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ESA

ESA outlines 2026 priorities: SMILE launch, BepiColombo Mercury arrival and ESA2040 operational phase

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher outlined 2026 milestones: the SMILE mission launch, designed to provide the first complete view of how Earth responds to solar particle streams and radiation bursts, and BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury after an eight‑year cruise. ESA will also move ESA2040 into operation with a €8.26bn budget.

2026-01-08T03:49:42.336976-08:00

The Atlantic

Inside Trump's attack on NASA's science missions

2026-01-08T04:11:40.950644-08:00

European Spaceflight

ESA revises barter deal with NASA to use LEO Cargo Return Service for ISS CSOC commitments

2026-01-08T04:49:48.328352-08:00

SpaceWatch Global

The Great Coordination Experiment: From Global SSA to a Circular Space Economy

2026-01-08T04:28:29.705277-08:00

News Timeline

European Spaceflight

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ESA revises barter deal with NASA to use LEO Cargo Return Service for ISS CSOC commitments The European Space Agency has agreed a revised barter arrangement with NASA to use the agency’s LEO Cargo Return Service to satisfy its CSOC commitments aboard the International Space Station, securing Europe’s access to return logistics through an in‑kind exchange rather than direct procurement.

2026-01-08T04:49:48.328352-08:00

ESA revises barter deal with NASA to use LEO Cargo Return Service for ISS CSOC commitments

SpaceWatch Global

The Great Coordination Experiment: From Global SSA to a Circular Space Economy As understanding of atmospheric effects on orbital operations advances, governments and industry are rapidly accelerating efforts to organise space traffic, share surveillance data and build common rules. That push aims to improve space situational awareness, manage congestion and enable a circular space economy through coordinated traffic and debris mitigation.

2026-01-08T04:28:29.705277-08:00

The Great Coordination Experiment: From Global SSA to a Circular Space Economy

SpaceNews.com

Interplanetary science needs a commercial backbone Interplanetary science needs a commercial backbone to enable more frequent, cost-effective missions and sustained research beyond episodic programs. Building that backbone will require commercial services, funding models, policy shifts and scalable industrial infrastructure to support routine access and operations across interplanetary space.

2026-01-08T04:12:21.425711-08:00

Interplanetary science needs a commercial backbone

The Atlantic

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Inside Trump's attack on NASA's science missions During his first year back in office, President Trump mounted a campaign to dismantle NASA's science missions, seeking deep cuts and structural changes that would sharply reduce federal support for space and Earth science. The moves imperil long-term research that underpins civil, commercial and defence capabilities.

2026-01-08T04:11:40.950644-08:00

Inside Trump's attack on NASA's science missions

ESA

ESA outlines 2026 priorities: SMILE launch, BepiColombo Mercury arrival and ESA2040 operational phase ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher outlined 2026 milestones: the SMILE mission launch, designed to provide the first complete view of how Earth responds to solar particle streams and radiation bursts, and BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury after an eight‑year cruise. ESA will also move ESA2040 into operation with a €8.26bn budget.

2026-01-08T03:49:42.336976-08:00

ESA outlines 2026 priorities: SMILE launch, BepiColombo Mercury arrival and ESA2040 operational phase

Reuters

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Medical concern aboard ISS postpones Crew-11 spacewalk; NASA weighing early return A medical concern affecting one astronaut on the International Space Station has forced the postponement of a planned Crew-11 spacewalk. NASA said it is evaluating all options, including the possibility of an earlier return for Crew-11, while investigators review the crew member's condition.

2026-01-07T22:04:32.229853-08:00

Medical concern aboard ISS postpones Crew-11 spacewalk; NASA weighing early return

SpaceNews.com

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SpaceX IPO to Broaden Investor Base and Reshape Commercial Space Financing SpaceX's planned IPO will open the company to public-market investors, broadening access to space-sector financing and reshaping capital allocation across launch, satellite services and on-orbit businesses. A blockbuster listing could compress private-market premiums and set public valuation benchmarks for competitors.

2026-01-07T06:08:16.141810-08:00

SpaceX IPO to Broaden Investor Base and Reshape Commercial Space Financing

Space.com

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Experts: Returning Mars samples before China should be a top U.S. priority Experts warn that Beijing could "well beat the U.S. with a grab sample," and say returning Mars samples should be a top U.S. priority to protect scientific lead, secure uncontested provenance of materials, strengthen international partnerships, and avoid rushed, reactionary policy responses.

2026-01-07T03:10:48.369878-08:00

Experts: Returning Mars samples before China should be a top U.S. priority

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Space Policy & International Cooperation News

ESA outlines 2026 priorities: SMILE launch, BepiColombo Mercury arrival and ESA2040 operational phase

Inside Trump's attack on NASA's science missions

ESA revises barter deal with NASA to use LEO Cargo Return Service for ISS CSOC commitments

The Great Coordination Experiment: From Global SSA to a Circular Space Economy

News Timeline