January 19, 2026

ispace Announces Tokyo Headquarters Relocation (Source: ispace)
ispace, a global lunar exploration company, announced plans to consolidate its Tokyo locations and relocate its head office to a new location in the city’s central Nihonbashi section. ispace established its Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi in 2020, followed by relocating its headquarters to Nihonbashi in 2021. During this period, ispace has grown to approximately 190 members, or about 1.7 times the original size and in April 2023, became a listed company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. (1/16)

ArianeGroup Accelerates its Growth in the United States Establishing Sodern America (Source: ArianeGroup)
ArianeGroup announced the creation of its subsidiary, Sodern America, to develop its space equipment manufacturing activity in the United States. Building on an established commercial foothold in the US space market, Sodern America marks ArianeGroup's first industrial presence on American soil. ArianeGroup is the prime contractor for Europe's Ariane 6 launcher and the M51 strategic missile.

This expansion will support the group's fast-growing equipment manufacturing activity in this market. "This first foothold on American soil opens up strong growth prospects for several fast-growing activities at ArianeGroup and its subsidiaries, including star trackers, satellite propulsion, and carbon components.” (1/15)

The Future of Space Medicine Research (Source: Cedars Sinai)
Astronaut Peggy Whitson, PhD, has spent more time in space than any astronaut in America. She recently visited Cedars-Sinai as part of its Regenerative Medicine Seminar Series. Whitson, a biochemist with more than 38 years of space and science experience at NASA, is currently vice president of Human Spaceflight for Axiom Space. Click here. (1/15) 

Space Force Teams with Universities to Advance Sonic Boom Research in California (Source: USSF)
As space launches increase in frequency, Vandenberg SFB is strengthening its efforts to balance national defense priorities with community and environmental stewardship. Through a pioneering research collaboration with Brigham Young University (BYU), California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), and other partners, the base is advancing the study of rocket launch ascent acoustics and sonic booms, ensuring that the pursuit of space launch advancement aligns with responsible environmental and community considerations. (1/14)

China Launches Yaogan-50 01 into Retrograde Orbit (Source: Integrity Flash)
China on Jan. 13 launched a Long March-6A with the Yaogan-50 01 (67433) from the inland Taiyuan spaceport. According to official sources, the satellite “will be used for national land surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and mitigation,” which is the generic description China uses for imagery satellites. China placed YG-50 01 into an unusual retrograde orbit with an inclination of 142°. In retrograde orbit the satellite moves from East to West over the surface of the Earth…opposite of the Earth’s rotation.

The effect is to increase the relative velocity (ground speed) of the satellite in relation to the Earth’s surface. Relative velocity is an important factor for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery…the greater the relative velocity the better potential imagery resolution. This orbit suggests a SAR imagery capability. To reach this retrograde orbit China launched the LM-6A westward from Taiyuan and over Northwest India. China continued its unfortunate pattern of leaving the rocket's upper stage in orbit with an apogee of 831km and perigee of 546km ensuring it will remain a hazard to other spacecraft for years to come. (1/19)

Polish Lawmakers Request Military to Establish Suborbital Spaceport (Source: Militarnye)
Members of Poland’s Sejm have submitted an interpellation to the Ministry of National Defense proposing the creation of a suborbital rocket spaceport. The Central Air Force Training Range in Ustka has been identified as the most viable location. According to the Polish media Space24, a group of MPs formally asked the defense minister to consider establishing a permanent launch site for suborbital rockets in Poland. The request was submitted in late December 2025.

The lawmakers say Poland has a historic opportunity to join the group of countries with their own suborbital launch facilities. They argue that the rapid growth of the national space sector – both civilian and military – along with the development of domestic technologies, requires dedicated infrastructure that would enable access to space from Polish territory. (1/18)

Damaged Shenzhou Capsule Returns to Earth From TSS (Source: Xinhua)
An uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft that suffered damage while in orbit successfully returned Sunday night. The Shenzhou-20 capsule landed in Inner Mongolia at 8:34 p.m. Eastern after undocking from the Tiangong space station. Shenzhou-20 was to return with its three-person crew in November, but inspections revealed damage to a window caused by a micrometeoroid or orbital debris impact. The Shenzhou-20 crew instead returned on the recently launched Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, and China launched an uncrewed Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to replace it. The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was in good condition after landing, Chinese officials said. (1/19)

China Considers Heliosphere Missions (Source: Space News)
China has published coordinated papers outlining dual missions to the solar system’s edge, suggesting the long-studied project is nearing formal approval. The lead paper in a series published in a Chinese journal outlines a pair of missions to the head and tail of the heliosphere and the boundaries of the solar system. The missions would launch in 2032 and 2033 on separate Long March 5 rockets, using Jupiter gravity assists to go to the outer solar system. The publication of the papers suggests the mission concept is nearing official approval. (1/19)

ISS Crew-11 Back in Houston (Source: NASA)
The four Crew-11 astronauts returned to Houston Friday. The four crewmembers returned to Earth early Thursday, more than a month ahead of schedule, because of a medical condition with one of the four. The astronauts stayed overnight at a San Diego hospital and were discharged as planned Friday, all of them in stable condition. NASA has not revealed any details about the medical condition that caused the early return. The four will participate in a NASA press conference on Wednesday. (1/19)

