Space on Ask Sendai

An Elon Musk SpaceX rocket is set to crash into the moon

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:17:54 +0000

A dead SpaceX rocket stage is hurtling toward the moon and astronomers want the world watching when it hits. Astronomers around the world are gearing up to record a possible blast of lunar dust near the moon's Einstein Crater, after a piece of space junk is expected to end its 19-month drift there with a bang. The object in question is the spent upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, cataloged as 2025-010D, which is on course to slam into the lunar surface on August 5, 2026 at approximately 06:35 UTC.

New propulsion system could make tiny satellites both fast and fuel-efficient

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:23:03 +0000

Photo by Harrison Broadbent on Unsplash

A new propulsion system combines the power and speed of conventional chemical thrusters with the precision and fuel-efficiency of electrical thrusters. The system could enable small satellites capable of both fast, powerful maneuvers and slower, precise adjustments. The system could enable the design of nimbler, more flexible small satellites, which could perform both fast, powerful maneuvers and slower, precise adjustments, depending on the mission and moment at hand. The key to the new system is a special propellant that can power both chemical and electrical thrusters, which traditionally have required separate, bulky fuel sources.

The Space Force is now seeking to buy up to $30 billion in rocket launches

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:22:59 +0000

The Trump administration is asking the Space Force to do a lot. This will require more launches. It seems as though $5.6 billion wasn’t enough. That was the news from the US Space Force on Friday, when military officials announced they were tripling the maximum value of one of the service’s National Security Space Launch contracts to $17 billion. The expansion of the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 contract comes as the Pentagon signals rising demand for military satellite launches. The NSSL program is set up to allow Space Systems Command, which oversees the Space Force’s launch program, to select from a pool of launch providers for individual missions to deliver the military’s satellites to orbit.

NASA’s nuclear Mars mission to cost over $2 billion

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 21:24:05 +0000

Photo by Vladyslav Cherkasenko on Unsplash

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman’s ambitious plans to build a nuclear-powered spacecraft and fly it to Mars will cost over $2 billion, the agency confirmed this week. The new cost estimate for the mission, dubbed Space Reactor-1 Freedom, comes as the agency juggles a number of high-profile missions — including returning humans to the Moon and building a lunar outpost — all while operating under what is expected to be a flat budget.

Meteorite that crashed into New Jersey home contains 'alien world chemistry,' scientists say

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:24:04 +0000

When scientists examined the preserved fragments of a meteorite that crashed in 2024, they found brine-like fluids and key molecules. The meteorite struck the home in July 2024. The homeowner preserved the fragments in glass jars using disposable gloves and aluminum foil, allowing an international team of experts to study them in detail, the researchers said in a paper published Wednesday in the journal ScienceAdvances. When scientists examined the preserved fragments, they were able to determine the meteorite was made of a rare, primitive material called CM1/2 carbonaceous chondrite. This is only the second observed fall of such a meteorite, making it "one of the most scientifically valuable meteorites ever recovered," according to a news release from the SETI Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in California.

New spinning drone hides in plain sight

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:24:02 +0000

Like a propeller, new drone spins too fast for the human eye to see clearly. It’s about 10 times less visually perceptible than a conventional quadcopter. While most attempts to hide drones focus on changing how they look, Northwestern’s engineers instead changed how people — and many animals — see them. Unlike a typical quadcopter with four separate rotors, Phantom Twist has one motor and one propeller. The propeller spins in one direction, and the rest of the drone spins in the opposite direction.

New spinning drone hides in plain sight

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:24:00 +0000

A SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the moon—scientists will be watching

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:50:27 +0000

Astronomers are gearing up for a unique moon observation event: a stray piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is on track to hit the lunar surface on August 5. The collision and its aftermath, which may be visible from Earth and space-based telescopes, present an opportunity for some singular science. In a new paper posted to the preprint server arXiv.org, 23 astronomers call on the scientific community to observe the event and note that it may be possible to record the impact as it happens. The crash could reveal new information about what happens in the immediate aftermath of an impact on the lunar surface and offer insights into the hazards of errant space junk to the moon. The meandering spacecraft was first spotted by amateur astronomer Bill Gray. Launched in January 2025, the Falcon 9 ferried two landers to the moon—Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost and Japanese firm ispace’s Hakuto-R. After delivery, the rocket’s upper stage was meant to burn up on reentry in Earth’s atmosphere. But as Scientific American reported in May, that didn’t happen.

