PARIS — NASA and the European Space Agency signed an agreement on cooperation on lunar exploration activities that could open the door to additional ESA roles in the NASA-led Artemis effort.

Most telescopes here on Earth are stationary, bound to a single location, often in a desert or on a mountain peak. But NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) isn’t most telescopes.

TAMPA, Fla. — The UK Space Agency (UKSA) said Sept. 26 it has shortlisted groups led by startups Astroscale and ClearSpace for a mission to remove two spacecraft from low Earth orbit in 2026.

WASHINGTON — The National Reconnaissance Office awarded study contracts to six commercial providers of space-based radio frequency (RF) data, the agency announced Sept. 28.

PARIS — China is looking to build partnerships for its upcoming missions to the moon and deep ventures into the solar system, while omitting mention of main partner Russia.

KAHULUI, Hawaii — With the Space Launch System now safely back inside the Vehicle Assembly Building ahead of Hurricane Ian, NASA is now studying what work to do on the rocket to prepare for a next launch attempt unlikely to occur before mid-November.

SpaceX and NASA had been planning to launch the Crew-5 flight to the International Space Station on Oct. 3 from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. But the threat of Ian, which is currently churning north toward Florida as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, has delayed the planned liftoff by at least 24 hours, to Oct. 4. And that schedule is far from set in stone.

Asteroid impacts on the moon millions of years ago correspond with large space rock strikes here on Earth — including the massive impact that wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs. 

WASHINGTON — Aalyria Technologies, a startup that emerged from stealth mode Sept. 13, plans to provide high-speed internet using software and networking technology from Google’s ill-fated project to beam internet service from high-altitude balloons.

PARIS — Regional satellite operators are searching for faster ways to add more capacity to their networks to meet soaring demand for broadband, according to executives speaking at World Satellite Business Week here.

Fans of planet Uranus have many ideas to name the next mission there, if an informal Internet poll is any indication.

NASA plans to help support two new private astronaut missions to low Earth orbit.

Hubble photographed two galaxies, named SDSS J115331 and LEDA 2073461, which are located more than 1 billion light-years away from Earth and appear to overlap with one another. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, W. Keel)

PARIS — Despite near-term headwinds in the economy and the markets, executives and investors remain bullish about the space industry’s long-term prospects.