https://spacewatch.global/space-frontiers/frontiers-news/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:58:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/space-frontiers/frontiers-news/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/jaxa-sets-october-launch-for-mmx-mars-region-sample-return-mission/ Fri, 21 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76816 JAXA has set 20 October for the launch of MMX, the world's first mission designed to return a sample from the Mars region, also demonstrating round-trip Earth–Mars travel technologies."]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/zeno-power-systems-radioisotope-heater-unit-to-fly-on-a-firefly-2028-mission-to-the-moons-near-side/ Thu, 20 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76745 Zeno Power's radioisotope heater unit will fly on a Firefly mission to the Moon's near side in 2028, demonstrating survive-the-night technology for operating through the lunar dark.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/link-spacecraft-will-not-attempt-to-raise-the-swift-observatory/ Thu, 20 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76764 NASA and Katalyst Space have confirmed the LINK spacecraft will not attempt to reboost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, after attitude-control problems ruled out a docking. LINK will still perform rendezvous and proximity operations as a technology demonstrator - while Swift, without onboard propulsion, is likely to drop below 300km by October 2026.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/esa-astronaut-sophie-adenot-makes-history-as-first-frenchwoman-to-perform-a-spacewalk/ Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76719 ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has become the first Frenchwoman to perform a spacewalk, venturing outside the International Space Station yesterday, 18 August, with NASA astronaut Anil Menon to repair a crucial piece of equipment.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/astrolight-and-atmos-space-cargo-target-first-in-flight-reentry-capsule-to-satellite-laser-link/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76400 Astrolight and ATMOS Space Cargo have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly demonstrate the first in-flight optical communications link between a re-entry spacecraft and an orbiting satellite next year.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/cospar-2026-ends-pascale-ehrenfreund-re-elected-president/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76418 COSPAR has re-elected Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund as president for a four-year term, closing a Florence assembly that drew 3,000 attendees and returned to Italy after a 46-year gap - with the next edition set for Dubai in 2028.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/redwires-spacemd-announces-its-first-commercial-microgravity-research-mission-on-spacexs-starfall-spacecraft/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76359 Redwire's SpaceMD has booked its first commercial microgravity mission on SpaceX's new Starfall reentry capsule, flying drug candidates for in-orbit research before return to Earth.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/axiom-space-appoints-dr-renato-krpoun-as-chief-of-international-operations-for-new-swiss-subsidiary/ Fri, 07 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76270 Axiom Space has appointed Dr. Renato Krpoun to lead its new Swiss subsidiary in Lucerne as Chief of International Operations for EMEA.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/nasa-confirms-falcon-9s-upper-stage-crash-onto-the-lunar-surface-after-launching-back-in-january-2025/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76237 NASA has confirmed that a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage - which launched ispace's Resilience and Firefly's Blue Ghost landers in January 2025 - made an 'unplanned impact' on the lunar surface on 5 August.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/nasa-selects-lunar-outpost-to-advance-its-starweave-autonomous-robotic-swarm-software/ Tue, 04 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76141 NASA has selected Lunar Outpost to advance Starweave, its distributed software layer enabling robotic swarms to operate as autonomous, coordinated fleets for lunar and Mars infrastructure.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/outlier-space-raises-us7-35m-to-develop-a-commercial-microgravity-research-and-return-platform/ Mon, 03 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76102 New Zealand's Outlier Space has raised a US$7.35m pre-seed round, led by GD1, to unlock microgravity manufacturing with a scalable, reusable satellite platform.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/ispace-to-launch-its-mission-3-ultra-lunar-lander-aboard-mitsubishi-heavy-industries-h3-rocket/ Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76031 ispace, inc. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. have signed a contract for the launch and transportation of ispace’s Mission 3 ULTRA Lunar Lander using the latter's H3 rocket which is currently scheduled for 2028. This marks the first time ispace will launch its Japanese lunar lander aboard a Japanese rocket, having relied on SpaceX for its previous launches. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/impulse-space-unveils-electra-its-first-electric-propulsion-system-to-expand-post-launch-options-for-spacecraft/ Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76049 Impulse Space has unveiled Electra, the company's first electric propulsion system, purpose-built to expand what's possible for a spacecraft after launch. This comes barely two months after the company successfully raised $500 million in Series D funding as the company scales its effort to build in-space mobility infrastructure.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/esa-commissions-optical-ground-station-in-luxembourg-to-advance-quantum-enabled-ultra-secure-satellite-communications/ Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76018 The European Space Agency has commissioned a new optical ground station in Windhof, Luxembourg, to help test an ultra-secure, international communications network. This follows the ground breaking ceremony in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, for a dedicated OGS to communicate with the EAGLE-1 satellite for quantum technology-based ultra-secure communication earlier this month. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/orbes-unveils-exo-orb-a-locally-hosted-inspection-maintenance-robot-for-large-orbital-infrastructure/ Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75977 California-based ORBES has unveiled Exo-ORB, a compact autonomous escort satellite that flies alongside large space assets to inspect, film and eventually maintain them, offering a 3rd person point of view to protect billion-dollar national security assets and large infrastructure.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/esa-awards-execution-contract-for-magpie-esas-lunar-polar-ice-exploration-mission-to-ispace-europe/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75945 ESA has awarded ispace-EUROPE the second phase of the MAGPIE (Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration.) contract, Europe's first lunar polar ice exploration mission. The contract, valued at €65 million, funds the mission's full remaining delivery, including rover and payload development, manufacture, testing, transportation to the lunar surface and lunar surface operations.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/northrop-grumman-launches-mission-robotic-vehicle-ushering-in-a-new-era-of-in-space-servicing/ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:00:58 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75896 Northrop Grumman has launched its "first-of-its-kind" Mission Robotic Vehicle and three Mission Extension Pods, in partnership with DARPA, as it aims to pioneer autonomous in-space satellite servicing, life extension, refueling, and AI-enabled operations to enhance space asset resilience and sustainability.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/artemis-ii-crew-returns-to-bremen-to-thank-europes-service-module-team/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75689 NASA's Artemis II crew returned to Airbus in Bremen to thank the workforce behind the European Service Module - and delivered rare first-hand testimony on how Orion flew, from a trans-lunar burn accurate enough to skip two correction manoeuvres to hand-flying the spacecraft with thrusters deliberately disabled.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/lunar-outpost-europe-joins-esas-moonraker-lunar-mapping-mission/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75636 Lunar Outpost has announced that its European subsidiary, Lunar Outpost Europe, will be contributing to Moonraker, the lunar LiDAR mapping mission being led by NUVIEW GmbH. Selected by ESA for a Phase A study under the Small Missions initiative, Moonraker will generate high-resolution, three-dimensional elevation data of the lunar South Pole to support landing site assessment, hazard identification, and mission planning.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/ispace-announces-new-lunar-integration-and-transportation-service-aboard-spacexs-starship/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75526 ispace has announced a new lunar transportation service aboard SpaceX's Starship, repositioning itself as a 'Lunar Access Integrator' using a Mobile Cargo System to integrate multiple payloads.]]>