February 10, 2026

This Startup Thinks It Can Make Rocket Fuel From Water. Stop Laughing (Source: WIRED)
There’s been this hand-wave, this assumption, this yada yada at the core of our long-term space programs. If we can return astronauts to the moon, we’ll find ice there. And if we find that ice in sufficient quantities, we’ll break it down into hydrogen and oxygen, and yada yada, we’ll use that fuel to fly deeper into the solar system, maybe even to Mars. And if we get to Mars, we’ll find even more ice on the Red Planet. We’ll mine that, combine it with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and yada yada, we’ll use that to fly the astronauts back.

This fall, General Galactic plans to fly an 1,100-pound satellite, using water to supply its only propellant in-orbit. If it works, it not only could start to solve the yada yada problem, it could make US satellites more maneuverable at a time when there’s a growing possibility of a conflict in space. Halen Mattison, CEO of General Galactic, said “Our vision is to go build a gas station on Mars ... but also eventually build out the refueling network” in between. Mattison, a former SpaceX engineer, and his CTO, Luke Neise, a veteran of Varda Space, have purchased a spot on a Falcon 9 rocket launch in October.

There are, to broadly oversimplify, two main kinds of engines that you can use in your spacecraft: chemical propulsion, and electric propulsion. Water isn’t ideal for either electrical or chemical propulsion. But it might be just good enough for both. General Galactic plans to demonstrate the two methods during its Trinity mission. For chemical propulsion, it’ll use electrolysis to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen, then burn the hydrogen, with oxygen as the oxidizer. For the electrical propulsion system—this one’s called a “Hall thruster”—it’ll split the water, then apply enough electrical energy that the oxygen becomes a plasma. (2/9)

Voyager Wins NASA ISS Mission Management Role Through 2030 (Source: Space Daily)
Voyager Technologies has secured a new Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity mission management contract from NASA's Johnson Space Center with a ceiling of 24.5 million dollars over four years to support International Space Station operations through 2030. Under the agreement, Voyager will provide full service mission management for ISS payloads, anchoring recurring mission execution across multiple flight campaigns. NASA's task order structure enables the agency to issue individual orders under the umbrella contract, with the potential to add options that expand both scope and value over the life of the deal. This multi year framework gives Voyager a predictable channel for recurring mission management work while giving NASA flexibility to align task orders with evolving station needs. (2/10)

The Dominance of Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg (Source: Space Review)
There are more than a dozen licensed spaceports in the United States and even more prospective ones, yet nearly all the orbital launches in the country take place from two sites in Florida and California. Jeff Foust reports on how the Cape and Vandenberg have met the growing demand for launches while other spaceports look for alternative markets. Click here. (2/10)
 
Breaking Dishes: the Space Facility at Yevpatoriya (Source: Space Review)
Last year the Ukrainian military attacked a satellite tracking station in Russian-occupied Crimea. Dwayne Day examines the long history of that facility, built during the Cold War. Click here. (2/10)
 
The Solar System Internet: Envisioning a Networked Future Beyond Earth (Source: Space Review)
Networking protocols used on Earth today don’t work well in space, given distances and other challenges. Scott Pace and Yosuke Kaneko discuss how new protocols and approaches can enable enhanced communications across the solar system. Click here. (2/10)
 
Much Needed Cargo for the Moon (Source: Space Review)
Plans for lunar outposts, like the one included in an executive order by the White House in December, will require large amounts of cargo that would be unaffordable if delivered by the SLS. Ajay Kothari offers an alternative approach that avoids both the SLS as well as the complexities of in-space cryogenic refueling. Click here. (2/10)

The Eutelsat Wake-up Call or Why Europe Must Act Now on the Ground Segment (Source: Ilinca SPITA)
The recent decision by the French government to block the sale of Eutelsat’s passive ground segment assets sends a clear signal: ground infrastructure is strategic. Long treated as a secondary layer of space systems, the ground segment has become a critical bottleneck for space operations, from defence to Earth observation. Yet despite this reality, Europe still lacks a coherent industrial policy and the institutional backing for the ground segment needed to fully match, for instance, US players — a missed opportunity at a time when sovereignty and resilience are back at the top of the political agenda. This is all the more striking as France already hosts a future champion in the making. (2/10)

Bottlenecks at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space Review)
Col. Brian Chatman, commander of Space Launch Delta 45, identified some of the bottlenecks to projected launch growth at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. They are not the launch sites themselves. Chatman pointed to challenges ranging from roads to pipelines that pose the biggest potential challenges to growth.

