Hyguane: towards low-carbon hydrogen for Europe’s Spaceport
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 14:04
Orbital Data Centers: Power and Thermal Management for Scalable Architectures
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 13:57
As orbital data centers move from concept to reality, scalable power generation and efficient thermal management are emerging as critical enabling technologies.
ESA and Spain strengthen ties for secure connectivity
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 13:32
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Agencia Espacial Española (AEE) signed a Memorandum of Intent on 20 May to strengthen cooperation on secure satellite connectivity, reinforcing Spain’s growing strategic role in Europe’s space and resilience ambitions.
Starfighters turns Texas facility toward microgravity flight testing
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 13:17
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
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 13:00
Altana’s report also highlights reliance on Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing alongside upstream Chinese and Russian exposure
Greenlight for next two ESA Scout missions
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 12:00
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.
Chosen from four final competing concepts, these missions will tackle very different but equally pressing scientific questions – from biodiversity below forest canopies to the effects of atmospheric gravity waves high above Earth.
The cardinality wall: The hidden data bottleneck for LEO constellations
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 12:00
The satellite industry is entering an era defined by scale.
Isaacman expects Chinese crewed mission around the moon in 2027
Wednesday, 20 May 2026 08:26
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.
SDA director Sandhoo takes on broader Space Force missile warning portfolio
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 19:37
The Pentagon is realigning the Space Development Agency’s satellite programs under new acquisition structure
Startup challenging satellite industry’s multi-orbit playbook
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 14:00
Contrivian argues that stitching together GEO, MEO and LEO satellites creates networking problems, and that LEO constellations alone can provide both resilience and speed
Portal Space taps Quindar for ground mission support of its maneuvering spacecraft
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 13:00
Portal is preparing to launch maneuverable spacecraft aimed at the military market
Vast announces line of high-power satellite buses
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 12:00
Commercial space station developer Vast is moving into satellite manufacturing with a line of high-power satellite buses.
Lynk and Anterix get FCC nod to test satellite D2D for private utility networks
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 11:54
Lynk Global has secured regulatory approval to test how its direct-to-device satellites could extend private utility networks using terrestrial spectrum from Anterix in the United States.
Anderson confirmed as NASA deputy administrator
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 08:09WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed Matt Anderson on May 18 as NASA’s deputy administrator, the second-in-command of the space agency.
Smile launch highlights
Tuesday, 19 May 2026 07:00
Video:
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ESA’s Smile satellite launched aboard a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The rocket lifted off on at 04:52 BST / 05:52 CEST (00:52 local time) on 19 May 2026.
Smile flew to space on Vega-C flight VV29. At 35 m tall, a Vega-C weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad and the rocket used three solid-propellant-powered stages to take Smile to orbit before the fourth liquid-propellant stage took over for a precise drop-off around Earth.Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese