Afgelopen week was er de Wet Dress Rehearsal voor Artemis II en ja, sommigen vreesden er voor, en ja, het gebeurde ook. De WDR werd net als enkele jaren geleden alweer geplaagd door waterstoflekken. De lancering werd daardoor uitgesteld naar ten vroegste maart. SpaceX had ook een probleempje met een Falcon 9 tweede trap. Het probleem lijkt ondertussen opgelost zodat de lancering van Crew 12 met ESA’s astronaut Sophie Adenot niet in gevaar lijkt te komen. Dat en nog veel meer in het Nieuws Uit De Ruimtevaart van deze week.

Bij de foto: Het zal nog (minstens) een maandje extra wachten zijn. Mogelijk stuurt Artemis II in maart (eindelijk) voor het eerst sinds 1972 nog eens astronauten in de richting van de Maan. Foto: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

De lanceringen van de afgelopen week.

02.02.2026 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 17-32 – Problemen met 2de trap.
SpaceCom: Groundhog Day launch sends SpaceX Starlink satellites into Earth orbit from California.
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX experiences Falcon 9 upper stage anomaly following Starlink deployment.
Space News: SpaceX pauses Falcon 9 launches after upper stage anomaly.

SatTrackCam: Another failed deorbit of a Falcon 9 upper stage.

SpaceCom: SpaceX grounds its Falcon 9 rocket after a problem with its upper stage. Will the Crew-12 astronaut mission be affected?
SpaceCom: When will SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket return to flight after 4 upper-stage issues in 19 months?

SpaceX over het probleem – Lees hun website-update.

Filmpjes:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 25 Starlink satellites to orbit from California.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 351 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 2 February 2026.

07.02.2026 – Chinese Lange Mars 2F/T lanceert CSSHQ, een experimenteel ruimtevliegtuigje.
China in Space: What Do We Know About China's Reusable Spaceplane?
China in Space: China's Reusable Spaceplane Departs Jiuquan to Begin Fourth Mission [Long March 2F/T].
Space News: China launches reusable spaceplane on fourth secretive orbital mission.

07.02.2026 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 17-33 (Vandenberg SFB).
SpaceCom: SpaceX resumes Falcon 9 flights with Starlink satellite launch from California.
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX launches return to flight Falcon 9 mission following brief stand down.

Filmpjes:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 25 Starlink satellites to orbit from California.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 352 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 7 February 2026.

Te verwachten lanceringen.

Crew 12 – Klaar voor lancering op 11.02.2026
NASA Blog: NASA, Partners Conduct Crew-12 Flight Readiness Review.
NASA Blog: NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 Launch, Docking.
NASA Blog: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Flies to NASA Kennedy.
NASA Blog: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 ‘Go’ For Launch.
NASA Blog: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Arrives in Florida.

SpaceCom: SpaceX's next astronaut launch for NASA is officially on for Feb. 11 as FAA clears Falcon 9 rocket to fly again.
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX test fires its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of midweek launch of Crew-12 to the space station.
ESA: Crew-12 upon their arrival at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 to Study Adaptation to Altered Gravity.

Raketnieuws.

ULA begint aan voorbereidingen eerste Vulcan-lancering vanuit Vandenberg.
Spaceflight Now: ULA offloads first Vulcan rocket at Vandenberg at it preps its next Cape launch.

LC39A enkel nog voor Falcon Heavy en Starship.
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX shifts away from Dragon launches at pad 39A as Starship looms.
PhysOrg: Why has SpaceX not launched from Kennedy Space Center this year?

Lihong 1 – Suborbitale test raket/capsule voor o.a. toeristische ruimtevluchten.
Het was reeds een item in NUDR 2026/03-786.
maar nu krijg je ook de filmpjes:
CCTV: Commercial Recoverable Spacecraft Completes Suborbital Test Flight in China.
SciNews: LiHong-1 first launch.

Over de mislukte PSLV-lanceringen.
The Times of India: Day after NSA’s visit to ISRO centre, space minister rules out sabotage in PSLV failures.

Amazon koopt extra Falcon-lanceringen voor Amazon Leo constellatie.
SpaceCom: Amazon buys 10 more Falcon 9 launches.

ISAR Aerospace breidt haar testfaciliteiten uit – Spectrum.
European Spaceflight: Isar Aerospace to Expand Testing Facilities as it Prepares for Next Spectrum Flight.
Space Daily: Isar Aerospace expands engine and stage testing at Esrange

Bemande ruimtevaart / Ruimtestations.

