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Thanks for joining us. This week came with tech developments in the space commerce and lunar governance. Having trouble with links? Click the link below to read the unclipped publication. ↓

Hope you enjoy this Space!

25 May, 2026

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program is nearing its most significant milestone, with launch of the Mission Robotic Vehicle targeted for summer 2026 after years of delays and contractor changes. The demonstration aims to prove robotic satellite servicing in geosynchronous orbit, using a highly dexterous robotic suite capable of on‑orbit upgrades, inspections, anomaly resolution and relocation.

DARPA is developing the robotic payload with the Naval Research Laboratory and NASA, while Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics leads spacecraft integration. After launch, the vehicle will take roughly 10 months to reach GEO, to about 22,000 miles / 36,000 kilometers, using electric propulsion, beginning operations in 2027.

GEO, with hundreds of military, civil and commercial satellites operating in it, is considered ideal for communications, weather and national‑security missions. The distance, however, makes it impossible to inspect, diagnose or repair malfunctioning hardware, leaving operators with no practical way to upgrade or service satellites once they are on station. The program seeks to extend the life of high‑value GEO satellites by enabling refueling, installing new payloads, performing preventative maintenance and reducing the need for fully redundant, disposable spacecraft. DARPA positions RSGS as a government‑industry partnership intended to establish commercially viable servicing capabilities and support more sustainable long‑term satellite operations amid rising congestion and debris in GEO.

25 May, 2026

Scientists at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology are advancing new concepts for exploring Mars’ extensive lava‑tube networks, These tunnel networks are considered to be the largest in the solar system, spanning more than 746 miles / 1,200 kilometers and up to 820 feet / 250 meters wide. The scale and inaccessibility of these caves limit current rover‑based exploration, prompting researchers to pursue lightweight aerial and rolling systems.

The New Mexico Tech team is developing a “dandelion drone” architecture, deploying a pillbug‑like carrier robot that would parachute down through skylights and release thousands of wind‑borne micro‑drones inside these tunnels to map temperature, humidity and tunnel geometry. The system uses piezoelectric power and a fan to compensate for uncertain wind conditions inside the caves. European researchers have tested similar robotic deployments in lava tubes on Lanzarote, while NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter demonstrated aerial mobility before its 2024 retirement. NASA is targeting skylights at Arsia Mons, where thermal data suggest stable subsurface environments that could support future human habitation or preserve past Martian life.

27 May, 2026

China has consolidated its human spaceflight program and Chang'e robotic lunar efforts into a single Lunar Exploration Program, aiming to coordinate missions, resources and teams as it works toward a first crewed lunar landing by 2030. China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) spokesperson Zhang Jingbo announced the integration on May 23 ahead of the Shenzhou‑23 launch, citing recent low‑altitude tests of the Long March‑10 rocket and maximum-dynamic-pressure escape/abort demonstrations for the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft as key progress toward a reusable lunar transportation system.

On the robotic side, the Chang’e‑7 probe arrived at Wenchang in April for pre‑launch testing ahead of a planned second‑half‑2026 mission to orbit, land, rove and deploy a hopper at the lunar south pole. Zhang said China’s Tiangong station continues to validate technologies relevant to lunar operations, including liquid‑sloshing experiments for the Lanyue lander and in‑orbit tests of perovskite solar cells. CMSA officials added that space station crews form the talent pool for future three‑person lunar missions, with two astronauts expected to land.

27 May, 2026

James Webb Space Telescope observations of “Little Red Dots” suggest some supermassive black holes may have formed before their host galaxies, challenging standard models of early cosmic growth. The standard view is that galaxies form first, and dying massive stars collapse into black holes that grow through feeding and mergers.

However, in studies published May 27 in Nature and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a Cambridge (U.K.)‑led team analyzed Abell2744‑QSO1, a lensed Little Red Dot seen 700 million years after the Big Bang. Using JWST’s NIRSpec instrument, researchers mapped gas motion around its core and found clean Keplerian rotation, allowing the first direct black hole mass measurement within the universe’s first billion years. Keplerian rotation is when gas or objects orbit a central mass in the same way planets orbit the sun, with speeds set purely by gravity and decreasing with distance.

