Space news

[English] Experience a musical simulation of the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse as seen from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre (Spain). Click here for information about ESA’s live broadcast from this observatory, or visit esa.int/solareclipse for an overview of all ESA eclipse activities & resources.

Bruce Jakosky, Scott Hubbard and their colleagues have given us a masterclass in pragmatic systems engineering. Their recent SpaceNews editorial titled “Laying the groundwork for the first human mission to […] The post One species, one planet: The moon is our ethical dress rehearsal for Mars appeared first on SpaceNews.

Rocket Lab has established a new subsidiary in Germany to enable it to offer scaled domestic production of satellites and launch services on both its Electron and Neutron rockets. The company formally announced Rocket Lab Germany GmbH on 10 August, calling it a “milestone in the company’s international growth.” The actual establishment of the subsidiary, […] The post Rocket Lab Establishes German Subsidiary appeared first on European Spaceflight.

Western Iceland and northern Spain are among the few Northern Hemisphere locations experiencing a total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026.

Firefly Aerospace says it is seeing strong interest in its launch vehicles and is ramping up production, but those efforts have yet to translate into an increased launch rate. The post Firefly increases vehicle production even as launches lag appeared first on SpaceNews.

Recent Northrop, Lockheed and L3Harris agreements are aimed at expanding capacity across propulsion, structures and other constrained parts of the missile supply chain The post U.S. expands missile production as Army seeks more depth in its arsenal appeared first on SpaceNews.

During an investor earnings call on Tuesday, Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim said the company now expects to fly a total of three Alpha rockets this year.

Gen. Michael Guetlein says Congress must find a way to finance the next phase as most initial funding is already committed The post Golden Dome faces 2027 funding cliff  appeared first on SpaceNews.

This article is for students grades 5-8. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is NASA’s newest astrophysics observatory. The telescope will scan large sections of space. Roman will help astronomers answer questions about dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, and more. ______________________________________________________________________ Words to Know Astrophysics: a branch of space science that applies physics and mathematics to […]

NASA officials say they are confident in plans to launch a nuclear electric propulsion demonstration mission by the end of 2028 after visiting the national lab building the mission’s reactor. The post National lab visit boosts NASA’s confidence in space nuclear propulsion mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starlink 17-49 mission will be the 73rd mission flying SpaceX’s broadband internet satellites to orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled during a window that opens at 7 p.m. PDT (10 p.m. EDT / 0200 UTC).

NASA has declared “wrenches down” on the first completed payload designed for Artemis astronauts to deploy on the Moon’s surface. Engineers working on NASA’s Lunar Environment Monitoring Station, or LEMS, have completed hardware development and testing and the payload is ready for its permanent home near the lunar South Pole. With the hardware complete, LEMS […]

Vein scans and spacesuit checks were the top duties for the Expediton75 crew aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday. The orbital residents also continued their Earth photography sessions, cargo operations, and life support maintenance.

Pentagon contractors are beginning to book Golden Dome related work, but much of it is flowing through established programs The post Golden Dome money starting to reach contractors, but long-term funding still unclear appeared first on SpaceNews.

Observing across the starry “plains” of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. The nebula’s “mane” is clear and detailed in this image released on Aug. 10, 2026, due to Webb’s high-resolution imaging. See more images of the Lion Nebula from Webb. Image: NASA, ESA, […]

Like a collage made of layered sheets of colored cellophane, a vibrant new image layers observations of a famous star-forming nebula from NASA space telescopes. The resulting cosmic “craft” reveals new details about the star formation region known as 30 Doradus, or the Tarantula Nebula. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small neighbor galaxy […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISTO Space Systems MOSA Interface Standards Alliance Announces Industry Webinar: “MOSA Interoperability Standards for Space Systems” August 26, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM PDT / […] The post Webinar on MOSA Interoperability Standards for Space Systems – August 26, 2026 appeared first on SpaceNews.

TechnoMile, the leading AI solution that unifies growth, contracts, compliance, and security workflows, today announced it has been ranked No. 4,268 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, the annual list […] The post TechnoMile’s Five-Year Sustained Growth Recognized with Place on the 2026 Inc. 5000 List appeared first on SpaceNews.

With multibillion-dollar awards for satellite networks, sensing and launch services, SpaceX is leveraging its vertically integrated manufacturing model to win a share of the Pentagon's missile defense business The post SpaceX increasing footprint in missile defense appeared first on SpaceNews.

As NASA prepares to return astronauts to the lunar surface for longer stays and increasingly complex operations, building the Moon Base will require new ideas, advanced technologies, and expertise across many fields.  During NASA Stories at the Ion on July 30, Shatel Bhakta, principal systems engineer for NASA’s Moon Base Program, presented “Building the Moon Base: Challenges and Opportunities at the Lunar South Pole.” He discussed the work required to establish a sustained human […]

The International Space Station has been busy throughout 2026, as it continues to be a bustling workspace for astronauts conducting a variety of scientific experiments that lay the groundwork for missions to the Moon and beyond. NASA’s Artemis II mission in April was the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years, […]

A retired Space Force general who served as deputy commander of U.S. Space Command is joining the board of lunar rover developer Lunar Outpost. The post Former Space Force general joins Lunar Outpost board appeared first on SpaceNews.

SAN FRANCISCO — BlackSky announced Aug. 11 a seven-figure, multiyear contract to provide an international customer with persistent space-based monitoring and on-demand satellite tasking. Prior to the award, BlackSky conducted […] The post BlackSky wins seven-figure, multiyear international contract appeared first on SpaceNews.

