Browse the complete archive of aerospace journalism with contextual analysis
The US Space Force has introduced its new service dress uniforms, a significant step in establishing the branch's identity and legitimacy. This development marks a key milestone in the Space Force's ongoing efforts to define its role and capabilities within the US military.
The Wolf Amendment, enacted in 2011 to prevent collaboration between the US and China in space, has hindered NASA's ability to cooperate with China on space-related projects, but some argue it has outlived its usefulness. As China continues to advance its space program, there are growing calls to repeal the amendment and explore new opportunities for international cooperation.
The 2025 Arctic Report Card has revealed that the Arctic is warming at a rate more than twice as fast as the Earth as a whole, resulting in significant changes to sea ice, snow, and ecosystems. This rapid transformation has major implications for global climate patterns and highlights the need for continued monitoring and research.
Google plans to launch a constellation of 81 satellites into low Earth orbit to power AI data centers, but the mission faces significant challenges from space debris in an already crowded orbit. The project aims to reduce the environmental impact of traditional data centers by utilizing solar energy and beaming data back to Earth.
NASA engineers have completed a thorough inspection of the Roman Space Telescope's primary mirror in a cleanroom at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, a crucial step towards ensuring the telescope's optics meet the strict standards required for spaceflight. The successful inspection brings the Roman Space Telescope one step closer to its launch in 2025, when it will begin exploring dark energy and discovering new exoplanets.
NASA has initiated a project utilizing the AVIRIS-5 sensor to locate critical minerals in the American West, aiming to identify surface traces of these essential resources used in various technologies. This endeavor is part of the GEMx project, a collaborative effort with the USGS.
In 2025, China successfully launched over 80 orbital missions, breaking its single-year record, and made significant progress in its crewed lunar program, while also conducting a deep space mission and testing key hardware components. This milestone year for China's space program highlights the country's growing capabilities and ambitions in space exploration.
The Apollo 8 mission, launched by NASA in 1968, was the first crewed mission to orbit the moon, marking a historic milestone in space exploration. This achievement not only demonstrated the capabilities of NASA"s Saturn V rocket but also paved the way for future lunar missions, including the upcoming Artemis 2.
A NASA satellite has captured an image of the South Sandwich Islands, a remote island chain in the South Atlantic Ocean, providing valuable insights into the region's rugged volcanic terrain and icy shorelines. The image was taken by the Landsat 9 satellite on December 24, 2025, and highlights the importance of satellite technology in studying this inhospitable and rarely visited region.
China successfully launched its Long March 12A rocket into low-Earth orbit, but the first stage booster failed to recover, marking a partial success in the country"s second reusable launch attempt. The mission highlights China"s ongoing efforts to develop reusable technology and reduce the cost of accessing space.
Russian state-owned Energia rocket company has secured a patent for a novel spacecraft architecture designed to generate artificial gravity through rotation, which could significantly improve conditions for crews on long-duration space missions. This innovative design has the potential to mitigate the effects of microgravity on astronauts" health.
As NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon and Mars in the coming decades, protecting them from cosmic rays has become a major concern due to the potential health risks associated with deep space radiation exposure. Understanding and mitigating these risks is crucial for the success of future long-duration space missions.
A coronal mass ejection from the sun may cause the northern lights to be visible at high latitudes on December 24-25, offering a rare opportunity for stargazers to witness this phenomenon. The event is expected to be a minor geomagnetic storm, with solar wind speeds reaching up to 500 miles per second.
Jared Isaacman has been sworn in as the new NASA administrator, emphasizing the need to accelerate programs such as Artemis, with the goal of returning humans to the moon by 2028 and establishing a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. This shift in focus is expected to have significant implications for the broader aerospace industry.
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery of wobbling jets in the sun-facing anti-tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, providing new insights into its composition and rotation. This finding marks the first time such a phenomenon has been observed in an interstellar comet.
On December 20, Blue Origin successfully flew its New Shepard suborbital vehicle with a crew of six, including the first person who uses a wheelchair to travel to space, reaching a peak altitude of about 106 kilometers. This achievement marks a significant step towards greater accessibility in space exploration.
On December 23, 2025, an Indian LVM3 rocket is scheduled to launch the BlueBird 6 satellite, built by AST SpaceMobile, which will feature the largest communication array in low Earth orbit. This launch marks a significant milestone for both AST SpaceMobile and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), with implications for the broader aerospace industry.
The Artemis 2 mission, scheduled to launch in early 2026, will mark the first crewed mission of the program, testing critical systems and procedures for future lunar landings. The mission will feature a 10-day journey around the moon, leveraging NASA"s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
A SpaceX Starlink satellite has suffered an anomaly, resulting in a loss of communication and tumbling, with the spacecraft expected to incinerate in Earth's atmosphere within weeks. The event was documented by Vantor's WorldView-3 spacecraft, which imaged the stricken satellite from a distance of 150 miles.
South Korean startup Innospace experienced a setback with its first orbital launch attempt, as the Hanbit-Nano rocket failed to reach orbit due to an anomaly occurring about a minute after liftoff. The incident occurred on December 22, 2025, at the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil.
On December 21, 2025, Rocket Lab launched its 21st and final mission of the year, successfully sending a private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit. This achievement marks a new single-year record for the company, highlighting its growing capabilities in the aerospace industry.
A recent review by NASA's safety panel has determined that the agency should have taken more serious action in response to issues encountered during Boeing's Starliner spacecraft crew test flight, which experienced problems with its maneuvering thrusters and helium leaks. The incident ultimately led to astronauts being forced to stay on the International Space Station for an extended period due to safety concerns.
NASA"s Artemis II astronauts have successfully rehearsed launch-day activities, marking a crucial step towards the mission"s scheduled launch in 2026. The rehearsal, which took place on December 20, 2025, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is part of the preparations for the first human mission to the moon in over 50 years.
Tory Bruno has resigned as President and CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA), effective December 22, 2025, after leading the company for nearly 12 years. During his tenure, ULA performed 83 orbital launches and transitioned to new rocket systems, including the Vulcan rocket.