August 14, 2026

Challenges for Artemis and NASA Nuclear Ambitions (Source: Aerospace America)
As NASA maps out missions to test nuclear power and propulsion, cost will among the key hurdles. A multi-company team led by Zeno Power in 2023 received a $15 million award from NASA to develop a radioactive generator that can be integrated into lunar landers. The generator is to use the isotope americium-241 instead of plutonium 238, which is in short supply.

“We do not believe that plutonium 238 is going to be made available in sufficient quantities for the number of commercial generators we would need to support Moon Base,” Vince Bilardo said. Americium is expensive and there’s “work that needs to be done across government, NASA, [the Dept of Energy] and commercial industry to try to drive the price down for that material if we’re going to be able to use it in a sustainable fashion on the lunar surface.”

Additionally, he said there is currently no way to insure or indemnify a private commercial mission carrying radioactive material. The White House wants to see initial tests of in-space nuclear power and propulsion in the next two years. Editor's Note: Another long-lead-time bottleneck is the need for nuclear-ready processing facilities at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (8/13)

Rocket Lab Enters Europe’s Crowded Launch Market (Source: Payload)
European launch companies are in for a surprise next month when they get back from holiday. While they were out, Rocket Lab moved into their turf with the establishment of a new German subsidiary—Rocket Lab Germany GmbH—which is “intended to not only enable scaled domestic production of satellites and their critical components, but also [deliver] launch services on Electron and Neutron.” (8/14)

ISRO Tests Upgraded SSLV Solid Rocket Motor (Source: India Today)
The Indian space agency ISRO successfully tested an upgraded motor for its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The upgraded solid-fuel motor for the SSLV's first stage completed a static fire this week, ISRO reported. The motor is designed to increase the payload capacity of the SSLV, currently about 500 kilograms, by 100 kilograms. SSLV has only flown a few times amid a push to commercialize the vehicle and its new launch site. (8/14)

UK Suborbital Launcher Gravitlab Aerospace Closes (Source: European Spaceflight)
A British sounding rocket startup has gone out of business. Gravitilab Aerospace Services entered liquidation earlier this month according to financial filings, reporting debts of more than £700,000 ($950,000) but assets of less than £100,000. The company had been working on a sounding rocket using a hybrid engine designed to carry payloads of up to 20 kilograms to an altitude of 170 kilometers. Gravitilab reportedly had lined up a £25 million investment in 2023, but the funding fell through. (8/14)

Blue Origin Files with FCC for Next New Glenn Launch (Source: BlueWire)
Blue Origin filed an Application for Special Temporary Authority (STA) with the FCC for a frequency authorization in support of launch plans for the next New Glenn mission at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The window for this mission is between November 1 2026 and May 1 2026. STAs are not the same as FAA or Eastern Range launch commitments and are subject to revision. (8/10)

Cesium Astro to Buy Jariet Technologies (Source: Space News)
Cesium Astro is buying a semiconductor company to aid its plans for a future satellite constellation. The company announced this week it is acquiring Jariet Technologies, which designs radio-frequency chips used in satellite communications, electronic warfare and radar systems, including technology for digital beamforming and wideband signal processing. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition. The company said the acquisition is a "big part" of enabling a proposed satellite constellation called Synchronicity. Cesium Astro filed plans with the FCC last month for 737 satellites that would use Ku-, Ka- and V-band spectrum to provide reconfigurable connectivity for fixed and mobile enterprise and government users. (8/14)

Intuitive Machines Wins $600 Million for Three GEO Comsats (Source: Space News)
Intuitive Machines won a $600 million contract to build three commercial GEO communications satellites. The company disclosed the contract Thursday in an earnings call, declining to name the customer. The contract was signed in June and will run for 30 months. Company executives declined to say if the order was linked to plans by satellite operators Eutelsat, SES and Telesat to clear C-band satellite spectrum for terrestrial uses. SES said in June it was in active negotiations for seven replacement satellites. (8/14)

Space Force Awards $60 Million for Mixed-Fleet Satellite Network (Source: Space News)
The Space Force awarded $60 million to five companies to demonstrate how satellites from multiple vendors can connect to its Space Data Network. Amazon LEO for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and York Space Systems each received $12 million in contracts and prototype agreements, Space Systems Command announced Thursday. The work will test connections between commercial satellite systems and the Space Data Network, a military communications architecture whose core backbone is being supplied by SpaceX. SpaceX won a $2.29 billion contract in May to build the Space Data Network Backbone, or SDN-B, a proliferated constellation using optical crosslinks to route data from satellite to satellite. The latest awards address how systems supplied by other companies will connect to that backbone to reduce the Space Force's reliance on a single company. (8/14)

