February 13, 2026

Leidos, Kratos Tapped for Pentagon Hypersonics R&D (Source: DefenseScoop)
The Joint Hypersonics Transition Office has awarded contracts to Leidos, GoHypersonic, Special Aerospace Services, Purdue Applied Research Institute, Halo Engines and Kratos to advance hypersonics technologies. The contracts, facilitated through the Strategic and Spectrum Mission Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems mechanism, focus on areas such as in-flight maneuverability and propulsion, with a total budget of $68 million over three years. (2/12)

Crew Launched to ISS Atop Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
A new crew is on its way to the International Space Station after a launch early this morning. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 40, placing a Crew Dragon spacecraft into orbit on the Crew-12 mission. The Dragon is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Saturday, delivering astronauts from NASA, ESA and Roscosmos for an eight-month mission. The launch was just the second crewed mission to use SLC-40 as SpaceX moves all Falcon launches, including Dragon missions, there from Launch Complex 39A. Crew-12 also kicks off a busy schedule of arriving and departing vehicles at the station that include cargo Dragon, HTV-X, Cygnus and Progress spacecraft, as well as potentially another uncrewed Starliner test flight. (2/13)

China's iSpace Raises $729 Million for Reusable Rocket (Source: Space News)
Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd., also known as iSpace, announced new funding worth 5.037 billion yuan ($729 million) Thursday, after raising 700 million yuan last September. The round appears to be the largest disclosed funding round thus far for a Chinese launch startup, eclipsing the previous rounds secured by Space Pioneer ($350 million) and Galactic Energy ($336 million) in 2025.  The company says the funds will be used to further accelerate the development and commercialization of iSpace's reusable methane-liquid oxygen launch vehicle models, as well as sea-based recovery plans. The company has been working toward a first launch of its first liquid propellant rocket, the Hyperbola-3, but did not announce a launch date in the funding announcement. (2/13)

Axiom Raises $350 Million (Source: Space News)
Axiom Space has raised an additional $350 million. The commercial space station and spacesuit developer announced Thursday the new funding round, with most of the funding going toward work on Axiom Space, its commercial space station, completing a first module set to launch in 2028 and advancing development of a second module to launch in 2029. The company is waiting on NASA to decide on its plan for the next phase of the Commercial LEO Destinations program to support development of commercial stations, but the company noted it did not expect any changes in that program to significantly affect its work on Axiom Station. The company added it is making good progress on spacesuits to be used on Artemis 3 and future lunar landing missions, with delivery of the suits on schedule for 2027. (2/13)

Vast to Launch 2027 Private Mission to ISS (Source: Space News)
Vast has won its first private astronaut mission to the ISS. NASA announced Thursday it awarded the mission to Vast, which will take place no earlier than mid-2027. This is the sixth private astronaut mission NASA had awarded overall but the first to go to a company other than Axiom Space, which won the first five missions. Vast announced two years ago its interest in flying a private ISS mission to gain experience for its future commercial stations. The ISS mission will use a Crew Dragon, which Vast also plans to use for flights to its Haven-1 station. (2/13)

Space Startups Gaining More Diverse Capital Sources (Source: Space News)
Space startups are gaining more ways to cash out or raise larger pools of capital as the industry matures. During a panel at the SmallSat Symposium Thursday, investors said there are more options for companies, such as going public and being acquired by larger aerospace and defense contractors. An emerging option is to sell to an AI or data center company given the growing interest in orbital data centers. However, others on the panel noted that startups can continue to rely on private financing as capital markets show continued willingness to invest in them. (2/13)

ThinKom to Demo Portable Phased-Array Ground Stations for DoD (Source: Space News)
Satellite antenna manufacturer ThinKom Solutions won an extension of a Pentagon contract to demonstrate phased-array portable ground stations. ThinkKom said a previous $1.9 million Small Business Innovation Research contract has been increased to $3.9 million to provide portable ground stations capable of delivering satellite connectivity without fixed infrastructure. ThinKom's antenna technology is a steerable, mechanically actuated phased array designed to track satellites in geostationary and non-geostationary orbits. The contract is designed to test the antenna's use by dismounted forces, or personnel operating on foot rather than inside armored vehicles or aircraft. (2/13)

