Spaceflight News
Real-time coverage of space exploration, orbital launches, and cosmic discoveries curated from across the globe.
NASA Announces Winners in University Aeronautics Competition
The South Dakota State University team took first place at NASA’s fifth annual Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, which challenged student teams to address a critical element of U.S. aviation: aircraft maintenance. This year’s competition, RepAir: Advancing Aircraft Maintenance, asked teams of postsecondary students to develop innovative systems and practices that could advance commercial aircraft […]
La NASA informará sobre su estrategia y misiones para la Base Lunar
Read this news release in English here. La NASA ofrecerá una conferencia de prensa el martes 26 de mayo a las 2 p.m. EDT (hora del este) para compartir los planes para la Base Lunar y destacar los avances hacia una presencia sostenida en la superficie lunar. La sesión informativa para los medios tendrá lugar […]
U.S. ‘more prepared’ for next WRC
White House officials say they will go into a major international conference next year better prepared than ever to defend key radio-frequency spectrum priorities.
NASA TechLeap Prize: Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge
The Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge — the fifth in the NASA TechLeap Prize series — is a competition to advance persistent infrastructure for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing. NASA Flight Opportunities invites applicants to propose a payload that can be manipulated by a robotic arm in low Earth orbit. Up to three winners will each receive up […]
Psyche Spacecraft Completes Mars Flyby
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, coming within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. During the flyby, it took this image and others. This representative color image, captured by Psyche’s multispectral imager instrument, features the double-ring crater Huygens and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands. This flyby […]
NASA-developed AI Could Help Track Harmful Algae
NASA scientists have developed an artificial intelligence tool to take on a longstanding challenge in ocean waters. In a study recently published in AGU Earth and Space Science, researchers reported the tool was able to fuse data from multiple satellites and detect harmful algal blooms that occurred in western Florida and Southern California. Severe blooms […]
NASA to Provide Update on Moon Base Strategy, Missions
NASA will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 26, to share Moon Base plans and highlight progress toward a sustained presence on the lunar surface. The media briefing will take place at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. Leadership will discuss program progress, including new industry partners and mission plans. Subject matter […]
NASA Releases Technology Priorities to Energize Space Industry
NASA released the 2026 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking list on Wednesday, which integrates more than 400 responses from stakeholders including industry organizations, government agencies, and academia. Shortfalls refer to technology areas requiring further development to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. The goal of this document is to rank the space community’s most pervasive shortfalls to […]
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
The Starlink 10-31 mission will be the 58th Falcon 9 launch so far in 2026. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled during a window that opens at 5:26 a.m. EDT (0926 UTC).
Hyguane: towards low-carbon hydrogen for Europe’s Spaceport
From the ESA Blogs.
I Am Artemis: Tim Goddard
Listen to this audio excerpt from Tim Goddard, NASA open water lead: At the end of their mission around the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts were recovered from their Orion spacecraft by a team of U.S. Navy divers and NASA personnel. This included Tim Goddard, NASA open water lead, who helped guide the complex open […]
Orbital Data Centers: Power and Thermal Management for Scalable Architectures
As orbital data centers move from concept to reality, scalable power generation and efficient thermal management are emerging as critical enabling technologies. A new whitepaper from Redwire examines how power generation and distribution, along with […]
Russia's plan to advertise on rockets and spacecraft takes off
We now pause for a word from our sponsors.
Starfighters turns Texas facility toward microgravity flight testing
Starfighters Space, which is developing F-104 supersonic jets for satellite air-launch, is turning its Texas facility into a staging ground for microgravity flight testing in response to NASA’s call for information on commercial parabolic capabilities.
Report finds U.S. space supply chains rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing
Altana’s report also highlights reliance on Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing alongside upstream Chinese and Russian exposure
Greenlight for next two ESA Scout missions
The European Space Agency is expanding its growing fleet of Earth-observing science Scout missions with the selection of two new satellites: Hibidis and SOVA-S.
The cardinality wall: The hidden data bottleneck for LEO constellations
The satellite industry is entering an era defined by scale. Thousands of spacecraft are operating simultaneously in low Earth orbit (LEO), powering everything from global broadband networks to national security […]
NASA’s Fermi Glimpses Power Source of Supercharged Supernovae
An international team studying data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope concludes the mission detected a rare, unusually luminous supernova. The researchers say it likely received its power-up from a supermagnetized neutron star born in the stellar collapse that triggered the explosion. The Fermi mission is part of NASA’s fleet of observatories monitoring the changing […]
Isaacman expects Chinese crewed mission around the moon in 2027
The head of NASA says he expects China to perform a crewed flight around the moon in 2027, ratcheting up perceptions of a space race between China and the U.S.
Fire Chars Santa Rosa Island
The blaze spread across the southern side of the second-largest island in California’s Channel Islands National Park.
Isaacman: Chinese Taikonauts Likely to Fly Around Moon in 2027
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman asserted today that next year Chinese taikonauts “likely” will fly around the Moon and the United States no longer will hold the distinction as the only […]
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB
SpaceX’s 45th Starlink mission of the year will see the company add another 24 broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:46 p.m. PDT (10:46 p.m. EDT / 0246 UTC).
Launch Preview: Falcon 9, Electron, and Vega C launch missions alongside Starship Flight 12
Six launches are scheduled worldwide during the next week, with the 12th flight of SpaceX’s…
NASA’s Psyche Mission Images Mars’ Huygens Crater
Description Captured by the multispectral imager instrument on NASA’s Psyche mission, this is an enhanced-color view of the large double-ring crater Huygens (upper left; about 290 miles, or 470 kilometers, in diameter) and the surrounding heavily cratered southern highlands near 15 degrees south latitude. The various colors in this dramatic scene are likely due to […]
NASA’s Psyche Mission Spies Mars’ Wind-Blown Craters During Close Approach
Description This view of the Martian surface, captured by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft on May 15, 2026, shows streaks that have formed due to wind blowing over impact craters in the Syrtis Major region. The image scale is nearly 1,200 feet (360 meters) per pixel. The wind streaks extend to about 30 miles (50 kilometers) long, […]
Psyche’s High-Resolution View of Mars’ South Pole
Description This is the highest-resolution view of the water ice-rich south polar cap of Mars captured by NASA’s Psyche mission after it made its close approach with the planet for a gravity assist. The image scale is around 0.7 miles per pixel (1.14 kilometers per pixel). The cap itself extends across more than 430 miles […]
SDA director Sandhoo takes on broader Space Force missile warning portfolio
The Pentagon is realigning the Space Development Agency’s satellite programs under new acquisition structure
NASA’s Psyche Mission Sees Mars’ South Pole After Flyby
Description This is Psyche’s first view of a nearly “full Mars” seen shortly after the spacecraft’s closest approach to the planet on May 15, 2026. The view extends from the south polar cap northwards to the Valles Marineris canyon system and beyond. With Mars in the rearview mirror, the spacecraft will soon resume use of […]
NASA’s Psyche Mission Images the Crescent of Mars
Description This view of a crescent Mars was captured on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT by NASA’s Psyche mission as it approached the planet for a gravity assist. Captured by the spacecraft’s multispectral imager instrument, this was the last view of the whole planet before it began to overfill the field of […]
NASA’s Psyche Mission Aces Mars Flyby, Targets Metal-Rich Asteroid
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft completed its close approach of Mars on May 15, coming within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the planet’s surface. This flyby used a gravity assist from Mars to provide a critical boost in speed and to adjust the spacecraft’s orbital plane without using any onboard propellant, sending it on its way toward […]