Space news

CANSO, Nova Scotia — German rocket manufacturer Isar Aerospace has finalized a ten-year contract with Maritime Launch Services (MLS) to build a dedicated launch complex at Spaceport Nova Scotia. The landmark $112.5 million… The post Isar Aerospace Secures $112.5M Deal for Canada Spaceport appeared first on TLP Network.

The Space Force is backing the development of the company’s hybrid engine technology for small satellites The post Parabilis tests propulsion system for maneuverable cubesats appeared first on SpaceNews.

The European Space Agency has awarded Spanish satellite manufacturer EMXYS a contract to build a small lander that will attempt to touch down on the surface of an asteroid ahead of its close encounter with Earth. Apophis, the asteroid in question, will pass within 32,000 kilometres of Earth’s surface, closer than the geostationary satellites orbiting […] The post ESA Taps Spain’s EMXYS to Build €10M Don Quijote Asteroid Lander appeared first on European Spaceflight.

The Federal Communications Commission has given its approval for a satellite that will test the ability to reflect sunlight into nighttime regions, a project sharply criticized by astronomers and environmentalists. The post FCC approves first Reflect Orbital satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Starlink 17-48 mission will add another 24 satellites to the low Earth orbit constellation. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for 8 p.m. PDT (11 p.m. EDT / 0300 UTC).

With the 33 engine static fire completed for Booster 20, SpaceX is pushing hard to… The post Booster 20 completes record duration Static Fire appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Back to ECF Home Advanced Diagnostics for High-Enthalpy Test Facilities Simulating Spacecraft Atmospheric Entry Planning for Autonomous Spacecraft Using Machine Learning Methods to Enable Onboard Guidance, Navigation, and Control

The Zooniverse, a NASA grantee that runs the world’s largest platform for online people-powered research, has reached an extraordinary milestone: 1 billion classifications contributed by volunteers around the world. This milestone is a celebration of everyone who has marked a dip in a light curve, confirmed the presence of a moving object in a short […]

MILAN – European space industry sales rebounded in 2025 after a contraction in 2024, Eurospace reported in its latest Facts and Figures report, presented July 7. The growth is driven […] The post Earth observation satellites pass telecom in European space industry sales appeared first on SpaceNews.

HELSINKI — A Chinese government body has published a national commercial space consortium membership list, offering a rare indication of which companies the state considers established players. The list was […] The post China unveils members of state-backed commercial space consortium appeared first on SpaceNews.

Chinarocket Co. has launched the Long March 10B rocket for the first time, safely reaching orbit and successfully “catching” the rocket’s first stage booster.

NASA flight photographers capture history from a perspective few ever experience, getting a rare bird’s-eye view of the agency’s missions in action. Their photos document key NASA research and give the public a front-row seat to the work happening behind the scenes. Jim Ross, a photographer at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, […]

"Industry finally knows what NASA is asking of them."

Vein scans and cartilage engineering wrapped up a busy week aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 74 crew members also configured the orbital outpost for a new crew, tested new cooking gear, and conducted muscle measurements.

The waxing gibbous moon is nestled in the darkness of space in this June 26, 2026, image from the International Space Station. The space station was 264 miles above the Indian Ocean southeast of Madagascar at the time. The waxing gibbous phase comes before the full moon phase. During this time, the Moon appears brighter […]

Space is hard, as the decades-old adage goes. For much of the industry’s history, “rocket science” was as much a barrier to entry as a byword for difficulty. But now […] The post The space industry is weighing ambitious hiring against heritage appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the path of totality and the spectacular Baily's beads to why this eclipse will be especially beautiful at sunset, discover what makes the 12 August 2026 total solar eclipse so special.

Week in images: 06-10 July 2026

By most measures, commercial space is thriving. Washington produced a flurry of activity over the past year: two major executive orders, a raft of directives, and “space superiority” elevated to […] The post Space capitalism needs more than a bull market appeared first on SpaceNews.

A City Labs mission aims to validate a tritium-powered electrical source for satellites and lunar systems that could operate where solar power falls short The post Startup testing nuclear battery technology in orbit appeared first on SpaceNews.

A Japanese startup developing reentry vehicles is signing up customers and preparing for its first mission while keeping a watchful eye on SpaceX’s entry into the market. The post ElevationSpace advances work on commercial reentry vehicle appeared first on SpaceNews.

"We are delighted to actively help shape the ramp-up of the Ariane 6."

The Exploration Company has announced the establishment of a US-based entity, TEC Federal, which it will use to compete for US government contracts. The company will conduct its US operations from its new Rapid Innovation Lab in Houston, Texas. Founded as a Franco-German space transportation company in 2021, The Exploration Company is developing a reusable […] The post The Exploration Company to Pursue US Government Contracts appeared first on European Spaceflight.

From the ESA Blogs.

HELSINKI — China launched its Long March 10B rocket early Friday and successfully recovered the first stage, marking a huge step for the country’s reusable rocket efforts. The first Long […] The post China becomes second country to recover orbital booster with Long March 10B appeared first on SpaceNews.