Four astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit: Artemis III will be NASA's most complicated mission ever

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:50:26 +0000

NASA's Artemis III mission is shaping up to be NASA's most complex mission in history, coordinating the launch and rendezvous of three different spacecraft. NASA has provided more details about the Artemis III flight scheduled for next year, and, if all goes according to plan, the objectives the astronauts will be checking off their list will contain more than a few "firsts" for the Artemis program and human spaceflight overall. That includes the first crewed NASA mission to rendezvous and dock with two separate designed to carry crews of their own. Artemis is NASA's next-generation program to return astronauts to the surface of the moon. Artemis III is designed as a test run for NASA's Orion spacecraft in which it will dock and perform operations with the program's two commercial lunar landers — SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's Blue Moon. The mission will launch a crew of four aboard Orion on NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into Earth orbit, where the capsule will rendezvous with each lander separately over the course of about two weeks. Their success will set the stage for a crewed moon landing on Artemis IV, but NASA must first master the complicated demands of Artemis III in order to confidently set its sights on the lunar surface.

Plato's electronics ready for space

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:50:25 +0000

The European Space Agency’s terrestrial planet hunter Plato has recently completed a series of key tests inside the Maxwell Test Chamber at ESTEC, demonstrating that its electronic equipment is fit to work in space. This photo captures the spacecraft standing inside the special chamber. The shielded enclosure features conducting metal walls, floor, and ceiling that form a Faraday cage, screening out all external interference. Its 9 m-high interior is lined floor to ceiling with foam spikes that absorb electrical signals and sounds to mimic the void of space.

Voyager Wins Contract with Sandia National Laboratories

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:22 +0000

Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) was awarded a new mission management contract with Sandia National Laboratories to fly their Big Boy demonstration aboard the International Space Station in 2027. The contract underscores the continued and growing demand for access to low-Earth orbit for national security research, with additional contracts expected to follow. Under the contract, Voyager will provide end-to-end mission management, including experiment design, payload integration, safety review, manifest and mission planning, and on-orbit operations. The payload will integrate with the company’s NEL, an external payload platform mountable on Voyager’s Bishop Airlock, the first and only permanent commercially owned module on the Space Station.

NASA has just released a jaw-dropping video of a spacecraft's view as it zoomed past Mars

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:50:20 +0000

Photo by Planet Volumes on Unsplash

NASA has released a mesmerising video showing images captured by a spacecraft as it flew past Mars. The Psyche spacecraft is on its way to visit and study asteroid Psyche, which is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It's expected to reach the asteroid in July 2029, but in May 2026, it made a close pass of Mars.

Rocket Report: 'Panic' over Transporter availability; Isar to launch from Canada

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:50:17 +0000

RFA sets launch date for August. Almost two years after an RFA One first stage burst into flames during a static fire test, German rocket-builder Rocket Factory Augsburg is preparing for a second attempt at the rocket’s inaugural flight from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, European Spaceflight reports. The launch window will open on August 10, the Spaceport said in its announcement. Getting close … The notice did not identify a specific operator, stating simply that it was “one of SaxaVord’s clients.” However, it did provide enough detail to identify Rocket Factory Augsburg as the unnamed customer. Additionally, in April, Rocket Factory Augsburg announced that it was working toward a launch window opening on July 1. However, the company stressed that “there are uncertainties, and the schedule may evolve.” Now, it seems, there is less uncertainty.

NASA Awards Contracts for Mars Advanced Surface Mobility Technology

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:45:13 +0000

NASA has selected seven companies for contract awards under the Mars Exploration Program’s Science Transport and Robotic Innovation for Deployment and Exploration, or STRIDE, initiative to advance next-generation commercial robotic surface mobility for future Mars exploration. The STRIDE awards will support the development of innovative robotic mobility systems that may enable future Mars missions to access more challenging terrain, travel greater distances, and investigate scientifically valuable regions that are difficult to reach with current mobility systems.

ESA releases 2026 Space Economy Report

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:45:08 +0000

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) newly released Space Economy Report gives a comprehensive overview of the latest developments shaping Europe's space sector. ESA uses this report to help policymakers, industry and stakeholders better understand the status and trends of the space industry, globally and in Europe specifically.With Europe in focus, the report covers European budgets, industrial competitiveness, market accessibility, and demand conditions within global space-sector developments.The report provides an overview of the macroeconomic landscape in which the space sector operates and core indicators which directly affect the industry.

