April 13, 2026

Musk Hurls Expletives at Senior South African Diplomat (Source: Tech Central)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has called a senior South African government official “a fucking racist” and an “asshole” in the latest escalation of his long-running public dispute with Pretoria over the licensing of his Starlink satellite broadband service. The exchange, which played out on X on Sunday, began when Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy at the department of international relations & cooperation, tagged Musk in a post pointing out that more than 600 American companies operate in South Africa in compliance with local laws.

“@elonmusk watching the more than 600 USA companies investing more in [South Africa], complying with #SouthAfrican laws & thriving. Zero drama!!” Monyela posted. Musk’s reply, posted within hours, was vulgar and direct: “Stop being such a fucking racist, you asshole.” Under South African licensing rules, prospective telecommunications licensees, like Starlink, must cede 30% of their equity to historically disadvantaged groups – a condition SpaceX has said it doesn’t do anywhere in the world. (4/12)

Vandenberg Space Force Base Takes ‘Mission Update’ to Carpinteria (Source: EdHat)
Vandenberg Space Force Base is taking its community speaker series “Mission Update” on the road for its third iteration on Wednesday, April 22 in Carpinteria, California. This event is part of a broad effort to engage directly with local communities, provide updates on Vandenberg’s mission, and address questions about sonic booms and their impacts. The first such event was hosted in Lompoc, Calif., on Feb. 20, followed by a second event in Santa Barbara, Calif., on March 17. The fourth and final speaking event in this series is scheduled to occur in Ojai, Calif., on May 19. (4/12)

What’s Shaping Space Race 2.0—Minerals on Moon, Human Colonies, Helium-3 (Source: The Print)
In recent times, the Moon has re-emerged as a critical arena for demonstrating a country’s technological might. It is now viewed as a focal point for tapping potential resources and establishing a long-term human presence on the lunar surface. While Artemis II is framed as an international collaborative effort under the Artemis program, major space powers such as Russia and China are not part of it.

While the Cold War phase of the space race was largely about technological one-upmanship, the rivalry today continues in a more complex form. Major space powers now recognize the scientific and strategic significance of lunar exploration. The focus has shifted toward accessing potential mineral resources on the Moon, making it increasingly a race for planetary resources. The emerging interest in extracting Helium-3 from the Moon is a potential driver of the new space race. Some theoretical studies suggest that Helium-3 could offer a promising solution for future energy security.

It is not only the US, China, and Russia that have an interest in this field; but India and Japan are also investing in the potential procurement of Helium-3 from the lunar surface. It must be noted that the emerging space race is less about immediate resource extraction and more about securing early access to establish human colonies and conduct scientific experiments. The idea is to take an early advantage in governing extraterrestrial resources. (4/13)

It’s Past Time to Get Back to the Task of Human Space Exploration (Source: Chicago Tribune)
So why did it take NASA 54 years to return? America won the space race to the moon with the Soviets but backed off because of high costs and risks — doing more with robotic missions to search for Earth-like planets and look toward Mars and outer planets in the solar system. The public saw the astronomical costs of these expeditions and questioned spending billions on space treks when so many problems still needed to be addressed here on Earth, from poverty and hunger to disease and climate change.

However, it should not be one or the other. We need to do both; multitasking is in our nature. The moon has always been the first steppingstone to the outer limits. We spent more than half a century in low-Earth orbit missions and learned a lot, but it’s way past time to get back to the task of human space exploration.

This time around, it also felt to some like we had done this before, so why bother? This mission is historic, and the media covered it, but it has garnered surprisingly less excitement and interest than before, when long ago, many people gathered outside appliance store windows in the 1960s to watch the moon landing broadcast on store TVs. America still can and should do great things that inspire awe and pioneer final frontiers. (4/12)

New Russian Launch Vehicle -- the Soyuz-5 -- Undergoing Final Tests (Source: Reuters)
A new Russian launch vehicle, Soyuz-5, is undergoing its final tests and is "absolutely ready" for ​use in space projects, Russia's top space official ‌said on Saturday. Dmitry Bakanov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, was presenting details of the rocket to ​Russian President Vladimir Putin on the eve of ​the 65th anniversary of the first flight ⁠in space by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. (4/11)

NASA Already Has Next Artemis Flight in its Sights Following Astronauts’ Triumphant Moon Flyby (Source: AP)
Never-before-glimpsed views of the moon’s far side. Check. Total solar eclipse gracing the lunar scene. Check. New distance record for humanity. Check. With NASA’s lunar comeback a galactic-sized smash thanks to Artemis II, the world is wondering: What’s next? And how do you top that? Now that the first lunar travelers in more than a half-century are safely back in Houston with their families, NASA has Artemis III in its sights.

“The next mission’s right around the corner,” entry flight director Rick Henfling observed following the crew’s Pacific splashdown on Friday. In a mission recently added to the docket for next year, Artemis III’s yet-to-be -named astronauts will practice docking their Orion capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are racing to have their company’s lander ready first. (4/12)

X-37B Keeps Pushing the Edge of On-Orbit Testing (Source: Boeing)
More than 230 days after launch, the Boeing-built X-37B remains on orbit, supporting government experiments designed to inform the next generation of space technology. For Boeing and its mission partners at the U.S. Space Force and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, OTV-8 is an example of what makes the platform valuable. It gives mission partners a way to test advanced technologies in the real space environment, adapt to changing mission needs, and return hardware home for inspection and improvement.