The central black hole is about 50 million solar masses, i.e., roughly 66% of the object’s total mass, thousands of times the typical black hole–to–galaxy ratio seen today. The result indicates the black hole formed “big,” likely from a heavy seed, with the surrounding galaxy still assembling. The team is now surveying additional Little Red Dots to determine whether similarly overmassive black holes are common in the early universe.

29 May, 2026

Blue Origin lost a New Glenn rocket during a May 28 hot‑fire test at Cape Canaveral, triggering an explosion visible more than 100 miles away and causing likely significant damage to Launch Complex 36. The vehicle was being prepared for its fourth flight, which was scheduled to deploy 49 Amazon broadband satellites on June 4, the first of 24 launches that Amazon Leo has booked on New Glenn rockets. Jeff Bezos said all personnel were safe and that the cause remains under investigation.

Space Force officials and the company urged the public to report any debris washing ashore and to avoid handling it. The accident comes as New Glenn is expected to support key NASA programs, including the Blue Moon lander selected for Artemis missions and two newly announced private rover deliveries to the lunar south pole. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency will assess impacts to Artemis schedules. New Glenn has flown three times, including an April 19 mission that failed to place its payload in the correct orbit.

30 May, 2026

Solar sails could carry spacecraft to the edge of the solar system within 10 to 20 years, according to a study led by Imperial College London engineer Debdut Sengupta. Assessing three concepts, Breakthrough Starshot, Project Svarog and NASA's Solar Cruiser, the team found current technology lags on heat resistance, lightweight support booms and in-space deployment.

Breakthrough Starshot, a laser-driven lightsail aimed at Proxima Centauri, has had frozen funding since late 2025. Svarog, a student project, tested a sail by balloon in 2024 and plans a sun-diving probe, a CubeSat on an escape trajectory to the heliopause (the invisible, theoretical boundary where the Sun's solar wind stops). Solar Cruiser, canceled in 2023, could have launched with minor reaction-wheel fixes, Sengupta said; near-term heliophysics missions, including a solar-storm warning station proposed by the Planetary Society's Bruce Betts, are feasible now.

Other past demonstrations such as Japan’s IKAROS and The Planetary Society’s LightSail have validated basic sail physics, though deployment and control remain technical challenges. Sundiver trajectories that approach the Sun to gain speed could double Voyager‑era transit rates and open missions to the Oort cloud and beyond. UCLA engineer Artur Davoyan said sun-skimming sails could reach 50 AU yearly, surpassing Voyager 1's 3.6. Physicist Viktor Toth doubted deep-space versions could carry adequate power and communications.

26 May, 2026

NASA outlined new details of its long‑term lunar base effort, describing a south‑polar outpost that will span hundreds of square miles and be built in phases through the early 2030s. NASA outlined the first set of missions and contracts supporting its planned lunar Moon Base, announcing new rover awards, cargo‑lander task orders, and updated timelines for early infrastructure deployments at the south pole.

The agency confirmed three initial Moon Base missions: Moon Base I, launching no earlier than fall 2026 on Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander with plume‑interaction and laser retroreflector payloads; Moon Base II, flying later this year on Astrobotic’s Griffin with more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover; and Moon Base III, also targeted for this year, carrying the Lunar Vertex investigation on Intuitive Machines’ Nova‑C Trinity lander alongside ESA and Korean payloads.

NASA also awarded $219 million to Astrolab and $220 million to Lunar Outpost to produce lunar terrain vehicles (LTV) capable of autonomous and crewed operations, with Blue Origin receiving $188 million plus options to deliver them using its Blue Moon lander, which is also competing to fly Artemis 3 and Artemis 4. Artemis 3, a docking test with commercial landers, is targeted for mid‑2027. NASA has completed Artemis 1 and Artemis 2, with Artemis 4 planned to land near the south pole in late 2028.

The agency also detailed CLPS 2.0 procurement plans and upcoming task orders. NASA provided an update on MoonFall, the 2028 mission using four hopping drones built by Firefly Aerospace under a $75 million contract, to survey south‑polar terrain, operate through a lunar night and mark prospective site boundaries.

Officials said the terrain, science targets, power‑system standoff distances, and limited regional knowledge all drive a distributed layout resembling a small city. More than a dozen additional Moon Base missions will be announced this year as Artemis prepares for crewed landings in 2028.

