February 6, 2026

China Provides Glimpse of Colossal Orbital Aircraft Carrier (Source: Futurism)
Last weekend, a China Central Television YouTube channel shared a video showing off some recent developments in autonomous aerial vehicles. One segment of the video, however, showcased a conceptual spacecraft called the Luan Niao, an orbital mothership designed to launch uncrewed fighter drones and “hyper-ballistic missiles” from the edge of space. The Luan Niao design specs point to a behemoth spaceship that would measure nearly 800 feet nose-to-tail and span some 2,244 feet in width. With that size, designers say it could weigh as much as 120,000 tons, with a payload of 88 “Xuan Nu” autonomous fighter drones that operate in the upper limits of the stratosphere. (2/4)

Space-Based Interceptors Make Even Less Sense Now (Source: Defense One)
The rationale behind Golden Dome’s mandate for space-based boost-phase defense made some sense. If orbiting interceptors could hit an enemy missile very early in flight—before it could deploy countermeasures—they would avoid the Achilles’ heel of defense systems that target missiles in midcourse. But now the Pentagon and contractors are proposing to also use space-based interceptors for midcourse defense, which would jack up the cost while defeating the purpose of going to space in the first place.

Today’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, system and its 44 ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California are designed to intercept warheads during their 30-minute travel through space. But in outer space, lightweight decoys follow the same trajectory as the heavier warheads—preventing the defense from identifying and destroying the true warhead. Any country that can build a long-range missile and nuclear warhead can also build decoys and other countermeasures, creating a defensive problem that remains unsolved.

One response to this problem is to focus on a different portion of a missile’s flight: its boost phase, when its rocket motors are burning and before it deploys countermeasures. But the boost phase lasts only about three minutes. The only way to station interceptors close enough to every possible launch point in “peer, near-peer, and rogue” countries is to put them in space. And “to station” is a misnomer that conceals the true difficulty and massive resource consumption of creating an effective boost-phase defense. (2/3)

China Takes Big Step Toward Developing ‘Starlink Killer’ Weapon with Compact High-Power Microwave (Source: Independent)
Chinese scientists have developed a compact ultra-powerful energy generator, paving the way for next-generation weapons that could one day be turned on satellite swarms like SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. High-power microwave weapons have gained traction in recent years as a low-cost alternative to missiles and guns due to their near-unlimited firing capacity. Researchers in the US, Russia, and China in particular have all been investigating whether the technology could be developed into directed-energy weapons that can disrupt satellites. (2/6)

Morpheus Space Receives $15 Million (Source: Via Satellite)
German manufacturer Morpheus Space said it received a $15 million investment to expand production of its in-space propulsion system from a space-based venture capital firm and the European Union’s investment arm. The funding will be used to expand capabilities at its mass production facility in Dresden. The facility currently produces 100 units of the company’s proprietary GO-2 electric propulsion systems. (2/5)

Giant Star is Changing Before Our Eyes and Astronomers are Watching (Source: The Conversation)
For decades, astronomers have been watching WOH G64, an enormous heavyweight star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy visible with the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere. This star is more than 1,500 times larger than the Sun and emitting over 100,000 times more energy. For a long time, red supergiant WOH G64 looked like a star steadily reaching the end of its life, shedding material and swelling in size as it began to run out of fuel.

Astronomers didn’t think its final demise would happen anytime soon, because no-one has ever seen a known red supergiant die. But in recent years astronomers – including our team working with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) – discovered that this star has started to change, growing dimmer than before and seemingly warmer. This has surprised scientists and suggests the star’s final stages of life may be more complicated, and perhaps unfold faster, than once thought. (2/5)

German Firm to Build Two-Stage Hypersonic Plane with Horizontal Takeoff and Landing (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Germany has awarded Polaris Spaceplanes a contract to develop and flight test a two-stage reusable hypersonic test vehicle that could double up as a spaceplane. The concept, built under the Hypersonic Test and Experimentation Vehicle (HYTEV) program, was first developed between 2024 and 2025. Under the new agreement, it is scheduled to be flight-ready by the end of 2027. (2/5)

Trump Administration Could Pour Trillions Into Golden Dome That is Unlikely to Work (Source: FNN)
The Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense system could cost taxpayers as much as $3.6 trillion over the next 20 years — far exceeding the White House’s $175 billion estimate — and still fail to deliver on its central promise to protect the United States from nuclear threats.

In a new report, Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog organization, argues that some of the technological challenges for the project are likely “insurmountable.” “If Golden Dome could guarantee our security for nuclear weapons, one could argue that these astronomical costs would be worth it, but from all these viability problems and the history of failed attempts, it’s very clear that it won’t,” said Gabe Murphy. (2/5)

Administration Moves to Strip Federal Workforce Protections (Source: FNN)
An estimated 50,000 career federal employees will soon be easier to fire and will lose their ability to appeal disciplinary actions, in the Trump administration’s latest step to overhaul the federal workforce. The Office of Personnel Management on Thursday issued a final rule on “Schedule Policy/Career” — a new classification of government employment that, once fully implemented, will exempt tens of thousands of federal employees in “policy-influencing” positions from long-standing civil service protections. (2/5)

Musk Says it's Hard to Convince Engineers with Families to Move to SpaceX's 'Technology Monastery' in Texas (Source: Business Insider)
Musk, the CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla, said married technicians, engineers, and scientists have struggled to bring their families to certain parts of Texas. The problem is most acute at SpaceX's south Texas launch site and headquarters, known as Starbase. "I call it the 'significant other' problem," Musk said. "For Starbase, that was particularly difficult, since the odds of finding a non-SpaceX job are pretty low." (2/5)

SpaceX xAI Merger Insulates SpaceX (Source: Reuters)
The merger of SpaceX with xAI is structured in a way to largely insulate SpaceX from the artificial intelligence and social media company. The deal is set up so that xAI remains a wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX rather than fully integrating the companies. Doing so means that xAI's debt and legal liabilities remain separate from SpaceX, which could protect SpaceX from any legal action taken against xAI. The arrangement also has financial benefits, allowing SpaceX to avoid repaying xAI debt and allowing shareholders to avoid taxes. (2/6)

SpaceX Acquires Norwegian Producer of Composite Tanks (Source: Hexagon Purus)
SpaceX has acquired Norwegian company Hexagon Purus' aerospace business, Hexagon Masterworks for $15 million. That unit produces high-pressure composite storage cylinders for aerospace and space launch applications in North America. Hexagon Purus said that unit reached a stage where "an industrial owner with a dedicated aerospace focus is deemed to best support its future," adding that potential other applications of those products for hydrogen-fueled vehicles had not materialized. (2/6)

Astronauts Can Now Bring Smartphones to ISS (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA astronauts will get to take their smartphones on their missions. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said late Wednesday a new policy, which will take effect in time for the upcoming Crew-12 and Artemis 2 missions, will allow astronauts to use the "latest smartphones" on their flights. Isaacman said the agency "challenged long-standing processes and qualified modern hardware for spaceflight on an expedited timeline." He did not disclose the specific smartphones astronauts will be able to use. (2/6)

Tomorrow.io Raises $175 Million for Weather Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
Tomorrow.io has raised $175 million to fund work on a new weather satellite constellation. The company announced the new round this week, led by Stonecourt Capital and HarbourVest, to fund DeepSky, a satellite constellation designed for gathering vast quantities of atmospheric data for artificial intelligence models. The company operates a set of cubesats that collect weather data with a 60-minute global revisit time. In January, it announced DeepSky, involving larger satellites with new instruments. (2/6)

Golden Dome to Demonstrate Risk-Tolerant Acquisition (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon sees the Golden Dome missile defense initiative as a way to demonstrate a more risk-tolerant approach to acquisition. Marcia Holmes, the deputy director of the Golden Dome program, said at a conference Thursday that the program is being used deliberately to test acquisition reforms championed by the Trump administration. The goal, she said, is to move away from what officials see as an overly cautious procurement culture that has slowed the delivery of advanced capabilities. She added that Golden Dome is being used internally to rethink how the Pentagon staffs and manages major programs. (2/6)

NASA Picks STRIVE and EDGE for Earth Science (Source: Space News)
NASA has selected two Earth science missions for development. The agency said Thursday it picked Stratosphere-Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically resolved light Explorer, or STRIVE, and the Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer, or EDGE, as the first Earth System Explorer missions. STRIVE will provide daily measurements of atmospheric temperature, composition and aerosol properties from the upper troposphere to the mesosphere.