Space missions are growing more dynamic. Operators need better ways to move data, navigate through challenging environments, and test new capabilities without waiting years to learn what works and find solutions to what does not. The X-37B helps close that gap by giving government partners a reusable testbed that supports experimentation on orbit and learning after landing that supports continuous improvement. (4/13)

Northrop Launches Space Force Tech Demo Satellites (Source: SatNews)
The Minotaur rocket launched last week from California carried Northrop Grumman's Space Test Program S29A mission for the US Space Force. The mission included STPSat-7 and several CubeSats. The mission aims to advance the Space Force's proliferated combat network architecture, supporting the goal of fielding 1,000 satellites in low Earth orbit by the end of the year. (4/11)

Spaceflux Selected by MDA Space to Deliver Optical Systems for Canadian Space Surveillance Program (Source: Spaceflux) Spaceflux, the London-based specialist in space domain awareness and space intelligence, has been selected as the optical systems provider by MDA Space for a Canadian space surveillance program. The multi-million-dollar contract will see Spaceflux support delivery of three new ground-based telescope observatories in Alberta, Manitoba, and New Brunswick by 2028 for the Canadian Armed Forces under Canada’s “Surveillance of Space 2” program. (4/13)

‘Everyone Wants a Spaceplane’: More Countries Eye On-Orbit Protection for Satellites (Source: Defense One)
More countries want to develop military spaceplanes and “bodyguard satellites," like those of the United States and China, to protect orbital assets against growing threats, according to a new report. Last year alone, France’s direction générale de l'armement, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, and the Indian Space Research Organization have all either tested components, defined strategy, or made sales pitches for space vehicles, according to “Global Counterspace Capabilities,” released this week by the Secure World Foundation. (4/13)

Sophia and Kepler to Marry Orbital Compute with Optical Links (Source: Space News)
Sophia Space will begin deploying edge compute nodes on Kepler Communications satellites in late 2026, under a strategic pact announced April 13. Through the partnership, Sophia Space will demonstrate its Orbital Data Center (ODC) software, while relying on Kepler’s optical data relay network “to enable distributed, resilient compute infrastructure in space,” according to the news release. (4/13)

ISS National Lab-Enabled Research Supports Next Generation Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Development (Source: CASIS)
Eascra Biotech is leveraging the International Space Station National Laboratory to advance the next generation of targeted cancer treatments through the development of Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs). JBNs are engineered from synthetic DNA-inspired molecules that self‑assemble into nanotubes that can be loaded with a therapeutic.

Previous research sponsored by the ISS National Lab demonstrated that JBNs manufactured in microgravity form more uniform and durable structures than those produced on Earth, resulting in improved therapeutic performance. Building on these findings, Eascra is now advancing two commercial cancer therapies: a JBN‑based chemotherapy and a JBN‑based immunotherapy. (4/9)

Senate Chairman Opposes NASA Cuts (Source: Space News)
The chairman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA says he opposes proposed cuts to parts of the agency. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) said at a space policy roundtable Sunday that he will seek a "robust and balanced" NASA spending for fiscal year 2027. His comments came a little more than a week after the White House proposed cutting NASA's overall spending by 23%, with bigger cuts in science, space technology and space operations.

Moran said he wants NASA funding "that is pretty similar to what we did last year," stating that NASA's exploration plans are not the only important part of the budget. He did not give a timetable for developing a spending bill but noted that his subcommittee plans to have NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman testify about the budget at an upcoming hearing. (4/13)

Logos Plans 4000+ Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
One company is taking a different approach to developing a broadband constellation. Logos Space Services recently secured FCC approval for a constellation of up to 4,178 broadband satellites, primarily using K-, Q- and V-band spectrum. Those are higher frequencies than current LEO broadband systems, which can improve capacity and interference resistance but also pose engineering challenges.

The company argued that its approach offers greater security for its users. Logos is backed by serial entrepreneur Thomas Tull, whose dual-use technology investment firm U.S. Innovative Technologies led a $50 million Series A funding round for the venture last year. (4/13)

Sophia Space to Deploy Edge Nodes on Kepler Satellites (Source: Space News)
Sophia Space will begin deploying edge compute nodes on Kepler Communications satellites late this year. The companies announced Monday a partnership where Sophia Space will demonstrate its Orbital Data Center software while relying on Kepler's optical data relay network. The collaboration is also designed to showcase multi-tenant, enterprise-grade compute operations in orbit. (4/13)

Chinese Jielong-3 Rocket Launches Internet Satellite From Offshore Ship (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese rocket launched a technology demonstration satellite Saturday. A Jielong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, rocket launched from a ship off the coast of China's Guangdong province at 7:32 a.m. Eastern. It carried a payload named Weixing Hulianwang Jishu Shiyan Weixing that Chinese media said will promote satellite internet technology. (4/13)

Rocket Lab Wins Three More Japanese Launches (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab won a contract for three more launches for a Japanese company. Rocket Lab announced last week it won the contract from iQPS for three Electron launches starting in 2028 for iQPS's radar-imaging satellites. Rocket Lab has already performed seven launches for iQPS and had five more on its manifest before this latest award. (4/13)

Ukraine Considers a Space Force (Source: RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is considering establishing a space force. A member of the Ukrainian parliament who chairs a defense subcommittee said in an interview that establishing a space force is needed to counter missile threats to the country, including the Russian Oreshnik missile that flies above 100 kilometers altitude. The space force would also develop its own communications and missile warning satellite systems to reduce dependence on companies and foreign governments. (4/13)