ULA’s Vulcan launches U.S. Space Force mission to geosynchronous orbit
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 10:02
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off early Feb. 12 on a multi-manifest national security mission. The rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 4:22 a.m. Eastern. Vulcan flew in a high-performance configuration with four strap-on solid rocket boosters.
FCC Space Bureau chief shares agenda for regulatory reform
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 05:05
The FCC’s Space Bureau is pushing a sweeping regulatory overhaul under its Build America Agenda to turbo‑charge space activity. The plan would free up spectrum, streamline satellite licensing, and give operators more flexibility to modernize their fleets.
SpaceX IPO may suck oxygen from market before unleashing broad capital surge
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 22:49
Space investors and dealmakers expect SpaceX’s upcoming IPO to spark a wave of capital across the industry, but it may also divert attention from other firms. The post‑IPO period could see a temporary dip in funding for non‑SpaceX companies before the broader surge takes hold.
UK launcher Orbex files for administration after failed funding efforts
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 21:50
UK launch company Orbex has entered administration after repeated attempts to secure funding, a merger, and an acquisition fell through. The move signals the end of the company’s efforts to stay solvent, as it filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators on Feb. 11.
Space companies bet on Golden Dome as questions persist over scope and funding
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 21:35
Golden Dome is envisioned as a layered homeland defense network. It would detect, track and intercept ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles. Trump has cited a baseline figure of roughly $175 billion over about a decade. The Congressional Budget Office has said the effort could cost as much as $831 billion over 20 years.
Integrate Raises $17M to Commercialize the World’s First Ultra-Secure Project Management Platform for Classified Programs
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 20:40
Integrate, the developer of the world’s first ultra‑secure project management platform for classified programs, has closed a $17 million Series A round led by FPV Ventures with participation from Fuse. The funding will accelerate the commercialization of its technology for dynamic multi‑entity execution.
Demand for sovereign systems extends to the Earth-observation stack
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 20:14
At the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, leaders debated how middle powers—countries with influence but not great powers—are seeking greater control over global
SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 02:50
SpaceX completed its 12th Starlink launch of the year, sending 24 new broadband satellites into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space
Compliance Becomes the New Gatekeeper for Space Startups
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 02:27
The SmallSat Symposium highlighted the challenges faced by early-stage companies. The focus is shifting from pure innovation to operational maturity. Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 is the central challenge. Prime contractors are contractually obligated to enforce these standards on their subcontractors.
The FCC Is Converting Space Regulation Into an Assembly Line
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 02:22
The FCC Space Bureau is pivoting its operational philosophy from adjudication to mass production. The agency intends to approve applications that fit with minimal friction within pre-set parameters. The era of negotiation has ended. Both national security and economic prosperity depend on deployment velocity. The United States risks losing space leadership if domestic operators languish in a queue.
SmallSat Launch Prices Rise as Competitors Stall on the Pad
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 02:20
2026 SmallSat Symposium held in San Francisco. The industry is trapped in a bottleneck of its own making. Launch is no longer a commodity you buy, but a probability you manage. Rocket Lab’s Neutron was originally promised for 2024, yet it is now targeting mid-to-late 2026.
The Dumb Pipe Is Dead: Why Physics Is Forcing AI Into Orbit
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 02:19
At the SmallSat Symposium, industry leaders declared that the shrinking collision‑window and volatile low‑Earth‑orbit drag force a shift
FCC Proposes Assembly Line Licensing to Replace Decades-Old Space Rules
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 01:17
At the SmallSat Symposium, the FCC announced a sweeping overhaul of U.S.
The End of the Open Range: LEO’s Spectrum Crunch Hits Home
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 01:14
At the SmallSat Symposium, industry leaders warned that the sky is reaching a noise floor as hundreds of thousands of new satellites flood
The Space Tourist Is Dead. Long Live the Orbital Industrialist.
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 22:47
At this year’s SmallSat Symposium, investors moved from chasing unicorns to building
Reaching Top Speed in the Dolomites
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 05:01
The 2026 Winter Olympics are unfolding in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan, with athletes racing on the refurbished Tofane Ski Centre, a rebuilt bobsled track, and the historic Curling Olympic Stadium.