EDGE will use a laser altimeter to make three-dimensional measurements of terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, and map surface features on glaciers and other icy terrain. The missions are the first for the Earth System Explorer program, a line of competitively selected Earth science missions with higher cost caps that smallsat missions but less expensive than directed missions. Each mission has a cost cap excluding launch of $355 million, with launch no earlier than 2030. (2/6)

China Readies Mngzhou Capsule Test Flight (Source: Space News)
China is days away from an in-flight abort test of its Mengzhou crewed spacecraft. Airspace closures indicate a launch on the evening of Feb. 10 (U.S. time) from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center. The launch will use a Long March 10A rocket carrying a prototype Mengzhou spacecraft, which will separate from the rocket near maximum dynamic pressure to test the performance of its abort system. A successful test would pave the way for a potential first full mission of Mengzhou and the Long March 10A rocket to low Earth orbit and even a visit to the Tiangong space station later this year. (2/6)

Voyager Partners with Max Space on Expandable Module Tech for Moon (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies is partnering with Max Space on expandable module technologies for lunar exploration. The companies announced a strategic partnership Thursday to leverage the expandable modules Max Space is developing and Voyager's space technology expertise on concepts such as lunar habitats. The companies said they are working toward an in-space demonstration of the concept by the end of the decade. Voyager separately announced earlier this week a "strategic lunar initiative" using technologies it has that could be used to meet a new goal, included in a space policy executive order in December, of establishing the initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. (2/6)

Quindar to Provide Mission Management Software for Starfish (Source: Space News)
Quindar will provide its mission management software to satellite servicing company Starfish Space. Under an agreement announced Thursday, Quindar will provide software to manage and automate operations for Starfish's initial Otter missions, which are expected to begin launching this year. Financial terms were not disclosed. Quindar offers a cloud-hosted platform that allows satellite operators to track spacecraft, send commands and automate routine ground operations as an alternative to traditional custom-built control systems. (2/6)

Russia Launches Classified Mission on Soyuz-2.1b From Plesetsk (Source: Russian Space Web)
Russia launched a classified mission on its first launch of the year Thursday. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Russian officials did not disclose the payload for the launch, but it appears to include multiple satellites on a classified mission. (2/6)

FAA Approves Starship Launches From LC-39A, Complex Now Devoted to Starship and Falcon Heavy (Source: Space News)
The FAA has approved Starship launches from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. The FAA released a final environmental impact statement and record of decision for SpaceX's proposal for up to 44 Starship launches annually from LC-39A, along with 44 landings each of the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage. The FAA concluded that the benefits of the launches outweighed any concerns about noise or impacts on air traffic. SpaceX is moving Falcon 9 launches from the existing pad at LC-39A to nearby SLC-40, devoting LC-39A for Falcon Heavy and Starship. (2/6)

For Space Structures: Architecture Before Optimization (Source: DIA)
Over the years, working across engineering, aerospace, and advanced infrastructure projects, we’ve learned an important lesson: even the most skilled teams can struggle when early decisions aren’t guided by clarity. We’ve seen projects stall not because the people involved lacked knowledge or effort, but because complexity was underestimated or choices were delayed. In one NASA related project, for example, months were spent refining subsystem details before the overall architecture was fully understood. Even with talented engineers and advanced tools, progress slowed, and rework became inevitable.

In complex technological fields, particularly aerospace, advanced infrastructure, and extreme-environments, time is often the most constrained resource. Funding windows are finite, technologies mature rapidly, and opportunities are frequently won or lost long before a system reaches traditional development milestones. Many advanced projects do not fail because of a lack of ambition or information. They stall because too many decisions are postponed, or because teams attempt to optimize too early within an undefined system. (1/16)

Airbus Makes the Case for Space Merger with Thales & Leonardo, and Also Makes the Case Against It (Source: Space Intel Report)
Airbus Defence and Space Chief Executive Michael Schoellhorn had the stage all to himself Jan. 28 at the 18th European Space Conference here and could have defended the proposed merger of the Airbus, Thales and Leonardo space divisions any way he wanted. In the event, Schoellhorn inadvertently veered close to making the case that the merger is no longer needed given the large funding commitments Europe’s governments have made to the space sector in recent months. (2/2)

Voyager Technologies CEO Says Space Data Center Cooling Problem Still Needs to be Solved (Source: CNBC)
Voyager Technologies CEO Dylan Taylor said two years would be an “aggressive” timeframe for space data centers and cooling remains a problem for the developing technology. While SpaceX has the heavy lift rockets to bring components to space, Taylor told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan that the lack of a cooling solution to transfer the heat remains a major barrier. (2/6)

ULA Offloads First Vulcan Rocket at Vandenberg at it Preps its Next Cape Launch (Source: Spaceflight Now)
United Launch Alliance is staging rockets at launch complexes on both the West Coast and the East Coast for the first time since November 2022. On Tuesday, the company announced the arrival of its transport barge, called the R/S Rocket Ship, at a port at Vandenberg Space Force Base. There it offloaded the booster and upper stages for the first Vulcan rocket that will fly from California. (2/6)

Israel Readies Space 'Surprises' for Next Conflicts (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Israel is quietly developing new space‑based capabilities designed to give the country an edge in the next war with Iran, said Avi Berger, head of the Space Office at the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development (MAFAT). Speaking during Israel’s Space Week, Berger said the lessons of recent conflicts have pushed Israel to accelerate innovation in orbit.

 “We knew right away that we had to build and create new surprises for the next war,” he said. “Whatever was deployed in June won’t be enough next time. The IDF now has new capabilities – and we can’t forget that the enemy will be different next time around, too.” (2/3)

SpaceX Rivals AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab Join Space-Stock Selloff (Source: Market Watch)
Space stocks are having a rough week, with SpaceX rivals AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab taking some of the biggest hits. The share price for AST SpaceMobile, which is building a satellite cellular broadband network, fell more than 10% on Wednesday as AT&T linked up with Amazon Web Services and Amazon Leo, the company’s satellite-internet business formerly known as Kuiper. (2/4)

NASA’s Next Space Suit for Artemis Has Out-of-This-World Mobility (Source: Scientific American)
A space suit isn’t so much an outfit as an anthropomorphic spacecraft. One designed for lunar surface operations must protect astronauts from perilous cosmic radiation, extreme temperatures, lung-clogging moon dust and the harsh vacuum of space. It must also carry its own supply of air, as well as water for cooling (and the occasional sip), while also having room for carrying equipment astronauts might need while in orbit or exploring other worlds.

Axiom Space, a U.S.-based space infrastructure company, has been developing a space suit for the Artemis III mission since 2022. Like the original Apollo space suits, the AxEMU has been built with the moon’s unique conditions in mind. Whereas Apollo space suits were akin to wearing an inflated balloon that greatly hindered motion, the AxEMU is designed with flexible joints that give astronauts mobility to kneel, jog or even do the splits. Besides allowing space-suit-clad astronauts to fit within multiple different vehicles, the AxEMU’s enhanced range of motion should also make working on the lunar surface easier.

The new suit’s unique joints are shaping up to be a major advancement over previous space suits, but the AxEMU’s relatively high weight is still a cause for concern. Axiom Space has not revealed the exact weight of its new suit, but it is more than that of previous space suits, including the Apollo suits, which weighed nearly 200 pounds on Earth. Even under the low gravity of the moon, wearing several hundred pounds still feels heavy and could even cause injuries. (2/5)

Life-Friendly Molecules Are Leaking Out of Jupiter's Giant Moon Europa, Galileo (Source: Live Science)
A new finding of ammonia on the icy surface of Jupiter's moon Europa could have important implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. Al Emran, a researcher with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, spotted ammonia on the surface of Europa while looking through old data from the Galileo mission, which studied Jupiter and its moons from 1995 to 2003. (2/4)

Ranked: Countries Spending the Most on Research and Development (Source: Visual Capitalist)
For decades, the U.S. stood as the global leader in research and development (R&D) spending, however, China is increasingly challenging the scientific balance of power. Backed by rapid growth and strategic investment, China’s share of global R&D has surged from 4.0% in 2000 to 27.4% in 2024. South Korea and India are also increasing their R&D presence, helping push Asia to the forefront of global innovation.

China ranks first globally, spending $785.9 billion on R&D in 2024. Much of that investment is shaped by China’s centralized funding model, where a large share of research flows through government labs aligned with national priorities such as energy, biotech, space, and frontier technologies. The U.S. ranks second at $781.8 billion. Unlike China, American R&D is driven primarily by the private sector, with Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta among the world’s largest corporate R&D investors. (2/4)

Space Force Plans to Create Contractor Pool for ‘Physical/Live’ Training Needs in Summer (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force is planning to issue a new contract this summer to create a pool of qualified vendors to help fill Guardian needs for hands-on training in electronic, cyber and orbital warfare — with the latter to eventually involve dedicated satellites on orbit, according to service officials leading the effort. The development of physical/live training capabilities and ranges is one major sub-efforts being pursued by the OTTI program, along with the creation of a digital environment for virtual training, and a basic layer of infrastructure such as modelling and simulation tools and secure facilities. (1/30)

UK Invests in Satellite Timing Infrastructure to Strengthen National Resilience (Source: UK Space)
Through a competitive process, GMV has been selected to enhance the UK’s national capabilities in delivering nationally assured, secure and continuous Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services for critical infrastructure, defense and the broader economy.

