Space

NASA is looking to no earlier than Feb. 15, 2026, to launch four crewmembers to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon mission.

Next year is when more than a half-dozen companies aim to show they can emulate the SpaceX model of turning early setbacks into orbital success.

NASA’s SPHEREx observatory completed the first of four planned all-sky surveys as 2025 closed out to help answer some key astrophysical questions .

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has demonstrated that the six-wheeled “Percy” Perseverance Mars rover has the durability to operate until at least 2031.

As 2025 draws to an end, the Resilient-GPS program “doesn’t have a future fate,” one contractor says.

South Korea is boosting its funding for a next-generation launch system with a focus on rocket reusability, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration.

China failed in a second attempt to demonstrate the ability to recover the first stage of a launcher, this time during Long March 12A's inaugural flight.

Innospace's attempt to become the first South Korean launch operator to reach orbit suffered a setback when its Hanbit-Nano rocket failed its inaugural flight.

United Launch Alliance President and CEO Tory Bruno has resigned after more than a decade of leading the Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint launch venture.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) suffered another mishap with its H3 rocket when the second stage malfunctioned during a Dec. 22 mission.

Isar Aerospace said it is gearing up for a second launch attempt of its Spectrum rocket, completing 30-sec. integrated static test firings for both stages.

NASA's Jared Isaacman is eager to expedite the Artemis program and that the agency needs to make best use of the ISS' remaining life to seed business for its commercial follow-ons.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has signaled a desire to revitalize the agency’s aeronautics program, calling for more experimental X-planes.

A NASA safety panel is set to recommend that the agency reexamine the mission objectives of the crewed Artemis III Moon landing mission.

Rocket Lab is making its missile defense development debut as the SDA awarded the company one of four contracts for the next phase of its Tracking Layer

Signals intelligence-focused satellite company HawkEye 360 has acquired Innovative Signal Analysis to enhance usage of its orbit-collected data.

Avio says it has booked two Vega C launches as the Italian rocket company gears up for taking over launch operations of the system from Arianespace next year.

Spanish space startup Arkadia Space says it is looking to secure more contracts for its reaction control system after kicking off the year with a deal with Arianespace.

Listen in to the annual Flubs & Forecasts edition of Check 6, where editors reflect on what they got right and wrong in 2025 and make their predictions for 2026.

Forecasts, snapshots and launch vehicles to watch.

Jared Isaacman was sworn in Dec. 18 as NASA Administrator.

Digantara, an Indian space surveillance startup that operates in India, the U.S. and Singapore, raised $50 million in a Series B funding round.

The White House issued a new executive order framing its near-term plans and policy ambitions for the space domain on Dec. 18.

Starfighters Space sold shares Dec. 18, raising $22.1 million that the firm says will support its pursuit of its StarLaunch suborbital space launch programs.

SpaceX said one of its Starlink satellites failed on orbit, causing some space debris and now tumbling.