OrbitalHub

Vast’s Haven-1 Advances Toward First Commercial Space Station Launch

dj — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:00:04 +0000

Vast, the California-based startup developing what it calls the world's first commercial space station, announced significant progress in March and April 2026 as Haven-1 moves toward its target launch in the first quarter of 2027.

Post from: OrbitalHub

ESA’s Hera Spacecraft Closes in on Didymos to Assess DART’s Impact

dj — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 13:00:09 +0000

The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft is on course for a November 2026 rendezvous with the Didymos binary asteroid system, carrying with it the culmination of humanity's first attempt to change the orbit of a celestial body.

Post from: OrbitalHub

James Webb Reveals Atmosphere of Giant exoplanet Orbiting Tiny Star

dj — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:34 +0000

The James Webb Space Telescope's observations of TOI-5205b represent the first detailed atmospheric analysis of a gas giant orbiting a star with roughly 40% of the Sun's mass, a combination that theorists had considered unlikely to produce massive planetary companions.

Post from: OrbitalHub

JAXA’s Martian Moons Exploration Mission Prepares for Launch

dj — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:24 +0000

Japan's ambitious mission to explore the moons of Mars is entering its final phase of preparation at the Tanegashima Space Center, with launch targeted for the latter half of 2026 aboard the country's H3 rocket.

Post from: OrbitalHub

Asteroid Mining Startups Race Toward First Deep Space Missions

dj — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:00:32 +0000

Private companies aiming to extract resources from asteroids are advancing rapidly in 2026, with multiple startups targeting their first deep space missions.

Post from: OrbitalHub

Sunbird: Chasing the Edge of Speed with Fusion Propulsion

dj — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

To truly shorten the distances between planets, something more powerful is required—something that does not merely burn fuel, but transforms matter itself into energy.

Post from: OrbitalHub

Raptor 3: When Engineering Disappears

dj — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:00:58 +0000

There are moments in engineering when progress is obvious. And then there are moments when progress looks like subtraction.

Post from: OrbitalHub

Artemis II: Systems Validation for Human Deep Space Flight

dj — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:00:12 +0000

There are missions that explore, and there are missions that prove. Artemis II belongs to the latter—a flight not just across space, but across decades of engineering, expectation, and unfinished journeys.

Post from: OrbitalHub

NASA-Backed Startup Plans to Bag a 100-Ton Asteroid

dj — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:00:09 +0000

TransAstra, a NASA-backed startup, announced in March 2026 a groundbreaking study to capture and relocate a near-Earth asteroid.

Post from: OrbitalHub

Congress Cancels NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission

dj — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:00:07 +0000

The United States Congress effectively terminated NASA's Mars Sample Return program in January 2026, redirecting $110 million to a new "Mars Future Missions" line item.

Post from: OrbitalHub