{{First_Name|Explorer}}, welcome back!🚀
One of the images today is from the Helix Nebula and deserves a moment; it reminded me why I do this. Thanks for joining! This week’s installment carries heavy updates from from commercial space as well as science and defense.
Click the link below to read the unclipped publication. ↓
Hope you enjoy this Space!
IMAGES
Heart of the Circinus Galaxy : James Webb Space Telescope
This image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope shows the Circinus galaxy. The close-up of its core from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows the inner face of the hole of the donut-shaped disk of gas disk glowing in infrared light. The outer ring appears as dark spots.
JWST has produced the most detailed infrared view to date of the Circinus Galaxy, offering new evidence about how material behaves around its central supermassive black hole. Webb’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument, using aperture‑masking interferometry, resolved hot dust in the galaxy’s core with far greater precision than previous observatories. The data show that the bright infrared emission long attributed to powerful outflows is instead dominated by a compact, dusty structure feeding the black hole, overturning decades of assumptions about active galactic nuclei. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Enrique Lopez-Rodriguez (University of South Carolina), Deepashri Thatte (STScI); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI); Acknowledgment: NSF's NOIRLab, CTIO)
NIRISS (Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph) on the James Webb Space Telescope and developed by the Canadian Space Agency, is designed to take high-resolution infrared images and break down light from objects into its component colors (spectroscopy) to determine their chemical composition.
This render shows the central engine of the Circinus galaxy, visualizing the supermassive black hole fed by a thick, dusty torus that glows in infrared light.
The observations, paired with Hubble imaging, reveal the illuminated inner face of the torus surrounding the black hole and clarify the geometry of the accretion environment. Researchers say the findings help explain the persistent infrared excess seen in active galaxies since the 1990s and demonstrate how Webb’s resolution can disentangle inflow and outflow components in nearby systems. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI))
“Lava Lamps” on the Helix Nebula : James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope has produced a new high‑resolution infrared view of a section of the Helix Nebula, one of the closest and most studied planetary nebulae. The image reveals thousands of comet‑like knots, filamentary structures, and layered shells of gas shed by a dying Sun‑like star, whose exposed white dwarf core sits at the nebula’s center.
Webb’s NIRCam data capture the nebula’s inner ring with far greater clarity than previous observations, highlighting dense clumps of gas shaped by stellar winds and radiation. These structures—often compared to a “cosmic lava lamp”—trace how material expelled in a star’s final stages becomes the raw ingredients for future planetary systems. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI))
Webb’s image also shows the stark transition between the hottest gas to the coolest gas as the shell expands out from the central white dwarf.
The Helix Nebula, located roughly 650 light‑years away in Aquarius, has long served as a benchmark for studying stellar evolution. Webb’s close‑up view provides new constraints on how Sun‑like stars end their lives and recycle matter back into the interstellar medium. (Credit: ESO, VISTA, NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Emerson (ESO); Acknowledgment: CASU)
This image shows how large the object is, while the compass shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI))
Wind-Blasted Features Near Eumenides Dorsum on Mars : Mars Express, ESA
ESA’s Mars Express has captured a new high‑resolution view of extensive yardang fields, which are long, wind‑carved ridges, in Mars’ Aeolis region, near the Eumenides Dorsum region, offering a close look at how persistent atmospheric activity continues to reshape the Martian surface. The image, taken by the orbiter’s High Resolution Stereo Camera, shows long, streamlined ridges carved from soft sedimentary rock, aligned uniformly by prevailing winds. These formations, some stretching for kilometers, illustrate how sand‑laden gusts act as a natural sandblaster, eroding weaker material while leaving harder layers intact.
