January 17, 2026

White House Resubmits NASA Deputy Administrator Nominee (Sources: Space News, Space Policy Online)
The White House has resubmitted a nomination for NASA deputy administrator but is seeking a new nominee for the agency’s chief financial officer. President Trump has re-nominated Matt Anderson to be NASA Deputy Administrator amid a long list of resubmitted nominations (any nomination that doesn't clear the Senate after one year must be resubmitted). Anderson is a vice president at CACI responsible for Space Force and Air Force relations. He also served as the chief growth officer at the Space Force Association. He is an alum of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. (1/17)

AO-Resistant Material Boosts VLEO Satellite Longevity (Source: Space News)
Deposition Sciences, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, specializes in advanced materials and optical coatings. Sunshade, available in both free film and tape versions, can withstand an atomic oxygen (AO) fluence and in tests showed negligible effect on Beginning of Life (BOL) and End of Life (EOL) performance. This could boost the longevity of satellites in very-low orbits where AO can degrade performance. (1/16)

Starlink Faces High-Profile Security Test in Iran Crackdown (Source: Reuters)
Iran’s crackdown on dissidents is shaping up as one of the toughest security tests yet for Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has served as a lifeline against state-imposed internet blackouts since its deployment during the war in Ukraine. SpaceX, which owns Starlink, made the satellite service free for Iranians this week, placing Musk's space company at the center of another geopolitical hot spot and pitting a team of U.S.-based engineers against a regional power armed with satellite jammers and signal-spoofing tactics, according to activists, analysts and researchers. (1/16)

The Countdown to Clean Orbits Has Begun with ESA’s Zero Debris Charter (Source: Space News)
Space is rapidly becoming the world’s most congested frontier. What was once a domain of scientific exploration is now a crowded commercial arena, a global infrastructure layer critical to communications, navigation, climate monitoring and defense. Yet this dependence is threatened by a growing, largely invisible hazard: orbital debris.

ESA launched the Zero Debris Charter (ZDC) to combat space debris by setting ambitious goals for space actors to prevent new debris, including a 2030 target, through technical guidelines and a voluntary commitment, gaining significant international support from companies, governments, and organizations aiming for long-term orbital sustainability. Some observers urge more: in their opinion, "strategy and policy alone are not enough. Delivering the Zero Debris Vision will depend on industry’s ability to move from commitment to capability, from regulation to real-world implementation." (1/16)

China Hit by Dual Launch Failures as Long March 3B and Ceres-2 Debut Mission Fail (Source: Space News)
China suffered a pair of launch failures Friday, seeing the loss of a classified Shijian satellite and the failed first launch of the Ceres-2 rocket. The Long March 3B rocket lost the Shijian-32 satellite due to a third-stage anomaly. Galactic Energy's Ceres-2, a privately developed solid-propellant rocket, failed during its first test flight from Jiuquan spaceport. An unspecified anomaly occurred during flight, preventing it from reaching orbit, and the company issued an apology. (1/17)

Superheavy-Lift Rockets Could Transform Astronomy (Source: Space Daily)
New heavy-lift rockets give us a chance to lift launch bigger, more capable telescopes more often. For the same cost, they can send about 10 times more mass to orbit, and they have bodies about twice as wide, compared with the rockets that have been in use for decades. Mass matters because telescopes contain heavy mirrors, and the bigger the mirror, the better they work. For example, building Webb's large mirror meant finding a way to make a superb mirror that was 10 times lighter in weight per square meter than the already lightweight Hubble mirror. The engineers found a solution that was technically sweet but financially costly. (1/10)

Space Station Study Reveals Unusual Virus Bacteria Dynamics in Microgravity (Source: Space Daily)
In near weightless conditions aboard the International Space Station, viruses that infect bacteria continue to attack their hosts but follow an altered evolutionary trajectory compared to the same systems on Earth. A new study led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison used Escherichia coli and its bacteriophage predator T7 to probe how microgravity reshapes the coevolution between phages and bacteria during spaceflight. (1/14)

ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT Still to Launch (Source: Inside GNSS)
The European Space Agency (ESA)’s pioneering Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing (LEO-PNT) demonstration mission, officially known as ‘Celeste’, has slipped past its original late-2025 launch target. The pair of Pathfinder A satellites still have not lifted off, and current schedules now indicate a first launch in early 2026, with broad preparations continuing for deployment and in-orbit testing. The mission appears on official timelines as ‘NET Q1 2026’. (1/16)

Musk Calls for Airline CEO to Be Fired Over Starlink Dispute (Source: PC Mag)
Elon Musk is feuding with Ryanair, even calling for its CEO to be fired, after the European airline shot down the possibility of using Starlink for its in-flight Wi-Fi. The dispute reached a new level of hostility when Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told the Irish radio station Newstalk, “I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk, he’s an idiot. He’s very wealthy, but still an idiot.” In response, Musk on Friday tweeted, “Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him.” A user on X later suggested he buy Ryanair. “Good idea,” Musk replied. (1/16)

2-Time Breast Cancer Survivor to Fly to Space with Blue Origin (Source: KVIA)
Blue Origin just announced the crew of its New Shepard Mission NS-38. The crew includes a two-time breast cancer survivor. The crew consists of Tim Drexler, Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Andrew Yaffe. Edwards is a retired board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist. She is a two-time breast cancer survivor who says this flight to space is the fulfillment of decades of dreaming. (1/16)

Waco’s New STEAM Center Opens with Historic SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft (Source: KWTX)
The Bledsoe-Miller Steam Center in Waco launched on Friday with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The facility was created for hands-on science, technology, engineering, arts and math learning for all ages. Unique to the facility, the unveiling of a SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft which spent 98 days in space was donated by SpaceX. (1/16)

Canadian Rocket Startup Launches, Aimed at Space Sovereignty (Source: SpaceQ)
Canada Rocket Company (CRC) based in Toronto is officially coming out of stealth after raising $6.2M in its seed round and boasts two former SpaceX employees. The company is positioning itself to take advantage of Canada’s recent quest for sovereign launch capability including the Launch the North challenge. They are also looking to repatriate Canadian talent.

The company is developing Canada’s only Methalox engine, the E-1. The E-1 is their 700kN Gas Generator engine – powered by Liquid Oxygen (LOX) / Liquid Methane (CH4). SpaceX uses a Methalox 'Raptor' engine for Starship. The company will focus first on developing the R-1 “Responsive Light Lift” launch vehicle which they say is capable of delivering up to 700kg to low Earth orbit (LEO) or 400kg to Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). The R-1 uses a single E-1 engine. The company says its design provides the “industrialized foundation for the medium-lift vehicle,” the R-2.

The company has also added two notable advisors including former Canadian Space Agency Director of Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy. Alain Berinstain. Just this week Berinstain was appointed as the New Director of the Florida Space Institute at University of Central Florida. With the teams experience, seed funding and backers, it seems clear CRC is a company worth keeping an eye on. (1/16)

Canada's 'Launch the North' Challenge Seeks Sovereign Launch Capability (Source: SpaceQ)
The Department of National Defence’s Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) released a new Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Challenge called ‘Launch the North’ that if successful would see sovereign launch capability no later than 2028. This initiative, part of the broader $182.6 million allocated for sovereign space launch, encourages entrepreneurs and innovators to build launch vehicles and support tech, with applications closing in January 2026. (11/27)

Alain Berinstain Brings Bold, Collaborative Vision as New Director of Florida Space Institute at UCF (Source: UCF)
The University of Central Florida's Florida Space Institute (FSI) has appointed Alain Berinstain, a seasoned space industry leader with experience at the Canadian Space Agency and in commercial space, as its new Director, starting in January 2026. Berinstain aims to expand FSI's research, forge stronger public-private partnerships, and diversify funding, focusing on areas like microgravity, biomanufacturing, and defense, while leveraging UCF's strong ties to Florida's space economy. (1/13)

