Executives say lack of incentives and interoperability slows ‘tipping and cueing’ across vendors

At 10:14 CET on 28 March, the first two satellites of ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT in-orbit demonstration mission lifted off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Māhia, New Zealand.

Celeste is Europe’s first initiative to bring satellite navigation into low Earth orbit (LEO). By testing next-generation technologies and new frequency bands, it will help shape the future of positioning, navigation and timing services.

Flying closer to Earth, Celeste will demonstrate how a complementary LEO layer can strengthen Europe’s Galileo system in medium Earth orbit — improving resilience, enhancing performance and enabling new services.

Starcloud has raised $170 million to accelerate development of its next-generation spacecraft, reaching a $1.1 billion valuation as it awaits permission to deploy an 88,000-strong orbital data center network.

While the Artemis 2 mission is primarily a test flight, the four astronauts on board will conduct some science during the nearly 10-day mission.

What really happens when the Sun’s charged particles slam into Earth’s magnetic shield? 

Smile is about to reveal it for the first time.

This groundbreaking mission will observe Earth’s magnetosphere in X-rays while capturing the northern lights in ultraviolet, offering an entirely new way to see how our planet defends itself from solar storms.

A joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Smile will launch aboard a Vega-C rocket on 9 April.

Learn more about Smile.

Rhea Space, Sandia and NASA hardware to gather data during high-speed descent

SpaceX launched the latest in its series of dedicated rideshare missions March 30, delivering more than 100 payloads to sun-synchronous orbit.