Despite Mars’ thin atmosphere, the planet’s strongest gusts can lift sand grains that erode exposed rock over long timescales, producing the sharp grooves and streamlined forms visible in the new data. (Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)
This image combines a digital terrain model with nadir and color data from Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera, offering an overhead view of an impact crater near the Martian equator. The site lies at the northern edge of the Eumenides Dorsum mountains, which stretch westward toward the Tharsis volcanic region and form part of the Medusae Fossae Formation. A dark area along the crater rim is likely a deposit of volcanic sand. (Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)
Mars Express has captured evidence of strong winds eroding the surface near the Martian equator, where sand‑laden gusts have carved long, streamlined channels and ridges known as yardangs. The imaged terrain lies at the northern end of the Eumenides Dorsum mountains, a range that stretches west toward the Tharsis volcanic region and forms part of the Medusae Fossae Formation. (Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin)
The main image, spanning an area nearly the size of Belgium, shows parallel, curving ridges all oriented in the same direction, a pattern ESA scientists say reflects the region’s prevailing winds. This image shows the northern end of the Eumenides Dorsum mountain range on Mars in wider context. The area outlined by the larger white box indicates the area imaged by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) aboard ESA’s Mars Express orbiter on 16 October 2024 (orbit 26245). The smaller white box within shows the patch of surface featured in new images released in January 2026. (Credit: NASA/MGS/MOLA Science Team)
Snow Over the Great Lakes : MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Sensors on NASA’s Terra Satellite
A mid‑January cold snap reshaped the Great Lakes region, with NASA’s Terra satellite capturing newly formed lake ice and widespread snow across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The MODIS image, acquired on January 20, shows the aftermath of a winter storm that dropped nearly a foot of snow across western Michigan, with localized totals west of Walker reaching about 14 inches/36 centimeters. Blizzard conditions extended into Ontario east of Lake Huron, illustrating how regional weather systems can rapidly transform surface conditions visible from orbit. (Credit: Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview
In this instance, open water quickly froze along wind‑exposed shorelines, while fresh snow accentuated the contrast between land, ice, and water. NASA routinely uses such imagery to track seasonal transitions, monitor lake‑effect snow patterns, and assess how ice cover evolves during extreme cold events. (Credit: Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview)
Wildland Fires Erupt in South-Central Chile : MODIS Sensors on NASA’s Terra Satellite
Wildfires intensified across south‑central Chile in mid‑January, with NASA’s Terra satellite capturing dense smoke plumes rising from multiple outbreaks in the Biobío and Ñuble regions. Hot, dry conditions and winds helped drive the fires, which had burned more than 30,000 hectares and forced the evacuation of 50,000 people, according to Chile’s forestry agency and U.N. officials. More than 300 homes were destroyed as flames reached communities around Concepción. (Credit: Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Lindsey Doermann)
The image highlights the scale of the emergency and the vulnerability of the region during extreme heat events, which continue to complicate firefighting efforts. (Credit: Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Lindsey Doermann)
SCIENCE
Polar Weather Patterns on Jupiter and Saturn Offer New Clues to Gas‑Giant Interior Structure
This infrared 3-D image of Jupiter's north pole was derived from data collected by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft, in 2018. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM)
19 January, 2026
Scientists are using new atmospheric analyses of Jupiter and Saturn to probe the internal structure of the gas giants, linking unusual polar weather patterns to processes occurring deep below their cloud tops. A team led by MIT and international collaborators examined long‑term wind and temperature data from spacecraft and ground‑based observations, finding that both planets exhibit persistent, asymmetric polar vortices that differ markedly from their equatorial and mid‑latitude circulation. These features appear to be influenced by how heat and momentum move through each planet’s interior, offering indirect clues about the depth of their atmospheric jets and the distribution of mass beneath them.
The work suggests that polar dynamics may serve as a diagnostic tool for understanding the transition between the planets’ outer weather layers and their deeper, more slowly rotating interiors. Researchers argue that refining these models is essential for interpreting gravity‑field measurements from missions such as Juno and Cassini, and for improving broader theories of giant‑planet formation and evolution. Juno’s imagery showed that Jupiter’s polar storms span roughly 3,000 miles/4,800 kilometers, about half the width of Earth. Cassini’s data on Saturn, by comparison, indicates that its lone hexagonal vortex stretches an estimated 18,000 miles/29,000 kilometers across.
New Geological Evidence Suggests Mars Once Hosted a Large Northern Ocean and River‑Fed Deltas
The Context Camera (CTX) image, combined with the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter–High Resolution Stereo Camera (MOLA–HRSC) global digital elevation model, shows three scarp‑faced deposits along the northern edge of the promontory in southeast Coprates Chasma. The black dashed line marks the curved boundary of the landslide deposit, while the red dashed line outlines the fan‑like shape of the scarp‑faced deposits. The white dots with red outlines indicate the apex points of these deposits, the highest, upstream tips of each fan‑shaped deposit. (Credit: ESA/ExoMars – TGO/CaSSIS/Ignatius Argadestya)
19 January, 2026
New research adds weight to the long‑standing hypothesis that Mars once hosted a large northern ocean, suggesting the planet may have been far more Earth‑like early in its history. Scientists analyzing high‑resolution topography and sedimentary features report evidence of an ancient shoreline and basin consistent with a stable body of water that could have covered nearly a third of the planet. The study points to coastal‑like formations, deltas, and erosion patterns that align with models of a long‑lived ocean rather than short‑term flooding.
The findings, published in the journal npj Space Exploration, build on decades of orbital observations indicating that Mars’ northern lowlands may have formed a natural depression capable of holding significant volumes of water.
Researchers examined the southeastern end of Coprates Chasma, a segment of the 4,000‑kilometer‑long Valles Marineris canyon system, identifying scarp‑faced deposits that resemble Earth‑like fan deltas formed where rivers enter large bodies of water. Though now partly buried by dunes, the underlying delta shapes remain visible. All identified deposits sit at consistent elevations, roughly 3,650 to 3,750 meters below the surrounding terrain, and date to about 3.37 billion years ago, aligning with proposed ancient shorelines in Mars’ northern lowlands.
Researchers argue that the new data strengthens the case for a sustained hydrologic cycle, potentially involving rivers, precipitation, and climate conditions warm enough to support liquid water. While uncertainties remain, including how Mars maintained such temperatures, the work illustrates how rapidly the planet’s environment diverged from early habitability to the cold, arid world observed today.