GMV is leading the design, development and testing of a Two-Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer (TWSTFT) system under the TOUCAN (TWSTFT Capability Demonstration) project. The contract, funded by the UK Space Agency and supported by the UK National PNT Office, is managed through ESA’s navigation program, NAVISP. (2/3)

Muon Space Ramps Up Multi-Mission Satellite Constellations (Source: Smallsat News)
On February 4, 2026, Muon Space announced a major transition from executing discrete satellite missions to the sustained deployment of multi-mission constellations. This strategic shift follows a period of rapid growth for the Silicon Valley startup, which reported a 100 percent year-over-year revenue increase for the second consecutive year. To support this operational scale-up, Muon Space has expanded its production capacity by ten times, now capable of manufacturing up to 500 satellites per year at its 130,000-square-foot facility in San Jose. (2/4)

The Cure for Space Blindness: Why Europe Must Wake Up Before the Lights Go Out (Source: Spacewatch Global)
“Those who are not competitive in orbit will lose sovereignty in key areas on Earth.” Fragmentation vs. Scale: While the U.S. successfully fuses venture capital, aggressive procurement, and national security into a single, high-speed flywheel, Europe is still tripping over its own borders and duplicating efforts across institutions. Our bureaucratic procurement cycles and risk-averse funding models are moving at a 20th-century pace in a 21st-century race. In the current space economy, if you aren’t fast, you’re irrelevant. From launch access to critical technologies, Europe remains vulnerable exactly where it needs autonomy most. (2/5)

Out with EVs, In With Spaceflight (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Green pundits can still be heard insisting China has seized a strategic high ground in solar. But the conviction is noticeably leaking from their voices. Solar panels are useful; they seem less and less strategic by the hour. China’s makers will have to keep cutting prices to find customers in a world of expanding energy options. Those expanding energy options are the real story. Certain green technologies like EVs have become a focus for strategic investment and policy, but private spaceflight represents a better model for strategic industry—one driven by market innovation and profitability rather than government mandates or subsidies. (2/5)

Could a Toxic Chemical in Mars Dirt Help Us Build a Red Planet Base? (Source: Space.com)
Surprisingly, a toxic compound found on Mars could help bacteria produce brick-like substances that could be used to assemble habitats on the Red Planet. In 2025, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science showed how the bacterium Sporosarcina pasteurii, which is commonly found in Earth soils, could help create bricks out of regolith on the moon and Mars. The bacterium produces urea as a waste product, which can then react with calcium to produce calcium carbonate crystals. Then, by mixing these calcium carbonate crystals with guar gum, which is a natural adhesive extracted from guar beans, particles of the local regolith can be bound together to form a brick-like material. (2/5)

Voyager Technologies and Max Space Partner on Lunar Infrastructure (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies and Max Space, a company working on expandable habitats, plan to work together to see how that technology could be used for lunar exploration. (2/5)

Saudi Space Agency Announces Winners of Global ‘DebriSolver’ Competition (Source: Space News)
The Saudi Space Agency announced on Tuesday the names of the winning teams of the global “DebriSolver” competition, one of the flagship initiatives accompanying the Space Debris Conference 2026. Launched by the agency, the competition aims to stimulate scientific innovation and develop practical solutions to address space debris challenges, and enhance the sustainability of the near-Earth space environment. The competition was organized in partnership with several leading international organizations, including Slingshot Aerospace, LeoLabs, Astroscale, and Aldoria. (2/1)

Deep Space, Dim Objects: Why Asteroid Mining Caught the Space Force’s Eye (Source: Space News)
United States national security planners and the Space Force are interested in asteroid mining primarily for the technical solutions the industry is developing, rather than for its potential economic or mineral wealth. Tracking and maneuvering near dim objects in deep space provides critical experience for Space Domain Awareness beyond traditional Earth orbits. And mining requires spacecraft to perform complex proximity operations and maintain stability near low-gravity bodies, which is valuable for future military satellite defense and service missions.

The extreme communication delays in deep space (exemplified by recent missions losing contact) necessitate advances in on-board autonomy that the military can leverage for resilient space systems. Developing technology to process materials in-situ could eventually support long-term military logistics and "gas stations" in space, reducing the need to launch heavy supplies from Earth. (2/5)

The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Splashdown Tests (Source: European Spaceflight)
European space logistics startup The Exploration Company has successfully completed a controlled splashdown test of a subscale prototype of its Nyx spacecraft. Founded in 2021, The Exploration Company is developing a reusable space capsule called Nyx that will initially be used to ferry cargo to and from low Earth orbit destinations. Planned variants of the vehicle will be capable of delivering cargo to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon.

The company is also exploring a crewed variant, saying in June 2025 that it could be operational as early as 2035, a projected timeline that it admitted would be contingent on a “political decision.” At present, however, the company is focused on completing an initial test flight to the International Space Station in 2028 under the European Space Agency’s LEO Cargo Return Services program. A key milestone on the path to that inaugural mission is validating Nyx’s performance during a splashdown. (2/5)

ReOrbit Partners With Google Cloud for Space Data Network (Source: Via Satellite)
Helsinki-based satellite manufacturer ReOrbit is planning a satellite network called Space Cloud, capable of secure data movement and processing, in collaboration with Google Cloud. Space Cloud is designed to use optical signals to link a network of data processing satellites with localized AI compute, creating an orbital data center, ReOrbit said in a Thursday release. (2/5)

February 5, 2026

Raytheon to Rapidly Increase US Missile Production (Source: Defense News)
Raytheon will significantly boost production of several missile systems, including the Tomahawk cruise missiles, Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, and around SM-6, under terms of new Pentagon agreements. The company also plans to boost output of SM-3 IIA and SM-3 IB missile defense interceptors. This acceleration, expected to reach up to four times current production rates, will take place at Raytheon's facilities in Alabama, Arizona, and Massachusetts. (2/4)

Aerospace Program Part of Florida School Funding Package (Source: WFTV)
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-FL, visited Space Coast Junior/Senior High School in Port St. John, Fla., to highlight federal funding for career and technical education, including more than $2 million for an Aviation Assembly and Fabrication Program. The program aims to provide hands-on training in aircraft maintenance and fabrication, preparing students for aerospace careers with employers such as NASA and other space companies. (1/29)

Europe Seeks Unity of Purpose As Space Projects Mushroom (Source: Aviation Week)
Europe has a new space challenge on its hands: keeping a multitude of military initiatives working in tandem. The latest joke among European space officials is that they have gone from having too little money but plenty of time to having plenty of money but not enough time—all because of the threat from Russia and concerns about the U.S. Now there is a new twist: Europe may have gone from too few programs to too many. (2/5)

Space Force Picks L3Harris to Maintain and Upgrade Space Surveillance Radar and Electro-Optical Sensors (Source: Military Aerospace)
U.S. Space Force space surveillance experts needed to maintain and upgrade three key integrated sensors to keep watch on objects orbiting Earth. They found a solution from L3Harris Technologies Inc. Officials of the Space Systems Command at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., announced a $62.7 million order to L3Harris in Colorado Springs for engineering sustainment option year seven of these space-observation sensor systems. (2/5)

Vantor Wins $5.3 Million NGA Contract to Spot Terrain Changes Using Commercial Datellite Data (Source: Space News)
Commercial Earth imaging company Vantor won a contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The $5.3 million contract announced Thursday funds work to detect and deliver automated insights on real-time changes to the Earth's landscape. Under the contract, Vantor, formerly Maxar Intelligence, will combine data from its own satellites with third-party electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar systems to identify changes to physical terrain on the ground, including shifts in infrastructure and land use. The award was made under NGA's Luno program, an effort by the agency to draw on unclassified commercial geospatial intelligence, machine learning and artificial intelligence to support U.S. government analysis. (2/5)

FireSat Adds Orbit-visualization Software to Help Firefighters Plan Around Satellite Passes (Source: Space News)
Developers of wildfire-detection satellites are moving beyond raw data delivery, adding tools that show firefighters and researchers when satellites will actually pass over the areas they are watching. The nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance, which is funding the FireSat constellation, last month awarded a contract of undisclosed value to ExoAnalytic Solutions to build software that visualizes satellite orbits and sensor coverage. (2/5)

A 'Cold Earth' Exoplanet Just 146 Light-Years Away Might be in its Star's Habitable Zone — If it Exists (Source: Space.com)
A possible rocky exoplanet referred to as a 'cold Earth' that could orbit on the outer edge of the habitable zone has been found around a star 146 light-years away. Known as HD 137010b, the exoplanet is considered at this stage to be a candidate world, meaning that its existence has yet to be confirmed. The star is a K-type dwarf, meaning it is a little smaller, dimmer and cooler than our sun, and HD 137010b would receive just 29% of the heat and light that Earth does from our sun. (2/5)

Logos Space Gets FCC Approval for 4000+ Satellite Boradband Constellation (Source: Space News)
Logos Space Services has secured FCC approval to deploy as many as 4,178 low Earth orbit broadband satellites to serve enterprise and government users. The FCC partially granted the application by Logos, clearing operations in K-, Q- and V-band spectrum under certain conditions while deferring and denying parts of its higher-frequency requests. The satellites would operate across seven orbital shells ranging from 870 kilometers to 925 kilometers above Earth, with inclinations spanning 28 to 90 degrees. Logos raised $50 million last year and plans to deploy its first operational satellite in 2027. The company has, under the FCC approval, seven years to deploy half the constellation with the rest in orbit by 2035. (2/5)

House NASA Authorization Advances (Source: Space News)
The House Science Committee advanced a NASA authorization bill Wednesday. The committee unanimously approved the bill after approving more than 40 amendments to it. The amendments cover a range of topics, from exploration and commercial space activities to science and workforce development. One amendment would direct NASA to study raising the orbit of the International Space Station upon retirement rather than deorbiting it. Another amendment, introduced and then withdrawn, would have directed NASA to study the cost and risks of moving the shuttle Discovery from Virginia to Houston. The committee rejected only one amendment, which would have given NASA authorities to operate counter-drone systems at its facilities, after Republican members argued that was an issue better handled by the House Armed Services Committee. The bill now goes to the full House. (2/5)

Morpheus Raises $15 Million (Source: Space News)
Satellite propulsion company Morpheus has raised $15 million. The additional funding will help Morpheus increase production in a German factory that is currently turning out 100 GO-2 electric propulsion systems annually. The GO-2 thruster provides propulsion for smallsats weighing between 10 and 250 kilograms, and can also be used to provide precise maneuvering for larger spacecraft. (2/5)

