The European Space Agency signed contracts totaling hundreds of millions of euros with three European launch startups—Rocket Factory Augsburg, PLD Space and Isar Aerospace—to fund continued development of their small launch vehicles. RFA received 186.9 million euros, PLD Space 158.9 million euros, and Isar Aerospace 197.8 million euros, mostly financed by their home nations with contributions from partner countries. A separate deal with MaiaSpace is reportedly close to finalization.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-08-28
NASA and industry engineers have outlined a synchronal bimodal nuclear rocket concept that pairs nuclear thermal propulsion with electric power generation using a single reactor and two separate fluid loops. The design avoids the complicated mode-switching valves of earlier bimodal reactor concepts while still delivering high thrust and steady electric power for spacecraft systems. Researchers say the approach could cut crewed Mars transit time from roughly 620 days down to 335 days or fewer.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-08-26
Randall Munroe's 2012 diagram Up Goer Five, which described the Saturn V rocket using only the thousand most common English words, spawned a wave of imitators among science communicators trying to simplify their own fields the same way. Critics, including Carl Zimmer, pushed back, arguing the trend was condescending and a distraction rather than a genuine tool for public understanding of science.
timharford.com
· 2026-08-23
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