Dcubed to Build Solar Array Panels for Blue Ghost 3 Lunar Rover (Source: Dcubed)
Dcubed has been selected by Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin Company, to deliver five body-mounted solar array panels for their lunar rover, launching aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 3 lander in 2028. This rover will explore the Gruithuisen Domes — a mysterious, never-before-visited region of the Moon — carrying instruments that could reshape our understanding of lunar geology. (1/15)

Redwire and the Power That’ll Fuel NASA’s Gateway Lunar Space Station (Source: Fast Company)
NASA’s Gateway Lunar Space Station, set to launch as early as 2027, will support the Artemis IV and V moon missions and, eventually, be a jumping-off point for missions to Mars. But before any of that can happen, the Gateway will need a power source—a powerful one, at that. The challenge is getting that energy supply into orbit the way anything reaches space: in the nose cone of a rocket.

Gateway’s power will come from a pair of blankets of photovoltaic cells, known as Roll-Out Solar Arrays (ROSAs). Each is roughly the size of a football end zone, and together they’ll provide 60 kilowatts for 24 hours a day—enough energy to power roughly 50 American homes. But to minimize their profile on the trip out of Earth’s atmosphere, the arrays will be launched in a rolled-up state, a pair of sci-fi rugs bound for lunar orbit. The Gateway’s ROSAs are built by space company Redwire, using tech initially developed by its subsidiary Deployable Space Solutions. (1/16)

NASA’s New Moon Mission Is Riskier Than It Should Be (Source: Bloomberg)
Wish them well. Next month, four astronauts are expected to board a space capsule called Orion, blast off on a rocket known as the Space Launch System, and exit low-Earth orbit for the first time since 1972, en route to a 10-day flyby of the moon. Unfortunately, their mission will be riskier than it should be. The planned flight is a crucial component of NASA's Artemis mission, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface. Thus far, the mission has been plagued by soaring costs, repeated delays, technical shortcomings, contracting woes and burgeoning operational complexities. One former NASA chief recently called it “a path that cannot work.” (1/16)

Tucson Space Industry Hopeful as Congress Passes NASA Mission Funding (Source: Tucson Sentinel)
Tucsonans who work in the space industry breathed a sigh of relief as the U.S. Senate passed a budget bill Thursday that rejected nearly all of the cuts proposed by President Donald Trump for NASA’s 2026 budget. The budget bill passed through the House last week with a vote of 397 - 28 and saw three Arizona representatives vote against it, with Republicans Reps. Andy Biggs, Elijah Crane, and Paul Gosar all voting nay. In the Senate, it passed 82-15 with both Arizona senators voting yes, including Mark Kelly, who called the previously proposed cuts “a full frontal assault on science,” when he spoke to the Tucson Sentinel last summer.  The budget bill now heads to the president.

There were fears that seven University of Arizona-led missions would also be at risk of losing all their funding, some of which are currently mid-flight and in space. The Tucson Sentinel spoke to mission directors of OSIRIS-APEX and HelioSwarm back in June 2025, both missions that were slated for cancellation. But the newly passed bill now promises $20 million and $109.5 million, respectively, to each mission. All other UA missions have funding promised to keep them operational according to a full budget picture released by the Planetary Society. All together, the space science work at the UA employs about 3,300 people, bringing in about $275 million per year—the equivalent economic value. (1/16)

Astronomers Searching for Alien Life are Sharpening Our Cosmic Clocks (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute have learned to read the subtle "twinkle" of a distant cosmic lighthouse, revealing how interstellar space distorts radio signals as they travel across the galaxy. The research shows that gas between stars can shift the arrival time of a pulsar's signal by mere billionths of a second. While imperceptible to humans, these tiny delays are significant for experiments that rely on pulsars as ultra-precise cosmic clocks, the researchers say, particularly efforts to detect low-frequency gravitational waves and to search for signs of intelligent life beyond Earth. (1/16)

