The European Space Agency has detailed the development of Galileo, Europe's global navigation satellite system, in a documentary released on October 21, 2026. The film chronicles the project's origins as a bold European initiative to establish an independent satellite navigation network, overcoming technical, financial and diplomatic hurdles over multiple decades. It highlights the persistence of engineers and policymakers who pursued the vision despite setbacks, ultimately creating a system that now provides positioning data used worldwide. The documentary emphasizes Galileo's role as a civil infrastructure project distinct from military or purely commercial satellite networks, reflecting Europe's strategic aim to reduce reliance on other nations' systems. Technical aspects include the deployment of 26 operational satellites in medium Earth orbit, ground control infrastructure, and the system's dual-use nature for both civilian and security applications. The film also touches on challenges like signal accuracy requirements, orbital coordination with other global navigation systems, and the political negotiations required to secure funding across ESA member states. While acknowledging competition from existing systems like the U.S. GPS and Russian GLONASS, the documentary frames Galileo as a significant technological achievement rooted in European scientific collaboration. It concludes with current applications of the system in transportation, agriculture, emergency response and everyday consumer devices, underscoring its integration into modern infrastructure.

TechnoMile, a provider of AI-driven workflow solutions for government contractors, was named a 2026 Inc. Power Partner Award winner. The award identifies companies that help entrepreneurs and businesses navigate growth challenges, including hiring, compliance, technology, and fundraising.

The Inc. Power Partner Awards recognize B2B firms that enable clients to scale through expertise and services. Inc. editorial director Bonny Ghosh said the honorees "don’t just have customers – they have superfans and evangelists," citing dedication to helping business owners succeed across marketing, finance, and technology.

TechnoMile was cited for its work addressing challenges faced by growing government contractors, such as identifying federal contract opportunities, managing pipelines manually, lacking forecasting visibility, and meeting compliance and security requirements after winning contracts. The company’s platform integrates growth, contracts, and security workflows for defense and public sector organizations, offering greater visibility, compliance, risk reduction, and operational efficiency.

Ashish Khot, TechnoMile’s CEO, said the award reflects customer feedback and validates the company’s focus on "a unified way to manage the full lifecycle of federal business."

TechnoMile was formed by merging TechnoMile and SIMS Software. Its platform combines AI, purpose-built technology, and government contracting experience to support end-to-end operations from opportunity identification through compliant execution. More information is available at technomile.com.

Inc. is a business media brand published by Mansueto Ventures, alongside Fast Company. The Power Partner Awards list and details can be found at inc.com/power-partner-awards.

Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes) announced on October 21, 2026, that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded it an Other Transaction Agreement under the Fast Capacitance (Fat Cat) program. Dr. Tabitha Dodson, manager of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office, oversees the Fat Cat program, which aims to develop autonomous reactor operation for national security applications. The agreement funds the development and ground testing of advanced reactor control technologies intended to expand the United States’ nuclear power capabilities.

The award builds on a continuous line of nuclear power development and directly references work completed by SpaceNukes team members in 2018. While employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA, the team conducted the only full-power ground test of a new American space reactor in five decades, known as the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) project. Under the current agreement, SpaceNukes and Los Alamos National Laboratory will design, build, and test a follow-on Kilopower reactor that incorporates active control rod operation, moving beyond the passively controlled design demonstrated in the 2018 KRUSTY test.

Patrick McClure, COO of SpaceNukes, stated that the award acknowledges the maturity and continuity of the team responsible for the original KRUSTY work. He added that the company looks forward to collaborating with Dr. Dodson and Los Alamos National Laboratory to advance the next phase of American nuclear power. Andy Phelps, CEO of SpaceNukes, emphasized that demonstrated technology is essential for achieving national security objectives and that the funding enables the company to extend the KRUSTY program’s achievements.

The program’s phased structure includes design, procurement, and integration milestones leading to a ground demonstration. This process will yield nuclear-tested hardware and establish an engineering foundation for autonomous, actively controlled reactor operation. Integration activities will take place at SpaceNukes’ facility in Medina, Ohio, under the leadership of Chief Engineer Marc Gibson. The initiative seeks to position American industry to supply reliable nuclear power for a broader range of mission profiles, including those requiring dynamic power management and rapid response under varying operational conditions.