NASA Completes First Flight of Laminar Flow Scaled Wing Design
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 23:35
NASA successfully flew a 40‑inch Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow wing model on an F‑15 research jet, confirming the aircraft could maneuver safely and validating the design’s potential to reduce drag and fuel costs. The 75
I Am Artemis: Jesse Berdis
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 17:01
Jesse Berdis, now deputy project manager for NASA’s Artemis II mobile launcher, went from dreaming of skyscrapers to building the 400‑foot structure that supports the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft after a chance resume drop landed him at Kennedy
Crew-12 Members and Insignia
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 15:53
NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑12 will launch Friday, Feb. 13 from Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9‑powered Dragon, heading to the ISS for an eight‑month mission that will advance future Moon and Mars research. The crew will study everything from pneumonia‑causing bacteria to on‑demand IV fluid generation, automated plant health, nitrogen‑fixing microbes, and blood‑flow dynamics in microgravity.
NASA Marks Milestone in Preparation for Artemis IV Testing
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 15:34
A water system activation at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) on Jan. 30 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, helped capture critical data. The milestone tested new cooling systems added to the stand for the future Green Run test series of NASA’s exploration upper stage that is expected to fly on the Artemis IV mission.
Inaugural Ariane 64 to launch Amazon Leo satellites from Kourou
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 09:48
Arianespace is set to launch the most powerful configuration of its Ariane 6 vehicle for the first time. The company aims to launch at the start of a 28-minute window opening on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 16:45 UTC. The four-booster Ariane 64 variant will carry 32 satellites to orbit for Amazon’s Leo constellation of internet satellites, formerly known as Kuiper.
Proton-M launches Elektro-L No.5 on its final mission with Blok-DM upper stage
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 02:04
Russia’s Proton rocket made its final flight with a Blok‑DM upper stage, lofting the Elektro‑L No.5 weather satellite into geostationary orbit from Baikonur at 08:52 UTC, marking the end of a 60‑year partnership that began with the Soviet era. This launch, the rocket’s
39A CAA removed, ending crew launch from historic site, for now
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 23:20
SpaceX has begun dismantling key infrastructure at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The move effectively takes LC-39A offline for human spaceflight missions involving Crew Dragon spacecraft. The most recent Falcon 9 flight from LC-39A occurred on December 17, 2025.
ULA launches first mission of 2026 with USSF-87 aboard Vulcan – SRB issue observed
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 20:29
United Launch Alliance launched its first mission of 2026 with the USSF-87 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Vulcan Centaur V-005, with four solid rocket boosters in the VC4S configuration, launched on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4:22 AM EST (09:22 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 41. One SRB appeared to have another burn-through issue at the throat of its nozzle, although it is not yet known if this impacted the mission to nominal deployment.
Can a nonprofit help protect Earth from dangerous asteroids? How the B612 Foundation has taken on the challenge
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 11:00
B612 Foundation takes its name from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 novella "The Little Prince" Since 2002, the Silicon Valley-based organization has engaged in research, education and promoting the protection of Earth from asteroid impacts. Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and musician Brian May of the rock band Queen.
Vulcan Centaur rocket launches 'neighborhood watch' satellites for the US military
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 22:00
The U.S.
China aces test of next-gen lunar capsule and rocket in effort to land humans on moon before NASA (video)
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 21:00
China successfully completed a low‑altitude abort test of its Mengzhou crew capsule and Long March‑10 booster, proving emergency escape and reusable booster splashdown capabilities. The test, flown from Wenchang
Hubble Space Telescope captures the stunning final breaths of a dying star
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 20:00
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured the final moments of a sun‑like star in the
Asteroid samples NASA brought to Earth suggest life's building blocks may be widespread in the universe
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 19:00
NASA’s OSIRIS‑REx returned asteroid Bennu samples that contain 14 of the 20 amino acids used by life on Earth, plus 19 others, and isotopic fingerprints show they formed in icy, cold regions far from the Sun. This discovery confirms that the building blocks of life can arise in a variety of environments, broadening the potential for life’s origins across the universe.
SpaceX Falcon 9 deploys 24 Starlink satellites after California launch
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 18:47
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, California, on Feb. 11, deploying 24 new Starlink satellites into low‑Earth orbit as part of its growing 9,600‑plus constellation. The first‑stage booster B110
Why are the launch windows for NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission so short?
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 16:00
Artemis 2 can fly on just 11 days in March and April combined. There are five potential Artemis 2 launch dates next month (March 6-9 and March 11) and six in April (April 1, April 3-6 and April 30) The liftoff window lasts 120 minutes on all of these dates except March 11.
SpaceX takes down Dragon crew arm, giving Starship a leg up in Florida
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-12 02:23
NASA’s historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center has just removed its last Crew Access Arm, the towering structure astronauts
What's next after the Trump administration revokes key finding on climate change?
Original Publication Date: 2026-02-11 15:10
The Trump administration is poised to strike down the EPA’s 17‑year‑old climate endangerment finding, stripping the agency of its authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.