The Falcon 9 upper stage re-entering the atmosphere above Berlin, Germany, on February 19, 2025. Gerd Baumgarten By Passant Rabie, Published by Space & Spaceflight, 19 February 2026 For the first time, scientists were able to directly detect upper-atmospheric pollution from space debris. On February 19, 2025, a Falcon 9
Long exposure photographs showed the Falcon 9 rocket debris over Berlin in 2025 By Georgina Rannard, Published by the BBC, 19 February 2026 When a SpaceX rocket failure set the skies aflame over western Europe last February, no-one was sure if the debris was also polluting our atmosphere. Now scientists
Crews of the National Space Defense Center at Schriever Space Force Base, Colo. provide threat-focused space domain awareness across the national security space enterprise. (U.S. Space Force photo by Kathryn Damon) By Courtney Albon, Publsihed by Air & Space Forces, 19 February 2026 The Space Force team responsible for developing
Orbex paused plans for a spaceport facility in Sutherland in December 2024 Published by the BBC, 19 February 2026 The majority of workers at a Scottish rocket manufacturer have been made redundant, BBC Scotland News understands. Orbex employed 163 people across the UK, with most of them based in Forres
An illustration of the Golden Dome. Credit: Arcfield By Ryan Frigm, Published by Space News, 19 February 2026 If the United States wants to defend the homeland against the next generation of missile and aerial threats, hardware alone will not save us. Sensors, radars and interceptors are necessary but no
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks about the Golden Dome initiative in the Oval Office on May 20, 2025. | Alex Brandon/AP By Brooke Griswold, Published by Defense News, 19 February 2026 Just a year ago, SpaceX majority owner Elon Musk dismissed going to the moon as a “distraction.” Now,
Astronomer’s view of a star obscured by streaks from Starlink satellites. Rafael Schmall/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY By Gregory Radisic and Samantha Lawler, Published by The Conversation, 18 February 2026 On January 30 2026, SpaceX filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission for a megaconstellation of up to one
GSSAP space domain awareness satellite (Air Force Space Command archive) By Sandra Erwin, Publishd by Space News, 18 February 2026 The Defense Innovation Unit plans to select companies to field and operate spacecraft before transferring them to government control within three years WASHINGTON — In a departure from how military