Tables Turn on Resilient GPS (Source: Space News)
The Resilient GPS (R-GPS) program illustrates the struggles the Pentagon has had developing alternatives to GPS. The program started two years ago as what the Department of the Air Force called an urgent priority to develop lower-cost satellites that could broadcast civil GPS signals, providing redundancy to existing GPS satellites. R-GPS faced resistance from Congress, though, unconvinced the satellites would improve resilience and noting they would not broadcast M-Code signals. Now, however, the dynamic has reversed, with the Space Force electing not to seek funding to continue the program but Congress adding $15 million for it in the final 2026 spending bill. Space Force officials said they would work with Congress to determine how to best spend the funding provided for R-GPS. (2/5)

Viridian Gets Five Year AFRL CRADA for VLEO (Source: Space News)
Viridian, a startup developing propulsion systems for very low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellites, signed an agreement with the Air Force Research Lab. The five-year cooperative research and development agreement will give Viridian access to testing facilities and satellite-operations expertise at AFRL's Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The startup is working on an air-breathing electric propulsion system that ingests the atmosphere at an altitude between 200 and 300 kilometers to feed a plasma thruster. (2/5)

Japan Plans Return of Epsilon Launches in 2027 (Source: Jiji Press)
Japan hopes to resume launches of the Epsilon rocket in the next year. The Japanese space agency JAXA said it is looking to start launches of the Epsilon S in the 2026 fiscal year, which starts April 1. The Epsilon S is an improved version of the Epsilon rocket, which failed in its final flight in 2022. The upgraded Epsilon S has been delayed by failures of its solid rocket motors in ground tests in 2023 and 2024. The problems with the Epsilon S forced JAXA last year to purchase two Electron launches from Rocket Lab for technology demonstration smallsats originally planned to launch on Epsilon. (2/5)

Russia Calls for More Cosmonauts (Source: TASS)
The Russian space agency Roscosmos is putting out another call for cosmonauts. Roscosmos said this week it will seek applications for a new cosmonaut class, but did not disclose how many cosmonauts it plans to select. While NASA, ESA and KAXA have seen strong interest in their latest astronaut recruiting efforts, with thousands of applications, the previous Roscosmos effort in 2023 attracted only 296 applicants, with Roscosmos selecting four. (2/5)

US House Takes First Step Toward Creating “Commercial” Deep Space Program (Source: Ars Technica)
Amendment No. 01 to the latest NASA Authorization Act, offered by Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) ranking member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and three other legislators concerns acquisition powers bestowed upon NASA by Congress, stating in part: “The Administrator may, subject to appropriations, procure from United States commercial providers operational services to carry cargo and crew safely, reliably, and affordably to and from deep space destinations, including the Moon and Mars.”

That language is fairly general in nature, but the intent seems clear. NASA’s initial missions to the Moon, through Artemis V, have a clearly defined architecture: They must use the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and a lander built by either SpaceX or Blue Origin to complete lunar landings. But after that? With this amendment, Congress appears to be opening the aperture to commercial companies. That is to say, if SpaceX wanted to bid an end-to-end Starship lunar mission, it could; or if Blue Origin wanted to launch Orion on New Glenn, that is also an option. (2/4)

China’s Mengzhou is Putting Pressure on NASA’s Lunar Timeline (Source: Spectrum IEEE)
Slow and steady wins the race, or so goes the fable. The China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA, has repeatedly denied any rivalry with the United States akin to the race to the moon in the 1960s. But step-by-step, one element at a time over a period of decades, it has built a human space program with goals that include landing astronauts on the moon by 2030 and starting a base there in the following years. And—partly because launch dates for NASA’s Artemis III moon landing keep slipping toward that same time frame—U.S. space leaders are ratcheting up the space race rhetoric.

China’s lunar hardware is based on a reusable multipurpose crew ship called Mengzhou, with capacity for six or seven astronauts, though as few as three may actually fly on a trip from Earth to low lunar orbit. Mengzhou, according to what the CMSA has shown, includes a crew section in the shape of a truncated cone, with a service module holding power and propulsion systems in the rear. You’ll see a resemblance to the American Artemis or Apollo spacecraft, the SpaceX Crew Dragon, or the yet-to-be-flown European Nyx. Basic aerodynamics make a blunt cone a very efficient shape for safely launching a spacecraft and returning it through Earth’s atmosphere.

The ship would be launched by a new heavy-lift Long March 10 booster, one of two used for a given moon mission. The Long March 10, as configured for lunar flight, would stand 92.5 meters high at launch and generate thrust of 2,678 tonnes. (The rocket for Artemis II is more powerful: 3,992 tonnes.) Mengzhou would leave for the moon after another Long March 10 has launched a Lanyue lunar landing craft. The two would rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit. Two astronauts would transfer to Lanyue and land on the moon; Mengzhou would wait for them in orbit for the trip home. Lanyue has a stated mass of 26 tonnes and could carry a 200-kilogram rover. (2/2)

From Moon Dust to Moon Colonies (Source: Aerospace America)
Blue Origin is preparing for a demonstration this year of a suite of technologies that could provide the foundation for future self-sufficient lunar settlements. Paul Marks spoke to the lead technologist of the effort. In a sprawling laboratory complex in Los Angeles, researchers are developing technologies that could allow future lunar citizens to live off the land. As Vlada Stamenkovic tells it, the instruction he and his colleagues received from their boss, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, was a demanding one: “Show me that this is real, that it’s not just a dream.”

In September, Blue Alchemist, the company’s initial suite of eight lunar resource extraction technologies, passed a critical design review by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA is involved because it has partly funded Blue Alchemist’s development with an award of $34.7 million. “Making unlimited amounts of solar power, transmission cables and oxygen anywhere on the Moon supports both NASA’s lunar sustainability and Blue Origin’s commercial business objectives,” NASA says. (2/5)

EU Commission Expects Galileo PRS Signal Accreditation ‘Soon’ (Source: Space Intel Report)
The European Commission was put on the defensive by a member of the European Parliament for continued delays in the start of the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS), the encrypted, jam- and spoof-resistant signal for government and military use that is still not available. Ten years after the initial Galileo positioning, navigation and timing system started operations, PRS still awaits final authorization by European security agencies. (2/4)

Isar Aerospace Opens Second Test Site at Esrange Space Center (Source: Satellite Evolution)
European space company Isar Aerospace is significantly expanding their testing operations with SSC Space at Esrange Space Center in Sweden, opening a second test site to support the development and production of its ‘Spectrum’ rocket. The new facility will enable testing of 30+ engines per month, along with expanded integrated stage testing capabilities, increasing testing capacity and enabling faster development.

The purpose-built acceptance test facility will enable fully integrated stage acceptance testing, providing Isar Aerospace with greater flexibility and capability to meet growing market demand for launch services. The test sites are fully tailored to Isar Aerospace’s own requirements, supporting the company’s approach of vertically integrating launch vehicle development across design, manufacturing, testing, and operations. (2/4)

Experts Warn of Urgent Need to Address Human Reproduction Risks in Space (Source: Space Daily)
As commercial spaceflight moves closer to routine operations and missions extend in duration, a new expert report argues that reproductive health in space has shifted from a theoretical concern to an urgently practical issue. The authors warn that space is an environment fundamentally hostile to human biology, yet human activity beyond Earth is rapidly expanding without matching standards for managing reproductive risks.

The study, published in Reproductive Biomedicine Online, is authored by nine specialists in reproductive health, aerospace medicine and bioethics. They describe how two once-separate revolutions, human spaceflight and assisted reproductive technologies, are now intersecting as space becomes both a workplace and destination while fertility treatments become more advanced, automated and accessible. (2/4)

Amazon Leo to Provide Internet Connectivity Services to AT&T (Source: Via Satellite)
Amazon Leo said it agreed to supply internet connectivity services to AT&T in a deal that would expand the wireless provider’s service area. In a joint press release with Amazon, AT&T said Amazon Leo’s connectivity services would allow it to serve customers in broader areas. AT&T will use Amazon Leo to deliver fixed broadband services to business customers. (2/4)

Chang'e-6 Lunar Samples Reveal First Discovery of Naturally Formed Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphitic Carbon (Source: Global Times)
A Chinese research team recently conducted a systematic analysis of the Chang'e-6 lunar soil samples and, for the first time internationally, discovered and confirmed the presence of naturally formed single-walled carbon nanotubes and graphitic carbon, proving that geological activity on the far side of the moon has been more intense. It is the first to clearly identify graphitic carbon and trace its possible formation and evolutionary processes. It also marks the first international confirmation of the existence of single-walled carbon nanotubes formed naturally, without any artificial intervention, per the report. (1/20)

SpaceX Launches "Stargaze" SSA System to Secure LEO (Source: Mach 33)
SpaceX has launched Stargaze, a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system that leverages data from 30,000 star trackers across its fleet to detect orbital objects. The system processes approximately 30 million transits daily, providing orbit estimates and collision predictions within minutes—orders of magnitude faster than the industry standard of several hours. SpaceX has committed to making this screening data available to the broader satellite operator community free of charge.