Roscosmos op zoek naar nieuwe kosmonauten.
TASS: Roscosmos opens cosmonaut recruitment, taking applications again.

ISS – De blogentries.
ISS Blog: Expedition 74 Kicks Off Week with Dragon Preps and Science Gear Work.
ISS Blog: Biomedical Research, CubeSat Deployments Top Crew Schedule.
ISS Blog: Crew Studies Health, Earth Photography, and Works Dragon Preps.
ISS Blog: Dragon Preps, Artificial Intelligence, and Medical Gear Fill Crew’s Day.
ISS Blog: Week Ends with Dragon Preps, Space Physics, and Human Research.

ISS – Meer nieuws uit het ruimtestation.
SpaceCom: Will astronauts aboard the ISS get to watch Super Bowl LX?

Commerciële ruimtestations.
Payload: Voyager, Max Space Team on Expandable Tech.

Nieuws uit het Chinese ruimtestation – CSS.
China in Space: Shenzhou-21 Taikonauts Conduct Health Related Experiments and Tests.
ECNS: Chinese experiment sees butterfly emerge in space.

Filmpjes:
CCTV: Shenzhou-21 Crew Advances Experiments, Maintains Space Station Operations.

Naar de Maan (en Mars).

Artemis 2 – Lekken bij WDR doen lancering uitstellen – Ten vroegste maart.
NASA Blog: Countdown Begins for Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal.
NASA Blog: Wet Dress Rehearsal Countdown Progressing for Artemis II.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal Update.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: ‘Go’ for Tanking.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Core Stage LH2, LOX Chilldown Underway.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Core Stage Slow Fill Begins.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Liquid Hydrogen Chilldown Underway for Upper Stage.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: SLS Upper Stage Propellant Loading Begins.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Teams Stop Flow of Core Stage Liquid Hydrogen for Troubleshooting.
NASA Blog: Artemis II WDR Update: ICPS LOX Chilldown Underway; Core Stage LH2 Troubleshooting Continues.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Troubleshooting Continues for Core Stage Liquid Hydrogen Loading.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Team Resumes Flow of Liquid Hydrogen in Core Stage.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Core Stage Liquid Hydrogen in Topping Mode.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Tanking Operations Progressing.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: SLS Upper Stage Liquid Hydrogen Topping Underway.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: All SLS Stages in Replenish Mode.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Closeout Crew Departs to White Room.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Crew Module Hatch Preparations and Closure.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Closeout Work in White Room Continues.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Launch Abort System Hatch Closed.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Closeout Crew Departs Launch Complex 39B.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Entering Terminal Count at T-10 Minutes.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Test Terminated at T-5:15.
NASA Blog: NASA Conducts Artemis II Fuel Test, Eyes March for Launch Opportunity.
NASA Blog: Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: NASA Discusses Initial Results.

Spaceflight Now: Countdown underway for critical moon rocket fueling test Monday.
Ars Technica: NASA gears up for one more key test before launching Artemis II to the Moon.

SpaceCom: NASA fuels up giant Artemis 2 moon rocket. Yes, it's a little leaky. So is it ready to fly?.
SpaceCom: NASA just delayed the Artemis 2 moon mission because its giant rocket has a leak — we've seen this before.

SpaceCom: 'Back to the Moon': Artemis 2 astronauts land on Time magazine cover, a callback to Apollo 8 history.

Spaceflight Now: NASA waves off February launch for Artemis II moon mission; now targeting early March.
Space Policy Online: NASA Will Wait Until March for Artemis II.
Collect Space: NASA delays Artemis II moon mission after SLS test runs into a leak.
SpaceCom: NASA had 3 years to fix fuel leaks on its Artemis moon rocket. Why are they still happening?
Space News: Artemis 2 slips to March.
Space News: NASA examining hydrogen leaks during Artemis 2 fueling test.

NSF: Artemis II: WDR resolutions in work ahead of March target.
VRTNWS: Lancering maanmissie Artemis II uitgesteld na problemen tijdens test .

Filmpjes:
NASA: NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test (Official Static Feed).
NASA: NASA's Artemis II Fueling Test News Conference (Feb. 3, 2026).
Video From Space: NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket's fuel leak explained by launch director.
Philip Sloss: Getting Ready for Artemis II: Overreaction Tuesday? WDR Post Game show.
Philip Sloss: Getting Ready for Artemis II: Initial takeaways after post WDR news conference.
Spaceflight Now: Artemis 2 launch delayed by hydrogen leaks during fueling test.
En mijn bijdrage:
Volkssterrenwacht Urania: Artemis II Journaal - Countdown gestart. De eigenlijke WDR voor maandag.
Volkssterrenwacht Urania: Artemis II Journaal - Lekken doen lancering uitstellen (en zorgen voor een nieuwe WDR).