China's Reusable Long March-12B Completes Firing Test (Source: Xinhua)
China's reusable rocket Long March-12B completed a successful static firing test on Friday afternoon, marking a major step ahead of its upcoming flight missions, according to its developer. The firing test took place at the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China. Developed by a commercial rocket manufacturing company under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Long March-12B is a new-generation reusable rocket designed to support the deployment of commercial low-Earth orbit satellite constellations. It boasts a payload capacity of 20 tonnes to near-Earth orbit. (1/16)

NRO, SpaceX Launch Reconnaissance Satellites from Vandenberg (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX executed a late night Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday, which carrying an undisclosed number of intelligence-gathering satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. The mission, NROL-105, has a payload of satellites heading to low Earth orbit, which are believed to be Starshield, a government variant of the Starlink satellites. (1/16)

Isar Aerospace Plans Jan. 21 Second Spectrum Launch From Norway (Source: Isar)
Germany's Isar Aerospace is preparing for the second launch of its Spectrum rocket. This second flight and qualification mission will be conducted from the company’s dedicated launch complex at Andøya Space in Norway, further advancing Europe’s sovereign space capability. The launch is targeted for not earlier than 21 January, with a launch window opening at 09:00 pm CET, subject to weather, safety, and range clearance. Mission ‘Onward and Upward’ aims at validating the launch vehicle’s critical systems under operational conditions. It is Isar Aerospace’s first flight to carry payloads with five CubeSats and one experiment. (1/16)

Seattle Area’s Oldest Rocket Factory to Get New Ownership Under Old Name (Source: Geekwire)
A decades-old rocket factory in Redmond, Wash., is due to be rebranded with a time-honored name: Rocketdyne. If all goes according to plan, the facility will become part of a joint venture created under the terms of an $845 million deal involving L3Harris Technologies and AE Industrial Partners. L3Harris took control of the Redmond facility in 2023 when it acquired Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.7 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. (1/16)

Managers on Alert for “Launch Fever” as Pressure Builds for NASA’s Moon Mission (Source: Ars Technica)
The rocket NASA is preparing to send four astronauts on a trip around the Moon emerged from its assembly building on Florida’s Space Coast early Saturday for a slow crawl to its seaside launch pad. Assuming the countdown rehearsal goes according to plan, NASA could be in a position to launch the Artemis II mission as soon as February 6. But the schedule for February 6 is tight, with no margin for error. Officials typically have about five days per month when they can launch Artemis II, when the Moon is in the right position relative to Earth.

In February, the available launch dates are February 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11, with launch windows in the overnight hours in Florida. If the mission isn’t off the ground by February 11, NASA will have to stand down until a new series of launch opportunities beginning March 6. One of John Honeycutt’s jobs as chair of the Mission Management Team (MMT) is ensuring all the Is are dotted and Ts are crossed amid the frenzy of final launch preparations. While the hardware for Artemis II is on the move in Florida, the astronauts and flight controllers are wrapping up their final training and simulations at Johnson Space Center in Houston. “I think I’ve got a good eye for launch fever,” he said Friday. (1/16)

NASA Cameras on Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander Could Inform Future Missions (Source: Aerospace America)
Future spacecraft bound for the lunar surface could benefit from the observations collected by the camera suite that captured images of lunar dust and regolith kicked up when a commercial lander touched down last year. The agency’s Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies, or SCALPSS, landed on the moon in March aboard Firefly Aerospace’s first Blue Ghost lander. (1/15)

Toyota Details Progress, Use for ‘Mothership’ High-Altitude Kites (Source: Aerospace America)
Scientists working on Toyota’s high-altitude kite project believe their latest research has demonstrated these wing-shaped inflatables can be controlled safely and efficiently to gather weather data, relay communications and eventually even generate power. (115)

Space Force Taps Slingshot to Build AI Adversaries for Orbital Wargames (Source: Breaking Defense)
Slingshot Aerospace today announced a $27 million contract to help modernize training of Space Force Guardians, including the use of the company’s TALOS AI to simulate an adversary’s actions during orbital warfare scenarios. Trained on Slingshot’s extensive library of real-world orbital observations, the AI is meant to respond realistically and dynamically to the trainees’ moves in the wargame, the company said, rather than following a rigid, pre-programmed script. (1/15)

