Space Security Moves to Forefront as
Threats to Satellites Spread (Source: Space News)
A new report says space security is shifting from a niche arms-control
concern to a central policy issue as reliance on satellites deepens and
the tools to disrupt them proliferate. The annual Global Counterspace
Capabilities report by the Secure World Foundation, released Wednesday,
finds that interference with space systems now carries immediate
military, economic and political consequences, while the capabilities
to cause that interference grow. While past discussions on counterspace
technologies focused largely on the United States, China and Russia,
this report says more countries are developing such technologies. (4/8)
Hungary Picks Northrop Grumman to
Build CommSat (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman won a contract to build Hungary's first national
communications satellite. As part of Vice President JD Vance's visit to
Budapest Tuesday, the Hungarian defense and space firm 4iG announced an
agreement with Northrop to build a geostationary communications
satellite under a program known as HUSAT. The spacecraft, a Ka-band
system based on Northrop's GEOStar-3 platform, is scheduled for
delivery in 2030 and would provide Hungary with its first domestically
controlled satellite communications capability. The HUSAT program
combines the geostationary satellite with a planned constellation of
eight Earth observation spacecraft that 4iG will develop. Separately,
4iG signed an agreement with Apex to explore establishing a joint
venture aimed at building small satellites in Europe and targeting
demand for large constellations. (4/8)
Capella Wins $49 Million SDA Contract
for SatComm (Source: Space News)
Capella Space won a $49 million contract from the Space Development
Agency (SDA) for testing military satellite communications. The
firm-fixed-price agreement was issued Tuesday under SDA's Hybrid
Acquisition for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or HALO, an other
transaction authority contracting mechanism used to fund rapid,
on-orbit experiments. Capella, a California-based operator of a
commercial radar imaging constellation and a subsidiary of IonQ, will
design and develop two spacecraft equipped with specialized radio
frequency payloads to test what SDA called "advanced tactical waveform
performance, adaptive beamforming, and secure tactical communications"
in LEO. The effort is aimed at showing that satellites in low Earth
orbit can support military-grade communications links that remain
reliable under interference or jamming. (4/8)
Astroscale's UK Formation Flying
Hyperspectral Cubesats Complete Review (Source: Space News)
Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats
for the British military. The U.K. subsidiary of the Japanese on-orbit
servicing venture announced the milestone Wednesday for the Orpheus
mission, which was fully funded last year under a 5.15 million British
pound ($7 million) contract from the U.K.'s Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory. The mission involves flying a pair of
near-identical spacecraft from British small satellite specialist Open
Cosmos in close formation for a year in LEO. The spacecraft carry
hyperspectral imagers for detecting and characterizing objects of
interest. The cubesats will also study space weather. (4/8)
Minotaur 4 Converted ICBM Launches DoD
Research Payload From California (Source: Edhat)
A Minotaur 4 launched a mission for the Defense Department's Space Test
Program Tuesday. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base
in California on the STP-S29A mission. The primary payload was
STPSat-7, carrying several Space Test Program experiments. Also on
board were a pair of U.S. Army cubesats called Rawhide and several
other cubesats. (4/8)
China Launches Broadband Constellation
Satellites on Long March 8 (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of broadband constellation satellites Tuesday. A
Long March 8 lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport on the island of
Hainan, placing 18 Qianfan satellites into orbit. The Qianfan, or
Thousand Sails, satellites are part of a planned broadband
constellation ultimately numbering 14,000 satellites. (4/8)
LeoLabs Offers Orbital Threat Notices
(Source: Space News)
LeoLabs is expanding beyond tracking satellites and debris into
identifying potential threats in orbit. The company announced Wednesday
its new Delta system, a software platform designed to detect and
characterize unusual satellite behavior. The tool is aimed at military
and government operators managing spacecraft in low Earth orbit, where
congestion and geopolitical competition are both increasing. Delta is
designed to flag behavior such as when a satellite changes its orbit in
ways that put it into the same orbital plane as another spacecraft,
allowing for repeated approaches. Several allied governments in Europe
and Asia are already using Delta. (4/8)
Bulgaria's EnduroSat and UK's Shield
Space Team for Inspection Cubesat Development (Source: Space
News)
Two European companies are teaming up to develop an inspection cubesat.
Bulgarian satellite maker EnduroSat and British defense tech startup
Shield Space announced Wednesday plans to deploy a cubesat next year
capable of maneuvering near other satellites for inspection. The
partnership combines EnduroSat's standardized satellite platform
architecture with Shield Space's autonomous rendezvous and proximity
operations software, originally developed for drones used in Ukraine.
The first mission under the partnership is slated for the second
quarter of 2027 and is dubbed Broadsword, involving an 8U autonomous
"chaser" cubesat that would conduct RPO operations with a smaller 3U
target satellite launched alongside it. Broadsword is intended as a
stepping stone toward a broader architecture centered on a mothership
capable of deploying multiple maneuverable spacecraft. (4/8)
Italy Wants Leonardo CEO Replaced
(Source: Reuters)
The Italian government is seeking to replace the CEO of space and
defense company Leonardo. The government, which owns more than 30% of
Leonardo, wants to replace Roberto Cingolani, but has not offered
details about why. Leonardo's shares have soared since 2022 and as
recently as February Cingolani appeared to be on track to secure a new
three-year term as CEO. A potential replacement is Lorenzo Mariani, a
former Leonardo executive who is now is now at European missile
manufacturer MBDA. Leonardo is in the process of merging its space
business with those from Airbus and Thales through a joint venture
named Project Bromo. (4/8)
L3Harris Wins $150M Space Force
MOSSAIC Contract (Source: GovConWire)
L3Harris Technologies has secured a $150 million contract from the US
Space Force to update ground systems under the Maintenance of Space
Situational Awareness Integrated Capabilities program. This contract
extends L3Harris's ongoing role in supporting military, civil, and
commercial applications with advanced space domain awareness solutions.
(4/8)
Boeing Delivers Satellite for Viasat
APAC Expansion (Source: Mobile World)
Boeing has delivered the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite to Viasat, which will
enhance the latter's coverage across Asia-Pacific. The satellite, set
to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, features larger solar arrays and
advanced electronics, and will join the F1 and F2 satellites. (4/7)
Stellar Artemis II Photos Taken with
Old-Model Nikon Worth About $1,000 (Source: New York Post)
Most of the out-of-this-world photos being beamed home from Artemis II
were taken with an old-model Nikon camera that can be bought for about
$1,000. NASA traded in the legendary Hasselblad model it used on Apollo
missions years ago for the Nikon D5 DSLR — a classic digital
single-lens-reflex camera first released in 2016. The Nikon was
carefully selected for its proven track record as a workhorse space
camera, as well as its extraordinary ability to pick up detail even in
extreme darkness, a Nikon official said. (4/7)
ExLabs Pushes Private Sector Role in
Planetary Defense as Apophis Asteroid Approaches Earth (Source:
ExLabs)
ExLabs will highlight the growing role of private companies in
planetary defense ahead of asteroid Apophis’ historic 2029 flyby of
Earth, while showcasing its own Apophis EX mission at the upcoming
Space Symposium. On April 13, 2029, Apophis will pass approximately
20,000 miles from Earth, closer than many geostationary satellites. The
asteroid, which is nearly 1,000 feet wide, will be visible to billions
of people around the world and will provide scientists with a rare
opportunity to study how a potentially hazardous asteroid responds to
Earth’s gravitational forces.
International missions are already being planned. NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX
mission is expected to observe Apophis after the flyby, while the
European Space Agency’s RAMSES mission aims to rendezvous with the
asteroid before its close approach. ExLabs believes commercial missions
can significantly expand the amount of data collected and the number of
organizations able to participate. (4/7)
Investors Are Already Abuzz About a
Tesla-SpaceX Merger (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Elon Musk surprised onlookers with the quick merger between SpaceX and
xAI. Now analysts, investors and close Musk observers are debating the
merits of what some see as the ultimate combination: SpaceX and Tesla.
As SpaceX approaches an initial public offering, some investors are
discussing the idea of a mega-Musk merger as a follow-up. Musk has said
he thinks his companies are converging, but he hasn’t commented on
speculation of a merger. (4/7)
Meet Orpheus - A Hopper Mission Built
To Hunt For Life In Martian Volcanoes (Source: Universe Today)
We’ve spent decades scratching the surface of Mars trying to uncover
life there. Unlike lava tubes, vents feature sustained heat and
circulation that releases volatiles like water vapor and other gases as
long as the volcano is active. In other words, they are the most likely
spots for internal planetary heat to meet water - just like the vents
in Earth’s ocean floor that might have given rise to the first life
here.
Orpheus’ team is particularly interested in “Vent #5”, which is about
200 meters across and 50 meters deep. Most notably, it features a
diffuse dark streak stretching 400 meters uphill from its rim.
Researchers think this streak could be fresh, dark volcanic material
that was put there by a recent eruption. Or it could be fresh
subsurface material excavated by the wind. Either way, it’s most likely
the site of the most recent activity on CT1, and therefore holds the
most promise of finding something protected from the surface up until
recently. (4/8)
Intel Partners With SpaceX, Tesla to
Operate New Chip Plant (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Elon Musk is partnering with Intel INTC on his ambitious Terafab
project, which aims to build specially designed chips for SpaceX and
xAI as well as for Tesla. In an announcement Tuesday, Intel said it
would work with the companies to “design, fabricate, and package
ultra-high-performance chips at scale.” The company also shared a photo
of Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan shaking hands with Musk, CEO of SpaceX
and Tesla. (4/7)
Planet Details AI-Driven Object
Detection Onboard Pelican-4 Satellite (Source: Via Satellite)
Planet recently performed AI-driven object detection directly onboard a
Pelican-4 satellite, using the satellite’s onboard Nvidia Jetson Orin
module. Planet shared details on Tuesday of the recent tech milestone.
On March 25, Planet’s Pelican-4 satellite captured an image of the
airport in Alice Springs, Australia, and used the Nvidia Jetson Orin
module to run an AI model onboard the satellite, which detected
airplanes in the image. (4/7)
As More Nations Seek Counterspace
Chops, GPS Jamming Also Rises (Source: Breaking Defense)
As global military interest in obtaining capabilities to neutralize
adversary space systems continues to expand, jamming against GPS and
other position, navigation and timing satellites as well as
communications birds also is on the rise, according to a new report by
the Secure World Foundation. The good news for space operators,
including the US government, is that so far, “only non-destructive
capabilities are actively being used against satellites in current
military operations.” The bad news is that a growing number of
militaries around the world are seeking counterspace weapons, both
non-lethal and lethal, to target space systems. (4/8)
NASA’s Artemis Era May Finally Solve
Three Major Moon Mysteries (Source: Scientific American)
Despite the moon being so nearby, we know surprisingly little about it
with much certainty. The Apollo astronauts hauled back a bevy of moon
rocks and left behind a few short-lived geological experiments, but
most of our lunar knowledge today comes from moon-orbiting satellites,
telescopic observations from Earth and the handful of sample-return
missions undertaken recently by China. Starved of more in situ data,
researchers can’t yet scratch a bigger scientific itch; they wish to
study the moon as a Rosetta Stone for the origin and evolution of our
world and the solar system at large. Click here.
(4/7)
Has Artemis II Shown We Can Land on
the Moon Again? (Source: BBC)
The mission's first six days have shown that the Orion capsule works as
designed with people on board for the first time - something no
simulator could prove. Perhaps its greatest achievement, though, is
through the actions of the Artemis crew, which have generated hope,
agency and optimism for a world appearing to be in desperate need of
inspiration. But the bigger question remains - is a Moon landing by
2028, as NASA and President Trump want, now really an achievable goal?
If re-entry goes well, the picture that emerges from Artemis II will be
genuinely encouraging. The rocket worked. The spacecraft worked. The
crew handled the systems with competence and grace. And Nasa has at
last articulated a credible plan to build on this moment rather than
wait three years and start again. A Moon landing by 2028 remains a
stretch. The question is no longer whether Orion can fly. The question
is whether the landers, the cadence, and the political will can keep
pace. The spacecraft, at least, has done its part. (4/7)
It’s Unanimous: Space Already
Functions as Critical Infrastructure (Source: Via Satellite)
Space may not officially be the United States’ 17th critical
infrastructure sector. But in practice, experts across government,
academia, and industry say it already functions as one — deeply
embedded in the systems that power modern life. From GPS-enabled
financial transactions to airline navigation, precision agriculture,
emergency response, electric grid synchronization, and military
operations, space-based services quietly underpin nearly every other
sector formally recognized as critical infrastructure.
"A formal critical infrastructure designation for space really does
matter,” concludes Fernandez. “It would push us to look for blind spots
in how we address space-based capabilities and the threats to them and
force a more holistic view of all the assets that depend on space. Most
importantly, it creates an official structure with clearly assigned
roles and authorities, so the right organizations can actually act and
get the results we need when something goes wrong.” (4/7)
Advocates Ready For NASA Science
Funding Fight (Source: Payload)
NASA is facing dramatic cuts to its science program next fiscal
year—but advocates say they’re ready to fight for NASA’s space science
missions. Once again, the Trump administration has proposed a budget
that would make large cuts to science and STEM missions. And—once
again—advocates and lawmakers are saying they won’t stand idly by while
programs are gutted. The Planetary Society—an advocacy group that
organized others to lobby against the proposed science cuts for fiscal
2026—said it’s ready to rally the troops again. (4/7)
A Lunar Base or a Lunar Economy?
(Source: Space News)
We applaud the lunar base vision laid out by NASA Administrator Jared
Isaacman on March 24. Placing this stake in the lunar regolith is long
overdue. What is missing from the mission architecture, however, is a
vision for long-term economic development on the moon. It will be a
profound missed opportunity if NASA does not equally commit its lunar
base efforts to supporting commercial development of the moon. (4/8)
A Moon Base Is Being Planned Without
Understanding the Ground (Source: Roberto Moraes)
For the Artemis lunar base, the primary concern is not architecture or
hardware, but the absence of a construction-grade understanding of the
ground. The program is advancing without quantified boundary
conditions. From an engineering standpoint, that introduces first-order
risk. There is no clear evidence of a phased geotechnical investigation
program preceding infrastructure decisions. Without in situ
characterization, timelines are effectively being defined independently
of the controlling parameter, which is the ground.
On a Starship landing without a prepared pad, the question is not
whether the vehicle can land, but how the ground will respond. The
upper regolith layer is a low-confinement, highly disturbed zone. Under
high plume loading, this can lead to rapid degradation of bearing
conditions, material ejection, and surface instability. In that
context, landing without ground preparation is feasible, but not
predictable in performance or repeatability. In short, feasibility is
currently being evaluated from the vehicle down. For sustained
operations, it needs to be evaluated from the ground up. (4/7)
Our Off-World Bases Will Rely on
Nuclear Power. Can We Deliver? (Source: SpaceCom Second Stage)
NASA’s growing focus on crewed missions to the Moon, and then Mars,
highlights the daunting challenges of power generation. The Cassini
probe contained ~33 kilograms of plutonium to generate 850 watts of
continuous electricity, or ~8 megawatt-hours (MWh) per Earth year.
Next-generation fission microreactors will need only 150 grams of
uranium to produce 114 kilowatts of continuous electricity, or one
gigawatt-hour (GWh) per year, enough to power a Mars or Moon base camp.
While designed to be transportable, significant engineering work is
needed to support a safe lunar landing at a geotechnically suitable
site, and for final reactor assembly and activation. The compressed
schedule for Artemis necessitates a challenging learn-as-we-go approach
to constructing nuclear-capable infrastructure on an airless world with
fractional gravity, little-understood geotechnical properties, and a
host of unique environmental risks such as micrometeoroids, lunar dust,
solar radiation, thermal swings, and near-surface electrically charged
plasma.
And back on Earth, years before a microreactor is tucked into a
heavy-lift payload fairing, there is a critical shortage of
nuclear-ready processing facilities, causing a uranium and plutonium
bottleneck at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. This is a problem that must
be addressed to keep Artemis on-schedule while also supporting the
growing number of non-Artemis RTG-powered payloads and nuclear
propulsion systems moving toward launch. Click here.
(4/6)
Experiments Refute Dark Matter Claim (Source:
Phys.org)
In 1997, the DAMA/NaI experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory
in Italy observed a signal whose annual variability was suggestive of
dark matter. Despite the follow-up DAMA/LIBRA experiment producing
similar results, claims of direct dark matter detection drew skepticism
from the physics community.
To test the claims independently, sister experiments ANAIS-112 and
COSINE-100 were constructed using the same basic design as DAMA/NaI and
DAMA/LIBRA. COSINE-100, located at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory
in South Korea, began taking data in 2016. ANAIS-112, located at the
Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) in Spain, began taking data in
2017. Maruyama is the Principal Investigator (PI) and scientific
co-spokesperson of COSINE-100.
The data sets from both ANAIS-112 and COSINE-100, each working
independently, were found to contain no such variability, tentatively
ruling out dark matter as the cause of the earlier observations.
Hollick's 2025 thesis combined the data from both ANAIS-112 and
COSINE-100, and statistical analysis of the combined dataset showed no
significant evidence of annual modulation in the relevant energy
regions. This result effectively rules out dark matter as the origin
for the DAMA/LIBRA signal. (4/6)
Gravitational Waves May be Responsible
for Dark Matter in the Universe (Source: Brighter Side)
Dark matter is thought to exist everywhere, wrapping around galaxies
and helping to shape the largest things in the universe. But nobody
knows what it is made of. Now, a new theoretical study presents a
surprisingly unique situation that could provide some of the missing
puzzle pieces. Some of the dark matter may have originated from ancient
gravitational waves. These waves travelled through the early universe
before stars or galaxies had formed. (4/4)
Plan to Control Sunlight by Launching
50,000 Mirrors Could Wreak Havoc on Earth, Experts Warn: ‘Major Adverse
Health Consequences’ (Source: New York Post)
It’s keeping scientists up at night. Scientists around the world are
sounding the alarm over an ambitious plan to install thousands of
mirrors and myriad satellites in space, claiming that it will impact
sleep and various ecosystems on a global level. “The proposed scale of
orbital deployment would represent a significant alteration of the
natural night-time light environment at a planetary scale,” leaders of
the European Biological Rhythms Society (EBRS), the Society for
Research on Biological Rhythms, the Japanese Society for Chronobiology
and the Canadian Society for Chronobiology declared in letters to the
US Federal Communications Commission. (4/6)
China’s Gravity-Detecting SQUID Gets
Closer to Spotting US Nuclear Submarines (Source: SCMP)
Chinese researchers unveiled a gravity detector with world-leading
precision last month, potentially expanding the military applications
of the technology. It uses a superconducting quantum interference
device (SQUID) to detect objects by measuring tiny changes in gravity.
The team that developed the instrument says it can be used for
scientific research and finding underground resources. It also brings
the country one step closer to being able to spot patrolling nuclear
submarines.