This is a quietly important step in derisking SpaceX's “megaconstellations” assets by undertaking an open source ecosystem approach to collision avoidance and tracking. The move points to an operational prerequisite for scale. Stargaze also hints that SpaceX can leverage its orbital assets to serve a secondary market: sensor + network platform that can support government/defense use cases (and potentially third-party SSA services). (1/30)

Starlink Capacity "Sold Out" Across Major African Markets (Source: Mach 33)
Data shared by industry observers reveals that Africa now leads the globe in "sold out" Starlink service areas, with major metropolitan centers marked in red on availability maps. While Starlink has rapidly expanded its footprint, high demand in key African cities has outstripped the current allocated capacity per cell, leading to waitlists in regions previously considered underserved. Starlink’s next growth phase (especially in high-demand cities) increasingly depends on capacity densification: more satellites, smarter spectrum use, local gateways/ground infrastructure, and eventually hybrid approaches where satellite becomes coverage + backhaul rather than the only last-mile. (1/30)

February 4, 2026

Lompoc Grants One-Year Extension for Space Base California Project (Source: Construction Owners)
In late December, the Lompoc City Council approved a one-year extension to the development timeline for the proposed Space Base California project, a Central Coast space-themed destination designed to inspire families and encourage interest in science and space exploration. The extension was granted through a first amendment to the long-term ground lease and development agreement between the city and Pale Blue Dot Ventures Inc. The amendment was approved Nov. 18 as part of the consent calendar without discussion.

Pale Blue Dot Ventures is the investor group behind the educational and recreational center planned for approximately 82 acres of city-owned land near Ken Adam Park, located south of Hancock Drive and west of Highway 1. The Space Base California project has been in development since July 2019, when Pale Blue Dot entered into a memorandum of understanding with the City of Lompoc. The original lease and development agreement was executed in September 2024 and became official Dec. 5, 2024. This pushes substantive permitting and construction milestones back, with full entitlements due by late 2028 and construction to start by 2031. (12/27)

SmallSat Alliance Shifts Focus to Proliferated Constellations for Warfare (Source: Space News)
An industry group that spent the last decade promoting the development of smallsat constellations is shifting gears. The SmallSat Alliance, formed in 2016, originally advocated for the development of proliferated satellite constellations. With such systems now being deployed by the Space Development Agency and others, the SmallSat Alliance says it now wants to shift its focus to ways proliferated constellations can better support the warfighter. Chuck Beames, chairman of the group, likened the current moment to the early days of the personal computing revolution, when standalone machines became transformative only after they were connected through networks, later supercharged by advances in software and processing power. (2/4)

Space Force Sees Cislunar Space as Strategic Domain (Source: Space News)
The Space Force wants to think more about operations in cislunar space. At an event last month, Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy chief of space operations, said operations in cislunar space could affect missile warning, space domain awareness and the protection of satellites operating far from Earth, where monitoring and defense are more difficult. He said thinking about commanding and controlling spacecraft in that region is part of the service's 15-year planning horizon, Space Force 2040. That planning also involves thinking about offensive space operations as well as doubling the number of personnel. (2/4)

Senate Committee Delays FCC Streamlining Bill (Source: Space News)
A Senate committee delayed consideration of a bill that would streamline FCC reviews of satellite license applications. The SAT Streamlining Act, introduced last month, would require the FCC to rule on space and ground station applications within one year, with no more than 180 days of extensions for "extraordinary circumstances." At a Senate Commerce Committee session Tuesday, though, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the committee's ranking member, raised concerns about a provision that would automatically approve such applications if the FCC does not either approve or deny them by the deadline. That could, she noted, allow the automatic approval of SpaceX's proposal for one million orbital data center satellites. She proposed an amendment to remove that provision, but a lack of a  quorum prevented the committee from considering that amendment or advancing the bill. (2/4)

Amazon Exec Skeptical on Orbital Data Centers (Source: Reuters)
An Amazon executive is skeptical about the near-term prospects for orbital data centers. Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, said at a conference Tuesday that it would be difficult and not economical to launch large numbers of satellites into orbit to serve as data centers. He said the industry is "pretty far" from being able to seriously consider such systems, despite interest from SpaceX and other companies. (2/4)

India's Space Agency May See Budget Increase (Source: The Hindu)
India's space agency ISRO would get a small budget increase for its next fiscal year. A budget proposal released by the Indian government would provide about 137 billion rupees ($1.52 billion) for ISRO in the 2026-27 fiscal year, a 2% increase from last year's budget but a 10% increase over revised spending levels for 2025-26, suggesting the government did not spend the full amount allocated to ISRO in the previous year. The focus of the budget is on hardware and mission development, particularly in space technology and science. (2/4)

NASA Mercury Mission Saw Geographic Activity (Source: Sky & Telescope)
A reanalysis of images from a NASA Mercury mission has provided evidence the planet is still geologically active. Researchers used AI tools to examine images from the MESSENGER mission to Mercury, detecting streaks on the walls of some craters. The streaks, scientists speculate, are caused when impacts create fractures that release volatiles below the surface. Those volatiles, ices heated up by the sun into gas, create streaks down the sides of the craters. The streaks may be residue from the volatiles or fresh rocky material exposed by the volatiles. (2/4)

Nye Stepping Down From Planetary Society (Source: Planetary Society)
The longtime CEO of The Planetary Society is stepping down. Bill Nye announced last week that he will leave the post of CEO effective Feb. 17, and be replaced by the organization's chief operating officer, Jennifer Vaughn. Nye, who became CEO of the organization 15 years ago after a career that included becoming famous for the "Bill Nye the Science Guy" television show, will remain on the society's board of directors. He will also be its first "chief ambassador," representing the space science advocacy group at public events and on Capitol Hill. (2/4)

Space-Comm Expo Europe Comes to London on March 4-5 (Source: SpaceComm)
In four weeks, London will serve as the host city for the largest and most influential space industry event ever held in the UK. Global policymakers and business leaders will gather at Space-Comm Expo Europe, taking place on March 4-5 at ExCeL London. Space-Comm Expo Europe will welcome over 5,400 delegates, 250 exhibitors and 200 speakers from over 50 countries, with inspirational speakers and cutting edge technology, exploring new opportunities to accelerate the future of the European space industry. (2/4)

Rafael Deepens Space Focus As IPO Decision Looms (Source: Aviation Week)
Rafael is boosting its focus on space while the company also awaits a decision by the Israeli government about taking the state-owned defense technology specialist public. Rafael is splitting the cyber and intelligence operations that house space activities from the aviation portfolio, giving them more prominence. “The space business has grown, and we are entering into a new era, so we want that level of management attention,” CEO Yoav Tourgeman said. (2/4)

New Pentagon Science-and-Innovation Board Arrives as Administration Cuts Research Funding (Source: Defense One)
The Pentagon's new Science, Technology, and Innovation Board—a merger of the decade-old Defense Innovation Board and the 70-year-old Defense Science Board—is meant to “streamline” the department's approach to the hardest technological and scientific national-security challenges. But it comes on the heels of Trump-administration cuts that could hinder those efforts. (2/4)

Furuno, Xona Sign MoU to Bring LEO PNT into Timing Portfolio (Source: Inside GNSS)
Furuno has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Xona Space Systems to develop products that integrate Xona’s Pulsar low Earth orbit positioning, navigation and timing (LEO PNT) service, with a particular focus on timing and synchronization applications, the companies announced February 3. (2/4)

Voyager Outlines Infrastructure-Led Roadmap for Long-Term US Lunar Presence (Source: Space Daily)
Voyager Technologies has launched a strategic lunar initiative designed to align with the White House Securing American Space Superiority executive order and to reinforce United States leadership beyond low Earth orbit. The initiative is framed as a long-term effort to support exploration, national security and commercial activity on and around the Moon by focusing on durable infrastructure rather than one-off missions. Voyager plans to concentrate its lunar efforts on what it describes as foundational infrastructure for both human and robotic operations. That includes systems to support crews, distribute power, build communications backbones, provide on-orbit and surface computing, and enable automated logistics needed for continuous operations rather than short-duration visits.

Beyond internal research and existing intellectual property, Voyager says it will pursue additional partnerships, investments and phased development activities to match evolving government and commercial timelines. The company states that its objective is to be a leading player in the emerging lunar ecosystem by the end of the decade, positioning itself across civil, defense and commercial markets that view the Moon as a strategic domain. (2/4)

ESA Adjusts Cluster Orbits for Rare Twin Reentry Campaign (Source: Space Daily)
When satellites fall back to Earth, most of their structure burns up in the atmosphere, but engineers still lack detailed data on how real spacecraft actually break apart during reentry and which components survive the plunge. To close this gap, the European Space Agency has retargeted the final orbits of its remaining two Cluster satellites so that both can be observed from an aircraft during their destructive descent over the South Pacific Ocean on 31 August and 1 September 2026. The Cluster mission, launched in 2000, consists of four identical satellites that have studied Earths magnetosphere for more than two decades. (2/4)

Muon Space Ramps Up Multi-Mission Satellite Constellations (Source: Space Daily)
Muon Space is entering a new phase of operational scale as it moves from discrete missions to sustained, multi-mission satellite constellation deployment for government and commercial customers. The Mountain View based company reports that its growing mission portfolio, expanding launch manifest and increasing demand for end-to-end, mission-optimized systems are driving this transition. In 2025 Muon Space secured major government contracts supporting missile warning and tracking and dual-use environmental monitoring while launching new commercial satellites and advancing multiple operational constellations. During the same period the company more than doubled its employee headcount and delivered over 100 percent year-over-year growth for the second year running. (2/4)

UK's Lunar Nuclear Reactor Dream On Hold as Rolls Royce Struggles to Find Launch Support (Source: Interesting Engineering)
The UK’s vision of powering a future Moon base with nuclear energy has quietly slipped into uncertainty. A lunar micro-reactor project led by Rolls-Royce, once backed by the UK Space Agency, has reportedly been placed on indefinite hold after government funding ran out and no launch partner stepped forward. The idea itself was ambitious but practical. Rolls-Royce’s proposed micro-reactor was designed to produce about 100 kilowatts of electricity—enough to keep habitats warm, equipment running, and astronauts alive.

