Space debris x South China Sea…the crossover nobody asked for. On Monday, a Philippine military commander accused China of forcibly seizing a big piece of metal—most likely space debris—that the former nation’s navy was towing through the South China Sea. The course of events, per Philippine Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos’s telling: Beijing’s take: China’s foreign…
China’s space station is almost finished. Over the weekend, the China Manned Space Agency launched the Wentian laboratory module to its in-progress Tiangong station atop a Long March 5B. Wentian successfully docked with the station earlier this morning after a 13-hour journey. Wentian: The lab module is the largest spacecraft that China has ever sent…
China and Russia are still planning on signing an agreement to build a lunar research station by 2035, CNSA officials confirmed Friday. The station, called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), was originally announced in June and represents the two nations’ response to NASA’s Gateway project. ILRS 101: The proposed station would consist of an orbiting outpost and a…
Last week, the seventh annual China Commercial Aerospace Forum (CCAF) convened in Wuhan, China. Leaders from China’s civil, commercial, and military sectors met to discuss the country’s ascendant space program—and positive spillovers in the private sector. State updates: China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp. (CASIC), the country’s state-owned aerospace company, hosted the forum. CASIC reps…
China conducted a successful test of a hypersonic glide vehicle over the summer, according to an in-depth report published by the Financial Times. The FT’s story draws on interviews with five unnamed officials. The purported launch and covert demonstration of the vehicle, which glides around space, caught US intelligence agencies off guard. The nuclear-capable spacecraft travels through…
Yesterday, China successfully launched a Long March 2D rocket to orbit, carrying the H-alpha Solar Explorer and 10 additional small satellites. H-alpha is China’s debut solar observatory, SpaceNews reports. The telescope-equipped spacecraft is headed for 517-KM, sun-synchronous orbit. The mission was China’s 37th orbital launch of 2021. Next up: Shenzhou 13. Hours after this hits your…
Europe made its most concrete claim yet for sovereignty in orbit this week.
LEO’s most promising market opportunity—in-space manufacturing—doesn’t yet have the commercial demand to sustain itself. Government support is what will get us there.
SpaceX generated $18.67B in revenue in 2025, according to paperwork filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of the company’s IPO, expected next month.
The Golden Dome missile defense system is intended to protect America—but Democratic lawmakers argue that it would have the opposite effect.
NASA has potentially funded or supported hundreds of scientific collaborations since 2015 that might involve Chinese researchers, a new Congressional report says.
The estimate is an order of magnitude larger than the $185B figure proposed by Golden Dome chief Gen. Michael Guetlein in March
Brian Hughes, who will serve as NASA’s first senior launch operations director, was the space agency’s chief of staff from May to December, departing the agency once Administrator Jared Isaacman took over.
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