Week in images: 08-12 June 2026
Friday, 12 June 2026 12:10
Week in images: 08-12 June 2026
Discover our week through the lens
H3 successfully returns to flight
Friday, 12 June 2026 11:15
Japan’s H3 rocket launched June 11 on its first flight since a failure in December, placing six smallsats in orbit.
Mission Control | Keeping Columbus Running 24/7 | ESA Explores #19
Friday, 12 June 2026 09:00
Video:
00:17:20
Step inside the Columbus Control Centre near Munich, Germany, and discover what it takes to keep ESA's Columbus laboratory running—24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Columbus Flight Director Tristan Hermel takes us behind the scenes of mission control, where teams on the ground coordinate operations, support astronauts and work with international partners across the globe.
Get a glimpse of life behind the consoles as ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot carries out her Epsilon mission on board the Space Station.
This interview was recorded in January 2026.
In aerospace, AI isn’t replacing workers. It’s filling a shortage
Friday, 12 June 2026 09:00
Aerospace executives see AI not as a replacement for workers but as a necessary tool for helping an overstretched industrial base
Earth from Space: Buenos Aires
Friday, 12 June 2026 07:00
Image:
This radar image from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission captures Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, the surrounding countryside and the Rio de la Plata estuary.
Zoom in to explore this image at its full resolution.
This is a composite of three Sentinel-1 acquisitions taken in January, March and May this year, with each image assigned to a different colour channel (blue in January, green in March and red in May). As the environmental changes on the ground created a significant ‘backscatter’ reflection of the radar signal, they show up as bright shades that correspond to changes across the seasons.
On the
Conversations in the sky: Galileo’s intersatellite links tested
Friday, 12 June 2026 05:45
The second generation of Galileo, Europe’s satellite navigation constellation, is being built. These satellites will feature reconfigurable payloads, provide more robust and reliable positioning, navigation and timing, enable new services and add new capabilities to the constellation.
One of these capabilities, intersatellite links, will allow the satellites to communicate with one another in orbit. After going through extensive testing, the intersatellite link antennas are ready to be integrated into the satellites.
AAC Clyde Space wins ESA contract to complete maritime-monitoring constellation
Thursday, 11 June 2026 23:06
SAN FRANCISCO – The European Space Agency awarded AAC Clyde Space a 10.9 million euro ($12.6 million) contract to complete development and demonstrate VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) satellites for […]
Vandenberg offers new launch site for small and medium rockets
Thursday, 11 June 2026 18:56
The U.S. Space Force is seeking potential users of a new launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base reserved for smaller rockets.
Understanding what’s next for orbital data centers
Thursday, 11 June 2026 18:38
This episode of Space Minds is from SpaceNews’ recent event on orbital data centers.
Senate NDAA backs plan to fold SDA, Space RCO into Space Force
Thursday, 11 June 2026 17:40
The committee's 2027 defense bill would eliminate separate statutory requirements for the two acquisition organizations while advancing broader Pentagon procurement reforms
ESA astronaut assignment on Artemis 3 part of negotiations on revised Artemis roles
Thursday, 11 June 2026 16:33
The assignment of an ESA astronaut to Artemis 3 is part of negotiations for revised roles in the overall effort, with a goal of getting its astronauts on the moon.
ESA at ILA 2026 – Day 2 highlights
Thursday, 11 June 2026 14:25
From strategic discussions on autonomy and resilience to an in-flight call with ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, ESA's second day at ILA Berlin International Airshow 2026 highlighted the wide-reaching value of space for Europe now and in the future.
Tilebox Launches Verifiable AI Workflows for Satellite Data
Thursday, 11 June 2026 14:00
DOVER, DELAWARE — JUNE 11, 2026 — Tilebox today announced infrastructure for verifiable AI workflows on Earth observation data, giving teams a way to use agents through governed data, repeatable […]