Japan's H3 rocket successfully launched Friday with a new low-cost variant, marking a crucial return to flight after two previous mission failures. The launch carried six small satellites, aiming to boost Japan's competitiveness in the global space industry.
A Chinese aerospace engineer, Zhu, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for spying for an unnamed country, leaking classified aerospace and defense documents for $88,000, highlighting increased foreign targeting of Chinese personnel with financial incentives.
The global space market, valued at $600 billion and projected to reach $2.32 trillion by 2040, is seeing significant private investment. Germany aims to increase its share, with companies developing launch vehicles and satellite data applications, but calls for reduced bureaucracy and increased government support to compete with the US.
Varda Space Industries collaborates with United Therapeutics to leverage microgravity for improving treatments of rare lung diseases, building on NASA's space-based drug development research.
Students with space industry aspirations successfully launch a rocket 10,000 feet in the air in regional Australia.