NASA Tests Liquid Hydrogen Systems Ahead of Next Artemis Launch (Source: Spaceflight Now)
NASA has been testing repairs to liquid hydrogen fueling systems for the Space Launch System. Crews loaded liquid hydrogen into the rocket during an unannounced test Thursday at Launch Complex 39B. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Friday morning during the Crew-12 launch that the tests were a series of "mini wet dress rehearsals" to see if recent work fixed hydrogen leaks during a wet dress rehearsal last week. He said that will determine if NASA is ready to attempt another full-scale wet dress rehearsal ahead of a launch in early March or if more repairs are needed. (2/13)

NASA Stennis Proves Water Systems Ready for Artemis IV Upper Stage Trials (Source: Space Daily)
A major water system activation at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) has moved NASA Stennis Space Center a step closer to Green Run testing of the exploration upper stage for the Artemis IV mission. The Jan. 30 activation exercised new cooling hardware and pushed the site's high pressure industrial water network to full capacity in preparation for operating the more powerful upper stage. (2/13)

NASA Flies Laminar-Flow Wing Concept on F-15 (Source: AeroTime)
NASA has taken a small but important step toward cleaner, more efficient flight on future airliners by testing a new laminar-flow wing concept that aims to keep airflow more smooth, thereby cutting drag and reducing fuel burn. According to the agency, it completed the first flight of its Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) scale-model wing during a test at its Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA used one of its F-15B research jets as the flying testbed. (2/12)

Project Hecate: The Space Force’s Quiet Effort to Keep GPS Survivable After 2040 (Source: Breaking Defense)
Alarmed by the ever-growing vulnerability of the venerable Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation to adversary attack, the Space Force has quietly been working to shape a future where US and allied troops have other options for navigating the battlefield and targeting the enemy, according to service sources. Under a study called Project Hecate, the Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC) is analyzing how to create a multi-orbit network of space-based capabilities to ensure US military forces have access to position, navigation and timing (PNT) data in the post-2040 timeframe, officials said. (2/13)

Italy's ELT Exploring Electromagnetic, Cyber Intelligence Gathering From Orbit (Source: Aviation Week)
Italy’s ELT Group is planning to explore the potential for electromagnetic spectrum analysis and cyber intelligence gathering from orbit through an agreement with Italian space logistics company D-Orbit. The company signed a long-term strategic cooperation framework with D-Orbit at the World Defense Show that is sponsored by Saudi Arabia's Investment Ministry. (2/13)

FAA Finding Would Allow Florida Overflight, Affect More Aviation Routes (Source: SPACErePORT)
The FAA on Friday released their final environmental assessment, with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for additional Starship/Super-Heavy launches and launch trajectories from SpaceX's Starbase spaceport in Texas. Among other things, the FONSI allows SpaceX to move forward with a new launch trajectory that would have the massive rocket flying over densely populated areas in Florida, entering the airspace north of Tampa and proceeding toward Jacksonville en route to orbit. In addition, a new southerly trajectory would shoot the gap between Cuba and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, overflying Jamaica and the Caiman Islands.

The FAA will allow up to 25 annual launches and 50 total landings (25 for Starship and 25 for the Super-Heavy booster) at Starbase, with Starbase landings restricted to daytime hours. Up to three launches may occur at night, with their landings downrange. SpaceX will also be able to "conduct up to 90 seconds of licensed daytime Sharship static fire tests and 70 seconds of licensed daytime Super Heavy static fire tests a year."

