Skip to content
https://spacenews.com

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
62
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
4
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
13
5 PASS 4 REVIEW 4 FIX
F
Heading Hierarchy
Action
55 headings, 4 skip(s)
FIX
55 headings, 4 skip(s)
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H4 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H4 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H4 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H4 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
  • H2 Trump picks industry executive Roger Mason to lead National Reconnaissance Office
  • H2 April 30: Opportunities for On-Orbit Computing
  • H2 Kigali to Host IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 – A First for Africa
  • H2 FCC clears AST SpaceMobile constellation as launch setback clouds ramp-up
  • H2 Space Force awards contracts to Leidos, MapLarge for ‘battle planning’ software
  • H2 NASA sets early September launch date for Roman Space Telescope
  • H2 Hybridizing nuclear command, control and communications systems puts space infrastructure at risk
  • H4 Podcast skipped
  • H2 The Space Force’s ‘commercial first’ strategy in action with Col. Tim Trimailo
  • H4 Event skipped
  • H2 April 30 in Washington, DC.: Opportunities for on-orbit computing
  • H4 Popular skipped
  • H2 Military
  • H3 Trump taps Raytheon executive for top military space acquisition post
  • H2 Pentagon details funding strategy behind Trump’s proposed $1.45 trillion defense budget
  • H2 Launch
  • H3 Northrop Grumman takes $71 million charge on Vulcan booster issue
  • H2 Falcon 9 launches final GPS 3 satellite into orbit for U.S. Space Force
  • H2 Commercial
  • H3 China backs orbital data center startup with $8.4 billion in credit lines
  • H2 NordSpace nets Canadian defense funding for VLEO satellite development
  • H2 Policy & Politics
  • H3 Commerce Department budget proposal would halt work on TraCSS
  • H2 Latvia joins the Artemis Accords
  • H2 Civil
  • H3 Artemis spacesuit development risks further delays
  • H2 Space Force sets up ‘cislunar coordination’ office to focus beyond Earth orbit
  • H2 Opinion
  • H3 The U.S. must defend the final frontier against cyberattacks
  • H2 In the wake of Artemis 2, America needs to consider the ‘why’ of its government space program
  • H2 Video & Webinars
  • H3 The Space Force’s ‘commercial first’ strategy in action with Col. Tim Trimailo
  • H3 The optimism in the space economy with Alyssa Goessler
  • H3 Rethinking cyber and space with Joe Mazur
  • H3 The future of GPS satellites with Fang Qian of Lockheed Martin
  • H4 Stellar Dispatch
  • H2 Emerson Launches Innovative Software-Driven Method for High-Fidelity Aerospace RF Testing
  • H2 Novaspace and OGC Unveil the China Space Industry Intelligence Catalog
  • H2 New Wireless Access Point, Camera, and Remote Interface Unit Join NASA Human Rated Class 1 Layer 3 Ethernet Switch Family
  • H2 Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes ispace-U.S. to Board of Directors
  • H2 Seagate Space and Oceaneering Join Forces to Build the Future of Offshore Launch Infrastructure
  • H4 Job Exchange skipped
  • H4 Calendar
  • H2 Upcoming Events
  • H3 NewSpace Africa Conference 2026
  • H3 Networking Reception for Orbital Edge Accelerator – Cambridge MA
  • H3 NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium 2026 Spring Meeting
  • H3 ARIZONA SPACE Congress™
  • H3 Space Tank™ – Arizona Edition
  • H2 About
  • H2 Subscribe
  • H2 Events & Job Board
  • H2 Follow us on
  • H2 Sign in
  • H2 Gift this article

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
No web manifest found
No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
7 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected
These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation 7 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
1 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
Info::
Navigation links present on 404 page
Info::
Search form present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found - SpaceNews ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✓
B
Favicon & Branding
4 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
4 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 81/100 — 5 failing, 20 passed
REVIEW
81

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Names and labels

When a button doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it as "button", making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn how to make buttons more accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
header#masthead > div.middle-header-contain > div.wrapper > button.mobile-menu-toggle header#masthead > div.middle-header-contain > div.wrapper > button.mobile-menu-toggle

