Ars Technica
• Stephen Clark
After a saga of broken promises, a European rover finally has a ride to Mars
Ars Technica reports: Europe's first Mars rover mission is now on its fourth rocket: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy.
NASA News
Ars Technica
• Stephen Clark
News Timeline
Executives from three commercial space-station developers argued at the Space Symposium that the low-Earth-orbit (LEO) market is real and they can be ready by 2030, when the International Space Station is scheduled for retirement. Their remarks directly counter NASA’s claim that a commercial station market has yet to develop.
All Points Logistics has signed an agreement with NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to construct satellite payload processing facilities on center property, including an exclusive lease for 64 acres. The project calls for a ~266,000-square-foot Spaceport Logistics Center and a ~275,000-square-foot Spacecraft Processing Center.
NASA is pursuing new Earth science mission concepts with “commercial” and “exploration” linkages, signaling an intent to integrate externally sourced capabilities and cross-mission technology needs. The approach reframes how Earth observation payloads and supporting services may be procured and delivered.
SpaceWatch.GLOBAL’s coverage of the Space Symposium frames Houston 2029 as a new focal point for the Artemis-era space economy. Organizers cite record submissions (8,300 abstracts) and a rapidly expanding, transatlantic participation push, as sessions pivot from agility to autonomy and explore emerging “supply chain” enablers like electromagnetic launch concepts.
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft logged its first wheels-up flight over the Mojave Desert on April 3, 2026, reaching 6,096 meters and 740 km/h. The sortie demonstrates progress toward lower sonic-boom overland supersonic operations.
Ubotica and Open Cosmos have partnered with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to collaborate on the Flight Demonstration of the FAME program. The effort targets demonstration work for an autonomous intelligent satellite network, building on each company’s satellite automation capabilities under JPL guidance.
Expedition 74’s March operations focused on station activity tied to vehicle traffic and crew EVA planning. The crew cycle included vehicle departures from the International Space Station and a spacewalk executed during the month as part of ongoing station maintenance and upgrades.
Create a free account to see more recent clusters.