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the instrument
reduces gravity gradient measurement noise – outside effects that can
disrupt a gravity detector’s accuracy, such as vibrations from seismic
activity – to a level that is second only to gravitational wave
detectors built on the kilometer scale. The instrument built by the CAS
team is about the size of an office cubicle. Existing submarine
detection methods – sonar, magnetic anomaly detection, and radar – can
be evaded. However, gravity cannot be masked. (4/3)
Spain’s Xoople Raises $130 Million to
Map the Earth for AI (Source: Tech Crunch)
Space data companies have argued for years that the private sector
needs their products, but the real uptake has been from government
buyers. Now, with artificial intelligence top of mind for business, one
Spanish startup is trying to become the go-to source of ground truth
for enterprise. Xoople (said like “zoople’) is developing a satellite
constellation to collect precise data aimed at deep learning models.
The startup was founded in 2019 and has spent the last seven years
developing its tech stack around data collected by government
spacecraft, and integrating with cloud providers. (4/6)
Proposed $1.7 Trillion DoD Budget Adds
$17.5 Billion to This Year's $25 Nillion for Inneffective Golden Dome (Source:
Popular Information)
In September 2025, Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute
estimated that a system actually capable of neutralizing threats from
all countries would cost $3.6 trillion. Among other limitations, a $185
billion system would not be effective against threats from China or
Russia, which have thousands of missiles, Harrison argues. Bloomberg’s
independent analysis found that an effective system would cost about
$1.1 trillion. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), a Trump supporter and the
founder of the Golden Dome caucus, acknowledged that “[i]t will likely
cost in the trillions if and when Golden Dome is completed.”
Some scientists believe that, no matter how much is spent, a
space-based missile defense system will not be effective. A February
2025 paper by the American Physical Society (APS) found that to defend
against just one North Korean missile would require “a constellation of
at least 1600 interceptors.” To defend against 10 missiles fired
simultaneously, the United States would need 40,000 space-based
interceptors, about three times the number of active satellites
currently in orbit.
Even if a multi-trillion-dollar system with tens of thousands of
interceptors could be deployed, it could still be defeated with
relatively inexpensive countermeasures, like decoys. The White House
seems to acknowledge that the missile defense system it is building
will not actually defend the country against a missile attack. “The
goal is to not create a ‘perfect’ defense, but to provide an
increasingly effective shield,” the White House budget document states.
(4/7)
April 7, 2026
Russia Supplies Iran with Cyber
Support, Spy Imagery to Hone Attacks, Ukraine Says (Source:
Reuters)
Russian satellites have made dozens of detailed imagery surveys of military facilities and critical sites across the Middle East to help Iran strike U.S. forces and other targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment. The conclusions, reviewed by Reuters, also found that Russian and Iranian hackers were collaborating in the cyber domain. They represent the most detailed account yet of how Russia has provided secret support to Iran since Israel and the U.S. launched their assault on February 28. (4/7)
DoD Strategic Capital Credit Program Could Reach $20B (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Pentagon has requested $20.2 billion for the Defense Strategic Capital Credit Program in fiscal year 2027, a huge increase from the $1.5 billion allotted for fiscal year 2026. The program, overseen by the Office of Strategic Capital, provides loans to companies working on critical technologies, such as microelectronics, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. (4/6)
FAA Budget Outlines Effort to Hire 2.3K Controllers (Sources: MSN, Reuters)
The Federal Aviation Administration's budget proposal for 2026 includes hiring 2,300 air traffic controller trainees to address a staffing shortage, seeking $95.4 million for this. The FAA is short of 3,500 certified controllers. The FAA is also requesting $39 million to enhance aviation safety oversight and commercial space transportation compliance. (4/6)
AIA Warns of NASA Budget Cut Impacts (Source: Space Daily)
The Aerospace Industries Association is tracking NASA's budget plan with AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning warning the budget cuts threaten US leadership in space. Current plans by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman call into question funding levels for the Space Launch System, a system Fanning defends as the only human-rated launch system currently available. (4/6)
Artemis Mission Achieves Lunar Flyby (Source: Space News)
Artemis 2 is on its way home after swinging around the moon. The Orion spacecraft made its closest approach to the moon at 7 p.m. Eastern Monday, around the same time it set the record for the furthest crewed mission from Earth at 406,771 kilometers. The four astronauts spent several hours during the flyby observing the moon, reporting on their observations while also taking images for later downlinks to Earth. After the flyby, the crew also spoke with President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The Orion spacecraft is performing well and on track for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening. (4/7)
Starfish Space Raises $100 Million for Servicing Satellite Production (Source: Space News)
Starfish Space has raised more than $100 million to scale up production of satellite servicing vehicles. The company announced a Series B round Tuesday led by Point72 Ventures and co-led by Activate Capital and Shield Capital, with participation from several other new and existing investors. The Seattle-based company plans to use the funding to increase production of its Otter line of spacecraft designed for satellite life extension and deorbiting defunct spacecraft. The company has already signed several customers, such as the U.S. Space Force and satellite operator SES, for Otter missions scheduled to launch starting later this year. (4/7)
Earth Observation Companies Aim For Latency Minimization (Source: Space News)
Earth observation companies are working to rapidly deliver images from their satellites. Data latency, the time between image capture and delivery, has long been a key metric for Earth observation customers, but customers are pushing operators to decrease latency in order to obtain real-time intelligence. Two years ago, government customers called for image delivery in 60-90 minutes, but those same offices are now pushing contractors to provide data in minutes. Companies are scrutinizing every aspect of their businesses from satellite design and construction to launch, commissioning, tasking, ground-station networks and image processing. (4/7)
Spain's FOSSA Aims for Japan's Defense Market (Source: Space News)
Spanish smallsat startup FOSSA Systems is pushing into Japan's defense market after securing a local partner to expand its reach. FOSSA opened a Tokyo office and signed a distribution agreement with Kanematsu, a conglomerate with a significant presence in Japan's aerospace and defense market. FOSSA develops its satellites in-house and was initially focused on spacecraft weighing less than a kilogram to provide Internet of Things services. The company is now building larger 3U and 6U cubesats, some of which carry dedicated customer payloads for signals intelligence. FOSSA also recently joined NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) to advance its dual-use commercial and government technologies. (4/7)
SpaceX Launches Monday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Noozhawk)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Monday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:50 p.m. Eastern, putting 25 Starlink satellites into orbit on the first flight of a new booster. The twilight launch created a backlit plume visible throughout much of southern California. (4/7)
SpaceX Broadens IPO Opportunities to Retail Investors (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX plans to give retail investors a bigger role in its upcoming IPO. The company is laying out plans for its initial public offering, including a traditional "roadshow" of presentations to institutional investors scheduled for early June. However, SpaceX also plans to give smaller retail investors an opportunity to participate in the IPO, with up to 30% of the shares available for sale to them. SpaceX will host 1,500 retail investors at an event after the IPO roadshow. (4/7)
Russian Space Chief Plans Isaacman Meeting This Summer (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos says he is preparing to meet with NASA Administrator Isaacman this summer. Dmitry Bakanov said Monday he expected a face-to-face meeting with Isaacman this summer after a brief video conference earlier this year. Isaacman said in February that he planned to attend the next Soyuz crewed launch to the International Space Station in July, which would be the first time a NASA administrator has gone to a Soyuz launch since 2018. Bakanov said that, at the upcoming meeting, he hopes to discuss "the future prospects of our cooperation." (4/7)
European Investment Bank Signs $34.6M Loan Facility with PLD Space, Bringing PLD Funding to $438M (Source: Space Intel Report)
The European Investment Bank (EIB), continuing to make good on a pledge to European governments to increase its support for startup space ventures, signed a venture-debt commitment of 30 million euros ($34.6 million) with startup launch provider PLD Space of Spain. PLD, which concluded a 180-million-euro Series C financing round in March, said it will use the EIB funds to bring its Miura 5 rocket into final development. The vehicle is scheduled to make its inaugural orbital flight this year from Europe. (4/7)
JAXA Plans To Bring Back Pristine Early Solar System Samples From A Comet (Source: Universe Today)
Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has been knocking it out of the park with small-body exploration missions for decades. They had historic successes with both Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, and they are going to visit the Martian Moons soon with the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. But after that, they are aiming for something much more pristine and arguably more difficult - a comet. The Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR) was recently described in a paper at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), and is under assessment as a large-class mission for the 2030s.
Its main target is the comet 289P/Blanpain, a unique comet that has an interesting history. It was originally discovered in 1819, but was then considered “lost” for two centuries, eventually being rediscovered in 2003. Originally it was mis-identified as a near-Earth asteroid due to its relatively low activity, but was confirmed as a comet after it had an unexpected outburst of activity in 2013. It’s extremely small, with an estimated 160 meter radius. But the most important feature is its relatively low rate of gas and dust production - making it a much safer environment for NGSR to perform proximity operations in than an actively erupting larger comet. (4/7)
Nigeria Announces Plans to Launch Two New NIGCOMSAT Communications Satellite by 2029 (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The Nigerian Federal Government has announced plans to launch two new communications satellite in 2028 and 2029, as the country's operational satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R nears the end of its lifespan. The new satellites, NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B, will accelerate the country's plans to strengthen security and expand digital connectivity. (4/7)
The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Pressure Tests (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Exploration Company has completed initial testing of the pressurized structure for its Nyx Structural Test Model (STM). The structure was manufactured by CNIM Systèmes Industriels in France. The Exploration Company is developing a modular space capsule called Nyx that will initially be used to transport cargo to and from low Earth orbit. Later versions are intended for lunar cargo missions and potential crew transport to and from orbit. (4/7)
Space Force Requests More Than $8 Billion For Space-Based AMTI (Source: Defense Daily)
While the Space Force has said it views the fielding of space-based ground moving target indication (GMTI) as preceding operational air moving target indication (AMTI) satellites, the service's fiscal 2027 budget suggests a possible reversal of roles. The Space Force asks for more than $7 billion in procurement for AMTI in fiscal 2027 versus $1 billion for GMTI. (4/7)
NASA KSC's "Take a Student to Work Day" is on April 23 (Source: NASA)
NASA KSC employees can bring up to five students to the space center on April 23. Students must stay with the employee for the entire duration of the event. They must be registered by April 17 to participate. Click here. (4/7)
What Should Be Jared Isaacman’s Top Priority for NASA? (Source: Aerospace America)
First, NASA must return to the moon by 2028 ahead of China. A sustainable lunar presence is not about landing astronauts once; it is about building the infrastructure, systems and partnerships that will allow humanity to thrive beyond Earth. The moon is where we perfect the technology and establish the operating cadence that makes deep-space exploration possible. This includes life support, surface power, communications, navigation systems and lander vehicles that are robust and resilient enough to withstand the moon’s two-week-long night, craters and other low-lying areas that experience almost permanent darkness. These areas are the proving ground that prepares us for the next big frontiers, including Mars. (3/30)
The Age Of Space Maneuver Warfare Is Imminent (Source: Forbes)
In 1944, Major General James Doolittle was touring a subordinate unit when he saw a sign on a wall: “The first duty of Eighth Air Force fighters is to bring the bombers back alive.” Doolittle ordered the sign to be taken down. A new sign read: “The first duty of Eighth Air Force fighters is to destroy German fighters.” From that small change grew a new strategy. This pivot from bomber support to air superiority — taking the fight to the enemy — led to the destruction of German airpower. Doolittle later assessed, “this was the most important and far-reaching military decision I made during the war.”
For the last few decades, the “first duty” of military space professionals has been to deliver space effects down to the terrestrial domains in the form of space support. We achieved this with satellites operating in fixed, static orbits (an operational design approach known as positional space operations) relatively close to Earth. This is still a vital and enduring mandate for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. But as adversary threats in and from space proliferate, the first duty of the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command will shift — just as Doolittle’s fighters did, with a primary focus of deterring and defeating adversaries within that domain.
This cannot happen without an equally fundamental paradigm shift from a traditional positional approach to space operations to a more dynamic one best described as space maneuver warfare. (4/7)
Louisiana Creating Incentives to Attract Space Companies (Source: Shreveport Bossier-Advocate)
Lawmakers on Tuesday will begin taking up a wide-ranging package of incentives designed to attract aerospace companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to Louisiana. The legislation, filed by House leadership just hours before last week’s deadline for filing new bills, would make companies that build, launch and service rockets in the state eligible for massive sales and property tax breaks, shield them from lawsuits over injury, environmental damage and loss of property values, and exempt them from public records laws.
The bills, filed by Republican Reps. Jack McFarland of Jonesboro, who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and Tony Bacala of Prairieville, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, are generating considerable buzz around the State Capitol, where they took some by surprise. Editor's Note: The incentives include a 20+ year state/local tax rebate on machinery, equipment, materials and services used in aerospace facilities, after a $1 billion capital investment and 200 new full-time jobs; also, an expansion of an ~80% property tax abatement for up to 10 years; and liability protections aimed at limiting lawsuits for various aerospace activities. (4/7)
House Space Subcommittee Chair on Extending ISS, Fostering Commercial LEO Market (Source: Aerospace America)
As chair of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, Haridopolos is in a position to influence future commercial growth and NASA’s long-term priorities. This subset of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, which oversees NASA, is often where discussions about the agency’s budget and broader U.S. space policy begin. Most recently, the subcommittee held a March 25 hearing about NASA’s plan to retire the ISS at the end of the decade and transition to privately owned and operated stations in low-Earth orbit. Click here. (4/6)
Billionaire NASA Chief Who’s Been to Space Twice Says Critics of Billionaire Space Travel are ‘Outright Wrong’ (Source: Fortune)
The billionaire leader of NASA, who has gone to space twice, has a message for critics of billionaire space travel: You’re “outright wrong.” Jared Isaacman defended private space exploration, also calling critics "ill-informed”. He argued that commercial efforts by leaders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are vital for technological progress, including planetary defense, and that society should not "pause" innovation. (4/7)
America May Be the Greatest in Space Travel — but the Average American Can Barely Afford Milk (Source: New York Post)
We're off to the moon. It’s costing trillions of jillions. Great. Terrific. Hooray to America. We don’t all have bread but we’re getting AI. Another $4 and you could buy milk. I know we must get there before Syria, Venezuela or some rat-infested land zooms into Lunar Lane before us. USA needed to figure how to schlep to the moon before anyone else. I understand that. Forget how about let’s first spruce up what once was San Francisco. Or maybe Chicago.
We are the elderly, the infirm, children’s schools failing, rumbling crumbling apartments, high prices, limited food, huge taxes, Cape Canaveral and a smelly john. I bet had Donald been on board, he’d have had his recently canned lady lawyer book a zeppelin to schlep up there and fix it. (4/6)
Arizona's 'Nursery for Astronauts' Helping Shape NASA's Mission to Return to Moon (Source: Fox 10 Phoenix)
The four Artemis 2 astronauts, along with all who came before them, trained right here in Arizona. The USGS used explosives at Cinder Lake to create a crater field that mimicked the Moon's surface. Now, scientists are back again. "A lot of the vegetation that grew in the last two decades has been removed and NASA is back using that for different things, developing and testing equipment like the rovers for astronaut training and other projects. So it’s great because that legacy is still alive," Kevin Schindler said.
Another Arizona connection is that an astronaut candidate for those future Artemis missions is former Flagstaff geologist Lauren Edgar. "Here we go again, not only training astronauts, but also a nursery for astronauts in some ways, so we hope down the road in Artemis missions, Lauren follows in those footsteps and makes the journey to the Moon," Schindler said. (4/6)
NASA Just Gave Apple the Best Shot-on-iPhone Ad Ever (Source: MacWorld)
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts used an iPhone 17 Pro to capture stunning Earth photographs from space, marking the first smartphone fully qualified for extended orbital use. The specially configured iPhones lack internet and Bluetooth connectivity, serving exclusively for photography during the mission. These impressive space images could potentially revive Apple’s popular ‘Shot on iPhone’ advertising campaign, showcasing the device’s advanced camera capabilities in extreme conditions. (4/6)
Nutella Capitalizes on Greatest Free Advertising Moment in History on NASA Moon Mission (Source: Fox News)
Nutella is capitalizing on what internet users are calling the greatest free advertising moment in history. A tub of the beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread has achieved liftoff — not just into space, but straight into viral fame. The scene unfolded aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, where a tub of Nutella casually floated out of the spacecraft’s kitchen like it had a call time and a lighting crew. In zero gravity, the jar drifted, turned, and practically posed — label-forward, perfectly framed — delivering a product shot so pristine it looked storyboarded. (4/6)
Artemis Eclipses (Source: Space Review)
Artemis 2 successfully launched last week, with the Orion spacecraft flying around the Moon on the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century. Jeff Foust reports on the success of the mission so far, one that has been overshadowed to a degree by proposed budget cuts at NASA. Click here. (4/7)
Pinning the Tail on the Moskva: POPPY and the Dawn of Satellite Ocean Surveillance (Source: Space Review)
The NRO launched signals intelligence satellites in the 1960s initially to track radars fixed on the ground. Dwayne Day describes insights from a recently declassified interview on how those satellites were then applied to tracking ships. Click here. (4/7)
Thirty Years Later, Mars 96 Has Not Been Found (Source: Space Review)
Three decades ago, Russia launched an ambitious Mars mission only for it to crash back to Earth. Dante Sanaei examines the enduring mysteries of Mars 96. Click here. (4/7)
Ownership Without Oversight: Australia’s On-Orbit Supervision Gap (Source: Space Review)
The recent sale of an imaging satellite already in orbit to an Australian company has uncovered a gap in how the country regulates space activities. Jeremy Kruckel proposes one solution to ensure the country upholds its treaty obligations. Click here. (4/7)
Review: Return to Launch (Source: Space Review)
Florida’s Space Coast has transformed over the last 15 years with the rise of private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX. Jeff Foust reviews a book that charts the decades-long efforts to build a space industry in the state that was less dependent on the ups and downs of government programs. Click here. (4/7)
Iceye Satellites Track Russian Vessels, Illegal Shipping in the Arctic (Source: Via Satellite)
On a dark, clouded night, a Russian ballistic missile submarine departs a naval base in the Arctic. A small vessel navigates the Mediterranean Sea at 15 miles per hour. A tanker floats beside another to illegally receive a cargo of sanctioned oil. The ocean is a big place covered by clouds and any of these activities are easy to miss. Iceye, a Finland-based Earth Observation firm, has tracked those three use cases from orbit, according to application studies.
Its constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, the largest in the world, is designed to monitor maritime activity in areas invisible to other observation methods. Iceye US CEO Eric Jensen said that in areas with high cloud cover or short daylight, monitoring ships is made possible only by their obligation to transmit their locations. He said Iceye’s constellation is dense enough to provide high-revisit radar data in those areas. (4/6)
NASA’s Moon Ship and Rocket Seem to be Working Well, so What About the Landers? (Source: Ars Technica)
As we have been reporting on Ars, NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission has been going rather well so far. Of course, Orion’s big test is yet to come with the fiery reentry through Earth’s atmosphere on Friday. But so far, it’s looking like the rocket and spaceship needed for a lunar landing are getting there for NASA. The biggest remaining piece of the architecture, therefore, is a lunar lander. Known in NASA parlance as the Human Landing System, or HLS, the space agency has contracted with SpaceX for its Starship vehicle and Blue Origin and its Blue Moon lander.
