March 2, 2026

NASA Just Avoided the Most Predictable Failure in Modern Spaceflight (Source: Michael Ciannilli)
On February 27, 2026, at Kennedy Space Center, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman did something rare in large government programs. He slowed down. In doing so, he may have prevented the most predictable failure pattern in modern spaceflight: compressing development timelines under geopolitical pressure before hardware and teams are ready. NASA’s Artemis overhaul is not a delay. It is a risk correction. And it reflects a lesson spaceflight has already paid for in the most expensive cost- human life. (3/2)

Starlink to Partner with Deutsche Telekom (Source: CNBC)
SpaceX’s Starlink will partner with German telco giant Deutsche Telekom to launch a satellite-based mobile service in 10 European countries, the companies announced. The service will go live in 2028 and bring mobile communications to areas where network expansion is particularly challenging, including in areas with nature conservation requirements or demanding topography, Deutsche Telekom said. (3/2)

Laser-Based 3D Printing Could Build Future Bases on the Moon (Source: Universe Today)
Any plan for a lunar base must come down to harvesting local resources to meet the needs of its crews as much as possible - a process known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). In a recent study, researchers proposed using a specialized laser-based 3D printing method to turn lunar regolith into hardened building material. According to their findings, this method can produce durable structures that withstand radiation and other harsh conditions on the lunar surface. (3/2)

SES Cuts Capital Spending Target Ahead of 2026 Satellite Launches (Source: Reuters)
European satellite operator SES reported full-year results in line with market expectations and lowered its 2026 capital spending target, as it prepares to launch up to 13 satellites later this year. Analysts said SES's fourth-quarter earnings looked better than expected, though they noted the company did not provide an outlook beyond 2026 and that the satellite launch was now expected in the second half of the year, implying somewhat delayed revenue growth from the platform. (3/2)

MaiaSpace Pushes Inaugural Launch of Maia Rocket to 2027 (Source: European Spaceflight)
ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace announced that the inaugural flight of its two-stage Maia rocket will take place in 2027, slipping from a previously expected late-2026 launch. Founded in 2022, MaiaSpace is developing a two-stage partially reusable rocket that will be capable of delivering up to 1,500 kilograms into low Earth orbit when launched in a fully expendable configuration. The company is also developing a kick stage that is expected to add as much as 1,000 kilograms to the rocket’s performance. (3/2)

Space Force Opens Secretive Space Tracking to Commercial Firms (Source: Space News)
One of the U.S. Space Force’s most sensitive missions — tracking foreign satellites and predicting whether they could threaten American spacecraft — is increasingly drawing on commercial data and artificial intelligence. The work falls under what the military calls battle management, command and control, the systems that allow operators to see what is happening in orbit, assess potential threats and decide how to respond. That work has traditionally relied on classified intelligence, but the Space Force is increasingly turning to private companies that specialize in space situational awareness and machine learning. (3/2)

Space Force Picks BlueHalo for $1.4 Billion Mobile Ground Station Work (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is taking a more commercial approach to ground stations. The service is reopening a $1.4 billion program to build mobile ground stations used to track and command spacecraft, after initially awarding the work to a single contractor, BlueHalo. That company has yet to deliver any ground terminals under that 2022 contract. The Space Force says it is reevaluating its strategy, looking to leverage commercial phased-array technology and walk away from a customized design. (3/2)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Missions on Sunday From Florida and California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX performed two Starlink launches Sunday. One Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, placing 25 Starlink satellites into orbit. A second Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida, deploying 29 Starlink satellites. SpaceX has conducted 27 launches this year. (2/3)

Rocket Lab Launches HASTE Hypersonic Mission at Virginia Spaceport (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab launched a suborbital version of its Electron rocket Friday night. The HASTE rocket lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, carrying a hypersonic test vehicle developed by Australian company Hypersonix for the Defense Innovation Unit. This was the seventh launch to date of HASTE, a version of Electron for suborbital missions, and the third Electron launch this year. (2/3)

ESA Invests $118 Million for Telecom Tech (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency will provide up to 100 million euros ($118 million) for projects promising to accelerate the convergence of satellite and terrestrial communications. The funding, announced Monday, will be distributed in partnership with GSMA Foundry, the mobile industry association's innovation platform. The funding will be available for projects using AI to manage spectrum, advancing standards-based direct-to-device (D2D) communications, developing hybrid 5G/6G networks and supporting early-stage 6G technologies. The expanded collaboration comes amid broader moves in Europe to strengthen its position in the emerging D2D market to better compete with American companies. (3/2)

Open Cosmos Releases ConnectedCosmos Details (Source: Space News)
Open Cosmos has released more details on its proposed sovereign broadband constellation for Europe. The British small satellite specialist announced at Mobile World Congress Monday that the ConnectedCosmos network would combine point-to-point broadband links and direct-to-device connectivity for Internet of Things services. ConnectedCosmos would use optical inter-satellite links to reduce reliance on terrestrial gateways and subsea cables, while directly connecting to Earth observation spacecraft operating under its OpenConstellation shared infrastructure initiative. Open Cosmos is using Ka-band spectrum filings previously assigned to Rivada Space Networks, which require it to have 288 satellites in orbit by September. Open Cosmos has not detailed how many satellites it plans to deploy as it works to secure financing ahead of the deadline. (3/2)

Starfighters Space Expands Midland Texas Operations (Source: Starfighters)
Starfighters Space has increased its operational presence at the Midland International Air & Space Port, including the start of aircraft and hardware relocations to support an anticipated increase in mission cadence. Aircraft, engines, and support equipment are being relocated to Midland to support flight operations and customer programs. With four F-104 aircraft and 14 GE J-79 engines currently at Midland, the Company expects the number of aircraft and engines to double in the next 18 months. From Midland, Starfighters can reach nine launch and test-range locations across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah, and California. (3/2)

CEO of Space Defense Startup Says US Needs to Catch Up to China and Russia in Orbit (Source: Business Insider)
Long gone are the days of the post-Cold War lull when space was largely treated as a peaceful utility domain. As US officials warn of China's and Russia's rapid progress in space, and tech CEOs dream of AI data centers in lower orbit, space is becoming an increasingly contested layer of global infrastructure with national security implications. Even Rogers, a former US Space Command officer and the CEO of True Anomaly, a space defense startup, says America needs to catch up. (3/2)

Going to Mars Would Be Very Bad for Your Health (Source: Slate)
There are a few main issues that we know about when it comes to space and human well-being. The first is obvious: confinement and isolation. A return journey to Mars would be anywhere from two and a half to three years long, and any intrepid adventurers would have to spend that entire time in cramped, unpleasant spaces with a handful of other people. We have some solutions to this issue—space psychologists, for example, can help astronauts function as a team without losing their minds.

The next issue is space radiation. NASA estimated in 2017 that a human-crewed Mars mission lasting three years would result in those people receiving 3,600 X-rays’ worth of radiation over the course of their travel. We could possibly correct for radiation. For example, there are potential plans to use underground cave systems on the moon as habitation, which would reduce the radiation danger substantially. But for the actual space travel—the time humans spend commuting across the vacuum—we currently have no real solution.

A much bigger problem is the impact of microgravity on the human body. There are immediate issues, such as blocked noses, which impact virtually all astronauts as they acclimate to space. (The “upward shift of fluid ultimately leads to symptoms of ‘puffiness’ and nasal congestion experienced by astronauts during their adaptation period,” write the authors of a recent paper on the issue.) But there are also much more pernicious problems. For example, the long-term damage to kidneys. Kidneys require gravity to function properly, and the longer people spend in space, the more their kidneys start to malfunction. (3/1)