China Previews Capabilities of Xuntian Space Telescope Ahead of 2027 Launch
Chinese scientists have carried out a full end‑to‑end simulation of Xuntian, the Chinese Space Station Telescope’s observing system, providing an early look at how the instrument will conduct its sky surveys. (Credit: CCTV)
19 January, 2026
China has released new technical previews of its Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) also known as Xuntian (‘surveying the sky’) space telescope, highlighting the scale of the mission ahead of its planned 2027 launch. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xuntian will operate as a free‑flying observatory in the same orbit as the Tiangong space station, enabling periodic dockings for maintenance while conducting independent survey operations. The telescope carries a 2‑meter‑class (6.6-foot-wide) primary mirror and a wide‑field, 2.5-billion-pixel camera designed to image roughly 40% of the sky, offering a field of view 300 times larger than Hubble’s while maintaining comparable resolution.
Newly released test imagery and simulations emphasize Xuntian’s ability to detect extremely faint objects and conduct rapid, large‑area sky mapping. Mission planners expect the observatory to support research on dark matter, dark energy, galaxy evolution, and near‑Earth objects, generating data volumes that will require new processing pipelines and international collaboration mechanisms. Officials have not detailed how international access to Xuntian’s data will be structured, underscoring ongoing questions about transparency and collaboration as China positions the telescope as a flagship element of its expanding space‑science program
Earth Hit by Strongest Solar Radiation Storm in Two Decades After X‑Class Flare and Full‑Halo Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun
A full‑halo coronal mass ejection from the X1.9 flare is shown here, with Venus, Mercury, and Mars visible as three bright points from left to right. A full‑halo CME means the coronal mass ejection appears to surround the entire Sun in coronagraph images, forming a complete bright ring. (Credit: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
19 January, 2026
A powerful X1.9‑class solar flare erupted from the Sun on January 18, launching a fast, Earth‑directed coronal mass ejection (CME) that struck the planet on January 19, far earlier than forecast. The impact triggered a G4‑level geomagnetic storm, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, which confirmed severe conditions beginning at 2:38 p.m. EST and warned that elevated activity could persist as the CME continued to pass Earth.
Alongside the geomagnetic storm, Earth experienced an S4 solar radiation storm, the most intense since 2003. NOAA data showed high‑energy proton fluxes exceeding the severe threshold, posing risks to satellites, aviation on polar routes, and radio communications, though effects on the ground remained minimal.
The combined events produced widespread auroras across mid‑latitudes and underscored the heightened solar activity expected as the Sun approaches solar maximum, raising concerns about the resilience of space‑based infrastructure during future storms.
China’s Shenzhou‑20 Returns After Debris‑Related Window Damage Triggers First In‑Orbit Human Spaceflight Emergency
Shenzhou‑20 touched down safely at 0134 UTC with its debris‑damaged window patched for reentry. Shenzhou‑23, intended to serve as the emergency backup for the crew on Tiangong, has now arrived at Jiuquan, with its Long March 2F launcher expected shortly. (Credit: Andrew Jones via X)
21 January, 2026
China’s Shenzhou‑20 spacecraft has returned to Earth after the country’s first in‑orbit human‑spaceflight emergency, triggered by a suspected debris or micrometeoroid strike that cracked the outer layer of a viewport window. The damage, discovered during final pre‑return checks, led mission controllers to deem the vehicle unsafe for crewed reentry. The three astronauts were instead brought home aboard Shenzhou‑21, prompting a rapid reshuffling of launch plans and the dispatch of Shenzhou‑22 as an uncrewed lifeboat.
Shenzhou‑20 remained in orbit for 270 days, far longer than the typical 180‑day mission, while astronauts conducted internal inspections and later applied an internal patch delivered by Shenzhou‑22. An external repair was ruled out. The incident highlighted the growing challenge of small, untrackable debris, with officials noting the need to strengthen future window structures.
China is now accelerating production of upcoming spacecraft and rockets to restore emergency launch capability, with Shenzhou‑23 already at Jiuquan and Shenzhou‑24 being fast‑tracked. Plans for 2026 include two crewed missions, a Tianzhou cargo flight, and potentially China’s first international astronaut flying aboard a Shenzhou
Europa Surface Ice May Sink Into Its Ocean, Delivering Oxidants That Support Potential Life
The surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa looms large in this color view, made from images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute)
23 January, 2026
A new set of modeling studies from Washington State University proposes a mechanism that could help resolve one of Europa’s long‑standing habitability questions: how oxidants and other nutrients generated at the surface might reach its subsurface ocean. Researchers found that salt‑rich, radiation‑altered surface ice can become denser and mechanically weaker than the surrounding shell, allowing patches to detach and sink through the roughly 30‑kilometer‑thick ice layer.
The process, analogous to crustal delamination on Earth, would transport life‑supporting chemicals downward over timescales ranging from tens of thousands to millions of years. Simulations show that even small amounts of salt are sufficient to trigger this “ice foundering,” offering a plausible pathway for delivering oxidants to an ocean otherwise cut off from sunlight and atmospheric exchange.
