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Space Exploration News 3 January 2026 - 28 January 2026

Why Intuitive Machines (LUNR) stock is up today: NASA Artemis II tracking role, fresh $26 target

Why Intuitive Machines (LUNR) stock is up today: NASA Artemis II tracking role, fresh $26 target

New York, January 28, 2026, 13:11 EST — Regular session Intuitive Machines (LUNR) shares climbed roughly 13% to $22.91 on Wednesday, gaining $2.62 from Tuesday’s $20.29 close. The stock swung between $20.27 and $22.92, with around 8.5 million shares exchanging hands by early afternoon. The Houston, Texas-based firm announced NASA has chosen it as one of 34 volunteer groups authorized to assist in tracking the Artemis II mission via its Space Data Network and ground stations. CEO Steve Altemus called tracking Artemis II “another opportunity to strengthen and expand our Space Data Network,” noting that no payments are involved. (intuitivemachines.com)
28 January 2026
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NASA rolls Artemis II Moon rocket to the pad as first crewed lunar flight since 1972 nears

NASA rolls Artemis II Moon rocket to the pad as first crewed lunar flight since 1972 nears

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, January 17, 2026, 07:21 EST NASA started moving its Artemis II Moon rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on Saturday. The slow, hours-long trek kicks off final tests ahead of the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2026/01/17/nasas-artemis-ii-moon-rocket-on-way-to-launch-pad/ The rollout is crucial as it kicks off the final phase of hands-on tasks NASA must complete at the pad. Here, crews hook the vehicle up to ground systems and run through countdown drills. NASA has set Feb. 6 as the earliest launch window for Artemis II. Artemis II will mark
17 January 2026
NASA pulls Crew-11 from ISS in first medical evacuation as SpaceX Dragon heads for splashdown

NASA pulls Crew-11 from ISS in first medical evacuation as SpaceX Dragon heads for splashdown

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Jan 15, 2026, 01:41 (EST) Late Wednesday, a SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts undocked from the International Space Station, marking NASA’s first medical evacuation from the orbiting lab following a crew member’s health issue. The decision trims the Crew-11 mission by about a month, leaving the station with fewer crew members until the next rotation. It’s a real-time challenge for NASA and its partners to see how fast they can get astronauts back when a health issue arises in orbit. NASA hasn’t disclosed which astronaut is involved or the nature of the condition, citing medical privacy.
15 January 2026
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NASA’s Moon Nuclear Reactor Push Meets DOE Safety Rule Shake-Up — What Space and Nuclear Stocks Are Watching

NASA’s Moon Nuclear Reactor Push Meets DOE Safety Rule Shake-Up — What Space and Nuclear Stocks Are Watching

WASHINGTON, January 14, 2026, 03:25 EST NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to develop a nuclear reactor for the Moon’s surface by 2030, reviving a partnership that places fission power at the heart of America’s lunar ambitions. Why it matters now: a reactor could provide a reliable power source during the Moon’s long periods of darkness, a key challenge for bases dependent on solar panels and batteries. This comes as the Energy Department revises sections of its nuclear regulations, a move that could change the timeline and expenses for projects dealing with radioactive materials — ranging from
14 January 2026
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SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with 29 Starlink satellites as FCC clears bigger buildout

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with 29 Starlink satellites as FCC clears bigger buildout

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Jan 9, 2026, 19:27 EST SpaceX launched 29 Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Friday on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first-stage booster landed at sea on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas after stage separation, and SpaceX later confirmed the satellites were deployed. https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/01/08/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-its-falcon-9-rocket-on-midday-starlink-mission-from-cape-canaveral/ The flight came as U.S. regulators moved to widen SpaceX’s room to grow Starlink, its low-Earth-orbit network that beams broadband from a few hundred miles above Earth. The Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX’s plan to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation satellites, bringing the authorized total to 15,000, and
10 January 2026
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Alien Talk Fades Around Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as New Searches Find No Signals and Images Turn Green

Alien Talk Fades Around Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as New Searches Find No Signals and Images Turn Green

WASHINGTON, January 7, 2026, 21:00 EST Astronomers scanning interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS for signs of alien technology came up empty, a result that adds weight to the case that the fast-moving visitor is natural, not a spacecraft. That matters now because 3I/ATLAS is only the third object ever confirmed to have entered the solar system from interstellar space, and it is already on its way back out. As it recedes, it will dim and slip beyond the reach of many instruments, leaving researchers with a narrowing window. The scrutiny is also a rehearsal. Astronomers expect future sky surveys to flag more
8 January 2026
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Europa Clipper’s UV look at Comet 3I/ATLAS backs water-ice call as radio “technosignature” scan finds none