“Today I’ve got one main artery to drive on and off Cape Canaveral Space Force Station,” said Chatman. “I need a booster transport lane. I need the ability to deconflict how men and women get to work day-to-day from how we transport upper stages and boosters back over to the processing facilities.” Another issue, he said, is propellants. Methane is increasingly used by launch vehicles: New Glenn and Vulcan now, with Starship to follow. Right now, methane is brought to the launch sites by truck. “That’s thousands of trucks coming through my vehicle inspection stations each and every day,” he said.

“Things like a methane pipeline are things we didn’t account for two years ago when we laid in requirements for Spaceport of the Future,” he said, adding that he was working with Space Florida, the state’s space economic development agency, to help fund infrastructure upgrades like a pipeline. (2/10)

Momentus to Demonstrate Multispectral Sensor for Space Force, With NASA Support, in March (Source: Via Satellite)
Momentus will undertake a rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) demonstration mission with NASA next month, as the former moves to fulfill a contract signed with the U.S. Space Force last year. Momentus’ Vigoride 7 orbital service vehicle (OSV) will carry NASA’s R5 Spacecraft 10 (R5-S10) alongside other payloads when it is launched via the upcoming SpaceX Transporter mission set for March. R5-S10 will serve as a free-flying imager for Vigoride 7, monitoring the spacecraft’s health and performance. (2/9)

Venus May Have an Underground Tunnel Carved by Volcano Eruptions (Source: Space.com)
Scientists analyzing decades-old data from NASA's Magellan mission say they have identified what appears to be a vast underground tunnel carved by volcanic activity on Venus. If confirmed, the structure would mark only the second time a lava tube has been reported on Venus, adding to similar discoveries on the moon and Mars. The finding also contributes to a growing body of evidence challenging the long-held view of Venus as a geologically dead world. (2/9)

Starliner Test Flight to Decide Program's Fate with NASA (Source: Space News)
NASA is waiting on an uncrewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner in the coming months before deciding whether to use it for a crewed mission to the International Space Station this fall. At a briefing Monday, agency officials said they have not set a date for Starliner-1, another uncrewed test of Starliner that will deliver cargo to the station. That mission is planned for no earlier than April, but a more specific launch date will come only after engineers resolve issues from the spacecraft’s crewed trip to the station in 2024. NASA revised its commercial crew contract with Boeing last November, making Starliner-1 a cargo-only flight with three crewed flights to follow. NASA said it can wait until at least this summer to determine if a fall mission to the ISS will use Starliner or Crew Dragon. (2/10)

NLRB Drops Labor Case Against SpaceX for Alleged Retaliatory Firings (Source: Bloomberg)
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is dropping a case against SpaceX, arguing it does not have jurisdiction. The NLRB filed a complaint against SpaceX two years ago after the company fired eight employees who circulated an open letter inside the company criticizing Elon Musk. The NLRB informed attorneys for the former employees it was dropping the case after the National Mediation Board (NMB) issued an opinion that it was the proper agency to handle the case, not NLRB. The NMB largely handles cases involving companies in the rail and airline sectors, and employees of those companies have fewer legal protections than those covered by the NLRB. (2/10)

Firefly Alpha to Fly From California on Feb. 18 (Source: Firefly Space)
Firefly Aerospace plans to return its Alpha rocket to flight next week. The company announced Monday it is targeting a launch of its seventh Alpha rocket no earlier than Feb. 18 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Firefly said it recently completed a static-fire test of the first stage, clearing the way for the launch. The mission will be the first for Alpha since a launch failure last April. (2/10)

ISRO Wants Closer Space Cooperation with USA (Source: Times of India)
The head of the Indian space agency ISRO wants closer cooperation with the United Space in space technology. Speaking at a U.S.-India Space Business Forum event in India, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said there were opportunities for international collaboration as India embarks on the development of a space station and heavy-lift launch vehicles. Other officials from the U.S. and India said at the event that they wanted closer collaboration between space businesses in the two countries as well. (2/10)

Navy Turns Ground on Major Facility at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SPACErePORT)
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $165.7 million design-build construction contract for the P103 Engineering Test Facility at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, supporting operations of the Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU). A ground breaking for the new facility was held on Feb. 4. The facility will modernize and consolidate NOTU engineering test activities into a single, purpose-built structure for the Navy’s Trident II (D5) Missile Life Extension Program.

This is one of the largest recent MILCON projects on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, boosting NOTU's status as a major tenant at the spaceport. It also signals long-term federal investment tied to NOTU's mission—relevant for suppliers, contractors and subcontractors in the region. The design-build contractor is Wash Federal LLC, with architecural design provided by a Merrick-RS&H joint venture. (2/10)

Countdown to the Maiden Launch of the Ariane 64, Europe's Most Powerful Rocket (Source: ABC News)
In a tightly controlled manufacturing hangar west of Paris, workers put the finishing touches on an enormous silver-colored engine. In just a few days, a similar machine will help propel the most powerful version of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket yet, flying for the first time with four boosters. On Thursday, the Ariane 64 rocket — named after its four boosters — is scheduled to make its maiden launch from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, aiming to deploy 32 satellites for Amazon Leo’s broadband constellation. (2/10)
 
Hypersonic Systems Startup Emerges from Stealth with Investment and Andøya Test Launch (Source: European Spaceflight)
Munich-headquartered hypersonic systems startup Hypersonica has emerged from stealth, announcing the closure of a €23.3 million funding round and a successful test launch of a missile prototype. Founded in December 2023, Hypersonica is developing what it describes as the first privately funded European hypersonic strike capability, with operations currently spanning the UK and Germany. The company aims to offer fully operational hypersonic glide vehicles by 2029, with an initial, shorter-range hypersonic strike capability available from 2027.

The test vehicle, which featured a Hypersonica hypersonic missile prototype atop a booster provided by an unnamed partner, was launched on 3 February from Andøya Space in Norway. According to the company, the vehicle accelerated to speeds exceeding Mach 6 and achieved a range of over 300 kilometers. In its post-flight press release, Hypersonica confirmed that the vehicle’s performance was successfully validated down to the subcomponent level at hypersonic speeds. (2/10)

As China and the US Vie for the Moon, Private Companies are Locked in Their Own Space Race (Source: Space.com)
At the forefront of this transformation is the geopolitical competition between the United States and China centered on a return to the moon, a milestone poised to define the norms of space activity for decades ahead. "The West absolutely is in a race with China to get back to the moon right now," said John Gedmark, CEO of San Francisco-based satellite company Astranis.

China has laid out an ambitious lunar plan to land astronauts on the moon before 2030, targeting the south pole, which contains water ice and other resources critical for long-term lunar exploration and settlement. NASA's Artemis 3 mission currently aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028, following the Artemis 2 crewed lunar flyby that's targeted to launch in early March.

Some experts argue that China's steady execution has already given it an edge, while Western progress has been less consistent. "We've been sort of all over the place," said Gedmark. Still, he argued that the outcome remains uncertain, pointing to strong partnerships between the United States and Europe as well as key structural advantages, chief among them a powerful commercial space sector. "I think it's a very real open question today as to what's going to happen," Gedmark said. (2/7)

Amazon Expects to Increase Spending on Amazon Leo by $1B in 2026 (Source: Via Satellite)
Amazon expects to spend $1 billion more on expenses for the Amazon Leo constellation in 2026, leadership advised investors in its recent financial reporting. Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky told investors on Feb. 5 the company expects a year-over-year cost increase of approximately $1 billion related to Amazon Leo this year. (2/9)

Momentus to Demonstrate Multispectral Sensor for Space Force, With NASA Support (Source: Via Satellite)
Momentus will undertake a rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) demonstration mission with NASA next month, as the former moves to fulfill a contract signed with the U.S. Space Force last year. Momentus’ Vigoride 7 orbital service vehicle (OSV) will carry NASA’s R5 Spacecraft 10 (R5-S10) alongside other payloads when it is launched via the upcoming SpaceX Transporter mission set for March. R5-S10 will serve as a free-flying imager for Vigoride 7, monitoring the spacecraft’s health and performance. (2/9)

An International Team Uncovers What Powers Auroras (Source: Universe Today)
These awe-inspiring displays of light are the result of charged particles from our Sun interacting with Earth's magnetic field. However, there remain unanswered questions about the mechanisms that power aurorae that scientists have been hoping to resolve for decades. For example, there's the question of what powers the electrical fields that accelerate these particles.

In a new study, researchers have provided the answer. According to their analysis, the plasma waves traveling along Earth’s magnetic field lines (Alfvén waves) act as a natural accelerator. By analyzing how charged particles move and gain energy across different regions of space, the team demonstrated that these waves supply the energy that drives charged particles into the atmosphere, producing aurorae. (2/8)

SpaceX Prioritizes Lunar 'Self-Growing City' Over Mars Project (Source: Reuters)
Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX has shifted its focus to building a "self‑growing city" on the moon, which could be achieved in less than 10 years. SpaceX still intends to start on Musk's long-held ambition of a city on Mars within five to seven years, he wrote on his X social media platform, "but the overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster".

Musk's comments echo a Wall Street Journal report on Friday, which said SpaceX has told investors it would prioritize going to the moon and attempt a trip to Mars at a later time, targeting March 2027 for an uncrewed lunar landing. This marks a shift from Musk's long-standing focus on Mars as SpaceX's primary destination. As recently as last year, he said the company aimed to launch an uncrewed Mars mission by the end of 2026. "No, we're going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction," he said in January. (2/8)