Magnetic avalanches power solar flares, finds Solar Orbiter
Wednesday, 21 January 2026 07:00
Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become more violent. This rapidly evolving process creates a ‘sky’ of raining plasma blobs that continue to fall even after the flare subsides.
Legs made for a Mars landing
Wednesday, 21 January 2026 06:50
To land on the right foot on the Red Planet, European engineers have been dropping a skeleton of the four-legged ExoMars descent module at various speeds and heights on simulated martian surfaces.
SunRISE SmallSats ace tests, moving closer to launch
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 21:09Verifying that you are not a bot
Defense appropriations bill for 2026 funds Space Force at $26 billion, presses Pentagon on Golden Dome
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 21:05
‘Minibus’ shifts money to GPS, backs commercial services and cuts proposed MILNET constellation
Space Foundation to Host Innovate Space: Finance Forum in Partnership With Texas Space Commission
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 20:21
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Jan. 15, 2026 — Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, today announced it will host Innovate Space: Finance […]
Webb reveals Helix Nebula in glistening detail
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 14:00
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Helix Nebula (NIRCam image) Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes 3 New Associate Members
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 14:00
Smoke plumes from Chile wildfires seen by Sentinel-3
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 13:03
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This image, captured by Copernicus Sentinel-3 on 18 January 2026, shows clouds of smoke from wildfires on the coast of Chile. Free warnings, better catalogs: the real fix for space safety
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 13:00
A one-line change in the Dec. 18, 2025 Executive Order, Ensuring American Space Superiority, reopened a debate: should the United States charge satellite operators for basic space situational awareness (SSA) and civil space traffic coordination (STC) services? The order revised SPD-3 by removing the expectation that these services be provided “free of direct user fees,” […]
Washington Harbour expands space investments with ground services acquisition
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 13:00
The firm acquired Radome Services, which was rebranded as Outpost Mission Services to anchor a roll-up strategy in space ground services
Sodern to produce star trackers in Colorado
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 11:45
Sodern, a French manufacturer of star trackers and cameras, is expanding into the United States with a new production facility in Colorado.
Gilmour Space raises $146 million
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 10:34
Australian launch vehicle and satellite manufacturer Gilmour Space Technologies has raised its largest funding round to date to scale up rocket and spacecraft production.
ESA monitoring January 2026 space weather event
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 08:37
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Weather Office is closely monitoring a notable space weather event, first detected 18:09 UTC on Sunday, 18 January 2026. We are collecting detailed information from our expert service centres.
Further details and updates will be provided here as they become available.
This page was last updated on 20 January 2026, at 14:00 CET.
Stay smart on space chemical compliance
Tuesday, 20 January 2026 08:20
The European Union’s Chemicals Regulation, REACH, is one of the most comprehensive legislative frameworks for chemical safety worldwide. Designed to protect human health and the environment from hazardous substances, REACH also poses unique challenges for the space sector where exemptions are rare and obsolescence risks are high.

