May 31, 2026

Astrobotic Breaks Records for Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine Hot Fire (Source: Douglas Messier)
Astrobotic today announced the successful hot fire test of its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Two Chakram engine prototypes completed eight successful hot-fire tests, accumulating more than 470 seconds of total run time without any discernible damage to the engine hardware. The campaign included a 300-second continuous burn, which is believed to have set the record for longest duration hot firing of an RDRE engine to date.

During testing, each engine produced more than 4,000 pounds of thrust, making Chakram one of the most powerful RDREs ever demonstrated. With the exception of two brief igniter tests, all hot fires in the campaign reached thermal steady state, demonstrating stable and sustained engine operation. (5/30)

Setting Up a Permanent Lunar Presence Needs Investment in Biology (Source: Space News)
NASA is taking strides to invest in and procure the necessary science and technology to develop and operate a base for long-term operations on the moon. But biological research, especially as it pertains to human health and survivability, remains woefully underprioritized, according to neuroscientist Jackson Brougher. "Although there are domains of crucial importance, urgency should also be placed on determining whether a crew member’s bones will fracture after six months at one-sixth gravity, or whether lunar dust will permanently scar their lungs," Brougher wrote. Biological research must be part of the plan from the start if NASA is serious about creating a sustained presence on the moon. (5/30)

Mars to Titan: The Next Rallying Call? (Source: Space News)
Where will humanity go after Mars? William O'Hara, founder and executive director of Explore Titan,  argues that Titan, Saturn's largest move, is a more appealing option than Venus, Europa or Enceladus, in part because its atmosphere and surface pressure will be slightly more hospitable to human explorers than those other candidates. And the technology and techniques developed during forays to the moon and Mars will make a Titan mission particularly feasible.

"Human missions to Titan would not happen any time soon," O'Hara wrote. "No one is proposing that we can skip the moon and Mars. Much to the contrary, these destinations are crucial steps. We first have to get our interplanetary “sea legs” under us and solidify our ability to travel great distances, land, live and then return from other planetary bodies. Going to Mars will be a giant leap in experience that will apply to Titan. ... It will teach us about performing descent and landing of large objects through an atmosphere other than Earth’s and how to equip crews to be self-reliant so far from Earth. The list goes on and on." (5/30)

Sateliot Wins New Telenor IoT Deal (Source: Via Satellite)
Sateliot, the Spanish based satellite company has announced IoT partnership with Telenor IoT. Telenor IoT is part of the Telenor Group, one of the largest telcos In the Nordic region. The partnership aims to enable global, resilient IoT solutions that combine terrestrial mobile coverage and satellite connectivity. The two companies hope to enable a number of new use cases in fields such as agriculture, maritime, transport and logistics, energy and utilities, energy and utilities and environment and wildlife. (5/29)

EU Council, As Expected, Sends Proposed EU Space Act Back to Drawing Board (Source: Space Intel Report)
The European Union Competitiveness Council on May 29 said the most recent iteration of the EU Space Act still has unresolved issues relating individual nations’ autonomy on military space systems, the treatment of dual-use space systems and the treatment of non-EU space operators doing business in Europe. As expected, the Council said the Act was not ready for adoption despite much work done by the Cyprus presidency of the EU, which ends June 30. (5/29)

May 15 Worker Death at SpaceX Worksite Ruled Accidental (Source: Valley Central)
A 7,770-pound metal beam that was improperly secured collapsed and contributed to the death of a SpaceX contract worker on May 15, according to a Cameron County Sheriff’s Office case report, The report states that the death of Jose Luis Bautista Jr., 25, of Donna, was ruled as an accidental death resulting from injuries he sustained during the fall. Surveillance footage shows Bautista attaching himself with a harness and strap to a white metal beam, then moving around it and beginning to connect himself to the other beam. While Bautista was still attached to the first beam, it began tilting downward and eventually collapsed, pulling Bautista down with it. (5/29)