The boreal forest—the world’s largest terrestrial biome—is warming faster than any other forest type. To understand the changing dynamics of boreal forests, Feng et al., 2026 analyzed the biome from 1985 to 2020, leveraging the longest and highest-resolution satellite record of calibrated tree cover to date. The study, published in February in Biogeosciences with four co-authors from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, confirms a northward shift in boreal forest cover over the past four decades.

The French divers had been descending along the steep Indonesian reef wall for long minutes, their beams of light swallowed almost instantly by the abyss. The computers on their wrists ticked past 100 meters. Then 110. Then 120. The hum of their rebreathers and the distant crackle of the reef were the only sounds. And suddenly, out of the dark, that eye. They all knew the shape from old black‑and‑white photos in biology books. They also knew nobody had ever filmed it alive, in this place, at this depth. Before them, in the beam of three lamps, drifted a coelacanth, the legendary “living fossil” that scientists once thought had vanished with the dinosaurs. Its lobe-finned limbs paddled like four miniature legs. Its tail undulated with a quiet, prehistoric grace. For long seconds, nobody moved. The fish turned its head, regarded the lights, then retreated slowly into a crack in the cliff, as if reversing into time itself.

World’s first ‘biomimetic AI robot’ Moya debuts with 92% human-like walking accuracy. The robot, named Moya, was unveiled in Shanghai by the robotics company DroidUp, which describes it as the world’s first fully biomimetic embodied intelligent robot. Moya is built around the idea of embodied artificial intelligence, systems that can perceive, reason, and act within the physical world rather than operating purely in digital environments. In the footage shared by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the humanoid is seen smiling, nodding, making eye contact, and walking with a gait that closely resembles human movement. The company claims Moya can replicate human micro-expressions, a feature that places it among the most humanlike robots currently under development. Standing 1.65 metres (5.5 feet) tall and weighing around 32 kilograms (70 pounds), Moya has been designed with proportions close to those of an adult human. DroidUp also states that the robot maintains a body temperature between 32 and 36 degrees Celsius (89.6°F and 96.8°F), a detail intended to enhance its lifelike presence during interaction. The company reports that Moya’s walking posture has an accuracy of 92 percent, highlighting its focus on stable, natural locomotion. Moya’s development appears to build on DroidUp’s earlier humanoid robotics work, though the company has disclosed limited technical details about the platform underlying the robot. According to the RoboHorizon website, Moya is built on a “Walker 3” chassis. DroidUp has not formally named or detailed this platform in its own disclosures. RoboHorizon reports that Moya features a modular design, allowing its external appearance to be customised without altering the underlying mechanical structure. The robot’s debut comes at a time when humanoid development is branching in multiple directions globally. Some companies deliberately design robots with cartoon-like or stylised appearances to avoid human comparison, while others emphasise clearly mechanical forms suited to industrial work. A smaller group, including DroidUp, continues to pursue highly realistic designs that aim to cross the uncanny valley rather than avoid it. DroidUp is not presenting Moya solely as a domestic robot. According to SCMP, the company envisions the humanoid being used across healthcare, education, and other commercial environments where human-robot interaction plays a central role. Rather than focusing on industrial tasks or high-speed athletic demonstrations, the company appears to be targeting settings that require prolonged interaction and a sense of approachability. Moya is expected to enter the market by late 2026, with a reported starting price of around 1.2 million yuan, according to figures cited in the SCMP video. Final pricing and availability details have not yet been formally announced.

Mars almost certainly once held abundant water. Until now, observations have shown that most atmospheric water loss occurs during the Red Planet’s southern summer, when warmer, dustier conditions allow water vapor to rise to high altitudes without condensing and escape into space. In new research, planetary scientists identified a previously unrecognized pathway for water loss — observed, for the first time, during the opposite season. Their results show that a strong, localized and short-lived dust storm in Martian Year 37 (August 2023) drove a surge of water vapor upward during the northern summer.