Europa Clipper’s UV look at Comet 3I/ATLAS backs water-ice call as radio “technosignature” scan finds none

WASHINGTON, January 7, 2026, 14:24 (EST) NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft caught interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in ultraviolet light while the object was hidden from Earth-based and near-Earth observatories, the SETI Institute said on Tuesday. It detected hydrogen and oxygen in the comet’s coma — the cloud of gas around its nucleus — pointing to water-ice sublimation, and saw no sign the comet broke apart. Europa Clipper used an ultraviolet spectrograph built for Jupiter’s moon Europa in what SETI described as a rapid repurpose. SETI Institute That matters because 3I/ATLAS is only the third known object seen passing through the solar system from
7 January 2026
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Moon rush 2026: Blue Origin, Firefly, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic line up lunar landings

Moon rush 2026: Blue Origin, Firefly, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic line up lunar landings

Seattle, Jan 6, 2026, 05:14 (PST) Private lunar landings are back on the calendar for 2026, with Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic lining up robotic missions to the Moon. The run of attempts would add fresh pressure to prove that commercial lunar delivery can work more than once. The push comes as NASA prepares Artemis II, a crewed flight around the Moon no earlier than February, and China aims a south-pole landing with Chang’e-7 in the second half of the year. The combined timetable is drawing renewed attention to the Moon as both a science target and
6 January 2026
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Alien-signal hunt finds nothing from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after Green Bank scan

Alien-signal hunt finds nothing from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after Green Bank scan

NEW YORK, Jan 5, 2026, 04:15 ET A search for possible technosignatures — potential signs of advanced technology — in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS found no credible radio transmissions, Breakthrough Listen researchers reported. The team said its campaign detected no candidate signals down to the 100 milliwatt level. arXiv The finding matters because 3I/ATLAS is a rare visitor from outside the solar system, and scientists had a limited window to scrutinize it as it swept past Earth. NASA says the comet posed no threat and came no closer than about 270 million km (170 million miles), after being reported to
5 January 2026
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Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS vents water after Sun swing-by as radio search finds no signals

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS vents water after Sun swing-by as radio search finds no signals

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 18:22 ET Scientists tracking interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with a Sun-watching spacecraft have estimated how quickly it shed water after its late-October pass around the Sun, before activity eased as it moved outward. A separate radio scan also reported no sign of artificial transmissions from the object. ( https://ts2.tech/en/soho-spots-water-gushing-from-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-after-its-sun-pass/) The readings matter because 3I/ATLAS — only the third confirmed interstellar object seen entering the solar system — is a fleeting opportunity to study material formed around another star. The comet is already on its way out, narrowing the window for observations. Most detailed work on 3I/ATLAS
5 January 2026
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Scientists Scanned Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS for Alien Signals — and Found Nothing

Scientists Scanned Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS for Alien Signals — and Found Nothing

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 05:41 ET Scientists hunting for signs of alien technology from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reported no radio signals that could be traced to the object, after aiming one of the world’s most sensitive dishes at it during its recent close pass by Earth. ScienceAlert The result matters because 3I/ATLAS is rare — only the third known object confirmed to have come from outside the solar system — and it is already heading back out, shrinking the window for close-up observations. It also lands as public fascination around the comet has surged, fueled by claims that unusual
4 January 2026
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Green Bank Telescope schedules fresh scan of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as it heads out

Green Bank Telescope schedules fresh scan of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as it heads out

NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 10:19 ET The Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia scheduled a six-hour “chemical survey” of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS early on Saturday, according to the facility’s public observing schedule. The slot ran from 01:30 to 07:00 ET and used a high-frequency receiver band commonly used to hunt for molecular fingerprints. The timing matters because 3I/ATLAS — only the third known object confirmed to enter the solar system from interstellar space — is now moving away and steadily fading. NASA says the comet remains observable from the ground in the pre-dawn sky until spring 2026, narrowing the
3 January 2026
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Stock Market Today

AST SpaceMobile stock bounces late Friday as AT&T plays down Amazon Leo threat and a new 2x short ETF hits tape

AST SpaceMobile stock bounces late Friday as AT&T plays down Amazon Leo threat and a new 2x short ETF hits tape

7 February 2026
AST SpaceMobile shares jumped 9.1% to $101.79 Friday after a volatile week, with 15.9 million shares traded. AT&T said it will use Amazon Leo’s satellite network to reach business customers outside its terrestrial footprint but stated this will not affect its partnership with AST. A new 2x short ETF tied to ASTS, ticker ASTN, began trading on Cboe. AST’s next “BlueBird 7” satellite launch is set for late February on Blue Origin’s New Glenn.
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