Last year, NASA asked both companies for options to accelerate their lunar landers, and both replied that not having to dock with the Lunar Gateway in a highly elliptical orbit, known as near-rectilinear halo orbit, would help a lot. So the space agency has removed that requirement. Beyond this, we don’t know much officially. NASA and the companies have not spoken publicly about their revised plans, but Blue Origin had a plan that did not involve orbital refueling, and SpaceX was looking at docking Starship with Orion in low-Earth orbit. (4/6)
Blue Origin Plans A Pair Of Low-Flying Prospectors Around The Lunar South Pole (Source: Universe Today)
Oasis-1, the newly proposed lunar prospecting mission from Blue Origin, was recently introduced at the 2026 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). It’s designed as a two-SmallSat mission to be deployed from Blue Origin’s uncrewed MK1 lander. The twin spacecraft will enter a highly elliptical 10 x 50 km polar orbit, with its lowest point, known as the periapsis, skimming right over the lunar South Pole.
That proximity is necessary to collect as much detailed data as possible. Each satellite will use a suite of three instruments that are tailored for deep prospecting. First is a Hybrid Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS). Its main purpose is to find water - neutron spectroscopy is currently the only remote sensing technique that can quantify water down to a depth of about one meter. (4/6)
Commercial Space to FCC on Market Access: Calm Down. EU Proposals are Already Being Improved (Source: Space Intel Report)
Commercial space operators told the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that while some nations with access to the US market continue to throw up barriers to US companies, the problem is not dramatic and can best be handled by the FCC’s current regulatory tools. Any attempt to impose new rules, they said, would risk making the problem much worse by provoking other nations to erect higher barriers. (4/6)
Moog Highlights Growing Satellite Bus Capabilities with METEOR (Source: Space News)
Moog will highlight its satellite bus product line and unveil a full-scale model of its METEOR spacecraft at the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. The display underscores Moog’s role as a key supplier of scalable components and systems for national security space customers. (4/6)
Seagate Space Signs MOU with Firefly Aerospace to Collaborate on Offshore Launch Infrastructure for Alpha (Source: Space News)
Seagate Space has agreed with Firefly Aerospace to collaborate on the development of an offshore launch platform that enables a sea-based launch capability for Firefly’s Alpha rocket. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in expanding responsive, resilient launch solutions for the rapidly growing space economy. Seagate Space is working closely with Firefly to mature the design of an integrated offshore launch system capable of supporting the unique requirements of liquid-fueled orbital rockets. Central to this development is the integration of Seagate Space’s Gateway Series, the industry’s first purpose-built offshore spaceport designed specifically for launch operations. (4/6)
Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian launch services provider Avio has postponed the launch of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after an issue was identified on the production line of a subsystem component.
Avio began preparations for the launch of SMILE in mid-February with the transfer of the P120C first stage from the Booster Storage Building to the ZLV launch pad. The transfer marked the beginning of the first Vega flight managed by Avio itself, after the company’s split from Arianespace-managed flights. In early April, the mission’s payload, encased in the Vega C fairing, was successfully stacked, marking the last major event before the rocket’s launch on 9 May. (4/6)
The Powerful New Rubin Observatory Just Found 11,000 New Asteroids and Measured 'Tens of Thousands More' (Source: Space.com)
Early observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have already revealed more than 11,000 previously unknown asteroids, reshaping our view of the solar system and offering a striking preview of what's to come once full science operations begin. The discovery, made using preliminary data, demonstrates Rubin's ability to scan the sky quickly and deeply. Even during limited early observations, the telescope has detected thousands of moving objects in just days, far outpacing traditional asteroid surveys, according to a statement from the NSF NOIRLab. (4/5)
Space Debris and Mega-Constellations: Is Starlink Reshaping Orbit Too Fast? (Source: New Space Economy)
A generation ago, the idea of one private company placing thousands of operational satellites into orbit while continuously adding more still sounded speculative. Now it describes the ordinary operating reality of Starlink. The system has widened access to broadband and changed expectations about what commercial space services can look like at mass-market scale. It has also altered the traffic environment of low Earth orbit fast enough that governance still feels improvised beside the pace of deployment.
That is the core controversy. Critics often talk as if Starlink’s growth automatically means an imminent debris catastrophe. Supporters often answer as if autonomous avoidance, planned reentries, and active station-keeping settle the matter. Neither view is complete. The real problem is that congestion, conjunction management, reentry load, atmospheric effects, astronomy conflicts, and precedent-setting all accumulate long before the most dramatic failure scenario arrives. A crowded orbital regime can become more brittle even while most satellites keep working as designed. (4/6)
Russian satellites have made dozens of detailed imagery surveys of military facilities and critical sites across the Middle East to help Iran strike U.S. forces and other targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment. The conclusions, reviewed by Reuters, also found that Russian and Iranian hackers were collaborating in the cyber domain. They represent the most detailed account yet of how Russia has provided secret support to Iran since Israel and the U.S. launched their assault on February 28. (4/7)
DoD Strategic Capital Credit Program Could Reach $20B (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Pentagon has requested $20.2 billion for the Defense Strategic Capital Credit Program in fiscal year 2027, a huge increase from the $1.5 billion allotted for fiscal year 2026. The program, overseen by the Office of Strategic Capital, provides loans to companies working on critical technologies, such as microelectronics, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. (4/6)
FAA Budget Outlines Effort to Hire 2.3K Controllers (Sources: MSN, Reuters)
The Federal Aviation Administration's budget proposal for 2026 includes hiring 2,300 air traffic controller trainees to address a staffing shortage, seeking $95.4 million for this. The FAA is short of 3,500 certified controllers. The FAA is also requesting $39 million to enhance aviation safety oversight and commercial space transportation compliance. (4/6)
AIA Warns of NASA Budget Cut Impacts (Source: Space Daily)
The Aerospace Industries Association is tracking NASA's budget plan with AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning warning the budget cuts threaten US leadership in space. Current plans by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman call into question funding levels for the Space Launch System, a system Fanning defends as the only human-rated launch system currently available. (4/6)
Artemis Mission Achieves Lunar Flyby (Source: Space News)
Artemis 2 is on its way home after swinging around the moon. The Orion spacecraft made its closest approach to the moon at 7 p.m. Eastern Monday, around the same time it set the record for the furthest crewed mission from Earth at 406,771 kilometers. The four astronauts spent several hours during the flyby observing the moon, reporting on their observations while also taking images for later downlinks to Earth. After the flyby, the crew also spoke with President Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The Orion spacecraft is performing well and on track for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening. (4/7)
Starfish Space Raises $100 Million for Servicing Satellite Production (Source: Space News)
Starfish Space has raised more than $100 million to scale up production of satellite servicing vehicles. The company announced a Series B round Tuesday led by Point72 Ventures and co-led by Activate Capital and Shield Capital, with participation from several other new and existing investors. The Seattle-based company plans to use the funding to increase production of its Otter line of spacecraft designed for satellite life extension and deorbiting defunct spacecraft. The company has already signed several customers, such as the U.S. Space Force and satellite operator SES, for Otter missions scheduled to launch starting later this year. (4/7)
Earth Observation Companies Aim For Latency Minimization (Source: Space News)
Earth observation companies are working to rapidly deliver images from their satellites. Data latency, the time between image capture and delivery, has long been a key metric for Earth observation customers, but customers are pushing operators to decrease latency in order to obtain real-time intelligence. Two years ago, government customers called for image delivery in 60-90 minutes, but those same offices are now pushing contractors to provide data in minutes. Companies are scrutinizing every aspect of their businesses from satellite design and construction to launch, commissioning, tasking, ground-station networks and image processing. (4/7)
Spain's FOSSA Aims for Japan's Defense Market (Source: Space News)
Spanish smallsat startup FOSSA Systems is pushing into Japan's defense market after securing a local partner to expand its reach. FOSSA opened a Tokyo office and signed a distribution agreement with Kanematsu, a conglomerate with a significant presence in Japan's aerospace and defense market. FOSSA develops its satellites in-house and was initially focused on spacecraft weighing less than a kilogram to provide Internet of Things services. The company is now building larger 3U and 6U cubesats, some of which carry dedicated customer payloads for signals intelligence. FOSSA also recently joined NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) to advance its dual-use commercial and government technologies. (4/7)
SpaceX Launches Monday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Noozhawk)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Monday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:50 p.m. Eastern, putting 25 Starlink satellites into orbit on the first flight of a new booster. The twilight launch created a backlit plume visible throughout much of southern California. (4/7)
SpaceX Broadens IPO Opportunities to Retail Investors (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX plans to give retail investors a bigger role in its upcoming IPO. The company is laying out plans for its initial public offering, including a traditional "roadshow" of presentations to institutional investors scheduled for early June. However, SpaceX also plans to give smaller retail investors an opportunity to participate in the IPO, with up to 30% of the shares available for sale to them. SpaceX will host 1,500 retail investors at an event after the IPO roadshow. (4/7)
Russian Space Chief Plans Isaacman Meeting This Summer (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos says he is preparing to meet with NASA Administrator Isaacman this summer. Dmitry Bakanov said Monday he expected a face-to-face meeting with Isaacman this summer after a brief video conference earlier this year. Isaacman said in February that he planned to attend the next Soyuz crewed launch to the International Space Station in July, which would be the first time a NASA administrator has gone to a Soyuz launch since 2018. Bakanov said that, at the upcoming meeting, he hopes to discuss "the future prospects of our cooperation." (4/7)
European Investment Bank Signs $34.6M Loan Facility with PLD Space, Bringing PLD Funding to $438M (Source: Space Intel Report)
The European Investment Bank (EIB), continuing to make good on a pledge to European governments to increase its support for startup space ventures, signed a venture-debt commitment of 30 million euros ($34.6 million) with startup launch provider PLD Space of Spain. PLD, which concluded a 180-million-euro Series C financing round in March, said it will use the EIB funds to bring its Miura 5 rocket into final development. The vehicle is scheduled to make its inaugural orbital flight this year from Europe. (4/7)
JAXA Plans To Bring Back Pristine Early Solar System Samples From A Comet (Source: Universe Today)
Japan’s space agency, JAXA, has been knocking it out of the park with small-body exploration missions for decades. They had historic successes with both Hayabusa and Hayabusa2, and they are going to visit the Martian Moons soon with the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. But after that, they are aiming for something much more pristine and arguably more difficult - a comet. The Next Generation Small-Body Return (NGSR) was recently described in a paper at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), and is under assessment as a large-class mission for the 2030s.
Its main target is the comet 289P/Blanpain, a unique comet that has an interesting history. It was originally discovered in 1819, but was then considered “lost” for two centuries, eventually being rediscovered in 2003. Originally it was mis-identified as a near-Earth asteroid due to its relatively low activity, but was confirmed as a comet after it had an unexpected outburst of activity in 2013. It’s extremely small, with an estimated 160 meter radius. But the most important feature is its relatively low rate of gas and dust production - making it a much safer environment for NGSR to perform proximity operations in than an actively erupting larger comet. (4/7)
Nigeria Announces Plans to Launch Two New NIGCOMSAT Communications Satellite by 2029 (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The Nigerian Federal Government has announced plans to launch two new communications satellite in 2028 and 2029, as the country's operational satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R nears the end of its lifespan. The new satellites, NIGCOMSAT-2A and NIGCOMSAT-2B, will accelerate the country's plans to strengthen security and expand digital connectivity. (4/7)
The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Pressure Tests (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Exploration Company has completed initial testing of the pressurized structure for its Nyx Structural Test Model (STM). The structure was manufactured by CNIM Systèmes Industriels in France. The Exploration Company is developing a modular space capsule called Nyx that will initially be used to transport cargo to and from low Earth orbit. Later versions are intended for lunar cargo missions and potential crew transport to and from orbit. (4/7)
Space Force Requests More Than $8 Billion For Space-Based AMTI (Source: Defense Daily)
While the Space Force has said it views the fielding of space-based ground moving target indication (GMTI) as preceding operational air moving target indication (AMTI) satellites, the service's fiscal 2027 budget suggests a possible reversal of roles. The Space Force asks for more than $7 billion in procurement for AMTI in fiscal 2027 versus $1 billion for GMTI. (4/7)
NASA KSC's "Take a Student to Work Day" is on April 23 (Source: NASA)
NASA KSC employees can bring up to five students to the space center on April 23. Students must stay with the employee for the entire duration of the event. They must be registered by April 17 to participate. Click here. (4/7)
What Should Be Jared Isaacman’s Top Priority for NASA? (Source: Aerospace America)
First, NASA must return to the moon by 2028 ahead of China. A sustainable lunar presence is not about landing astronauts once; it is about building the infrastructure, systems and partnerships that will allow humanity to thrive beyond Earth. The moon is where we perfect the technology and establish the operating cadence that makes deep-space exploration possible. This includes life support, surface power, communications, navigation systems and lander vehicles that are robust and resilient enough to withstand the moon’s two-week-long night, craters and other low-lying areas that experience almost permanent darkness. These areas are the proving ground that prepares us for the next big frontiers, including Mars. (3/30)
The Age Of Space Maneuver Warfare Is Imminent (Source: Forbes)
In 1944, Major General James Doolittle was touring a subordinate unit when he saw a sign on a wall: “The first duty of Eighth Air Force fighters is to bring the bombers back alive.” Doolittle ordered the sign to be taken down. A new sign read: “The first duty of Eighth Air Force fighters is to destroy German fighters.” From that small change grew a new strategy. This pivot from bomber support to air superiority — taking the fight to the enemy — led to the destruction of German airpower. Doolittle later assessed, “this was the most important and far-reaching military decision I made during the war.”
For the last few decades, the “first duty” of military space professionals has been to deliver space effects down to the terrestrial domains in the form of space support. We achieved this with satellites operating in fixed, static orbits (an operational design approach known as positional space operations) relatively close to Earth. This is still a vital and enduring mandate for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. But as adversary threats in and from space proliferate, the first duty of the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command will shift — just as Doolittle’s fighters did, with a primary focus of deterring and defeating adversaries within that domain.
This cannot happen without an equally fundamental paradigm shift from a traditional positional approach to space operations to a more dynamic one best described as space maneuver warfare. (4/7)
Louisiana Creating Incentives to Attract Space Companies (Source: Shreveport Bossier-Advocate)
Lawmakers on Tuesday will begin taking up a wide-ranging package of incentives designed to attract aerospace companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to Louisiana. The legislation, filed by House leadership just hours before last week’s deadline for filing new bills, would make companies that build, launch and service rockets in the state eligible for massive sales and property tax breaks, shield them from lawsuits over injury, environmental damage and loss of property values, and exempt them from public records laws.
The bills, filed by Republican Reps. Jack McFarland of Jonesboro, who chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and Tony Bacala of Prairieville, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, are generating considerable buzz around the State Capitol, where they took some by surprise. Editor's Note: The incentives include a 20+ year state/local tax rebate on machinery, equipment, materials and services used in aerospace facilities, after a $1 billion capital investment and 200 new full-time jobs; also, an expansion of an ~80% property tax abatement for up to 10 years; and liability protections aimed at limiting lawsuits for various aerospace activities. (4/7)
House Space Subcommittee Chair on Extending ISS, Fostering Commercial LEO Market (Source: Aerospace America)
As chair of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, Haridopolos is in a position to influence future commercial growth and NASA’s long-term priorities. This subset of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, which oversees NASA, is often where discussions about the agency’s budget and broader U.S. space policy begin. Most recently, the subcommittee held a March 25 hearing about NASA’s plan to retire the ISS at the end of the decade and transition to privately owned and operated stations in low-Earth orbit. Click here. (4/6)
Billionaire NASA Chief Who’s Been to Space Twice Says Critics of Billionaire Space Travel are ‘Outright Wrong’ (Source: Fortune)
The billionaire leader of NASA, who has gone to space twice, has a message for critics of billionaire space travel: You’re “outright wrong.” Jared Isaacman defended private space exploration, also calling critics "ill-informed”. He argued that commercial efforts by leaders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are vital for technological progress, including planetary defense, and that society should not "pause" innovation. (4/7)
America May Be the Greatest in Space Travel — but the Average American Can Barely Afford Milk (Source: New York Post)
We're off to the moon. It’s costing trillions of jillions. Great. Terrific. Hooray to America. We don’t all have bread but we’re getting AI. Another $4 and you could buy milk. I know we must get there before Syria, Venezuela or some rat-infested land zooms into Lunar Lane before us. USA needed to figure how to schlep to the moon before anyone else. I understand that. Forget how about let’s first spruce up what once was San Francisco. Or maybe Chicago.
We are the elderly, the infirm, children’s schools failing, rumbling crumbling apartments, high prices, limited food, huge taxes, Cape Canaveral and a smelly john. I bet had Donald been on board, he’d have had his recently canned lady lawyer book a zeppelin to schlep up there and fix it. (4/6)
Arizona's 'Nursery for Astronauts' Helping Shape NASA's Mission to Return to Moon (Source: Fox 10 Phoenix)
The four Artemis 2 astronauts, along with all who came before them, trained right here in Arizona. The USGS used explosives at Cinder Lake to create a crater field that mimicked the Moon's surface. Now, scientists are back again. "A lot of the vegetation that grew in the last two decades has been removed and NASA is back using that for different things, developing and testing equipment like the rovers for astronaut training and other projects. So it’s great because that legacy is still alive," Kevin Schindler said.
