A European Ariane 6 rocket is set to launch a record-breaking 36 Amazon Leo satellites to orbit from French Guiana on June 17. The mission will be the 14th Amazon Leo launch and the third performed by an Ariane 6, breaking new ground with the heaviest payload ever launched by the Ariane launcher. The Ariane 6 will deploy the satellites about 289 miles above Earth, with all 36 expected to be flying freely by one hour and

Switzerland has decided not to participate in the European Union's Copernicus Earth observation program during the 2028-2034 funding cycle, citing financial strains. The decision keeps Switzerland outside one of Europe's flagship space programs. The program operates under a free, full, and open data policy, but some components remain restricted to EU member states and contributing countries. The Swiss government may review the decision again in 2032. The decision has revived a broader debate over the value of [...]

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray spacecraft have captured the most detailed image yet of a jet erupting from the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87). This black hole, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the sun, was the first to be imaged by humanity in 2019. The X-ray image reveals a complex flow of material through the jets, with some structures moving at speeds that appear to be five [...]

A NASA investigation into a Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna mishap in Goldstone, California, has identified poor training and procedures as the primary causes of the incident. The 70-meter DSN antenna suffered damage when it over-rotated, resulting in $4.1-$4.6 million in damage. The investigation found six critical events leading up to the mishap, including inadequate training, procedures, and a reliance on undocumented behaviors. The incident has led to 20 recommendations, including improving training and procedures to prevent [...]

SpaceX will launch three giant direct-to-cell satellites, BlueBird 8, 9, and 10, from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 17, during a 96-minute window. The satellites, built by AST SpaceMobile, will form part of a constellation that beams internet service directly to cell phones. This is the company's eighth launch, and it will quadruple the number of next-generation satellites in low Earth orbit. The launch will be carried out using a Falcon 9 rocket, which [...]

PiLogic, a Los Angeles-based startup, has partnered with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to test its artificial intelligence software for predicting satellite faults. The two-year agreement will use an AFRL cubeSat launched in 2022 as a platform to evaluate PiLogic's software, which analyzes onboard sensor data to detect anomalies and predict potential failure modes. The company's software aims to provide engineers with an explainable understanding of spacecraft behavior, rather than simply generating alerts. This approach could [...]

SpaceX has surpassed Amazon as the fifth-most valuable company in the world, with a valuation of $2.7 trillion following a 20% stock price increase on Monday and an 8% rise in early trading Tuesday. The company's valuation has grown by $1 trillion since its initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, despite a $4.9 billion loss on $18.7 billion in revenue last year. SpaceX's recent acquisition of AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion and compute leasing deals [...]