Paris, France (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
Many launchers and satellites rely on separate propulsion systems for major orbital maneuvers and for attitude control, with the latter provided by compact reaction control thrusters that steer and stabilise the vehicle. Spanish firm Arkadia Space has developed a new 250 newton monopropellant reaction control thruster, designated ARIEL, for use on reusable European launchers and other spac

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
ESA reports that its Proba-3 mission has achieved autonomous formation flying in orbit with millimetre-level precision. Ian Carnelli, ESA Head of Systems Department, stated: "Proba-3 proves that bold in-orbit experimentation is essential to turning breakthrough ideas into real space capabilities. ESA does not just design innovation, it flies it". Proba-3 operates as two spacecraft fl

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
Raytheon has received a U.S. Air Force contract to integrate its PhantomStrike radar on the autonomous X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, or VISTA, a modified F-16D Block 30 test aircraft upgraded with Block 40 avionics and configured as a machine-learning and software testbed. The X-62A VISTA functions as a dedicated platform for flight testing autonomy and artificial inte

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
The German Aerospace Center has successfully completed ground roll tests of HAP alpha, an uncrewed high altitude solar powered aircraft designed to operate in the lower stratosphere for extended periods, marking a key milestone toward future flight testing. Ground roll tests verified the aircraft's steering, braking, propulsion response, and ground handling behavior under realistic operati

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
The Space Development Agency has selected four contractor teams to build and operate 72 Tracking Layer satellites for Tranche 3 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture in low Earth orbit, under agreements valued at approximately 3.5 billion dollars. The awards, issued under Other Transaction Authority, go to Lockheed Martin of Sunnyvale California, Rocket Lab USA of Long Beach Ca

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
Muon Space has secured a Direct to Phase II award to support the Space Development Agency's missile warning and tracking mission, advancing the company's role in developing space based sensing capabilities for national defense. The award enables Muon Space to continue development of its QuickBeam multispectral electro optical and infrared payload technology, which is designed to provide pe

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 01, 2026
A collaboration led by Macquarie University has reconstructed how errors develop and spread inside working quantum computers, revealing that noise can link events across time rather than appearing as isolated random faults. The researchers show that small inaccuracies in quantum processors can linger, evolve and correlate across different computational steps, creating a form of temporal me

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 31, 2025
China's geospatial information industry is approaching a total value of 1 trillion yuan (about $143 billion), according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. The ministry reported that by the end of 2025 the sector is expected to generate more than 900 billion yuan in output, an increase of over 30 percent compared with 2020, and now employs more than 4 million people. A core element of th

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 31, 2025
Researchers are outlining a space computing power network that would link communication and computation across satellite constellations to handle growing data processing demands in orbit. Over recent decades, satellites have expanded global connectivity and remote sensing, but many systems still move raw data to the ground for processing under tight contact windows. Traditional satellite-g

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 31, 2025
The intermittent output of solar power creates challenges for grid operators who must keep supply and demand in balance. Traditional numerical weather prediction models often handle cloud initialization poorly, which degrades ultra-short-term solar irradiance forecasts over time. Researchers Min Chen and Liangchen Guo of the Institute of Urban Meteorology at the China Meteorological Admini