Bulgaria Developing Space/Defense Innovation Hub (Source: Space News)
The Bulgarian government has advanced plans to develop a space and defense innovation hub in the country. The government signed a draft memorandum of understanding with local company Starbase Europe to develop the hub at Dobroslavtsi Air Base near the capital of Sofia. The hub is intended to help bring together a growing but fragmented space industry in the country. Bulgaria does not have a national space agency but the government said this month it would create a National Center for Observation, Coordination and Management through Space Data. (8/14)

Space Command Expands Alabama Footprint as Headquarters Relocation Advances (Source: Space News)
Five years after a bruising political fight over where U.S. Space Command headquarters should be located, the debate is giving way to bulldozers, construction contracts and the practical challenges of moving one of the U.S. military’s most complex commands. At Redstone Arsenal, where a 64-acre site has been cleared for U.S. Space Command’s future headquarters, Gen. Stephen Whiting now works from a temporary office roughly once every six weeks as he divides his time between Alabama and Colorado Springs, where the command continues to operate.

The arrangement will continue for years. If the current schedule holds, roughly half of the headquarters staff will be based in Huntsville by 2028, with the permanent facility completed in 2031 and the full workforce of about 1,800 personnel moving into the building the following year. (8/13)

Poland May Cut Off Ukraine's Starlink Access Amid Dispute with Musk (Source: RBC)
Poland threatened to review its annual spending on Starlink after the company changed roaming rules for Polish users. Warsaw is demanding that SpaceX explain the reasons behind the new restrictions. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Warsaw could reconsider its payments for Starlink services, on which it spends about $50 million annually. (8/12)

New Command Center Unveiled in Quebec As Canadian-Made Satellite Prepares To Launch (Source: CTV)
An office in a Montreal suburb building is set to command a made-in-Canada space mission. MDA Space unveiled a control centre in St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Que., that will issue orders to Chorus, a next-generation Earth-observation satellite system set to be launched in December. “As soon as the satellites separate from the rocket, that’s it. After that we take control and everything is happening here,” said Philippe Rolland, MDA Space principal director of operations for Earth-observation satellites. (8/11)

Wallops Industry Day Highlights NASA’s Growing Economic Impact On Eastern Shore (Source: WMDT)
The Maryland Economic Development Corp. hosted the third annual Wallops Industry Day at Salisbury University, bringing together companies including Firefly Aerospace, Rocket Lab and Northrop Grumman, along with representatives from Salisbury University, Wor-Wic Community College and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. David Pierce, director of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, said building connections with the community is an important part of Wallops’ mission.

“NASA Wallops is now becoming part of the Kennedy Space Center. With that, we are going to increase the number of launches from Wallops as we go back to the moon to stay,” Pierce said. “This is going to require us developing that next generation of scientists and engineers who are going to come and work at Wallops.” Pierce said the agency is focused on working with academic and corporate partners to build the next generation of the aerospace workforce.

“It’s an exciting future for us as we work with our partners and academia and our corporate partners and launch to build that next generation of workforce, which is what we need, and we want to attract them here,” he said. Keeping workers and businesses on the Eastern Shore was another focus of the event. Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano said partnerships with NASA could help create more opportunities and keep people working in the region. (8/12)

Moon Base Invite a Golden Ticket for ISRO, Startups (Source: Baltimore Sun)
NASA has officially invited the Indian Space Research Organisation to participate in the ambitious Moon Base Mission, which aims to set up a permanent manned station near the lunar south pole sometime after 2032. Also known as the Artemis Base Camp, it will be humanity’s first lunar outpost. It is planned to be built in phases, beginning with robotic missions to test new technologies, followed by building systems and infrastructure required to sustain long-term human presence on the moon. (8/12)

Northrop Grumman to Repurpose Canceled HALO Lunar-Station Technology for Artemis Moon Base (Source: Space.com)
Northrop Grumman plans to adapt technology developed for HALO, the habitation and logistics module originally intended for NASA’s canceled lunar space station, to support development of the Artemis moon base. The move preserves existing hardware and design work within NASA’s evolving lunar architecture. (8/13)

Stoke Space Seeks $1 Billion to Accelerate Development and Production of Fully Reusable Nova Rocket (Source: Bloomberg)
Stoke Space is raising $1 billion to accelerate development and production of a fully reusable rocket to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX, people familiar with the matter said. The closely held startup is raising money at a valuation of around $9 billion, excluding the new funds, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Stoke aims to close the round this month, the people said. (8/13)