For most of its history, the United States has been largely insulated from foreign threats. Vast oceans made it an impractical destination for invading armies before the advent of modern […] The post Why Golden Dome Demands a Reimagined and Revitalized Industrial Base appeared first on SpaceNews.

Rocket Lab warned that the chances of launching its Neutron rocket for the first time before the end of the year are “narrowing” despite progress on the vehicle’s development. The post First Neutron launch may slip to 2027 appeared first on SpaceNews.

At SpaceX’s Starbase production site, teams are progressing multiple Starship vehicles through the Production Site… The post Starbase Production lining up future vehicles appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

LOS ANGELES, August 11th, 2026. Proteus Space, an AI-native aerospace company delivering rapid, end-to-end access to space, today announced that retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kimberly “Kim” Crider has […] The post Proteus Space Names Maj. Gen. Kim Crider (USAF, Ret.) to Board of Directors appeared first on SpaceNews.

A Japanese H3 rocket successfully launched a navigation satellite Aug. 10, more than seven months after a similar launch ended in failure. The post H3 launches navigation satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.

When the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, it casts a shadow onto Earth's surface. For people in the darkest part of this shadow, the face of the Sun is totally blocked out, and its wispy atmosphere becomes visible.

Career diplomat Mario Cospito has been appointed extraordinary commissioner of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), taking over leadership of the agency following the death of its president, Teodoro Valente, and the dissolution of its board. ASI announced Cospito’s appointment on 8 August. Cospito is a career diplomat who has held a number of senior postings, […] The post Italy Appoints Career Diplomat as Space Agency Extraordinary Commissioner appeared first on European Spaceflight.

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot will take part in her first-ever spacewalk during U.S. Spacewalk 97. Together with NASA astronaut Anil Menon, she will replace a Space-to-Ground antenna on the International Space Station, a critical communications system that enables high-speed data and voice links between Mission Control in Houston and the space station.

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. The observations reveal that the evolved star IRS 3 continues to enrich its surroundings with newly formed material despite the intense radiation environment around Sagittarius A*.

Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Earth planning date: Friday, July 31, 2026 As mentioned in the previous blog, Curiosity has been exploring a large-scale feature in Gale’s sedimentary record suspected to be an “erosional supersurface.” The “supersurface” represents a period in time when a net depositional environment changed […]

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 11 – Six… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Six Moons […]

Tidal and seasonal shifts leave their mark on this crescent-shaped, productive bay in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.

China experienced a launch failure today of their relatively new Long March 7A rocket.  Introduced in 2020, the first launch failed, but the track record since then has been perfect. […]

The announcement came in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of a quarterly investor earnings call on Aug. 10.

Named ‘GHOST’ the containerized infrastructure is designed to support orbital and suborbital launches The post Rocket Lab builds deployable infrastructure for Electron launches appeared first on SpaceNews.

Kepler Communications plans to deploy next-generation optical relay satellites on Rocket Lab’s upcoming Neutron rocket in one of several launches the Canadian operator has slated for 2028. The post Kepler books Neutron for 2028 optical relay launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

The next spacewalk outside the International Space Station is set to take place on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Two Expedition 75 astronauts will work in the vacuum of space to replace a space-to-ground antenna to maintain high-speed data and communication transmissions between the orbital outpost and mission controllers.

Teaching the beautiful and inspirational science of astronomy using only the conceptual framework offered by a traditional textbook – without incorporating the wealth of incredible resources, images and activities from NASA – falls short of the more modern, active learning experience that could better serve students evolving learning strategies. Three project teams from the NASA […]

As NASA+ continues its expansion across multiple streaming platforms to bring space closer to home, NASA announced Monday programming is next heading to discovery+ and HBO Max. A continuous live feed of NASA+ programming is streaming on discovery+ live channels, while HBO Max will stream NASA’s special events, including the Artemis III mission in 2027. […]

If the failure involved the YF-100 engine, there are broader concerns for China's space program.

Observing across the starry “plains” of space, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has taken new images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope previously viewed this planetary nebula in 2000, imaging the lion face-shaped target in visible light and revealing features such as the “mane” of hazy, comet-shaped objects. Now Webb […]

Observing across the starry “plains” of space, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has taken images of NGC 2392, nicknamed the Lion Nebula.

A new school year brings fresh opportunities to get involved with NASA. Whether you’re curious about space or eager to build real STEM skills, NASA offers a world of experiences putting you close to the action. As we enter a new golden age of exploration, there’s no better time to jump in, try something bold, […]

The Starlink 10-19 mission is SpaceX’s 72nd flight of its broadband internet satellites this year. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 12:20 p.m. EDT (1620 UTC).

HELSINKI — China appears to have lost an unknown payload after a Long March 7A rocket exploded less than 90 seconds into flight, according to amateur footage. The Long March […] The post Chinese Long March 7A rocket explodes shortly after liftoff appeared first on SpaceNews.

Earth observation satellites help us monitor phenomena such as wildfires, drought and heatwaves from space. This page is updated on a regular basis with a selection of ESA’s most recent news-related images showing how the effects of climate change are impacting our world.

A decade ago, a United States carrier strike group departing San Diego could cross the Pacific with only intermittent detection. China might catch a glimpse — a satellite pass here, […] The post National security doesn’t need more maps or imagery; it needs measurement appeared first on SpaceNews.