Space News
SpaceNews
- iMetalX emerges from stealth with technology to model resident space objects
by Debra Werner on March 13, 2026 at 11:32 pmSAN FRANCISCO – Northern California startup iMetalX Inc. emerged from stealth to announce a collaboration with Psionic, a Hampton, Virginia, company focused on autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments. Pairing Psionic’s Space Navigation Dopper Lidar with iMetalX’s Asgard data and simulation platform offers customers the ability to create accurate 3D models of resident space objects (RSOs) The post iMetalX emerges from stealth with technology to model resident space objects appeared first on SpaceNews.
- Astroscale selects Isar Aerospace to launch ELSA-M mission
by Jeff Foust on March 13, 2026 at 9:20 pmJapanese satellite servicing company Astroscale has selected Isar Aerospace to launch a deorbiting mission developed by its British subsidiary. The post Astroscale selects Isar Aerospace to launch ELSA-M mission appeared first on SpaceNews.
- China is developing low-cost lunar cargo options for its expanding moon program
by Andrew Jones on March 13, 2026 at 8:03 pmA state-owned space contractor has unveiled a concept for an “economical lunar cargo transport” system as China prepares for construction of a lunar base. The post China is developing low-cost lunar cargo options for its expanding moon program appeared first on SpaceNews.
- Ukraine will host first test for Leonardo’s Michelangelo security dome
by Emma Gatti on March 13, 2026 at 6:20 pmMILAN — The first field test of Leonardo’s Michelangelo “security dome” architecture will take place in Ukraine by the end of 2026, CEO Roberto Cingolani announced March 12. Michelangelo, first announced in November 2025, is Leonardo’s proposal for an integrated, multi-domain structure spanning air, land, maritime and space. The system is designed as an interoperable The post Ukraine will host first test for Leonardo’s Michelangelo security dome appeared first on SpaceNews.
- Eutelsat exits two Russian capacity leases after satellite failure
by Jason Rainbow on March 13, 2026 at 4:35 pmEutelsat has ended capacity leases on two Russian spacecraft after one failed in orbit and the other is set to relocate, escaping contracts hit by Western sanctions and the structural decline in TV broadcasts from GEO. The post Eutelsat exits two Russian capacity leases after satellite failure appeared first on SpaceNews.
Space.com
- Two days, two coasts, two more SpaceX Starlink batches launched
by robert@collectspace.com (Robert Z. Pearlman) on March 14, 2026 at 5:11 pmTwo SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets carrying Starlink satellites were launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 13 and 14, 2026.
- This Week In Space podcast: Episode 201 — Born to Explore
by info@space.com (Space.com Staff) on March 14, 2026 at 4:01 pmOn Episode 201 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Jay Gallentine to talk about former Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manager John Casani.
- Get cleaner photos of the night sky by using these tips to clean your camera lens without scratching it
on March 14, 2026 at 3:00 pmFollow these tips for cleaning the different parts of your camera lens, without risking damage.
- Boys from the Dwarf: Looking back at ‘Red Dwarf’, the sci-fi show that had a huge impact on my childhood
on March 14, 2026 at 2:00 pmRed Dwarf’s scouse technician Dave Lister was the last human alive, a down-on-his-luck slobbish space-hero long before Peter Quill guarded the galaxy.
- Why are some stars always visible while others come and go with the seasons?
on March 14, 2026 at 1:00 pmSo, why is it that Orion is not always visible in the night sky, and certainly not in the same location month after month, while the Big Dipper always is?
Phys.org
- Dry ice detected in a planetary nebula for the first time
on March 14, 2026 at 4:00 pmAn international team of astronomers has employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a complex planetary nebula known as NGC 6302. The observations, detailed in a paper published Feb. 25 on the arXiv pre-print server, resulted in the discovery of dry (carbon dioxide) ice in this nebula. This is the first time dry ice has been detected in a planetary nebula.
- A 100-solar-mass black hole merger ripples spacetime, and may flash in gamma rays
on March 13, 2026 at 9:20 pmAn international team from China and Italy has reported a possible cosmic encore to the landmark 2017 multi-messenger discovery. In November 2024, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observatories detected gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger, designated S241125n. Remarkably, just seconds later, satellites recorded a short gamma-ray burst (GRB) from the same region of the sky.
- Safer space travel: Scientists create a cosmic ray simulator
on March 13, 2026 at 3:20 pmCosmic rays are one of the greatest challenges for space travel and pose a considerable risk to humans and materials. For the first time on European soil, an international research team in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) has succeeded in providing a simulator for galactic cosmic rays at the GSI/FAIR accelerator facility in Darmstadt, Germany. The results have been published in two articles in the journal Life Sciences in Space Research.
- AI accelerates elucidation of nuclear forces with explosive neutron star data
on March 12, 2026 at 9:00 pmA research team is using astrophysical explosions to understand the mysterious forces at work in some of the smallest building blocks in nature: atomic nuclei. In new research published in Nature Communications, the team uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to decipher the data from astrophysical observations to better understand how neutrons and protons interact in dense matter at the quantum level.
- Galactic islands of tranquility: ‘Little red dots’ may have brewed life’s building blocks
on March 12, 2026 at 8:20 pmAstronomers have found that both the core of our Milky Way and the earliest proto-galaxies in the universe share a surprising trait: They are unusually calm and quiet in terms of harsh radiation. This tranquility is not just a cosmic curiosity; it may be essential for forming complex molecules that provide the ingredients of life.