Another Arizona connection is that an astronaut candidate for those future Artemis missions is former Flagstaff geologist Lauren Edgar. "Here we go again, not only training astronauts, but also a nursery for astronauts in some ways, so we hope down the road in Artemis missions, Lauren follows in those footsteps and makes the journey to the Moon," Schindler said. (4/6)
NASA Just Gave Apple the Best Shot-on-iPhone Ad Ever (Source: MacWorld)
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts used an iPhone 17 Pro to capture stunning Earth photographs from space, marking the first smartphone fully qualified for extended orbital use. The specially configured iPhones lack internet and Bluetooth connectivity, serving exclusively for photography during the mission. These impressive space images could potentially revive Apple’s popular ‘Shot on iPhone’ advertising campaign, showcasing the device’s advanced camera capabilities in extreme conditions. (4/6)
Nutella Capitalizes on Greatest Free Advertising Moment in History on NASA Moon Mission (Source: Fox News)
Nutella is capitalizing on what internet users are calling the greatest free advertising moment in history. A tub of the beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread has achieved liftoff — not just into space, but straight into viral fame. The scene unfolded aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission, where a tub of Nutella casually floated out of the spacecraft’s kitchen like it had a call time and a lighting crew. In zero gravity, the jar drifted, turned, and practically posed — label-forward, perfectly framed — delivering a product shot so pristine it looked storyboarded. (4/6)
Artemis Eclipses (Source: Space Review)
Artemis 2 successfully launched last week, with the Orion spacecraft flying around the Moon on the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century. Jeff Foust reports on the success of the mission so far, one that has been overshadowed to a degree by proposed budget cuts at NASA. Click here. (4/7)
Pinning the Tail on the Moskva: POPPY and the Dawn of Satellite Ocean Surveillance (Source: Space Review)
The NRO launched signals intelligence satellites in the 1960s initially to track radars fixed on the ground. Dwayne Day describes insights from a recently declassified interview on how those satellites were then applied to tracking ships. Click here. (4/7)
Thirty Years Later, Mars 96 Has Not Been Found (Source: Space Review)
Three decades ago, Russia launched an ambitious Mars mission only for it to crash back to Earth. Dante Sanaei examines the enduring mysteries of Mars 96. Click here. (4/7)
Ownership Without Oversight: Australia’s On-Orbit Supervision Gap (Source: Space Review)
The recent sale of an imaging satellite already in orbit to an Australian company has uncovered a gap in how the country regulates space activities. Jeremy Kruckel proposes one solution to ensure the country upholds its treaty obligations. Click here. (4/7)
Review: Return to Launch (Source: Space Review)
Florida’s Space Coast has transformed over the last 15 years with the rise of private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX. Jeff Foust reviews a book that charts the decades-long efforts to build a space industry in the state that was less dependent on the ups and downs of government programs. Click here. (4/7)
Iceye Satellites Track Russian Vessels, Illegal Shipping in the Arctic (Source: Via Satellite)
On a dark, clouded night, a Russian ballistic missile submarine departs a naval base in the Arctic. A small vessel navigates the Mediterranean Sea at 15 miles per hour. A tanker floats beside another to illegally receive a cargo of sanctioned oil. The ocean is a big place covered by clouds and any of these activities are easy to miss. Iceye, a Finland-based Earth Observation firm, has tracked those three use cases from orbit, according to application studies.
Its constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, the largest in the world, is designed to monitor maritime activity in areas invisible to other observation methods. Iceye US CEO Eric Jensen said that in areas with high cloud cover or short daylight, monitoring ships is made possible only by their obligation to transmit their locations. He said Iceye’s constellation is dense enough to provide high-revisit radar data in those areas. (4/6)
NASA’s Moon Ship and Rocket Seem to be Working Well, so What About the Landers? (Source: Ars Technica)
As we have been reporting on Ars, NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission has been going rather well so far. Of course, Orion’s big test is yet to come with the fiery reentry through Earth’s atmosphere on Friday. But so far, it’s looking like the rocket and spaceship needed for a lunar landing are getting there for NASA. The biggest remaining piece of the architecture, therefore, is a lunar lander. Known in NASA parlance as the Human Landing System, or HLS, the space agency has contracted with SpaceX for its Starship vehicle and Blue Origin and its Blue Moon lander.
Last year, NASA asked both companies for options to accelerate their lunar landers, and both replied that not having to dock with the Lunar Gateway in a highly elliptical orbit, known as near-rectilinear halo orbit, would help a lot. So the space agency has removed that requirement. Beyond this, we don’t know much officially. NASA and the companies have not spoken publicly about their revised plans, but Blue Origin had a plan that did not involve orbital refueling, and SpaceX was looking at docking Starship with Orion in low-Earth orbit. (4/6)
Blue Origin Plans A Pair Of Low-Flying Prospectors Around The Lunar South Pole (Source: Universe Today)
Oasis-1, the newly proposed lunar prospecting mission from Blue Origin, was recently introduced at the 2026 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). It’s designed as a two-SmallSat mission to be deployed from Blue Origin’s uncrewed MK1 lander. The twin spacecraft will enter a highly elliptical 10 x 50 km polar orbit, with its lowest point, known as the periapsis, skimming right over the lunar South Pole.
That proximity is necessary to collect as much detailed data as possible. Each satellite will use a suite of three instruments that are tailored for deep prospecting. First is a Hybrid Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS). Its main purpose is to find water - neutron spectroscopy is currently the only remote sensing technique that can quantify water down to a depth of about one meter. (4/6)
Commercial Space to FCC on Market Access: Calm Down. EU Proposals are Already Being Improved (Source: Space Intel Report)
Commercial space operators told the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that while some nations with access to the US market continue to throw up barriers to US companies, the problem is not dramatic and can best be handled by the FCC’s current regulatory tools. Any attempt to impose new rules, they said, would risk making the problem much worse by provoking other nations to erect higher barriers. (4/6)
Moog Highlights Growing Satellite Bus Capabilities with METEOR (Source: Space News)
Moog will highlight its satellite bus product line and unveil a full-scale model of its METEOR spacecraft at the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. The display underscores Moog’s role as a key supplier of scalable components and systems for national security space customers. (4/6)
Seagate Space Signs MOU with Firefly Aerospace to Collaborate on Offshore Launch Infrastructure for Alpha (Source: Space News)
Seagate Space has agreed with Firefly Aerospace to collaborate on the development of an offshore launch platform that enables a sea-based launch capability for Firefly’s Alpha rocket. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in expanding responsive, resilient launch solutions for the rapidly growing space economy. Seagate Space is working closely with Firefly to mature the design of an integrated offshore launch system capable of supporting the unique requirements of liquid-fueled orbital rockets. Central to this development is the integration of Seagate Space’s Gateway Series, the industry’s first purpose-built offshore spaceport designed specifically for launch operations. (4/6)
Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian launch services provider Avio has postponed the launch of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after an issue was identified on the production line of a subsystem component.
Avio began preparations for the launch of SMILE in mid-February with the transfer of the P120C first stage from the Booster Storage Building to the ZLV launch pad. The transfer marked the beginning of the first Vega flight managed by Avio itself, after the company’s split from Arianespace-managed flights. In early April, the mission’s payload, encased in the Vega C fairing, was successfully stacked, marking the last major event before the rocket’s launch on 9 May. (4/6)
The Powerful New Rubin Observatory Just Found 11,000 New Asteroids and Measured 'Tens of Thousands More' (Source: Space.com)
Early observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have already revealed more than 11,000 previously unknown asteroids, reshaping our view of the solar system and offering a striking preview of what's to come once full science operations begin. The discovery, made using preliminary data, demonstrates Rubin's ability to scan the sky quickly and deeply. Even during limited early observations, the telescope has detected thousands of moving objects in just days, far outpacing traditional asteroid surveys, according to a statement from the NSF NOIRLab. (4/5)
Space Debris and Mega-Constellations: Is Starlink Reshaping Orbit Too Fast? (Source: New Space Economy)
A generation ago, the idea of one private company placing thousands of operational satellites into orbit while continuously adding more still sounded speculative. Now it describes the ordinary operating reality of Starlink. The system has widened access to broadband and changed expectations about what commercial space services can look like at mass-market scale. It has also altered the traffic environment of low Earth orbit fast enough that governance still feels improvised beside the pace of deployment.
That is the core controversy. Critics often talk as if Starlink’s growth automatically means an imminent debris catastrophe. Supporters often answer as if autonomous avoidance, planned reentries, and active station-keeping settle the matter. Neither view is complete. The real problem is that congestion, conjunction management, reentry load, atmospheric effects, astronomy conflicts, and precedent-setting all accumulate long before the most dramatic failure scenario arrives. A crowded orbital regime can become more brittle even while most satellites keep working as designed. (4/6)
April 6, 2026
Moon Astronauts Forced to Do It in
Bags as “Burning Odor” Emanates From Toilet (Source: Futurism)
NASA’s historic Artemis 2 mission launched without a hitch but their journey hasn’t been without hiccups. Their space toilet, in particular — the space agency’s newfangled Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) — has turned out to be a considerable pain point. Mere hours into their ten-day trip around the Moon, the toilet jammed, with NASA officials delivering the crew an unfortunate piece of news: it was only accepting solid waste.
While the issue was ultimately corrected when NASA astronaut Christina Koch realized the pump hadn’t been primed with enough liquid, the interplanetary commode broke down once again over the weekend. This time, “it’s an issue with dumping the waste out of the toilet,” as flight director Judd Frieling told reporters on Saturday, as quoted by CNN. “And so it appears to me that we probably have some frozen urine in the vent line.”
And in the midst of it all, yet another issue with the toilet manifested itself in a way that’s particularly alarming in the closed confines of a spacecraft. "When I opened up the hygiene bay, the rest of the crew could smell it pretty much immediately.” Ground control suspects the odor was caused by insulation around the door of the toilet heating up. (4/6)
Cecil Spaceport: How Collaboration Unlocks Regional Excellence (Source: Space Florida)
By 2035, Florida must be ready to support the transport of at least 5,000 metric tons of cargo to space annually. Meeting that demand won't happen at a single launch pad—it will require an integrated network of testing, manufacturing, reentry, and command infrastructure spread across the state. That's not a future vision. It's already being built. And Cecil Airport & Spaceport, quietly generating over $2 billion in annual economic impact from Northeast Florida, is a vital piece of that puzzle.
Florida's spaceport system is far larger and far more strategic than any single location. From the busiest launch complex in the world to emerging testing and reentry facilities, Florida's spaceports operate as an integrated network, each with distinct capabilities and purposeful roles. Cecil Spaceport exemplifies why this collaborative approach has become our competitive advantage on the national stage.
Cecil Spaceport occupies a distinct and essential position within Florida's aerospace ecosystem. It brings substantial assets to that role: the third-longest runway in the state, a robust military and government presence, 320 acres set aside specifically for aerospace development, and critical infrastructure including an 18,200-square-foot hangar and a 60,000-square-foot concrete ramp designed for rocket testing and launch preparation. (4/6)
China and Europe Launch Rare Joint Space Mission (Source: Financial Times)
Europe and China are launching a joint space mission to study how Earth’s magnetic field shields the planet from harmful solar radiation, a rare example of collaboration as space competition intensifies. The ambitious project aims to understand how solar turbulence generates “space weather” and to predict geomagnetic storms that can disrupt terrestrial communications, knock out power grids and damage electronic equipment. A Vega-C rocket is set to launch the 2.3 tonne satellite, called Smile, from French Guiana into a highly elliptical orbit that will take it as far as 121,000km above the North Pole. (4/6)
More Military Concern on Space Supply Chains (Source: Space News)
Military space programs are suffering from supply chain constraints. As the Space Force envisions accelerated satellite production, officials are warning that key parts of the space industrial base may not be mature enough to keep up. The concerns center on highly specialized components, such as optical inter-satellite communication terminals, infrared sensor arrays and radiation-hardened microelectronics. The risks are concentrated among smaller, lower-tier suppliers that can remain mostly invisible until a disruption halts production. Those supply chain challenges have affected programs like the Space Development Agency's constellations of communications and missile-tracking satellites. (4/6)
Russian Soyuz Rocket Launches From Plesetsk (Source: Russian Space Web)
A Soyuz rocket launched a Russian military communications satellite on April 3. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and placed a Meridian-M satellite into orbit. This was the 11th launch of a Meridian satellite, which provides communications services from highly elliptical orbits. (4/6)
NASA Officially Stops Work on SLS Mobile Launcher (Source: Space News)
NASA has stopped work on a mobile launch tower for a version of the Space Launch System the agency no longer plans to develop. Agency officials said last week they issued a stop-work order for Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), which was being built for the SLS Block 1B. NASA announced in late February it would no longer develop the SLS Block 1B, instead retaining the existing Block 1 version. Development of ML-2 has suffered major delays and cost overruns. NASA said it will use some components of ML-2 as spares for the existing mobile launch platform. (4/5)
Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian launch services provider Avio has postponed the launch of the ESA's SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after an issue was identified on the production line of a subsystem component. Avio began preparations for the launch of SMILE in mid-February with the transfer of the P120C first stage from the Booster Storage Building to the ZLV launch pad. The transfer marked the beginning of the first Vega flight managed by Avio itself, after the company’s split from Arianespace-managed flights. (4/6)
Fast and Furious: Aerospace Firms Reduce Hypersonic Design to Months, Not Years (Source: AIAA)
Used to be, designing hypersonic aircraft, a complex and lengthy process, presented a choice: One could choose low-fidelity and have it quickly, or high-fidelity and it would take seemingly forever. Those days may be gone if aerospace firms Specter Aerospace and nTop have their way. Now, hypersonic aircraft can be designed quickly, with high fidelity, at scale, reducing time from development requirements to validated design in days instead of weeks or months, said presenters on the HUB stage at AIAA SciTech Forum on 13 January. (4/6)
SDA’s Sandhoo Likely to Lead Space Force Missile Warning & Tracking Portfolio (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force intends to tap the acting director of the Space Development Agency (SDA), Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, to lead its new Missile Warning and Tracking Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) office, multiple sources have told Breaking Defense. In that job, Sandhoo will be responsible for developing the sensor satellites required to enable the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative. (4/6)
Brevard County Company 3D Prints Tools for Orion Capsule (Source: MyNews 13)
The company is 3D printing tools used to assemble the Orion space capsule. Ken Brace is the owner of Rapid Prototyping Services, a company that is 3D printing parts for NASA. "During the assembly process of the capsule, they use these tools to drill holes in the enclosure, to add bracketry, add seats to the capsule," he explained.
Brace has been turning out tools for NASA for 22 years, and he has been 3D printing drill fixtures for the Orion program since 2014. His company’s machines have 3D printed 3,000 parts for NASA and its contractors. “We started 3D printing the tools instead of machining them at 50 percent savings for the tool costs," he said.
Brace is also saving NASA time. He prints some tools overnight and contractors pick them up the next morning to take them into work. That means NASA does not have to wait three weeks for a tool to come in from a machine shop. Lockheed Martin gave Brace’s company an award several years ago for saving NASA money on the tooling and for helping to accelerate parts of the Orion program. (3/31)
Space Command Headquarters to Move 200 Employees to Alabama This Year, Lawsuit Bristles (Source: The Gazette)
Space Command headquarters could have 200 employees working from Alabama this year, as Colorado and the Trump administration exchange barbed letters as part of a pending lawsuit.
Colorado’s lawsuit against the administration alleges the federal government is retaliating against it for its mail-in voting system and has taken numerous steps to punish the state, including moving the command, revoking Department of Energy Funds, planning to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, and denying the state federal aid following floods, among other measures.
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Justice recently exchanged barbed letters ahead of an anticipated motion by the Trump administration to dismiss the lawsuit. At the same time, Gen. Stephen Whiting recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee that work is underway on interim office space for the command at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. (4/6)
As Rocket Launches Increase, They May Be Polluting the Skies (Source: Undark)
Rocket launches used to be a rare occurrence. But with access to space proliferating, partly thanks to an abundance of commercial space companies, global launches have risen exponentially: In the last five years, they’ve nearly tripled. According to an analysis by SpaceNews, in 2025 alone, humans shot about 320 rockets into space.
All those rockets produce a fair amount pollution, from the sooty plumes that catapult them into orbit and beyond to derelict satellites that burn up upon reentry. Regulators have been monitoring and restricting other air pollutants especially since the 1970s, including the exhaust from cars and jet engines. Many researchers believe such regulations are overdue for rocket engines — especially because nobody really knows exactly how much damage those pollutants cause.
“It might be another 10 years until we found how large the influences on the atmosphere actually are,” said Leonard Schulz, a geophysicist at the University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology in Northern Germany. By that time, he added, the pollution could accumulate to the point that, you cannot easily reverse it. (4/6)
Isaacman Says Artemis II Would Not Be Possible 'if it Wasn't for President Trump' (Source: Fox News)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the success of the historic Artemis II mission currently underway would not be possible "if it wasn't for President Trump," as the Orion spacecraft is set to pass beyond the far side of the moon in the next 24 hours.
Isaacman detailed the mission’s progress, how technology has assisted in the success of Artemis II so far, and the role that President Donald Trump has played in the Artemis program during an interview. "I want to be incredibly clear, we would not be at this moment right now with Artemis II if it wasn't for President Trump," Isaacman told Fox. "And we certainly would not have an achievable path now to get back to the lunar surface and build that enduring presence." (4/5)
NASA Families Don’t Go to the Moon, but They’re on the Mission, Too (Source: New York Times)
When the astronaut Reid Wiseman learned that he would be commanding NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon, his immediate reaction was not excitement. “It was pretty heavy,” Mr. Wiseman said on NASA’s Curious Universe podcast. In part, that is because he is the sole parent of two daughters. “It was not like you just won the lottery and you’re running out and jumping for joy,” he said. “It was not that feeling at all.” (4/5)
China Starts Feasibility Study for Space-Based Intelligent Computing Constellation (Source: Xinhua)
China has launched a comprehensive feasibility study and pre-project assessment for a space-based intelligent computing constellation, a senior official from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has said. Yu Guobin, deputy director of the administration's commercial space department, revealed that the administration has taken the lead in organizing the project's kick-off meeting and expert panel sessions. The work is proceeding in an orderly manner, reported the Science and Technology Daily.
Space-based computing refers to the deployment of computational capacity in space, enabling seamless global coverage through satellite networking. Compared with terrestrial data centers, its greatest advantages lie in real-time responsiveness and global coverage. (4/5)
NASA Shoehorns in Human Science on Artemis II Moon Mission (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
While the primary goal of the Artemis II mission is the ensure the Orion spacecraft is safe for humans, NASA did find time to fit some science on board during the 10-day lunar fly-by. “The most complex machine we’re flying is the human, and we have to understand the human as a system in order to be successful,” said Steven Platts, NASA’s chief scientist for its human research program. “That’s our job. That’s what we’re doing.”
The four main human science experiments all involve the four crew on board, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. or Artemis II, the studies delve deeper into immunology, physical measurements like blood pressure, and a sleep and human interaction study using a watch-like tool dubbed ARCHeR, which stands for Artemis Research for Crew Health & Readiness. (4/5)
Roscosmos Chief: Russia Should Not Interrupt Manned Spaceflight Program (Source: TASS)
Russia must not interrupt its manned spaceflight program, so it is important to synchronize the completion dates of the ISS and the deployment of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS), Dmitry Bakanov, CEO of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos, said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov. He also announced that the first ROS module will be deployed in 2028. "It is important for us to synchronize the completion dates of the International Space Station and the deployment of the Russian Orbital Station so that there is no interruption in our manned spaceflight program," Bakanov said. (4/6)
Roscosmos Chief: ISS Coming Down in 2030 (Source: TASS)
The deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to be completed in 2030, CEO of Russia’s Roscosmos State Space Corporation Dmitry Bakanov said. The Russian Orbital Station (ROS) should be launched at exactly this time, becoming a fully-fledged, independent national station in orbit where we will conduct our experiments," Bakanov said. The first ROS module will be deployed in 2028. Bakanov also emphasized the importance of synchronizing the completion of work on the ISS and the deployment of the ROS. (4/6)
Aussie Quantum Clock Innovation Becomes a World-First Capability (Source: Australian Space Agency)
The launch of a novel Australian technology could create a new era of ultra‑precise timekeeping in space. QuantX Labs' optical frequency comb was lifted into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US — paving the way for a new level of security for the navigation and timing services we rely every day on Earth. The next-generation Aussie technology was aboard Exotrail’s spacevan orbital transfer vehicle that was launched on Transporter-16, SpaceX's latest rideshare mission. Varda Space Industries' W-6 mission was also part of the same SpaceX launch, its W-5 space capsule landed in the outback earlier this year. (3/31)
NASA’s historic Artemis 2 mission launched without a hitch but their journey hasn’t been without hiccups. Their space toilet, in particular — the space agency’s newfangled Universal Waste Management System (UWMS) — has turned out to be a considerable pain point. Mere hours into their ten-day trip around the Moon, the toilet jammed, with NASA officials delivering the crew an unfortunate piece of news: it was only accepting solid waste.
