NASA Spaceflight
• Chris Bergin, Ryan Weber
SpaceX is moving toward a Starship Flight 12 attempt in mid-May, with an official launch-window notification indicating windows could begin as early as May 12. The update signals the start of renewed attempt planning after the prior shift that pushed the next test flight from April into May.
Via Satellite
• Mark Holmes
By Via Satellite: Loft is to play a key role in an ambitious next-generation Earth Observation (EO) constellation project in France. It is to partner with Magellium Artal Group after winning a multi-year contract worth up to tens of millions of euros from the French Space Agency (CNES) for the deployment of this constellation.
Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
By Space Intel Report: LA PLATA, Maryland — The European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), which for more than two decades has been producing satellite imagery-based security and military reports for EU nations, is on the threshold of a major increase in responsibility as the EU prepares to manage a constellation of high-revisit,.
Space.com
• Samantha Mathewson
By Space.com: Scientists are using drone radar on Earth to refine how spacecraft could locate and access buried water ice on Mars, improving future mission planning and astronaut resources.
SpaceNews.com
• Jason Rainbow
By SpaceNews.com: Investor attention is starting to shift toward ventures that could be enabled by orbital data centers, even as the massive computing networks proposed by SpaceX and others remain years from reality.
SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
By SpaceNews.com: GTON — President Donald Trump has nominated Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess for promotion to four-star general and selected him to become the next chief of space operations, positioning a career operator to lead the U.S.
Air & Space Forces Mag
Breaking Defense
Ars Technica
• Eric Berger
By Ars Technica: It's not clear whether Virgin Galactic has the cash reserves to fund a prolonged test phase.
Space.com
• Chelsea Gohd
By Space.com: Scientists have developed a new material that could shield humans and critical technology from harmful radiation, and it's thinner than a human hair and stretches like rubber.
SpaceWatch Global
• Torsten Kriening
SpaceNews.com
• Debra Werner