Artemis 2 – Meer nieuws.

Filmpjes:
SETI Institute: Back to the Moon: How Artemis II Sets the Stage for the Next Era of Missions.
En mijn bijdrage:
Volkssterrenwacht Urania: Artemis – Een beetje geschiedenis.

Artemis 3 – Amerika opnieuw op de Maan.
Space News: House NASA bill seeks details on lunar lander and spacesuit development.
Inside Outer Space: Space Spat and Moonsuits.

Artemis 4 – Gateway / ML2 – SLS Block 1B.
PhysOrg: What's the point of a space station around the moon?

Artemis – Een eerste maanbasis.
Space News: Voyager Technologies and Max Space partner on lunar infrastructure.

Naar de Maan en Mars.
RocketSTEM: How can there be ice on the Moon?

Mengzhou – China klaar voor In-Flight Abort Test.
Space News: China set for in-flight abort test of Mengzhou crew spacecraft.
China in Space: Mengzhou In-Flight Abort Test Expected on February 11th.

Starship nieuws.
Space News: FAA approves Starship launches from LC-39A.

Filmpjes:
NSF: "Let's go, Booster 19!" | SpaceX Starbase.
Avid Space: Elon Gives Estimate on Timeline for Starship Flight 12 - Is it Realistic?
WAI: Booster 19 Rollout Complete! What’s Next for Starship?
NSF: Super Heavy Testing Begins! SpaceX Back on Track After B18 Disaster | Starship Update.
NSF: "This one is all about B19 (and nosecones)" | SpaceX Starbase.
WAI: SpaceX reveals MASSIVE plan change: Starship Flight 12 is on track!

Op ontdekking door het zonnestelsel.

Meer nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Zon:
Inside Outer Space: China Plans Deep Space L5 Probe.

Aarde:
ESA: The curious case of why methane spiked around Covid.
NASA: NASA Selects Two Earth System Explorers Missions.
Space News: NASA selects two Earth science missions for development.

Mars:
NASA Curiosity Status Report: Curiosity Blog, Sols 4788-4797: Welcome Back from Conjunction.
Inside Outer Space: Earth to MAVEN? Re-contact Effort Underway with Mars Orbiter.
SpaceCom: Bleached Martian rocks offer fresh evidence of a wetter and warmer Mars: 'But where did they come from?

3I/Atlas:
NASA: NASA’s SPHEREx Examines Comet 3I/ATLAS’s Coma.
SpaceCom: NASA space telescope sees interstellar visitor comet 3I/ATLAS flare up while exiting the solar system.

En om af te ronden:
Werkgroep Maan en Planeten: Podcast: Recente ontwikkelingen in het zonnestelsel – januari 2025.

Meer ruimtevaartnieuws.

SpaceX en xAI gaan samen – Musk wil één miljoen satellieten voor een data center in de ruimte.
Space News: With attention on orbital data centers, the focus turns to economics.
Space News: SpaceX acquires xAI in bid to develop orbital data centers.

Ars Technica: SpaceX acquires xAI, plans to launch a massive satellite constellation to power it.
GovConWire: SpaceX Acquires xAI to Advance Space-Based Artificial Intelligence.
BBC: Musk's SpaceX and xAI merge to make world's most valuable private company.
Universe Today: Elon Musk lays out a new vision of AI satellites as SpaceX acquires xAI.
Teslarati: FCC accepts SpaceX filing for 1 million orbital data center plan.

VRTNWS: Elon Musk voegt SpaceX en start-up samen om datacenters in de ruimte te bouwen.
De Tijd: Musk fuseert melkkoe SpaceX met dorstig xAI.
De Tijd: Datacenters in de ruimte: no-brainer voor Musk, nog veel rekenwerk voor ingenieurs.

Ook in China is er blijkbaar interesse:
China in Space: Potential Space Data Centers Attracts Interest From State and Commercial Enterprises.

Meer satellietconstellaties.
Payload: Univity Adds Direct-to-Device Service in VLEO Constellation.
Space News: FCC clears Logos to deploy more than 4,000 broadband satellites.
Via Satellite: FCC Approves Logos Space Enterprise Constellation Plans.
Via Satellite: Blue Origin’s TeraWave Constellation: Analysts Size Up Competitive Positioning.