While the issue was ultimately corrected when NASA astronaut Christina Koch realized the pump hadn’t been primed with enough liquid, the interplanetary commode broke down once again over the weekend. This time, “it’s an issue with dumping the waste out of the toilet,” as flight director Judd Frieling told reporters on Saturday, as quoted by CNN. “And so it appears to me that we probably have some frozen urine in the vent line.”
And in the midst of it all, yet another issue with the toilet manifested itself in a way that’s particularly alarming in the closed confines of a spacecraft. "When I opened up the hygiene bay, the rest of the crew could smell it pretty much immediately.” Ground control suspects the odor was caused by insulation around the door of the toilet heating up. (4/6)
Cecil Spaceport: How Collaboration Unlocks Regional Excellence (Source: Space Florida)
By 2035, Florida must be ready to support the transport of at least 5,000 metric tons of cargo to space annually. Meeting that demand won't happen at a single launch pad—it will require an integrated network of testing, manufacturing, reentry, and command infrastructure spread across the state. That's not a future vision. It's already being built. And Cecil Airport & Spaceport, quietly generating over $2 billion in annual economic impact from Northeast Florida, is a vital piece of that puzzle.
Florida's spaceport system is far larger and far more strategic than any single location. From the busiest launch complex in the world to emerging testing and reentry facilities, Florida's spaceports operate as an integrated network, each with distinct capabilities and purposeful roles. Cecil Spaceport exemplifies why this collaborative approach has become our competitive advantage on the national stage.
Cecil Spaceport occupies a distinct and essential position within Florida's aerospace ecosystem. It brings substantial assets to that role: the third-longest runway in the state, a robust military and government presence, 320 acres set aside specifically for aerospace development, and critical infrastructure including an 18,200-square-foot hangar and a 60,000-square-foot concrete ramp designed for rocket testing and launch preparation. (4/6)
China and Europe Launch Rare Joint Space Mission (Source: Financial Times)
Europe and China are launching a joint space mission to study how Earth’s magnetic field shields the planet from harmful solar radiation, a rare example of collaboration as space competition intensifies. The ambitious project aims to understand how solar turbulence generates “space weather” and to predict geomagnetic storms that can disrupt terrestrial communications, knock out power grids and damage electronic equipment. A Vega-C rocket is set to launch the 2.3 tonne satellite, called Smile, from French Guiana into a highly elliptical orbit that will take it as far as 121,000km above the North Pole. (4/6)
More Military Concern on Space Supply Chains (Source: Space News)
Military space programs are suffering from supply chain constraints. As the Space Force envisions accelerated satellite production, officials are warning that key parts of the space industrial base may not be mature enough to keep up. The concerns center on highly specialized components, such as optical inter-satellite communication terminals, infrared sensor arrays and radiation-hardened microelectronics. The risks are concentrated among smaller, lower-tier suppliers that can remain mostly invisible until a disruption halts production. Those supply chain challenges have affected programs like the Space Development Agency's constellations of communications and missile-tracking satellites. (4/6)
Russian Soyuz Rocket Launches From Plesetsk (Source: Russian Space Web)
A Soyuz rocket launched a Russian military communications satellite on April 3. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and placed a Meridian-M satellite into orbit. This was the 11th launch of a Meridian satellite, which provides communications services from highly elliptical orbits. (4/6)
NASA Officially Stops Work on SLS Mobile Launcher (Source: Space News)
NASA has stopped work on a mobile launch tower for a version of the Space Launch System the agency no longer plans to develop. Agency officials said last week they issued a stop-work order for Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), which was being built for the SLS Block 1B. NASA announced in late February it would no longer develop the SLS Block 1B, instead retaining the existing Block 1 version. Development of ML-2 has suffered major delays and cost overruns. NASA said it will use some components of ML-2 as spares for the existing mobile launch platform. (4/5)
Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian launch services provider Avio has postponed the launch of the ESA's SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after an issue was identified on the production line of a subsystem component. Avio began preparations for the launch of SMILE in mid-February with the transfer of the P120C first stage from the Booster Storage Building to the ZLV launch pad. The transfer marked the beginning of the first Vega flight managed by Avio itself, after the company’s split from Arianespace-managed flights. (4/6)
Fast and Furious: Aerospace Firms Reduce Hypersonic Design to Months, Not Years (Source: AIAA)
Used to be, designing hypersonic aircraft, a complex and lengthy process, presented a choice: One could choose low-fidelity and have it quickly, or high-fidelity and it would take seemingly forever. Those days may be gone if aerospace firms Specter Aerospace and nTop have their way. Now, hypersonic aircraft can be designed quickly, with high fidelity, at scale, reducing time from development requirements to validated design in days instead of weeks or months, said presenters on the HUB stage at AIAA SciTech Forum on 13 January. (4/6)
SDA’s Sandhoo Likely to Lead Space Force Missile Warning & Tracking Portfolio (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force intends to tap the acting director of the Space Development Agency (SDA), Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, to lead its new Missile Warning and Tracking Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) office, multiple sources have told Breaking Defense. In that job, Sandhoo will be responsible for developing the sensor satellites required to enable the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative. (4/6)
Brevard County Company 3D Prints Tools for Orion Capsule (Source: MyNews 13)
The company is 3D printing tools used to assemble the Orion space capsule. Ken Brace is the owner of Rapid Prototyping Services, a company that is 3D printing parts for NASA. "During the assembly process of the capsule, they use these tools to drill holes in the enclosure, to add bracketry, add seats to the capsule," he explained.
Brace has been turning out tools for NASA for 22 years, and he has been 3D printing drill fixtures for the Orion program since 2014. His company’s machines have 3D printed 3,000 parts for NASA and its contractors. “We started 3D printing the tools instead of machining them at 50 percent savings for the tool costs," he said.
Brace is also saving NASA time. He prints some tools overnight and contractors pick them up the next morning to take them into work. That means NASA does not have to wait three weeks for a tool to come in from a machine shop. Lockheed Martin gave Brace’s company an award several years ago for saving NASA money on the tooling and for helping to accelerate parts of the Orion program. (3/31)
Space Command Headquarters to Move 200 Employees to Alabama This Year, Lawsuit Bristles (Source: The Gazette)
Space Command headquarters could have 200 employees working from Alabama this year, as Colorado and the Trump administration exchange barbed letters as part of a pending lawsuit.
Colorado’s lawsuit against the administration alleges the federal government is retaliating against it for its mail-in voting system and has taken numerous steps to punish the state, including moving the command, revoking Department of Energy Funds, planning to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, and denying the state federal aid following floods, among other measures.
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Justice recently exchanged barbed letters ahead of an anticipated motion by the Trump administration to dismiss the lawsuit. At the same time, Gen. Stephen Whiting recently told the Senate Armed Services Committee that work is underway on interim office space for the command at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. (4/6)
As Rocket Launches Increase, They May Be Polluting the Skies (Source: Undark)
Rocket launches used to be a rare occurrence. But with access to space proliferating, partly thanks to an abundance of commercial space companies, global launches have risen exponentially: In the last five years, they’ve nearly tripled. According to an analysis by SpaceNews, in 2025 alone, humans shot about 320 rockets into space.
All those rockets produce a fair amount pollution, from the sooty plumes that catapult them into orbit and beyond to derelict satellites that burn up upon reentry. Regulators have been monitoring and restricting other air pollutants especially since the 1970s, including the exhaust from cars and jet engines. Many researchers believe such regulations are overdue for rocket engines — especially because nobody really knows exactly how much damage those pollutants cause.
“It might be another 10 years until we found how large the influences on the atmosphere actually are,” said Leonard Schulz, a geophysicist at the University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology in Northern Germany. By that time, he added, the pollution could accumulate to the point that, you cannot easily reverse it. (4/6)
Isaacman Says Artemis II Would Not Be Possible 'if it Wasn't for President Trump' (Source: Fox News)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the success of the historic Artemis II mission currently underway would not be possible "if it wasn't for President Trump," as the Orion spacecraft is set to pass beyond the far side of the moon in the next 24 hours.
Isaacman detailed the mission’s progress, how technology has assisted in the success of Artemis II so far, and the role that President Donald Trump has played in the Artemis program during an interview. "I want to be incredibly clear, we would not be at this moment right now with Artemis II if it wasn't for President Trump," Isaacman told Fox. "And we certainly would not have an achievable path now to get back to the lunar surface and build that enduring presence." (4/5)
NASA Families Don’t Go to the Moon, but They’re on the Mission, Too (Source: New York Times)
When the astronaut Reid Wiseman learned that he would be commanding NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon, his immediate reaction was not excitement. “It was pretty heavy,” Mr. Wiseman said on NASA’s Curious Universe podcast. In part, that is because he is the sole parent of two daughters. “It was not like you just won the lottery and you’re running out and jumping for joy,” he said. “It was not that feeling at all.” (4/5)
China Starts Feasibility Study for Space-Based Intelligent Computing Constellation (Source: Xinhua)
China has launched a comprehensive feasibility study and pre-project assessment for a space-based intelligent computing constellation, a senior official from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense has said. Yu Guobin, deputy director of the administration's commercial space department, revealed that the administration has taken the lead in organizing the project's kick-off meeting and expert panel sessions. The work is proceeding in an orderly manner, reported the Science and Technology Daily.
Space-based computing refers to the deployment of computational capacity in space, enabling seamless global coverage through satellite networking. Compared with terrestrial data centers, its greatest advantages lie in real-time responsiveness and global coverage. (4/5)
NASA Shoehorns in Human Science on Artemis II Moon Mission (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
While the primary goal of the Artemis II mission is the ensure the Orion spacecraft is safe for humans, NASA did find time to fit some science on board during the 10-day lunar fly-by. “The most complex machine we’re flying is the human, and we have to understand the human as a system in order to be successful,” said Steven Platts, NASA’s chief scientist for its human research program. “That’s our job. That’s what we’re doing.”
The four main human science experiments all involve the four crew on board, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. or Artemis II, the studies delve deeper into immunology, physical measurements like blood pressure, and a sleep and human interaction study using a watch-like tool dubbed ARCHeR, which stands for Artemis Research for Crew Health & Readiness. (4/5)
Roscosmos Chief: Russia Should Not Interrupt Manned Spaceflight Program (Source: TASS)
Russia must not interrupt its manned spaceflight program, so it is important to synchronize the completion dates of the ISS and the deployment of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS), Dmitry Bakanov, CEO of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos, said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov. He also announced that the first ROS module will be deployed in 2028. "It is important for us to synchronize the completion dates of the International Space Station and the deployment of the Russian Orbital Station so that there is no interruption in our manned spaceflight program," Bakanov said. (4/6)
Roscosmos Chief: ISS Coming Down in 2030 (Source: TASS)
The deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to be completed in 2030, CEO of Russia’s Roscosmos State Space Corporation Dmitry Bakanov said. The Russian Orbital Station (ROS) should be launched at exactly this time, becoming a fully-fledged, independent national station in orbit where we will conduct our experiments," Bakanov said. The first ROS module will be deployed in 2028. Bakanov also emphasized the importance of synchronizing the completion of work on the ISS and the deployment of the ROS. (4/6)
Aussie Quantum Clock Innovation Becomes a World-First Capability (Source: Australian Space Agency)
The launch of a novel Australian technology could create a new era of ultra‑precise timekeeping in space. QuantX Labs' optical frequency comb was lifted into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in the US — paving the way for a new level of security for the navigation and timing services we rely every day on Earth. The next-generation Aussie technology was aboard Exotrail’s spacevan orbital transfer vehicle that was launched on Transporter-16, SpaceX's latest rideshare mission. Varda Space Industries' W-6 mission was also part of the same SpaceX launch, its W-5 space capsule landed in the outback earlier this year. (3/31)
April 5, 2026
Chinese Scientists Bioengineering
Plants With Firefly Genes to Glow, in Effort to Light Cities at Night
(Source: Futurism)
A shortcut to sprucing up any dreary urban locale is by throwing in some beautiful greenery. Now, Chinese scientists have unveiled new genetically engineered plants that can glow in the dark, which they say could be a compelling draw for tourism and even help light cities at night.
The bioluminescent flora were created by splicing genes from fireflies and glowing fungi into the plant cells, allowing them to emit a soft glow. Using these techniques, the scientists have modified over twenty species to glow in the dark, including orchids, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums. Editor's Note: Researchers at UF are doing similar things for future space-based greenhouses, allowing plants to express through light when they are distressed. (4/4)
Planet Labs, Iridium Communications, Intuitive Machines, and Other Space Stocks Skyrocketed This Week (Source: Motley Fool)
Shares of multiple space-focused companies surged this past week, driven by acquisition rumors and anticipation of a long-awaited initial public offering (IPO). Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR), was up 37%; Iridium Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM), was up 18%; and Planet Labs (NYSE: PL), was up 16%. (4/3)
How Much More Elbow Room Does Artemis II's Orion Have Than Apollo? (Source: USA Today)
The Orion spacecraft that’s taking the four Artemis II astronauts around the moon and back is the largest crewed capsule ever sent beyond low Earth orbit – with habitable space roughly equal to that of two minivans combined, NASA says. With an interior space of 330 cubic feet, is nearly 60% larger than its Apollo command module predecessor and much bigger than the early Mercury and Gemini capsules of the 1960s. That's a long way from the days of Mercury astronauts, described by “The Right Stuff” author Tom Wolfe as “spam in a can.” (4/5)
Gen Z Fled California for Texas and Florida. Now They’re Turning ‘Welcomer Cities’ Into the Next Big Tech Towns (Source: Fortune)
It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. A new report from real estate and investment management firm JLL shows there’s a third chapter in San Francisco’s migration script in which younger generations are moving to “welcomer cities” like Nashville and Orlando.
JLL now defines Nashville and Orlando as welcomers because they still offer plenty of corporate job opportunities, but are more affordable than large cities. These cities are now legitimate contenders in the innovation economy, according to JLL, which tracks talent migration, office market dynamics, and corporate investment across 135 cities globally. It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. I
Especially in the past few years, Gen Z has been flocking to more affordable cities just to get by during the cost-of-living crisis. Aside from places like Texas and Florida, many have made moves to the Midwest, where homes are about 30% cheaper than on the coasts. Apartments.com shows the cost of living in San Francisco is 80.6% higher than in Orlando, and housing prices are 226.2% higher. (4/2)
Astronomers Confirm for the First Time the Existence of a Giant Volcanic Cave on Venus (Source: EcoNews)
For the first time, scientists have strong evidence that a huge volcanic cave lies beneath the surface of Venus. By reanalyzing radar images from NASA’s Magellan mission, a team from University of Trento has identified what appears to be a giant lava tube under the volcano Nyx Mons. The work, published in the journal Nature Communications, marks the first direct radar evidence of a subsurface conduit on our neighboring world. (4/3)
Do Gravitational Waves Redshift Like Light Does? (Source: Big Think)
The relative motion of the emitting source and the receiving observer, the changes in the gravitational field that the traveling signal experiences during its journey, and the effects of either expansion or contraction of the spacetime through which the signal travels. These three effects can lead to redshifts or blueshifts, depending on which direction they occur in, and it was long expected that they’d affect all waves, not just light waves, in a similar fashion.
Any effect that causes a shift in the frequency of electromagnetic waves due to an interaction with matter — whether neutral matter, ionized matter, or an electromagnetic field generated by matter — cannot also apply to gravitational waves. As their name implies, gravitational waves (or gravitational radiation) is a purely gravitational phenomenon, and so it should only be subject to purely gravitational effects.
There's no wavelength-dependent absorption, emission, or scattering for gravitational waves, and no deflection, reflection, or refraction of gravitational waves as they pass through a medium. For gravitational waves, if the inspiral-and-merger of black holes is from a system that recedes from you, the wavelength that you’ll see is going to be redshifted by that exact factor — dictated by the Doppler shift’s velocity — of the relative motion of that source to you, the observer. (4/3)
Satellite Firm Planet Labs to Indefinitely Withhold Iran War Images (Source: Reuters)
Satellite imaging firm Planet Labs said on Saturday it will indefinitely withhold visuals of Iran and the region of conflict in the Middle East to comply with a request from the U.S. government. The U.S. government has asked all satellite imagery providers to indefinitely withhold images of the conflict region. (4/4)
An Aerobot With ISRU Capabilities Could Explore Venus' Atmosphere for Years (Source: Universe Today)
Aerial robotic platforms (aerobots) that can operate for years may be an ideal choice for exploring Earth's "Sister Planet." While prototypes have been built in response to NASA's strategic plans, these designs lack a method for replenishing buoyant gases, limiting their lifetimes. According to a new proposal led by MIT researchers, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) could extend the lifetime of aerobots by using electrolysis to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into buoyant gas products and an energy source. (4/3)
African Market for Satellite Services Offers Pent Up Demand (Source: Via Satellite)
With a large landmass of 11.7 million square miles, Africa has been a challenging place to set up satellite services. But that is changing. As of September, 2025, more than 21 African countries have established space programs and 18 have launched at least one satellite, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Now the real work of digital inclusion, enterprise application, and national development connecting millions of Africans begins, industry experts shared during SATShow Week.
Africa is one of the fastest growing satellite markets in the world with limited terrestrial infrastructure and growing demand for connectivity. African nations and companies have launched a combined total of 65 satellites, with over 120 additional satellites in development and expected to be launched by 2030. (4/3)
Gravitics Receives Strategic Funding Increase From SpaceWERX (Source: Via Satellite)
Gravitics has received a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract from SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, to accelerate development and demonstration of its Orbital Carrier architecture, the company said. Under the contract, Gravitics will flight-demonstrate a pathfinder Orbital Carrier on a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) rideshare mission and a Viper orbital transfer vehicle. The Viper demonstration includes plans to deploy a third-party payload to a high-energy orbit. (4/3)
Why Is NASA Bothering To Go Back to the Moon if We’ve Already Been There? (Source: Ars Technica)
The first time NASA launched humans toward the Moon, in December 1968, the United States was a deeply fractured nation. The historic flight of three people into the unknown brought a measure of solace to a country riven by assassinations, riots, political discord, and a deeply unpopular foreign war. If history does not repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. Today, four humans are on the way to the Moon, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. They do so, once again, amid a troubled world. Will Artemis II have a similar impact? Does it even matter?
