SpaceNews https://spacenews.com/ Covering the business and politics of space Sun, 12 Apr 2026 09:48:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-SN_forza_star-32x32.png SpaceNews https://spacenews.com/ 32 32 80681979 Rocket Lab wins contract for three more iQPS launches https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-wins-contract-for-three-more-iqps-launches/ Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:43:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=586032 Electron launch

Rocket Lab has won a contract from Japanese radar satellite company iQPS for three additional Electron launches.

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Falcon 9 launches Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the ISS https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-cygnus-cargo-spacecraft-to-the-iss/ Sat, 11 Apr 2026 16:28:21 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585925 Falcon 9 NG-24 launch

A Falcon 9 launched a Cygnus cargo spacecraft April 11 as Northrop Grumman continues its dependence on a competitor to fly resupply missions to the International Space Station.

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Moog Technology Keeps Artemis II Astronauts Safe During Historic Lunar Mission https://spacenews.com/moog-technology-keeps-artemis-ii-astronauts-safe-during-historic-lunar-mission/ Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:41:38 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585810 Moog

East Aurora, NY – Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B), a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and systems integrator of high-performance precision motion and fluid controls and control systems, highlights the critical […]

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Orion splashes down to successfully end Artemis 2 mission https://spacenews.com/orion-splashes-down-to-successfully-end-artemis-2-mission/ Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:16:13 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585799 Artemis 2 splashdown

The first human mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years successfully concluded with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean April 10.

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HawkEye 360 files to go public https://spacenews.com/hawkeye-360-files-to-go-public/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:36:54 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585732

Based in Herndon, Virginia, the company specializes in space-based radio-frequency signals intelligence for government agencies

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Spacety raises $190 million to scale satellite manufacturing, plans IPO https://spacenews.com/spacety-raises-190-million-to-scale-satellite-manufacturing-plans-ipo/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:59:12 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585725 An image returned by the Hisea-1 C-band Chinese SAR satellite in December 2020.

Chinese satellite maker Spacety has completed multiple rounds of equity financing worth $190 million to scale its vertically integrated satellite manufacturing and data services model.

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GSOA and Novaspace Launch the Space Industry Forum (SIF) 2026 in Singapore https://spacenews.com/gsoa-and-novaspace-launch-the-space-industry-forum-sif-2026-in-singapore/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:48:10 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585621

Paris, April 2026 – GSOA and Novaspace announce the inaugural edition of the Space Industry Forum (SIF), a new flagship event co-organized by both organizations, taking place on May 19, 2026, at The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. […]

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Commerce Department budget proposal revives concerns about TraCSS https://spacenews.com/commerce-department-budget-proposal-revives-concerns-about-tracss/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:10:21 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585662 The TraCSS logo. Credit: NOAA

A budget proposal for the Department of Commerce raises new doubts about the future of a civil space traffic management system under development there.

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China’s Chang’e-7 arrives at spaceport for lunar south pole exploration mission https://spacenews.com/chinas-change-7-arrives-at-spaceport-for-lunar-south-pole-exploration-mission/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:52:13 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585655

China’s multi-element Chang’e-7 lunar spacecraft has arrived at Wenchang spaceport for launch preparations ahead of a planned liftoff in the second half of 2026.

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NASA prepares for Artemis 2 return https://spacenews.com/nasa-prepares-for-artemis-2-return/ Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:31:26 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585646 Orion moon

The Artemis 2 mission is set for a final, fiery test when the spacecraft reenters April 10 ahead of a splashdown off the California coast.

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PLD Space secures $35 million European Investment Bank loan for MIURA 5 launcher https://spacenews.com/pld-space-secures-35-million-european-investment-bank-loan-for-miura-5-launcher/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:34:17 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585484 Miura 1 launch

MILAN – PLD Space signed a 30 million euro ($35 million) venture debt loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB) on April 7, a move to support the final development stage of MIURA 5, PLD’s lightweight rocket. Miura 5, which is designed to deploy roughly 540 kilograms to 1 ton of payload to low Earth […]