The Juno observations showed that Jupiter has an equatorial diameter of 88,841 miles (142,976 km), which is about 5 miles (8 km) smaller than previous measurements had indicated. The observations also showed that Jupiter's diameter from north pole to south pole is 83,067 miles (133,684 km), about 15 miles (24 km) smaller than previously estimated. The planet, like our own, is not a perfect sphere, but rather a bit flattened - and, based on the new data, slightly more so than previously known. Jupiter is about 7% larger at the equator than at the poles. For comparison, Earth's equator is only 0.33% larger than its diameter at the poles. https://blossom.primal.net/2e518f50fcacf490227768e6d260f8d136950399dc0f353a0bd6d033cfb9fd35

On Jan. 21, the Air Force conducted a live warhead test of a new standoff cruise missile that was developed in less than a year and a half. The Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, is an air-launched cruise missile that is designed to allow the Air Force to strike high-value fixed targets from standoff range with precision guidance, at an affordable cost. The test was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and involved the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate, the 96th Test Wing and industry partners, the Air Force said. The Air Force said the test met all primary objectives, including a full detonation of its warhead. The data Eglin’s engineers collected will be used to help further refine and mature the ERAM design.

Raytheon, a division of RTX, announced Wednesday that it would ramp up production of several key missile systems, weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to nix the company’s government contracts unless it invested more in manufacturing. The defense giant said it reached five agreements with the Pentagon to accelerate annual deliveries of these precision munitions — by as much as four times their current rates — including more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, at least 1,900 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and roughly 500 SM-6 missiles. Production of SM-3 IIA and SM-3 IB missile defense interceptors are also expected to rise. RTX, during a post earnings call last week, said it plans to make a $500 million increase in investments in 2026, enhancing facilities that make munitions.

Viridian inks cooperative agreement with Air Force Research Laboratory. Viridian Space Corp. signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force Research Laboratory. Viridian Space was established in 2023 in El Segundo, California, to develop air-scooping electric thrusters.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope completed final assembly in late November 2025. Light is the fastest phenomenon in the universe, clocking in at just under 300,000 kilometers per second. The telescopes that observe that light, from radio waves to gamma rays, are built at rather slower speeds.

Silicon as strategy: the hidden battleground of the new space race. In the consumer electronics playbook, custom silicon is the final step in the marathon: you use off-the-shelf components to prove a product, achieve mass scale and only then invest in proprietary chips to create differentiation, improve operations, and optimize margins. Photo of a 200mm silicon wafer.

SmallSat Alliance shifts focus from proliferation to coordination, after helping place proliferated low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations at the center of U.S. military space planning, the SmallSat Alliance is now tackling how these networks can be used together as a unified system. SmallSat Alliance chairman Chuck Beames (right) during the Miami Space Summit in 2025.

FireSat adds orbit-visualization software to help firefighters plan around satellite passes. Developers of wildfire-detection satellites are moving beyond raw data delivery, adding tools that show firefighters and researchers when satellites will actually pass over the areas they are watching. The FireSat project has received financial support from Google Research and other non-governmental organizations.

Kymeta Corporation expands the geostationary orbit (GEO) connectivity capabilities, showcasing the company’s role in delivering reliable, high-performance satellite communications for government, enterprise, mobility and remote operations. Through the electronically steered antenna technology and GEO-compatible terminals, Kymeta enables consistent broadband connectivity over wide geographic areas, supporting mission-critical communications where terrestrial networks are unavailable, unreliable or impractical. The GEO connectivity offerings are designed to integrate seamlessly with established satellite infrastructures, providing users with stable links, predictable performance and simplified deployment across diverse operating environments.

Blue Origin advances the growing portfolio of space robotics technologies that support lunar exploration, in-space operations and future deep-space missions. As part of the broader exploration systems roadmap, Blue Origin’s robotics efforts focus on enabling autonomous operations, precision handling and reliable surface and orbital activities in environments where human presence is limited or not immediately feasible. These robotic systems are already integral to the company’s exploration architecture and are designed to support sustained operations beyond Earth orbit. Robotic systems developed by Blue Origin are intended to support cargo logistics and early infrastructure deployment on the Moon. These capabilities are relevant for handling scientific payloads, power systems, habitats and other surface elements required for long-term exploration. By using robotic solutions for these tasks and missions can reduce dependency on crewed operations during initial phases, improving safety and operational flexibility while laying the groundwork for future human activity.

