Space news

Rocket Report: How is your payload fairing? Poland launches test rocket.

No thunder down under..

Hubble Captures Cotton Candy Clouds

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sparkling cloudscape from one of the Milky Way’s galactic neighbors, a dwarf galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Located 160,000 light-years away in the constellations Dorado and Mensa, the Large Magellanic Cloud is the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies. This view of dusty […].

Beyond launch: SpaceX’s expanding role in U.S. defense

SpaceX’s ascent from commercial launch provider to indispensable national security asset marks one of the most significant shifts in America’s defense industrial base in decades. As Elon Musk’s company extends […] The post Beyond launch: SpaceX’s expanding role in U.S. defense appeared first on SpaceNews..

NASA X-59’s Latest Testing Milestone: Simulating Flight from the Ground

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft successfully completed a critical series of tests in which the airplane was put through its paces for cruising high above the California desert – all without ever leaving the ground. “The idea behind these tests is to command the airplane’s subsystems and flight computer to function as if it […].

ESA Launches Phase 2 of Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator Project

The European Space Agency has issued a call for proposals for the second phase of its Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator project. Initially announced in March 2024, the Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator project is being managed by ESA’s Space Transportation Technology Coordination Office under the agency’s Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP). The FLPP initiative focuses on […] The post ESA Launches Phase 2 of Reusable Upper Stage Demonstrator Project appeared first on European Spaceflight..

Virgin Galactic says production of new spaceplanes on track

Virgin Galactic says production of its new suborbital spaceplanes remains on track to allow commercial flights to begin in the middle of next year as it contemplates restarting ticket sales. The post Virgin Galactic says production of new spaceplanes on track appeared first on SpaceNews..

Earth from Space: Svalbard Archipelago

From the ESA Blogs..

Eutelsat’s DoD setback adds to GEO headwinds as LEO growth builds

The sudden loss of a large U.S. Department of Defense contract has added to Eutelsat’s geostationary challenges as the French operator shifts greater focus to its low Earth orbit OneWeb constellation. The post Eutelsat’s DoD setback adds to GEO headwinds as LEO growth builds appeared first on SpaceNews..

House hearing on asteroid threats also takes up budget threats

A House hearing about how NASA is dealing with the threat posed by asteroid impacts turned into a discussion about impacts of budget cuts. The post House hearing on asteroid threats also takes up budget threats appeared first on SpaceNews..

NASA’s Asteroid-Hunting Telescope on Track for 2027 Launch

Earth-threatening asteroids have been in the news recently and Congress is paying attention. At a House hearing today, they got the good news that NASA’s NEO Surveyor asteroid-hunting telescope is […].