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China readies robotic lunar mission in search for water ice <br> China is preparing to launch its next lunar exploration mission, Chang&rsquo;e 7, aimed at investigating the Moon&rsquo;s south polar region for traces of water ice, state-run China Daily reported Wednesday. The Chang&rsquo;e 7 spacecraft and its Long March-5 Y14 carrier rocket were vertically transferred to the launch area at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in southern Hainan province early Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Over the coming days, space engineers at the coastal spaceport will conduct final functional checks, joint testing and propellant filling ahead of the launch. Chang&rsquo;e 7 represents China&rsquo;s most complex robotic lunar mission to date. The four-part spacecraft consists of an orbiter, a lander, a surface rover and a specialised hopping mini-probe. The mission aims to achieve technological breakthroughs in high-precision soft lan...

As Europe rearms, Italy's fragmented space sector faces a scale test <br> Italy&#39;s&nbsp;fragmented&nbsp;space&nbsp;industry is facing growing pressure to consolidate as defence and government customers increasingly favour larger suppliers capable of handling complex programmes. The shift reflects a broader push across&nbsp;Europe&nbsp;to build strategic autonomy in defence and critical technologies, as governments respond to Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine, tensions with China and uncertainty over future United States&nbsp;security commitments. For Italy, whose&nbsp;space&nbsp;sector&nbsp;is known for niche engineering expertise but remains dominated by small and medium-sized companies, the challenge is whether firms can build the&nbsp;scale&nbsp;and financial strength needed to compete for large contracts without losing the flexibility that made them successful. Industry executives say limited access to capital ...

Why US states fought to present a united case against Meta over youth social media harms <br> As opening statements got underway in a landmark trial over claims that Meta Platforms misled the public about the safety of Instagram and Facebook for young users and violated child privacy laws, one of the biggest fights in the case had already been resolved: whether a bipartisan group of ​US states would present their claims together. The states pushed for a single trial covering state consumer protection and federal privacy claims brought &zwnj;by 29 attorneys general, while Meta argued for a series of smaller trials grouping states that have similar laws. The fight was about more than courtroom logistics. The states argued that the case centres on company-wide decisions affecting young users across the country and seeks nationwide changes to Meta&#39;s platforms, and that jurors should hear a single story about Meta&#39;s actions. Meta countered that ​jurors shoul...

Russia plans to build drone aviation infrastructure in 35 regions by 2030 <br> Deputy Head of Russia&#39;s Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsiya on Monday said that 35 Russian regions were&nbsp;expected to be equipped with infrastructure for unmanned aviation by 2030. Speaking at the &quot;Rostki: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation&quot; business forum in the&nbsp;city of Kazan, Andrey Potemkin said the infrastructure was already in place in some regions, including the Tatarstan region, and was also being developed in the Russian Far East. &quot;By 2030, we plan to equip 35 Russian regions with infrastructure for unmanned aviation,&quot; he said. According to the official, the infrastructure could provide a platform for developing what he described as the low-altitude economy, including the use of unmanned aircraft for civilian applications. Potemkin said Russia recorded 178,000 unmanned aircraft flights in 2025, up 20% fro...

SpaceX sets launch turnaround record with 2 Falcon 9 missions <br> SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets for Globalstar and the United States Space Force on Saturday night, setting a company record by completing the missions just 38.5 minutes apart, according to a US media report. Spaceflight Now reported that the first rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 9:12pm EDT (0112GMT), carrying eight Globalstar satellites to replenish its low Earth orbit constellation. The Falcon 9 first-stage booster, B1090, completed its 14th flight and landed at Landing Zone 40 about eight minutes after liftoff, it added. A second Falcon 9 launched the classified USSF-366 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 9:50pm EDT (0150GMT). Read:&nbsp;Alphabet&#39;s SpaceX bet grows to $94b The Space Force did not disclose the payload, saying: &quot;The mission was assigned under a previously awarded [National Security Space Launch] Phase 3 Lane 1 ...

France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s <br> France&#39;s top court on Friday blocked ​a bill banning social media access for under-15s, saying it infringed upon freedom of &zwnj;expression and delivering a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who asked his government to rewrite the legislation. The bill would have barred children younger than 15 from opening a social media account from September 1. Accounts already open would be ​closed within four months by social media platforms, which would also need to use age ​verification approved by the French privacy regulator. But France&#39;s Constitutional Council found that the ⁠bill, while requiring everyone to give proof of age, failed &quot;to specify the conditions and limits&quot; under ​which it should be provided, as well as infringing on freedoms and privacy. &quot;The Council holds that the ​contested provisions, on the one hand, disproportionately infringe upon the free...