Blue Origin advances Blue Ring spacecraft toward 2026 national security mission

The company is pitching Blue Ring as a workhorse for military missions that demand aggressive maneuvering in orbit
Think tank urges Europe to scale up space-based data center efforts

Europe must move quickly to craft a large-scale strategy for space-based data centers or risk ceding a potential pillar of future digital infrastructure to global competitors, according to the European Space Policy Institute.
Successful cryogenic engine start enables enhanced mission flexibility for ISRO
ISRO has qualified the CE20 cryogenic engine for thrust levels between 19 and 22 tonnes for single-start flight operations, supporting demanding launch requirements for the LVM3 upper stage. The engine is certified for human-rated flights, such as the Gaganyaan missions, ensuring operational reliability under rigorous conditions. Traditionally, engine ignition is performed using propellant tank PLD Space advances MIURA 5 rocket qualification with first fully integrated unit
PLD Space has introduced its first fully integrated MIURA 5 unit, Qualification Model 1 (QM1), initiating comprehensive subsystem validation before the rocket's initial flight in early 2026. The QM1 will enable end-to-end testing of critical components, including the first and second stages, simulating real flight conditions to reduce risk and enhance reliability ahead of launch.
The MIURA Starlab secures investment from Janus Henderson for commercial space station project
Janus Henderson Group and Voyager Technologies have announced a strategic investment in Starlab Space to develop next-generation commercial space stations. Starlab was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Houston, operating as a global joint venture led by Voyager Technologies. Partner organizations include Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies, and Space Applicatio Argonaut lunar landers to deliver cargo on Ariane 6 missions
The European Space Agency (ESA) has broadened its Argonaut lunar lander initiative with the formal addition of several European industrial partners. The signing event at ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne marked new agreements between Thales Alenia Space Italy, serving as prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space France, OHB Germany, Thales Alenia Space UK, and Nammo UK.
Argonaut lande Galileo satellites to launch on Ariane 6 to enhance navigation system
On December 17, 2025, two Galileo First Generation satellites, SAT 33 and SAT 34, will be placed in orbit by Ariane 6, launching from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. This mission, the fourteenth under the Galileo programme, aims to strengthen the constellation's precision, availability, and operational robustness. Galileo supports billions of users worldwide through navigation functions emb NASA celebrates a decade of student contributions to space crop production
In 2025, nearly 1,250 students in 71 classrooms participated in the Growing Beyond Earth Student Launch Chat, celebrating ten years of partnership between Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and NASA. Students presented data from classroom crop experiments to NASA Kennedy Space Center experts, supporting NASA's work on selecting crops for future Moon and Mars missions.
Growing Beyond Earth i Lunar impactor Theia originated near Earth and Sun analysis reveals
A new study published in Science has traced the origin of Theia, the body that collided with Earth around 4.5 billion years ago and triggered the creation of the Moon. Led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and University of Chicago, the research utilizes ratios of metal isotopes to uncover Theia's place of origin and composition.
The collision with Theia dramatically al Destination: Mars. First Stop: Iceland?
To say that a trip from Earth to Mars is merely a long one would be a massive understatement. On July 30, 2020, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent its Mars rover "Perseverance" atop an Atlas V rocket to the red planet to collect rock samples, it took the rover nearly seven months to reach its destination. This was only one step in a complex process that will take 