Blue Canyon-Built Saturn-200 Satellite Launches for NASA’s Pandora Exoplanet Mission (Source: Military and Aerospace Electronics)
A Saturn-200 minisatellite developed by Blue Canyon Technologies, RTX’s small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, launched this week in support of the NASA Pandora mission, which will study the atmospheres of planets beyond the solar system and the activity of their host stars. (1/15)

NASA Halts Alien Biosignature Hunt (Source: Morning Overview)
NASA has quietly hit pause on what it billed as its first dedicated hunt for alien biosignatures, reacting to fresh data that raised more questions than answers about how to tell life’s fingerprints from nature’s noise. The abrupt halt does not mean the search for extraterrestrial biology is over, but it does signal a reset in how aggressively the agency is willing to interpret tantalizing signals. (1/14)

To Study the Moon's Ancient Ice, We First Have to Pollute It (Source: Universe Today)
There is a fundamental tension in space exploration that has created ongoing debates for decades. By creating the infrastructure we need to explore other worlds, we damage them in some way, making them either less scientifically interesting or less “pristine,” which some would argue, in itself, is a bad thing. A new paper available in JGR Planets, from Francisca Paiva, a physicist at Instituto Superior Técnico, and Silvio Sinibaldi, the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) planetary protection officer, argues that, in the Moon’s case at least, the problem is even worse than we originally thought.

Their paper looks at how methane, one of the primary exhaust gases used in the descent and launch of landers on the Moon, is spread across its surface. In particular, it checks how this organic compound might be collected in Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) that are believed to house pristine ice from the formation of the solar system, which could provide insights into the prebiotic molecules that were common in the solar system before the development of life on Earth. (1/14)

'Reborn' Black Hole Awakens After 100 Million Years of Silence (Source: Phys.org)
One of the most vivid portraits of "reborn" black hole activity—likened to the eruption of a "cosmic volcano" spreading almost 1 million light-years across space—has been captured in a gigantic radio galaxy. The dramatic scene was uncovered when astronomers spotted the supermassive black hole at the heart of J1007+3540 restarting its jet emission after nearly 100 million years of silence. Radio images revealed the galaxy locked in a messy, chaotic struggle between the black hole's newly ignited jets and the crushing pressure of the massive galaxy cluster in which it resides. (1/15)

Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard Mission NS-38, Slated for January 22 (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin announced the crew and launch date for New Shepard Mission NS-38. Liftoff from Launch Site One in West Texas is slated for January 22.
The crew includes Tim Drexler, Linda Edwards, Alain Fernandez, Alberto Gutiérrez, Jim Hendren, and Andrew Yaffe. To date, Blue Origin has flown 92 humans (86 individuals) above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. (1/16)

Space Force Recommits to Future Command Creation (Source: FNN)
The US Space Force is moving forward with plans to establish Futures Command to guide force design, although the initiative has been delayed to ensure alignment with the Trump administration's priorities. "We're not just enhancing the Space Force, we're actually creating one," said Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations. "And that's been a real challenge." (1/15)

Industry Awaits Space Force Guidance on Maneuverable Satellite Refueling (Source: Aerospace America)
As space becomes an increasingly kinetic and contested warfighting domain, the U.S. military has its eye on technologies that would allow satellites to maneuver in geostationary orbit. Key to these ambitions is the nascent industry focused on a host of on-orbit servicing activities, including satellite refueling. But even as these technologies continue to mature, the service has yet to make significant investments in acquiring refuelable satellites and the support infrastructure they’d require. (1/16)

Space Funding Picture Mixed Heading into 2026 (Source: AIAA)
The future of U.S. research funding was debated Tuesday at AIAA SciTech Forum, where academic, industry, and startup space leaders expressed cautious optimism for America’s science and technology innovation pipeline. The budget picture for NASA and the U.S. Space Force in 2025 saw yearlong continuing resolutions and DOGE canceling or pausing contracts, which together “make it difficult to talk about 2026 relative to 2025,” said Carissa Christensen, founder and CEO of BryceTech. (1/16)