Space Command Elevates Anti-Satellite Weapons as a Top Priority (Source: War Zone)
The head of U.S. Space Command says American space assets must be able to “shoot, move, and communicate” alongside the broader joint force, signaling a heightened emphasis on offensive and survivable capabilities in military space operations. (8/13)

Maritime Satellite Service Revenues Forecast to Reach $3.79 Billion by 2035 (Source: Space News)
The maritime satellite communications market is entering a new growth phase, with service revenues forecast to reach $3.79 billion by 2035. Next-generation non-geostationary satellite networks are expected to reshape how vessels and maritime operators access connectivity at sea. (8/13)

Firefly Aerospace Forecasts $435 Million in 2026 Revenue (Source: Space Intel Report)
Firefly Aerospace expects $435 million in revenue in 2026, with rocket launches accounting for roughly 10% of the total. The company, whose business is heavily weighted toward satellite systems for U.S. civil and government customers, plans two more Alpha launches this year and has five lunar missions in development. (8/13)

U.S. Expands Missile Production as Army Seeks More Depth in its Arsenal (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon is pressing defense contractors to increase production of missile interceptors as recent conflicts expose a longstanding weakness in U.S. air and missile defense: inventories of the most capable weapons can be depleted faster than industry can replace them. Army leaders say increasing production is only part of the answer. “The future of missile defense is a mix of high end and lower cost interceptors,” said Lt. Gen. John Rafferty, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. (8/13)

Musk Says AI Will Be SpaceX's Biggest Business by September (Source: Benzinga)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says artificial intelligence will overtake everything else the company sells as soon as next month. In an all-hands meeting, Musk said AI revenue “will exceed all other SpaceX revenue probably in September, like next month,” and will “significantly exceed” the rest of the business in the fourth quarter. (8/12)

Taxpayers Funded a $533 Aerospace/Defense Plant That Made Nothing (Source: Pro Publica)
In a rushed process exempted from normal rules, the Army hired General Dynamics, which brought on a Turkish subcontractor with little vetting, to make artillery shells. Despite being paid $533 million, General Dynamics did not produce a single usable shell at its new factory — and has not been held publicly accountable. Since the Army halted two production lines at the factory, the General Dynamics unit responsible for the debacle has received contract awards totaling $2.5 billion. (8/12)

African Lunar Probes Readied for 2029 Mission (Source: Africa2Moon)
Africa is preparing to make space history. In 2029, the continent is expected to send its first lunar mission using three spherical lunar probes. The mission is being developed by South Africa's space company, CubeSpace. Instead of one large spacecraft, the mission will deploy three compact spherical probes designed to explore different parts of the Moon and collect valuable scientific data.

These probes could study the Moon's surface, measure radiation, test new technologies, and demonstrate how small, low-cost spacecraft can perform complex deep-space missions.
If successful, this won't just be a victory for South Africa—it will represent a huge step forward for the entire African continent, inspiring a new generation of scientists, engineers, and future astronauts. (8/9)

Black Hole Star (Source: 1440)
Scientists say they have identified a new type of cosmic object, a supermassive black hole surrounded by a dense gas cloud, resembling a star. The so-called “black hole star” could explain similar objects, red dots that have until now remained unidentified. See illustration; scroll for image.

While searching for the oldest possible galaxies, researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope noticed an extremely bright red spot—the reddest hue it has ever documented. They say the object—named “MoM-BH*-1”—formed about 660 million years after the Big Bang. They posited that a powerful star surrounded by a dense cloud of hydrogen could explain the red hue, among other phenomena. However, it was only when researchers incorporated a black hole into their simulation that it explained the object’s brightness, radiating 100 billion times the energy of a star. (8/13)

Blue Origin Begins Global Rollout of Quartz Ground Station Network (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin's first three Quartz ground stations are installed and successfully tested in Bermuda, New Zealand, and Australia, as part of a phased global rollout extending across nine sites by the end of the year. Quartz is Blue Origin's ground communications network, purpose-built to address the fragmented infrastructure, limited contact window availability, and opaque pricing models that have long constrained space operators across every mission type. (8/13)

Space Command to Test Advanced Maneuvers in Live Exercise (Source: Air & Space Forces)
US Space Command is planning a live-fly exercise to test dynamic operations in orbit. The exercise, part of the Apollo Maneuvers series, will involve operational demonstrations with military satellites and a tabletop exercise, and aims to develop tactics for maneuver warfare in space, ensuring the US maintains a strategic advantage. (8/12)

