The New Shepard program has generated a multiyear customer backlog due to consistent performance and a strong customer experience.

Blue Origin will reassign resources from New Shepard crewed flights to accelerate development of human lunar capabilities.

Eutelsat’s strategic growth trajectory includes expanding its OneWeb constellation after signing a contract with Airbus Defence and Space for 340 additional OneWeb satellites.

The French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty blocked Eutelsat’s planned sale of its satellite ground infrastructure for €550 million to a fund managed by EQT Group based in Stockholm.

Eutelsat is a French satellite communications operator headquartered in Paris.

Under the proposed agreement EQT would have held an 80% stake in the new company while Eutelsat would have retained a 20% stake and committed to a long-term service contract as a key customer.

On January 29, Eutelsat confirmed that the transaction would not proceed because not all conditions precedent had been met.

The proposed transaction was subject to customary regulatory conditions and approvals.

EQT initiated negotiations in August 2024 to acquire a majority stake in Eutelsat’s satellite ground infrastructure.

Roland Lescure described Eutelsat’s ground antennas as strategic infrastructure for civilian communications and for the French armed forces and framed the decision as protecting national sovereignty.

Roland Lescure decided not to authorize the sale of Eutelsat’s ground antennas.

Under the proposed agreement passive assets including land, buildings, support infrastructure, antennas, and connectivity circuits would have been separated and placed into a newly formed company.

Eutelsat stated that the failed sale will not affect its financial objectives for fiscal year 2025-26 nor its ability to finance capital investments tied to its strategic growth trajectory.

HALLOA partners are developing a concept for a future space mission and the requirements for the associated LiDAR system and opto-mechanical laser design.

Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. (LZH) is developing a robust laser system for spaceborne measurements together with five partners from two other European countries.

The HALLOA laser system is intended to enable satellite-based monitoring of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

The project will demonstrate a robust fiber amplifier built from European components and subsequently integrate it into a hybrid complete laser system.

The HALLOA project is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.

HALLOA aims to provide precise data on greenhouse gas concentrations and distributions to improve understanding of anthropogenic climate change.

HALLOA aims to build a prototype pulsed thulium fiber amplifier to Technology Readiness Level 6 using only European components.

Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH) is responsible in HALLOA for space-qualification testing of components and the developed fiber amplifier.

The HALLOA consortium consists of six research institutes and companies from three European countries led by ONERA (Office national d’études et de recherches aérospatiales) and including École Polytechnique, Laser Zentrum Hannover, Keopsys Industries, Lumibird Photonics Italia Srl, and Erdyn Consultants SAS.

HALLOA partners are improving the design of a pulsed thulium fiber amplifier operating at a wavelength of 2.05 µm for the near-infrared.

The HALLOA project will develop a robust laser system for space-based greenhouse gas monitoring using a hybrid approach.

HALLOA plans to advance the fiber amplifier from Technology Readiness Level 4 to Level 6 within three years.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems measure distances and velocities with laser pulses and can also detect concentrations of trace gases and aerosols in the atmosphere.

HALLOA’s laser design uses a hybrid architecture combining fiber-optic systems and free-space designs to reduce complexity and accelerate development.

HALLOA partners will employ both fiber amplifiers and solid-state amplifiers in the combined laser solution.

LZH will subject individual components and the developed fiber amplifier to vibration and shock, thermal cycling, and radiation tests.

HALLOA partners are developing high-power pump laser diodes emitting at a wavelength of 790 nm tailored for operation of the fiber amplifiers.

Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK), the former chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, secured passage of his version of a NASA authorization bill in the House in 2024.

Representative Frank Lucas’s 2024 NASA authorization bill did not become law because the Senate did not act on it.

Congress last passed a NASA authorization in 2022 when a pared-down version was folded into the CHIPS and Science Act.

The NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 is also known as HR 7273.

The 2022 NASA authorization included support for Artemis, Mars Sample Return, and the search for life beyond Earth.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, introduced a bipartisan NASA authorization bill in late 2024 that did not advance.

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow to mark up the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026.

The last standalone NASA authorization bill became law in 2017.

Representative Brian Babin (R-TX) is the chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

HR 7273 was introduced on Jan. 30 by Representative Brian Babin (R-TX).

Agency officials determined that issues uncovered during the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal appear addressable at the pad and that the rocket will not be rolled back from the pad for immediate analysis.

A closeout team was sent to the pad to perform simulated checks on the Orion spacecraft prior to launch.

John Honeycutt is the chair of the Artemis 2 mission management team.

Engineers spent several hours troubleshooting a liquid hydrogen leak in an interface used to route cryogenic propellant into the SLS core stage during tanking.

Each tail service mast umbilical includes fluid lines for liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as well as electrical cable connections, and all lines are severed before launch after the umbilicals tilt back.

Two tail service mast umbilicals connect the mobile launcher to the SLS core stage aft section and each umbilical is 33 feet tall.

NASA concluded that not all objectives of the Artemis 2 wet dress rehearsal were met and that another wet dress rehearsal will be needed.

Lori Glaze is the acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

The team had planned to reach the terminal count, hold it for 10 minutes, and then recycle for another terminal count during the wet dress rehearsal.

NASA successfully loaded cryogenic propellant into all SLS tanks prior to the press conference.