Plus: SpaceX acquires xAI, proposes 1 million AI satellites
| Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, NASA delayed its Artemis 2 launch due to a hydrogen leak, SpaceX acquired xAI to further Elon Musk's push for orbital data centers, Congress advanced the NASA reauthorization act and more.
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| | By Jeff Foust NASA officials defended their preparations for the Artemis 2 mission after a fueling test experienced the same type of hydrogen leaks that bedeviled Artemis 1 more than three years ago.
NASA wrapped up the wet dress rehearsal, or WDR, for Artemis 2 in the early morning hours Feb. 3 after a hydrogen leak was detected during the terminal phase of the practice countdown. The agency announced shortly afterward that it would not attempt to launch the mission, the first crewed flight to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years, during the current launch period, which closes Feb. 11.
The leak during the terminal countdown was the second encountered during the WDR. The first occurred hours earlier during the "fast fill" of the liquid hydrogen tank in the core stage of the Space Launch System. Engineers were able to resolve that leak and resume fueling.
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| | The agency announced Feb. 5 that it chose the Stratosphere-Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically resolved light Explorer, or STRIVE, and the Earth Dynamics Geodetic Explorer, or EDGE, as the first Earth System Explorer missions. Each is scheduled to launch no earlier than 2030.
China appears set for an in-flight abort test of its new-generation Mengzhou spacecraft next week in a key step for the country's human spaceflight plans. The demonstration will be a crucial step in China's plans to attempt to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.
The House Science Committee voted 37-0 to favorably report the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, sending it to the full House for consideration after adopting dozens of amendments. The legislation largely reaffirms existing NASA programs and policies.
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| | SpaceX paused Falcon 9 launches after an issue with the rocket's upper stage encountered at the end of a launch Feb. 2. In a statement about nine hours after the launch, SpaceX said the upper stage "experienced an off-nominal condition" while preparing for a final engine burn to deorbit the stage.
Blue Origin announced Jan. 30 that it will halt flights of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle for at least two years as it shifts its focus to human lunar exploration. | | | | | | | COMMERCIAL
| | Logos Space Services has secured U.S. regulatory approval to deploy up to 4,178 low Earth orbit broadband satellites. The satellites would operate across seven orbital shells ranging from 870 kilometers to 925 kilometers above Earth, with inclinations spanning 28 to 90 degrees.
In a statement Feb. 2, SpaceX said it acquired xAI, which develops artificial intelligence technologies and operates the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, as part of its efforts to develop orbital data centers.
In a filing with the FCC late Jan. 30, SpaceX proposed an orbital data center constellation of up to one million satellites in low Earth orbit. The satellites would operate at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, in 30-degree and sun-synchronous inclinations, to maximize time in sunlight for solar power generation. | | | | | |  | | SPONSORED CONTENT
| | By UARX Space While much of the European NewSpace ecosystem has spent the last five years in a cycle of public fundraising and prototype announcements, UARX Space took a different path. Founded in 2020, the company remained in a self-imposed stealth mode, focusing on the rigorous engineering required to reach Technology Readiness Level 9 (TRL9) across its entire product line. | | | | | FROM SPACENEWS |  | | Lower costs and increase access with a group subscription: Get unlimited access to SpaceNews reporting and analysis for your whole team so they can stay up to speed on developments across the industry. With volume discounts, simplified billing and easy user management, setting up your entire organization to follow SpaceNews' journalism is the easiest decision you can make to guarantee that everyone has the intelligence they need for your mission to succeed. Set up access now for as few as two users. | | | | | | | |  | Latest Press Releases
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