Catalyx Space is preparing to test a newly developed deployable heat shield for its planned ReX reentry vehicle. The heat shield is designed to expand from 25 centimeters across when stowed to one meter. The flight also aims to validate a point-to-point delivery capability for defense applications.

On Sunday, August 31, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was successfully launched into space. It is currently en route to its primary operating location — the Lagrange point L2 of the Sun-Earth system.

Open-source tool tracker provides a pure text-based interface for satellite monitoring, featuring a world map view, complete orbital elements, and altitude history with apogee/perigee markers. Suitable for civilian, commercial, and government applications requiring lightweight, accurate orbital awareness without graphical dependencies. For developers interested in building space technologies, this type of interface offers a clean reference implementation of real-time SGP4 propagation, TLE handling, and terminal visualization that can be extended or integrated into larger systems. Current ISS (ZARYA) position at time of capture: Latitude -41.6° · Longitude -142.9° · Altitude 436.6 km · Velocity 7.65 km/s Period 92.95 min · Inclination 51.63° Repository:

GitHub

GitHub - ShenMian/tracker: A terminal-based real-time satellite tracking and orbit prediction application.

A terminal-based real-time satellite tracking and orbit prediction application. - ShenMian/tracker

#ISS #SatelliteTracking #OpenSource #SpaceSituationalAwareness #OrbitalMechanics

NorthStar Earth & Space and Kepler Communications announced a collaboration that combines NorthStar’s leading space-based Space Domain Awareness (SDA) services and Kepler’s advanced optical data relay infrastructure to accelerate the deployment of orbital sensing capabilities and streamline delivery of critical space intelligence to customers worldwide.

Quantum Space is developing advanced maneuverable spacecraft designed to provide greater mobility and resilience for national security, civil and commercial space operations. The company’s approach is centered on replacing fixed and predictable satellite architectures with spacecraft that can operate, reposition and sustain themselves across changing orbital environments.

On September 2, 2026, satellite platform manufacturer York Space Systems announced the introduction of the LX/V-CLASS, a standardized smallsat platform engineered specifically for sustained operation in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).

IBM and University of Chicago researchers have completed a quantum computation that leading classical methods could not practically reproduce. The system used 70 error-corrected logical qubits and finished the task in roughly 15 minutes while also providing statistical evidence that the result was reliable.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy lifts off Aug. 30 from the Kennedy Space Center carrying NASA's Roman Space Telescope.

NASA and AeroVironment are moving ahead with the development of a set of helicopters to be sent to Mars on a nuclear propulsion demonstration mission at the end of 2028. An illustration of three SkyFall helicopters flying above Mars, using radars to probe for subsurface ice.

Scientists have found a surprising way to potentially switch on an unusual form of magnetism in ruthenium dioxide, a material that normally appears nonmagnetic. When the material was made into an ultrathin film only a few atomic layers thick and placed under strain, its electrons developed patterns consistent with altermagnetism, a recently proposed magnetic state with promising uses in advanced electronics.

Previous NASA testing in LEO demonstrated CIGS PV’s potential to recover from radiation exposure through its self-annealing properties, a phenomenon described in scholarly journals as “Remarkable Recovery.” Now, Ascent is extending that research to determine whether that same recovery is possible in the more demanding radiation environments of medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary orbit (GEO) and other high-energy orbits, to bolster the qualifications of its thin-film solar products for an expanding range of space applications.

Impulse Space will increase the cadence of its rideshare missions to geostationary orbit, citing strong commercial demand. During a side session at the Small Satellite Conference, Aug. 25, Joshua Rea, director of commercial sales at Impulse Space, said the company has closed bookings for its first Caravan rideshare mission, scheduled for the first half of 2027, using the company’s Helios kick stage to deliver payloads to GEO.

LROC Narrow Angle Camera image before (M1370003265R) and after (M1541091337R) the SpaceX booster impact. Images enlarged 5x, north is up, each image is 120 meters wide. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Intuitive Machines

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope has been cleared for final launch preparations ahead of a targeted August 30 liftoff aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. The powerful new observatory will probe cosmic expansion, the history of the universe, and distant exoplanets.