Revolutionizing Astronaut Fitness for Deep Space Missions (Source: ESA)
As we prepare for missions beyond Earth orbit, one crucial challenge remains: keeping astronauts healthy in microgravity. Without daily exercise, their muscles, bones and cardiovascular systems weaken, which could impact mission success and astronaut safety, especially in destinations such as the Moon or Mars, where crew will have to operate autonomously immediately after landing. This is why ESA has developed the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D) – a compact, versatile in-flight exercise system designed to ensure astronauts stay strong and ready for the physical demands of returning to Earth or working on other planetary surfaces. (1/16)

PSLV Failure Has Stalled India’s Space Policy (Source: The Print)
ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV, has suffered two consecutive failures within eight months. These are anomalies for a rocket revered as the Indian Space Research Organization's most reliable workhorse. They are fueling deep concerns about the ripple effects on India’s space sector and its broader ambitions. (1/19)

Space Sector Eyes Further Investment Growth in 2026 After Record Year (Source: Reuters)
Global investment in space ‌technology is poised to climb further in 2026, propelled by government spending on defense-linked satellite systems and private sector bets on launch capacity, investment firm Seraphim Space said on Monday. Space infrastructure is being increasingly viewed as a strategic national priority, with countries ‌competing for investments to secure a geopolitical advantage. Investors expect the funding momentum to be driven by spending on sovereign satellite and missile-defense systems, integration of AI into space hardware and analytics, and the prospect ‍of a SpaceX IPO, Seraphim Space said. (1/19)

Spacecoin Signs Strategic Agreements with Governments, Telcos, and Industry Partners to Advance Permissionless Connectivity (Source: Medium)
As Spacecoin continues its mission for global, permissionless internet connectivity through our decentralized satellite network, we’re excited to share the significant momentum we’ve built to test our technology with strategic partners across key regions. Space Telecommunications Inc (STI), the legal and regulatory entity behind Spacecoin, has secured strategic agreements with governments, telecommunications players, and industry partners in Africa and Asia to test Spacecoin’s technology under real-world conditions. (1/14)

Small Businesses in Japan Launch Crowdfunding Campaign for Lunar Exploration Robot (Source: IOL)
A group of small and midsize companies based in Higashiosaka is crowdfunding the development of a lunar exploration robot, with the aim of launching the device by around 2030. The group, named Sohla, is an organization comprising businesses based in the renowned manufacturing city. In 2009, Sohla successfully launched a small satellite called the "Maido 1."

It hopes that sending the "Maido 2" to the moon will prove once again that even small enterprises "can aim to reach space." Sohla was established in 2002 and has expanded to include companies based outside Osaka Prefecture. The Maido 2, a spherical robot, will collect data while hopping along the moon's surface. The robot's leg structure uses springs made from a shape-memory alloy that returns to its original form when heated. (1/19)

Space Force Ends ‘Resilient GPS’ Satellite Program (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force has ended an exploratory effort to add smaller, lower-cost navigation satellites to bolster the Global Positioning System, shelving a program that had been identified as a priority. (1/19)

Spaceport America is a Strategic Asset for New Mexico’s Next Economy (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
When New Mexico debates budgets and priorities, Spaceport America is often reduced to slogans: “white elephant,” “boondoggle,” “shut it down.” Skepticism is understandable. Taxpayers deserve proof, not promises. But if we are going to debate Spaceport America’s value, we should do it with facts and current data — because the state of the spaceport today is not what many assume.

To provide an objective measure of Spaceport America’s contribution, New Mexico State University’s Center for Border Economic Development (C-BED) analyzed the spaceport’s economic impact across calendar years 2019 through 2024. The results show a significant and growing impact. In calendar year 2023, C-BED estimates Spaceport America supported 985 jobs and generated approximately $266 million in economic output. Across the six-year period studied, total value-added production reached $491 million, nearly half a billion dollars associated with spaceport-related activity. (1/18)

China Previews How Powerful its New Xuntian Space Telescope Will Be Ahead of 2027 Launch (Source: Space.com)
China is getting close to launching a large space telescope to orbit along with its Tiangong space station, and scientists have just completed a full observation simulation in preparation. The bus-sized Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) — also known as Xuntian, or "surveying the heavens" — is being readied for a launch as soon as early 2027. It features a 6.6-foot-wide (2 meters) primary mirror, slightly smaller than that of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Xuntian will, however, be a much more capable sky survey instrument, according to Chinese space officials. It carries a 2.5-billion-pixel camera and boasts a field of view around 300 times larger than the venerable Hubble, surveying the sky from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths and delivering high spatial resolution imagery. (1/19)

The Race to Build a Super-Large Ground Telescope is Likely Down to Two Competitors (Source: Ars Technica)
An international consortium to build the Thirty Meter Telescope in Hawaii ran into local protests that have bogged down development. Its future came further into question when the US National Science Foundation dropped support for the project in favor of the Giant Magellan Telescope. Meanwhile the European Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) has advanced on a faster schedule, and this 39.5-meter telescope could observe its first light in 2029.

This leaves the Magellan telescope. Originally backers of the GMT intended it to be fully operational by now, but it has faced funding and technology challenges. It has a price tag of approximately $2 billion, and although it is smaller than the European project, the 25.4-meter telescope now represents the best avenue for US-based astronomy to remain competitive in the field. (1/19)

What Isar Aerospace’s Second Flight Really Signals for Europe (Source: Spacewatch Global)
From Andøya, above the Arctic Circle, Isar Aerospace used a pre-launch press briefing on 19th January 2026 to do far more than talk about a rocket. Just days before its second launch attempt, CEO and co-founder Daniel Metzler framed Spectrum’s upcoming flight as a stress test not only of hardware, but of Europe’s credibility as a space power. (1/19)