De (onverwacht dubbele) terugkeer van een Zhuque 3 upper stage.
Sat TrackCam Leiden: You Only Die Twice (redux): the unusual and confusing double reentry of a ZQ-3 upper stage (2025-282A).

Varda’s W-5 beëindigt missie met landing in Australië.
Space News: Varda’s W-5 mission lands in Australia.
NASA: NASA Heat Shield Technology Enables Space Industry Growth.

The Exploration Company test Nyx splashdown.
European Spaceflight: The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Splashdown Tests.

Demo terugkeercapsule – Orbital Paradigm.
Het werd eerder al vermeld bij de mislukte PSLV lancering op 12.01.
European Spaceflight: European Capsule Demonstrator Survives Launch Failure.

(Herbruikbare) terugkeercapsules – Lux Aeterna.
Space News: Lux Aeterna to land first reusable satellite in Australia.

Ruimteafval – Wat gebeurt er bij reentry – ESA en DRACO.
SpaceCom: What actually happens to a spacecraft during its fiery last moments? Here's why ESA wants to find out.
ESA (filmpje): Draco: atmospheric reentry from the inside.

ESA en de reentry van de twee overblijvende Cluster-satellieten.
ESA: Moving satellites to meet a plane for rare reentry data.

Ruimteafval – Allerlei nieuws.
11.12 – Universe Today: Reading the "Light Fingerprints" of Dead Satellites.
28.12 – Universe Today: Rethinking How We End A Satellite's Mission.
30.12 – The Science Times: Space Debris and Orbital Pollution: Rising Space Junk Threats and Collision Risks Around Earth.
04.01 – SpaceCom: The risk of falling space junk hitting airplanes is on the rise, experts warn.
21.01 – IEEE Spectrum: CRASH Clock Measures Dangerous Overcrowding in Low Earth Orbit.
26.01 – Universe Today: How Earthquake Detectors Track Space Junk.
27.01 – Inside Outer Space: Satellite Reentry: Atmospheric Implications.
28.01 – Space News: Exotrail and Astroscale France join forces to build deorbiting capability for LEO.
29.01 – Payload: WEF’s Space Debris Report Projects Significant Costs.
Het rapport van het Word Economic Form vind je hier.
02.02 – Inside Outer Space: Close Encounter: Earth Orbiting Leftovers.
04.02 – Inside Outer Space: Heads-up: Space Leftovers Coming Down!

Nog eens het NASA budget.
Space Policy Online: What’s Happening in Space Policy February 1-7, 2026.
Space Policy Online: House Committee Approves New NASA Authorization Bill.
NASA Watch: House Science Committee Passes NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026.
Space Policy Online: Final FY2026 Defense, FAA Bills Signed into Law.
Space News: House committee advances NASA authorization bill.

Space News: Exodus: The shrinking federal space workforce.

Filmpje:
The Planetary Society: Space Policy Edition: What a NASA Authorization bill actually does.

NASA Administrator Jared Iscaaman over NASA.
Space Policy Online: Isaacman Wants to Restore NASA’s Core Competencies.

Filmpje:
NASA: Restoring NASA’s Core Competencies.

Space Force – Nieuws.
04.02 – Space News: As satellites become targets, Space Force plans a broader role.
05.02 – Space News:  Vantor wins $5.3 million NGA contract to spot terrain changes using commercial satellite data.
05.02 – Space News: Space Force may be done with R-GPS, but Congress isn’t.

Cybersecurity.
ESA (filmpje): Jammertest: strengthening satellite navigation.

Uit de oude doos – JumpSeat.
NRO: Declassifying, JumpSeat: An American pioneer in space.
Air & Space Forces: NRO Pulls Back the Veil On Cold War-Era Intelligence Satellite Program.
The Space Review: High Jump: the JUMPSEAT signals intelligence satellite.

Golden Dome – Missile Defense Shield.
Politico: Trump’s Golden Dome, a year in, is struggling to take shape.
Defense One: Space-based interceptors make even less sense now.

Russische militaire acties in de ruimte.
Ars Technica: Russian spy satellites have intercepted EU communications satellites.
Radio Free Europe: Close Encounter: How A Russian Nesting Doll Satellite Approached A US Target In Orbit.

Om af te sluiten – Is kindjes maken in de ruimte een goed idee?
EurekAlert!: Reproduction in space, an environment hostile to human biology.

PhysOrg: Reproduction in space, an environment hostile to human biology.
SpaceCom: It's time to think about human reproduction in space, scientists urge.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen