Space News from SpaceDaily.com
February 18, 2026
MARSDAILY
UAE extends Mars probe mission until 2028



Dubai (AFP) Feb 17, 2026
The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it would extend its Mars probe mission, now in its fifth year, for an additional three, underlining the oil-rich state's space ambitions. The UAE's Hope probe arrived in orbit around Mars in 2021 after a seven-month voyage through space, making it the first Arab country to explore the Red Planet with a $200 million investment. The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) initially planned to collect one terabit of data on the Martian atmosphere. It ultim ... read more

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ROCKET SCIENCE
Exolaunch to deploy five satellites on Spectrum mission from Norway
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Exolaunch has completed integration of five customer satellites for launch on Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket, scheduled no earlier than March 19, 2026 from Andoya spaceport in Norway. The mission, ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Sateliot books Spanish Miura 5 launch for two next gen Trito satellites in 2027
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Sateliot and PLD Space have signed a commercial contract for the dedicated launch of Sateliot's first two Trito next generation 5G direct to device satellites on a Miura 5 rocket in 2027. The agreem ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Australian hypersonic test flight window announced
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Australian hypersonic flight developer Hypersonix Launch Systems has set the launch window for a landmark test of its DART AE scramjet-powered vehicle, moving the company a step closer to sustained ... more
SPACEMART
China tests AI satellite swarm for space-based computing
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
China has advanced its vision for space-based computing with a satellite network that deploys 10 artificial intelligence models in orbit and demonstrates inter-satellite networking capabilities. ... more
CLIMATE SCIENCE
'Unprecedented' emissions maps will hone mitigation
Ithaca, NY (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
To lower agricultural emissions, policymakers and communities first need to pinpoint the sources. Not just by country but crop by crop, field by field. In other words, they need maps. Detailed maps. ... more
TECH SPACE
Mohe ground station boosts polar satellite data coverage
Beijing, China (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
For engineer Shi Shengpu and his colleagues, this Spring Festival will be their first spent at the Mohe Satellite Data Receiving Station of the China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station, which b ... more
TECH SPACE
Microbes harvest metals from meteorites aboard space station
Ithaca, NY (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes. In fact, it would be impossible to leave them behind, since they live on and in our bodies, surf ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Infrared archive reveals quiet birth of new black hole in Andromeda
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Astronomers have used nearly two decades of infrared and optical observations to watch a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy quietly collapse into a black hole instead of ending its life with a bri ... more