Chemistry in the New Space Age: Chemistry is Everyone, Episode 3

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:43:51 +0000

Photo by Julia Koblitz on Unsplash

Space is the place . . . for Chemistry! ACS president-elect Chris Bodurow and three colleagues chat about the role of chemistry in space exploration and how they ended up working in such an exciting field. Luke Roberson, Ken Savin, and George Rodriguez highlight the expanding space industry, the technologies that chemistry has enabled in space, and how chemistry might change the industry in the future by, for instance, enabling long-term life-support systems. Across all conversations, one thing becomes clear: Chemistry is enabling humanity to explore, live, and innovate in space.

1 private spacecraft intercepts another on Space Force's groundbreaking 'Victus Haze' mission

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:43:50 +0000

The news comes less than two weeks after Rocket Lab broke a spaceflight readiness record, launching the company's Pioneer-class Puma satellite aboard an Electron rocket on June 19, delivering the second spacecraft of the Space Force's Victus Haze mission just 16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving notice. The mission's first satellite, True Anomaly's JACKAL-0004 vehicle, was launched to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May, where it awaited the yet-unannounced launch of its counterpart.

SpaceX just launched the 1st-ever nuclear-powered commercial satellite

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:43:48 +0000

BOHR is a novel cubesat demonstration mission from City Labs, which is testing out its proprietary "NanoTritium" betavoltaic micropower source in space for the first time. Similar to how spacecraft like NASA's Voyager probes' radioisotope thermoelectric generators produce power from the heat emitted from their plutonium cores, City Lab's NanoTritium device harnesses the beta particles emitted from the radioactive decay of tritium, which can be converted directly to electricity using a semiconductor.

Deep space software upgrade for Hera’s asteroid visit

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:43:46 +0000

Operating across 140 million km of space, the control team for ESA’s Hera mission have succeeded in upgrading the software running the spacecraft, leaving it ready to explore the distant Dimorphos and Didymos asteroids this autumn. Overseeing Hera from ESOC's Interplanetary Control Room Imagine being tasked to install new software onto a multi-million-euro computer, sight unseen. You don’t get to touch the hardware in question because it is already busy overseeing a spacecraft in deep space, in onward motion at more than 12 km per second.Instead you send instructions by text message, relayed via 35-m diameter communication antennas directed at precisely the right patch of sky, working around a nearly eight-minute one-way signal delay due to the inherent distance involved.

Isar Aerospace to Launch Satellite for Planet Germany

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:45:40 +0000

Planet Germany has selected Isar Aerospace to launch a Pelican Earth observation satellite aboard a Spectrum within the next 12 months. In July 2025, the German government awarded Planet a €240 million multi-year contract to provide dedicated capacity from its Pelican satellites over specific European regions. This was followed by an announcement in September 2025 that the company would break ground on a new satellite manufacturing facility in Berlin to build its Pelican satellites. The German-based subsidiary of Planet Labs has selected Isar Aerospace to launch one of the company’s Pelican Earth observation satellites aboard a Spectrum rocket. The companies plan to complete the launch in less than 12 months.

When are the big rockets NASA desperately needs going to be ready?

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 23:54:30 +0000

Along with Ars Technica Space Editor Eric Berger; the director of research at Quilty Space, Caleb Henry; and the host of the Main Engine Cut Off podcast, Anthony Colangelo, spoke about various topics. Chief among them was the implications of this failure for NASA’s attempt to land humans on the Moon for the Artemis IV mission. Blue Origin and SpaceX are both building landers to support this goal and the rockets to deliver them to the Moon. During the conversation, Berger reported that the current Blue Origin “architecture” for a human mission would require four launches of new variant of the New Glenn rocket, known as 9×4, because it has nine first stage engines, and four upper stage engines. This is a more powerful version than the “7×2″ variant that exploded a little more than a month ago. Blue Origin has not set a target date for the 9×4 rocket’s debut, but some sources have indicated the company is targeting late 2027 or early 2028.

UC Irvine astronomers discover a new Earth-like exoplanet

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 22:54:29 +0000

Photo by Harsh Kumar on Unsplash

The new planet is about twice the size of Earth. The planet’s atmosphere may be the right thickness for life to survive on the planet’s surface. The study helps reveal how Earth-like planets close to our solar system may be more common than thought.

