The UK government has committed a $25 million investment to boost satellite launch capabilities, with the goal of establishing Britain as a prominent player in the space sector. The funding, announced by Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle at the 17th European Space Conference in Brussels, would support the development of UK-manufactured rockets and attract global investment. Orbex, the sole UK-owned launch services company, is developing small and medium-sized rockets. Its first launches will take place from the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. The government's contrib
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its 100th rocket from Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), marking a historic milestone. On Wednesday, the navigation satellite NVS-02 was deployed atop the GSLV-F15 launch vehicle, marking a historic occasion. The 17th mission of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) blasted off from the second launch pad at 6:23 a.m. Nineteen minutes later, the domestic cryogenic-stage rocket delivered the 2,250 kg NVS-02 satellite to its planned Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). This is ISRO's first missio
The Indian Space Research Organisation's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) has successfully launched the Crew Module for the Gaganyaan project's first uncrewed mission (G1). This is a significant milestone in India's pursuit of human spaceflight. The module was delivered to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on January 21, 2025, following the integration of its liquid propulsion system. The Gaganyaan mission is India's ambitious human spaceflight program, designed to demonstrate the ability to send astronauts into space. Before launching a crewed mission, ISRO intends to c
Prime Minister Narendra Modi complimented ISRO on its breakthrough feat in successfully demonstrating space docking with the SpaDeX mission. In a tweet, he praised the crew, describing it as a "significant stepping stone for India's ambitious space missions."Satellites SDX01 and SDX02 were successfully docked after being launched by the PSLV-C60 rocket on December 30, 2024. After perfect manoeuvres, they docked 475 kilometres above the Earth, making India the fourth country to master this complex technology, behind the United States, Russia, and China.ISRO methodically planned the docking pro
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) successfully launched MBZ-SAT, the region's most advanced satellite, which is named after UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum witnessed the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday at 11:09 p.m. UAE time. MBZ-SAT, constructed entirely by Emirati engineers at MBRSC, weighs 750 kg and uses cutting-edge Earth observation technologies. It has a high-resolution imaging system, advanced electric jet propulsion, a
On Wednesday, Japan's ispace and the United States Firefly Aerospace successfully launched their moon landers aboard a SpaceX rocket from Florida, taking a huge step forward in global lunar exploration. Ispace's Hakuto-R Mission 2 is a follow-up to its unsuccessful lunar landing in April 2023, which was caused by an altitude mistake. Firefly's Blue Ghost is the third private lunar lander launched through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada emphasised the partnership between private firms, describing the dual launch as a "symbol of growing co
Pixxel, India's first private satellite network in the developing space industry, will launch three of the country's six hyperspectral imaging satellites from California on a SpaceX rocket. The next three are expected to be deployed in the second quarter, and the satellites will be positioned in a sun-synchronous orbit at a distance of roughly 550 km. The launch is scheduled for Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. from the Vandenberg Space Force Base. Awais Ahmed launched Pixxel, a Google-backed business that intends to grow its fleet to 24 satellites in order to compete in the $19 billion satellite ima
India's ambitious space program took a significant leap as two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), came within three meters during a historic trial for space docking, announced the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday. The satellites, part of the SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) mission, later moved to a safe distance for further analysis. ISRO stated, “A trial attempt to reach up to 15 m and further to 3 m is done. Moving back spacecraft to a safe distance. The docking process will be done after analysing data further.” Stunning images and videos captured by
The groundbreaking wooden satellite, LignoSat, has officially entered Earth's orbit, marking an important milestone in space exploration. NASA acknowledged the deployment from the International Space Station (ISS) last month in a blog post published Tuesday. In November 2024, the revolutionary satellite was carried to the International Space Station onboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo spaceship. Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry collaborated to create this pioneering initiative, which combines traditional Japanese craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. LignoSat consists of 10 cm-long p
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has reached a major milestone with the successful operation of its first space robotic arm on the POEM4 platform. This robotic arm, called the Relocatable Robotic Manipulator-Technology Demonstrator (RRM-TD), was activated during the PSLV-C60 SpaDeX mission. ISRO announced the achievement on X, stating, "RRM_TD, India’s first space robotic arm, is in action onboard #POEM4! A proud #MakeInIndia milestone in space robotics." The space agency also shared a video showing the arm performing various operations in space. The video starts with the