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 WAR.WIRE
SINO.WIRE
TECH.WIRE
EARLY EARTH
Deep sea wrinkles reveal ancient chemosynthetic microbes
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
A chance observation on a Moroccan hillside has revealed that some wrinkled rock textures from the deep sea may actually be fossilized microbial communities, not just products of underwater landslid ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Einstein probe catch may show black hole shredding white dwarf
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
An unusual high energy outburst captured by the China led Einstein Probe space telescope is offering a rare look at how an intermediate mass black hole may tear apart and consume a white dwarf star. ... more
EXO WORLDS
Cheops spots inside out exoplanet quartet
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Many students learn memory tricks to remember the order of the Solar System's planets, with rocky worlds close to the Sun and gas giants farther out. Astronomers have now found a nearby planet ... more
IRON AND ICE
ESA signs Ramses spacecraft and cubesat deals for Apophis flyby
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
On 10 February 2026 the European Space Agency signed a contract with OHB Italia to develop the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety, known as Ramses, securing the next phase of Europes dedicated m ... more
ENVIROMENT.WIRE
DISASTER.WIRE
NUKE.WIRE
MOON DAILY
Chang'e-6 farside samples reshape lunar impact history
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Scientists from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the CAS Aerospace Information Research Institute, and collaborating institutions have used samples f ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Swift observatory changes operations ahead of planned orbit reboost
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
NASA has adjusted operations of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to reduce atmospheric drag and prepare the spacecraft for a planned orbit-raising mission. On Feb. 11 the mission team temporarily ... more
EXO WORLDS
Hydrogen sulfide detected in distant gas giant exoplanets for the first time
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Hydrogen sulfide is what makes rotten eggs stink. But the discovery of this gas in the atmospheres of four distant, Jupiter-like planets is turning heads for a pleasant reason: It solves the mystery ... more
TECH SPACE
Light based computing module aims to cut AI power demand
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
A Penn State team has demonstrated an optical computing module that could lower the energy cost of artificial intelligence by shifting key calculations from electronic circuits to light based hardwa ... more
BIO FUEL
Ancient guano drove Chincha coastal power
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Archaeologists have linked a humble but potent resource, seabird guano, to the rise of the Chincha Kingdom as a major coastal power in pre-Inca Peru. A new study led by University of Sydney digital ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Quantum team reads information from robust Majorana qubits using quantum capacitance
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Researchers have demonstrated a method to read information stored in Majorana-based qubits using a technique known as quantum capacitance, marking what they describe as a crucial advance for topolog ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Latvian startup advances nuclear-fueled power for satellites and future Moon missions
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026
Latvian startup Deep Space Energy has closed a pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of a new radioisotope-based power generator for space and defence applications. The round brought in 3 ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Hypersonica completes milestone hypersonic missile flight test in Norway
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
Hypersonica has completed its first hypersonic test flight at Andoya Space in Norway, marking what the company describes as a major step toward a European sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2 ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA teams set for second Artemis II wet dress rehearsal
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
NASA is preparing for the second wet dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft ahead of the Artemis II test flight, targeting Thursday, Feb. 19, as the day to load prope ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Texas AM partners with Aegis to orbit TAMU SPIRIT research hub on ISS
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
Texas A and M University has developed TAMU SPIRIT, a dedicated orbital research platform that will be deployed on the International Space Station in partnership with Aegis Aerospace. The platform w ... more
MARSDAILY
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4798-4803: Back for More Science
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 17, 2026
The results from our first visit to the 'Nevado Sajama' drill location were intriguing enough to motivate our return to do a deeper dive into the minerals and compounds locked in this rock with SAM ... more
EXO WORLDS
Study revisits chances of detecting alien technosignatures
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
For more than sixty years, astronomers have searched the sky for signs of advanced extraterrestrial technology, scanning the Milky Way for artificial radio transmissions, optical flashes and excess ... more
MICROSAT BLITZ
UNSW Canberra team advances iodine propulsion for satellites
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Thousands of satellites are launched every year to support navigation, telecommunications, weather forecasting and emergency warning services, and most rely on onboard propulsion systems to manoeuvr ... more
TECH SPACE
Pale Blue opens Tsukuba site to scale satellite propulsion production
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Pale Blue has begun operating its new Tsukuba Production Engineering Base to support mass production of satellite propulsion systems and shorten delivery lead times. The Tsukuba Production Eng ... more
ROBO SPACE
OpenAI hires creator of 'OpenClaw' AI agent tool
Washington, United States (AFP) Feb 16, 2026
OpenAI has hired the Austrian creator of OpenClaw, an artificial intelligence tool able to execute real-world tasks, the US startup's head Sam Altman said on Sunday. ... more
TECH SPACE
KSAT prepares Hyperion in orbit relay test for satellite data
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
Hyperion will move KSATs HYPER concept from design into on orbit demonstration, using relay satellites to act as ground stations in space and shorten the time it takes operators to receive satellite ... more
TECH SPACE
ST Engineering iDirect and G&S SatCom align network and service management on Intuition
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
ST Engineering iDirect has formed a strategic technology partnership with G and S SatCom to create a unified approach to satellite network and service management for operators and service providers. ... more
SPACEMART
AAC Clyde Space adds Sedna satellites to boost maritime data services
London, UK (SPX) Feb 18, 2026
AAC Clyde Space has started building two additional maritime data satellites, Sedna-3 and Sedna-4, to expand capacity in its established space-based maritime data services. ... more
SPACEWAR
NRO expands commercial multi-phenomenology surveillance awards
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
The National Reconnaissance Office has issued the first three awards under its Strategic Commercial Enhancements Commercial Solutions Opening, advancing the agency's shift toward multi-phenomenology ... more
SPACEWAR
UK backs in orbit production of high value materials
London, UK (SPX) Feb 17, 2026
The UK Space Agency has placed three new study contracts with British companies to assess how advanced materials could be manufactured in Low Earth Orbit for use back on Earth. The projects focus on ... more
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