September 21, 2026

Hop Aero Plans Point-to-Point Launches for Cargo Delivery (Source: Hop Aero)
Operating from California and Oklahoma's Infinity One Spaceport, Hop Aero intends deliver cargo via rocket to austere places on Earth within minutes — point-to-point, at hypersonic speed. "The next conflict will be decided by who can move fastest. We are building the future logistics backbone for the U.S. and our allies: for the situations when minutes decide outcomes." (9/20)

ArtPrize Top Winner Will be Sent to Space (Source: WOOD)
The piece that wins the ArtPrize 2026 public vote grand prize will go to space. Not the entire physical work: Rather, it will be digitized, placed on a laser-engraved plaque and sent into low-Earth orbit with California-based aerospace startup Reflect Orbital. After a Reflect satellite launches sometime next year, it will spin through the sky 500 kilometers above Earth at 18,000 mph. (9/18)

Where Do Paso Robles Candidates Stand on City’s Spaceport Push? (Source: The Tribune)
Paso Robles is taking major steps to transform its Airport Road area into a major technology and aerospace hub. With its pending application to be one of the nation’s 15 spaceports and nearly approved renderings for an $800 million community hub build, the Paso Robles region might soon be known not only for its world-class wine, but also its advances in space exploration. Click here. (9/19)

China Advances Lunar Spacesuit, Bed Rest Research for 2030 Moon Landing Mission (Source: Xinhua)
China has advanced its push for a crewed moon landing by 2030, with its lunar spacesuit and a bed rest experiment for long-term space stays both progressing, the country's astronaut center said. The development of China's moon-landing spacesuit Wangyu, meaning "gazing into the cosmos," is progressing smoothly, with dozens of key technologies now in place, said Zhang Wanxin, an expert at the Astronaut Center of China, at an aerospace medical engineering conference in Tianjin.

Since the development began in 2020, efforts on Wangyu have focused on meeting the demands of complex lunar-surface operations and extreme environmental challenges, Zhang said, noting that the lunar spacesuit is designed to be lightweight, miniaturized, highly efficient and safe. Beyond spacesuit development, China is also advancing astronaut health research, having completed the "Dixing-3" bed rest experiment to address physiological protection challenges for long-term space stays and crewed lunar landing missions. (9/19)