Space

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.

Pictured on the front cover of the January 19, 1976 issue was the RCA 24-channel communications satellite undergoing an RF subsystem checkout on a communications test range.

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.

NASA is looking into the adoption of light detection and ranging (lidar) technology for lunar rover missions and operations on Mars.

ESA is looking into an alleged cyber breach of some of its data, saying initial indications are that limited and unclassified data may have been affected.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense (JMD) is to fund development of a privately operated synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation.

NASA is looking to field a drone-detection and analysis system to help spot activities over the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

In 2026, the U.S. Space Force wants to pass several development milestones for its Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) program.