Explainer
Breaking down the biggest space topics in an accessible way.
Payload Field Guide: Commercial LEO Destination
As the ISS nears its retirement date at the end of the decade, companies are vying to build its commercial successor under NASA’s Commercial LEO Destination (CLD) program.
ESA Outlines a Busy Year Ahead
In a press conference at ESA HQ in Paris, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher laid out the agency’s plan for 2026.
What to Expect in 2026
2025 was a transformative year for the global space industry. 2026 will be the year in which many long-term plans (hopefully) take first flight.
Slingshot Spots Uncataloged Russian Sat in MEO
A Russian sat spent five weeks in MEO without the US public SDA database knowing its whereabouts. Slingshot Aerospace found it.
The Artemis Accords By the Numbers
The accords celebrated their fifth anniversary last month. As such, here’s a roundup of where they stand.
Inside The White House’s Plan For Space Deregulation
Sorting through launch licenses, environmental reviews, and novel space activities.
NASA’s TRACERS Mission Eyes Space Weather’s Bottom-Line Risks
TRACERS, will investigate magnetic reconnection, one of the driving forces behind geomagnetic storms that can disturb Earth’s upper atmosphere, and pose hazards to satellites.
The Increasing Allure of Polar Orbits: An Explainer
Military, commercial, and climatological interests have increasingly picked polar orbits for a variety of missions,
SpaceX vs. FAA: What’s the Deal With Those Falcon Fines?
“Regardless of what you think about SpaceX or the politics, the speed of decision-making needs to be faster.”
How the ISS National Lab Went Commercial
The US’ highest scientific laboratory is changing with the times.
The Space Industry’s Climate Impact: Part 1
Space technology benefits humanity every day, from scientific understanding to the nuts and bolts of supporting the systems that enable life as we know it, but some advocates worry regulators are not paying enough attention to the potential downsides of a bustling space economy.
