January 30, 2026

FAA Advances Approval for up to 44 Starship Launches From LC-39A (Source: NSF)
The FAA has reached a critical milestone in its environmental review process for SpaceX’s Starship operations at Launch Complex 39A at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The summary overview, released on Friday, is ahead of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), anticipated for release imminently, following the Draft EIS issued in August 2025 and an extended public comment period that closed in late September 2025.

The process, tracked on federal permitting dashboards, culminates in the publication of the Final EIS and a near-concurrent Record of Decision (ROD). The EIS considers the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative, and while the successful completion of the environmental review process does not fully guarantee that the FAA would issue a new commercial launch vehicle operator license for Starship-Super Heavy activities at LC-39A, the update is an important progress milestone. (1/30)

Blue Origin Halts New Shepard Flights (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin announced Jan. 30 that it will halt flights of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle for at least two years as it shifts its focus to human lunar exploration. "The decision reflects Blue Origin's commitment to the nation's goal of returning to the moon and establishing a permanent, sustained lunar presence," the company said. (1/30)

Golden Dome is Forcing the Pentagon to Confront Missile Defense Economics (Source: Space News)
Gen. Michael Guetlein, head of the Golden Dome missile defense program, said the success of this effort depends on the ability to field defenses that are both scalable and affordable, including new directed-energy and other non-kinetic technologies aimed at lowering the cost of intercepting missiles.

Guetlein said the program's central challenge is the economics of missile defense, specifically how the cost of each intercept limits how many interceptor shots the United States can afford to keep on hand. He described this as an issue of "magazine depth," a term that refers to the number of interceptors available to respond to an attack. (1/30)

Russian 'Inspector' Satellite Appears to Break Apart in Orbit, Raising Debris Concerns (Source: Space.com)
A Russian satellite once used to inspect other spacecraft appears to have disintegrated in a graveyard orbit high above the Earth, according to ground-based imagery. The Luch/Olymp satellite, launched in 2014, is one of two secretive military Russian satellites that have been used to stalk spacecraft from the US and others in the geostationary belt (GEO), around 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above the equator. Luch/Olymp (NORAD catalog number 40258) had recently been decommissioned and sent into a graveyard orbit a few hundred miles above GEO in October 2025. (1/30)

SES Raises Concerns Over Airbus-Thales-Leonardo Space Merger (Source: Space Intel Report)
Breaking a remarkable silence among European satellite operators and government satellite customers, SES Chief Executive Adel Al-Saleh questioned whether the space-division merger of Airbus, Thales and Leonardo would solve the problems of the industry. And in a development that may or may not be related to the merger, Al-Saleh announced that SES would break with its past and build its own satellite manufacturing facility as part of a multi-owner campus in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg. The site will be inaugurated in March. (1/30)

NASA Faces a Crucial Choice on a Mars Spacecraft—and it Must Decide Soon (Source: Ars Technica)
A consequential debate that has been simmering behind closed doors at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, must soon come to a head. It concerns the selection of the next spacecraft the agency will fly to Mars, and it could set the tone for the next decade of exploration of the red planet. What everyone agrees on is that NASA needs a new spacecraft capable of relaying communications from Mars to Earth. This issue has become especially acute with the recent loss of NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft. NASA’s best communications relay remains the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has now been there for 20 years. (1/30)

NASA Considering Alternatives for Gateway Logistics (Source: Space News)
NASA selected SpaceX in 2020 for the Gateway Logistics Services program, a commercial service intended to transport cargo to and from the Gateway, analogous to the commercial cargo services supporting the International Space Station. Currently, the agency is at a crossroads between two SpaceX architectures, one using a Dragon XL spacecraft and another using Starship. (1/30)

GAO Flags Fisks in Space Development Agency's Missile-Tracking Satellite Program (Source: Ars Technica)
A congressional watchdog is warning that the Pentagon's ambitious effort to overhaul missile warning and tracking from space is moving faster than its underlying technology and management practices can support. (1/30)

U.S. 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. (1/30)

EU Awards Three Contracts for Mobile Responsive Launch System Studies (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Commission has commissioned three parallel studies to examine the potential of a mobile responsive launch system capable of rapidly deploying satellites into orbit from non-permanent (mobile) ground platforms. Initially published in July 2025, the call for the Mobile Responsive Launch System pilot project noted that, amid a growing range of human-made and natural threats in orbit, spacefaring actors require not only a sovereign launch capability but also “systems capable of placing satellites into orbit quickly to meet urgent demands.”

