Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 15, 2025
Southern Launch and Varda Space Industries successfully executed the reentry of the W-3 mission at the Koonibba Test Range on May 14, 2025. This milestone came just ten weeks after the W-2 mission, Australia's first commercial spacecraft reentry, further demonstrating Southern Launch's ability to support rapid mission turnarounds. The W-3 capsule, developed by Varda Space Industries, carri

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 15, 2025
Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes) has been selected as a commercial partner to develop advanced fission reactor technology for the Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience (SPAR) Institute. The SPAR Institute, led by the University of Michigan, is part of the US Space Force's Space Strategic Technology Institute 3 for Advanced Space Power and Propulsion.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 19, 2025
Solestial has closed a $17 million Series A funding round led by AE Ventures, with participation from Crosscut Ventures, Zeon Ventures, and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's ME Innovation Fund, managed by Global Brain Corporation. Returning investors include Airbus Ventures, General Purpose Venture Capital, Industrious Ventures, Stellar Ventures, and Techstars. The funding will enable Sole

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 19, 2025
Researchers at the Defense Innovation Institute, part of the Chinese Academy of Military Science, have developed a novel method for optimizing the three-dimensional layout of satellite components, aiming to significantly enhance design efficiency and performance. Led by Professor Wen Yao, the team introduced the Satellite Three-dimensional Component Assignment and Layout Optimization (3D-SCALO)

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) May 19, 2025
As low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations rapidly expand, their role is evolving from passive communication relays to sophisticated processing hubs capable of real-time data analysis. This shift is set to transform industries from disaster monitoring to smart agriculture, but it also introduces the complex challenge of managing computing and communication resources within constantly chan

Berlin, Germany (SPX) May 19, 2025
Astronomers have uncovered a vast population of protoplanetary disk candidates within the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) near the Milky Way's core, a region known for its extreme conditions that differ significantly from those in the more studied areas of our galaxy. These findings come from a comprehensive survey conducted by an international research team from the Kavli Institute for Astronomy a

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 19, 2025
The Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) aboard NASA's Europa Clipper, developed by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), has completed its initial commissioning phase following the spacecraft's October 14, 2024, launch. The mission aims to reach the Jovian system by 2030, where it will conduct numerous close flybys of the icy moon Europa, believed to harbor a subsurface ocean that could potentiall

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 19, 2025
Planetary scientists have discovered a new way to investigate the Martian subsurface by analyzing the debris ejected from impact craters. This approach, which relies on measuring the size and distribution of ejecta blankets, could offer critical insights into hidden features like glaciers and sediment deposits, using only satellite data. Traditionally, researchers have studied crater shape

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) May 19, 2025
China is set to launch its first asteroid sample-return mission, Tianwen 2, within the next two weeks from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, as confirmed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The Tianwen 2 probe, which reached the launch preparation area on Sunday, is now undergoing prelaunch checks at the center. It arrived at the spaceport in late Febr

Washington DC (UPI) May 17, 2025
American aerospace firm Rocket Lab on Saturday carried a successful launch mission from its facility in New Zealand. The California-based publicly-traded company completed its third mission for Japanese firm the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, using one its partially-reusable Electron orbital launch vehicle. "Another fantastic launch by the Electron team to flawlessly deli