Radar data from the NISAR satellite show that La Guaira and nearby areas experienced significant ground displacement from the June 2026 temblors.

From the ESA Blogs.

An office of the U.S. Department of the Interior is seeking information on concepts for performing offshore orbital launches, part of a broader effort to reduce congestion at existing spaceports. The post Interior Department requests information on offshore launch options appeared first on SpaceNews.

Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) and the BMC3I TAP Lab Colorado are excited to announce a new multi-phased program designed to strengthen collaboration between commercial innovators and government […] The post SDA TAP Lab Evolves Into BMC3I TAP Lab And In Partnership With Catalyst Campus Launches A New Multi-Phased Program To Accelerate Mission-Focused Technology Development appeared first on SpaceNews.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft to the International Space Station on Tuesday, July 14, accompanied by cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, where they will join the Expedition 74 crew advancing scientific research. Menon, Dubrov, and Kikina will lift off at 10:47 a.m. EDT (7:47 p.m. Baikonur time) […]

JOHANNESBURG — The Exploration Company, a space transportation company based in Germany, established TEC Federal, a United States-based entity that will enable it to compete for government programs and contracts. […] The post The Exploration Company establishes US entity to pursue government contracts appeared first on SpaceNews.

For the first time, scientists have used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) to directly measure the magnetic fields of PSR J1101−6101, a pulsar located within what is often referred to as the Lighthouse Nebula. The results provide new insight into the structure of some of the most extreme objects in the cosmos, as NASA […]

Environmental and scientific groups are calling for a halt to processing orbital data center applications, arguing the rush to move computing infrastructure into space has raised the stakes in a broader push for more megaconstellation oversight. The post Environmental groups seek FCC pause on orbital data center constellations appeared first on SpaceNews.

The reports add to the growing documentation on commercial data’s contributions to Earth science research and applications.

Neurology studies and crew departure preparations filled the schedule aboard the International Space Station on Thursday. Expedition 74 also kept up the maintenance of the orbital lab replacing electronics and GPS gear and organizing cargo.

This close-up view shows fragments of sulfur crystals — the first ever seen on the Red Planet. The crystals were found after NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover happened to drive over a rock and crush it on May 30, 2024. Several days later, Curiosity used a camera on the end of its robotic arm to take […]

This month, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California are testing a spacecraft sensor that will help measure how quickly Arctic sea ice is disappearing. And while that instrument won’t launch for another year, scientists started preparing for its use during a recent field campaign in the Canadian wilderness. Researchers spent two weeks […]

Thirty years after the European Space Agency first demonstrated the power of flying two satellites in very close formation, the concept was recently recreated. By temporarily positioning two Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar satellites to replicate the pioneering ERS-1–ERS-2 ‘tandem mission’, ESA achieved one-day repeat radar imaging of the same Antarctic region.

SAN FRANCISCO – Xona, the Silicon Valley startup establishing Pulsar, a precision positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) constellation, announced a high-profile roster of partners developing compatible equipment. Xona unveiled the […] The post Xona unveils program to verify Pulsar-compatible devices appeared first on SpaceNews.

For the growing number of constellations being designed around Starship, the wild ups and downs in the early days of SpaceX’s historic IPO have a familiar rhythm. While some of […] The post Volatility is often the price of ambition appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of the Space Minds podcast, David Ariosto talks with Victoria Coleman, the former chief scientist for the U.S. Air Force who now serves as associate provost of […] The post Maintaining leadership in space with Victoria Coleman appeared first on SpaceNews.

New portfolio acquisition executives will control requirements and modernization decisions across major mission areas The post Space Force completes procurement reorganization, creating nine acquisition portfolios appeared first on SpaceNews.

Details of a previously unannounced test campaign involving an upgraded Ariane 6 rocket engine have emerged in the 2025 annual accounts of ArianeGroup SAS, the group’s French entity. The filings describe the testing of a 200-kilonewton version of the rocket’s Vinci upper stage engine at DLR’s Lampoldshausen facility in Germany. The upgrade increases the engine’s […] The post ArianeGroup Tests Upgraded Ariane 6 Upper Stage Rocket Engine appeared first on European Spaceflight.

"I think it's fair to say that Phase 3 did not contemplate this."

The startup is developing laser systems that transmit power and data between spacecraft The post Space Force awards Pulse Space $40 million to advance laser power technology appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.

Even as many details of Golden Dome remain unsettled, the missile-defense program has become a focal point for space and defense startups looking for new markets The post Golden Dome and the search for new space markets appeared first on SpaceNews.

Blue Origin is planning to raise $10 billion in the company’s first outside investment to support its ambitions in launch services and satellite constellations. The post Blue Origin seeks to raise $10 billion in outside capital appeared first on SpaceNews.

Canadian company MDA Space is buying a French Earth data analytics company in its second big acquisition in recent weeks, part of wave of mergers and acquisitions in the industry. The post MDA Space buys French Earth data analytics company CLS appeared first on SpaceNews.

From the ESA Blogs.