Pentagon Wants to Spend Millions on Palantir with Few Details (Source: FNN)
The Pentagon wants to steer hundreds of millions of dollars to Palantir — with the prospect of more in the coming years — without specifying how the money will be used, according to a draft DoD memo. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg on Aug. 4 instructed the Pentagon’s acquisition boss and comptroller to spend up to $244 million on Palantir’s services until the end of March 2027. The memo also tells the armed forces to find ways to fund the data analytics giant’s work as needed from April 2027 to December 2028. (8/12)

SBA Transforms 8(a) Program to be Race Neutral, Weakening It (Source: FNN)
The Small Business Administration finalized new rules for the 8(a) business development program in record time. In 60 days, SBA went from proposal to reviewing more than 100 comments to final regulation that will transform the 73-year-old program. The fast timeline is one of several concerns experts have about the new 8(a) regulations and why it adds to their questions about the program’s long-term viability.

“I think the SBA turned the 8(a) program into a regular small business program. They spent last month reading comments, but I don’t think they meaningfully responded to them. I think this was all a forgone conclusion,” said Anna Sanders, the director of certification and eligibility for GovConPros, a small business consulting firm. “If you read the new regulations, they moved some things around and added the ability to submit additional documents as evidence, but their explanation for responding to the comments didn’t come through in this regulations.” (8/12)

Defense Spending Soars Along with Debt and Deficits (Sources: CSIS, The Hill)
Defense spending has jumped since Trump returned to office: the FY2026 NDAA he signed set funding at $901 billion (up from the $895.2 billion), and the Pentagon's FY2027 request seeks an unprecedented $1.5 trillion. The Golden Dome missile-defense shield is a major driver of that FY2027 jump, despite its questionable viability.

The spending surge is unfolding alongside a fast-widening debt and deficit. The national debt has climbed by $3.6 trillion since January 2025 to over $39.8 trillion today. The FY2025 deficit hit $1.8 trillion, and CBO projects FY2026 will run even higher — potentially $2 trillion or more. The ballooning debt raises real questions about how long the spending can continue before Congress reins it in. (8/13)

Eight Emerging Startups Selected for ISS National Lab’s Orbital Edge Accelerator Program (Source: CASIS)
The ISS National Laboratory announced the eight early-stage startups selected for the two tracks of the 2026 Orbital Edge Accelerator program. Now in its second year, this one-of-a-kind accelerator will provide the selected startups with access to low Earth orbit for research and technology development and $500,000 to $750,000 in private capital funding per startup. Click here. (8/12)

Tallahassee Failing to Leverage National Magnetic Lab (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, located in Tallahassee, is a world-class multi-university collaboration to secure and maintain US leadership in a critical technology arena. Months ago, Tallahassee officials said 7-10 companies are "seriously considering" relocating to the city because of the laboratory. This time last year, Ricardo Schneider said that if Tallahassee didn't secure a commitment from at least two new businesses within 12 months, it would be a "community failure." As of now, none of those 7-10 companies have moved substantial business to Tallahassee. Today Schneider says there has been no change in his assessment. (8/13)

Australia's Optus Completes First Part of Project Aurora (Source: Via Satellite)
Optus, an Australian based telco and satellite player, has achieved a key milestone in the area of satellite life extension. It has completed the first phase of Project Aurora, with the successful undocking of the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) from the Optus D3 satellite. Phase two is now underway, Optus is on track to extend the life of Optus D3 by up to six years through the installation of a Mission Extension Pod (MEP) in late 2027. (8/12)

August 13, 2026

Texas Broadband Grants Paused as Critics Allege Favoritism Toward Elon Musk’s Starlink (Source: Texas Tribune)
The Texas Broadband Development Office placed a temporary hold Tuesday on all disbursements of billions of dollars in federal funds related to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD. The hold comes after the office was accused of favoritism to certain companies, specifically Elon Musk’s Starlink, which led to lawmakers announcing an audit.