If confirmed by future missions such as NASA’s Europa Clipper, the mechanism would strengthen the case for Europa as one of the solar system’s most promising environments for microbial life. The study was published in The Planetary Science Journal.
Earthquake Sensors Enable Near‑Real‑Time Tracking of Space Debris Reentries Using Sonic‑Boom Seismic Signals
The ATV “Jules Verne” cargo vehicle concluded its mission on Sept. 29, 2008, by breaking up over an uninhabited region of the Pacific Ocean. (Credit: ESA/NASA)
23 January, 2026
Researchers have demonstrated a new method for tracking uncontrolled space‑debris reentries by using ground‑based seismic networks to detect the sonic booms produced as objects break apart in the atmosphere. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London analyzed seismic data from several recent events, including the 2024 reentry of a discarded module from China’s Shenzhou‑15 mission, and found that by analyzing seismic signatures, ground sensors could reconstruct the object’s path in near-real time with far greater accuracy than orbital predictions alone.
The method addresses a long‑standing gap: while space‑tracking systems monitor objects in orbit, they become far less reliable once debris begins to break apart in the atmosphere, where plasma, darkness, and rapid deceleration obscure radar and optical measurements. Seismic detection offers real‑time localization, helping authorities identify potential impact zones and accelerate recovery efforts, particularly when debris may contain toxic, flammable, or radioactive materials.
As reentries become more frequent with rising satellite numbers, researchers argue that integrating seismic networks into global debris‑tracking systems could improve public safety and provide new insights into how spacecraft disintegrate during descent. The study was published in the journal Science.
GOVERNANCE
Atlantic Council Warns U.S. Faces High Risk of Russian Nuclear and Counterspace Escalation in Orbit
Credit: Atlantic Council
21 January, 2026
A new Atlantic Council report warns that the United States and its allies remain highly vulnerable to Russian escalation in space, arguing that Moscow’s doctrine and demonstrated capabilities make nuclear, debris‑generating, and counter‑commercial attacks plausible in a crisis. The authors highlight three especially dangerous scenarios:
a nuclear detonation in low Earth orbit, which U.S. officials say could disable satellites for months;
destructive anti‑satellite strikes, such as Russia’s 2021 test that created thousands of debris fragments;
and systematic interference with commercial space services that now underpin military operations and global infrastructure.
The report contends that Western deterrence strategies underestimate Russia’s willingness to absorb self‑inflicted costs to impose “unacceptable damage.” It argues that current U.S. policy and reliance on commercial systems are insufficient to withstand or deter such actions. Instead, it recommends “deterrence by denial,” emphasizing resilient architectures, diversified orbits, radiation‑hardened spacecraft, and rapid reconstitution. The authors also call for clearer U.S. declaratory policy, deeper commercial integration, and stronger allied coordination to complicate Russian targeting and reduce the appeal of space as a pressure point.
NASA Ends Funding for Planetary Science Advisory Groups Amid Budget Constraints and Agency‑Wide Advisory Restructuring
Painters refresh the official NASA insignia, known as the “meatball,” on the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 29, 2020. (Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)
21 January, 2026
NASA is ending financial support for eight planetary science Assessment/Analysis Groups (AGs), citing executive‑branch directives, the elimination of other advisory bodies, and a constrained Planetary Science Division budget. In a January 16 letter, PSD Director Louise Prockter said the agency can no longer sustain the AGs’ current operating model, though the groups may continue independently and potentially receive limited assistance, such as student travel support. The AGs, which provide community input on topics from small bodies to outer‑planet science, have already faced disruptions: early in the current administration, NASA instructed them to pause activities to ensure compliance with presidential actions.
The move fits a broader federal trend of reducing advisory committees. NASA has dissolved discipline‑specific advisory panels in planetary science, astrophysics, Earth science, and heliophysics, promising a single cross‑science committee that has yet to be announced. The NASA Advisory Council and its subcommittees have also not met under the current administration, raising concerns about diminished external oversight amid workforce turnover. Similar reductions are occurring elsewhere, including the FAA’s removal of its long‑standing Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) membership.
MILITARY
US Space Force Cancels ‘Resilient GPS’ Program as FY2026 Budget Drops Funding for SmallSat Navigation Layer
19 January, 2026
The U.S. Space Force has halted its Resilient GPS (R‑GPS) initiative, ending an effort launched in 2024 to explore a layer of smaller, lower‑cost navigation satellites that could augment the traditional GPS constellation. The program funded Astranis, L3Harris, and Sierra Space to design commercial‑derived concepts aimed at improving resilience through proliferation and reducing vulnerability to jamming and spoofing. Although the service initially framed R‑GPS as an urgent requirement and used accelerated contracting authorities, funding for the next phase was excluded from the FY2026 budget in favor of higher Air Force priorities.
With the study phase complete, the Space Force will not pursue on‑orbit demonstrations, leaving uncertainty around future diversification of U.S. positioning, navigation, and timing architectures. The cancellation comes amid broader Pentagon concerns about the fragility of high‑value satellites in medium Earth orbit and ongoing congressional pressure to evaluate commercial LEO‑based navigation services as potential complements or backups to GPS.