Artemis II was not a global event. The world of today is, of course, incredibly different from that of the 1960s, especially the landscape of media competing for public attention. Just three US television networks graced the airwaves then, compared to hundreds today and a bazillion more online through viewing options like YouTube and social media. And increasingly, younger generations are as interested in creating content as they are in consuming it. The world population in 1968 was about 3.5 billion people, or a little less than half of today’s. Yet an estimated one-quarter of them watched broadcasts from the Moon. (4/2)
Insurance is Commercial Space Nuclear’s Biggest Headache (Source: Payload)
There are no good neighbors for the commercial space nuclear power business. Lots of challenges face commercial space nuclear missions—but experts at an industry seminar on Thursday only called one a “show stopper”—insurance. Entrepreneurs believe they can safely launch radioactive material into orbit without creating an accident of atomic proportions, but insurance companies are still balking at the word “nuclear,” according to company leaders.
“Insurance is a fundamentally conservative and reactionary industry,” said Stewart Forbes, an energy attorney with Hogan Lovells. “People still think Chernobyl or Fukushima or Three Mile Island, but that’s not the world we live in anymore.”
Nuclear reactors would remain inert, with controls engaged to keep them from going critical, until they enter orbit. The real—but small—risk would be a reactor that somehow re-enters Earth’s atmosphere after activation. (4/3)
Atlas V Launches its Heaviest-Ever Payload Saturday, Sending 29 Amazon Internet Satellites to Orbit From Florida (Source: Space.com)
A ULA Atlas V rocket launched its heaviest-ever payload on Saturday morning from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, carrying 29 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation to orbit. Together, those spacecraft weigh 18 tons, according to ULA. The Atlas V successfully deployed all 29 into their target orbit, according to ULA. (4/4)
The US Has Declared ‘Space Superiority’ Over Iran. What Does That Mean? (Source: Defense One)
The U.S. military declared space superiority over Iran this week, but defense experts question what that means given the country’s inchoate military space program and heavy reliance on space-based intelligence from other nations. It’s not clear if the country is still actively jamming or spoofing U.S. assets, and it’s highly unlikely that the U.S. Space Force has physically destroyed the country’s handful of satellites. (4/2)
Chandra Donelson Departs as Space Force CDAO (Source: Defense Scoop)
Chandra Donelson has announced that she is leaving her position as the Space Force’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer. Donelson was appointed as the Space Force CDAO in 2023, a role where she oversaw the data, AI and software integration for the Pentagon’s youngest service. She was notably involved in the Department of the Air Force’s broad experimentation with generative AI capabilities, and most recently led the Space Force’s adoption of GenAI.mil. (4/3)
JAA Selects RS&H to Guide Cecil Spaceport Re-Entry License Application (Source: Jax Daily Record)
Jacksonville-based architectural and engineering firm RS&H is tapped to help the Jacksonville Aviation Authority pursue a re-entry license at Cecil Airport, a step toward transforming the former naval air station from a one-way launch site into a two-way spaceport logistics hub. The re-entry license request for qualifications attracted 10 interested firms. According to the RFQ, the contract is expected to be executed this month. (4/3)
Smooth Sailing for Artemis Crew So Far (Source: Space Policy Online)
The Artemis II crew continues on a smooth course to the Moon today. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are now about halfway to their destination, with a loop around the Moon on Monday. (4/3)
India's Protoplanet Supports ISRO Astronaut Training (Source: India Today)
India’s ambitious human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, is steadily moving closer to reality, and a key player behind the scenes is Protoplanet, which is helping prepare astronauts for the extreme realities of space. Through its collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization, Protoplanet is spearheading a new generation of analog missions, Earth-based simulations designed to mimic the physical and psychological challenges of spaceflight. (4/3)
ISRO's Human Space Flight Centers (HSFC) along with Protoplanet began Mission Mitra in Ladakh on Thursday. Mitra or the Mapping of Interoperable Traits and Reliability Assessment is a high-altitude analog mission conducted in Ladakh. The harsh terrain and thin atmosphere of the region provide a near-space-like environment, allowing researchers to study how astronauts adapt to isolation, hypoxia and operational constraints. (4/4)
White House Seeks $5.6 Billion Cut to NASA Budget in 2027 (Source: Reuters)
The White House on Friday proposed a $5.6 billion cut to NASA's budget for 2027, including a $3.4 billion cut to the space agency's science unit, a 23% cut as NASA's new chief plans an array of new missions under the flagship U.S. moon program. (4/3)
White House Pitches Dramatic Space Force Budget Jump In 2027 (Source: Aviation Week)
The Trump administration wants to fund the U.S. Space Force’s request for a larger budget in fiscal 2027, and then some. The service could see a 430% increase in total procurement funding over 2026 under the proposed budget request, from $3.6 billion to $19.1 billion, according to documents released last week. (4/3)
From Artemis to ULA, Space Force Has Hands Full with 6 Different Rockets this Year (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA’s Artemis II mission got the limelight this week, but U.S. Space Force has an arsenal of other space-bound hardware muscling onto Florida’s launch pads this year. This year’s schedule from either Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station already features six different rockets. Vying for many of the same support assets are two from SpaceX, two from United Launch Alliance, one from Blue Origin plus NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
Those launches require a juggling act, as they all need some of the same supplies, facilities and staff, said Space Launch Delta 45 commander Col. Brian Chatman. For example, many of the spacecraft operators want gaseous nitrogen (GN2) on hand during launches. The inert gas keeps their rocket hardware safe by pushing out more volatile propellants in the case of a scrub. A lot of that comes from a plant on Merritt Island, and NASA got first dibs on it last week. (4/4)
A shortcut to sprucing up any dreary urban locale is by throwing in some beautiful greenery. Now, Chinese scientists have unveiled new genetically engineered plants that can glow in the dark, which they say could be a compelling draw for tourism and even help light cities at night.
The bioluminescent flora were created by splicing genes from fireflies and glowing fungi into the plant cells, allowing them to emit a soft glow. Using these techniques, the scientists have modified over twenty species to glow in the dark, including orchids, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums. Editor's Note: Researchers at UF are doing similar things for future space-based greenhouses, allowing plants to express through light when they are distressed. (4/4)
Planet Labs, Iridium Communications, Intuitive Machines, and Other Space Stocks Skyrocketed This Week (Source: Motley Fool)
Shares of multiple space-focused companies surged this past week, driven by acquisition rumors and anticipation of a long-awaited initial public offering (IPO). Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR), was up 37%; Iridium Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM), was up 18%; and Planet Labs (NYSE: PL), was up 16%. (4/3)
How Much More Elbow Room Does Artemis II's Orion Have Than Apollo? (Source: USA Today)
The Orion spacecraft that’s taking the four Artemis II astronauts around the moon and back is the largest crewed capsule ever sent beyond low Earth orbit – with habitable space roughly equal to that of two minivans combined, NASA says. With an interior space of 330 cubic feet, is nearly 60% larger than its Apollo command module predecessor and much bigger than the early Mercury and Gemini capsules of the 1960s. That's a long way from the days of Mercury astronauts, described by “The Right Stuff” author Tom Wolfe as “spam in a can.” (4/5)
Gen Z Fled California for Texas and Florida. Now They’re Turning ‘Welcomer Cities’ Into the Next Big Tech Towns (Source: Fortune)
It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. A new report from real estate and investment management firm JLL shows there’s a third chapter in San Francisco’s migration script in which younger generations are moving to “welcomer cities” like Nashville and Orlando.
JLL now defines Nashville and Orlando as welcomers because they still offer plenty of corporate job opportunities, but are more affordable than large cities. These cities are now legitimate contenders in the innovation economy, according to JLL, which tracks talent migration, office market dynamics, and corporate investment across 135 cities globally. It started with a pandemic exodus, as workers moved to be closer to their families or to pursue a different lifestyle; then they steadily drifted toward Texas and Florida, where jobs were plentiful and rent was more manageable. I
Especially in the past few years, Gen Z has been flocking to more affordable cities just to get by during the cost-of-living crisis. Aside from places like Texas and Florida, many have made moves to the Midwest, where homes are about 30% cheaper than on the coasts. Apartments.com shows the cost of living in San Francisco is 80.6% higher than in Orlando, and housing prices are 226.2% higher. (4/2)
Astronomers Confirm for the First Time the Existence of a Giant Volcanic Cave on Venus (Source: EcoNews)
For the first time, scientists have strong evidence that a huge volcanic cave lies beneath the surface of Venus. By reanalyzing radar images from NASA’s Magellan mission, a team from University of Trento has identified what appears to be a giant lava tube under the volcano Nyx Mons. The work, published in the journal Nature Communications, marks the first direct radar evidence of a subsurface conduit on our neighboring world. (4/3)
Do Gravitational Waves Redshift Like Light Does? (Source: Big Think)
The relative motion of the emitting source and the receiving observer, the changes in the gravitational field that the traveling signal experiences during its journey, and the effects of either expansion or contraction of the spacetime through which the signal travels. These three effects can lead to redshifts or blueshifts, depending on which direction they occur in, and it was long expected that they’d affect all waves, not just light waves, in a similar fashion.
Any effect that causes a shift in the frequency of electromagnetic waves due to an interaction with matter — whether neutral matter, ionized matter, or an electromagnetic field generated by matter — cannot also apply to gravitational waves. As their name implies, gravitational waves (or gravitational radiation) is a purely gravitational phenomenon, and so it should only be subject to purely gravitational effects.
There's no wavelength-dependent absorption, emission, or scattering for gravitational waves, and no deflection, reflection, or refraction of gravitational waves as they pass through a medium. For gravitational waves, if the inspiral-and-merger of black holes is from a system that recedes from you, the wavelength that you’ll see is going to be redshifted by that exact factor — dictated by the Doppler shift’s velocity — of the relative motion of that source to you, the observer. (4/3)
Satellite Firm Planet Labs to Indefinitely Withhold Iran War Images (Source: Reuters)
Satellite imaging firm Planet Labs said on Saturday it will indefinitely withhold visuals of Iran and the region of conflict in the Middle East to comply with a request from the U.S. government. The U.S. government has asked all satellite imagery providers to indefinitely withhold images of the conflict region. (4/4)
An Aerobot With ISRU Capabilities Could Explore Venus' Atmosphere for Years (Source: Universe Today)
Aerial robotic platforms (aerobots) that can operate for years may be an ideal choice for exploring Earth's "Sister Planet." While prototypes have been built in response to NASA's strategic plans, these designs lack a method for replenishing buoyant gases, limiting their lifetimes. According to a new proposal led by MIT researchers, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) could extend the lifetime of aerobots by using electrolysis to convert atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into buoyant gas products and an energy source. (4/3)
African Market for Satellite Services Offers Pent Up Demand (Source: Via Satellite)
With a large landmass of 11.7 million square miles, Africa has been a challenging place to set up satellite services. But that is changing. As of September, 2025, more than 21 African countries have established space programs and 18 have launched at least one satellite, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Now the real work of digital inclusion, enterprise application, and national development connecting millions of Africans begins, industry experts shared during SATShow Week.
Africa is one of the fastest growing satellite markets in the world with limited terrestrial infrastructure and growing demand for connectivity. African nations and companies have launched a combined total of 65 satellites, with over 120 additional satellites in development and expected to be launched by 2030. (4/3)
Gravitics Receives Strategic Funding Increase From SpaceWERX (Source: Via Satellite)
Gravitics has received a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract from SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, to accelerate development and demonstration of its Orbital Carrier architecture, the company said. Under the contract, Gravitics will flight-demonstrate a pathfinder Orbital Carrier on a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) rideshare mission and a Viper orbital transfer vehicle. The Viper demonstration includes plans to deploy a third-party payload to a high-energy orbit. (4/3)
Why Is NASA Bothering To Go Back to the Moon if We’ve Already Been There? (Source: Ars Technica)
The first time NASA launched humans toward the Moon, in December 1968, the United States was a deeply fractured nation. The historic flight of three people into the unknown brought a measure of solace to a country riven by assassinations, riots, political discord, and a deeply unpopular foreign war. If history does not repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. Today, four humans are on the way to the Moon, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. They do so, once again, amid a troubled world. Will Artemis II have a similar impact? Does it even matter?
Artemis II was not a global event. The world of today is, of course, incredibly different from that of the 1960s, especially the landscape of media competing for public attention. Just three US television networks graced the airwaves then, compared to hundreds today and a bazillion more online through viewing options like YouTube and social media. And increasingly, younger generations are as interested in creating content as they are in consuming it. The world population in 1968 was about 3.5 billion people, or a little less than half of today’s. Yet an estimated one-quarter of them watched broadcasts from the Moon. (4/2)
Insurance is Commercial Space Nuclear’s Biggest Headache (Source: Payload)
There are no good neighbors for the commercial space nuclear power business. Lots of challenges face commercial space nuclear missions—but experts at an industry seminar on Thursday only called one a “show stopper”—insurance. Entrepreneurs believe they can safely launch radioactive material into orbit without creating an accident of atomic proportions, but insurance companies are still balking at the word “nuclear,” according to company leaders.
“Insurance is a fundamentally conservative and reactionary industry,” said Stewart Forbes, an energy attorney with Hogan Lovells. “People still think Chernobyl or Fukushima or Three Mile Island, but that’s not the world we live in anymore.”
Nuclear reactors would remain inert, with controls engaged to keep them from going critical, until they enter orbit. The real—but small—risk would be a reactor that somehow re-enters Earth’s atmosphere after activation. (4/3)
Atlas V Launches its Heaviest-Ever Payload Saturday, Sending 29 Amazon Internet Satellites to Orbit From Florida (Source: Space.com)
A ULA Atlas V rocket launched its heaviest-ever payload on Saturday morning from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, carrying 29 satellites for the Amazon Leo broadband constellation to orbit. Together, those spacecraft weigh 18 tons, according to ULA. The Atlas V successfully deployed all 29 into their target orbit, according to ULA. (4/4)
The US Has Declared ‘Space Superiority’ Over Iran. What Does That Mean? (Source: Defense One)
The U.S. military declared space superiority over Iran this week, but defense experts question what that means given the country’s inchoate military space program and heavy reliance on space-based intelligence from other nations. It’s not clear if the country is still actively jamming or spoofing U.S. assets, and it’s highly unlikely that the U.S. Space Force has physically destroyed the country’s handful of satellites. (4/2)
Chandra Donelson Departs as Space Force CDAO (Source: Defense Scoop)
Chandra Donelson has announced that she is leaving her position as the Space Force’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer. Donelson was appointed as the Space Force CDAO in 2023, a role where she oversaw the data, AI and software integration for the Pentagon’s youngest service. She was notably involved in the Department of the Air Force’s broad experimentation with generative AI capabilities, and most recently led the Space Force’s adoption of GenAI.mil. (4/3)
JAA Selects RS&H to Guide Cecil Spaceport Re-Entry License Application (Source: Jax Daily Record)
Jacksonville-based architectural and engineering firm RS&H is tapped to help the Jacksonville Aviation Authority pursue a re-entry license at Cecil Airport, a step toward transforming the former naval air station from a one-way launch site into a two-way spaceport logistics hub. The re-entry license request for qualifications attracted 10 interested firms. According to the RFQ, the contract is expected to be executed this month. (4/3)
Smooth Sailing for Artemis Crew So Far (Source: Space Policy Online)
The Artemis II crew continues on a smooth course to the Moon today. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are now about halfway to their destination, with a loop around the Moon on Monday. (4/3)
India's Protoplanet Supports ISRO Astronaut Training (Source: India Today)
India’s ambitious human spaceflight program, Gaganyaan, is steadily moving closer to reality, and a key player behind the scenes is Protoplanet, which is helping prepare astronauts for the extreme realities of space. Through its collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization, Protoplanet is spearheading a new generation of analog missions, Earth-based simulations designed to mimic the physical and psychological challenges of spaceflight. (4/3)
ISRO's Human Space Flight Centers (HSFC) along with Protoplanet began Mission Mitra in Ladakh on Thursday. Mitra or the Mapping of Interoperable Traits and Reliability Assessment is a high-altitude analog mission conducted in Ladakh. The harsh terrain and thin atmosphere of the region provide a near-space-like environment, allowing researchers to study how astronauts adapt to isolation, hypoxia and operational constraints. (4/4)
White House Seeks $5.6 Billion Cut to NASA Budget in 2027 (Source: Reuters)
The White House on Friday proposed a $5.6 billion cut to NASA's budget for 2027, including a $3.4 billion cut to the space agency's science unit, a 23% cut as NASA's new chief plans an array of new missions under the flagship U.S. moon program. (4/3)
White House Pitches Dramatic Space Force Budget Jump In 2027 (Source: Aviation Week)
The Trump administration wants to fund the U.S. Space Force’s request for a larger budget in fiscal 2027, and then some. The service could see a 430% increase in total procurement funding over 2026 under the proposed budget request, from $3.6 billion to $19.1 billion, according to documents released last week. (4/3)
From Artemis to ULA, Space Force Has Hands Full with 6 Different Rockets this Year (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA’s Artemis II mission got the limelight this week, but U.S. Space Force has an arsenal of other space-bound hardware muscling onto Florida’s launch pads this year. This year’s schedule from either Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station already features six different rockets. Vying for many of the same support assets are two from SpaceX, two from United Launch Alliance, one from Blue Origin plus NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.
Those launches require a juggling act, as they all need some of the same supplies, facilities and staff, said Space Launch Delta 45 commander Col. Brian Chatman. For example, many of the spacecraft operators want gaseous nitrogen (GN2) on hand during launches. The inert gas keeps their rocket hardware safe by pushing out more volatile propellants in the case of a scrub. A lot of that comes from a plant on Merritt Island, and NASA got first dibs on it last week. (4/4)
April 4, 2026
DoD Budget Request Tops Historic $1.5
Trillion Amid War Spending (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Trump administration is set to propose a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, including a $1.15 trillion base budget and $350 billion from a reconciliation bill. The budget allocates $760 billion for weapons development and procurement, with significant funding for shipbuilding, the Golden Dome missile shield and the F-35 program. The proposal marks the first time the baseline defense budget has reached $1 trillion. (4/2)
Massive Budget Cuts for US Science Proposed Again by Trump Administration (Source: Nature)
For the second year in a row, US President Donald Trump has proposed significant cuts to the budgets of major US science agencies. Released Friday, the White House’s plan for federal spending next year also includes a ban on using federal funds for subscriptions and publishing fees for some academic journals.
The plan proposes cuts to federal agencies that fund or conduct research on health, space and the environment. Some of the steepest cuts would be made to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): the budgets of both would fall more than 50% in 2027 compared to their current levels (see ‘Budget crunch’). The budget for the US National Institutes of Health would drop 13%. (4/3)
How the Space Force Supported NASA’s Artemis II Launch (Source: Air and Space Forces)
In many ways, the Space Force’s role in NASA’s Artemis II mission is the same as any other launch it supports. Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, will ensure the launch is safe and the base is secure, and will monitor weather risks in advance.
But the size, nature, and level of public interest in NASA’s first crewed lunar flight since 1972 means those routine range support tasks require more personnel, more analysis, and more security guardrails than a standard launch.
