SmallSat Europe 2026 Issues Final Call for Papers Amid Pivot to Defense and Sovereignty – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 00:00
SmallSat Europe 2026 is Europe's largest dedicated small satellite conference. The event is scheduled for May 26–28, 2026, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre. It is projected to host more than 2,500 attendees, doubling the participation of the 2025 edition. The 2026 technical agenda highlights the engineering challenges inherent in Europe’s new strategic posture.
Department of Defense to Take $1 Billion Equity Stake in L3Harris Missile Solutions – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 00:00
Department of Defense announces $1 billion investment in L3Harris' rocket motor business. L3Harris aims to create a pure-play provider focused exclusively on speed and manufacturing depth. L3Harris intends to list Missile Solutions as a separate, publicly traded company during the second half of 2026.
Department of Defense Adopts SpaceX Iteration Model to Accelerate Defense Acquisition – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 00:00
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the SpaceX Starbase facility on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Hegseth outlined an “AI-first” transformation designed to operate at wartime speed. The visit marks the operational phase of the Warfighting Acquisition System.
Black Moon Energy Partners with JPL for Helium-3 Resource Mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 00:00
The mission is designed to assess the viability of Helium-3 recovery from the lunar surface. Helium-3 is a rare isotope on Earth but is believed to be abundant on the Moon. It is considered a critical fuel source for next-generation nuclear fusion reactors.
Hubble Nets Menagerie of Young Stellar Objects
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 08:38
NGC 1333 lies about 950 light-years away in the Perseus molecular cloud, and was imaged by Hubble to learn more about young stellar objects. A reflection nebula like this one is illuminated by light from nearby stars that is scattered by the surrounding gas and dust. HBC 340 is the primary source of the fluctuation as the brighter and more variable star.
NASA’s Webb Delivers Unprecedented Look Into Heart of Circinus Galaxy
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 05:00
The Circinus Galaxy, a galaxy about 13 million light-years away, contains an active supermassive black hole that continues to influence its evolution. The largest source of infrared light from the region closest to the black hole itself was thought to be outflows, or streams of superheated matter that fire outward. New observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provide evidence that reverses this thinking, suggesting that most of the hot, dusty material is actually feeding the central black hole.
Starship launch infrastructure progress at Starbase/Cape ahead of 2026 Launches
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-13 21:52
SpaceX teams rolled out the shoulder section of the Ship Quick Disconnect (SQD) arm from the Roberts Road facility to LC-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The arm, originally constructed several years ago during early Starship work at the pad, was designed similarly to the system at Starbase’s Pad 1.
Launch Preview: Launches from China, U.S., and Norway scheduled for upcoming week
Original Publication Date: 2026-01-12 23:24
Four rockets will launch from China this week, with two Chang Zheng family rockets carrying unknown payloads. Private Chinese spaceflight company Galactic Energy is set to debut its new Ceres 2 rocket, while also launching a payload on its workhorse Ceres 1S rocket. German spaceflight company Isar Aerospace is set to launch the second test flight of its Spectrum rocket from Norway. Follow NSF’s Next Spaceflight for updates and schedule changes.