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Heather Pringle on the upcoming Space Symposium and future international collaboration in space https://spacenews.com/heather-pringle-on-the-upcoming-space-symposium-and-future-international-collaboration-in-space/ https://spacenews.com/heather-pringle-on-the-upcoming-space-symposium-and-future-international-collaboration-in-space/#respond Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:59:11 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585053

In this episode of the Space Minds podcast, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Heather Pringle, a retired Major General of the US Air Force who is now the CEO of the […]

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China conducts pair of Long March launches for Thousand Sails and Guowang megaconstellations https://spacenews.com/china-conducts-pair-of-long-march-launches-for-thousand-sails-and-guowang-megaconstellations/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:23:45 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585267

China carried out separate Long March 8 and Long March 6A launches this week, adding new batches of satellites to the country’s megaconstellation projects.

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A new kind of arsenal: commercial satellites https://spacenews.com/a-new-kind-of-arsenal-commercial-satellites/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=584604

he Pentagon is no longer asking whether commercial space will matter in future conflicts. It is building a strategy around the assumption that it will.

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What returning to lunar space means for human health https://spacenews.com/what-returning-to-lunar-space-means-for-human-health/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585008 Artemis 2 earthset

Preparing to send astronauts back to the moon is no small feat. Spaceflight exposes the body to both known and unknown risks, some of which are subtle, cumulative and difficult to predict. When humans were last on the lunar surface in 1972, they stayed for just over three days. On that final mission, Apollo astronauts […]

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Portal Space Systems raises $50 million to accelerate spacecraft development https://spacenews.com/portal-space-systems-raises-50-million-to-accelerate-spacecraft-development/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585202 Portal spacecraft

Space mobility company Portal Space Systems has raised $50 million to scale up development of its highly maneuverable spacecraft.

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Space Force taps 14 firms for $1.8 billion GEO surveillance program https://spacenews.com/space-force-taps-14-firms-for-1-8-billion-geo-surveillance-program/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:26:24 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585218

The companies will compete for contracts to build ‘neighborhood watch’ satellites

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Albedo prepares second VLEO mission for 2027 launch https://spacenews.com/albedo-prepares-second-vleo-mission-for-2027-launch/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585102

SAN FRANCISCO – Albedo, the former Earth-observation startup now focused on satellite manufacturing, announced plans April 9 to send its second spacecraft into very low-Earth orbit (VLEO). Vicinity, scheduled to launch in 2027, will deploy solar arrays to provide far more power than the solar panels mounted on Precision, the bus that housed Albedo’s 2025 […]

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Lockheed Martin wins $105 million contract for GPS ground control system as OCX winds down https://spacenews.com/lockheed-martin-wins-105-million-contract-for-gps-ground-control-system-as-ocx-winds-down/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:26:44 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585206

The contract supports next-generation GPS IIIF satellites through 2030

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Vantor to expand imaging satellite fleet, adding smallsats to increase revisit rates https://spacenews.com/vantor-to-expand-imaging-satellite-fleet-adding-smallsats-to-increase-revisit-rates/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585103

The new architecture combines high resolution with rapid revisit

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Apex to develop larger satellites for missile defense, space-based computing https://spacenews.com/apex-to-develop-larger-satellites-for-missile-defense-space-based-computing/ Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585123

‘Comet Mini’ and ‘Comet XL’ target energy-intensive missions

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Improved thresholds and SSA accuracy can reduce most satellite collision risk https://spacenews.com/improved-thresholds-and-ssa-accuracy-can-reduce-most-satellite-collision-risk/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 20:15:46 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=585081

Improving the accuracy of space situational awareness data and using tighter thresholds for potential conjunctions can help retire most satellite collision risk in LEO, a new study concludes.

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Space Sovereignty Is No Longer Optional https://spacenews.com/space-sovereignty-is-no-longer-optional/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:50:50 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=584506

A Critical Infrastructure Under Strain Space has quietly become the infrastructure beneath modern life. From financial transactions synchronised by satellite timing to military operations reliant on secure communications, the global […]

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April 30: Opportunities for On-Orbit Computing https://spacenews.com/opportunities-for-on-orbit-computing-event/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:31:45 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=584648

Join us in Washington, D.C., for the next event in our orbital data centers series

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