28 May, 2026

A new policy report warns lunar mass drivers, electromagnetic launchers proposed to hurl payloads from the Moon, could be repurposed as undetectable first‑strike weapons, complicating cislunar security and prompting urgent U.S. action. The paper titled, Strategic Implications of Lunar Mass Drivers as a Dual-Use Technology, written by Andre Sonntag and published by the American Foreign Policy Council, frames mass drivers as inherently dual‑use: they could lower launch costs for civilian payloads but also accelerate and conceal delivery of kinetic impactors, anti‑satellite systems or reentry vehicles.

Lunar mass drivers would fall outside current early‑warning and attribution networks, complicating timely detection and response by existing systems. The report says weaponized payloads launched from such systems would likely fit into three categories:

The study also notes a lunar mass driver could rapidly deploy space‑based missile‑defense platforms similar to the Golden Dome concept.

Sonntag argues the U.S. faces a narrowing window to shape lunar norms and recommends rapid investment and a distributed lunar presence to secure strategic locations. The report traces mass‑driver concepts to Gerard O’Neill’s 1970s work and notes modern proposals from industry, including SpaceX’s factory‑and‑catapult idea and development efforts by Auriga Space and Electromagnetic Launch Inc.

No architecture is yet mature for industrial‑scale launches and current systems can only loft small payloads. Sonntag estimates a commercially relevant system could be feasible by the mid‑2030s with sufficient funding. The study highlights treaty and verification challenges under the Outer Space Treaty and flags recent Chinese research integrating mass drivers into lunar industrial plans. The report urges policy, investment and international dialogue to manage dual‑use risks urgently.

New Pentagon and Space Force contracts span missile‑tracking satellites, sensing, national security launch, solid‑motor thrust‑control development, and optical SDA and laser‑comms systems across four commercial providers; SpaceX contracts worth billions.

26 May, 2026

DARPA awarded Voyager Technologies a $16.5 million contract to advance a solid‑rocket‑motor thrust‑control system intended to give missile propulsion more flexible, post‑manufacturing performance. The Phase 2 award, announced May 26 under DARPA’s Burn n’ Go program, funds a 20‑month effort to validate a “propellant‑embedded control” concept and conduct tailorable solid‑rocket‑motor hot‑fire demonstrations. Traditional motors have fixed thrust and burn profiles determined during manufacturing, limiting adaptability across weapons programs. DARPA is pursuing technologies that allow performance adjustments without redesigning entire propulsion systems as the Pentagon seeks to expand missile production for air‑defense and long‑range‑strike inventories.

Voyager entered the propulsion sector last year through its acquisition of Estes Energetics, a solid‑motor and energetics manufacturer. The company completed conceptual designs and system architecture work in Phase 1.

The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to develop the Space Data Network Backbone (SDN), previously known as MILNET, a low Earth orbit constellation that will serve as a military internet in space. The optically interconnected Starshield satellites will provide high‑capacity backhaul for sensor, command and weapons‑system data and integrate with the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, which has more than 300 satellites under Tranche 1 and Tranche 2. The award, issued through an OTA agreement, requires an operational prototype by late 2027.

The SDN effort has become central to the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile‑defense architecture, enabling rapid “sensor‑to‑shooter” data relay. The fiscal 2027 budget request includes $1.5 billion for SDN R&D and $2.38 billion for procurement. Space Force officials said additional vendors will join the broader SDN architecture through a new consortium focused on interoperability and standards.

29 May, 2026

Separately, the Space Force awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion contract to develop the first increment of a space‑based Air Moving Target Indicator (AMTI) constellation, a low Earth orbit network intended to detect and track aircraft, cruise missiles and potentially hypersonic weapons. The OTA agreement, announced May 29, directs SpaceX to field an initial operational capability by 2028 using Starshield‑based satellites.

Officials said AMTI will complement airborne platforms such as AWACS by providing a resilient, proliferated tracking layer. The fiscal 2027 budget seeks $7.1 billion for AMTI, and the Space Force has established a vendor pool for future procurements.

Observable Space, the optical systems developer for space domain awareness, raised a $90 million Series A round and secured a U.S. Space Force IDIQ contract worth up to $94 million to expand production of optical systems for laser communications and space domain awareness. The May 28 funding round was led by Lux Capital, with participation from Upfront Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Island Green Capital, RTX Ventures, BRV Capital and Fathom Fund. The Space Force issued $22 million in initial task orders through the Pentagon’s APFIT (Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies) program to field deployable robotic telescopes for tracking orbital objects.

