Space & Science

China just ran a megawatt helium ... China just ran a megawatt helium turbine inside a nuclear reactor loop CNNC Huaxing completed the first Chinese megawatt-class helium turbine hot test in a closed Brayton cycle — a key step toward next-generation modular reactors that don't need water to cool down. July 31, 2026, 8:03 p.m.
NASA's CAPSTONE 02 will send two ... NASA's CAPSTONE 02 will send two robot spacecraft to chase each other around the Moon Two 400kg spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin's Terran Orbital are set to practice autonomous docking in lunar orbit in 2027 — no human hand-holding required. July 31, 2026, 6:42 p.m.
Sophia Space and Caltech patent orbital ... Sophia Space and Caltech patent orbital data centers that cool themselves with vacuum A new US patent covers modular space-based servers that ditch liquid cooling entirely — radiation into deep space does the job instead. July 30, 2026, 4:43 p.m.
Amazon wants to put 5,105 satellites ... Amazon wants to put 5,105 satellites in orbit to beam calls directly to your phone Amazon Leo filed an FCC application for a massive direct-to-device satellite network, aiming to deliver voice, texts, and emergency services anywhere on Earth — no cell tower required. July 28, 2026, 3:25 a.m.
Texas just gave a startup permission ... Texas just gave a startup permission to test a fusion reactor — here's what that means American Fusion's Texatron engine cleared a state-level regulatory hurdle, sidestepping the federal process that slows most nuclear projects. July 25, 2026, 5:15 p.m.
Canada wants to power the Arctic ... Canada wants to power the Arctic with microreactors controlled from space A Canadian startup just landed CAD$4.5M in federal funding to build a nuclear microreactor for remote Arctic sites—and plans to run it via satellite from a southern office. July 24, 2026, 5:56 p.m.
NASA's First Nuclear-Powered Mars Spacecraft Launches ... NASA's First Nuclear-Powered Mars Spacecraft Launches in 2028 SR-1 Freedom carries a fission reactor and three next-gen helicopters — and it's as much about US space nuclear policy as it is about Mars. July 22, 2026, 6:08 p.m.
NASA ditches its 40-year-old relay satellites ... NASA ditches its 40-year-old relay satellites to stream Artemis III in 4K via Starlink Two Starlink Mini laser terminals on Orion will stream live 4K video of orbital docking — the first time a crewed NASA spacecraft has done that in real time. July 20, 2026, 6:54 p.m.
No cowling, no problem: CFM's open ... No cowling, no problem: CFM's open fan engine targets 20% fuel savings by the 2030s CFM International is testing a propeller-like jet engine with no outer casing that could cut fuel burn by a fifth — but certification and Boeing's skepticism remain unresolved. July 20, 2026, 1:23 p.m.
A brain implant let a paralyzed ... A brain implant let a paralyzed man feel and move his arm again Feinstein Institutes' double neural bypass restored partial sensation and arm strength in a quadriplegic patient — and the effects persisted even after the device was switched off. July 17, 2026, 5:39 p.m.
China's brain implant is already covered ... China's brain implant is already covered by insurance — Neuralink isn't even close China approved the NEO brain-computer interface for routine clinical use in March 2026 and added it to national health insurance days later. Neuralink has 12 trial patients and no FDA approval in sight. July 15, 2026, 2:41 p.m.
The Milky Way is bigger than ... The Milky Way is bigger than we thought — cosmic explosions just proved it Astronomers used X-ray echoes from gamma-ray bursts to measure our galaxy's spiral arms more precisely than ever before — and found they're 10% farther away. July 14, 2026, 3:47 p.m.
Gulfstream flew a G700 on 100% ... Gulfstream flew a G700 on 100% sustainable fuel — and the contrails shrank by 56% New high-altitude test data suggest cutting aviation's non-CO2 warming effect may matter more than carbon accounting alone. July 12, 2026, 6:21 p.m.
LEGO's new 1,252-piece Hubble Telescope set ... LEGO's new 1,252-piece Hubble Telescope set launches August 1 The standalone Icons set triples the piece count of the 2021 Space Shuttle version and opens up to reveal the telescope's internal instrument bay. July 11, 2026, 8:04 p.m.
FCC approves space mirror satellite — ... FCC approves space mirror satellite — and bypassed environmental review to do it Reflect Orbital's Earendil-1 got the green light on July 9 by being classified as communications infrastructure, leaving light pollution and astronomy harm entirely unregulated. July 11, 2026, 3:01 a.m.
Airbus and MTU are building a ... Airbus and MTU are building a hydrogen fuel cell engine — no combustion, no CO₂ The two aerospace giants announced a formal joint venture on July 7, 2026, to develop a fully electric hydrogen-powered aircraft engine. Commercial flights are still a 2040s story. July 10, 2026, 7:49 p.m.
NASA streamed 4K video from the ... NASA streamed 4K video from the Moon using a laser — here's how it worked The Artemis II mission used an experimental laser link to beam live video from lunar orbit to 25 million viewers. Radio waves couldn't have done it. July 9, 2026, 3:49 p.m.
Australia's CSIRO built a quantum device ... Australia's CSIRO built a quantum device to stop GPS spoofing Entangled photons could protect the satellite timing signals that keep banking, power grids, and transport running — but field deployment is still a long way off. July 9, 2026, 3:21 p.m.
NASA's New Horizons Wakes Up 5.9 ... NASA's New Horizons Wakes Up 5.9 Billion Miles From Earth — and Gets Straight to Work The veteran probe ended a 321-day hibernation on June 23, and Congress saved it from budget cuts just in time to keep science going. July 9, 2026, 11:55 a.m.
NASA contracts Firefly Aerospace to build ... NASA contracts Firefly Aerospace to build the heat shield for its 2028 Mars helicopter mission SkyFall will drop three next-gen helicopters directly into the Martian atmosphere — no landing platform required — to hunt for subsurface water ice. July 9, 2026, 4:28 a.m.
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