US Congress Boosts Space Force Resources to Nearly $40 Billion in FY2026 While Demanding Greater Transparency on Golden Dome Spending from DoD
20 January, 2026
U.S. Congress’ newly released FY2026 defense spending bill holds the U.S. Space Force at $26 billion (discretionary budget), matching the administration’s request, but the service’s effective resources rise to nearly $40 billion once mandatory funding from the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is included. Much of that additional, mandatory $13.8 billion supports the administration’s proposed Golden Dome missile‑defense architecture, though appropriators criticized the Pentagon for offering insufficient detail on how its $23 billion, mandatory allocation for the Golden Dome missile‑defense architecture, will be spent. Lawmakers directed the Department of Defense to provide clearer plans before moving forward.
The bill makes several structural adjustments to Space Force accounts. Congress shifted money from research into procurement, adding $528 million for two GPS satellites the administration did not request. It also expands investment in commercial technologies, including $49.5 million for commercial PNT services, $15 million for resilient GPS concepts, and $30 million for an integrated PNT architecture intended to broaden industry participation.
Commercial services feature prominently in the bill’s treatment of TacSRT, a program using commercial imagery and analytics for global military support. Despite the administration’s decision not to fund it, lawmakers added $30 million to continue the effort and $50 million to sustain commercial agreements, praising its competitive tasking model.
In contrast, Congress eliminated the $277 million request for MILNET, a proposed LEO communications network built through a sole‑source arrangement with SpaceX, citing concerns about competition and industrial‑base impacts. The Space Development Agency, which pursues a multi‑vendor approach, received an additional $50 million as appropriators signaled continued support for diversified procurement strategies
Starfish Space to Provide End‑of‑Life Satellite Disposal for Space Force’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture
Otter is engineered to approach and remove satellites without requiring any pre‑installed interfaces, providing a dedicated deorbit service for LEO fleets. (Credit: Starfish Space
21 January, 2026
Starfish Space has secured a $52.5 million U.S. Space Force contract to provide the first-of-its-kind dedicated end‑of‑life disposal service for a low Earth orbit constellation, marking a notable shift from research demonstrations to operational satellite‑servicing procurement. The award, issued through the Space Development Agency (SDA), tasks the company with building and launching its Otter servicing vehicle to remove defunct spacecraft from the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) beginning in 2027.
The Otter is designed to rendezvous with satellites that lack docking interfaces, enabling disposal or repositioning without prior modifications. SDA officials framed the effort as a scalable model for managing the growing number of satellites in proliferated constellations, where routine end‑of‑life disposal is becoming a structural requirement rather than an optional sustainability measure.
The contract includes an initial deorbit mission with options for additional removals, signaling early government adoption of commercial “deorbit‑as‑a‑service” as part of long‑term constellation lifecycle planning.
COMMERCIAL
French Firm Sodern Establishes U.S. Star‑Tracker Manufacturing With New Facility in Colorado
Credit: Sodern
Sodern, the French star‑tracker manufacturer and ArianeGroup subsidiary, is expanding its footprint in the United States with the creation of Sodern America, a new entity that will build its navigation sensors domestically for U.S. customers. The company plans to open a 14,000‑sqft/1,300 sqmt facility in Englewood, Colorado, where it will manufacture the Auriga star tracker and test the higher‑performance Hydra line. Former ULA and Spaceflight executive Tiphaine Louradour will lead the subsidiary.
Sodern says the move reflects both market scale and customer expectations: the U.S. already accounts for one‑third of its space revenue, and roughly one‑quarter of all satellites worldwide (excluding Starlink) fly with Sodern‑built star trackers. Executives emphasized that the decision was driven by long‑term strategy rather than tariffs, building on earlier U.S. partnerships such as a 2022 manufacturing agreement with Redwire.
Production in Colorado is expected to begin in late 2026, providing a domestic supply chain that avoids waiver requirements for non‑U.S. components and positions Sodern to expand within a rapidly growing market.
Washington Harbour Acquires Radome Services to Form Outpost Mission Services for Space Ground Infrastructure
Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, United States in 2016. (Credit: Airman 1st Class Luke Nowakowski)
20 January, 2026
Virginia, (U.S.)-based private investment firm, Washington Harbour Partners has acquired Radome Services, a New Hampshire firm specializing in inspection, repair, and maintenance of radomes (radar domes) and related antenna infrastructure for U.S. government and commercial sites. The company is being rebranded as Outpost Mission Services, which Washington Harbour intends to use as the anchor for a broader roll‑up strategy in ground‑segment engineering. Firm’s leadership frames the move as a response to growing demand for resilient terrestrial infrastructure as satellite constellations expand and national‑security agencies warn of vulnerabilities to cyber, physical, and environmental threats.