It was pitched as the kind of dependable, off-grid power source needed for long-term lunar living, especially near permanently shadowed craters where valuable water ice may be mined. Launched three years ago, the project was presented as more than just space hardware. UK officials described it as a way to strengthen Britain’s role in advanced science, support high-skill jobs, and spin off technologies useful back on Earth. While the company is said to be ready to restart development, the lack of a confirmed launch route has left the reactor stuck on paper. (2/2)

Space Force Association Gets New CEO (Source: SFA)
SFA is thrilled to welcome Damon Feltman as our new CEO! Damon has hit the ground running. Since its creation in 2019, SFA has grown from a concept to an established voice for spacepower. We are entering 2026 with a refreshed Strategic Plan to champion spacepower, uplift Guardians, and unite the public and private sectors on U.S.-led space security. (2/4)

ICEYE Floats a 1,000-Satellite Vision for "Constellation Europe" (Source: Space News)
During a press briefing in Brussels, ICEYE co-founder, president and CEO Rafał Modrzewski outlined what he called "Constellation Europe" — a proposed thousand-satellite, multi-sensor constellation aimed at giving Europe fast, independent space-based intelligence capabilities.

The concept has not yet been discussed with European authorities and has no budget attached. ICEYE envisions it as a collaborative effort involving both private and institutional stakeholders. "We designed a system that we believe would provide Europe with space domain superiority and full autonomy in space," Modrzewski said. "It has a sensing layer, a transport layer, a space situational awareness layer and an endpoint defense layer." (2/4)

US Navy Wants Commercial Satellites for Nighttime Earth Observation (Source: Defense News)
The U.S. Navy wants commercial satellites that can perform nighttime observation of the Earth, according to a Naval Research Laboratory Request for Information. “The objective is to understand the availability of systems that can provide data and services related to the remote sensing of nighttime scenes from space to inform potential future collaborations and acquisitions for a technology demonstration,” according to the RFI. (2/3)

Tomorrow.io Raises $175M to Build Out DeepSky Weather Constellation (Source: Via Satellite)
Tomorrow.io has raised $175 million in new funding to fund its next-generation DeepSky weather monitoring constellation. Stonecourt Capital and HarbourVest led the funding round. Tomorrow.io operates a weather monitoring constellation and recently announced plans for the upgraded DeepSky constellation to provide faster revisit rates and more coverage. The company hasn’t shared a target for how many satellites will make up DeepSky, but said the satellites will be equipped with multimodal sensors that are able to scan the full electromagnetic spectrum at high frequency. (2/3)

CNES to Fill Commercial Launch Facility Vacancy Left by MaiaSpace (Source: European Spaceflight)
The French space agency CNES has opened a call for launch operators to fill a vacancy at its new multi-user commercial launch facility in French Guiana after MaiaSpace withdrew in late 2025. The facility, being built on the former Diamant launch site, was originally intended to host multiple commercial operators. MaiaSpace had signed a binding term sheet but formally vacated the site in the last quarter of 2025, having been selected instead to convert the old Soyuz launch facility for its own use following Russia's suspension of Soyuz operations in 2022.

CNES is investing €50 million in shared infrastructure at the ELM facility, including power, fluid, and communication systems, with construction expected to complete in the second half of 2026. Applicants must be headquartered in EU or ESA member states with significant production capacity in those countries. They'll be evaluated on compatibility with regulations, launch system maturity, social and economic impact, and environmental impact. Other companies that previously signed term sheets include Isar Aerospace, PLD Space, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and Latitude, though additional vacancies could open if any of these fail to proceed.

Spain's PLD Space is expected to conduct the facility's inaugural flight later this year with its MIURA 5 rocket, even though Germany's Isar Aerospace is more advanced in its commercial preparations but is conducting initial operations from Norway instead. Individual launch operators will be responsible for building their own launcher-specific facilities like launch tables and assembly buildings once the shared infrastructure is complete. (2/3)

HawkEye 360 Taps Hale for Space Weather Forecasts (Source: Payload)
Predicting the future is no simple task, but for space weather forecasting startup Hale SWx, it’s part of the business model. The startup predicts the Sun’s activity with greater accuracy than existing approaches—and customers are quickly signing on to leverage those insights (and what they can do for the lifespan of sat constellations.)

Today, signal intelligence constellation operator HawkEye 360 announced a five-year deal to use Hale’s forecasts and atmospheric density predictions to inform its satellite deployment plans. HawkEye may be Hale’s latest customer, but it’s not the first: Hale signed similar agreements with Planet, and is running both paid and unpaid pilot programs with other constellation operators. (2/3)

constellr and Sky Perfect JSAT are Partnering to Deliver Thermal Intelligence to the Japanese Market (Source: Spacewatch Global)
constellr and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation have launched the commercial sales of high‑resolution thermal infrared satellite data for the Japanese market, marking the first time a private company in Japan will commercially deliver such data from constellr. The relationship introduces a new Earth observation capability for government and industrial users in Japan, complementing optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems with object-level activity information. (2/3)

NASA Backs Studies to Boost Hypersonic Flight Testing (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is preparing for a new phase in hypersonic aviation by funding industry studies aimed at expanding flight test capabilities for reusable airbreathing vehicles that can cruise at several times the speed of sound. The agency has awarded short term study contracts to SpaceWorks Enterprises of Atlanta, Georgia, and Stratolaunch of Mojave, California, to examine how existing platforms could be adapted to conduct frequent and affordable hypersonic flight experiments. The work is managed under NASA's Hypersonic Technology Project within the Advanced Air Vehicles Program. (2/2)

NTU Singapore Boosts Agile Space Access with Trio of New Projects (Source: Space Daily)
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is launching three new space projects under Singapore's Space Technology Development Program, a national initiative to accelerate the commercialization of space technologies. The projects are among the first supported under the Space Access Program, which targets annual launches in 2026, 2027 and 2028 to give local researchers and companies faster, more cost effective access to space for in orbit testing and validation.

One of the new projects will see scientists from NTU's Satellite Research Centre integrate an edge computing artificial intelligence payload into a nanosatellite built by space technology firm Satoro Space. The 3U nanosatellite, measuring 30 centimeters by 10 centimeters by 10 centimeters, will process images directly on board using small AI models and an edge engine. This approach reduces the need to send large volumes of raw data back to Earth and enables quicker, more intelligent decision making in orbit.

The same satellite will also test next generation perovskite solar cells in space. These lightweight solar panels are being developed by researchers from NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, and local technology start up Singfilm. In orbit demonstration of the devices will provide critical data on their performance and durability in the harsh space environment. (2/2)

MDA Space and Hanwha Target Korean K-LEO Defense Network (Source: Space Daily)
MDA Space has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hanwha Systems to pursue collaboration on Korea's planned sovereign Low Earth Orbit K-LEO defense constellation, targeting enhanced military communications and data services for national security operations. The agreement sets a framework for the two companies to explore how MDA Space's AURORA software-defined digital satellite platform can contribute to the architecture and capabilities of the constellation.

The K-LEO constellation is described as a flagship national initiative intended to strengthen the Republic of Korea's defense posture with secure, resilient satellite-based connectivity. By deploying a network of low Earth orbit spacecraft, the program aims to support secure communications links and mission-critical data distribution across defense users and domains. (1/30)

Tethered Orbital Data Centers Aim to Power AI with Solar Energy (Source: Space Daily)
Penn Engineers have proposed a solar-powered orbital data center architecture that could scale to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence computing without drawing electricity from terrestrial grids. The concept uses flexible, tether-based structures in orbit to host thousands of computing nodes for AI inference, relying on established space tether technology rather than massive rigid platforms or vast constellations of independent satellites.

The design resembles a leafy plant, with multiple stems holding computing hardware and branching, leaf-like solar panels. Each stem is effectively a long tether populated with identical nodes that carry computer chips, solar power systems and cooling hardware, forming a modular chain that can be extended by adding more nodes. (1/30)

NASA Finally Acknowledges the Eephant in the Room with the SLS Rocket (Source: Ars Technica)
The Space Launch System rocket program is now a decade and a half old, and it continues to be dominated by two unfortunate traits: It is expensive, and it is slow. The massive rocket and its convoluted ground systems, so necessary to baby and cajole the booster’s prickly hydrogen propellant on board, have cost US taxpayers in excess of $30 billion to date. And even as it reaches maturity, the rocket is going nowhere fast.

SLS hardware is extraordinarily expensive. A single rocket costs in excess of $2 billion, so the program is hardware-poor. Moreover, tanking tests might have damaged the launch tower, which itself cost more than $1 billion. As far as I know, there was never any serious discussion of building a test tank. Hardware scarcity, due to cost, is but one of several problems with the SLS rocket architecture. Probably the biggest one is its extremely low flight rate, which makes every fueling and launch opportunity an experimental rather than operational procedure. This has been pointed out to NASA, and the rocket’s benefactors in Congress, for more than a decade.

