July 8th, 2026
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Progress has been reported on developing a high-thrust rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE in space shorthand. Venus Aerospace today announced the close of a $91 million Series B financing deal. This round of funding enables Venus to scale up RDRE development and production, moving the propulsion system from successful flight demonstration, the company states, […]
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The growing US-China space competition has been captured in a set of infographics produced by the Hinrich Foundation and Visual Capitalist. A three-part visual essay spotlights these issues: Critical materials, global launch sites and the surge in space launches. “The supply of critical materials needed for rockets, satellites, and other space technologies is provided by […]
NASA’s SkyFall mission to Mars is progressing with selection of a private space firm to manufacture, test, and deliver the project’s critical aeroshell. Firefly Aerospace has received a $13 million subcontract to provide the aeroshell to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SkyFall is targeted for launch in late 2028, a mission to deploy three Mars helicopters […]
China’s Tianwen-2 probe has successfully arrived at a distance of under 13 miles (20 kilometers) from asteroid 2016HO3. Tianwen-2 was launched on May 29, 2025, taking roughly 400-days to reach the space rock. The spacecraft mission involves multiple goals over a decade-long expedition: Collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3 Exploring the main-belt […]
What would it be like to live and work on Mars? National Geographic Explorer and photographer Mackenzie Calle suited up to get a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at astronaut space training at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah for the July cover story. Go to this read […]
China’s new cargo transport craft – Qingzhou – is ready for operations next year. A test flight of the craft earlier this year verified key aspects of the spacecraft to deliver supplies to the country’s space station. The test vehicle, designed for a three-year service life, was launched into orbit in March. “The test […]
Last week, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that using ground- and space-based equipment enables the ability to track near-Earth asteroids and determine potential impact threats. The CNSA said China will build an integrated network featuring telescopes and other equipment on the ground and in space to eliminate blind spots. Round-the-clock monitoring “On the […]
Could humans someday explore Saturn’s moon Titan, or will humanoid robots do it for us? “Ultimately, we think of Titan as the next big leap beyond Mars.” Training ground In fact, a humanoid robot offered by China’s UBTech Robotics, the Walker S2 is a case in point. It can change its own depleted battery, swapping […]
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a 10-year forecast for licensed commercial space operations The FAA is predicting nearly 4,300 launches and reentries under the high-case scenario between FY 2026 and FY 2036. Operations would steadily increase annually from more than 200 to more than 500 per year. “The projected growth reflects anticipated demand for […]
The first CubeSat designed to operate on the surface of an asteroid has been contracted by the European Space Agency. The Spanish company EMXYS is providing Don Quijote, a shoebox-sized spacecraft that will be deployed onto the Apophis asteroid by ESA’s Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) mission before the asteroid flies by […]