Radome Services, founded in 2010 and employing roughly 45 people, has long supported facilities that protect satellite communications, missile‑warning radars, and space‑surveillance systems. Outpost marks a shift in Washington Harbour’s portfolio, which has previously focused on software‑centric space companies such as Trusted Space, Turion Space, Quindar, and Array Labs, as well as an investment in Stoke Space. By moving into ground infrastructure, the firm is positioning itself to capture stable, defense‑driven demand for hardened systems that underpin space operations.
Gilmour Raises A$217M, D‑Orbit Secures $53M, and Orbex Enters Acquisition Talks with The Exploration Company, Signaling Structural Change in Europe–Australia Launch and In‑Orbit Services
Australia, Italy, and the U.K. are each confronting different pressures in the small‑launch and in‑orbit‑services markets, with governments and investors stepping in to stabilize or consolidate key players.
The inaugural flight of Gilmour Space Technologies’ Eris rocket took place in July 2025, ending in a crash only seconds after leaving the pad. Despite the failure, Eris became the first domestically built orbital rocket to lift off from Australia. (Credit: Gilmour Space Technologies)
20 January, 2026
In Australia, Gilmour Space has secured a A$217 million Series E round, its largest to date—to scale rocket and satellite production, marking what the company says is Australia’s first space‑tech “unicorn.” The raise, co‑led by the Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund Corp. and Hostplus, follows a separate A$75 million government‑backed loan and comes after the Eris rocket’s failed inaugural launch in July, which ended 14 seconds after liftoff due to an undisclosed engine issue.
Officials framed the support as necessary to maintain a sovereign launch capability, though the decision has drawn scrutiny given the company’s technical setbacks and the broader debate over whether Australia should prioritize domestic launch over other space infrastructure needs. Gilmour plans a 2026 return‑to‑flight and will use the new capital to expand manufacturing and workforce capacity, arguing that domestic launch capability is strategically important for Australia’s space sector.
22 January, 2026
In Europe, Italian space logistics and transportation company, D‑Orbit closed a $53 million Series D round led by the Italian financial firm, Azimut Group, with an additional $75 million allocated for secondary share purchases. The company intends to use the capital to accelerate mergers and acquisitions and expand its in‑space logistics and computing capabilities, including its push toward “orbital edge” processing and enhancing its “space-to-space” infrastructure. The funding reflects investor confidence in in‑orbit services as a growth segment, even as consolidation pressures mount across the European launch ecosystem.
Orbex’s Prime Rocket. (Credit: Orbex)
22 January, 2026
Those pressures are most visible in the U.K., where Orbex is in advanced talks to be acquired by German-French aerospace firm, The Exploration Company. The U.K.-based spaceflight company has faced financial strain, including the bankruptcy of its Danish subsidiary, and has struggled to secure sufficient capital to bring its Prime micro‑launcher to market.
A sale would mark one of the first major cross‑border consolidations between a European launcher and a reusable‑capsule developer, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape for small‑payload access to orbit. The Exploration Company is reportedly evaluating how Orbex’s technology and infrastructure, particularly its planned operations at SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, could integrate with its own ambitions in cargo return and future crewed systems.
Rocket Lab’s Neutron Rocket Suffers Stage‑1 Tank Implosion During Pressure Test
A rendering of Rocket Lab’s medium‑lift Neutron rocket. (Credit: Rocket Lab)
21 January, 2026
Rocket Lab’s Neutron development campaign encountered a setback after a Stage 1 tank ruptured during a hydrostatic pressure test at the company’s facilities on January 21, 2026. Rocket Lab claimed that the "hydrostatic pressure trial," was designed to push the structure to its limits, though not to the point of destruction, and the rupture has prompted a review of test data to reassess the rocket’s debut schedule, previously targeted for early 2026.
Rocket Lab emphasized that such failures are a routine part of qualification testing intended to validate structural integrity and safety margins for flight hardware. The company reported no significant damage to surrounding infrastructure and confirmed that the next Stage 1 tank is already in production, allowing development to continue while engineers analyze the incident.
The rupture adds pressure to a program already operating on a delayed timeline, but Rocket Lab maintains that the data gained from the test will inform design refinements as Neutron progresses toward its first launch. Neutron, at 141 feet/43 meters, stands at more than twice the height of Rocket Lab’s Electron and is powered by the company’s Archimedes engines. Its first stage is built for reuse and is intended to land on an ocean platform after placing up to 28,700 pounds (13,000 kilograms) into low Earth orbit.
Blue Origin Announces TeraWave Constellation, While New Shepard Completes NS‑38, and New Glenn Prepares to Refly Booster on Next Launch with AST SpaceMobile
Blue Origin is widening its ambitions across launch, human spaceflight, and satellite communications, outlining a multi‑orbit architecture while advancing both suborbital and orbital operations.
Blue Origin’s TeraWave architecture combines 5,280 LEO satellites with 128 MEO spacecraft to deliver high-capacity global connectivity, using optical backhaul and symmetrical RF and optical user links reaching up to 6 Tbps. (Credit: Blue Origin)
21 January, 2026
The company revealed TeraWave, a planned 5,408‑satellite constellation spanning LEO and MEO to provide high‑capacity connectivity for enterprise, cloud, and government customers. The network, comprising 5,280 LEO spacecraft and 128 larger MEO satellites, marks a strategic shift toward vertically integrated communications infrastructure. Blue Origin positions TeraWave as a response to rising demand for resilient, high‑throughput links, positioning it against established and emerging megaconstellation operators.