The company’s optical systems support broadband laser communications, SDA and astronomy. Observable demonstrated a 260 Mbps optical link with Orion during Artemis 2 and will fly its Iguana multispectral imager on an Apex spacecraft later this year. The company manufactures in Michigan and plans a new Detroit facility while supplying telescopes for Schmidt Sciences’ Argus Array.

The U.S. Space Force also awarded Blue Origin an NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 task order to launch an NRO mission between late 2027 and early 2028, reaffirming support for New Glenn one day after the rocket exploded during a May 28 hot‑fire test at Cape Canaveral. Officials said the service and NRO will work with the company to investigate the anomaly, and praised first responders who secured the site.

The award, whose value was not disclosed, is part of the Pentagon’s push to expand its roster of national security launch providers. Lane 1 missions require only one prior successful flight and are structured to resemble commercial procurements. Blue Origin became eligible in June 2024, alongside SpaceX and ULA.

1 June, 2026

Northrop Grumman and satellite manufacturer Apex announced June 1 they will jointly develop space‑based interceptors for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile‑defense program, adding to a growing set of industry partnerships formed under the Space Force’s early concept‑development awards. Northrop is one of 12 companies selected to design interceptor concepts capable of engaging ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles from orbit, a capability central to Golden Dome’s proposed layered architecture.

Apex will supply standardized satellite buses intended to support faster, lower‑cost production. The partnership follows similar team‑ups, including Raytheon with Rocket Lab and Anduril with multiple commercial firms, as the Pentagon pushes established contractors to integrate commercial manufacturing approaches. Northrop said it has completed key ground tests and is targeting an on‑orbit demonstration in 2027.

The effort is being pursued through OTA agreements that require companies to co‑invest during early development. Affordability remains a central challenge: the Congressional Budget Office estimates space‑based interceptors could become the most expensive element of Golden Dome, potentially costing hundreds of billions of dollars over the program’s lifetime.

26 May, 2026

Orbit Fab and Thales Alenia Space will study in‑orbit refueling for electric‑propulsion satellites under a U.K. Space Agency–backed effort, expanding Europe’s push toward satellite servicing and reusable spacecraft infrastructure. The companies said they will evaluate integrating Orbit Fab’s RAFTI (Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface) interface with Thales Alenia Space’s xenon‑fueled Hall‑effect thrusters, adapting a system already approved by the U.S. Space Force for hydrazine transfers on chemically propelled spacecraft.

The work will be conducted in the United Kingdom through the Refuelable Electric Engine Flatsat project, a ground‑based testbed designed to validate fluid‑transfer interfaces, operational procedures and refueling concepts for electric‑propulsion missions. Orbit Fab said the effort supports growing European interest in extending satellite lifetimes and enabling more maneuverable spacecraft through refuelable architectures. 

The Italian-French Thales Alenia Space will contribute propulsion‑system expertise, while the U.S.-based Orbit Fab (with offices in the UK) advances RAFTI as a standard servicing port for future satellites, expecting to pioneer the “gas stations in space”. The study is meant to represent a step toward routine in‑orbit refueling as operators seek sustainable, long‑duration spacecraft designs.

26 May, 2026

German mission management provider Exolaunch and Houston-based payload integration and launch services company SEOPS each purchased dedicated Falcon 9 launches to meet rising demand for rideshare capacity, marking a shift for two firms long focused on brokering payloads on SpaceX’s own Transporter and Bandwagon missions.

Exolaunch’s Exo‑1 and Exo‑2 flights are planned for no earlier than late 2027 and 2028, while SEOPS’ Waymaker‑1 mission is targeted for the third quarter of 2028. SEOPS also holds a Falcon 9 booking for its Darkstar‑1 GTO rideshare in 2028. Both companies cited fully booked SpaceX manifests through 2028 and said dedicated missions offer schedule assurance for customers. Exolaunch will use its EXOtube payload stacks and deployers for spacecraft from 20 to 1,400 kilograms. SEOPS is partnering with end-to-end launch integration provider Maverick Space Systems and will provide post‑deployment safety services through India-based space domain awareness provider Digantara. SEOPS has already sold capacity to commercial, U.S. government and European customers, including 1,000 kilograms purchased by RIDE! Space, the Paris-based mission management provider.