While the 29 January post did not identify the three consortia selected, an Official Contract Award Notice published on 21 January revealed that one study would be led by the French subsidiary of UK-headquartered consultancy PwC, another by Spanish space technology company GMV’s Aerospace and Defence division, and the third by French launch startup Sirius Space Services. (1/30)

Space Force Set to Choose Contractors for Next-Gen GEO Spy Satellites (Source: Space News)
Officials said that the service plans to select satellite manufacturers as soon as March for the Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance program, an effort to build a new constellation of reconnaissance satellites using commercial offerings rather than bespoke military designs. (1/30)

Exotrail and Astroscale France Join Forces to Build Deorbiting Capability for LEO (Source: Space News)
Exotrail, a French company specializing in multi-orbit satellite mobility and focused on LEO service vehicles, together with Astroscale France, the French subsidiary of the Japan-based on-orbit servicing company, announced Jan. 28 a partnership aimed at testing deorbiting capabilities in low Earth orbit. (1/30)

Eutelsat's Ground Infrastructure Sale Falls Through (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat said a planned sale of its passive ground infrastructure to a private equity firm announced in August 2024 will not proceed, eliminating roughly 550 million euros ($658 million) in expected proceeds. (1/30)

Critical Infrastructure is Becoming More Vulnerable, Experts Warn (Source: Space.com)
Weather forecasts, modern banking, international trade and GPS all depend on a fragile web of infrastructure extending from Earth's orbit to the ocean floor — a web that's largely unseen and, experts warn, increasingly at risk. At a World Economic Forum discussion in Switzerland last week, space leaders and cybersecurity experts cautioned that the satellites orbiting Earth and the submarine cables crisscrossing the seabed — the hidden lifelines of modern society — are growing more vulnerable even as global reliance on them accelerates. (1/30)

EU Launches Government Satcom Program in Sovereignty Push (Source: Space News)
The European Union's new government satellite communications program, GOVSATCOM, which pools capacity from eight already on-orbit geosynchronous satellites, began operations last week. (1/30)

China Eyes Space Resources, Space Tourism and On-Orbit Digital Infrastructure (Source: Space News)
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country's state-owned main space contractor, outlined plans for space tourism, digital infrastructure, resource development and space traffic management, state media China Central Television (CCTV) reported Jan. 29. (1/30)

Budget Cuts Deal Another Blow to UK Space Sector (Source: Payload)
While the rest of Europe pours record funds into ESA and their own national research institutions, the UK seems to be taking a step in the other direction. The UK government’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) revealed this week that it needs to cut £162M (€187M) in spending by FY2029-30 to align with a new “outcome-focused approach” in the country’s R&D funding. The UK’s astronomy, physics, and nuclear researchers are likely to bear the brunt of the austerity measures as the UK looks to invest in fewer areas where it believes it can excel. (1/30)

Global Space Economy Reaches $626 Billion, Marking a New Phase of Growth (Source: Novaspace)
The 12th edition of Novaspace’s Space Economy Report notes the global space economy is now on a significant growth trajectory, positioned to expand from $626.4 billion in 2025 to $1.01 trillion by 2034, a significant 12% CAGR. While growth continues to be supported by innovation, new business models, assertive government policies and expanding demand for satellite-enabled services, 2025 stands out as a structural inflection point, marking a transition from rapid expansion toward a more mature and structured space market. (1/29)

Space Grove Ventures Announces Public Launch (Source: Space News)
Space Grove Ventures publicly launched this week as a commercial platform designed to accelerate growth across the space, defense, and advanced technology sectors through strategic real estate activation, market-aligned services, and ecosystem-level coordination. This for-profit operator and integrator will repurpose underutilized assets into high-performance innovation environments. The firm’s model centers on redeveloping and operating facilities that support secure collaboration, advanced workforce pipelines, and commercialization at scale. (1/29)

South Korea's K-RadCube Satellite Launches on NASA's Artemis II to Study Cosmic Radiation (Source: Chosun)
As early as next month, a domestic cube satellite will be launched aboard a U.S. crewed lunar exploration vehicle heading to space for the first time in half a century. The Korea AeroSpace Administration and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute announced on the 29th that the domestically developed cube satellite ‘K-RadCube (RadCube)’ will be mounted on NASA’s crewed lunar exploration project ‘Artemis II’ and launched from the Kennedy Space Center in the U.S. K-RadCube is a scientific mission satellite designed to analyze the effects of cosmic radiation on the human body. (1/29)

Israeli Space Week Highlights Israel’s Growing Role in Space Sector (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Israeli Space Week is set to conclude on Thursday, after commencing on Sunday, having featured various events, space fairs, exhibitions, conferences, stargazing, and hands-on activities. This is the 13th Israeli Space Week, a central national event that promotes Israel's space sector. It brings together sectors of industry, research, government, education, and culture, highlighting the achievements of Israeli and global space industries, and increasing accessibility to the field. (1/29)

Researchers Employ Digital Twins for Astronaut Health (Source: WV ENews)
WVU scientists are developing AI-powered computer models to treat and prevent the physical challenges astronauts face due to extended weightlessness. Their study responds to the growing likelihood that astronauts will be spending longer periods in microgravity environments like space stations, the moon or rocket ships bound for Mars.