In an email obtained by The Texas Tribune, the state broadband office shared with subgrantees that the hold was effective as of Monday, and will be in place “until further notice.” The office did not give a reason as to why the disbursements were paused. Last week, Comptroller Don Huffines announced a comprehensive internal review of his office, which includes the broadband office. Lawmakers began questioning the Broadband Office in June on how it doled out more than $3 billion in BEAD funding. According to Bryant Clayton, the BDO’s director, the change was a directive from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and made just days before the grant was awarded. (8/12)

Whiting Wants Space Command to Counter pLEO Constellations (Source: Space News)
The head of U.S. Space Command says his highest priorities are offensive space capabilities and systems for countering proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) constellations. Gen. Stephen Whiting said that "integrated space fires" and "counter-pLEO" top the list of needs the command has identified for fiscal years 2029 through 2033, signaling where the combatant command sees some of the biggest gaps in preparing for a future conflict in space. The Integrated Priorities List is Space Command's assessment of capability gaps based on emerging threats, planned Pentagon investments and technologies under development. It serves as a signal for the military services, labs and industry. Other capabilities on his list include joint integrated space command and control, dedicated space domain awareness and sustained space maneuver. (8/13)

Astranis Plans Inspector Satellites (Source: Space News)
Astranis, a manufacturer of small GEO communications satellites, unveiled a design for an inspector satellite. The company's Perceptor spacecraft, based on its microGEO bus, carries sensors to observe and inspect other satellites while using electric propulsion to reposition itself across the geostationary belt. The company said Perceptor will be able to conduct flybys of other satellites, and multiple satellites could operate together, allowing military operators to observe spacecraft from different locations and making it more difficult for a target to evade surveillance. Astranis is one of 14 companies selected by the Space Force in April to compete for task orders under its Andromeda contract vehicle supporting RG-XX, a planned next-generation constellation of surveillance satellites in geostationary orbit. (8/13)

Space Force Buys Maneuverable Spacecraft From Impulse Space (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is buying two more maneuverable spacecraft from Impulse Space. The service added $28 million to an existing contract for the additional spacecraft that will be used for tactically responsive missions. The contract modification will fund Victus Salo 2 and Victus Salo 3, which will use Impulse's Mira spacecraft to host government-provided payloads for missions in low Earth orbit, according to the Space Force. Victus Salo is part of the Space Force's broader Tactically Responsive Space, or TacRS, effort to shorten the time needed to deploy and operate spacecraft, with Victus Salo 1, also using the Mira spacecraft, slated to launch in 2027. (8/13)

China's iSpace Raises $150 Million for Reusable Launcher (Source: Space News)
Chinese reusable launch vehicle iSpace has raised additional funding. The company said it completed an initial close of a Series E round, bringing in about $150 million. The new funding will go toward research and mass production of the Hyperbola-3 reusable launch vehicle, manufacturing of a methane/liquid oxygen engine and initial research on a future heavy-lift vehicle. The development follows iSpace securing a record $729 million in February this year, dedicated to reusable rocketry and expanding the company's industrial footprint. The company plans to attempt a first launch of Hyperbola-3, with a reusable first stage, by the end of the year. (8/13)

Golden Dome Digital Portal Seeks to Ease Entry (Source: Space News)
A new digital portal is intended to make it easier for companies and others to get involved with the Golden Dome missile defense program. The "Golden Dome for America Ecosystem Hub," announced Tuesday at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium, is designed to provide companies with a channel to submit concepts and gain access to unclassified information about the program's technology needs, even as most of the architecture remains classified. The hub reflects a broader effort by the Pentagon to bring commercial technology and private capital into the program, an effort challenged by the high classification level of the system that makes it difficult for startups and newer entrants to understand where the government intends to invest. (8/13)

Pentagon Missile Buildup Changing the Factory Floor (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon's push to replenish missile inventories is creating an opening for a new class of manufacturers. Startups such as Machina, Hadrian and Freeform are applying software, robotics and highly automated production techniques to aerospace and defense manufacturing. They are challenging a model that has long relied on dedicated machinery, specialized tooling and skilled labor to make relatively small numbers of complex parts. At the Space and Missile Defense Symposium, Machina is displaying a fuselage for a hypersonic vehicle that it manufactured for Ursa Major using robotics systems and AI. (8/13)

Paragon Lays Off 70 After Gateway Project Stops (Source: Space News)
A subcontractor on NASA's lunar Gateway program is laying off employees after work on the program stopped. Paragon Space Development Corporation said this week it laid off 70 employees as part of a "companywide restructuring" after its contract to provide life support systems for the Gateway's HALO module was terminated by Northrop Grumman. HALO was to be part of the Gateway, but NASA announced in March it was effectively canceling the program to focus instead on a lunar base. Paragon said it retains the intellectual property for that life support system and is looking for ways to apply it to NASA's planned lunar base or other projects. (8/13)

