Browse the complete archive of aerospace journalism with contextual analysis
Government agencies, including NASA and the Space Force, are facing limitations in using commercial procurement models for advanced space technologies due to specialized capabilities with little commercial demand. This approach has significant implications for the development of cutting-edge space systems.
The combination of NASA"s James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope has resulted in the most comprehensive view of Saturn to date, revealing a layered and dynamic world. This collaborative effort provides unprecedented insights into the planet"s atmosphere and structure.
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are jointly launching the Smile mission to investigate the interaction between the solar wind and Earth"s magnetic field, with the goal of gaining a deeper understanding of our planet"s magnetic environment. The mission is set to launch aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe"s Spaceport in French Guiana.
On March 26, 2026, SpaceX is set to launch a batch of satellites for its Starlink internet service from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, marking another milestone in the company"s efforts to expand its constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. The mission, designated Starlink 17-17, will utilize a Falcon 9 rocket with a first stage booster that has flown 22 times before.
The Artemis program, named after the Greek goddess of the moon and wilderness, is NASA"s most ambitious human exploration campaign since the Apollo program, aiming to establish a sustained human presence on and around the moon. The program includes several missions, including Artemis 2, which will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby, and Artemis 3, which will land the first woman on the moon.
A recent study has revealed that lightning on Jupiter can be up to 1 million times stronger than on Earth, with the Juno spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope playing crucial roles in this discovery. This finding provides new insights into the planet"s atmosphere and storm patterns.
NASA"s Artemis 2 mission is set to launch on April 1, marking the first time humans will travel around the moon in over 50 years. The 10-day journey will test critical systems and pave the way for future lunar missions.
On March 25, 2026, Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket into orbit from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway, carrying five cubesats and one scientific experiment, with the potential to be the first rocket to reach orbit from European soil. The successful launch would mark a significant milestone for the European aerospace industry.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning a dedicated mission, dubbed EPIC, to send four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in early 2028. This mission marks a significant collaboration between the ESA, NASA, and SpaceX, with the crew set to conduct research and utilization activities during their approximately one-month stay in orbit.
Sift, a Southern California-based startup, has raised $42 million in a Series B funding round to expand its team and develop tools for engineers to interpret hardware sensor data using AI algorithms. This investment will enable the company to further enhance its software observability capabilities, transforming raw sensor data into structured and queryable information.
The European Space Agency"s Hera spacecraft has completed a major deep-space maneuver, setting it on course to rendezvous with the Didymos binary asteroid system in November 2026. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the mission, which aims to study the effects of NASA"s DART spacecraft impact on the asteroid system.
On April 1, NASA is set to launch the Artemis 2 mission, marking the first crewed moon mission since the Apollo era, with four astronauts embarking on a 10-day journey around the moon and back to Earth. This mission represents a significant milestone in NASA's Artemis program, aiming to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
Researchers have discovered that the composition of a planet's atmosphere significantly affects the performance of heat shields during entry, with implications for future missions to Titan and other celestial bodies. This finding highlights the importance of considering atmospheric conditions when designing heat shields for planetary landers.
Redwire has been awarded a $12.8 million contract to deliver Extensible Low-Profile Solar Array (ELSA) wings for Moog"s Meteor satellite bus, providing a significant boost in power generation capabilities. This contract highlights the ongoing demand for efficient and compact solar array technologies in the aerospace industry.
Scientists have observed two planets, WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c, forming around an infant star located 437 light-years away, providing valuable insights into the formation of planetary systems. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of how solar systems like our own come into existence.
On March 25, 2026, Rocket Lab will launch two navigation satellites for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Celeste constellation from New Zealand, aiming to enhance Europe’s current Galileo system. The mission marks a significant step in improving navigation capabilities and has major implications for the broader aerospace industry.
The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) has resolved a 50-year mystery surrounding the gamma-Cas star by identifying its white dwarf companion as the source of high-energy X-rays. This discovery, made possible by XRISM's high-resolution spectrometer Resolve, sheds new light on the complex interactions between binary star systems.
SES has ordered 28 satellites from K2 Space for its meoSphere network, a next-generation medium Earth orbit (MEO) network scheduled to be operational by 2030, which will deliver high-speed broadband and support optical intersatellite links. The contract award marks a significant development in the advancement of MEO technology and its applications.
NASA has announced the development of a nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft that will carry six tiny helicopters to explore the skies of Mars, marking the agency's first use of Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) technology for an interplanetary mission. The Skyfall mission is set to launch in 2028 and will pave the way for future deep space exploration.
Researchers propose utilizing fiber-optic cables to detect moonquakes on the lunar surface, offering a potentially more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional seismometers. This innovative approach could significantly contribute to the success of future lunar missions, including NASA's Artemis program.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has released new images of the Crab Nebula, taken 25 years after its first observation, revealing changes in the temperature, density, and chemical composition of the nebula's gases. The new images provide valuable insights into the evolution of this supernova remnant, located 6,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus.
NASA has announced a series of events to update on the agency"s plans for the moon, including a livestreamed news conference featuring key NASA officials. The updates will focus on the progress of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon by 2028.
Katalyst Space Technologies has contracted Arianespace to launch its Nexus-1 geosynchronous orbit servicing spacecraft on an Ariane 6 rocket in 2027. The mission will involve installing a space situational awareness sensor on a U.S. Space Force satellite and conducting additional rendezvous operations.
NASA's X-59 supersonic jet completed its second test flight on March 20, 2026, at Edwards, California, but was cut short due to a warning light in the cockpit after flying for 9 minutes. The successful test brings the agency one step closer to establishing new noise thresholds for supersonic flight over land.