Every year Seradata Space Intelligence reports on the ‘Great Space Race’ – that is, which nation will be next to set foot on the Moon and which will be first to reach the surface of Mars. David Todd analyses the odds and picks his runners and riders from the main...
Despite a seemingly smooth launch, three Yunyao-1 weather satellites (Yunyao-1 15, 16 and 17) did not reach orbit after the Hyperbola 1 (SQX-1) experienced a fourth stage failure, Chinese authorities have disclosed. An upgraded version of the Hyperbola 1 (SQX-1) four...
An unknown object, suspected of being an inspection subsatellite, was released from a Chinese robotic spaceplane on 24 May at about 1900 GMT. The CSSHQ 1 (Flight 3) reusable mini-shuttle has been in a low Earth orbit (LEO) since its launch in mid-December from the...
The Artemis Accords are a set of guidelines for “responsible behaviour in space” drafted by NASA and the US Department of State. As implied by its name, the Accords are specifically about NASA’s Artemis programme: the US effort to return people – including the first...
The Chang’e 6 mission is under way. Its goal is to be the first to bring back a sample from the far side of the Moon. It uses backup hardware originally designed for the near side version of this mission, Chang’e 5, which flew in November 2020. Ahead of the mission, a...
The maiden flight of the Japanese commercial KAIROS (Kii-based Advanced and Instant Rocket System) launch vehicle ended in failure after only five seconds of flight. Carrying a dummy satellite, KAIROS was launched from the Kii Space Port, Japan, at 0201 GMT on 13...
