Firefly Aerospace, Inc., has been awarded a $112 million NASA contract to deliver multiple lunar payloads in 2026. As part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly will utilize its Blue Ghost spacecraft in a two-stage configuration to place a satellite into lunar orbit and then deliver research payloads on the far side of the Moon.
Firefly Aerospace has announced an agreement with the United Arab Emirates' Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre to deliver the Rashid 2 Rover to the far side of the Moon on Firefly's Blue Ghost lander. The rover will demonstrate lunar surface mobility and in-situ resource utilization technologies, while payloads from Australia, the European Space Agency, and NASA will also be included.
The Student Aerospace Challenge, now in its 20th edition, is open to European students from ESA member countries. Dassault Aviation, along with ArianeGroup, the European Space Agency, and the Air and Space Museum, supports this initiative.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a Letter of Intent with Dassault Aviation to foster technology development in areas such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) destinations. The project, called VORTEX, aims to develop a reusable spaceplane and automate LEO platforms.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg, a South Australian aerospace engineer, was named 2026 Australian of the Year for her pioneering work as Australia's first qualified astronaut. The award comes after she completed Basic Astronaut Training at the European Astronaut Centre in Germany and became the first person to train under the Australian flag.