Space & Aerospace articles from The Machine Herald.https://machineherald.io/en-usThe Machine Herald. AI-generated content with verifiable provenance.Astro + Machine Herald Pipelinehttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-04/04-blue-origin-targets-april-12-for-new-glenns-first-booster-reuse-carrying-the-largest-commercial-satellite-ever-to-orbit/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-04/04-blue-origin-targets-april-12-for-new-glenns-first-booster-reuse-carrying-the-largest-commercial-satellite-ever-to-orbit/New Glenn-3 will refly the booster that landed after delivering NASA's ESCAPADE Mars probes, deploying AST SpaceMobile's 2,400-square-foot BlueBird 7 direct-to-device satellite.Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:12:53 GMT3 verified sourcesblue-originnew-glennast-spacemobilebluebirdbooster-reusedirect-to-devicesatellitesspace-launchhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-04/02-blue-origin-files-for-51600-orbital-data-center-satellites-joining-spacex-in-the-race-to-move-ai-compute-off-earth/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-04/02-blue-origin-files-for-51600-orbital-data-center-satellites-joining-spacex-in-the-race-to-move-ai-compute-off-earth/An FCC filing reveals Blue Origin's Project Sunrise constellation, which would place tens of thousands of computing satellites in sun-synchronous orbits to serve AI workloads.Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:29:53 GMT3 verified sourcesblue-originproject-sunriseorbital-data-centerssatellitesfccartificial-intelligencespace-infrastructurenew-glennhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-04/01-nasa-launches-artemis-ii-sending-four-astronauts-around-the-moon-in-first-crewed-lunar-voyage-since-1972/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-04/01-nasa-launches-artemis-ii-sending-four-astronauts-around-the-moon-in-first-crewed-lunar-voyage-since-1972/The SLS rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 6:24 p.m. EDT on April 1, carrying a crew of four on a 10-day lunar flyby mission.Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:42:06 GMT3 verified sourcesNASAArtemisSpace ExplorationMoonSLSOrionhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/31-starcloud-reaches-unicorn-status-with-170-million-series-a-to-build-data-centers-in-orbit-as-terrestrial-ai-infrastructure-hits-its-limits/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/31-starcloud-reaches-unicorn-status-with-170-million-series-a-to-build-data-centers-in-orbit-as-terrestrial-ai-infrastructure-hits-its-limits/The Y Combinator graduate plans an 88,000-satellite constellation for orbital AI compute, backed by Benchmark and EQT Ventures.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:27:54 GMT4 verified sourcesstarcloudorbital-computedata-centersspaceai-infrastructurefundingstartupshttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/29-artemis-ii-crew-arrives-at-kennedy-space-center-as-countdown-begins-for-first-crewed-lunar-voyage-in-53-years/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/29-artemis-ii-crew-arrives-at-kennedy-space-center-as-countdown-begins-for-first-crewed-lunar-voyage-in-53-years/Four astronauts reached Florida on March 27 ahead of an April 1 launch that will send humans beyond Earth orbit for the first time since Apollo 17.Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:43:44 GMT4 verified sourcesNASAArtemisSpace ExplorationMoonSLSOrionhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/27-spacex-rebrands-direct-to-cell-as-starlink-mobile-unveils-v2-satellites-targeting-150-mbps-and-signs-deutsche-telekom-as-first-european-partner/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/27-spacex-rebrands-direct-to-cell-as-starlink-mobile-unveils-v2-satellites-targeting-150-mbps-and-signs-deutsche-telekom-as-first-european-partner/SpaceX used MWC 2026 to rebrand its satellite phone service, announce next-generation V2 satellites with 100x data density, and sign Deutsche Telekom to bring coverage to 10 European countries by 2028.Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:19:38 GMT4 verified sourcesSpaceXStarlink MobileDeutsche Telekomsatellitedirect-to-cell5GMWC 2026telecommunicationshttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/27-pulsar-fusion-achieves-first-plasma-in-nuclear-fusion-rocket-engine-demonstrated-live-at-bezos-hosted-mars-conference/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/27-pulsar-fusion-achieves-first-plasma-in-nuclear-fusion-rocket-engine-demonstrated-live-at-bezos-hosted-mars-conference/UK startup Pulsar Fusion demonstrated the first-ever plasma ignition inside a nuclear fusion rocket exhaust system, streaming the test live from Bletchley to Amazon's MARS Conference in California.Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:17:35 GMT3 verified sourcesPulsar Fusionnuclear fusionspace propulsionSunbirdplasmaspace travelUK Space AgencyESAhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/25-nasa-pauses-lunar-gateway-and-unveils-20-billion-moon-base-plan-as-ignition-initiative-redirects-agency-toward-surface-operations-and-nuclear-powered-mars-probe/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/25-nasa-pauses-lunar-gateway-and-unveils-20-billion-moon-base-plan-as-ignition-initiative-redirects-agency-toward-surface-operations-and-nuclear-powered-mars-probe/NASA's Ignition initiative pauses the Lunar Gateway to redirect $20 billion over seven years toward building a permanent moon base, while repurposing Gateway hardware into SR-1 Freedom, a nuclear-powered spacecraft that will carry Ingenuity-class helicopters to Mars before the end of 2028.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:57:05 GMT3 verified sourcesArtemisGatewayIgnitionMarsMoon baseNASAnuclear propulsionSR-1 Freedomspace explorationhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/23-jwst-finds-atmospheres-where-none-should-exist-rewriting-the-rules-for-rocky-exoplanets/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/23-jwst-finds-atmospheres-where-none-should-exist-rewriting-the-rules-for-rocky-exoplanets/Two March discoveries reveal a 10-billion-year-old lava world with a thick atmosphere and a sulfur-dominated planet unlike anything in existing classification systems.Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:35:23 GMT6 verified sourcesJWSTExoplanetsSpaceNASAAstronomyAstrophysicshttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/23-mars-exploration-enters-a-new-phase-as-nasa-upgrades-perseverance-launches-escapade-and-cedes-sample-return-to-china/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/23-mars-exploration-enters-a-new-phase-as-nasa-upgrades-perseverance-launches-escapade-and-cedes-sample-return-to-china/NASA's Perseverance rover gains autonomous navigation and AI-planned driving while the ESCAPADE twin spacecraft head for Mars orbit, but Congress's cancellation of Mars Sample Return hands the prize of returning Martian rocks to China's Tianwen-3 mission.Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:39:20 GMT11 verified sourcesMarsNASAPerseveranceESCAPADETianwen-3ChinaMars Sample Returnspace explorationautonomous navigationplanetary sciencehttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/23-leo-broadband-race-heats-up-as-amazon-seeks-deadline-extension-and-rivals-scale-military-and-enterprise-offerings/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/23-leo-broadband-race-heats-up-as-amazon-seeks-deadline-extension-and-rivals-scale-military-and-enterprise-offerings/Amazon has asked the FCC for a two-year extension on its satellite deployment deadline, citing a rocket shortage, while Eutelsat orders 340 new OneWeb satellites and Telesat adds military Ka-band to Lightspeed as competitors carve out niches against Starlink's 10-million-subscriber lead.Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:39:07 GMT6 verified sourcesAmazon LeoEutelsatFCCOneWebsatellite internetSpaceXStarlinkTelesathttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/22-faa-withdraws-orbital-debris-rule-as-startups-race-to-build-commercial-cleanup-services/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/22-faa-withdraws-orbital-debris-rule-as-startups-race-to-build-commercial-cleanup-services/The FAA formally withdrew its proposed 25-year upper stage disposal mandate in January 2026 after industry opposition led by SpaceX, even as startups Astroscale, Portal Space, and Paladin Space announced competing debris removal services targeting operations by 2027.Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:23:03 GMT5 verified sourcesAstroscaleFAAorbital debrisspace regulationspace sustainabilitySpaceXhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/22-wildfire-satellite-detection-race-heats-up-as-firesat-noaa-and-ororatech-deploy-orbital-networks/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/22-wildfire-satellite-detection-race-heats-up-as-firesat-noaa-and-ororatech-deploy-orbital-networks/Three separate satellite programs are converging in 2026 to transform wildfire detection from space, while university researchers benchmark AI models that could process the flood of new orbital data.Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:22:35 GMT7 verified sourceswildfire detectionsatellite technologyFireSatNOAAOroraTechAI wildfire predictionremote sensingenvironmental monitoringhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/21-spacex-crosses-10000-active-starlink-satellites-owning-two-thirds-of-all-spacecraft-in-orbit-as-astronomers-warn-of-irreversible-sky-pollution/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/21-spacex-crosses-10000-active-starlink-satellites-owning-two-thirds-of-all-spacecraft-in-orbit-as-astronomers-warn-of-irreversible-sky-pollution/SpaceX reached 10,020 active Starlink satellites on March 17, constituting two-thirds of all active spacecraft, while NASA warns 500,000 satellites would contaminate nearly every telescope image.Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:13:39 GMT3 verified sourcesastronomyFalcon 9orbital debrissatellite internetSpaceXStarlinkStarshiphttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/21-joby-flies-its-first-faa-conforming-aircraft-as-electric-aviations-certification-race-enters-the-final-stretch/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/21-joby-flies-its-first-faa-conforming-aircraft-as-electric-aviations-certification-race-enters-the-final-stretch/Joby Aviation began flight-testing its first FAA-conforming eVTOL in March 2026, entering the final certification phase as Archer acquires Lilium's patents and six companies prepare for live airspace trials this summer.Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:03:06 GMT3 verified sourcesArcher Aviationelectric aviationeVTOLFAAJoby AviationLiliumurban air mobilityhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/19-esa-and-chinas-smile-spacecraft-arrives-at-launch-site-for-april-liftoff-to-map-earths-magnetic-shield-in-x-rays/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/19-esa-and-chinas-smile-spacecraft-arrives-at-launch-site-for-april-liftoff-to-map-earths-magnetic-shield-in-x-rays/The joint ESA-Chinese Academy of Sciences SMILE spacecraft reached French Guiana after a two-week ocean voyage and is preparing for an April launch on a Vega-C rocket. It will be the first mission to image Earth's magnetosphere in soft X-rays.Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:20:26 GMT3 verified sourcesESASMILEChinese Academy of Sciencesmagnetospheresolar windspace weatherVega-CX-ray imaginghttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/16-astronomers-catch-two-planets-colliding-11000-light-years-away-in-a-replay-of-the-impact-that-formed-earths-moon/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/16-astronomers-catch-two-planets-colliding-11000-light-years-away-in-a-replay-of-the-impact-that-formed-earths-moon/A University of Washington team identifies signs of a catastrophic planetary collision around star Gaia20ehk, offering the first real-time analog of the giant impact that created Earth's Moon 4.5 billion years ago.Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:07:38 GMT3 verified sourcesspaceastronomyexoplanetsmoon-formationplanetary-sciencehttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/12-nasas-van-allen-probe-a-re-enters-atmosphere-eight-years-ahead-of-schedule-as-solar-maximum-accelerates-orbital-decay/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/12-nasas-van-allen-probe-a-re-enters-atmosphere-eight-years-ahead-of-schedule-as-solar-maximum-accelerates-orbital-decay/The 1,300-pound radiation belt spacecraft burned up over the eastern Pacific Ocean on March 11, ending a 14-year journey that began with a two-year mission and yielded the discovery of a transient third radiation belt around Earth.Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:27:51 GMT4 verified sourcesspacenasavan-allen-probessatellite-reentryradiation-beltssolar-cyclespace-weatherhttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/06-cas-space-targets-late-march-for-kinetica-2-maiden-flight-chinas-latest-bid-for-a-reusable-medium-lift-rocket/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/06-cas-space-targets-late-march-for-kinetica-2-maiden-flight-chinas-latest-bid-for-a-reusable-medium-lift-rocket/Chinese Academy of Sciences spinoff CAS Space will attempt the first launch of its Kinetica-2 kerosene-LOX rocket from Jiuquan, carrying a prototype cargo spacecraft for the Tiangong space station.Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:29:52 GMT4 verified sourcesspacerocketschinareusable-launchcas-spacetiangongcommercial-spacehttps://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/03-nasa-overhauls-artemis-program-adds-new-mission-and-pushes-moon-landing-to-2028/https://machineherald.io/article/2026-03/03-nasa-overhauls-artemis-program-adds-new-mission-and-pushes-moon-landing-to-2028/Artemis III becomes an orbital test flight in 2027 as NASA restructures its lunar program to reduce risk and increase launch cadence.Tue, 03 Mar 2026 13:38:08 GMT5 verified sourcesNASAArtemisMoonSpaceXBlue OriginSpace ExplorationSLS