Screen reader users rely on frame titles to describe the contents of frames. Learn more about frame titles.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.wp-block-column > figure.wp-block-newspack-blocks-iframe > div.wp-block-embed__wrapper > iframe#newspack-iframe-4bT0yYs7vUpt div.wp-block-column > figure.wp-block-newspack-blocks-iframe > div.wp-block-embed__wrapper > iframe#newspack-iframe-4bT0yYs7vUpt

Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
section#block-43 > div.wp-block-group > figure.wp-block-image > a section#block-43 > div.wp-block-group > figure.wp-block-image > a

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Terms & Conditions div.menu-legal-footer-container > ul#menu-legal-footer > li#menu-item-522045 > a
Privacy Policy div.menu-legal-footer-container > ul#menu-legal-footer > li#menu-item-510367 > a
© 2026 SpaceNews. All Rights Reserved. footer#colophon > div.site-info > div.wrapper > span.copyright
Powered by Newspack footer#colophon > div.site-info > div.wrapper > a.imprint
Privacy Policy footer#colophon > div.site-info > div.wrapper > a.privacy-policy-link
Accessibility Statement footer#colophon > div.site-info > div.wrapper > a.accessibility-statement-link

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Podcast div.wp-block-column > div.wp-block-group > div.wp-block-group__inner-container > h4#h-podcast
Event div.wp-block-column > div.wp-block-group > div.wp-block-group__inner-container > h4#h-event
Popular div.wp-block-group__inner-container > div.wp-block-columns > div.wp-block-column > h4.wp-block-heading
Job Exchange div.wp-block-column > div.wp-block-columns > div.wp-block-column > h4#h-job-exchange

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable
○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state
○The page has a logical tab order
○Visual order on the page follows DOM order
○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region
○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page
○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation
○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology
○Custom controls have associated labels
○Custom controls have ARIA roles
●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`
●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
●`[role]` values are valid
●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
●Document has a `<title>` element
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
○ARIA input fields have accessible names
○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.
○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element
○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.
○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names
○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names
○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region
○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.
○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements
○ARIA IDs are unique
○No form fields have multiple labels
○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
○Input buttons have discernible text.
○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
○Form elements have associated labels
○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○Select elements have associated label elements.
○Skip links are focusable.
○No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.
○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.
○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
○All heading elements contain content.
○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.
○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.
A
Landmark Structure
23 landmarks
PASS
23 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
7 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
All <nav> elements are properly labeled
Warning::
Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)
Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "Tertiary Menu" MAIN ASIDE "Footer" CONTENTINFO footer

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

A
Alt Text Quality
2 of 29 images have issues
PASS
2 of 29 images have issues
Warning::
2 image(s) with filename as alt text
Info::
2 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
25 image(s) with good alt text
29 images 25 good alt text 2 decorative 2 generic
IssueCount
filename2 image(s)
A
Form Accessibility
1 of 6 controls have issues
PASS
1 of 6 controls have issues
Warning::
1 control(s) rely on placeholder only
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
Got: <input type="text" name="otp_code">
Info::
5 control(s) properly labeled
6 controls
5 labeled
1 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#search-form-1searchSearch for:for/id
#search-form-2searchSearch for:for/id
#newspack-reader-auth-email-inputemailEmail addressfor/id
#newspack-reader-auth-password-inputpasswordEnter your passwordfor/id
#content-gifting-urltextLinkfor/id
otp_codetext(6-digit code)placeholder only

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

<input type="text" name="otp_code">

Why this matters

Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.

Learn more ▾

Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman

A+
Print Stylesheet
Print styles detected
PASS
Print styles detected
Info::
External print stylesheet detected
Got: https://spacenews.com/wp-content/themes/newspack-theme/styles/print.css?ver=2.21.0
Print Stylesheet ✓ Print Optimized
Print stylesheet https://spacenews.com/wp-content/themes/newspack-theme/styles/print.css?ver=2.21.0 ✓Inline @media print Not detected ✗
A+
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA
PASS

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

20 pass
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 Upcoming Events19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
h2 About19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
h2 Subscribe19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
h2 Events & Job Board19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
h2 Follow us on19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
h2 Sign in19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
h2 Gift this article19.79:13.0:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
title SpaceNews Home - Spa…19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
button Close19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a Subscribe19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
span Sign In19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
span Search for:19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
span Search19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a News19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
span Open dropdown menu19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a Latest19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a Civil19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a Commercial19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a Launch19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass
a Military19.79:14.5:1
#000000
#F9F8F6
Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

Send Feedback