In support of SpaceX missions using all available trajectories, the FAA would enforce Aircraft Hazard Areas (AHAs) that would affect at between 10 and 200 commercial aircraft per hour during launch operations, depending on the time of launch. The FAA assumed that up to 22 launches and landings per year would occur during the busier periods of air traffic. "Domestic flights that normally take coastal routes are expected to be rerouted via inland routes, which would cause an increase in congestion and flight travel time." (2/13)

Artsy Astronaut Joining Orlando Spark STEM Fest (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Art meets up with aerospace again at the upcoming Spark STEM Fest at Orlando Science Center. Covering both disciplines will be appearances by Nicole Stott, former astronaut and outer-space watercolorist. “You think an astronaut, you think technical, you think a scientist,” Stott said. “And yet, the majority of these people that I’ve encountered in my life also have something artsy or creative going on, really, too, and we want to share that.” Stott’s astronaut career included 104 days in space as a crew member on the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Discovery. She also had an artistic, anti-gravity experience with watercolors on board in 2009. (2/10)

Musk needed a new vision for SpaceX and xAI. He landed on Moonbase Alpha (Source: Tech Crunch)
“Join xAI if the idea of mass drivers on the Moon appeals to you,” CEO Elon Musk proclaimed yesterday following a restructuring that saw a stream of former executives exit the AI lab. This is an interesting recruitment strategy after the company’s merger with Musk’s rocket maker, SpaceX, and the combined company’s anticipated IPO.

After outlining plans to build AI data centers in orbit, the primary synergy between the two companies, Musk took the idea further. “What if you want to go beyond a mere terawatt per year?” Musk asked. “To do that, you have to go to the moon…I really want to see a mass driver on the moon that is shooting AI satellites into deep space.”

Notably, the moon base comes just after SpaceX has publicly backed away from its long-held goal of colonizing Mars. Now, with xAI in the corporate fold, Musk needs a new science fiction metaphor for the future: In this case, the Kardashev Scale, a theoretical measure of galactic civilizations coined by the eponymous Soviet astronomer in the 1960s. The idea is climbing the scale of energy usage — early civilizations figure out how to leverage all the power sources on their planets, and then (hypothetically) go to space and build infrastructure to capture the energy of the sun. (2/12)

From Baikonur to Beijing: How Kazakhstan is Carving Out New Space Horizons (Source: Euro News)
Kazakhstan is emerging as a regional hub for space, sharing technology, expertise, and talent, launching the Di’er-5 nanosatellite with China, and preparing to launch the Soyuz-5/Sunkar rocket. Kazakhstan and China have successfully launched the joint Di’er-5 nanosatellite (Yao-8 mission) for scientific research from China’s Jiuquan spaceport aboard a Kuaizhou-11 rocket. For Kazakhstan's scientists, China has emerged as a key partner in long-term space collaboration. (2/13)

Congress Investigates NASA Over Funding ‘Bilateral Collaboration’ with CCP (Source: Washington Examiner)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) are pressing NASA on why the agency seemingly funded “bilateral collaboration with Chinese entities” through its research grants. The pair of congressmen honed in on the research of Stanford University professor Wendy Mao. Mao, according to a congressional analysis of academic publications, received federal support for 31 research projects she carried out alongside affiliates of the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, an entity that has appeared on the Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List since 2020 and whose parent organization has been on the list since 1997. (2/12)

Blue Origin Broke Rules. DEP shrugged. That Should Alarm Florida (Source: Florida Today)
As a Process and Safety Engineer with a background in Environmental Science, I attended the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s recent public forum on the Blue Origin wastewater permit renewal expecting a serious, evidence‑driven discussion. Instead, I walked away with a troubling sense that the agency responsible for safeguarding Florida’s natural resources has lost sight of its mission. (2/13)

U.S. Space Force Makes Commercial The Default Setting (Source: Aviation Week)
For the U.S. Space Force, using commercially derived technology is no longer a recommendation; in 2026, it is an imperative. The Pentagon is embracing commercial acquisition processes and technology at a greater level, as the six-year-old Space Force has capitalized on a robust market for commercial space services. (2/13)

NASA Puts 21-Year-Old Spacecraft on Pause to Keep It From Crashing Into Earth (Source: Gizmodo)
NASA is racing to save an aging space telescope before it burns up in Earth’s atmosphere. To do that, the space agency has recently limited the mission’s operations in orbit to keep it from moving around so much.

