February 3, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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