Space Business News
January 15, 2026
ROCKET SCIENCE
Firefly prepares Alpha Block II upgrade for Flight 8



Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
Firefly Aerospace has announced a Block II configuration upgrade for its Alpha small launch vehicle, with qualification testing for the new second stage hardware now underway at the companys Rocket Ranch test facility in Briggs, Texas. The Block II program is intended to boost reliability, streamline manufacturing, and improve launch operations to better support commercial, civil, and national security customers across the global launch market. Alpha Flight 7, targeted to lift off in the coming we ... read more

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SPACE MEDICINE
Spaceflight study links astronaut biology to reversible shifts in epigenetic age
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
When the four member crew of Axiom 2 launched on a 10 day mission in May 2023, their time in orbit carried a dense manifest of biomedical experiments aimed at probing human physiology under spacefli ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
The Quiet Transformation of GPS - What's Coming by 2026
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 15, 2026
GPS has long been perceived as a finished system - dependable, standardized, and largely unchanged from the user's point of view. For most people, navigation simply works, and that reliability creates the illusion of stagnation. ... more
GPS NEWS
GPS in 2026 - Hidden Shifts That Could Redefine Global Navigation
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 15, 2026
For decades, GPS has been treated as a stable, almost invisible layer of modern technology - always present, always reliable. Yet as 2026 approaches, subtle but meaningful changes are beginning to reshape how global navigation systems operate behind the scenes. ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Indian rocket hits snag during launch
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 12, 2026
An Indian rocket hit a snag during its launch Monday, forcing a deviation in flight path as it carried an Earth observation satellite and commercial payloads, the country's space agency said. ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
New orbital mapping system targets Earth Moon libration traffic
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
As lunar exploration intensifies, the cislunar space is experiencing increasing congestion. Traditional two body Keplerian elements, which have long been the standard for Earth orbiting objects, pro ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Fueling research in nuclear thermal propulsion
by Poornima Apte for MIT News
Boston MA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026 Going to the moon was one thing; going to Mars will be quite another. The distance alone is intimidating. While the moon is 238,855 miles away, the distance to Mars is ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Blue Origin and Nimbus validate fuel cells for lunar life support
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
In a key step toward sustaining crews on future lunar missions, Nimbus Power Systems has completed a campaign of shock and vibration tests on its advanced, gravity independent fuel cell hardware in ... more
ROBO SPACE
Musk vs OpenAI trial set for April 27
San Francisco, United States (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
A trial in the lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Samuel Altman and other defendants - including tech giant Microsoft - is scheduled to begin April 27, according to a federal court order issued Tuesday. ... more

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ROCKET SCIENCE
PH-1 test flight advances Chinese reusable suborbital spacecraft plans
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 13, 2026
A Chinese suborbital spacecraft designed for reusable operations and future space tourism has completed a key test flight, marking a new step in the country's commercial space ambitions. The v ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
NASA Back for Seconds with New Food System Design Challenge
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
NASA is getting ready to send four astronauts around the Moon with Artemis II, laying the foundation for sustainable missions to the lunar surface and paving the way for human exploration on Mars. A ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Space station study reveals unusual virus bacteria dynamics in microgravity
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
In near weightless conditions aboard the International Space Station, viruses that infect bacteria continue to attack their hosts but follow an altered evolutionary trajectory compared to the same s ... more
ROBO SPACE
From sci-fi to sidewalk: exoskeletons go mainstream
Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 8, 2026
Exoskeletons are shedding their bulky, sci-fi image to become lightweight, AI-powered consumer devices that manufacturers hope will become as commonplace as smartwatches, targeting everyone from hikers to seniors seeking to stay active. ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Starfighters completes supersonic tests for GE Aerospace ramjet program
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 06, 2026
Starfighters Space Inc has completed a supersonic flight test campaign for GE Aerospace in which a company F-104 aircraft carried an advanced propulsion test vehicle on multiple flights at supersoni ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
NASA says targeting ISS medical evacuation for January 14
Washington, United States (AFP) Jan 10, 2026
NASA crewmembers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) could return to Earth as soon as Thursday, the US space agency said, after a medical emergency prompted the crew to return from their mission early. ... more
TECHNOLOGY NEWS