NASA suspended most of Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s science operations on Wednesday in an effort to reduce the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft and slow down its orbital decay, the space agency announced. Swift is due for an orbit boost, with a mission planned for later this summer set to raise it to a higher altitude. In the meantime, NASA is working on keeping Swift from dropping further. (2/12)

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is Spraying Water Across the Solar System (Source: Science Daily)
For millions of years, a frozen wanderer drifted between the stars before slipping into our solar system as 3I/ATLAS—only the third known interstellar comet ever spotted. When scientists turned NASA’s Swift Observatory toward it, they caught the first-ever hint of water from such an object, detected through a faint ultraviolet glow of hydroxyl gas. Even more surprising, the comet was blasting out water at a rate of about 40 kilograms per second while still far from the Sun—much farther than where most comets “switch on.” (2/11)

Did a Black Hole Just Explode? Physicists Say It Might Explain Everything (Source: SciTech Daily)
In 2023, a neutrino slammed into Earth carrying more energy than any particle ever observed. The detection stunned physicists. The particle’s energy was measured roughly 100,000 times greater than the most powerful collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s leading particle accelerator. No known astrophysical engine, including supernovae or supermassive black holes, is thought capable of accelerating a particle to such extremes.

Physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have recently hypothesized that something like this could happen when a special kind of black hole, called a “quasi-extremal primordial black hole,” explodes. (2/12)

Astronomers Detect a Solar System They Say Should Not be Possible (Source: CNN)
An exoplanetary system about 116 light-years from Earth could flip the script on how planets form, according to researchers who discovered it using telescopes from NASA and ESA. Four planets orbit LHS 1903 — a red dwarf star, the most common type of star in the universe — and are arranged in a peculiar sequence. The innermost planet is rocky, while the next two are gaseous, and then, unexpectedly, the outermost planet is also rocky.

This arrangement contradicts a pattern commonly seen across the galaxy and in our own solar system, where the rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) orbit closer to the sun and the gaseous ones (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) are farther away. Astronomers suspect this common pattern arises because planets form within a disk of gas and dust around a young star, where temperatures are much higher close to the celestial body. (2/12)

Europe Launches Its Most Powerful Rocket With Amazon Satellites (Source: Bloomberg)
Arianespace launched the most powerful version of its Ariane 6 rocket Thursday to deliver dozens more Amazon Leo satellites into orbit as Jeff Bezos bolsters his challenge to Elon Musk’s Starlink. The heavy-lift rocket blasted off from ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket was carrying 32 satellites for Amazon.com Inc.’s low-Earth orbit constellation that will provide internet connectivity. (2/12)

For Europe, SpaceX ‘Subsidies’ Are The Wrong Target (Source: Bloomberg)
To get a sense of where geopolitical power is shifting, look to space, where European leaders are scrambling to throw money and resources at alternatives to Elon Musk’s $1.5 trillion SpaceX empire of satellites, rockets and artificial intelligence. France’s Emmanuel Macron is wrong to focus on “over-subsidization” as America’s secret to success. Catching up to Musk should involve a broader coalition of the willing instead, one that combines the financial firepower of reliable allies.

The stakes have been clear for a while and are becoming more so. Musk’s network of thousands of Starlink satellites, orbiting Earth at an altitude of 340 miles, are a feat of technological power that offers the billionaire unprecedented geopolitical influence in doling out access to high-speed internet connections from anywhere. Where the EU’s approach needs work is in scale and innovation, rather than matching SpaceX’s perceived over-subsidization via its $22 billion of government contracts.