Spaceflight Study Links Astronaut Biology to Reversible Shifts in Epigenetic Age (Source: Space Daily)
When the four member crew of Axiom 2 launched on a 10 day mission in May 2023, their time in orbit carried a dense manifest of biomedical experiments aimed at probing human physiology under spaceflight conditions. A new analysis uses blood samples from that mission to position spaceflight as a model system for studying biological aging and cellular resilience, and to explore how extreme environmental stressors reshape the molecular signatures of age. Astronauts are exposed simultaneously to microgravity, ionizing radiation, disrupted circadian rhythms and social isolation, a combination of stressors that is difficult to reproduce on Earth and that provides a natural testbed for aging biology. (1/14)

NASA Reports Record Heat but Omits Reference to Climate Change (Source: Space Daily)
Don't say the c-word. Global temperatures soared in 2025, but a NASA statement published Wednesday alongside its latest benchmark annual report makes no reference to climate change, in line with President Donald Trump's push to deny the reality of planetary heating as a result of human activities. That marks a sharp break from last year's communications, issued under the administration of Democrat Joe Biden, which stated plainly: "This global warming has been caused by human activities" and has led to intensifying "heat waves, wildfires, intense rainfall and coastal flooding."

Last year's materials also featured lengthy quotes from the then-NASA chief and a senior scientist and included graphics and a video. By contrast, this year's release only runs through a few key facts and figures, and totals six paragraphs. (1/14)

NASA Back for Seconds with New Food System Design Challenge (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is getting ready to send four astronauts around the Moon with Artemis II, laying the foundation for sustainable missions to the lunar surface and paving the way for human exploration on Mars. As the agency considers deep space endeavors that could last months or years, it must develop ways to feed astronauts beyond sending supplies from Earth. That is why NASA is launching the Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, a new global competition inviting chefs, innovators, culinary experts, higher-education students, and citizen scientists to design a complete, Earth-independent food system for long-duration space missions. (1/14)

GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin Demonstrate Rotating Detonation Ramjet (Source: Lockheed Martin)
GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin completed a series of engine tests demonstrating the viability of a liquid-fueled rotating detonation ramjet for use in hypersonic missiles, the first initiative between the companies under a broader joint technology development arrangement. Their compact design enables increased fuel or payload capacity and lowers the cost of production. (1/14)

Parsons Buys Altamira for $375 Million to Expand Space and Intelligence Portfolio (Source: Space News)
Parsons, a Chantilly, Virginia-based defense and intelligence contractor, said it paid $330 million in cash at closing, with an additional $45 million earn-out payable in the first quarter of 2027 if Altamira meets certain earnings targets in 2026. Altamira brings technical depth in analyzing space-based sensor data, particularly missile warning satellite feeds, and in fusing information from multiple intelligence sources to support national security missions. (1/16)

Kraus Becomes Special Assistant at NASA (Source: LinkedIn)
John Kraus, a Florida photographer attached to multiple Jared Isaacman commercial spaceflight missions, is now NASA's Special Communications Assistant to the Administrator, a full-time position with the agency. (1/16)

China Goes All-In on Reusable Rockets (Source: Douglas Messier)
In December, two Chinese companies — LandSpace and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation — launched the partially reusable Zhuque-3 and Long March 12A rockets for the first time. While neither first stage stuck the landing, both achieved orbit. China was just getting started. Seven new launch vehicles that are likely to debut this year are designed to reuse their first stages. By the end of 2026, China could have more different types of reusable launch vehicles than the United States. Some of them look very familiar. (1/16)

Congress Passes NASA Spending Bill (Source: Space News)
Congress has passed a spending bill that largely rejected proposed steep cuts at NASA. The Senate passed the minibus appropriations bill on a 82-15 vote Thursday, a week after the House overwhelmingly passed the measure. The bill includes $24.4 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2026, slightly less than what it received in 2025 but far more than the $18.8 billion requested by the White House in May. It restores funding for science and space operations close to 2025 levels. However, the bill accepts NASA’s proposal to cancel the Mars Sample Return program, directing some funding to technologies that could be used for future Mars missions. (1/16)

