago, the asteroid was transformed by the […]

Kelly Hammett’s departure comes as the Space Rapid Capabilities Office is being realigned under the Space Force The post Space Force’s rapid acquisition office director moves to Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center appeared first on SpaceNews.