Startup bets on new approach to space-based missile defense
Friday, 13 February 2026 14:00
‘Our interceptors will actively track hypersonic threats and shortly before impact will deploy large particle clouds’
Week in images: 09-13 February 2026
Friday, 13 February 2026 13:10
Week in images: 09-13 February 2026
Discover our week through the lens
Sunlight extracts oxygen from regolith using solar chemistry
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:59We're checking your connection to prevent automated abuse
International crew takes off for space station
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:11
NASA launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Friday, the latest team to head out on a research expedition to the orbiting laboratory.
The US space agency's international Crew-12 lifted off at approximately 5:15 am local time (1015 GMT) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral launch site in Florida, according to a NASA video feed.
The astronauts Europe's most powerful rocket carries 32 satellites for Amazon Leo network into space
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:11
The most powerful version of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket Thursday carried 32 satellites into space for the Amazon Leo network, which aims to rival Elon Musk's Starlink.
The launch from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America, is a first for Amazon Leo.
The largest number of satellites ever carried by an Ariane rocket successfully separated and Strange 'inside-out' planetary system baffles astronomers
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:11
Surprised astronomers said Thursday they have discovered a star with planets in a bizarre order that defies scientific expectations - and suggests these faraway worlds formed in a manner never seen before.
In our Solar System, the four planets closest to the Sun are small and rocky, while the four farther out are gas giants.
Scientists had thought this planetary order - rocky first, th Chance glimpse of star collapse offers new insight into black hole formation
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:11
A watched pot never boils and love happens when you least expect it - turns out, the same logic applies to capturing a star as it collapses into a black hole.
At least that proved true for one group of researchers whose work took a turn when they accidentally witnessed what appears to be an example of the astronomical unicorn, a "surprise" discovery they detailed in findings published Thurs Mars' 'Young' Volcanoes Were More Complex Than Scientists Once Thought
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:11
What appears to be a single volcanic eruption is often the result of complex processes operating deep beneath the surface, where magma moves, evolves, and changes over long periods of time. To fully understand how volcanoes work, scientists study the volcanic products that erupt at the surface, which can reveal the hidden magmatic systems feeding volcanic activity.
New research published r xAI sees key staff exits, Musk promises moon factories
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:11
Half of the original founding team at Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has now departed after two co-founders resigned in rapid succession this week, raising fresh questions about talent retention ahead of an expected initial public offering.
The exodus comes at a delicate moment for xAI, which was valued at more than $200 billion when it was integrated with Musk's SpaceX rock Full replay: Launch of Crew-12 with Sophie Adenot | εpsilon mission
Friday, 13 February 2026 12:00
Video:
02:15:40
Watch the launch of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the International Space Station (ISS), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. Sophie flies as mission specialist. The other Crew-12 members are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, respectively commander and pilot of the mission, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, mission specialist.
Crew-12 launches to ISS
Friday, 13 February 2026 11:53
A Falcon 9 launched a new crew to the International Space Station Feb.
Vast wins ISS private astronaut mission
Friday, 13 February 2026 11:39
NASA has selected commercial space station company Vast to fly a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in 2027.
Highlights of Sophie Adenot’s launch to the ISS
Friday, 13 February 2026 11:00
Video:
00:02:15
Watch the highlights of the launch of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the International Space Station (ISS) on Crew-12. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA, on Friday 13 February 2026 at 10:15 GMT/11:15 CET (5:15 local time).
Sophie flies as mission specialist. The other Crew-12 members are NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, respectively commander and pilot of the mission, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev, mission specialist.
The French ESA astronaut is the first of her class, the Hoppers, to fly. Sophie has chosen
NASA, SpaceX shoot for predawn Crew-12 launch with sonic boom possible
Friday, 13 February 2026 10:24We're checking your connection to prevent automated abuse
China’s iSpace launch firm raises record $729 million for reusable rockets
Friday, 13 February 2026 09:58
Chinese launch firm iSpace has secured a record D++ funding round to accelerate its reusable rocket development efforts and expand its industrial footprint.