The first images from Europe’s pioneering meteorological infrared sounder were unveiled at the EU Space Conference in Brussels, marking a major advance in the ability to monitor how the atmosphere evolves before and during severe weather. The images were captured by the Infrared Sounder (IRS) flying aboard Meteosat Third Generation Sounder-1 (MTG-S1), the first ever European satellite in geostationary orbit to carry a hyperspectral atmospheric sounder.

Voyager Technologies announced a strategic lunar initiative aligned with the White House’s Securing American Space Superiority executive order, launching a new era of American space achievement, reinforcing U.S. leadership in exploration, national security and commercial activity beyond low Earth orbit. Voyager’s lunar strategy will focus on delivering the foundational infrastructure required for sustained human and robotic operations and advancing enduring human space exploration. The company is applying its mission-ready portfolio across human support systems, power distribution, communications backbones, on-orbit and surface compute and automated logistics to support continuous space operation.

Tomorrow.io announced a $175M equity financing led by Stonecourt Capital and HarbourVest to accelerate the deployment of DeepSky, the world's first AI-native weather satellite constellation. The funding is intended to support the rapid expansion of Tomorrow.io's space infrastructure and intelligence platform, enabling unprecedented global atmospheric sensing and decision-making capabilities. Tomorrow.io has completed the full deployment of its first satellite constellation, having launched 13 satellites to space, achieving 60-minute global revisit, while scaling an AI-driven intelligence platform now embedded across critical industries. DeepSky extends this foundation into the next phase of the company's roadmap, supporting continued commercial growth, expanding data coverage, and unlocking new high-frequency sensing capabilities.

BlackSky Technology was awarded multiple Gen-3 Assured services contracts totaling seven figures with a new international defense customer following the early access period. The expansion deals mark a rapid customer shift toward adopting advanced space-based dynamic monitoring capabilities as the customer quickly scales to support time-sensitive tactical ISR operational needs. Gen-3 imagery enables the automated detection, identification, and classification of a wide collection of aircraft, vehicles, vessels, and other objects of tactical interest at machine speed. Dedicated access to BlackSky’s Gen-3 leverages the power of a fully automated, end-to-end commercial architecture to deliver real-time situational awareness at mission speed and scale.

Muon Space, the Mission Foundry for high-performance satellite constellations, is entering a new phase of operational scale, driven by a growing portfolio of government and commercial customers, an accelerating launch cadence, and increasing demand for its end-to-end, mission-optimised systems. The company has also secured several new commercial awards for 2026 spanning hyperspectral imaging, high-resolution thermal infrared sensing, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) detection, and high-quality weather data, with initial announcements expected in the near term and additional commercial milestones planned in the months ahead. Together, these programs reflect Muon's transition to repeatable, operational deployment at a constellation scale.

Italian Space Agency and Telespazio Partners to Enhance SATCOM The Italian Space Agency (ASI) and Telespazio, a Leonardo Group company, have signed an agreement to launch the RESPONSE programme, aimed at modernising Telespazio’s FOC-1A antenna, installed and operational since 1967 at the “Piero Fanti” Fucino Space Centre in Abruzzo. The objective of the project is to make the facility - a 27-metre-diameter parabolic antenna -compatible with Near-Earth and Deep Space communication requirements. In addition, the antenna will be able to support, among other things, future missions related to ESA’s global tracking network for missions and satellites (ESTRACK) and communications with the Moon. This will be achieved both through Italy’s direct contribution to NASA’s ARTEMIS programme and through ESA’s MOONLIGHT programme for lunar communications and navigation, for which Telespazio is Prime Contractor. "Thanks to the RESPONSE project, the FOC-1A antenna will support ASI’s lunar missions and those of international partners, enhancing data exchange also with deep space missions. Its geographical location will further enable the antenna to operate within a network of other European and international ground stations, ensuring continuous and reliable communications for the next ambitious exploration missions,” said Roberto Formaro, Head of ASI’s Engineering and Technology Directorate.