Space Business News
February 16, 2026
ROCKET SCIENCE
China retrieves Long March 10 booster from South China Sea after test flight



Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
China has carried out its first maritime recovery of a rocket first-stage booster, retrieving the main stage of a Long March 10 heavy-lift carrier rocket from the South China Sea following a key test flight earlier this week. The China Manned Space Agency reported that the booster was recovered on Friday morning from a designated splashdown zone, marking the first time China has recovered major rocket components from the ocean. A crane lifted the stage from the water and placed it on a recovery ve ... read more

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ROCKET SCIENCE
Vietnam licenses Musk's satellite internet firm Starlink
Hanoi, Vietnam (AFP) Feb 15, 2026
Vietnam has granted a licence to Elon Musk's Starlink to operate its satellite internet services in the communist country, a government agency said. ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
International crew arrives at space station
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 14, 2026
Four astronauts docked at the International Space Station on Saturday for a months-long research mission, replacing a crew forced to return to Earth early over a medical issue. ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
NASA crew set for flight to ISS
Cape Canaveral (AFP) Feb 13, 2026
NASA is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station on Friday, replacing a crew that was evacuated early due to a medical issue. ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
When Earth's magnetic field took its time flipping
Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Feb 10, 2026
Earth's magnetic field is generated by the churn of its liquid nickel-iron outer core, but it is not a constant feature. Every so often, the magnetic north and south poles swap places in what ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Satellite study revises methane loss high in Earth atmosphere
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 10, 2026
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that traps heat efficiently in Earth atmosphere, and scientists estimate that it accounts for about 30 percent of modern global warming despite being less abunda ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
New axis grid links complex earth data in space and time
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 04, 2026
A new axis based grid model illustrates how independent spatial, temporal, and parametric axes can be combined to describe complex earth observation data sets in a single coherent framework. T ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Smart Dragon 3 rocket sends seven satellites to orbit from sea platform
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
China has launched a Smart Dragon 3 carrier rocket from a sea based platform off the coast of Yangjiang in Guangdong province, placing seven satellites into orbit on Thursday afternoon. Liftof ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Sophie Adenot, the second French woman to fly to space
Paris, France (AFP) Feb 13, 2026
When she was growing up, Sophie Adenot plastered her childhood bedroom with posters of rockets launching from Cape Canaveral. ... more

