Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 13, 2025
The Shenzhou XX mission astronauts aboard China's Tiangong space station have recently completed key assignments, including unpacking and testing two newly delivered spacewalk suits, the China Manned Space Agency reported. Commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crewmates Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie moved the suits, delivered by the Tianzhou 9 cargo craft, to the spacewalk pr

Paris, France (SPX) Aug 13, 2025
Earth orbit is growing more congested, with over 11,000 active satellites and more on the way, plus more than 1.2 million debris fragments larger than 1 cm. This rising population makes collision risks a daily operational challenge. ESA is developing automation to help satellite operators respond faster and more effectively. Central to this is the Collision Risk Estimation and Automated Mi

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 13, 2025
Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co Ltd (1157.HK) has achieved a sector first with the successful orbital deployment of the Zoomlion corporate-named satellite. Launched at 00:31 Beijing time aboard a Jielong-3 rocket from coastal waters near Rizhao, Shandong, the satellite is part of the Geely Constellation Group 04 mission. This milestone extends Zoomlion's presence from glo

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Aug 13, 2025
Belgian space technology company EDGX has raised euro 2.3 million in seed financing to accelerate the rollout of its Sterna edge AI computer for satellites. The firm also confirmed a euro 1.1 million multi-unit sale to a satellite operator and plans for an in-orbit demonstration aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in February 2026. The round was co-led by the imec.istart future fund, with the

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 13, 2025
NASA has launched Phase 2 of its LunaRecycle Challenge, inviting U.S. innovators to create systems for recycling trash generated during deep space missions. The goal is to convert materials such as fabrics, plastics, foam, and metals into useful resources for lunar surface operations. This phase features a milestone round, with submissions due January 2026, followed by the announcement of

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 15, 2025
China's Shenzhou 20 astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station will conduct their third spacewalk in the coming days, according to the China Manned Space Agency on Aug 14. The three person crew is led by Senior Colonel Chen Dong, with Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie. They have lived and worked aboard Tiangong for more than three months, arriving on April 25 after launch and do

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 14, 2025
SpaceX launched new batches of Starlink satellites from California and Florida to continue the growth of its broadband Internet service. The California launch lifted off at 1:05 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday, it carried 24 more Starlink Satellites. It took roughly an hour for the upper stage to deploy its satellites after it

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 15, 2025
NASA has awarded Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS) a contract to investigate launching critical robotics technologies into orbit, marking a key step toward future autonomous operations in space. The U.S.-based commercial space company has completed the initial study and plans to propose a follow-on in-space demonstration mission, with a NASA award decision expected in September. Momentus is one of tw

Paris, France (SPX) Aug 15, 2025
The European Space Agency's FLEX Earth Explorer mission has reached a major milestone with the integration of its sole instrument, FLORIS, onto the satellite platform. The assembly took place at Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France, after FLORIS arrived from Leonardo's facility in Florence, Italy. Designed to map global vegetation fluorescence, FLORIS will quantify photosynthetic activity

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Aug 15, 2025
Using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, Richard I. Anderson of EPFL and Emily Hunt of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy produced the first galaxy-scale map linking variable stars to their host open clusters, tallying nearly 35,000 variables in 1,200 clusters. The study appears as a Letter in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Open clusters serve as natural laboratories beca