Meanwhile, solar-powered orbital datacenter startup, Starcloud ordered more than 50 Starlink Mini Laser terminals from SpaceX to provide optical crosslinks for its planned constellation of 88,000 orbital data‑center satellites, expanding a partnership that also includes launch services. The terminals would connect Starcloud satellites directly into Starlink’s low Earth orbit mesh network, bypassing bandwidth-constrained ground stations.

Starcloud‑2, a 450‑kilogram satellite will be equipped with two Starlink Mini Laser terminals, providing up to 25 Gbps per link for inter‑satellite connectivity. It is designed to generate roughly 8 kilowatts of power, a major increase over the 60‑kilogram Starcloud‑1 demonstrator. The spacecraft will be the company’s first to run commercial cloud workloads, with early customers including Crusoe, and partnerships with Nvidia, AWS and Google. Starcloud‑2 launches on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in January, serving as the company’s near‑term platform for cloud, edge‑computing and hosted‑payload services until Starship becomes available for larger Starcloud‑3‑class missions. Starcloud‑3, a three‑ton, 200‑kilowatt‑class satellite intended for AI inference and training, is slated to fly on Starship once the vehicle is ready for customer payloads, which CEO Philip Johnston estimates could be mid to late‑2028.

Starcloud claimed that Starlink’s mesh network will support applications such as real‑time weather forecasting, wildfire detection and Earth‑observation analytics. Each terminal provides up to 25 gigabits per second over inter‑satellite links. Starcloud is seeking to raise at least $200 million to advance its 88,000‑satellite architecture, as other companies, including Vast and Muon Space, also adopt Starlink optical relay services.

26 May, 2026

China-based reusable liquid rocket engine Mega Engine Technology completed a long‑duration hot fire of its closed‑cycle kerosene–liquid oxygen (kerolox) Chi engine, marking one of the most advanced propulsion demonstrations yet from a Chinese commercial startup. The Xi’an‑based firm said the oxygen‑rich staged‑combustion engine accumulated 1,000 seconds at rated conditions and 2,000 seconds across the test program, showing rapid startup, stable operation and intact hardware on inspection. Chi produces 35–75 tons of sea‑level thrust, 87 tons in vacuum, and achieves 302–350 seconds of specific impulse.

Founded in 2024, by Zhang Chenxing, who holds a PhD from MIT, Mega Engine is positioning itself as a new supplier for medium and upper‑stage propulsion, with leadership linked to China’s state propulsion sector. The company plans to introduce the 200‑ton‑class Yan engine in 2026, targeting the “deep water zone” of high‑pressure staged combustion. Chi and Yan are intended to form a reusable kerolox engine family supporting China’s commercial launch sector and national megaconstellation programs such as Guowang and Qianfan.

Separately, China is preparing a wave of state and commercial launch activity as multiple new rockets move toward debut flights and recovery tests aimed at expanding lift as well as national launch capacity and reusability for megaconstellation programs. SpaceNews reports that unofficial images show CASC’s (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation) Long March 12B vertical at Jiuquan’s Dongfeng test zone following a January hot‑fire, with landing legs visible, though no launch date or recovery attempt has been confirmed. The kerolox launcher is described as a 4‑meter‑class vehicle with a “20‑ton‑class” LEO capacity and is expected to fly in the first half of 2026.

Commercial firm Galactic Energy has also raised Pallas‑1 at Dongfeng, completing phase one of its launch site. The kerolox rocket can carry 7,000 kilograms to LEO, with no recovery attempt planned on its first flight.

iSpace reported completing full‑profile ground verification of Hyperbola‑3’s sea‑landing system ahead of a debut expected before the end of 2026.

At Wenchang, CASC’s Long March 10B cargo launcher completed a wet dress rehearsal and is targeting a sea‑catch recovery attempt as early as July.

Landspace continues preparing a second recovery attempt for Zhuque‑3 in Q2 2026, after last year’s partial failure, following recent Tianlong‑3 and Kinetica‑2 debuts.