Fincke Leaves NASA (Source: NASA)
Veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke has left the agency. NASA announced Wednesday that Fincke has retired from the astronaut corps, 30 years after being selected. He flew on four missions to the International Space Station on Soyuz, the Space Shuttle and Crew Dragon, spending 549 days in space. His last flight was the Crew-11 mission that ended a month early in January after a medical issue that Fincke later said he experienced. (8/13)

Push to Rename NASA Wallops Facility Sparks Debate Over Eastern Shore History (Source: WBOC)
A proposal by a local Virginia government seeks to rename at least part of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. A resolution passed by the Accomack County Board of Supervisors last month asks NASA to rename the launch complex at Wallops the "A. Thomas Young Space Flight Facility" after Tom Young, a former NASA and industry official who is from the county. Some local residents, though, oppose the proposal, preferring to keep the Wallops name. They are asking the board to reconsider the resolution. County officials said the name change would not apply to the whole facility but only the launch site part of it. NASA, which would have to agree to any name change, said it is aware of the resolution but did not comment further on it.

Editor's Note: Young was also a Florida aerospace industry leader. He co-chaired the first Florida Governor's Commission on Space (which I staffed), which led to creation of the state's spaceport authority. He gained this role because he also led Martin Marietta's Electronics & Missiles Group in Orlando. (8/11)

AST SpaceMobile Targets 45-Satellite Constellation by Early 2026 (Source: Space Intel Report)
AST SpaceMobile says it expects to expand its low Earth orbit constellation from 13 to 45 satellites by early next year, supporting beta direct-to-device service in the U.S. this year with roughly half-day coverage. Continuous service is targeted for 2027, with 10 missions booked across two launch providers. (8/12)

FAA Proposes Waiving 13 Environmental Laws to Accelerate Airport-to-Spaceport Conversions (Source: Skift)
Dozens of airports have land, runways and remote buffer zones that could be repurposed as spaceports, according to the proposal. The FAA is seeking to speed those conversions by waiving requirements under 13 environmental laws, potentially reducing regulatory barriers to new launch sites. Typically, an airport looking to expand would have its plans reviewed by the FAA to make sure it meets environmental requirements. If the fresh proposal goes ahead, developments related to space would skip that step.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act are among those that could be scrapped for qualifying projects. One attraction is a new law allowing spaceport-adjacent industrial parks--or "space parks"--to qualify for tax-exempt bond financing. (8/12)

Why Sonic Booms Happen and How NASA’s X-59 Quesst Plans to Eliminate Them (Source: Aerospace Global News)
NASA has published a detailed explanation of how sonic booms are created as its X-59 experimental aircraft moves closer to the part of its mission that could determine whether quieter supersonic flight can eventually be accepted over land. The timing is significant. The X-59 has already reached the speed and altitude NASA says it needs for future community flights, while the US Federal Aviation Administration is working on a regulatory framework that would replace the longstanding prohibition on civil supersonic flight over land with a performance-based, noise-focused approach. Click here. (8/11)

Scientists Create Largest 2D Map of the Universe With 5.6 Trillion Pixels and Nearly 4 Billion Cosmic Objects (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever created, offering a sweeping new view of nearly 4 billion celestial objects across roughly three-quarters of the sky. The new map, created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys team, contains a staggering 5.6 trillion pixels and combines more than 263,000 telescope exposures collected over more than a decade. The observations span visible and near-infrared wavelengths, providing an enormous portrait of stars, galaxies and other cosmic phenomena across the sky. (8/11)

Firefly Aerospace Pushes Debut of Alpha Block 2 Rocket to the Fourth Quarter of 2026 (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Firefly Aerospace said it will be at least another two months before it’s ready to launch its next Alpha rocket. Alpha Flight 8 (FLTA008) will debut the Block 2 configuration of the rocket. During its second quarter earnings call on Tuesday, Firefly CEO Jason Kim said the next two Alpha launches are now expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2026. (8/11)

Marlink to Acquire GRC to Expand Sovereign European Defense and Critical Infrastructure Capabilities (Source: SatNews)
On August 11, 2026, global managed network solutions provider Marlink signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of Global RadioData Communications Ltd (GRC), a UK-based specialist in defense and government communication networks. (8/11)

Ukraine War Sparked Race for Countries to Build Spy Satellites (Source: CNBC)
Countries are racing to expand their spy satellite fleets, as the war in Ukraine forces them to reconsider the intelligence they would rely on in a conflict. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a “pivotal moment” for the space industry, ICEYE co-founder and CEO Rafal Modrzewski said. Europe, as well as Japan, India and Brazil, are now looking to substantially expand their satellite fleets, he said. The market has “suddenly tenfolded in size,” Modrzewski said, adding that countries increasingly view the technology as critical to securing their sovereignty. (8/11)