European rockets already incur high costs and require hundreds of millions of euros in subsidies, and they have yet to crack re-usability or low-orbit dominance. Instead of an array of different projects such as Eutelsat’s OneWeb or EU-backed constellation IRIS², scheduled to be fully operational by 2030, the continent should be building a stronger coalition including allies like Canada. The bloc should be willing to adopt some competitiveness recommendations, including the end of so-called “geographic return,” which channels space investments back to individual countries based on the size of their financial contributions rather than the quality of their technologies. (2/13)

Planet and AXA Partner for AI-Powered Risk Management Platform (Source: Via Satellite)
Planet Labs’ German subsidiary is partnering with a new arm of insurance firm AXA to integrate its Earth Observation data into an AI-powered risk management system to monitor and predict natural disasters. AXA Digital Commercial Platform (AXA DCP), a new arm of AXA, will use Planet’s high- and medium-resolution satellites and its high-frequency basemaps, refreshed almost daily, to inform its clients about catastrophes like floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. (2/13)

This Comet Stopped Spinning. Then It Started Rotating Backward (Source: New York Times)
If you were standing on the surface of Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák nine years ago as it was getting closer to the sun, you might have been in for a shock. First, each day on the comet would have gotten drastically longer over a period of weeks, until the object’s rotation stopped dead — and then started going backward. “We’ve seen changes in spin” on a comet before, said Dr. Jewitt, who published his findings last week on the website arXiv ahead of publication in The Astronomical Journal. “But not this big and so quick.” (2/11)

Satellite Megaconstellations Continue to Grow. Could Their Debris Fall On Us? (Source: Space.com)
A new study by Canadian researchers looks into eleven different megaconstellations and what would happen during their fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere. What are the charred, declarative results? They find that there's a 40% collective risk of on-ground casualties if satellites do not burn up entirely. The collective casualty risks modeled at the University of British Columbia, took into account well-funded constellations that, in total, represent some 73,369 satellites.

In the study, the research team asked: "what happens if the minimum lethal amount of debris from each satellite does not burn up and reaches the ground intact?" It turns out that materials used in satellites with lower melting points, such as aluminum, are more likely to demise entirely. But other spacecraft-making materials such as stainless steel, beryllium, titanium, tungsten, and silicon carbide are less likely to do so. These are commonly employed in fuel tanks and reaction wheels. (2/13)

AST SpaceMobile Announces Proposed Private Offering of $1 Billion of Convertible Senior Notes Due 2036 (Source: Business Wire)
AST SpaceMobile announced its intent to offer, subject to market conditions and other factors, $1 billion aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2036 in a private offering to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers. AST SpaceMobile also intends to grant the initial purchasers of the Notes in the Notes Offering an option to purchase up to an additional $150.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes. (2/11)

World’s First 3D-Printed Hypersonic Airframe Clears Vibration Trials for Mach 7 Speed (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Queensland-based Hypersonix Launch Systems has announced the successful completion of vibration testing on its DART AE hypersonic technology demonstrator. These tests validated the test vehicle’s structural reliability and integrity ahead of upcoming flight tests. Hypersonix’s DART AE aircraft is a single-use hypersonic demonstrator powered by a hydrogen-fueled scramjet. (2/11)

Latvia's Deep Space Energy Plans Innovative RTG for Lunar Power (Source: Interesting Engineering)
The system converts heat from radioactive decay into electricity. The heat source comes from radioisotopes extracted from commercial nuclear reactor waste, primarily Americium-241. Unlike traditional radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which rely on thermocouples to convert heat into power, Deep Space Energy claims its architecture significantly improves fuel efficiency. (2/11)

10 Key Takeaways from the Middle East Space Conference 2026 (Source: Novaspace)
The Omani capital welcomed leaders from government, industry, and academia for three days of discussions on the future of space in the region and beyond. Bringing together more than 600 senior executives, policymakers, investors, and innovators from over 30 countries across the Middle East and the global space community, MESC served as a key platform for dialogue, partnerships, and deal-making. Here are the ten strategic signals from MESC 2026. (2/2)