One of the biggest differences is the amount of personnel required to support Artemis II. Lt. Col. Gregory Allen, commander of the delta’s 1st Range Operations Squadron, said that for a typical launch, about four or five operators are “on console” at the range’s mission control center. Artemis will require around 28 crew members. That’s primarily because the Boeing-built rocket that’s flying the mission, the Space Launch System, lacks an onboard command-destruct system, known as an automated flight safety system. (3/31)
NASA’s No. 1 Priority: Artemis II Toilet Fixed Before Trip to Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The first-ever toilet in deep space barely made it into orbit before NASA astronauts had to roll up their sleeves and make some repairs. There was no plumbing backup, of course — there is no actual plumbing on the Orion spacecraft, as urine is vented out into space and fecal matter is collected for later disposal. Instead, the crew of the historic Artemis II mission headed around the moon reported a blinking fault light on their lunar latrine. (4/2)
Department of War Confirms Hypersonic Missile Test at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
The Department of War has confirmed that the secretive March 26 launch at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was a successful hypersonic missile test. The missile test had not been publicly announced — but it was foreshadowed by a rarely seen Coast Guard-Department of Homeland Security launch-hazard zone for mariners that stretched over a narrow section of the Atlantic Ocean. (4/2)
In-Orbit Logistics Companies Call for Clearer Demand Signals from Gov (Source: Via Satellite)
Clare Martin, executive vice president at orbital servicing company Astroscale, said orbital refueling is a key element in the vision for a space infrastructure layer laid out by U.S. Space Command Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting.
“Refueling is coming very, very soon,” Martin said. “Those are key elements, but they’re not sufficient. There will be a need for inspection services, there will be a need for removal, there’ll be a need for repair. And all of those elements together is what will give you a full logistics infrastructure in space.”
Robert Hauge, president of Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics, sees deorbiting as the most promising capability for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) servicing. He said with the number of satellites in space growing so large, it could take over a century for these satellites to leave orbit once deactivated. (4/2)
Lunar Lander Developers Say They Are Ready To Meet Anticipated Increased NASA Demand (Source: Keith Sadlocha)
Can the current landers carry the mass need to build out the lunar site? No — the small "current" robotic landers highlighted in recent developer statements cannot carry the masses required to build a lunar power grid or habitats. Larger cargo landers now in development for NASA’s Artemis program can (and are explicitly planned to). The current-generation CLPS landers from Firefly Aerospace (Blue Ghost) and Intuitive Machines (Nova-C) are designed primarily for delivering science payloads, instruments, small rovers, hoppers, and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface—not for transporting the heavy infrastructure needed to construct a full lunar base or outpost.
Early concepts suggest dozens to hundreds of tons of landed mass over many missions are required for even a basic sustainable outpost. Much of the heavy construction would rely on in-situ resource utilization to reduce what must be shipped from Earth, plus larger landers or human-rated systems (e.g., Starship-class vehicles under development for Artemis). Firefly and Intuitive Machines have expressed ambitions to scale up production and support NASA's goal of more frequent deliveries (potentially monthly by ~2027 under "CLPS 2.0" or evolved contracts), including larger variants. (3/23)
Earth Formed From Material Exclusively From the Inner Solar System, Planetary Scientists Show (Source: Phys.org)
Planetary scientists compared existing data on the isotopic ratios of a wide range of meteorites, including those from Mars and the asteroid Vesta, with those of Earth. Isotopes are sibling atoms of the same element (same number of protons) that have a different mass (different number of neutrons). The researchers analyzed this data in a new way and arrived at a surprising conclusion: the material that makes up Earth originates entirely from the inner region of the solar system. Material from the outer solar system, by contrast, is likely to account for less than two percent of Earth's mass, or even nothing at all. (3/30)
Musk's Exploding Megarocket Puts $8B in Space Investments At Risk (Source: Politico)
Starcloud is a startup that’s racing to build massive data centers in space that supporters say could limit the strain artificial intelligence is placing on terrestrial electric grids. But the fate of Starcloud — and dozens of other space startups seeking to upend the mining, pharmaceutical and telecoms industries — depends on whether Elon Musk can figure out how to get SpaceX’s Starship megarocket to stop exploding.
Starcloud is one of 47 companies whose business models rely on the increased capacity or lower launch costs that the SpaceX CEO has for years promised Starship would already be able to deliver, according to an exclusive analysis from the financial data provider PitchBook. The largest and most powerful rocket ever built, Starship prototypes have unexpectedly burst into flames more than a dozen times, interrupting commercial air travel and sending shrapnel into Mexico.
Those space startups — including ones working on orbital data centers, asteroid mining and microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing — have collectively raised more than $8 billion from investors and could soon be at risk if Starship continues combusting. A decade ago, Musk claimed SpaceX would build a rocket capable of carrying mankind to Mars by 2025. Now, with his megarocket still grounded, his goal is to return astronauts to the moon by the end of President Donald Trump’s term and visit the red planet in 2030. (3/31)
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS May Be Nearly 12 Billion Years Old — So Ancient Its Star System May No Longer Exist (Source: Space.com)
The interstellar comet that recently dominated headlines, 3I/ATLAS, could be between 10 and 12 billion years old, a new assessment of the comet's isotopic composition has shown. This so-called "invader" in our solar system is only the third object on record to enter our cosmic neighborhood from beyond. If these new age estimates of the comet are true, they would suggest 3I/ATLAS was born within a few billion years of the birth of the Milky Way. (3/30)
Webb Telescope Spots Mysterious Explosion That Defies Known Physics (Source: Science Daily)
A record-breaking cosmic blast that lasted hours instead of seconds may reveal a brand-new way black holes destroy stars. Astronomers have spotted a bizarre cosmic explosion that refuses to play by the rules—and it’s leaving scientists scrambling for answers. GRB 250702B, detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and a global network of observatories, lasted an astonishing seven hours—far longer than typical gamma-ray bursts, which usually fade in under a minute. (3/30)
Unexpected Metal in Rocks on Mars Hints at The Possibility of Ancient Life (Source: Science Alert)
The discovery of abundant nickel in a once waterlogged region of Mars offers yet another hint that the red planet may once have offered suitable conditions for life. In Neretva Vallis, an ancient channel that once carried water into the Jezero Crater delta, researchers found nickel in concentrations higher than ever seen before in the bedrock of Mars. Placed in its broader geological context, the metal offers clues about the chemical history of the region and adds a new piece to the puzzle of the planet's past habitability. (4/1)
JD Vance Believes Extraterrestrial Aliens are Demons (Source: Entertainment Weekly)
Vice President JD Vance has a theory about aliens and UFOs. Rather than real-life extraterrestrials, he believes they’re demons. "I don't think I don't think they're aliens. I think they're demons," he said. Vance is the latest politician to wade into little-green-man discourse, following Donald Trump's demand for the release of the so-called "UFO files," and Barack Obama claiming that aliens are "real," though he hasn't seen them.
"When I came in, I was obsessed with the UFO files," the vice president told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Friday, referring to the cache of files related to "alien and extraterrestrial life" that President Donald Trump called to release in February. Vance said that he hasn't had even a "peek" at said files, due to the demands of "the economy and national security and things like that."
"I've already had a couple of times where I'm like, 'All right, we're going to Area 51. We're going out to New Mexico. We're gonna sort of get to the bottom of this.' And then the timing of the trip just didn't work out. But trust me, anybody who's curious about this, I'm more curious than anybody, and I've got three years of the very tippy top of the classification. I'm gonna get to the bottom of it," he said. (3/29)
Varda Flies Navigation Payload, Heat Shield Tests on Sixth Reentry Mission (Source: Space News)
Varda Space Industries announced the launch of its W-6 vehicle with SpaceX's Transporter-16 today, marking the company's sixth mission overall and its first launch of 2026. W-6 carries a suite of advanced payloads designed to expand the technical foundation for autonomous hypersonic flight and next-generation thermal protection systems. The mission is funded through a partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and commercial space entities. (3/30)
In Our Search for Alien Life, Stars Might be Muddying Their Signals (Source: CBC)
A new study points to an overlooked complication in that type of search: space weather from stars, where potential signals originate, could be interfering. Since the earliest days of the hunt for intelligent life, scientists have zeroed in on a particular kind of transmission known as a narrowband signal — a beam of energy so tightly focused at a single frequency that it resembles a needle, says Vishal Gajjar. He says narrowband signals became a prime target because they are unlikely to arise from known natural astrophysical processes, especially when they’re detected in the same place more than once.
But despite decades of searching, scientists have been met largely with radio silence — prompting them to ask whether a fundamental property of the stars that planets orbit could be muddying the signals. Every star, including our own sun, says Gajjar, is surrounded by an interplanetary medium: a chaotic mix of plasma and magnetic fields stirred by stellar winds, flares and occasional violent eruptions of even more disruptive coronal mass ejections from the host star. If a narrowband signal passes through it, especially when it's stormy, it can become significantly broadened, which makes it wider and flatter than most instruments would catch, he says. (3/30)
‘Lighthouses in Space’: the Chinese Jam-Proof Satellite Network to Fill GPS Gaps (Source: SCMP)
Chinese researchers say they have built an 11-satellite network for a jam-resistant, high-accuracy optical navigation system, designed to provide positioning where GPS is unavailable or disrupted, for everything from self-driving cars and drones to deep-space missions. Optical navigation has also been used in the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran, helping drones developed by companies such as Asio Technologies and General Atomics operate in environments where GPS signals are jammed.
While positioning systems such as GPS and BeiDou rely on satellites that beam radio waves, Tsinghua University’s new network uses coded light signals from “beacon” satellites. “What we’ve done is put those ‘lighthouses’ in space, using light-emitting satellites to guide everything from vehicles to spacecraft,” said Xing Fei. The system works by placing powerful light sources on satellites to send coded signals to Earth. Receivers on the ground detect the light and use its direction, along with the satellites’ known positions, to calculate where they are. (3/30)
Amazon, Delta Team For In-Flight Wi-Fi, Challenging Starlink (Source: Reuters)
Amazon's Leo satellite internet unit signed a deal with Delta Air Lines to provide in-flight Wi-Fi on 500 of the airline's planes starting in 2028, inking its second major partnership in the skies as it races to launch more satellites and take on Elon Musk's Starlink. The deal ratchets up competition between Amazon's burgeoning satellite internet service and Starlink for a slice of the in-flight Wi-Fi market, even as Musk's satellite network remains far ahead in its satellite deployment and global service. (3/31)
Many Waters May Have Mixed on Mars (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Geologists like to say that “every rock tells a story.” The texture and the chemical and mineral compositions record a history of geologic events and environmental conditions. The older a rock is, the more history has happened to it. Like a palimpsest, the original story recorded in the rock may be erased and overwritten with a new one. Figuring out the overlapping stories can take years. That was the case for a drill sample the Curiosity rover took out of the Martian ground in a clay-rich region of Gale Crater called Glen Torridon in 2019. An analysis of the sample found evidence that a subsurface environment once existed where complex organic molecules could have formed. (3/25)
SpaceX Successfully Launches Three Greek Nanosatellites (Source: Greek Reporter)
In a historic step for Greece’s space program, three Greek-made nanosatellites were successfully launched into space last Monday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Developed under the ERMIS project -- the flagship for Greece’s €200 million ($229.5 million) National Microsatellite Program of Athens (NKUA) -- the three satellites are now in Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers. (3/30)
SpaceX to Appeal Namibia's Starlink License Rejection (Source: Business Insider)
Satellite internet provider Starlink, backed by billionaire Elon Musk, said it will pursue an appeal after the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) rejected its application to operate in Namibia, marking a setback in its expansion across Africa. In a statement this week, the company described the decision as a “disappointing outcome”, adding that it was particularly concerning for “the thousands of you who placed deposits, participated in the public consultation, and made your voices heard.” (3/28)
China Planning Human Research Program at Space Station (Source: CGTN)
The China Manned Space Agency announced that it would solicit proposals for a space human research program starting April 1, targeting major strategic, fundamental, and forward-looking scientific issues related to the long-term healthy survival of humans during future space station flights and lunar landing missions. The program aims to create a space human atlas, establish a space human research database, and yield a series of innovative research outcomes that can benefit both the health of taikonauts on long-duration orbital missions and the public on Earth. (3/28)
Europe to Negotiate with NASA on Lunar Missions: ESA (Source: AFP)
The European Space Agency will negotiate future participation in NASA missions after the US space agency revamped its lunar program, the ESA head told AFP Wednesday. The US space agency announced recently it is suspending its so-called Gateway lunar orbital space station efforts in order to focus on building a base on the Moon's surface. This left the European role in future exploration unclear. The ESA had an agreement with NASA for three astronaut flights to Gateway. (4/1)
Arizona Site Used to Evaluate Parachutes for NASA’s Artemis II Flight (Source: KOLD)
NASA is preparing to send astronauts back toward the moon with the Artemis II mission, a roughly 10-day test flight designed to test the Orion spacecraft with a crew aboard. While the launch and mission operations will draw attention to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center and deep space, some of the technology meant to bring the crew home safely was tested much closer to home in the Southwest.
The U.S. Army’s test center in Yuma played a key role in developmental testing for Orion’s parachute system, according to Mark Schauer with Yuma Proving Ground. Schauer said the capsule parachute system underwent years of testing at the range. “From 2011 to 2018, the Orion capsule parachute system underwent developmental testing here at our range,” he said. (4/1)
China Launches In-Orbit Experiments in Space Hospital Quest (Source: Xinhua)
Five medical research projects aimed at establishing the world's first space hospital, proposed by a university in south China's innovation hub Shenzhen, were transported to space aboard a test spacecraft on Monday. These projects will complete in-orbit experiments and tests over the next three years.
China launched a Lijian-2 Y1 rocket on Monday from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China, with the Qingzhou Cargo Spacecraft Test Vehicle onboard. The test vehicle features 27 projects with a total payload of 1.02 tonnes and will conduct in-orbit tests at altitudes ranging from 200 to 600 kilometers. (4/1)
Isaacman Aims to Reinvigorate NASA’s Image, Starting with the Moon (Source: Politico)
New NASA head Jared Isaacman faces his first big test with the launch of Artemis, a crucial milestone in the race to beat China and return Americans to the moon. The effort comes after thousands of employees fled the agency last year and the White House proposed steep cuts to NASA’s budget. Isaacman is determined to change the narrative — and meet President Donald Trump’s ambitious timeline to land U.S. astronauts on the lunar surface.
“If we can do this after what the agency was subjected to in 2025, that’s a hell of an accomplishment,” said a congressional staffer, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. “Isaacman is the quarterback. If all goes well, he will get too much of the credit. If all does not go well, he will shoulder way too much blame for a result caused by institutional decay.” (4/1)
Isaacman Signals Support for Reduced NASA Budget Proposed by President Trump (Source: NASA)
In an email to NASA employees on Friday, Administrator Jared Isaacman had this to say about the Trump administration's proposed budget reduction for the next fiscal year: "I strongly support the President’s fiscal policies and mandate to drive efficiency. The President’s Budget provides Congress and the public with the vision and resources to carry out our mission. The requested funding levels are sufficient for NASA to meet the Nation’s high expectations and deliver on all mission priorities."
"Achieving this will require disciplined focus on the highest-impact activities and rigorous stewardship of taxpayer resources. I am committed to maximizing every dollar of this budget in conjunction with funding from the Working Families Tax Cut Act to deliver results. I encourage the workforce to leave the politics for the politicians and remain focused on the mission. Artemis II and our astronauts on the space station are the highest priority, and there is no shortage of initiatives to progress, including building the Moon Base, launching SR-1 Freedom, igniting the orbital economy, and launching more missions of discovery. Stay focused on achieving the outcomes only NASA can create." (4/3)
Big Banks Seeking a Piece of SpaceX’s IPO Must Subscribe to Elon Musk’s Grok (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk is requiring banks, law firms, auditors and other advisers working on the I.P.O. to buy subscriptions to Grok, his artificial intelligence chatbot, which is part of SpaceX, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. Some of the banks have agreed to spend tens of millions on the chatbot, and they have already started integrating Grok into their I.T. systems, three of the people said. (4/3)
Redwire Awarded Contract to Deliver Quantum-Secure Spacecraft for European Space Agency's QKDSat (Source: Redwire)
Redwire Corp. has been awarded a contract to develop a quantum-secure satellite under ESA's Quantum Key Distribution Satellite (QKDSat), within ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Partnership Projects program. Redwire will manufacture and deliver its European-built Hammerhead spacecraft, equipped with the QKD payload and Redwire’s ADPMS-3 suite of avionics.
For QKDSat, Redwire is part of a multi-country consortium that includes Honeywell Aerospace and aims to provide quantum key distribution via satellite to safeguard against communication data breaches. Honeywell’s UK team is leading an industrial consortium that includes: Redwire Space of Belgium; Craft Prospect and British Telecom of the United Kingdom; QTLabs of Austria, Honeywell’s team in Canada, and several key players in Czechia and Switzerland. (4/2)
SpaceX Delays Next Starship Launch by a Month (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that the company's next Starship test flight will take place in May and not April as originally scheduled.
Musk posted on social media platform X that the next flight of Starship’s V3 vehicle was four to six weeks away, or in the first two weeks of May. Earlier, he said the first flight would take place in April. SpaceX's debut of the V3 Starship iteration has been delayed for months as the company has packed dozens of upgrades into the vehicle to make it more reliable and suitable for NASA missions like landing on the moon under the Artemis program. (4/3)
1st Results From Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Reveal How Much We Still Don’t Know About the Moon (Source: Space.com)
The first science results from a private spacecraft on the moon are challenging long-standing ideas about how our natural satellite evolved. Researchers analyzing data from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which landed on the moon in March 2025 and operated for about two weeks on the lunar surface, said the new measurements cast doubt on the decades-old view of the moon as divided between a hotter near side — the face visible from Earth — and cooler regions elsewhere. (4/3)
Six Apollo Lunar Astronauts Remain as NASA Sends Crew to Moon (Source: Douglas Messier)
As NASA launched its first crewed mission to the Moon in 53 years on Wednesday, six retired astronauts from the Apollo lunar program are still with us while 26 others have passed away. The surviving group includes four of the 12 men who walked on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin is the oldest of the surviving astronauts at age 96. Still with us are Aldrin, David Scott, Fred Haise Jr., Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, Charles Duke Jr., and Russell "Rusty" Schweickart. All are currently 90 or older. (4/3)
The Trump administration is set to propose a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, including a $1.15 trillion base budget and $350 billion from a reconciliation bill. The budget allocates $760 billion for weapons development and procurement, with significant funding for shipbuilding, the Golden Dome missile shield and the F-35 program. The proposal marks the first time the baseline defense budget has reached $1 trillion. (4/2)
Massive Budget Cuts for US Science Proposed Again by Trump Administration (Source: Nature)
For the second year in a row, US President Donald Trump has proposed significant cuts to the budgets of major US science agencies. Released Friday, the White House’s plan for federal spending next year also includes a ban on using federal funds for subscriptions and publishing fees for some academic journals.
