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Parallax

InSight Shows Liquid Magma Layer of Mars’ Core

Mars, near its center, is liquid rock. The composition of the Red Planet has long been a mystery. It is tough to accurately measure things like the density and composition of what you can’t see from remote observations alone, and there have been limited tools deployed on the planet that can actually probe very far…

Civil

China Opens Tiangong’s Doors to Foreign Visitors

We’re not done with astronaut news just yet. Tiangong is also open for business. A little over two years after China launched the core module for Tiangong, China’s national space station is ready and willing to host astronauts from other countries, a representative from the China Manned Space Agency announced Wednesday. The invitation comes after…

Business

UK Space Agency Signs Axiom Human Spaceflight Deal

UK Space Agency signed an agreement with Axiom on Wednesday to send British astronauts on a commercially sponsored two-week scientific mission to space.

Policy

Senate Confirms Mike Whitaker as FAA Administrator

The FAA finally has a permanent leader after an 18-month vacancy. 

BroadbandBusiness

Aalyria Plans to Deploy Laser Terminals at Sea

Aalyria is building a mesh network of laser links to quickly transmit data across land, air, sea, and space. The sea-based piece of that plan is about to get a boost. Yesterday, the DC-based laser comms networking company announced that it signed an MoU with HICO Investment Group, which focuses investment in shipping and logistics…

MilitaryPolaris

China’s Pursuit of Space Superiority Through Soft Power

Beijing is increasingly using its space ambition to build a global coalition of international partners in orbit, according to a Pentagon report released last week.

EuropeInternationalLunar

Belarus Joins China’s Moon Base Mission

Belarus became the latest country to back Beijing’s mission to build a lunar base on Monday, joining a growing number of international partners who have teamed up with China in orbit. 

Launch

SpaceX to Launch ESA’s Galileo Sats

SpaceX will launch ESA’s Galileo navigation satellites amid a dearth of European launch operations, the WSJ reported.

BusinessVC/PE

Qosmosys Closes $100M Seed Round

Lunar lander startup Qosmosys secured a staggering $100M in seed funding to help it bring its ZeusX lander to the Moon in just four years, the startup announced last week. 

International

India Successfully Tests Crew Escape System

The Indian Space Research Organization successfully tested its crew escape system this weekend, putting it one step closer to its ambitious plans for crewed spaceflight.

Business

AstroForge Conducts Hot Fire Test Ahead of Early 2024 Mission

Asteroid mining startup AstroForge successfully conducted a hot fire test of its Brokkr-2 surveyor spacecraft—a key milestone towards its scheduled Q1 2024 launch.

StartupsTravel

Malt, Hops, Yeast—and Stardust 

They say it’s 5 o’clock somewhere—and Beau Warren, founder of Species X Beer Project, is trying to make that somewhere space.  Some background: Warren considers himself a long-time space lover who grew up visiting the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in DC. He founded Species X in September 2021, and is in the process of…