ENERGY TECH
EAST experiments point to density free regime for fusion plasmas
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 05, 2026
Researchers working on China's fully superconducting Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) have experimentally accessed a theorized density-free regime for fusion plasmas, maintaining ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
GE and Lockheed validate compact rotating detonation ramjet for hypersonic missiles
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 15, 2026
GE Aerospace and Lockheed Martin have completed a series of engine tests that demonstrate the viability of a liquid fueled rotating detonation ramjet for hypersonic missile applications. The work ma ... more
MISSILE NEWS
Russia claims Oreshnik missile hit Ukrainian aviation plant
Moscow (AFP) Jan 12, 2026
Russia on Monday claimed to have hit an aviation repair plant in Ukraine's western Lviv region last week with its Oreshnik ballistic missile, the first time either country has named the strike's alleged target. ... more
UAV NEWS
India accuses Pakistan of cross-border drone incursions in Kashmir
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
India's army chief accused Pakistan on Tuesday of flying drones into Indian-administered territory in disputed Kashmir, where the nuclear-armed rivals fought a four-day clash last year. ... more
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
Eutelsat orders 340 new OneWeb LEO satellites from Airbus
Paris, France (SPX) Jan 13, 2026
Eutelsat has signed a new contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the manufacture of an additional 340 OneWeb low Earth orbit satellites, expanding its next generation constellation plan and secu ... more
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
W5 Technologies LEO payload extends MUOS coverage into polar and remote theaters
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 14, 2026
W5 Technologies has introduced the Mighty MUOSe system, a compact payload that extends coverage for the Mobile User Objective System military satellite communications network from Low Earth Orbit. ... more
UAV NEWS
Sweden invests over $400 mn in military drones
Stockholm (AFP) Jan 12, 2026
Sweden is investing four billion kronor ($437 million) to acquire drones for all branches of its armed forces, the country's defence minister said Monday, stressing that Europe needed to assume "greater responsibility" for itself and Ukraine. ... more
UAV NEWS
Tethered UAV system demonstrates autonomous knotting for heavy load aerial transport
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jan 07, 2026
"Cable-driven systems excel at heavy-load transport but are limited by fixed anchoring points in unstructured environments," explained study corresponding author Lihua Xie from Nanyang Technological ... more
AEROSPACE
Sweden to spend $1.6 bn to bolster air defences
Stockholm (AFP) Jan 11, 2026
Sweden will invest 15 billion kronor ($1.6 billion) on bolstering its air defences, notably potential civilian targets, the government said Sunday, the latest European country to beef up military spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ... more
AEROSPACE
Taiwan launches search for fighter jet pilot
Taipei (AFP) Jan 6, 2026
Taiwan's Air Force said Tuesday it has launched a search for a pilot believed to have ejected from a F-16 fighter jet over the sea during a routine training mission. ... more
AEROSPACE
Turkey's Erdogan hails 2.6 bln euro jet deal with Spain
Istanbul (AFP) Jan 3, 2026
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday welcomed an agreement under which Spain will procure Turkish-made HURJET training aircraft, describing it as evidence of Turkey's "pioneering role" in defence and aviation industry. ... more
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Sri Lanka seeks Chinese aid to rebuild after deadly cyclone
Colombo (AFP) Jan 12, 2026
Sri Lanka asked China to help rebuild key infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, which killed at least 641 people and caused extensive damage, the island's foreign minister said on Monday. ... more
TECHNOLOGY NEWS


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DISASTER MANAGEMENT
'Are You Dead?': Chinese app for solo dwellers goes viral
Beijing (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
"Are You Dead?", an app that sounds the alarm if a user doesn't check in every 48 hours, was one of China's top-selling paid apps on Tuesday as the country's growing class of solo dwellers flocked to download it. ... more
ENERGY TECH
UK facility scales hydrogen recycling of rare earth magnets
London, UK (SPX) Jan 15, 2026
The University of Birmingham has launched a large scale rare earth magnet recycling facility in the West Midlands that aims to reduce the United Kingdom's reliance on imported rare earth metals, all ... more
TRADE WARS
Iran's main trade partners at risk of Trump tariff threat
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump has said he is imposing a 25 percent tariff on any country doing business with Iran. ... more
ENERGY TECH
Volvo Cars pauses battery factory after fruitless partner search
Stockholm (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
Swedish automaker Volvo Cars said Tuesday that it was pausing operations at a battery factory under construction, dismissing all 75 workers there, after failing to find a partner for the business. ... more
TRADE WARS
China says will 'safeguard' interests after Trump tariff threat over Iran
Beijing (AFP) Jan 13, 2026
China said on Tuesday it would protect its rights and interests after US President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on any country doing business with Iran. ... more
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