ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, currently serving as a flight engineer on the International Space Station during her Epsilon mission, wore a Delta insignia badge modeled on the one worn by actor Anson Mount as Captain Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She recorded a video tribute marking 60 years since Star Trek's debut, linking the franchise's themes of exploration and cooperation to real-world space science, and both ESA and Paramount shared the clip on Instagram.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-08
Scientists in China have developed a new aluminum-based material modeled on the microstructure of eggshells, aiming to better protect spacecraft from high-speed debris impacts. The work, published in the Journal of Applied Physics, builds on decades of research into how an egg's curved geometry gives it surprising rigidity despite its thinness and fragility.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-08
Stoke Space announced a $1 billion Series E funding round co-led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital, bringing its total funding to $2.3 billion. CEO Andy Lapsa said the money will accelerate development of a bigger 'Block 2' version of its Nova rocket capable of lifting 15 metric tons to low-Earth orbit while remaining fully reusable, even as the original Nova vehicle nears its debut launch next year.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-08
Stoke Space Technologies has completed the first close of a $1 billion Series E funding round, led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital with participation from Y Combinator and other investors. The company says the capital will support scaling production and flight frequency of its current rocket while funding development of a larger, second-generation vehicle, bringing its total funding to $2.3 billion.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-08
NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, marking the first space telescope named after a woman. The mission, previously known as WFIRST, will study dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets, continuing work in the field Roman helped establish as NASA's first chief of astronomy in 1959.
nature.com
· 2026-09-08
GrapheneOS announced it is issuing a new OS build to fix a volume bar UI bug introduced by an upstream Android security patch, along with a Private Space interface issue. As a result, the long-in-development overhaul of its Messaging app, which the team has worked on for months, will now arrive after this maintenance release rather than alongside it.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-07
German startup Isar Aerospace successfully sent its two-stage Spectrum rocket into low Earth orbit from a spaceport in Norway, marking the first entirely commercial orbital launch from continental Europe. The achievement follows a failed attempt last March, when the rocket crashed into the sea just 30 seconds after liftoff. CEO Daniel Metzler called it a new chapter for European spaceflight and sovereign access to space.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-06
German rocket startup Isar Aerospace successfully placed satellites into orbit during its second launch attempt, dubbed 'Onward and Upward,' lifting off from Andøya Space in Norway. The rocket cleared key milestones including max dynamic pressure, stage separation, second-stage ignition, and crossing the Kármán line before completing spacecraft separation. The payloads came from a German Space Agency competition offering educational institutions and startups affordable orbital access.
isaraerospace.com
· 2026-09-06
German company Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Space Center in Norway on Sept. 5, and about seven minutes later the vehicle reached an elliptical orbit. It was the rocket's second attempt, after a March 2025 debut flight failed less than a minute after liftoff due to a valve issue and loss of attitude control.
space.com
· 2026-09-05
Isar Aerospace has finished stage testing for its second Spectrum rocket launch from Andøya Space in Norway, less than nine months after its debut test flight in March. Both vehicle stages passed 30-second integrated static fire tests, confirming readiness for final integration and launch preparations.
isaraerospace.com
· 2026-09-05
An Android Authority writer who regularly switches between Galaxy and Pixel devices explains why he keeps returning to Samsung phones, citing superior built-in apps and features. He points to Secure Folder outperforming Private Space, Samsung DeX beating Pixel's barebones Desktop Mode, and Modes and Routines, Samsung Notes, and Samsung Gallery each surpassing their Google counterparts.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-05
ESA's BepiColombo mission, a joint effort with Japan and the US costing nearly $2 billion, has released the Mercury Transfer Module that powered and propelled the spacecraft since its 2018 launch. The jettison follows nine gravity-assist flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury designed to slow the craft enough for Mercury's gravity to eventually capture it into orbit later this year.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-04
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