Source: news.uci.edu

Astrobotic, Firefly, Intuitive Machines win more NASA moon lander missions

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 21:54:27 +0000

Photo by Smithsonian on Unsplash

The contracts are part ⁠of a "phase one" effort by NASA chief Jared Isaacman to quickly send more robotic missions to the lunar surface as the agency races with China to establish a long-term presence on the moon involving more difficult endeavors, such as landing humans there and building a moon base. "Phase one, getting reliably to the surface — this is core part of that," NASA's moon base chief Carlos García-Galán said on Tuesday during a talk with Isaacman hosted by the space agency.

NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:06:05 +0000

NASA announced Tuesday the selection of three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028 as part of the agency’s Moon Base Program. Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines will deliver NASA science payloads to the lunar surface as the agency builds the first outpost on another celestial world.

Source: nasa.gov

New Glenn Return to Flight

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:42:32 +0000

Photo by Ellienore B. on Unsplash

On May 28, 2026, we experienced a significant anomaly during a New Glenn Integrated Launch Vehicle hotfire test at Launch Complex 36 in Florida. I want to provide you with an update on the remarkable recovery and rebuild efforts since that day, and our path forward to return to flight this year. We continue to actively investigate the cause of the anomaly. The vehicle is highly instrumented with extensive data from multiple camera angles and sensors, giving us confidence in our ability to identify and correct the root cause. Early analysis points to the aft section of the first stage.

ISS National Lab drives breakthrough technology in orbit

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:08:28 +0000

Photo by Norbert Kowalczyk on Unsplash

Low Earth orbit, extending up to 2,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface, remains one of the most dynamic frontiers for applied research. At roughly 250 miles altitude, the International Space Station operates as both a scientific outpost and a proving ground for technologies that can reshape industries on Earth. Leveraging microgravity, exposure to extreme environmental conditions, and an unparalleled vantage point, the ISS National Laboratory sponsors projects that address complex engineering and scientific challenges while accelerating commercial innovation.

NASA prepares to launch daring rescue to save aging telescope from falling to Earth

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:08:27 +0000

NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the Swift Observatory to a higher orbit where it can continue hunting for some of the universe's biggest explosions. A three-armed spacecraft built by Katalyst will chase after Swift once it takes off from an atoll in the Pacific's Marshall Islands aboard an airplane-launched Pegasus rocket. Liftoff could occur as early as Tuesday.

NASA extends its commercial partnerships to Mars

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:08:24 +0000

Photo by Javier Miranda on Unsplash

Recently, NASA extended the idea of private-public partnerships to Mars. The space agency has struck a deal with Relativity Space to send an orbital probe to the Red Planet, with a launch date no earlier than 2028. The probe is named Aeolus, named after the divine keeper of the winds in Greek mythology. In keeping with that name, NASA is providing four instruments for the probe that will send “the first integrated, daily, global view of Martian winds, temperatures, dust, and clouds.” The understanding derived about weather on Mars will be of great help to future crewed missions.

NASA OIG Does Cleanup On All The Artemis Changes

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:59:20 +0000

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Keith’s note: NASA OIG just issued an interim memo NASA’s Management of Programs and Projects after Mission Termination—Canceled or Repurposed Artemis Campaign Systems. No formal findings / recommendations since the Ignition and other efforts to rescope the Artemis Program have changed everything around.

Source: nasawatch.com

NASA’s Next-Gen Telescope on Track to Conquer Infrared Sky

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:59:17 +0000

Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash

The powerful infrared telescope builds on Roman’s legacy who was the first female executive at NASA and is perceived as one of the visionary founders of the US civilian space program. It is fitting, then, that an observatory named after a woman who propelled humanity into the future is moving with unprecedented velocity. When Caesar famously declared “Veni,” he wasn’t just noting his arrival in Pontus but he was announcing a military presence that moved so quickly his enemies barely had time to realize they were under siege. Caesar’s hallmark was blinding speed, a sudden and decisive arrival that guaranteed a swift path to victory.

How Seriously Should We Take The Threat of Mirror Life?

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 06:59:16 +0000

Photo by Mathilda Khoo on Unsplash

Many scientists believe we’ll eventually have the technological know-how to create the mirror-universe version of life’s building blocks and, from there, entire mirror organisms like bacteria. Some of these same scientists, however, dread the worst-case scenario of what might happenâand they’ve been actively pushing to ban or at least heavily restrict such research.

