Space & Aerospace
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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.
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.
Joby Flies Its First FAA-Conforming Aircraft as Electric Aviation's 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.
ESA and China's SMILE Spacecraft Arrives at Launch Site for April Liftoff to Map Earth's 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.
Astronomers Catch Two Planets Colliding 11,000 Light-Years Away in a Replay of the Impact That Formed Earth's 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.
NASA's 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.
CAS Space Targets Late March for Kinetica-2 Maiden Flight, China's 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.
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.
SpaceX Targets Mid-March for Starship Flight 12, Debut of Block 3 Hardware and Raptor 3 Engines
SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship Flight 12 in mid-March 2026, the first test of upgraded Block 3 vehicles powered by 33 Raptor 3 engines and the debut of Orbital Launch Pad 2.
NASA's Starliner Investigation Finds 61 Failures Across Engineering, Leadership, and Culture — Classifies Mission at Shuttle-Disaster Level
NASA classified the 2024 Boeing Starliner crewed flight as a Type A mishap — its most severe designation — after an investigation found helium leaks, thruster failures, suppressed dissent, and a culture of mistrust that stranded two astronauts for nine months.
SpaceX Asks the FCC to Approve One Million Orbital Data Center Satellites, Claiming AI Compute Will Be Cheapest in Space
SpaceX filed to launch up to one million solar-powered satellites for orbital AI computing, drawing skepticism from astronomers and feasibility questions from experts.
Ariane 64 Debuts as Europe's Most Powerful Rocket, Lofting 20 Tonnes of Amazon Leo Satellites on Maiden Flight
Europe's Ariane 6 flew its four-booster configuration for the first time, delivering 32 Amazon Leo satellites in the heaviest payload ever launched by a European rocket.