SpaceX Increasing Footprint in Missile Defense (Source: Space News)
The 2026 Space & Missile Defense Symposium opens this week against a backdrop that would have seemed unlikely only a few years ago: SpaceX is no longer simply the Pentagon’s dominant launch provider but is also becoming a central supplier of the satellite networks and communications infrastructure underpinning the military’s next-generation missile defense architecture. Recent Space Force awards totaling roughly $8.1 billion place the company at the center of the Pentagon’s push under the Golden Dome program to build a layered missile-defense architecture.

The deals with SpaceX arrived in rapid succession. In May, the Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to build the initial backbone of the Space Data Network. Days later, the Space Force selected SpaceX for a separate $4.16 billion contract to build the initial constellation for its space-based Airborne Moving Target Indicator, or AMTI, program. (8/11)

Guetlein: Golden Dome has ‘First Operational Site’ and Completed Two Tests (Source: Aerospace America0
The Pentagon official overseeing the Trump administration’s planned multilayered missile defense shield said today the initiative has its “first operational site” at Fort Story, Virginia. “We are digging dirt around the homeland,” said Gen. Michael Guetlein, Golden Dome’s program manager. (8/12)

Remember When Blue Origin Patented Barge Landings and Tried to Block SpaceX? (Source: Space Daily)
In 2014, Blue Origin patented the idea of landing a rocket vertically at sea, before it had launched a single orbital rocket, then used the patent to try to block SpaceX from doing exactly what SpaceX was already attempting to do. The dispute lasted barely a year, and it ended with Blue Origin walking away from its own patent rather than let a court finish the job of killing it. At that point Blue Origin had flown suborbital test vehicles but had not come close to landing an orbital-class booster anywhere, at sea or otherwise.

SpaceX, meanwhile, had already made its first real attempts to land a Falcon 9 first stage on an ocean platform, attempts that were failing in dramatic, well-documented fashion, but were attempts all the same. The company had built what it called an autonomous spaceport drone ship specifically to catch a returning booster, and it was actively trying to use it while Blue Origin’s patent was still working its way through the grant process. (8/12)

Wenchang Spaceport Reaches 50 Launches (Source: NSF)
The state-run Wenchang launch site, located on Hainan Island off China’s southern coast, celebrated its 50th launch on July 29 when a Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A) launched the Tianlian-3-01 mission, a third-generation Tianlian-3 relay satellite which took flight just days after the final Tianlian-2 had launched from Xichang. (8/12)

Virgin Galactic Delays Delta-Class Debut to February 2027 as it Raises Seat Prices (Source: Leonard David)
Virgin Galactic has pushed the first full-power flight and initial commercial service of its Delta-class spaceplane to February 2027, while raising prices for future suborbital flights. The company says $750,000 expeditions are selling out early as it works to reduce cash burn and prepare the new vehicle. (8/12)

Artemis I Radiation Vest Reduced Astronaut Exposure During Simulated Solar Storms (Source: Space.com)
In the new study, researchers experimented with the AstroRad vest, which was designed by the Israeli startup StemRad with support from the Israel Space Agency and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin. The garment was created to protect astronauts from explosions from the sun known as solar particle events.

Editor's Note: StemRad in 2019 received a $250,000 grant through the Space Florida and Israel Innovation Authority partnership program. The funding supported the final development and testing of the AstroRad radiation shielding vest. (8/12)

Satellogic Reports First Positive Operating Income (Source: Space Intel Report)
Satellite geospatial imagery provider Satellogic Inc., confirming what it said would be its turnaround year, reported its first quarter of positive operating income and adjusted EBITDA and said the performance would continue for the rest of the year and into 2027. The company has concluded transactions this year to provide regular streams of imagery to government customers, including an $18-million win in Portugal, a similar deal with an unnamed government and a $12-million sale of an in-orbit Satellogic satellite to a government. (8/12)

August 12, 2026

Rickenbacker Powers the Future of Ohio’s Aerospace and Defense Industry (Source: Fly Columbus)
At the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s Midwest Aerospace and Defense Summit, airport leaders from across the state discussed how their complementary roles provide opportunity for the defense and aerospace industry to grow in Ohio. Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) President & CEO Daren Griffin shared how Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) allows manufacturing, warehousing, suppliers, and global cargo operations to come together in one integrated ecosystem in Central Ohio.

