nik proxima

Howdy folks, my name is Nik and I am the managing editor of @WeAreSpaceScout. I also published the Turtledove Award Winning timeline Proxima: A Human Exploration of Mars, and am currently pursuing a career in space policy. Read more below on my Medium, and on Space Scout!

Let me in the Nostromo ✨️💙

Second mission. Same ambition. The @Amazonleo satellites for our next mission, VA268, have now arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, marking a new step in the deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation. In the coming weeks, Arianespace will begin the launch campaign, from satellite processing to integration on Ariane 6, preparing these payloads for their journey to low Earth orbit. The VA268 mission, designated LE-02 by Amazon, will fly on Ariane 6 in its four-booster configuration, a powerful setup particularly adapted to support the sustained deployment of large constellations. This mission is the second of 18 launches planned under our contract with Amazon, reflecting a long-term partnership built on performance, reliability and shared ambition to expand global connectivity from space. More updates soon from Kourou. #LaunchingAmbitions @ArianeGroup @esa @CNES @EuropeSpacePort

The Alpha Flight 7 team is moving forward with another launch attempt tonight after running additional tests on our fluid systems. The two-hour launch window for this test flight opens at 5:50 pm PT and our livestream with @NASASpaceflight will begin 20 minutes before liftoff. Sign up to get notified when we go live here: youtube.com/live/nyVbmoRXc…

Some of the art Steve R Dodd gave us in 2025

Moon.

Take off before liftoff ✈️ @Astro_Christina and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen take off on a training flight ahead of the Artemis II mission around the Moon.

“She’s calling us, and we’re ready.” 🌒 Today, agency leaders shared updates on the second fueling test for the @NASAArtemis II Moon mission. We're now targeting March 6 as the earliest launch opportunity. nasa.gov/blogs/artemis/

Below is the note that I sent to the NASA workforce today as we release the report on the Starliner Crew Flight Test Investigation. We will achieve success through extreme ownership, immense competence, and decisive action.

Celebrating 5 years on Mars! 🎉 NASA's Perseverance Rover safely landed on the surface of the Red Planet 5 years ago today, ready to begin its search for signs of past life. In 2024, it made a significant find: the "Cheyava Falls" rock pictured here provides possible evidence of ancient life on Mars!

Launch controllers have arrived at their consoles at @NASAKennedy to begin the second wet dress rehearsal for Artemis II. The tanking portion of the test will be streamed live to our YouTube channel on Feb. 19. Timely updates can be found on our blog: nasa.gov/blogs/artemis

After a test last week, NASA is moving towards the second launch rehearsal for Artemis II. Read more from Emily: spacescout.info/2026/02/nasa-t…

I view this kind of thing as a uniquely disturbing product of our time. The 4 Artemis II crew members are heroes and braver than most, betting on a hardware failure no matter how serious is disgraceful and in incredibly poor taste.

Some connections from the 1970s are better left in the past, but this one has been waiting 50 years to happen. ⏱️🚜 At the Bethesda Station South Mezzanine project in Bethesda, Maryland, our project team had a mere 44-hour window to bridge that half-century gap, demoing original concrete "horsecollar" walls to link the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (@wmata) station with the @mtamaryland's future Purple Line. Despite the intense time pressure of the weekend shutdown, we mobilized, built a crash deck, and deep-cleaned the site for the Monday commute – finishing exactly on schedule with zero incidents. #ClarkBuildsMD

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science! To every young woman who tells herself: “There’s no chance, it’s not for me”, take a look:

@AeroBigMike @joetherocketman And any of the other CLDs, should Congress provide sufficient funding and ensure that a gap in LEO does not occur.

People overlook this- but its just as important as Artemis With the death of the ISS around the corner- it’s vital the US maintain a presence in space & Vast & Gateway to come online The US abandoning our presence in space after 20yrs+ will be as big of a loss as ending Apollo.

@ABernNYC @mdcainjr The Vulcan vehicle rolls during its wild ride to orbit in this tracking video captured south of the launch site by Max Q Productions @CarstensPete

Spotted @ULAlaunch USSF-87 two payloads as expected, and Centaur V upper stage near GEO slot 92°E. They arrived at around 2026-02-12 15:18 UTC. Soon after, Centaur V started fuel dumping and disposal maneuvering.

I was pleased to welcome Director General @AschbacherJosef and our @esa partners to NASA Headquarters today. As we move forward with our return to the Moon, the European Space Agency remains a key partner across much of NASA’s portfolio. Their contributions will be important as we build a sustained lunar presence and prepare for missions beyond.

Crew-12, set to launch on Thursday, will bring the ISS back up to 7 crew members. Read more from Beverly: spacescout.info/2026/02/crew-1…

Crew-12 Dragon with moon. Moon seems to be the trending subject lately.