Space

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

NASA plans to return the International Space Station’s Crew-11 astronauts to Earth early due to a recent medical issue experienced by one of the four.

The philanthropic organization of Eric Schmidt, billionaire and former Google chief executive, plans to launch a large private space telescope.

The UK defense ministry is broadening its search for alternative means of position, navigation and timing.

The European Space Agency plans 65 satellite launches and other missions throughout the year, a roughly 30% jump from last year’s record figure.

South Korean launch services provider Innospace is continuing to work on expanding its footprint despite the recent failure of its Hanbit-Nano rocket.

NASA is considering cutting short the current Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station due to an undisclosed medical issue with one of the astronauts on the orbital outpost.

Rocket Lab joins established primes as the U.S. Space Development Agency scales its proliferated missile-warning and tracking architecture.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has awarded Astroscale a contract to develop “a general gripping mechanism system” to grab “national satellites.”

One week into 2026, United Launch Alliance is preparing for its first mission of the year.

The number of orbital launch attempts worldwide last year surpassed the record 2024 flight rate by 25%.

NASA’s first ISS spacewalk of 2026 is planned for Jan. 8 to prep the orbital lab for the installation of its seventh ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA).

Startup Array Labs plans to launch its first formation-flying cluster comprised of four radar satellites in the middle of 2027.

NASA plans to resume the search for a wayward Mars science spacecraft that has not been heard from since early December.

NASA is on track to roll out its second SLS rocket to the launchpad within about 10 days, a key step toward the first crewed flight of an Orion spacecraft.

Israel plans to set up a national space laboratory to support local startups and academia with an eye on taking payloads to Mars.

Momentus has 3D printed a metal spacecraft propellant tank that it plans to test on an upcoming mission of its Vigoride-7 orbital service vehicle.

AE Industrial Partners will buy a majority stake in the RL-10 upper-stage rocket and space nuclear propulsion businesses from L3Harris for $507 million.

Aviation Week spoke with Chris Coker about how the company’s commercial spacecraft heritage is driving development of the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), which will serve as Gateway’s electric power source and maneuvering system.

The SpainSat NG-II military communications satellite suffered debris damage while transiting to its final orbital position, with an assessment underway.

SpaceX plans to adjust the orbital parameters of more than 4,000 Starlink satellites to reduce the risk of creating orbital debris.

The aviation industry today faces challenges that were unimaginable in 1927, yet the path forward still begins with bold dreams, fortitude and shared conviction.

TransDigm has signed a definitive agreement with private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners for Stellant Systems for around $960 million in cash.

NASA and SpaceX have conducted a fourth demo of a deorbit thrusters system for a controlled destructive reentry of the International Space Station.

The U.S. Space Force is gauging industry interest to build up a new launch site at Vandenberg SFB, California.