27 May, 2026

Spire Global is expanding its manufacturing footprint with a new Munich facility capable of producing up to 100 small satellites annually, bringing the company’s total capacity across Munich, Boulder, and Glasgow to 300-400 satellites per year, CEO Theresa Condor said during a May 13 earnings call. The first spacecraft built in Munich will support Eurialo, an ESA‑funded radio‑frequency geolocation constellation, enabled by an ISO‑certified clean room and intended to bolster European sovereign capabilities amid rising demand since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Spire said the site will also support German defense needs, including space reconnaissance and RF monitoring for the Bundeswehr.

Spire separately announced a long‑term industrial cooperation with automotive components manufacturer Schaeffler AG to scale satellite production in Germany. Under a May 27 memorandum, the companies will jointly secure and expand supply chains for motors, reaction wheels, and other subsystems while assessing a path toward industrialized satellite bus platforms for sovereign European constellations. Schaeffler will lead precision‑manufacturing scale‑up, with Spire providing platform design, flight software, and operational expertise. Schaeffler said its motion‑technology and power‑electronics heritage aligns with emerging European requirements for flight‑qualified hardware.

Spire, which has built and launched more than 240 satellites since 2013, said the partnership aims to establish a fully European, industrial‑scale space hardware and mission business before the end of the decade.

28 May, 2026

TelePIX, South Korea-based optical payloads, and AI-driven satellite imagery analytics provider, and India’s Bellatrix Aerospace have formed a partnership to conduct a very low Earth orbit (VLEO) demonstration mission in 2028, integrating a VLEO‑optimized optical payload with a Bellatrix satellite bus powered by an air‑breathing electric propulsion system. The companies announced May 28 that the mission will operate at 150–250 kilometers, where higher‑resolution imaging is possible but atmospheric drag requires specialized propulsion. Bellatrix began VLEO propulsion research in 2024 and recently supported multiple Indian missions with its Hall‑effect thruster. The 2028 flight would be the first demonstration of its roughly 200‑kilogram VLEO bus.

The agreement also covers launch, early‑orbit operations, and mission management, with both firms exploring future VLEO constellation opportunities. Bellatrix CEO Rohan Ganapathy said meaningful commercial systems will require larger platforms and further propulsion advances. For TelePIX, the mission extends its optical payload work from LEO into VLEO, where companies including Redwire and Albedo are also pursuing aerodynamic Earth‑observation spacecraft.

29 May, 2026

SpaceX’s Starfall reentry vehicle program has gained new visibility after the Federal Aviation Administration issued an environmental assessment and record of decision May 15 approving two test reentries in the Pacific Ocean. The uncrewed, disk‑shaped capsules, 3.1 meters wide and 0.75 meters tall, are designed for in‑space manufacturing and point‑to‑point cargo delivery, launching on Falcon 9 or Starship and returning via parachute without onboard deorbit propulsion. The FAA documents describe Starfall as a potential mass‑producible system capable of carrying up to 1,000 kilograms and supporting a commercial microgravity economy.

The vehicle consists of a 1,400-kilogram aluminum top plate and a 700‑kilogram carbon‑fiber heat shield, with cold‑gas thrusters and full ocean recovery planned. The assessment does not authorize additional missions beyond the two tests.

Starfall would enter a growing market of commercial reentry systems. Varda Space Industries has flown six W‑series capsules on SpaceX rideshares, while Inversion, Atmos Space Cargo, Catalyx Space, Lux Aeterna, and Reditus Space are developing reusable vehicles with test flights planned through next year, many relying on SpaceX launch services.

A new study suggests a single large impact may have rapidly delivered and redistributed water across Mercury, depositing most of the planet’s present‑day polar ice within one Mercurian solar day, or 176 Earth days. Simulations led by Parvathy Prem of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory modeled a Hokusai‑scale collision involving a 17‑kilometer‑wide impactor striking at up to 30 kilometers per second. The event generated a dense, temporary atmosphere rich in water vapor that expanded globally within an hour, shielding itself from ultraviolet radiation long enough for vapor to migrate into permanently shadowed polar craters. The Hokusai crater itself is a 95-kilometer / 59-mile impact basin on the planet.

The model explains both the speed of ice emplacement and the apparent purity of the deposits first detected in the 1990s and later confirmed by NASA’s MESSENGER mission. Researchers expect ESA‑JAXA’s BepiColombo spacecraft, now set to enter Mercury orbit in November after a thruster‑related trajectory redesign, to provide new constraints on the origin and evolution of the planet’s polar ice. The findings are detailed in a paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

Despatch Out. 👽🛸