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MICROSAT BLITZ
Mexican Gxiba-1 CubeSat Starts Mission After Kibo Deployment
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
On February 3, 2026, the Mexican CubeSat Gxiba-1 was deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo on the International Space Station, beginning its on orbit mission. The small satellite was rel ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Europe's most powerful rocket carries 32 satellites for Amazon Leo network into space
Kourou (AFP) Feb 12, 2026
The most powerful version of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket Thursday carried 32 satellites into space for the Amazon Leo network, which aims to rival Elon Musk's Starlink. ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
UK space firm Skyrora explores buying assets of struggling rival Orbex
London (AFP) Feb 12, 2026
British company Skyrora, which designs and builds rockets to carry small satellites into space, announced Thursday it could acquire 'select' assets from its stricken rival Orbex, including its spaceport in Scotland. ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Ariane 6 four booster launcher completes on schedule mission
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 13, 2026
Europe's Ariane 6 launcher has completed its first mission using a four booster configuration, delivering a full suite of payloads to orbit in a demonstration of its maximum performance variant. ... more
ENVIROMENT.WIRE
DISASTER.WIRE
NUKE.WIRE
ROCKET SCIENCE
Stoke Space expands Series D funding to $860M to drive Nova launch development
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 13, 2026
Stoke Space Technologies has expanded its previously announced Series D financing round to a total of 860 million dollars as it advances work on its fully and rapidly reusable Nova launch vehicle an ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
China verifies Long March 10 booster splashdown and crew escape in key lunar test
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 13, 2026
China has carried out a pivotal flight test of a prototype rocket and crew spacecraft for its planned manned lunar landing program, validating key ascent, abort, and recovery technologies needed for ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA Stennis proves water systems ready for Artemis IV upper stage trials
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026
A major water system activation at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) has moved NASA Stennis Space Center a step closer to Green Run testing of the exploration upper stage for the Artemis IV mission. ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
xAI sees key staff exits, Musk promises moon factories
San Francisco, United States (AFP) Feb 11, 2026
Half of the original founding team at Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI has now departed after two co-founders resigned in rapid succession this week, raising fresh questions about talent retention ahead of an expected initial public offering. ... more
GPS NEWS
China rolls out BeiDou satellite messaging for emergency use
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 10, 2026
China has introduced a new satellite short messaging service that uses the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to maintain communication when ground-based mobile networks are unavailable. The service ... more
ROBO SPACE
Flexible electronics reshape intelligent robot design
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 08, 2026
With robots taking on more roles in daily life and industry, their evolution toward autonomous intelligence is being held back by rigid electronic hardware that cannot conform to complex, curved bod ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Launch to ISS pushed to Thursday over weather: NASA
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 9, 2026
NASA on Monday delayed by one day the journey of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) over weather conditions. ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Voyager wins NASA ISS mission management role through 2030
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 10, 2026
Voyager Technologies has secured a new Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity mission management contract from NASA's Johnson Space Center with a ceiling of 24.5 million dollars over four years to ... more
MICROSAT BLITZ
Firefly prepares Alpha Flight 7 stairway to seven mission
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 10, 2026
Firefly Aerospace is preparing its next Alpha rocket mission, Flight 7 Stairway to Seven, as a dedicated return-to-flight test from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Shenzhen district powers dense robot innovation ecosystem
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 06, 2026
Nanshan district in Shenzhen has built one of the densest hardware and robotics clusters on the planet, centered on a 10-kilometer stretch of Liuxian Avenue known locally as Robot Valley that packs ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
Climate change speeds up destruction of key greenhouse gas
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 06, 2026
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine report that human driven climate change is causing nitrous oxide, a major greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance, to break down in the atmosp ... more
EARTH OBSERVATION
EUMETSAT extends role in DestinE digital twin infrastructure
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 06, 2026
The EUMETSAT Council has confirmed that the organisation will remain a key contributor to the European Commission's Destination Earth initiative as it enters Phase Three later this year. Launc ... more
ROBO SPACE
OpenClaw's AI agent does everything, even social media
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 2, 2026
Meet OpenClaw: the AI assistant that promised to be your dream intern, terrified cybersecurity experts, and now thrives on chatbot-only social media - all in just a few weeks. ... more
MILTECH
KRATOMade Explains Kratom Legality Map - Guiding Consumers With Clarity
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Understanding kratom laws can feel tricky for new and experienced users alike. KRATOMade has made it easier by explaining the kratom legality map clearly and straightforwardly. ... more
MILTECH
Searching For Kava Wholesale Near Me - Mitra9 Combines Quality and Convenience
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Kava has become a popular choice for businesses looking to expand their beverage offerings, and finding a trusted wholesale supplier is key. Mitra9 has emerged as a go-to brand, combining top-quality products with a convenient ordering experience. ... more
UAV NEWS
Raytheon demonstrates recoverable Coyote system against drone swarms
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026
Raytheon, an RTX business, has demonstrated the Coyote Block 3 Non-Kinetic system defeating multiple drone swarms during a recent U.S. Army exercise in the United States. The event highlighted the s ... more
UAV NEWS
Drones, sirens, army posters: How four years of war changed a Russian city
Voronezh, Russia (AFP) Feb 13, 2026
A drone whirred through a shopping centre in the Russian city of Voronezh as Shaman, an operator for the Russian army, showed shoppers one of the devices that have dominated the battlefield in Ukraine. ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Macron calls Musk 'an oversubsidised guy', prompting retort
Antwerp, Belgium (AFP) Feb 11, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday cited state support for Elon Musk's Starlink as an argument for public investment in European industry, provoking a response from the world's richest man after calling him 'oversubsidised' ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
UK backs new electric propulsion hub for satellite engines
London, UK (SPX) Feb 06, 2026
A new electric propulsion laboratory for satellite engines has opened at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, providing UK space companies with access to advanced testing and de ... more
UAV NEWS
EU eyes tighter registration, no-fly zones to tackle drone threats
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Feb 11, 2026
The EU on Wednesday said it wanted to tighten drone registration, create no-fly zones and ramp up detection at critical sites after a string of unexplained sightings rocked European countries last year. ... more
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