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Space

More than 2,000 students to compete in world’s largest rocket engineering competition

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ProtoSpace Mfg, a provider of rapid manufacturing for aerospace, defense, engineering, and research organizations, has announced its return as lead sponsor of the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) 2026, taking place June 15-20 at Midland International Air & Space Port in Midland, Texas.

Organized by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA), IREC is the world’s largest collegiate rocketry competition and one of the aerospace industry’s most important talent pipelines.

This year’s event will bring together more than 2,000 student engineers representing 175 university teams from over 20 countries across six continents. [Read more…] about More than 2,000 students to compete in world’s largest rocket engineering competition

DARPA prepares robotic satellite servicing mission for launch in 2026

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Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and its industry partners are preparing for the launch of a robotic satellite servicing mission designed to demonstrate on-orbit maintenance and upgrade capabilities for spacecraft operating in geosynchronous orbit.

The mission, known as Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS), is scheduled for launch in summer 2026 and represents one of the most ambitious attempts so far to commercialize robotic satellite servicing technologies.

At the center of the mission is the Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV), a spacecraft equipped with a highly dexterous robotic servicing system capable of performing tasks such as satellite inspections, repairs, relocation, upgrades, and anomaly resolution while in orbit. [Read more…] about DARPA prepares robotic satellite servicing mission for launch in 2026

Redwire delivers lunar robotic arm prototype to European Space Agency

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Redwire has delivered a prototype lunar robotic manipulator to the European Space Agency as Europe continues developing its Argonaut lunar lander program for future Moon missions.

The robotic arm system, known as the Manipulator for Argonaut Payload Needs and Unloading Support (MANUS), was developed by Redwire in collaboration with Added Value Solutions and with support from ESA.

The project is being led by Redwire’s Luxembourg-based team, which recently completed several major milestones including preliminary design work and performance assessments. [Read more…] about Redwire delivers lunar robotic arm prototype to European Space Agency

ISS National Lab launches Orbital Edge accelerator with up to $750,000 per startup and ISS flight access

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ISS National Laboratory has launched the 2026 Orbital Edge Accelerator, a new startup program designed to help deep-tech companies accelerate research, commercialization, and fundraising through access to the International Space Station.

The accelerator will select six startups, with each company eligible to receive up to $750,000 in venture funding alongside the opportunity to conduct ISS National Lab-sponsored in-orbit research projects.

According to the ISS National Lab, the program combines venture investment, orbital testing opportunities, mentorship, and commercialization support to help startups shorten development timelines that would otherwise take years using conventional laboratory and field testing. [Read more…] about ISS National Lab launches Orbital Edge accelerator with up to $750,000 per startup and ISS flight access

HEBI Robotics awarded $850,000 business contract by NASA

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NASA has awarded HEBI Robotics continued Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding in the form of a Phase II grant for the creation and testing of physical actuation hardware components for use in the harsh environments of space.

This two-year, $850,000 project continues NASA’s investment in HEBI Robotics to develop modular actuation hardware for use in space.

These include control electronics (avionics), compatible with the HEBI Robotics ecosystem and other third-party systems, to enable the rapid development of flight-qualified integrated actuation technology for Earth Orbit Environments (LEO-Low Earth Orbit and GEO-Geosynchronous Earth Orbit).

Difficult conditions such as ionizing radiation and the harsh reality of vacuum (where traditional lubricants used in gearing otherwise outgas) make this challenge one of critical importance. Equipment such as robotic actuation and manipulators are needed to handle objects and perform tasks, such as in-space servicing, assembly, and maintenance (ISAM). [Read more…] about HEBI Robotics awarded $850,000 business contract by NASA

PwC predicts ‘moon economy’ will be worth around $127 billion by 2050

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As NASA revises Artemis and PwC outlines $127 billion revenue by 2050 for the ‘moon economy’, experts warn that alternative energy infrastructure, not just transportation, will determine whether lunar surface activities will survive long-term 

NASA has recently announced major changes to its Moon landing program, Artemis. While crewed missions to the lunar surface were planned for 2028, the administration decided to add a preparatory step to test commercial landers in Earth’s orbit a year earlier, in 2027.

This change is meant to reduce risks and represents a shift toward more incremental mission design following recent Artemis delays and safety concerns exposed in February. Despite that, experts claim that transportation issues are just one part of the equation.

The latest PwC Lunar Market Assessment also highlights the growing economic importance of the Moon economy, projecting total revenues of $127.3 billion by 2050, and identifies solar energy systems as one of the priority technologies. [Read more…] about PwC predicts ‘moon economy’ will be worth around $127 billion by 2050

Deep Space Energy raises almost €1 million to generate electricity on the moon like it was normal

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Latvian startup Deep Space Energy has closed its pre-seed round by raising €350,000, led by Outlast Fund and Linas Sargautis, an angel investor and a former co-founder of NanoAvionics.

The company also secured additional €580,000 in public contracts and grants by the European Space Agency (ESA), Nato Diana, and the Latvian government.

The funding will primarily be used to further develop a novel radioisotopic generator toward commercialisation, in a bid to strengthen the European sovereign space and defence industry and power Moon surface exploration. [Read more…] about Deep Space Energy raises almost €1 million to generate electricity on the moon like it was normal

Motiv Space Systems and PickNik Robotics collaborate on software for NASA’s Fly Foundational robotics mission

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Motiv Space Systems have reached a contractual agreement with PickNik Robotics to support software development for NASA’s Fly Foundational Robotics (FFR) mission.

FFR is focused on advancing on-orbit robotic manipulation capabilities and supporting NASA’s broader In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) objectives.

Motiv is developing the robotic system for the FFR mission to demonstrate autonomous and ground-supervised manipulation tasks in low Earth orbit. [Read more…] about Motiv Space Systems and PickNik Robotics collaborate on software for NASA’s Fly Foundational robotics mission

NASA prepares orbital test of commercial robotic arm to advance in-space infrastructure

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NASA and industry partners, including Motiv Space Systems, will fly and operate a commercial robotic arm in low Earth orbit through the Fly Foundational Robots mission set to launch in late 2027.

This mission aims to revolutionize in-space operations, a critical capability for sustainably living and working on other planets.

By enabling this technology demonstration, NASA is fostering the in-space robotics industry to unlock valuable tools for future scientific discovery and exploration missions.  [Read more…] about NASA prepares orbital test of commercial robotic arm to advance in-space infrastructure

Carnegie Mellon engineer reimagines Interstellar’s TARS robot for Moon and Mars exploration

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A young roboticist’s late-night experiment has evolved into one of the year’s most original “humanoid” (if it can be called that) concepts – a robot that looks more like a collapsing sculpture than a machine, yet somehow walks, rolls, and balances across multiple terrains.

Aditya Sripada, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and a senior robotics engineer at Nimble.ai, has developed TARS3D, a small modular robot inspired by NASA’s fictional assistant from Interstellar.

The project, which he describes as “a desire to reconnect with the simple joy of building robots”, has now earned global recognition, being named a finalist for the Mike Stilman Award at the 24th IEEE RAS Humanoids Conference in Seoul – one of the most prestigious events in humanoid research. [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon engineer reimagines Interstellar’s TARS robot for Moon and Mars exploration