News

A new EUSPA–Thales Alenia Space framework contract advances the European GNSS Service Demonstrator, enabling smooth deployment of future EU Space services while engaging users and developers.

On February 12, 2026, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) awarded a framework contract to Thales Alenia Space to oversee the design, development, and deployment of the European Global Navigation Satellite System (EGNSS) Service Demonstrator (ESD).

The event is timely, with European leaders looking to capitalise on the successful launch of Europe’s most powerful rocket to date, Ariane 6, seeking to boost ambitions and accelerate the future of the European space industry.

Latvian technology company LMT Group has announced a strategic 12-month development initiative in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to pioneer a new generation of universal IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity.

The European Union activates GOVSATCOM, a first step towards reducing dependence on foreign suppliers for critical space communications. The contract, signed in 2024, grants GMV the highest level of visibility and responsibility within the EU Space Programme.

The 2026 CASSINI Challenges competition seeks innovative, space-based solutions and ideas that can help solve some of today’s most pressing issues, offering winners a EUR 100,000 prize each.

Riga-based SpaceTech startup Deep Space Energy has raised a total €930k to further develop a radioisotopic generator toward commercialisation, in a bid to strengthen the European sovereign space and defense industry and power Moon surface exploration.

The launch of the Ariane 6 rocket in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 February signifies access to space for Europe, says Ludwig Möller, director of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI).

This stunning image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals a dramatic interplay of light and shadow in the Egg Nebula, sculpted by freshly ejected stardust.

Hypersonica has completed its first hypersonic test flight at Andøya Space in Norway, marking a European first for a privately funded defence company. The Anglo-German firm said the missile prototype exceeded Mach 6, travelled more than 300 km and operated nominally throughout ascent and descent.

Europe is preparing to launch its most powerful rocket yet - the four-booster Ariane 64, which will lift off from French Guiana this week.

Many events have occurred on Unst, the UK’s northernmost island, over the centuries. Viking longboats landed there in the ninth century as their crews raided Britain and there is a Bronze Age ritual burial ground on the island’s Lamba Ness peninsula. So far, a space rocket has not taken off.