For each astronaut, their technology will be able to create a unique “digital twin” — a computer model capturing the relationships between that person’s movements and muscle activity. The models will show how each astronaut adapts to weightlessness and identify what that specific individual needs to do to counteract the well-known hazards of microgravity, including muscle loss, declining bone density, and the vision and neurological changes that emerge when gravity disappears. (1/28)

Infant Universe’s “Primordial Soup” was Actually Soupy (Source: MIT News)
In its first moments, the infant universe was a trillion-degree-hot soup of quarks and gluons. These elementary particles zinged around at light speed, creating a “quark-gluon plasma” that lasted for only a few millionths of a second. The primordial goo then quickly cooled, and its individual quarks and gluons fused to form the protons, neutrons, and other fundamental particles that exist today.

Physicists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland are recreating quark-gluon plasma (QGP) to better understand the universe’s starting ingredients. By smashing together heavy ions at close to light speeds, scientists can briefly dislodge quarks and gluons to create and study the same material that existed during the first microseconds of the early universe.

Now, a team at CERN led by MIT physicists has observed clear signs that quarks create wakes as they speed through the plasma, similar to a duck trailing ripples through water. The findings are the first direct evidence that quark-gluon plasma reacts to speeding particles as a single fluid, sloshing and splashing in response, rather than scattering randomly like individual particles. (1/28)

Spacecom Chief Proposes On-Orbit ‘Apollo Maneuver’ Exercise (Source: Aviation Week)
U.S. Space Command envisions a massive on-orbit exercise involving a broad swath of military satellites to stress test its supply chain and see where current technologies may fall short, Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting said. The proposed exercise takes inspiration from a series of armored exercises held in 1941 known as the Louisiana Maneuvers.

During those exercises, then-Maj. Gen. George Patton, moving quickly on the attack to surprise opposing forces, drove his tanks “straight to a public gas station” rather than wait for fuel supply trucks to arrive, Whiting told the audience at the Space Mobility Conference and Expo here. Those maneuvers exposed deeper systemic, operational and logistical deficiencies, and prompted the U.S. Army to update its technology, he said.

The time is ripe for a similar exercise for the space domain, Whiting said. “Perhaps, we should call them the Apollo maneuvers,” he said. “But whatever we call them, these maneuvers must be done before conflict, because if we wait until a crisis, we won’t have the time or capacity to exercise.” Whiting acknowledged the Apollo maneuvers proposal was currently  “a seed of an idea” within the combatant command. (1/28)

Russia Using Starlink-Equipped Attack Drones For Precision Strikes (Source: Aviation Week)
The Starlink satellite communications system has been the backbone of Ukraine’s war effort against the Russian invaders, but it seems that Moscow is now making extensive use of it too. Recent shootdowns of Russian one-way attack drones have revealed that some have been fitted with Starlink receivers, potentially extending the platform’s range well into Western Ukraine and potentially into Eastern Europe should Russia choose to do so. (1/28)

EU Can't Replace Musk's Starlink Yet, But is on Right Track (Source: EuroNews)
EU Defense Commissioner said the US remains irreplaceable for the bloc's security, specifically regarding space services. “When we have IRIS², it will be better than Starlink". But, the EU is not yet there. The European Union Governmental Satellite Communications program (GOVSATCOM) is a long-awaited part of a wider EU strategy and the first step in satellite connectivity, the European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, told Euronews. (1/28)

In-Orbit Maneuvering, and AI, Could Complicate Space Traffic Management (Source: SPACErePORT)
A panel of officials at Space Week in Orlando discussing space traffic management agreed that emerging capabilities for in-orbit maneuverability for satellites -- driven by military demand -- will complicate the development of government and commercial systems for space situational awareness and traffic management. Satellites today operate largely within set orbits, allowing AI and otherwise-automated systems to anticipate upcoming conjunctions, but satellites that can substantially deviate from their original orbits may interfere with those projections.

Furthermore, like the infamous stock market "flash crash" of 2010, when algorithm-based trading systems fed off each other to cause a massive stock sell-off, new AI satellite traffic systems employed by constellation managers might be susceptible to cascading overcorrections that could cause collisions rather than prevent them. (1/30)