The plan proposes cuts to federal agencies that fund or conduct research on health, space and the environment. Some of the steepest cuts would be made to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): the budgets of both would fall more than 50% in 2027 compared to their current levels (see ‘Budget crunch’). The budget for the US National Institutes of Health would drop 13%. (4/3)
How the Space Force Supported NASA’s Artemis II Launch (Source: Air and Space Forces)
In many ways, the Space Force’s role in NASA’s Artemis II mission is the same as any other launch it supports. Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, will ensure the launch is safe and the base is secure, and will monitor weather risks in advance.
But the size, nature, and level of public interest in NASA’s first crewed lunar flight since 1972 means those routine range support tasks require more personnel, more analysis, and more security guardrails than a standard launch.
One of the biggest differences is the amount of personnel required to support Artemis II. Lt. Col. Gregory Allen, commander of the delta’s 1st Range Operations Squadron, said that for a typical launch, about four or five operators are “on console” at the range’s mission control center. Artemis will require around 28 crew members. That’s primarily because the Boeing-built rocket that’s flying the mission, the Space Launch System, lacks an onboard command-destruct system, known as an automated flight safety system. (3/31)
NASA’s No. 1 Priority: Artemis II Toilet Fixed Before Trip to Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The first-ever toilet in deep space barely made it into orbit before NASA astronauts had to roll up their sleeves and make some repairs. There was no plumbing backup, of course — there is no actual plumbing on the Orion spacecraft, as urine is vented out into space and fecal matter is collected for later disposal. Instead, the crew of the historic Artemis II mission headed around the moon reported a blinking fault light on their lunar latrine. (4/2)
Department of War Confirms Hypersonic Missile Test at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
The Department of War has confirmed that the secretive March 26 launch at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was a successful hypersonic missile test. The missile test had not been publicly announced — but it was foreshadowed by a rarely seen Coast Guard-Department of Homeland Security launch-hazard zone for mariners that stretched over a narrow section of the Atlantic Ocean. (4/2)
In-Orbit Logistics Companies Call for Clearer Demand Signals from Gov (Source: Via Satellite)
Clare Martin, executive vice president at orbital servicing company Astroscale, said orbital refueling is a key element in the vision for a space infrastructure layer laid out by U.S. Space Command Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting.
“Refueling is coming very, very soon,” Martin said. “Those are key elements, but they’re not sufficient. There will be a need for inspection services, there will be a need for removal, there’ll be a need for repair. And all of those elements together is what will give you a full logistics infrastructure in space.”
Robert Hauge, president of Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics, sees deorbiting as the most promising capability for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) servicing. He said with the number of satellites in space growing so large, it could take over a century for these satellites to leave orbit once deactivated. (4/2)
Lunar Lander Developers Say They Are Ready To Meet Anticipated Increased NASA Demand (Source: Keith Sadlocha)
Can the current landers carry the mass need to build out the lunar site? No — the small "current" robotic landers highlighted in recent developer statements cannot carry the masses required to build a lunar power grid or habitats. Larger cargo landers now in development for NASA’s Artemis program can (and are explicitly planned to). The current-generation CLPS landers from Firefly Aerospace (Blue Ghost) and Intuitive Machines (Nova-C) are designed primarily for delivering science payloads, instruments, small rovers, hoppers, and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface—not for transporting the heavy infrastructure needed to construct a full lunar base or outpost.
Early concepts suggest dozens to hundreds of tons of landed mass over many missions are required for even a basic sustainable outpost. Much of the heavy construction would rely on in-situ resource utilization to reduce what must be shipped from Earth, plus larger landers or human-rated systems (e.g., Starship-class vehicles under development for Artemis). Firefly and Intuitive Machines have expressed ambitions to scale up production and support NASA's goal of more frequent deliveries (potentially monthly by ~2027 under "CLPS 2.0" or evolved contracts), including larger variants. (3/23)
Earth Formed From Material Exclusively From the Inner Solar System, Planetary Scientists Show (Source: Phys.org)
Planetary scientists compared existing data on the isotopic ratios of a wide range of meteorites, including those from Mars and the asteroid Vesta, with those of Earth. Isotopes are sibling atoms of the same element (same number of protons) that have a different mass (different number of neutrons). The researchers analyzed this data in a new way and arrived at a surprising conclusion: the material that makes up Earth originates entirely from the inner region of the solar system. Material from the outer solar system, by contrast, is likely to account for less than two percent of Earth's mass, or even nothing at all. (3/30)
Musk's Exploding Megarocket Puts $8B in Space Investments At Risk (Source: Politico)
Starcloud is a startup that’s racing to build massive data centers in space that supporters say could limit the strain artificial intelligence is placing on terrestrial electric grids. But the fate of Starcloud — and dozens of other space startups seeking to upend the mining, pharmaceutical and telecoms industries — depends on whether Elon Musk can figure out how to get SpaceX’s Starship megarocket to stop exploding.
Starcloud is one of 47 companies whose business models rely on the increased capacity or lower launch costs that the SpaceX CEO has for years promised Starship would already be able to deliver, according to an exclusive analysis from the financial data provider PitchBook. The largest and most powerful rocket ever built, Starship prototypes have unexpectedly burst into flames more than a dozen times, interrupting commercial air travel and sending shrapnel into Mexico.
Those space startups — including ones working on orbital data centers, asteroid mining and microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing — have collectively raised more than $8 billion from investors and could soon be at risk if Starship continues combusting. A decade ago, Musk claimed SpaceX would build a rocket capable of carrying mankind to Mars by 2025. Now, with his megarocket still grounded, his goal is to return astronauts to the moon by the end of President Donald Trump’s term and visit the red planet in 2030. (3/31)
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS May Be Nearly 12 Billion Years Old — So Ancient Its Star System May No Longer Exist (Source: Space.com)
The interstellar comet that recently dominated headlines, 3I/ATLAS, could be between 10 and 12 billion years old, a new assessment of the comet's isotopic composition has shown. This so-called "invader" in our solar system is only the third object on record to enter our cosmic neighborhood from beyond. If these new age estimates of the comet are true, they would suggest 3I/ATLAS was born within a few billion years of the birth of the Milky Way. (3/30)
Webb Telescope Spots Mysterious Explosion That Defies Known Physics (Source: Science Daily)
A record-breaking cosmic blast that lasted hours instead of seconds may reveal a brand-new way black holes destroy stars. Astronomers have spotted a bizarre cosmic explosion that refuses to play by the rules—and it’s leaving scientists scrambling for answers. GRB 250702B, detected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and a global network of observatories, lasted an astonishing seven hours—far longer than typical gamma-ray bursts, which usually fade in under a minute. (3/30)
Unexpected Metal in Rocks on Mars Hints at The Possibility of Ancient Life (Source: Science Alert)
The discovery of abundant nickel in a once waterlogged region of Mars offers yet another hint that the red planet may once have offered suitable conditions for life. In Neretva Vallis, an ancient channel that once carried water into the Jezero Crater delta, researchers found nickel in concentrations higher than ever seen before in the bedrock of Mars. Placed in its broader geological context, the metal offers clues about the chemical history of the region and adds a new piece to the puzzle of the planet's past habitability. (4/1)
JD Vance Believes Extraterrestrial Aliens are Demons (Source: Entertainment Weekly)
Vice President JD Vance has a theory about aliens and UFOs. Rather than real-life extraterrestrials, he believes they’re demons. "I don't think I don't think they're aliens. I think they're demons," he said. Vance is the latest politician to wade into little-green-man discourse, following Donald Trump's demand for the release of the so-called "UFO files," and Barack Obama claiming that aliens are "real," though he hasn't seen them.
"When I came in, I was obsessed with the UFO files," the vice president told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Friday, referring to the cache of files related to "alien and extraterrestrial life" that President Donald Trump called to release in February. Vance said that he hasn't had even a "peek" at said files, due to the demands of "the economy and national security and things like that."
"I've already had a couple of times where I'm like, 'All right, we're going to Area 51. We're going out to New Mexico. We're gonna sort of get to the bottom of this.' And then the timing of the trip just didn't work out. But trust me, anybody who's curious about this, I'm more curious than anybody, and I've got three years of the very tippy top of the classification. I'm gonna get to the bottom of it," he said. (3/29)
Varda Flies Navigation Payload, Heat Shield Tests on Sixth Reentry Mission (Source: Space News)
Varda Space Industries announced the launch of its W-6 vehicle with SpaceX's Transporter-16 today, marking the company's sixth mission overall and its first launch of 2026. W-6 carries a suite of advanced payloads designed to expand the technical foundation for autonomous hypersonic flight and next-generation thermal protection systems. The mission is funded through a partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and commercial space entities. (3/30)
In Our Search for Alien Life, Stars Might be Muddying Their Signals (Source: CBC)
A new study points to an overlooked complication in that type of search: space weather from stars, where potential signals originate, could be interfering. Since the earliest days of the hunt for intelligent life, scientists have zeroed in on a particular kind of transmission known as a narrowband signal — a beam of energy so tightly focused at a single frequency that it resembles a needle, says Vishal Gajjar. He says narrowband signals became a prime target because they are unlikely to arise from known natural astrophysical processes, especially when they’re detected in the same place more than once.
But despite decades of searching, scientists have been met largely with radio silence — prompting them to ask whether a fundamental property of the stars that planets orbit could be muddying the signals. Every star, including our own sun, says Gajjar, is surrounded by an interplanetary medium: a chaotic mix of plasma and magnetic fields stirred by stellar winds, flares and occasional violent eruptions of even more disruptive coronal mass ejections from the host star. If a narrowband signal passes through it, especially when it's stormy, it can become significantly broadened, which makes it wider and flatter than most instruments would catch, he says. (3/30)
‘Lighthouses in Space’: the Chinese Jam-Proof Satellite Network to Fill GPS Gaps (Source: SCMP)
Chinese researchers say they have built an 11-satellite network for a jam-resistant, high-accuracy optical navigation system, designed to provide positioning where GPS is unavailable or disrupted, for everything from self-driving cars and drones to deep-space missions. Optical navigation has also been used in the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran, helping drones developed by companies such as Asio Technologies and General Atomics operate in environments where GPS signals are jammed.
While positioning systems such as GPS and BeiDou rely on satellites that beam radio waves, Tsinghua University’s new network uses coded light signals from “beacon” satellites. “What we’ve done is put those ‘lighthouses’ in space, using light-emitting satellites to guide everything from vehicles to spacecraft,” said Xing Fei. The system works by placing powerful light sources on satellites to send coded signals to Earth. Receivers on the ground detect the light and use its direction, along with the satellites’ known positions, to calculate where they are. (3/30)
Amazon, Delta Team For In-Flight Wi-Fi, Challenging Starlink (Source: Reuters)
Amazon's Leo satellite internet unit signed a deal with Delta Air Lines to provide in-flight Wi-Fi on 500 of the airline's planes starting in 2028, inking its second major partnership in the skies as it races to launch more satellites and take on Elon Musk's Starlink. The deal ratchets up competition between Amazon's burgeoning satellite internet service and Starlink for a slice of the in-flight Wi-Fi market, even as Musk's satellite network remains far ahead in its satellite deployment and global service. (3/31)
Many Waters May Have Mixed on Mars (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Geologists like to say that “every rock tells a story.” The texture and the chemical and mineral compositions record a history of geologic events and environmental conditions. The older a rock is, the more history has happened to it. Like a palimpsest, the original story recorded in the rock may be erased and overwritten with a new one. Figuring out the overlapping stories can take years. That was the case for a drill sample the Curiosity rover took out of the Martian ground in a clay-rich region of Gale Crater called Glen Torridon in 2019. An analysis of the sample found evidence that a subsurface environment once existed where complex organic molecules could have formed. (3/25)
SpaceX Successfully Launches Three Greek Nanosatellites (Source: Greek Reporter)
In a historic step for Greece’s space program, three Greek-made nanosatellites were successfully launched into space last Monday by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Developed under the ERMIS project -- the flagship for Greece’s €200 million ($229.5 million) National Microsatellite Program of Athens (NKUA) -- the three satellites are now in Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers. (3/30)
SpaceX to Appeal Namibia's Starlink License Rejection (Source: Business Insider)
Satellite internet provider Starlink, backed by billionaire Elon Musk, said it will pursue an appeal after the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) rejected its application to operate in Namibia, marking a setback in its expansion across Africa. In a statement this week, the company described the decision as a “disappointing outcome”, adding that it was particularly concerning for “the thousands of you who placed deposits, participated in the public consultation, and made your voices heard.” (3/28)
China Planning Human Research Program at Space Station (Source: CGTN)
The China Manned Space Agency announced that it would solicit proposals for a space human research program starting April 1, targeting major strategic, fundamental, and forward-looking scientific issues related to the long-term healthy survival of humans during future space station flights and lunar landing missions. The program aims to create a space human atlas, establish a space human research database, and yield a series of innovative research outcomes that can benefit both the health of taikonauts on long-duration orbital missions and the public on Earth. (3/28)
Europe to Negotiate with NASA on Lunar Missions: ESA (Source: AFP)
The European Space Agency will negotiate future participation in NASA missions after the US space agency revamped its lunar program, the ESA head told AFP Wednesday. The US space agency announced recently it is suspending its so-called Gateway lunar orbital space station efforts in order to focus on building a base on the Moon's surface. This left the European role in future exploration unclear. The ESA had an agreement with NASA for three astronaut flights to Gateway. (4/1)
Arizona Site Used to Evaluate Parachutes for NASA’s Artemis II Flight (Source: KOLD)
NASA is preparing to send astronauts back toward the moon with the Artemis II mission, a roughly 10-day test flight designed to test the Orion spacecraft with a crew aboard. While the launch and mission operations will draw attention to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center and deep space, some of the technology meant to bring the crew home safely was tested much closer to home in the Southwest.
The U.S. Army’s test center in Yuma played a key role in developmental testing for Orion’s parachute system, according to Mark Schauer with Yuma Proving Ground. Schauer said the capsule parachute system underwent years of testing at the range. “From 2011 to 2018, the Orion capsule parachute system underwent developmental testing here at our range,” he said. (4/1)
China Launches In-Orbit Experiments in Space Hospital Quest (Source: Xinhua)
Five medical research projects aimed at establishing the world's first space hospital, proposed by a university in south China's innovation hub Shenzhen, were transported to space aboard a test spacecraft on Monday. These projects will complete in-orbit experiments and tests over the next three years.
China launched a Lijian-2 Y1 rocket on Monday from a commercial aerospace innovation pilot zone in northwest China, with the Qingzhou Cargo Spacecraft Test Vehicle onboard. The test vehicle features 27 projects with a total payload of 1.02 tonnes and will conduct in-orbit tests at altitudes ranging from 200 to 600 kilometers. (4/1)
Isaacman Aims to Reinvigorate NASA’s Image, Starting with the Moon (Source: Politico)
New NASA head Jared Isaacman faces his first big test with the launch of Artemis, a crucial milestone in the race to beat China and return Americans to the moon. The effort comes after thousands of employees fled the agency last year and the White House proposed steep cuts to NASA’s budget. Isaacman is determined to change the narrative — and meet President Donald Trump’s ambitious timeline to land U.S. astronauts on the lunar surface.
“If we can do this after what the agency was subjected to in 2025, that’s a hell of an accomplishment,” said a congressional staffer, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. “Isaacman is the quarterback. If all goes well, he will get too much of the credit. If all does not go well, he will shoulder way too much blame for a result caused by institutional decay.” (4/1)
Isaacman Signals Support for Reduced NASA Budget Proposed by President Trump (Source: NASA)
In an email to NASA employees on Friday, Administrator Jared Isaacman had this to say about the Trump administration's proposed budget reduction for the next fiscal year: "I strongly support the President’s fiscal policies and mandate to drive efficiency. The President’s Budget provides Congress and the public with the vision and resources to carry out our mission. The requested funding levels are sufficient for NASA to meet the Nation’s high expectations and deliver on all mission priorities."
"Achieving this will require disciplined focus on the highest-impact activities and rigorous stewardship of taxpayer resources. I am committed to maximizing every dollar of this budget in conjunction with funding from the Working Families Tax Cut Act to deliver results. I encourage the workforce to leave the politics for the politicians and remain focused on the mission. Artemis II and our astronauts on the space station are the highest priority, and there is no shortage of initiatives to progress, including building the Moon Base, launching SR-1 Freedom, igniting the orbital economy, and launching more missions of discovery. Stay focused on achieving the outcomes only NASA can create." (4/3)
Big Banks Seeking a Piece of SpaceX’s IPO Must Subscribe to Elon Musk’s Grok (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk is requiring banks, law firms, auditors and other advisers working on the I.P.O. to buy subscriptions to Grok, his artificial intelligence chatbot, which is part of SpaceX, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. Some of the banks have agreed to spend tens of millions on the chatbot, and they have already started integrating Grok into their I.T. systems, three of the people said. (4/3)
Redwire Awarded Contract to Deliver Quantum-Secure Spacecraft for European Space Agency's QKDSat (Source: Redwire)
Redwire Corp. has been awarded a contract to develop a quantum-secure satellite under ESA's Quantum Key Distribution Satellite (QKDSat), within ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Partnership Projects program. Redwire will manufacture and deliver its European-built Hammerhead spacecraft, equipped with the QKD payload and Redwire’s ADPMS-3 suite of avionics.
For QKDSat, Redwire is part of a multi-country consortium that includes Honeywell Aerospace and aims to provide quantum key distribution via satellite to safeguard against communication data breaches. Honeywell’s UK team is leading an industrial consortium that includes: Redwire Space of Belgium; Craft Prospect and British Telecom of the United Kingdom; QTLabs of Austria, Honeywell’s team in Canada, and several key players in Czechia and Switzerland. (4/2)
SpaceX Delays Next Starship Launch by a Month (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that the company's next Starship test flight will take place in May and not April as originally scheduled.
Musk posted on social media platform X that the next flight of Starship’s V3 vehicle was four to six weeks away, or in the first two weeks of May. Earlier, he said the first flight would take place in April. SpaceX's debut of the V3 Starship iteration has been delayed for months as the company has packed dozens of upgrades into the vehicle to make it more reliable and suitable for NASA missions like landing on the moon under the Artemis program. (4/3)
1st Results From Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Reveal How Much We Still Don’t Know About the Moon (Source: Space.com)
The first science results from a private spacecraft on the moon are challenging long-standing ideas about how our natural satellite evolved. Researchers analyzing data from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which landed on the moon in March 2025 and operated for about two weeks on the lunar surface, said the new measurements cast doubt on the decades-old view of the moon as divided between a hotter near side — the face visible from Earth — and cooler regions elsewhere. (4/3)
Six Apollo Lunar Astronauts Remain as NASA Sends Crew to Moon (Source: Douglas Messier)
As NASA launched its first crewed mission to the Moon in 53 years on Wednesday, six retired astronauts from the Apollo lunar program are still with us while 26 others have passed away. The surviving group includes four of the 12 men who walked on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin is the oldest of the surviving astronauts at age 96. Still with us are Aldrin, David Scott, Fred Haise Jr., Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, Charles Duke Jr., and Russell "Rusty" Schweickart. All are currently 90 or older. (4/3)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
