Space Force modernization push runs into acquisition workforce shortfall
New training for program managers shifting focus from hardware buys to integrated warfighting systems
PLD Space raises $209 million to shift into serial rocket production
PLD Space has raised $209 million to ramp up production of the Spanish startup’s Miura 5 launch vehicle, marking the largest funding round for a European space company announced so far this year.
Counting craters
Craters, craters, and yet more craters: this snapshot from ESA’s Mars Express is packed full of them, each as fascinating as the last.
Blue Origin’s surprise TeraWave constellation jolts LEO broadband race
Follow the Celeste launch campaign
The first two satellites of ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT demonstration mission are scheduled to lift off no earlier than 24 March, aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Māhia Launch Complex in New Zealand.
Mutable Tactics raises $2.1 million for AI drone coordination in satellite-denied environments
British startup Mutable Tactics has raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding to develop AI software enabling groups of military drones to operate autonomously, even when satellite navigation and communications are disrupted.
Return of the (space) SPAC
Former investment banker Raphael Roettgen had to abandon a space-focused special purpose acquisition company in 2022 as hype around mergers with blank-check shell companies turned radioactive.
Reliable space rescue is a prerequisite for continued economic opportunity in space and we have a long way to go
On January 15, 2026, a collective cheer coincided with relief as four astronauts from SpaceX Crew 11 were safely returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS).
SLS upper stage helium flow problem fixed
Workers have completed repairs to the helium pressurization system in the upper stage of the Space Launch System, keeping a potential April launch of the Artemis 2 mission on track.
Third Kairos launch fails
The third launch of a small launch vehicle developed by a Japanese company failed shortly after liftoff March 4, raising questions about the rocket’s future.
