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Odin Space and Atomic-6 build sensors and lighter shields to combat orbital debris

Odin Space is selling adhesive vibration sensor strips that satellites can use to detect and measure debris impacts, addressing the mystery behind many small-satellite failures. Meanwhile, Atlanta-area company Atomic-6 is working on lighter alternative shielding to replace or improve upon traditional aluminum panels and Whipple shields used to protect spacecraft from high-speed debris strikes.

Bandai Namco previews Gundam: Rogue Orbit, a melee-focused mech action game

Bandai Namco let press try an hour-long preview of Gundam: Rogue Orbit, its upcoming giant robot game set for release on March 5, 2027. The demo included two missions and three premade mobile suits, each wielding a different melee weapon, with customization features left out of the preview build.

Isar Aerospace launches Spectrum rocket, becomes first commercial orbital launch in Europe

Isar Aerospace, a German startup founded in 2018 by three Technical University of Munich students, launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport in Arctic Norway on Saturday. The two-stage, 92-foot rocket reached low-Earth orbit about seven minutes after liftoff, marking the first fully commercial European launch vehicle to do so. CEO Daniel Metzler called it a milestone giving Europe independent access to space.

Russia's Rassvet satellite constellation stalls far below planned orbit

Russia's Bureau 1440 has launched 32 Rassvet satellites in two batches this year, but none have reached their intended 500-mile orbit. Tracking data shows most satellites topped out near 300 miles, several stopped maneuvering entirely, and at least three have already reentered or appear headed for reentry.

Orbital Congestion Forces SpaceX and Competitors Into Frequent Collision-Avoidance Maneuvers

Growing numbers of satellites and debris in low-Earth orbit are prompting SpaceX and other operators to repeatedly reposition spacecraft to avoid collisions. The increasing density of objects, ranging from active satellites to defunct hardware and fragments, is straining existing traffic-management practices.

Texas A&M, Purdue and NASA engineers design lunar traffic control system

Researchers from Texas A&M, Purdue University and NASA's Johnson Space Center have developed a traffic management system for spacecraft sharing the near-rectilinear halo orbit around the moon. The system is meant to coordinate multiple vehicles—including Orion capsules, cargo ships and lunar landers—that will operate simultaneously as NASA builds out its planned moon base.

SpaceX to Power Starmind AI Project with NVIDIA's Vera Rubin Chips in Orbit

Elon Musk revealed on SpaceX's latest earnings call that the company's Starmind AI project will run on NVIDIA's Vera Rubin GPU architecture, both on the ground and eventually in orbit. Musk argued the NVL72 VR system design outperforms traditional rack-based computing setups and would be cheaper and more effective for SpaceX's needs.