Source: gizmodo.com

NASA’s Plans for Replacing the Aging International Space Station

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 01:16:31 +0000

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

When your car gets old, you may face the decision of whether to spend money repairing it or replacing it. NASA is facing a similar dilemma with the aging International Space Station. Within the next year, NASA must choose whether to make repairs and updates that would extend the life of the Space Station or to replace it with a commercial outpost.

NASA's canceled Artemis hardware contracts reached $5.9 billion, audit finds

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 21:48:29 +0000

NASA announced a major shakeup to its Artemis plans earlier this year at its "Ignition Day" event, restructuring its mission goals in order to streamline the return of astronauts to the lunar surface and simplify the architecture needed to get them there. Most notably, the program's first crewed moon landing was shifted from Artemis 3 to Artemis 4, and upgraded variations of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket were abandoned for a single uniform design. The Gateway space station planned for lunar orbit was also canceled in favor of a stronger focus on establishing a base on the moon's surface.

NASA Rover Finds Most Complex Organic Chemistry Ever Detected on Mars. But Can It Reveal Whether Life Ever Existed There?

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 16:30:44 +0000

NASA’s Perseverance rover has reported the most robust organic chemistry detection yet inside Mars’s Jezero Crater, adding another layer to what is becoming one of the most scientifically compelling sample collections ever assembled on another world.

Source: zmescience.com

NASA's aging infrastructure can't handle Artemis launches without $1 billion in upgrades, watchdog warns

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:10:00 +0000

A new report from NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) warns that launch facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia are approaching capacity as demand accelerates across the agency and the private sector. Support infrastructure — such as roads, electricity, and gas and fuel pipelines that laid the foundation for KSC's network of launch pads built to support the Apollo program in the 1960s — are being increasingly stretched by the demands of NASA's Artemis missions, SpaceX, Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance (ULA) and other users.

13 years and $500 million for a stage adapter? Report justifies NASA cancellations.

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:58:50 +0000

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

Three months ago, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the space agency was making a major pivot from building a space station in lunar orbit to a base on the surface. This “Ignition” event followed an earlier announcement in which NASA also said it was ending development of a new upper stage for its Space Launch System rocket.

Astronauts on the International Space Station see flashes with their eyes closed as cosmic rays pass through the eye and turn space radiation into brief sparks of light

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:42:47 +0000

NASA has documented cosmic-ray flashes seen by astronauts in orbit, a strange spaceflight experience that begins with invisible particles and ends as sudden light inside the human visual system. The flashes can appear when an astronaut is in darkness or trying to sleep, even with closed eyes.

China's Starlink rival launches new fundraising round, state media says

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:02:16 +0000

Photo by Forest Katsch on Unsplash

China's low Earth orbit satellite company SpaceSail, widely seen as a challenger to Elon Musk's Starlink, ‌has launched a new round of fundraising, state media Securities Times reported on Monday.

Source: reuters.com

Musk and NASA chief back costly antimatter propulsion vision

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:02:13 +0000

Elon Musk predicted trillions of dollars will be spent developing antimatter propulsion, with Jared Isaacman publicly endorsing the concept. Their backing signals interest from influential figures tied to both commercial and governmental space initiatives, potentially encouraging funding and focus. NASA has supported theoretical antimatter research, and such endorsements could accelerate the shift from concept to structured research programs, alongside ongoing lunar surface-first strategies under Artemis.

Canadian space agency contract with MDA

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:02:12 +0000

TORONTO, June 24, 2026 /CNW/ - MDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA) (NYSE: MDA), a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry, has been awarded a contract by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to supply an advanced, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite that will operate with the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) satellites. In addition to the space segment, the contract provides for launch and the enhancement of the satellite ground control, security and data management systems. This follows an initial $44.7M contract to procure and deliver long lead parts awarded in December of last year.

A space telescope is falling out of space. This is NASA's daring plan to save it.

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:50:27 +0000

Photo by Luiz Rogério Nunes on Unsplash

NASA's Swift space observatory is falling out of orbit. A commercial company just built a spacecraft in 9 months to save it, but will the daring mission work?

Source: space.com

NASA’s Experimental Fabrication Branch Fuels Aircraft Innovation

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:50:27 +0000

At NASA, innovation begins well before an aircraft takes flight. The Experimental Fabrication Branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transforms engineering concepts into mission‑ready hardware for research aircraft and technology development. This capability helps the agency deliver advancements that benefit the public by improving aviation safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Source: nasa.gov