Space

China’s Qingzhou lightweight cargo module has entered the system-integration development stage, remaining on track for its first launch in 2026.

The fifth anniversary of the Artemis Accords was marked with optimism and concerns for the future during a Dec. 11 celebration.

Startup sat maker K2 Space said it raised $250 million in Series C venture capital fund raising ahead of the planned March 2026 launch of its Gravitas demo.

Italian rocket company Avio says it plans to build an 860,000-ft.2 solid rocket motor production facility in Virginia to meet strong demand in the U.S.

NASA is reaching out to industry for ideas on in-space manufacturing that could support future missions from low Earth orbit to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Planet expects to deliver a full-year adjusted operating profit even as it boosts investments in manufacturing capacity and spacecraft.

The U.S. Space Force’s first self-described space control platform has been approved for potential export to select allies and partners.

NASA's ATS-F communications satellite, scheduled for launch in 1973, was shown in full-scale model, built by ATS-F prime contractor Fairchild Industries, on the cover of the Aug. 23, 1971, issue.

Virgin Galactic Dec. 9 announced a complex series of financial moves designed to prop up the suborbital services upstart’s balance sheet.

Overview Energy, a startup trying to develop a space-based solar power system, plans to demonstrate its technology from a satellite in low Earth orbit in 2028.

The U.S. Space Force is taking proposals from new launch providers with rockets ready to fly by early 2027 to join the National Security Space Launch program.

The ability to refuel satellites in orbit will be crucial to future U.S. military space operations, but the Pentagon needs more testbeds.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has laid out its top priorities for NASA's future Mars exploration missions.

NASA is assessing a troubling loss of signal from a Mars orbiter.

Norway’s Kongsberg is joining forces with Germany's Helsing and Hensoldt to develop a surveillance satellite constellation before the end of the decade.

The U.S. Space Force and SpaceX launched the National Reconnaissance Office’s 10th and final mission of 2025 on Dec. 9.

Canada is partnering with Telesat Corp. and MDA Space to design, develop and deliver a new military satcom capability to support Arctic operations.

AnySignal, a startup that develops advanced radio frequency platforms for aerospace and defense, has raised $24 million in a Series A funding round.

The researchers say studying and training a machine learning program on the environment ahead of time allows space robots to use their limited computational resources more effectively.

Muon Space will harness its multispectral imaging payload for the Space Development Agency’s missile warning/missile tracking constellation.

The 18-ft.-dia. fairing, which opens and closes like a clamshell, is now en route to Neutron’s launch site on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Europe expects to declare the Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) operational in 2026, missing a goal for the signal to be declared ready before the end of this year.

AST SpaceMobile says it is targeting up to 13 launches next year to build out its satellite communications constellation.

Russia's Soyuz MS-27 made a successful parachute-assisted landing in remote Kazakhstan early Dec. 9, safely returning three crewmembers from the ISS.

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee reported favorably on the renomination of Jared Isaacman to become NASA administrator late Dec. 8.