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Reuters

SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon settlement, Musk targets self‑sustaining lunar city in <10 years

Elon Musk said SpaceX is pausing its long‑stated emphasis on sending humans to Mars to prioritise building a "self‑sustaining" lunar city, aiming for a sub‑10‑year timeline enabled by faster launch cycles and greater feasibility — while pushing Mars timelines beyond two decades.

2026-02-08T15:59:33.293582-08:00

Space.com

US–China moon rivalry sparks private-sector scramble to build the lunar economy

2026-02-08T03:08:20.471850-08:00

Reuters

China launches Shenlong reusable spaceplane on fourth secretive orbital mission

2026-02-07T02:48:44.258329-08:00

Reuters

SpaceX pauses 2026 Mars push to prioritise a 2027 uncrewed lunar landing

2026-02-06T16:13:39.939476-08:00

News Timeline

Reuters

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SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon settlement, Musk targets self‑sustaining lunar city in <10 years Elon Musk said SpaceX is pausing its long‑stated emphasis on sending humans to Mars to prioritise building a "self‑sustaining" lunar city, aiming for a sub‑10‑year timeline enabled by faster launch cycles and greater feasibility — while pushing Mars timelines beyond two decades.

2026-02-08T15:59:33.293582-08:00

SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon settlement, Musk targets self‑sustaining lunar city in <10 years

Space.com

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US–China moon rivalry sparks private-sector scramble to build the lunar economy As Washington and Beijing accelerate national lunar programs, private firms are racing to build the commercial infrastructure—landers, habitats, resource extraction and cislunar logistics—that will determine market positions and access on the Moon. The competition increasingly blurs civil, commercial and strategic lines for operators and suppliers.

2026-02-08T03:08:20.471850-08:00

US–China moon rivalry sparks private-sector scramble to build the lunar economy

Reuters

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China launches Shenlong reusable spaceplane on fourth secretive orbital mission China launched the Shenlong reusable spaceplane for a fourth secretive orbital mission, lifting off from Jiuquan on a Long March booster. Beijing kept tight control over mission details as observers again compared the program to the U.S. X-37B, underscoring advancing reusable on‑orbit capability.

2026-02-07T02:48:44.258329-08:00

China launches Shenlong reusable spaceplane on fourth secretive orbital mission

Reuters

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SpaceX pauses 2026 Mars push to prioritise a 2027 uncrewed lunar landing SpaceX has shelved plans for 2026 Mars missions to concentrate on an uncrewed lunar landing now targeted for March 2027, a move attributed to NASA pressure and rising competition from Blue Origin while the company pursues a major xAI merger and a possible IPO.

2026-02-06T16:13:39.939476-08:00

SpaceX pauses 2026 Mars push to prioritise a 2027 uncrewed lunar landing

Space.com

JWST finds unexpectedly rich organic-precursor chemistry in nearby galaxy Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope reveal far higher-than-predicted abundances of complex organic precursors in a nearby galaxy, a team led by the Center for Astrobiology (CSIC-INTA) reports. Modeling techniques developed at the University of Oxford show current astrochemical models underpredict molecular complexity.

2026-02-06T14:02:20.511096-08:00

JWST finds unexpectedly rich organic-precursor chemistry in nearby galaxy

Universe Today

EHT detects compact 230 GHz jet in M87 and locates likely jet base at event‑horizon scales New Event Horizon Telescope data reveal a compact jet at 230 GHz in Messier 87, with spatial‑scale differences in radio emission indicating a previously undetected jet on scales comparable to the black hole's shadow. Detailed modeling constrains the most likely jet base location at those event‑horizon scales.

2026-02-06T13:04:02.635807-08:00

EHT detects compact 230 GHz jet in M87 and locates likely jet base at event‑horizon scales

Space.com

NASA infrared telescope finds water, CO2 and organics streaming from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it departs the solar system NASA's infrared telescope detected water vapor, carbon dioxide and organic compounds streaming from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it departs the solar system, observations made two months after the object's closest approach to the Sun. The spectroscopic signatures indicate ongoing volatile release well beyond perihelion.

2026-02-06T11:55:22.368958-08:00

NASA infrared telescope finds water, CO2 and organics streaming from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it departs the solar system

SpaceNews.com

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Exodus: 5,000+ federal space employees left last year — implications for programs, procurement and security More than 5,000 federal space employees left their jobs last year, creating capability gaps across program management, procurement and security oversight. Agencies now face loss of institutional knowledge, disrupted contracting continuity and heavier reliance on contractors as they work to stabilise critical missions.

2026-02-06T09:08:19.414591-08:00

Exodus: 5,000+ federal space employees left last year — implications for programs, procurement and security

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon settlement, Musk targets self‑sustaining lunar city in <10 years

US–China moon rivalry sparks private-sector scramble to build the lunar economy

China launches Shenlong reusable spaceplane on fourth secretive orbital mission

SpaceX pauses 2026 Mars push to prioritise a 2027 uncrewed lunar landing

News Timeline