Japan's Interstellar Raises $130 Million (Source: Space News)
Japanese launch startup Interstellar Technologies has closed a $130 million funding round. The company announced Friday it closed the round with a mix of debt and equity from new and returning investors. Interstellar says the funds will allow it to continue work on Zero, a small launch vehicle slated for its first flight in 2027, as well as ramping up manufacturing capabilities for the rocket and development of satellite systems. (1/16)

TrustPoint Demos NavSat System in Orbit (Source: Space News)
A startup developing a low Earth orbit navigation satellite system has completed a key technology demonstration. TrustPoint said it has successfully transmitted time and tracking signals from a ground station to a spacecraft in orbit, marking a key step in its effort to build a GPS-independent system. The ground station was developed to support TrustPoint’s own proposed constellation. Interest in non-GPS positioning, navigation and timing, known as PNT, has grown as military and commercial satellite operators face interference in conflict zones. (1/16)

China Conducts Four Launches in Three Days (Source: Space News)
China conducted its fourth launch in three days on Thursday. A Ceres-1S rocket, operated by Galactic Energy, lifted off at 3:10 p.m. Eastern from a converted sea platform off the coast from Shandong province. The rocket placed into orbit four satellites for the Tianqi internet-of-things constellation. The mission marks a return-to-flight for the Ceres-1 small launcher following a launch failure in November 2025 stemming from an anomaly affecting the fourth stage. Galactic Energy is also preparing for the first launch of its larger Ceres-2 as soon as late Friday from the Jiuquan spaceport. (1/16)

Portal Space Systems Adopts Shielding Material From Atomic-6 (Source: Space News)
Portal Space Systems will use new shielding material from another startup on an upcoming spacecraft. Portal said it will use Space Armor, a protective material developed by Atomic-6, on its Starburst-1 spacecraft launching in October. Space Armor is designed to be an alternative to metallic Whipple shields traditionally used on spacecraft to protect them from micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts. This will be the first in-orbit demonstration of Space Armor after a series of ground tests showed the material could withstand impacts of small particles at orbital velocities without fracturing and creating debris. (1/16)

SES Goes Into Satellite Manufacturing (Source: Luxembourg Times)
Satellite operator SES plans to get more involved in satellite manufacturing. The company is creating a manufacturing facility in Luxembourg where it will work with Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space on ways to customize satellites to meet SES’s needs. SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said his company recently hired a head of manufacturing from an American firm as part of efforts to speed up production of payloads for its satellites. “We will be moving from an operator into an industrial player,” he said at an event Thursday. (1/16)

Cruz Pushes Accelerated NASA Work on Commercial Space Stations (Source: Ars Technica)
A key senator wants NASA to accelerate work on commercial space stations. At an event this week by a Texas space industry group, a staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Cruz has made it “painfully clear” he wants NASA to ensure that there is no gap between the end of the International Space Station and the introduction of commercial stations. NASA has a program to support work on those stations, but that effort has been in transition since August after the agency’s acting administrator at the time, Sean Duffy, announced the agency would revamp its approach. NASA has yet to release a final revised call for proposal for the next phase of that program. (1/16)

Ryanair Shuns Starlink (Source: Business Insider)
While many airlines are lining up to install Starlink on their aircraft, one says it’s not interested. Michael O’Leary, CEO of European low-cost carrier Ryanair, said he has ruled out Starlink, claiming customers are not interested in in-flight connectivity on flights averaging just one hour. He added that installing the antennas on its aircraft would create drag that causes a 2% loss in fuel efficiency. SpaceX disputed those claims, noting that the Starlink antenna has a much lower profile that traditional aircraft satellite antennas, reducing the fuel efficiency loss to 0.3%. Elon Musk warned that Ryanair “will lose customers to airlines that do have internet.” That promoted a riposte from O’Leary: “He’s an idiot. Very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot.” (1/16)