Lithium trace in upper air linked to Falcon 9 rocket breakup
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
New York (SDX) Feb 23, 2026
A plume of lithium pollution detected in the upper atmosphere in February 2025 has now been directly linked to the uncontrolled re-entry of a Falcon 9 rocket stage. Researchers report that this event provides the first direct measurement of upper-atmospheric contamination from disintegrating space hardware as it re-enters the atmosphere.
Defunct satellites and spent rocket stages are gener
A plume of lithium pollution detected in the upper atmosphere in February 2025 has now been directly linked to the uncontrolled re-entry of a Falcon 9 rocket stage. Researchers report that this event provides the first direct measurement of upper-atmospheric contamination from disintegrating space hardware as it re-enters the atmosphere.
Defunct satellites and spent rocket stages are gener Prometheus starts work on new Indiana solid rocket motor campus
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
New York (SDX) Feb 23, 2026
Prometheus Energetics LLC has begun construction of a new solid rocket motor manufacturing campus in Bloomfield, Indiana, marking a key step in the companys plan to expand domestic energetics production capacity. The groundbreaking ceremony, hosted with the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation, brought together senior government representatives, state and local officials, industry pa
Prometheus Energetics LLC has begun construction of a new solid rocket motor manufacturing campus in Bloomfield, Indiana, marking a key step in the companys plan to expand domestic energetics production capacity. The groundbreaking ceremony, hosted with the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation, brought together senior government representatives, state and local officials, industry pa NASA prepares Artemis II rocket for rollback after upper stage issue
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
New York (SDX) Feb 23, 2026
Weather permitting, NASA plans to move the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis II off Launch Pad 39B at the agency Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as Tuesday, Feb 24. The integrated stack will travel back to the Vehicle Assembly Building so teams can investigate and correct an issue with helium flow to the rocket upper stage.
Engineers began preparing for th
Weather permitting, NASA plans to move the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis II off Launch Pad 39B at the agency Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as Tuesday, Feb 24. The integrated stack will travel back to the Vehicle Assembly Building so teams can investigate and correct an issue with helium flow to the rocket upper stage.
Engineers began preparing for th Open source microscope enables low cost live cell imaging in zero gravity
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
New York (SDX) Feb 23, 2026
As space agencies advance plans for human missions to the Moon and Mars, researchers are working to understand how the absence of gravity affects living cells over time. A team led by Newcastle University in the United Kingdom has now developed a rugged, low cost microscope platform that can monitor living cells in real time during zero gravity, and they are making the system openly available to
As space agencies advance plans for human missions to the Moon and Mars, researchers are working to understand how the absence of gravity affects living cells over time. A team led by Newcastle University in the United Kingdom has now developed a rugged, low cost microscope platform that can monitor living cells in real time during zero gravity, and they are making the system openly available to NASA chief rules out March launch of Moon mission over technical issues
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 21, 2026
NASA chief Jared Isaacman on Saturday ruled out a March launch for Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, citing technical issues.
Workers detected a problem with helium flow to the massive SLS rocket that will "take the March launch window out of consideration," Issacman said in a post on X.
"I understand people are disappointed by this development.
NASA chief Jared Isaacman on Saturday ruled out a March launch for Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, citing technical issues.
Workers detected a problem with helium flow to the massive SLS rocket that will "take the March launch window out of consideration," Issacman said in a post on X.
"I understand people are disappointed by this development. AI-driven solar model aims to extend space weather warnings
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
New York (SDX) Feb 23, 2026
New research by Southwest Research Institute and the National Science Foundation's National Center for Atmospheric Research has produced a new tool that could eventually extend space weather forecasts from hours to weeks. The approach aims to provide earlier warnings of solar activity that can disrupt GPS, power grids, satellites and astronaut operations.
The work targets a longstanding he
New research by Southwest Research Institute and the National Science Foundation's National Center for Atmospheric Research has produced a new tool that could eventually extend space weather forecasts from hours to weeks. The approach aims to provide earlier warnings of solar activity that can disrupt GPS, power grids, satellites and astronaut operations.
The work targets a longstanding he Stellar rotation drives deep mixing in ageing red giant stars
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 07:42
New York (SDX) Feb 23, 2026
Advances in supercomputing have enabled astronomers to resolve a long-standing problem in stellar evolution: how changes in the chemical composition at the centers of red giant stars connect to the altered chemistry seen at their surfaces as they age.
Researchers at the University of Victoria's Astronomy Research Centre and the University of Minnesota report that stellar rotation provides
Advances in supercomputing have enabled astronomers to resolve a long-standing problem in stellar evolution: how changes in the chemical composition at the centers of red giant stars connect to the altered chemistry seen at their surfaces as they age.
Researchers at the University of Victoria's Astronomy Research Centre and the University of Minnesota report that stellar rotation provides Boeing demonstrates large language model for space-grade hardware
Tuesday, 24 February 2026 00:47
SAN FRANCISCO – Before uploading a large language model to space-grade hardware, Boeing Space Mission Systems engineers sought guidance from the hardware manufacturer.
Meink, Saltzman make case for Space Force expansion
Monday, 23 February 2026 23:42
Meink: How the future force is designed ‘will be critical as the Space Force expands even faster in the next few years’
Space Force seeks market answers on in-orbit refueling
Monday, 23 February 2026 18:00
A new RFI poses questions to industry on future refueling architecture
The post Space Force seeks market answers on in-orbit refueling appeared first on SpaceNews.
AST SpaceMobile wins $30 million contract for military broadband demo
Monday, 23 February 2026 17:08
The Space Development Agency will explore the use of commercial satellites to test direct-to-device connectivity for future warfighting network
Aalyria hits $1.3 billion valuation after raising funds for satellite mesh network
Monday, 23 February 2026 16:03
Aalyria announced a $100 million funding round Feb. 23 that values the Californian venture at $1.3 billion, supporting deployment of laser terminals and software for dynamically routing data across space, air and ground networks.
Europe’s progress on future access-to-space gains momentum with upcoming reusable launcher flight test
Monday, 23 February 2026 14:19
Following the successful launch of Ariane 6 in 2025, Europe’s access to space ambitions gain momentum.
Study questions assumptions about hidden alien technosignals
Monday, 23 February 2026 13:45
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
For more than sixty years, astronomers have conducted systematic searches for technosignatures, looking for artificial radio emissions, laser flashes, or excess heat that could reveal advanced civilizations in the Milky Way.
Despite decades of monitoring across radio, optical, and infrared bands, no technosignature has been confirmed, a result often attributed to the fact that only a small
For more than sixty years, astronomers have conducted systematic searches for technosignatures, looking for artificial radio emissions, laser flashes, or excess heat that could reveal advanced civilizations in the Milky Way.
Despite decades of monitoring across radio, optical, and infrared bands, no technosignature has been confirmed, a result often attributed to the fact that only a small Dusty early galaxies shed new light on how the universe built its first giants
Monday, 23 February 2026 13:45
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
A team of 48 astronomers from 14 countries, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has identified a previously unseen population of dusty, star-forming galaxies located at the far reaches of the observable universe and dating to only about one billion years after the Big Bang, which is estimated to have occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
These galaxies appear to provide a missing ev
A team of 48 astronomers from 14 countries, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has identified a previously unseen population of dusty, star-forming galaxies located at the far reaches of the observable universe and dating to only about one billion years after the Big Bang, which is estimated to have occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
These galaxies appear to provide a missing ev