TeraWave and Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper) represent two distinct satellite initiatives backed by Jeff Bezos, each targeting different market segments and technical architectures. TeraWave is planned as a high‑capacity backbone network for enterprise and government users. It will offer symmetrical bandwidth with speeds up to 6 Tbps via optical links, and 144 Gbps via RF, starting in 2027. Despite its global coverage, TeraWave is optimized for serving approximately 100,000 high‑demand customers, prioritizing throughput and reliability over mass accessibility.
In contrast, Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper) is a 3,200+ satellite low Earth orbit constellation focused on residential broadband, delivering up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps upload speeds via RF. While both constellations aim to expand global internet access, TeraWave is positioned as a strategic infrastructure layer, whereas Leo targets consumer‑scale distribution.
The announcement offered few technical details on spacecraft design or deployment timelines, leaving open questions about manufacturing capacity, regulatory coordination, and launch cadence.
The NS‑38 mission, flown by Blue Origin’s New Shepard on January 22, 2026, carried six civilians representing a range of professional backgrounds. The crew included (L to R) Alain Fernandez, an international real estate developer and investor; Dr. Linda Edwards, a retired obstetrician/gynecologist and two‑time breast cancer survivor; Dr. Laura Stiles, an aerospace engineer and Director of New Shepard Launch Operations at Blue Origin; Tim Drexler, a licensed pilot and former CEO of Ace Asphalt; Alberto Gutiérrez, founder of the travel platform Civitatis; and Jim Hendren, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and manufacturing executive. (Credit: Blue Origin)
22 January, 2026
The company continues to emphasize its suborbital program as a revenue‑generating and brand‑defining activity. The NS‑38 mission, conducted from West Texas, marked the 38th New Shepard flight and the 17th human mission, carrying six passengers on a brief suborbital trajectory. Blue Origin highlighted the cumulative total of 98 people flown to space, emphasizing New Shepard’s role in demonstrating reusability and operational reliability. However, the program remains limited to tourism and microgravity research, with no clear indication of when or whether it will expand into higher‑cadence operations.
New Glenn at liftoff during the NG-2 mission. (Credit: Blue Origin)
22 January, 2026
On the orbital side, Blue Origin is preparing for the next flights of New Glenn, its heavy‑lift vehicle. The company confirmed that New Glenn‑3 will carry AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellite, part of a planned direct‑to‑device communications network. Blue Origin also stated that it intends to refly the New Glenn booster “Never Tell Me The Odds,” used for the NG-2 mission which launched NASA's twin ESCAPADE Mars probes on November 13, 2025, on the upcoming flight. New Glenn’s schedule remains closely watched, given past delays and the scale of launch demand implied by TeraWave and other commercial commitments.
Tomorrow.io Introduces DeepSky to Advance High‑Frequency, AI‑Driven Weather Observation
Credit: Tomorrow.io
22 January, 2026
Boston (U.S.)-based weather intelligence provider Tomorrow.io has introduced DeepSky, a planned constellation of larger, more capable weather‑sensing satellites designed to increase global observation density and support AI‑driven forecasting. DeepSky is described as an “AI‑native” architecture intended to make Earth’s atmosphere and oceans continuously observable in near–real time, enabling faster refresh rates for regional and extreme‑weather models.
The announcement comes shortly after the company completed deployment of its first‑generation network of 11 satellites equipped with Ka‑band radar and microwave sounders, two of which launched on a SpaceX rideshare earlier in the month. The system is designed to deliver a 60‑minute global weather revisit rate, providing hourly refreshes of atmospheric conditions worldwide, and has attracted customers such as Ford, Uber, BNSF Railway, JetBlue and the U.S. Air Force.
Tomorrow.io has not disclosed how many satellites DeepSky will include, but executives frame the system as a step toward more persistent sensing and expanded in‑orbit processing. Company leadership argues that higher‑frequency data collection is essential for next‑generation forecasting tools, particularly as climate‑driven volatility increases demand for rapid, localized weather intelligence.
Open Cosmos Secures Liechtenstein Ka‑Band Spectrum After Rivada Revocation to Advance European LEO Broadband Plans and Begins Deployment With Rocket Lab Launches
Open Cosmos has secured a significant strategic foothold in Europe’s emerging space‑telecommunications landscape after Liechtenstein awarded the company its high‑priority Ka‑band spectrum filings, enabling the development of a sovereign LEO broadband constellation. The decision positions the UK‑based firm as a central player in Europe’s push for independent, resilient communications infrastructure, with Liechtenstein officials emphasizing the need to put scarce national frequency resources to effective use. The award followed a competitive and politically sensitive process, as the filings had previously been held by the Germany-based Rivada Space Networks and were contested by multiple international operators.