A rocket that is so expensive it only flies rarely will have super-high operating costs and ever-present safety concerns precisely because it flies so infrequently. Until this week, NASA had largely ignored these concerns, at least in public. However, in a stunning admission, NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, acknowledged the flight-rate issue after Monday’s wet-dress rehearsal test failed to reach a successful conclusion. “The flight rate is the lowest of any NASA-designed vehicle, and that should be a topic of discussion,” he said. The Trump administration would like to fly the rocket just two more times, culminating in the Artemis III human landing on the Moon. Congress has passed legislation mandating a fourth and fifth launch of the SLS vehicle. (2/4)

New European Infrared Sounder Maps Atmosphere In Three Dimensions (Source: Space Daily)
The first images from Europe s pioneering meteorological infrared sounder were unveiled at the EU Space Conference in Brussels, marking a significant advance in observing the atmosphere in three dimensions ahead of severe weather.

The new data come from the Infrared Sounder instrument on Meteosat Third Generation Sounder 1, the first European geostationary satellite to carry a hyperspectral infrared sounding capability designed specifically for meteorology.

From its geostationary orbit, the Infrared Sounder scans the atmosphere over Europe and adjacent regions every 30 minutes across nearly 2,000 narrow infrared channels, retrieving vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and trace gases throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere. (1/28)

Runaway Massive Stars Mapped Across the Milky Way (Source: Space Daily)
Astronomers have carried out the most extensive observational study so far of massive runaway stars in the Milky Way, combining detailed measurements of how fast these stars move, how rapidly they spin, and whether they live alone or in binary systems. Researchers from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), working with the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC), focused on a large sample of O-type stars, the most massive and luminous stellar objects in our galaxy.

Runaway stars are stars that travel through space at unusually high speeds and gradually drift away from the regions where they formed. For decades, astronomers have debated how massive runaway stars gain these high velocities, generally favoring two main scenarios. In one case, a star receives a strong kick when its companion in a binary system explodes as a supernova. In the other, the star is flung out of a dense, young star cluster through strong gravitational encounters with other massive stars. (1/29)

Autophage Rocket Concept Wins EU Prize for Debris-Free Launch Technology (Source: Space Daily)
Alpha Impulsion, a space startup based in Toulouse and Naples, has received a 950000 euro award from the European Union for a major innovation in space propulsion aimed at more economical, efficient, and debris free access to orbit. The company has been recognized as the first enterprise to gain international acknowledgment for a propulsion solution that from the outset addresses sustainable use of Earth orbit, competitiveness, and European sovereignty in space activities.

The funding supports the development of autophage propulsion for next generation launchers and satellites, designed to enable access to space without leaving orbital debris once missions are complete. In an autophage rocket, the vehicle fuselage is consumed by the engine as fuel during ascent, so the vehicle effectively burns and shortens like a candle and does not leave a discarded upper stage or large structural elements in orbit after operations.

This architecture reduces deadweight throughout flight and is reported to deliver about a 40 percent reduction in liftoff mass compared with conventional launch systems, which translates directly into an estimated 40 percent reduction in launch costs. (1/29)

NASA Testing Advances Space Nuclear Propulsion Capabilities (Source: Space Daily)
Nuclear propulsion and power technologies could unlock new frontiers in missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA has reached an important milestone advancing nuclear propulsion that could benefit future deep space missions by completing a cold-flow test campaign of the first flight reactor engineering development unit since the 1960s.

Teams at Marshall Space Flight Center conducted more than 100 tests on the engineering development unit over several months in 2025. The 44-inch by 72-inch unit, built by BWX Technologies of Richmond, Virginia, is a full-scale, non-nuclear, flight-like development test article the size of a 100-gallon drum that simulates propellant flow throughout the reactor across a range of operational conditions. (1/27)

February 3, 2026

L3Harris Space Surveillance Support Work Hits $1.5B (Source: The Gazette)
L3Harris Technologies has secured a $62.7 million contract modification to maintain the US space surveillance system as part of the Maintenance of Space Situational Awareness Integrated Capabilities program. This extension brings the total contract value to $1.5 billion, with work primarily conducted in Colorado Springs. (2/2)

Hydrogen Leaks Push Artemis 2 Launch to March (Source: Space News)
NASA is delaying the launch of the Artemis 2 mission to at least March after problems during a fueling test Monday. NASA said early Tuesday it would no longer pursue a launch in a window that closes Feb. 11 after a wet dress rehearsal. During that test, NASA reported hydrogen leaks during fueling, and again in the final minutes of the practice countdown. There were other issues as well, some caused by unusually cold weather in Florida. The next launch opportunity for the mission is from March 6 to 11. (2/3)

SpaceX Merges with xAI (Source: Space News)
Elon Musk is merging SpaceX with xAI, his artificial intelligence company. In a statement Monday, SpaceX said it acquired xAI, which develops artificial intelligence technologies and operates the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. According to some reports, the combined company is valued at $1.25 trillion, although neither company disclosed terms of the deal. Musk said combining SpaceX and xAI is intended to advance his goal of developing space-based data centers that he argues could meet the growing computing demands of artificial intelligence more efficiently than terrestrial facilities. SpaceX filed plans with the FCC last week to deploy up to one million satellites for orbital data centers for AI applications. The merger may also bolster SpaceX plans to go public later this year. (2/3)

Hegseth Visits Blue Origin Campus on Space Coast (Source: Space News)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a visit to Blue Origin's Florida rocket factory to escalate criticism of traditional defense procurement. In a speech at the Blue Origin factory, Hegseth framed commercial space companies as central players in an effort to overhaul how the Defense Department buys weapons and space systems. The stop was part of his "Arsenal of Freedom" tour, a series of high-profile appearances aimed at signaling a shift in Pentagon culture toward speed, scale and production capacity. That tour included stops last month at Rocket Lab's California headquarters and SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas. (2/3)

UK Space Agency Chief Steps Down with Organizational Transition (Source: Space News)
The head of the U.K. Space Agency (UKSA) is stepping down as the agency is folded into a government department. Paul Bate will resign as CEO of the agency at the end of March after serving in that post for four and a half years, the British government said Monday. UKSA was created in 2010 to give the country a dedicated body to coordinate civil space policy, regulation and investment. The government announced last year that UKSA, currently a standalone agency, will be absorbed into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by April. (2/3)

NASA Authorization Bill Includes Calls for Lunar Lander and Spacesuit Reports (Source: Space News)
A NASA authorization bill introduced in the House would scrutinize NASA's work on lunar landers and spacesuits. The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, introduced Friday by the bipartisan leadership of the House Science Committee, includes sections calling on NASA to provide several reports on the status of work on lunar landers by Blue Origin and SpaceX for Artemis. This includes examining the level of support NASA is providing and challenges the companies have encountered. The bill also calls for reports on the status of spacesuit development, including language pressing NASA to retain spacesuit expertise within the agency rather than relying solely on commercial providers. The committee is scheduled to mark up the bill Wednesday. (2/3)

Falcon 9 Missions Paused After Upper Stage Anomaly (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is pausing Falcon 9 launches after an anomaly at the end of a launch Monday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:47 a.m. Eastern, successfully deploying 25 Starlink satellites about an hour later. SpaceX said late Monday that, after payload deployment, the upper stage "experienced an off-nominal condition" while preparing for a deorbit burn. The stage passivated itself, dumping propellants to prevent a breakup. SpaceX said that engineers are examining data from the stage "to determine root cause and corrective actions before returning to flight." SpaceX did not disclose how long that would take, but the company has pushed back the next Falcon 9 launch by at least two days. (2/3)

India to Resume PSLV Launches in June (Source: PTI)
India plans to resume launches of its PSLV rocket in June. Jitendra Singh, the government's science and technology minister, said Monday that the back-to-back failures of the PSLV last May and in January had different causes, although both involved the rocket's third stage. He did not disclose details about what caused the failures, although he said the government had no evidence of sabotage. The space agency ISRO is "very ambitiously targeting" a return to flight of the PSLV for June assuming the investigation and corrective actions go well. (2/3)

ESA Gets Resilience Director (Source: ESA)
An ESA official has a new job title. The space agency said last week that it appointed Laurent Jaffart, who had been director of connectivity and secure communications, to the new post of director of resilience, navigation and connectivity, effective Feb. 1. The new position is designed to better support the European Resilience from Space program, which will fund work on dual-use Earth imaging satellites, as well as ESA's role in the IRIS² constellation. (2/3)

Solar Flare Rated Highest in Years (Source: Scientific American)
The sun produced one of the strongest flares in years on Sunday. The flare, rated an X8.1 by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, erupted Sunday evening as part of a series of powerful flares in recent days from the sun. The X8.3 flare is the strongest since October 2024 and among the 20 biggest flares in the last 30 years. The flare caused some shortwave radio disruptions but is not linked to any projected auroral activity. (2/2)

High Jump: the JUMPSEAT Signals Intelligence Satellite (Source: Space Review)
Last week the National Reconnaissance Office announced it had declassified information about a signals intelligence satellite program called JUMPSEAT. Dwayne Day examines what that declassification reveals about the program. Click here. (2/3)
 
Normalization of Deviance (Source: Space Review)
Ahead of the launch of Artemis 2, some have raised concerns about the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. Robert Oler says NASA’s decision to move ahead with the the current heat shield raises concerns about the agency’s decision-making processes and safety. Click here. (2/3)
 
Suborbital’s Descending Trajectory (Source: Space Review)
In a surprise move, Blue Origin announced Friday it was suspending New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years as it focuses on lunar exploration. Jeff Foust reports on that development and its implications for suborbital spaceflight. Click here. (2/3)
 
Dragonship: China Builds a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier While Satellites Watch (Source: Space Review)
China is building up its navy, including what appears to be its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Dwayne Day shows how satellite imagery, including from commercial spacecraft, is helping follow that vessel’s development. Click here. (2/3)
 
From Pacifism to Pragmatism: Japan’s Evolving Space Security Policy (Source: Space Review)
Japan, which once ruled out any military use of space, has gradually made use of space for reconnaissance and other national security activities. Safia Mansoor charts Japan’s changing policies in this area. Click here. (2/3)

Blue Origin’s $71.4 Million Alabama Expansion Adding 105 Jobs, Bringing Total Employment to 1,600 (Source: AL.com)
Work is beginning on projects at Blue Origin, Huntsville International Airport and Performance Drone Works facilities in Huntsville. They are among projects issued building permits in Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties since Jan. 14, according to reportconstruction.com. They are also among 10 area projects exceeding $1 million during that time.

