SpaceKate

Late to this, but yeah, I think technically it would be. (Which is one of the
many issues with actively removing space debris - what if it belongs to someone else and isn’t as dead as you thought?) @bleddb.bsky.social would know proper answer though…

FAA Warns Airlines About Safety Risks From Rocket Launches, Urges “Extreme Caution” The agency’s official safety alert comes as SpaceX looks to ramp up Starship tests. A recent ProPublica investigation found that explosions during previous Starship launches disrupted air traffic and ...

The FAA urged aircraft operators to ensure they have enough fuel in case they are put in a holding pattern due to a rocket explosion.

We found that several planes ran low on fuel after the Jan. 2025 Starship incident. At least one declared a mayday and crossed the no-fly zone to reach an airport.

So no Artemis II launch until March at the earliest… starting to feel like it’s one I just can’t miss… hmmmm. Time to plot…

Okay - I’m in a dance class and my watch is buzzing with alerts that there a leak during the wet dress rehearsal. What’s the goss? Is this Artemis I style hydrogen leak again? Need to get caught up…

Exciting to hear BBC Radio 4 covering Artemis II, but they have the NET launch date wrong. It’s now no earlier than 8th February - not the 6th. #BBCR4Today

Arianespace's official mission patch for the VA267 mission, dedicated to the first Ariane 6 launch of 32 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit, and the first launch of Ariane 6 in four-booster configuration.

🚀 Date/time for Ariane 6 #VA267, the first flight of Ariane 6 in four-booster configuration (64). Launch window opens 12 February, 16:45 GMT/17:45 CET.

www.arianespace.com/news/mission... @transport.esa.int @cnes.fr

Interesting news from Blue Origin: “Blue Origin to Pause New Shepard Flights for No Less Than Two Years.
Resources will be redirected to further accelerate lunar human flight program”.

I bought "Remove Before Flight" tags on eBay in 2010—it turns out they're from Challenger This is the story of 18 "Remove Before Flight" tags that were detached before NASA's first space shuttle tragedy.

Wow - what an amazing story from @collectspace.bsky.social - and how lucky it was him that won the eBay auction. arstechnica.com/space/2026/0...

Splashdown! Welcome back to all four astronauts of Crew11!

Woohoo - four healthy main parachutes have deployed ahead of Crew11 splashdown. They’re nearly home!

Image of SpaceX Dragon capsule just moving away from the docking port it was connected to on the ISS

SpaceX Dragon carrying Crew-11 back home has now undocked from the ISS. They will splashdown off the coast of San Diego at 08:41 UTC. Here’s hoping for a smooth journey home - ahead of schedule due to a medical issue.

Thanks for the clarification. I can’t recall which of the Apollo 13 crew told the story, but they were serving on the Iwo Jima when they got the call to say they had been selected by NASA for the astronaut corps. Always thought it was cool the same boat picked them up. :)

Apparently not. LPH-2 was decommissioned in 1993.

Hang on.. is it the same USS Iwo Jima that picked up the Apollo 13 astronauts when they splashed down on Earth that is now transporting Maduro to New York?

I don’t believe that last statement to be correct - Maurer was added to astronaut corps later than the others in the ‘Shenanigans’ cohort and Peake, Cristoforetti, Pesquet and Parmitano have all spent longer in space.

Ahem - *human* spaceflight. Ta.

In answer to The Register’s Richard Speed, ESA DG Josef Aschbacher says they had good news from NASA two days ago, confirming their contributions to the Rosalind Franklin rover. They say an autumn 2028 launch is feasible and are aiming for that.

Quick maths from @nasaspaceflight.com reporter who points out @esa’s Human and Robotic Spaceflight programme is undersubscribed by around €800m. That’s quite the shortfall.

Thanks for the info! I wonder how much Germany committed to ensure that decision.

Artemis IV the earliest - and not to the surface. Two German astros - Gerst and Maurer - have repeatedly expressed their desire to go to the Moon, so I reckon it'll be one of them. But when A IV flies is very much TBD, of course.

Oh interesting - decision made at ESA Ministerial Council that the first European to head to the Moon will be German. Interested in more details.

Excited to experience #DubaiAirShow for the first time and looking forward to their space track and pavilion. If you’re going to be there too, drop me a message and say hello! :)

Awesome work from Blue Origin landing their first stage booster on the second ever attempt and a great looking launch of New Glenn. #NG2

Image of large, flat, sandy area with a line camel in the mid distance and sandy bluish sky

PLD Space want to launch Miura 5 from Etlaq, but they’ve not broken ground on an orbital pad yet. Exciting to meet the team and see what they’ve achieved so far - plenty of potential. Love the fact that the site manager, often alone out there, has created a small garden a bit like The Martian! :)

Had a really interesting time in Oman, accidentally meeting their Olympic football team, swimming with turtles, and then spending the night at Etlaq - the first spaceport in the Middle East. We’re hoping to bring students here to launch little rockets.

I’ve just heard that @esa has observed an X class solar flare, which could impact GNSS services in Europe. Wondering if it will reach the Middle East since I’m flying twice today.

Brightly coloured hobby rockets painted by students who built them, drying on sticks in a garden border with lush greenery all around them

Been a bit quiet as I’ve been travelling. First to Hanoi to run a SpaceWise Academy, currently in Oman, next stop Dubai where we’re taking an astronaut to meet students in a bunch of schools.

Two cosmonauts from the Soyuz MS-27 crew are preparing for a 5.5-hour spacewalk today. Hatch opening is set for 16:50 UTC (12:50 p.m. EDT).
DETAILS, UPDATES: russianspaceweb.com/iss-vkd64.html

Next time try Cite de l’espace in Toulouse - part museum, part experience, super engaging.

Ooh! Not sure! The other large pieces look a bit like a fairground ride?