Liechtenstein revoked Rivada’s Ka‑band filings in 2024 after the company failed to meet deployment and financing milestones for its planned ~600‑satellite constellation, clearing the way for Open Cosmos to receive the filings and advance a viable LEO broadband system.
The spectrum authorization is viewed as a geopolitical asset, supporting Europe’s broader ambitions to diversify connectivity options and reduce dependence on non‑European systems. UK officials also backed the move, framing it as a boost to domestic space‑sector capabilities and manufacturing. Open Cosmos, which has built a track record across telecom, Earth‑observation, and scientific missions, now plans to leverage the filings to deploy a broadband constellation focused on secure data links and in‑orbit processing for government and commercial users.
The two Open Cosmos satellites launched from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula aboard an Electron rocket on the mission The Cosmos Will See You Now mark the initial activation step of the company’s planned next‑generation satellite network. (Credit: Rocket Lab)
22 January, 2026
Just one week after securing the spectrum, the company launched its first two satellites from Rocket Lab’s Electron vehicle in New Zealand, marking the activation phase of its planned network. The mission, titled The Cosmos Will See You Now, transitions Open Cosmos from constellation design into on‑orbit validation and demonstrates its intent to meet regulatory deployment deadlines tied to the Ka‑band filings. The satellites form the initial layer of a scalable system intended to support real‑time monitoring, broadband connectivity, and coordinated space‑based services across Europe and beyond.
South Korean LIG Nex1 Selects L3Harris to Supply Advanced Imager for GEO‑KOMPSAT‑5 Geostationary Weather Satellite
A rendering of the GEO-KOMPSAT-5 satellite. (Credit: LIG Nex1)
22 January, 2026
L3Harris has been selected by South Korean aerospace and defense firm, LIG Nex1 to supply the primary imaging payload for the Korea Meteorological Administration’s (KMA) upcoming GEO‑KOMPSAT‑5 geostationary weather satellite. The contract, announced on 22–23 January 2026, extends the company’s long‑running role in providing meteorological instruments for the Korean Peninsula. The new 18‑channel GEO‑KOMPSAT Meteorological Imager adds two dedicated water‑vapor channels and improves spatial resolution, enabling more detailed atmospheric monitoring and faster forecasting updates.
The satellite is intended to strengthen South Korea’s ability to track severe weather and environmental conditions from geostationary orbit, building on earlier GEO‑KOMPSAT missions. L3Harris emphasized that the upgraded instrument will support higher‑frequency observations and more precise data products for national agencies. The award also reflects continued investment by Seoul in sovereign weather‑monitoring capabilities amid rising regional demand for real‑time climate and hazard data.
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
New JWST Data Reveals Early Galaxies Evolved Faster Than Expected in the Young Universe
The 18 galaxies from the ALPINE-CRISTAL-JWST survey. Each picture shows the location of ionized gas (as traced by the hydrogen alpha line, the spectral signature of hot hydrogen gas) in the galaxies. Several of the pictured galaxies are interacting, meaning two or even three galaxies are in the process of merging. (Credit: Andreas Faisst (Caltech) and the ALPINE-CRISTAL-JWST Survey team)
Astronomers have obtained their most detailed view yet of 18 young galaxies seen as they existed 12.5 billion years ago, revealing that these early systems matured far faster than expected. Using a coordinated, multi‑wavelength campaign involving JWST, Hubble, and ALMA, researchers traced the distribution of ionized gas, stellar mass, and dust, finding that many of the galaxies already displayed structured, rapidly evolving environments despite their early‑universe age.
Several galaxies showed signs of interactions and mergers, processes that likely accelerated star formation and internal reorganization. The data indicate that these “cosmic adolescents” were producing stars at intense rates while simultaneously developing features typically associated with more mature systems. This rapid evolution challenges assumptions about how quickly galaxies assemble their mass and metals in the first billion years after the Big Bang.
Researchers argue that refining models of early galactic growth will be essential for understanding the formation of the first stars and the eventual emergence of systems like the Milky Way. The findings werepublished in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement.
Astronomers Detect Vast Vaporized‑Metal Cloud Bound to a Mystery Object in a Distant Star System
This artwork portrays a star being partially obscured by a disk of planetary debris wrapped in gas and dust. (Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld & M. Zamani)
Astronomers have identified an unusually large 120‑million‑mile‑wide cloud of vaporized metal orbiting a still‑unconfirmed secondary object, after a Sun‑like star known as J0705+0612 dimmed by a factor of 40 for nearly nine months between 2024 and 2025. Observations from the Gemini South telescope revealed that the cloud consists of sweeping metallic winds and dense debris, likely produced by a past planetary collision in this two‑billion‑year‑old system.
Spectroscopic measurements using the Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) instrument allowed researchers to map the internal gas motions of the cloud, located about 3,000 light-years away, marking the first time such dynamics have been measured around a secondary body, possibly a massive planet or low‑mass star. The event offered a rare opportunity to study how debris disks evolve long after planetary systems form, highlighting the chaotic processes that can persist for billions of years. The team's research was published in the journal The Astronomical Journal.
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