Space Nuclear Power Corporation was established with the conviction that nuclear power is vital for the future, both on Earth and in space. The company’s objective is to enable the deployment of fission reactors in space. Its core team includes David Poston (CTO), Patrick McClure (COO), Marc Gibson (Chief Engineer), Omar Mireles (formerly of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center), and Andy Phelps (CEO). SpaceNukes holds a license from Los Alamos National Laboratory for the Kilopower technology and operates from headquarters in Los Alamos, New Mexico, with additional facilities in Los Alamos and Medina, Ohio, equipped for additive 3D printing, thermal testing, and vacuum testing.

Media inquiries can be directed to Andy Phelps at phelps@spacenukes.com or (505) 303-9906.

Glasgow, UK – 21 October 2026 – Craft Prospect, a UK-based space engineering company, has engaged in discussions across the UK, Europe, Japan and the United States about advancing secure communications through quantum technologies.

Senior quantum engineer Andrew Kelly presented at the 9th Annual ScyLight Conference in Tenerife in October, outlining progress on quantum and optical CubeSat payloads for the €20 million OPS-SAT VOLT mission. The conference served as a forum for European industry leaders to explore integration of quantum capabilities into future space systems.

At Newton Q 2026, Kelly discussed engineering challenges in transitioning quantum research to operational space systems, highlighting interest in quantum communications, cybersecurity and photonics. Parallel conversations occurred at SPACETIDE 2026 in Tokyo in July, where Managing Director Steve Greenland addressed UK-Japan collaboration and space security considerations.

Quantum Technology Lead Natalie Pearson and Sales Engineer Rory Ireland participated in ESA’s Quantum Technology Workshop in July, engaging with European space sector organisations on emerging technologies and partnership opportunities.

At SmallSat 2026 in Salt Lake City in August, Head of Engineering Kevin Quillien presented developments on The Quantum CubeSat, while Commercial Lead Hina Khan and AI Lead Lucy Donnell showcased progress on OPS-SAT VOLT alongside Bright Ascension. Attendees demonstrated strong interest in missions testing secure communications, optical networking and quantum-enabled technologies in orbit.

The company has responded to sustained demand for practical demonstration platforms by developing a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Space Network Emulator. The tool is designed to provide a controlled environment for testing QKD technologies, reducing risk and accelerating development for industry and research teams.

Across all engagements, participants emphasized the need to move beyond theoretical exploration toward operational testing of quantum systems in realistic space environments. This reflects broader industry momentum toward integrating quantum technologies with space infrastructure.

With quantum communications and autonomous space systems advancing toward deployment, Craft Prospect continues to develop capabilities supporting secure, resilient space networks. The company invites inquiries about its QKD emulator and related technologies through intelligence@craftprospect.com.

SpaceX aims to catch a Starship upper stage during its next flight and to reuse the vehicle rapidly, according to company executives. The company also intends to conduct a long-delayed in-orbit refueling test in early 2027, a step that could support lunar landings under NASA's Artemis program.

The refueling demonstration will involve transferring liquid oxygen and methane between two Starship vehicles in low-Earth orbit. This will be the first attempt at such a transfer at scale, and the data gathered will inform estimates of how many launches are needed to support a lunar landing. SpaceX says the test will also provide insight into boil-off rates and the efficiency of propellant transfers in space.

Company leadership outlined a timeline that includes a high flight cadence for Starship. Elon Musk has said he expects the rocket to achieve a weekly launch rate during the first half of 2027, with the potential for twice-weekly flights later in the year. Achieving this cadence depends on how quickly the company can refurbish and relaunch boosters without extensive maintenance.

"The rate at which we launch Starship will increase dramatically as we solve rapid and complete reusability," Musk said. "At first there will be a little bit of refurbishment that’s needed between each flight, and we’ll iron out the need for any refurbishment such that you can immediately land the rocket and launch it again, just like an airplane."

In addition to Starship development, SpaceX plans to continue launching Starlink V3 satellites and Starmind data center prototypes in 2027. The company did not address recent reports about throttling Starlink services in Ukraine during its earnings discussion.

The upcoming test flight and refueling effort represent key milestones for SpaceX’s long-term goals of enabling sustainable lunar missions and eventually supporting deeper space exploration.

Mayer Hillman, a British social scientist and author known for anticipating climate and mobility challenges decades before they entered mainstream discourse, died at the age of 94. His work, which combined rigorous analysis with practical proposals, influenced energy policy, urban design and child safety standards in the United Kingdom.

In the late 1990s Hillman warned that future generations would judge the current era by its response to climate change. His prediction gained resonance when Greta Thunberg, speaking at the United Nations, declared that adults were failing young people and that "the eyes of all future generations are upon you."