Elon Musk Wants to Build an A.I. Satellite Factory on the Moon (Source: New York Times)
In an all-hands meeting on Feb. 10, Elon Musk unveiled an audacious expansion of his vision for xAI and SpaceX. Musk told employees that the next frontier for artificial intelligence isn't on Earth, but on the Moon. The proposed facility is envisioned as a lunar manufacturing base specifically designed to solve the massive power and cooling bottlenecks facing terrestrial AI. The facility, as described by Musk, would include a lunar-based production line that would manufacture AI-optimized satellites.

By building these in the Moon's low gravity, the company could theoretically construct massive structures that would be impossible or too expensive to launch from Earth. An electromagnetic "mass driver"—essentially a giant electromagnetic catapult—would fling these satellites from the lunar surface into space. The satellites produced would form a vast constellation of space-based data centers. (2/11)

MTN Finalizes Reseller Agreement for Amazon Leo Maritime Deployment (Source: SatNews)
MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) has secured a landmark agreement to become one of the first authorized maritime resellers for Amazon Leo. The partnership integrates Amazon’s high-capacity constellation into MTN’s multi-orbit network, targeting commercial shipping, yachting, offshore energy, and cruise sectors. The deal positions MTN to provide near-global coverage, from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific, leveraging Amazon’s growing fleet of more than 150 production satellites currently in orbit.

By adding Amazon Leo to a portfolio that already includes Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb, MTN aims to offer unparalleled redundancy for mission-critical vessel operations and crew welfare. Amazon Leo is specifically designed to integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS), allowing maritime operators to move data from ship to cloud over a private, secure backbone—a key differentiator for enterprise fleets requiring high-level cybersecurity and telemetry integration. (2/11)

UK Backs New Electric Propulsion Hub for Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
A new electric propulsion laboratory for satellite engines has opened at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, providing UK space companies with access to advanced testing and development facilities. The Disruptive Experimental Electric Propulsion (DEEP) Lab has been built by space technology company Magdrive with support from the UK Space Agency's Space Clusters Infrastructure Fund. The 3.8 million pound facility combines 1.8 million pounds of government funding with 2 million pounds of company investment and is designed to serve start ups, established aerospace firms and academic researchers across the UK space sector. (2/6)

Astroscale Japan to Mature Electric Refueling for Future GEO Servicing (Source: Space Daily)
Astroscale Japan has been selected as an implementing organization under the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Space Strategy Fund Program. The company will develop electric propellant refueling technology to underpin future geostationary orbit servicing missions, advancing capabilities for on-orbit satellite support and logistics. (2/10)

China Rolls Out BeiDou Satellite Messaging for Emergency Use (Source: Space Daily)
China has introduced a new satellite short messaging service that uses the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to maintain communication when ground-based mobile networks are unavailable. The service is aimed at providing a reliable link during emergencies and in remote areas where cellular coverage cannot be guaranteed. (2/10)

Momentus and NASA Plan Joint Mission to Test Orbital Servicing Technologies (Source: Space Daily)
Momentus Inc. has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA for a new low Earth orbit mission that will test technologies for in-orbit servicing, assembly, and autonomous operations. The collaboration centers on using the companys Vigoride 7 Orbital Service Vehicle as a host platform for multiple demonstrations designed to improve how spacecraft maneuver, communicate, and work together in space.

Under the agreement, Momentus will deliver a NASA CubeSat to low Earth orbit to carry out joint rendezvous and proximity operations and formation flying activities with Vigoride 7. At the heart of the mission is NASAs R5 Spacecraft 10, or R5-S10, which will operate as a free-flying imager to monitor the health and performance of the Vigoride 7 vehicle during these operations. (2/10)