Engineering stories whose deep dive explains space and astrophysics, ready to use as a starter, a reading task or a real-world example. Each one links to the GCSE and A level curriculum.
Space
NASA's Starling mission demonstrated GPS-free satellite navigation by using other spacecraft and orbital debris as reference points, a first for optical space navigation.
Deep dive: How GPS-Free Satellite Navigation Works
Space
ESA's BepiColombo has shed its transfer module after an eight-year journey, beginning the final approach to enter Mercury orbit in November 2026.
Deep dive: Surviving the Sun's Back Garden
Space
China's Long March 10B caught its booster in a net at sea on its maiden flight. We explore the engineering behind this orbital-class recovery…
Deep dive: the physics of the Long March 10B booster recovery
Aerospace, Defence & Marine
Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 private orbital rocket launched successfully, making India the third country with a private company capable of reaching orbit.
Deep dive: How the Vikram-1 private orbital rocket reaches orbit
Aerospace, Defence & Marine
China's Qianfan satellite constellation hit 200 in orbit with costs slashed 96%. Here's the engineering behind the flat-pack satellites and mass launches.
Deep dive: Hall-Effect Thrusters, Orbital Mechanics, and the Logistics of Building a 15,000-Satellite Fleet
Aerospace, Defence & Marine
China's Tianwen-2 entered orbit around asteroid Kamoʻoalewa on 7 June 2026, beginning a sample return mission that could confirm the rock is a fragment…
Deep dive: How Do You Orbit a Rock That Barely Has Gravity?
Aerospace, Defence & Marine
SpinLaunch's Orbital Accelerator spins satellites to 8,000 kph before release, eliminating 70% of rocket fuel. The company now plans its own broadband constellation using…
Deep dive: The physics of kinetic launch
Aerospace, Defence & MarineBreakthroughs
The Artemis II moon mission tested heat shields, life support, and spacecraft systems on humanity's first crewed lunar flight since 1972.
Deep dive: How the Artemis II moon mission spacecraft works
Electronics & Communications
ESA's Celeste LEO navigation satellite broadcast Europe's first dual-frequency signal from low Earth orbit, testing a new layer for positioning systems.
Deep dive: How satellite navigation works from two different altitudes
Space
NASA's Artemis II moon mission rocket has returned to Launch Pad 39B after engineers repaired a helium system fault, targeting an April launch to…
Deep dive: The engineering systems that make Artemis II fly
Space
London-based space technology company Spaceflux has secured £5.4 million in seed funding to expand its global network of optical sensors and accelerate development of…
Deep dive: Optical Space Surveillance Technology
SpaceBreakthroughs
Japanese lunar exploration company Ispace and Chuo University have formalized a partnership to assess the feasibility of deploying AI-equipped robots to explore lunar lava…
Deep dive: Swarm Robotics for Lunar Exploration