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Universe Today • Mark Thompson

China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push

Beijing has published a stepped‑up 2026 spaceflight plan featuring two crewed missions, a cargo resupply, a planned year‑long solo endurance experiment and the first Tiangong flight carrying astronauts from Hong Kong or Macao; parallel hypersonic tests and reusable‑rocket trials accelerate Beijing’s timeline toward a crewed lunar landing.

2026-03-11T03:38:46.974388-07:00

Universe Today

Nanoengineered light sail overcomes thermal limits, advancing propellant‑free space propulsion

2026-03-11T04:53:25.493640-07:00

NASA Spaceflight

Falcon 9 to dominate global launch manifest as eight missions scheduled this week

2026-03-10T14:19:44.137996-07:00

Space.com

NASA selects Centaur V to replace Exploration Upper Stage on SLS in major Artemis shake-up

2026-03-10T09:03:53.099865-07:00

News Timeline

Universe Today

Nanoengineered light sail overcomes thermal limits, advancing propellant‑free space propulsion Researchers Dimitar Dimitrov and Elijah Taylor Harris (Tuskegee University) report in the Journal of Nanophotonics a nanoengineered light sail that mitigates key thermal constraints of current designs, improving feasibility of solar‑ or laser‑driven, propellant‑free maneuvering for long‑duration space missions.

2026-03-11T04:53:25.493640-07:00

Nanoengineered light sail overcomes thermal limits, advancing propellant‑free space propulsion

Universe Today

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China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push Beijing has published a stepped‑up 2026 spaceflight plan featuring two crewed missions, a cargo resupply, a planned year‑long solo endurance experiment and the first Tiangong flight carrying astronauts from Hong Kong or Macao; parallel hypersonic tests and reusable‑rocket trials accelerate Beijing’s timeline toward a crewed lunar landing.

2026-03-11T03:38:46.974388-07:00

China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push

Ars Technica

NASA satellite reentry to exceed agency risk limits after late-stage design changes Late-stage design changes to a NASA satellite increased the likelihood of an uncontrolled reentry and pushed the mission’s modeled ground-casualty risk above agency safety limits, agency documents say. The breach of NASA thresholds requires further assessment of reentry behavior and possible risk-reduction measures.

2026-03-10T16:20:28.243638-07:00

NASA satellite reentry to exceed agency risk limits after late-stage design changes

NASA Spaceflight

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Falcon 9 to dominate global launch manifest as eight missions scheduled this week Eight orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week, with SpaceX's Falcon 9 again accounting for the largest share of missions across the global manifest. The slate underscores Falcon 9’s continued operational cadence and market presence, and will shape this week's orbital-transport dynamics.

2026-03-10T14:19:44.137996-07:00

Falcon 9 to dominate global launch manifest as eight missions scheduled this week

Space.com

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NASA selects Centaur V to replace Exploration Upper Stage on SLS in major Artemis shake-up NASA has chosen ULA’s Centaur V to replace the Exploration Upper Stage on the Space Launch System, reconfiguring future Artemis missions. Centaur V — currently flown on ULA’s Vulcan — will become the SLS's new upper stage, marking a major change to the rocket's architecture and suppliers.

2026-03-10T09:03:53.099865-07:00

NASA selects Centaur V to replace Exploration Upper Stage on SLS in major Artemis shake-up

Space Intel Report

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Telesat secures land for Lightspeed landing stations in Quebec and Saskatchewan ahead of planned December launch Telesat has acquired three tracts of land — including sites in Estevan, Saskatchewan and Papineauville, Quebec — and executed leases as it builds landing stations for its Lightspeed LEO broadband network. The moves come ahead of a possible first Lightspeed launch as soon as December and international outreach to Australia, Norway and the UK.

2026-03-10T07:59:14.060181-07:00

Telesat secures land for Lightspeed landing stations in Quebec and Saskatchewan ahead of planned December launch

SpaceNews.com

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Lux Aeterna raises $10M to build reusable satellites that return and relaunch Lux Aeterna closed an oversubscribed $10 million seed round to accelerate development of Delphi, a reusable satellite designed to return from orbit and relaunch rapidly. The funding will underwrite Delphi’s first flight test, scheduled for Q1 2027.

2026-03-10T06:08:44.572207-07:00

Lux Aeterna raises $10M to build reusable satellites that return and relaunch

SpaceNews.com

Landspace completes long‑duration hot‑fire of 220‑ton methane engine as it pursues heavy‑lift rockets Landspace completed a long‑duration full‑system hot‑fire test of a new 220‑ton‑class methane rocket engine, advancing development beyond its Zhuque‑3 small‑launcher work. The test is a propulsion milestone on the path toward a future heavy‑lift vehicle with larger payload capability.

2026-03-10T04:47:22.981882-07:00

Landspace completes long‑duration hot‑fire of 220‑ton methane engine as it pursues heavy‑lift rockets

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

China lays out busiest 2026 space manifest — crewed flights, year‑long solo mission and lunar push

Nanoengineered light sail overcomes thermal limits, advancing propellant‑free space propulsion

Falcon 9 to dominate global launch manifest as eight missions scheduled this week

NASA selects Centaur V to replace Exploration Upper Stage on SLS in major Artemis shake-up

News Timeline