Hillman argued that denial of the climate crisis would persist until people in the global north experienced its tangible effects, such as environmental displacement or repeated flooding that rendered homes uninsurable. He also advocated for carbon rationing as a necessary measure to curb emissions, comparing its societal acceptance to wartime rationing during the second world war.

His policy suggestions often preceded their time. In 1984 he called for mandatory energy audits and thermal ratings for buildings; the concept materialised as energy performance certificates (EPCs) in England and Wales in 2007. Earlier, in the early 1990s, he proposed raising road intersections to pavement level to prioritise pedestrians, a practice now common in many cities. He also championed cycle lanes and 20mph speed limits more than four decades before they became widespread.

Born in West Hampstead, north London, to Scottish Jewish parents, Hillman was the youngest of three brothers. During the second world war he was evacuated to Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, where his family maintained kosher dietary practices despite local hosts offering meat and fish. After the war the family returned to Rickmansworth, making daily train journeys that Hillman later described as shaping his view of "free range" childhoods versus the constrained lives of modern children.

After qualifying from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London, Hillman became a partner in a north London architectural firm. In 1956 he co‑designed a prototype for a pedestrian‑oriented new town, an early example of his focus on walkable urban environments.

The 1963 report Traffic in Towns by Colin Buchanan, which acknowledged the drawbacks of car dependence, prompted Hillman to pursue a doctorate at Edinburgh University. His research examined the social and environmental impacts of personal mobility and argued for reducing reliance on motorised transport. In 1964 he married Heidi Krott, a Viennese refugee who had arrived in Britain as a child.

Hillman’s career continued at the Policy Studies Institute (formerly Political and Economic Planning), where he produced influential reports. A 1979 study, Walking Is Transport, highlighted the omission of short‑distance walking from national travel statistics, a gap that disproportionately affected women’s mobility. In 1990, together with Anne Whalley, he authored One False Move, which documented a sharp decline in children’s independent travel: from 80 % of seven‑ and eight‑year‑olds walking to school unaccompanied in 1971 to just 9 % by 1990. He linked this shift to increased parental anxiety, higher child road‑death rates involving vehicles, and the broader societal cost of reduced children’s freedom.

Hillman also warned that the reduction in child road fatalities was not a sign of safer streets but rather a consequence of children being kept off roads out of fear. He argued that "danger should be removed from children rather than children from danger," emphasizing the need for safer street design.

His 2004 book, How We Can Save the Planet, described climate change as "the most serious environmental threat that the world has ever faced," and he dismissed individual gestures as ineffective, despite his own long‑term avoidance of air travel. He later concluded that mitigation efforts had become too late to avert severe damage, a stance that reflected his increasingly apocalyptic outlook.

Beyond his professional achievements, Hillman was known for his contradictions: he took pride in his Jewish heritage while identifying as a "militant atheist," and he remained an enthusiastic cyclist well into old age, using the bicycle as both a personal passion and a tool for promoting environmental and health benefits. He rode through London’s streets into his later years.

Hillman is survived by his wife Heidi, who died in 2017, his sons Josh and Saul, and three grandchildren, Jasmine, Eva and Rafi. His legacy endures in contemporary policies on energy efficiency, sustainable transport and child safety, underscoring the lasting impact of a thinker who consistently challenged prevailing assumptions about the built environment and climate responsibility.

Astronomers have identified a set of faint, diffuse galaxies within the constellation Cassiopeia that appear to be dynamically linked to the nearby spiral galaxy M101. The discoveries were made using deep imaging data collected by the Starfront Observatories, where researchers Louis Leroux-Géré, Thibault Rouillé, Vincent Martin and Cédric de Decker processed long-exposure photographs to reveal structures previously hidden in the background of the night sky. The findings were published in the October 21, 2026 edition of the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) feature, which highlights a different cosmic image each day along with expert commentary. Keighley Rockcliffe, Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell and Cecilia Chirenti served as the article's authors and editors, coordinating the presentation of the new data for a broad audience. The project is part of a broader effort supported by NASA's Astrophysics Science Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center, in collaboration with the NASA Science Activation program and Michigan Technological University. According to the team, the newly catalogued objects exhibit characteristics consistent with dwarf galaxy populations, offering potential insight into galaxy formation and evolution in the local universe. While further spectroscopic analysis is required to confirm membership in the M101 group, the initial observations suggest these faint entities may represent a previously undercounted component of the cosmic web.