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The FCC Asked Cowboy Space How Big Its Satellites Are
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 21:51
Cowboy Space’s latest FCC filing reveals a planned “stampede” of 20,000 satellites, which would amount to roughly 400,000 tonnes of hardware. That figure dwarfs the current launch‑year total of just 3,193 tonnes, highlighting an unprecedented scale. The agency’s database, however, lacks a dedicated field for tracking mass, making it difficult to assess the full impact. This gap underscores the growing challenge regulators face in monitoring the burgeoning satellite industry.
Cailabs and RBC Signals Partner to Develop Global Optical Ground Station Network
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 21:41
On Thursday, September 10, 2026, Cailabs, a photonics technology developer, and RBC Signals, a satellite ground‑infrastructure provider, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Paris. The agreement brings together the two companies’ expertise in photonics and satellite communications. It establishes a framework for collaboration that will combine their technologies and services. The partnership aims to enhance satellite ground‑infrastructure capabilities.
Loft Orbital and Marlan Space Award $1 Billion Contract for 50 AI-Equipped LEO Satellites
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 21:22
On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Loft Orbital and Abu Dhabi‑based Marlan Space sealed a $1 billion deal to launch a 50‑satellite low‑Earth‑orbit constellation.
Help Refine Data from Space Telescopes with Artifact InSPECtor
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 19:48
NASA’s new citizen‑science project, Artifact InSPECtor, invites the public to help clean data from the Euclid telescope and the soon‑to‑launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Volunteers examine real spectra, flagging unwanted “artifacts” caused by light glints, cosmic rays, or camera quirks, and train AI to distinguish them from genuine galaxies. The refined AI will enable scientists to measure galaxy distances more accurately and probe the mysterious dark energy driving the universe’s expansion.
NASA Boosts Open Science, Data Sharing with Artemis Accords
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 14:56
NASA’s newest lunar image highlights the Poynting and Keeler craters side by side on the far side, showcasing a smooth, well‑defined rim next to a rugged, impact‑scarred interior. These craters, part of the densely cratered highlands, preserve a record of billions of years of impacts that have shaped the Moon’s surface.
Antares Wins $161M Award for Space Nuclear Power
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 13:00
Antares, a private nuclear microreactor startup, secured a $161 million Department of Defense contract to advance space nuclear power, marking the largest current DoD award in the field. The company’s Mark‑0 reactor already achieved criticality in June, becoming the first privately built reactor to do so under the Department of Energy’s Pilot Program. Antares plans to launch its Mark‑1 reactor in 2027, aiming to operate for more than six months and power future spacecraft with steady, all‑time energy. This development supports the U.
Rocket Lab protests NASA's decision to award Blue Origin $700 million Mars orbiter contract
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 22:06
Rocket Lab has lodged a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office after NASA awarded a $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network contract to Blue Origin. The company claims the award violates congressional eligibility criteria and that its technical volume was unfairly evaluated.
Rocket Lab launches mystery satellite to orbit for secret customer (photo)
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 19:00
Rocket Lab’s 95th Electron launch, dubbed “Happily Ever Faster,” lifted off from New Zealand on September 10, 2026, carrying a single Earth‑observation satellite into a 500‑km low‑Earth orbit. The company kept the mission’s customer a mystery, but the payload was confirmed to be a commercial satellite, sparking speculation that it could be a BlackSky Gen‑3 imaging craft. All 16 of Rocket Lab’s launches this year have been successful, marking another flawless year for the small‑satellite launcher. The launch, announced via X an hour after liftoff, underscores Rocket Lab’s growing role in delivering private satellites to orbit.
The sun may once have swallowed a super-Earth planet and could still be hiding the evidence
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 16:00
New research suggests the Sun may have swallowed a super‑Earth planet billions of years ago, leaving chemical fingerprints inside the star that could explain long‑standing discrepancies in solar models. Simulations point to an engulfed planet between five and ten times Earth's mass, which would alter the Sun’s convection zone depth and deplete surface lithium. The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, proposes that these subtle internal signatures might still be detectable today. If confirmed, this would reveal a dramatic chapter in the Sun’s early history.
On this day in space! Sept. 11, 1985: The International Cometary Explorer makes 1st comet flyby in history for NASA and Europe
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 14:00
On September 11, 1985, NASA’s International Cometary Explorer—formerly the International Sun‑Earth Explorer‑3—made history as the first spacecraft to fly by a comet, passing just 4,885 miles from Comet 21P/Giacobini‑Zinner. The probe, launched in 1978 to study space weather at the Sun‑Earth L1 point, was repurposed after its primary mission and renamed ICE to explore cometary tails and the Sun’s influence on them. Six months later, ICE also performed a flyby of Halley’s Comet, adding to its record of pioneering encounters. This milestone marked a turning point in comet science, confirming theories that comets are “dirty snowballs” and demonstrating the versatility of deep‑space missions.
Wavy alien dune fields stretch across Mars | Space photo of the day for Sept. 11, 2026
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 14:00
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a striking purple dune field inside an unnamed impact crater on the Red Planet, revealing wavy ripples that scientists hope will show changes since 2011. The HiRISE camera’s false‑color image highlights the planet’s dynamic surface, offering clues about ancient water and possible biosignatures. These observations help scientists piece together Mars’s history and guide future exploration missions. The image, released September 11, 2026, underscores the ongoing fascination with the Red Planet.
Some satellite companies still have an appetite for boutique launch services
Original Publication Date: 2026-09-11 23:34
Most satellite firms claim launch capacity is still tight, even as launch frequency has surged. SpaceX is scaling back its Falcon 9 schedule and its Starship program remains uncertain, prompting operators to welcome new rivals. Germany’s Isar Aerospace celebrated its first successful orbit with the Spectrum rocket, dropping CubeSats from a Norwegian spaceport after a last‑year failure. This milestone signals a shift toward greater competition in the commercial launch market.