January 29, 2026

Starship Overland Flights Planned (Source: Douglas Messier)
Things are about to get a lot more interesting as SpaceX attempts to launch Starship into orbit and recover it for reuse. The launch cadence will increase as well. The FAA has raised the number of Starship launches that SpaceX can conduct in a year from Starbase from five to 25. [And launches from Florida are anticipated before the end of 2026.]

The reliability of Starship looms large as SpaceX attempts to land Starship back at Starbase. The trajectory will take Starship over Baja California and northern Mexico. A repeat of what happened over the Caribbean Sea could result in injuries, deaths or property damage on the ground.

SpaceX has also proposed new launch trajectories. One would fly across northern Florida. The other trajectory goes west of Cuba and northeast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The FAA has determined that these trajectories would not cause significant impacts on air travel. (1/28)

Space Force to Select Vendors for Commercial Reserve Fleet (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Space Force aims to select vendors for the initial Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve cohort by the end of the fiscal year, following a successful pilot. The Commercial Space Office aims to contract commercial companies for space domain awareness by September 2026. CASR seeks to create a commercial vendor list to support military operations during crises, similar to the Air Force's Civil Reserve Air Fleet and the Navy's National Defense Reserve Fleet. (1/27)

Space-Focused SPAC Goes Public After Pricing $200 Million IPO (Sources: Space News, IPOScoop)
A shell company chaired by venture capitalist Raphael Roettgen began trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange Jan. 28 after raising $200 million to pursue a merger with a space-related business. Mr. Roettgen has lectured on space entrepreneurship and finance at several universities, authored the introductory space economy book To Infinity, and hosted the Space Business Podcast. Mr. Roettgen is also the Co-Founder, acting Chief Executive Officer and sole director of Prometheus Life Technologies AG, a Swiss space biotech startup, a role he has held since November 2022. (1/28)

Space Command to Bring Commercial Firms Into Classified Wargame on Nuclear Threats in Space (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Command will, for the first time, invite representatives from commercial space companies to take part in classified wargames focused on sensitive national security scenarios, underscoring the increased integration between military and commercial space infrastructure. (1/28)

SpaceX Sends List of Demands to US States Giving Broadband Grants to Starlink (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX has made a new set of demands on state governments that would ensure Starlink receives federal grant money even when residents don’t purchase Starlink broadband service. SpaceX said it will provide “all necessary equipment” to receive broadband “at no cost to subscribers requesting service,” which will apparently eliminate the up-front hardware fee for Starlink equipment.

But SpaceX isn’t promising lower-than-usual monthly prices to consumers in those subsidized areas. SpaceX pledged to make broadband available for $80 or less a month, plus taxes and fees, to people with low incomes in the subsidized areas. For comparison, the normal Starlink residential prices advertised on its website range from $50 to $120 a month. (1/28)

EU Space Agency Signs Contract to Launch Galileo Satellites with Ariane 6 (Source: Reuters)
The European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) has announced the signing of a new contract to launch second-generation Galileo satellites with Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launcher. Under the contract, announced on Tuesday, the Ariane 6 system - which completed its first mission last year - will be used to launch two Galileo L18 satellites. The EU has previously been using SpaceX to launch strategic satellites such as those in the Galileo constellation. (1/28)

Terran Orbital to Deliver Nebula Bus for Mitsubishi Electric LEO Demo Mission (Source: Space News)
Terran Orbital announces the Mitsubishi Electric LEO Demo Mission, a collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric US. The mission will feature the Nebula platform, equipped with a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Optical Terminal payload, provided by a Japanese team comprising members of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Mitsubishi Electric, and other Japanese partners. (1/28)

NASA Exoplanet Probe Tracks Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS to Gauge its Spin (Source: Space.com)
NASA's planet-hunting TESS spacecraft recently caught a view of a very different kind of cosmic object: interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. During a special observation run from Jan. 15 to Jan. 22, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) repeatedly observed comet 3I/ATLAS as it headed out of our solar system. With its wide field of view, TESS recorded the comet as a bright, fast-moving dot dragging a faint tail across a crowded starfield. (1/28)

Space Command’s Case for Orbital Logistics: Why the Pentagon is Being Urged to Think Beyond Launch (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon for decades has treated launch as the central logistical problem of military space. Once a satellite reaches orbit, it is expected to operate with the fuel it carries from Earth until it fails or runs dry. That model, Gen. Stephen Whiting argues, is no longer sufficient for a domain that the U.S. military now views as contested and potentially hostile.

Future operations demand that satellites can be refueled and repaired in space to maintain strategic advantage, particularly in critical areas like geosynchronous orbit (GEO).
Operational Parity: By adopting, at-sea-like replenishment, the space domain can mirror the logistical support utilized by the Navy, Army, and Air Force. (1/28)

China Set for Crewed Lunar Tests, Record Launches, Moon Mission and Reusable Rockets in 2026 (Source: Space News)
China is positioned for a record-setting 2026, aiming to accelerate its launch cadence while conducting critical tests for its 2030 crewed lunar landing goal, including Lanyue lander integrated tests and Mengzhou capsule abort tests. Major missions include further development of the Tiangong space station and preparations for deep space exploration. (1/28)

OQ Technology Plots Smartphone Test amid SpaceX’s C-band D2D Push (Source: Space News)
Luxembourg-based OQ Technology is preparing to deploy a small satellite to test using C-band to connect smartphones from low Earth orbit, joining SpaceX in a push to repurpose part of the spectrum for direct-to-device (D2D) services. (1/28)