The Blue Origin permit was issued for an alteration to its rocket engine facility on Jan. 22. The Huntsville City Council approved an agreement last week for the company’s $71.4 million expansion. The company is adding 105 jobs to its workforce to increase its local employment to more than 1,600 people. Under the agreement, the city will pay Blue Origin up to $200,000 based on the number of full-time employees making the required wage in the agreement. The city, through Huntsville Utilities, will cover up to $200,000 of the cost to extend electric, natural gas, water and sewer infrastructure to the expanded facilities. (2/2)

Building on the Moon: Testing the Ground Beneath Our Feet (Source: ESA)
Before constructing any building on Earth, engineers need to understand the soil beneath it. The same principle applies to future lunar infrastructure, but there's a significant challenge: we have very limited data about lunar soil properties, and the tools to measure them haven't been calibrated for the Moon's harsh environment.

A recent ESA Discovery project led by the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) designed a calibration chamber that will enable accurate testing of cone penetration instruments under lunar conditions, providing crucial data for future construction on the Moon and beyond. Cone penetration testing (CPT) is a standard geotechnical method used on Earth to measure soil parameters before any excavation or construction begins. A cone-shaped instrument (penetrometer) is pushed into the soil, measuring resistance and providing data on soil strength, stiffness and other critical properties. (2/3)

ExLabs Selects CUS-GNC SpacePilot Autonomy Software for Mission to Asteroid Apophis (Source: ExLabs)
ExLabs, a commercial deep-space mission operator developing next-generation platforms for exploration beyond Earth orbit, today announced it has selected CUS-GNC’s SpacePilot onboard autonomy software to provide guidance, navigation, and control for its Mission to Asteroid Apophis. The collaboration strengthens ExLabs’ ability to operate reliably at extreme distances from Earth, where long communication delays and limited ground intervention demand highly autonomous spacecraft systems. (2/3)

PhilSA Completes Small Launch Vehicle Training Program with Perigee Aerospace (Source: PhilSA)
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) has successfully completed the Know-How Transfer and Training Program on Small Launch Vehicle in partnership with Perigee Aerospace, a Korean space mobility company—marking a key step toward developing the Philippines’ indigenous launch capability. The multi-stage training program began with a two-day technical workshop in Quezon City in October 2025, followed by an intensive three-week hands-on sounding rocket training in South Korea from October to November 2025. The program equipped selected PhilSA engineers with foundational and applied knowledge in launch vehicle systems through classroom instruction on basic rocket theory and practical experience in rocket subsystem assembly. (2/3)

What’s the Point of a Space Station Around the Moon? (Source: The Conversation)
The Lunar Gateway is planned space station that will orbit the Moon. It is part of the NASA‑led Artemis program. Artemis aims to return humans to the Moon, establishing a sustainable presence there for scientific and commercial purposes, and eventually reach Mars. However, the modular space station now faces delays, cost concerns and potential US funding cuts. This raises a fundamental question: is an orbiting space station necessary to achieve lunar objectives, including scientific ones?

The president’s proposed 2026 budget for Nasa sought to cancel Gateway. Ultimately, push back from within the Senate led to continued funding for the lunar outpost. But debate continues among policymakers as to its value and necessity within the Artemis program. Cancelling Gateway would also raise deeper questions about the future of US commitment to international cooperation within Artemis. It would therefore risk eroding US influence over global partnerships that will define the future of deep space exploration. Gateway was designed to support these ambitions by acting as a staging point for crewed and robotic missions (such as lunar rovers), as a platform for scientific research and as a testbed for technologies crucial to landing humans on Mars. Click here. (1/3)

Texas' Concho Valley Spaceport Feasibility Study Launches with Public Input Meeting (Source: San Angelo Live)
The Concho Valley Council of Governments is hosting a public meeting to launch citizen input to the Concho Valley Spaceport Feasibility Study: Mission to Space. This comprehensive study, fully funded by a grant from the Texas Space Commission, will evaluate whether the Concho Valley may serve as a viable location for a future spaceport facility. The study is being performed by a team led by RS&H (aerospace infrastructure and planning) with SMEs Centurion Planning & Design (CV Infrastructure), Aerospace Corporation (space flight safety analysis), Blue Ridge Research and Consulting (sonic boom and noise), and SEARCH, Inc. (cultural resources). (2/3)

Inside the High-Stakes Battle Over Space Force Advocacy (Source: Washington Times)
The Air Force Association rebranded itself in April 2022, after 76 years, as the Air & Space Forces Association, a move it said would better reflect its mission to advocate for 21st-century American power in the air and in space. The reaction to that announcement inside the Colorado Springs offices of the Space Force Association — a separate nonprofit launched in 2019, the same year the U.S. Space Force was founded as a stand-alone military service — landed somewhere between surprise and incredulity.

“You’ve got to be … kidding me,” said one source, describing the reaction among Space Force Association officials who learned of the name change just days before it was announced. That’s just one example of the complicated and at times tense relationship between the competing organizations. Both lay claim to advocating for the Space Force and its Guardians and to serving as a key liaison between the Pentagon and powerful defense industry companies seeking to do business in the increasingly vital and financially lucrative space domain.

In statements to The Washington Times, both organizations and their leaders stressed that they can work together to advance American space power. Yet sources familiar with the matter described behind-the-scenes dynamics that at times have bordered on acrimony. (2/2)

'I Hope They Forget All About Artemis 2': Moon Astronauts are Taking the Long View (Source: Space.com)
The astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission want to become a mere footnote in the annals of space history. Artemis 2 will send NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canada's Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day flight around the moon. As the first crewed trip to lunar realms since Apollo 17 in 1972, this mission will be momentous — but the Artemis 2 astronauts hope future generations have reason to gloss over their contributions.

"I hope they forget all about Artemis 2," Koch told Bill Whitaker of CBS' "60 Minutes," which aired a piece about the mission on Sunday night (Feb. 1). "I think that's a little bit extreme, but we talk about our legacy being enabling the future missions, all the way from Artemis 3 to Artemis 100 to missions to Mars." (2/2)

OHB Hellas and Parsimoni to Develop Sovereign Software Solution (Source: Via Satellite)
OHB Hellas and Parsimoni are teaming up to develop a secure, sovereign in-orbit software platform in a major new space software initiative. It will combine OHB Hellas’ Orbital HPC hardware solution with the Parsimoni Satellite App Store, powered by SpaceOS. The two companies made the announcement, Feb. 2. The company’s have a goal to enable more capable, secure, and adaptable space systems, supporting demand for software-defined satellites and in-orbit services. The first commercially offered solution will combine Parsimoni’s App Store project, developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the OHB Versal Orbital HPC, and will be offered in conjunction with the OHB Fire and Cloud Detection apps. (2/2)

NASA Needs to Get Serious to Beat the Chinese (Source: Fox News)
A solid Artemis II success is vital for NASA; proving technical competence is vital to maintaining congressional and presidential funding for the lunar landing challenge to come. Isaacman and his mission managers must not only ensure the success and safety of Artemis II, but make a critical decision in the weeks ahead: how best to field a lander that can get future Artemis crews down to the moon’s rocky terrain.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket was chosen by NASA to serve as Artemis III’s lander, but Starship has progressed slowly in test launches, suffering several major setbacks. Each Starship lander launch from Earth will require 15 or more other Starship launches to fuel it for its lunar mission, and SpaceX is nowhere near attempting its promised robotic demo mission to the moon.

Isaacman has re-opened the lander design to other concepts, perhaps from Blue Origin or other industry partnerships; one workable approach was outlined before Congress last year by former administrator Mike Griffin. But time is running out for NASA to decide on a lander that will do the job within two or three years — China is forging ahead with its own plans to send its taikonauts to the moon by 2030. (2/2)

Two PSLV Failures Were Not Related, No Sabotage (Sources: The Print, WION)
The Indian Space Research Organization will be reattempting the launch of the PSLV-C62 mission, which failed in January, around June this year, the Union Minister of Science and Technology and Space said on Monday. Jitendra Singh stressed that none of the foreign passengers booked on PSLV-C62 had withdrawn or shown any lack of confidence in India as a launch partner. Also: "We have not come across any report of sabotage as of now," India's Space Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said. (2/2)

Europe’s Digital Earth Gets Ready to Grow User Community (Source: ESA)
Destination Earth (DestinE), a flagship initiative funded by the European Commission, to develop a highly accurate digital replica of Earth’s systems, is preparing to extend its rollout, so more people across Europe are able to access its data. DestinE uses enhanced modelling to improve our understanding of climate and the impact of human activities on our environment. Its data can be used to support research and make informed decisions on climate policy, such as climate change adaptation strategies and effective mitigation measures. The project, led by the European Commission, will begin phase 3 of its implementation in July 2026. (2/2)