Space

There are lots of numbers bandied about regarding NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission.

Scotland-based Orbex, which was preparing for its first satellite launch this year, has declared insolvency, dealing another blow to the UK’s launch ambitions.

The China Manned Space Agency said Feb. 11 it successfully conducted a launch-abort test of the Mengzhou crew capsule using the new Long March 10 rocket.

Eutelsat has secured about $1.2 billion in export credit backing for its order for 440 Airbus-made satellites for its OneWeb LEO broadband constellation.

DirecTV is objecting to elements of the U.S. Federal Communication Commission’s decision late last year to allow SpaceX to expand its Starlink constellation.

The U.S. Space Force is working to advance its protected tactical satellite communication (satcom) efforts with boosted prototypes.

United Launch Alliance’s leaders expect to support nearly two dozen missions in 2026 with its two launch vehicles.

The National Reconnaissance Office has awarded the first of three new contracts for commercial remote sensing solutions embracing multiple phenomenologies.

NASA has awarded Voyager Technologies a $24.5 million contract to provide full-service mission management services to the International Space Station.

NASA and SpaceX on Feb. 10 once again pushed back the launch of the four-person Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station due to weather conditions.

The image on the cover of the March 3, 1986 issue shows a thin crescent of Uranus, visible as Voyager 2 passed behind the planet at a distance of 600,000 mi. on January 25, 1986.

European startup Hypersonica says it has successfully conducted its first hypersonic missile flight test as the company emerges from stealth.

Airbus says it will augment its space-based SAR imagery provision through a teaming agreement with Japan’s Synspective to boost resolution and revisit rates.

Swedish space company AAC Clyde Space plans to double the satellite fleet for ship tracking, while still mulling growth for its Earth-observation constellation.

Commercial space startup Momentus and NASA will partner on an in-space servicing mission in low Earth orbit.

The U.S. Air Force is interested in low-risk options for space-based air moving target indicator satellites to inform a future acquisition strategy.

SpaceX, the world’s leading launch company, has announced a strategic shift to develop its own lunar program.

Firefly Aerospace is aiming to return its Alpha rocket into service Feb. 18 following a ground test accident nearly five months ago.

NASA is standing down from a planned Feb. 11 launch of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the ISS due to expected weather conditions, the agency said Feb. 9.

A Feb. 6 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory mission update discusses a new research analysis of a sample of Mars.

The ISS National Lab says fiscal 2025 was a landmark year for scientific research and technology development aboard the NASA-led orbital laboratory.

NASA learned a lot about managing hydrogen leaks ahead of Artemis I, but another tanking test is needed before the next Space Launch System flies.

SpaceX’s purchase of xAI marries Elon Musk’s love of artificial intelligence and space.

SpaceX’s market capitalization as a publicly traded company is being hotly debated ahead of an expected midyear initial public offering.

Rising security concerns and the drive for space autonomy may ward off the expected consolidation among launch service providers.