Recent investment at Rickenbacker shows what happens when the right infrastructure meets the right opportunity. When the first Ohio-built Fury autonomous fighter rolled off the production line at Anduril Industries’ Arsenal-1 facility in late July, it marked a significant milestone for both the company and Ohio’s growing aerospace and defense sector, showing that advanced manufacturing projects can move from investment to production quickly when supported by the right infrastructure, logistics network, and public-private partnerships. (8/6)

Returning Launch Complex 36 to Two Pads: Blue Origin Begins Construction of LC-36B (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin is developing Launch Complex 36B (LC-36B) at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and is constructing additional operational infrastructure nearby to support high-cadence launch operations and infrastructure resiliency for New Glenn. LC-36B will serve as the operational home for New Glenn 9x4, while LC-36A remains the operational home for the New Glenn 7x2 vehicle.

The additional infrastructure includes a new Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) for the 9x4 vehicle, and a Payload Processing Facility (PPF). Built in partnership with the U.S. government, the PPF will support both variants of New Glenn and National Security Space Launch (NSSL) providers on the Eastern Range.

Editor's Note: The rendering provided by Blue Origin shows the new launch pad and support infrastructure situated to the north of the existing pad. This indicates the company will not expand south to subsume LC-46, which might mean the US Navy could stay put and not need to develop the proposed LC-51 further south. The rumor mill had Blue Origin lobbying for the Navy move so the company could repurpose LC-46 for New Glenn operations. My guess is the timing would have been too slow for this, so the new pad is being shoehorned to the north. (8/12)

Ecuador Looks to Space (Source: Expreso)
Conquering space seems like a goal reserved for the great powers. However, that idea loses its appeal when one discovers that Ecuador possesses geographical conditions, human talent, and opportunities that are already sparking the interest of international organizations and companies in the aerospace sector.

The country's geographic location is one of its greatest strengths. Situated on the equator , space launches require less fuel to reach Earth orbit, as they take advantage of the planet's rotational speed. "Ecuador has a privileged geographical position ," Aillón explains. "This makes it easier for a rocket to launch at a higher speed, burn less fuel, and carry a larger payload." (8/8)

Rocket Lab: Backlog Reaches Record $2.36 Billion As New Space Systems And Launch Contracts Top $1 Billion (Source: Pulse 2.0)
Rocket Lab’s backlog reached a company record $2.36 billion during the second quarter of 2026 as more than $1 billion of new Space Systems and launch contracts signed across Q2 and the post-quarter period expanded the company’s visibility across commercial and government space programs. Rocket Lab said it secured more than $581 million of Space Systems contracts and more than $437 million of launch contracts across Q2 and the period following quarter-end. Combined, those awards represent more than $1.01 billion of new contract activity.

The company ended Q2 with $2.36 billion of backlog, up 6.1% sequentially, or approximately $136 million. Space Systems represented 60% of backlog and Launch accounted for the remaining 40%. Commercial customers represented 57% of backlog, while government customers accounted for 43%. (8/11)

DoD MDA Pursuing Mobile Radar to Detect and Track Hypersonic Missiles, Other Advanced Threats (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Missile Defense Agency issued a presolicitation Monday for a new highly mobile, rapidly deployable sensor system that could help the U.S. military detect and track hypersonic missiles and other advanced airborne threats. The Forward-Based Mode (FBM) Radar Next initiative is being spearheaded by MDA’s Mobile Land-Based Sensors Project Office, which aims to prototype the technology.

Notably, officials want to create a system that can be quickly transitioned into mass production amid growing threats in the air domain. For the prototyping effort, MDA plans to use other transaction authority, which is intended to help the military move faster in contracting. (8/11)

Spring Tide Strategies Acquires Legendary Space Video Storytelling Company CCI (Source: Spring Tide Strategies)
Space Coast-based strategic communication company Spring Tide Strategies has acquired Communications Concepts Inc., a video storytelling company rooted in the space industry and in operation for almost 50 years. The combination of the two companies creates a powerhouse consulting firm providing complete strategic communication and marketing services along with advanced video production, live and virtual event support, livestreaming, and broadcasting in one package. (8/11)

Back-to-Back Starlink Missions From Florida and California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX performed two Starlink launches nearly 13 hours apart yesterday. One Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 11:58 a.m. Eastern Tuesday and placed 29 Starlink satellites in orbit. That launch was scheduled for Monday but delayed a day for reasons SpaceX did not disclose. A second Falcon 9 lifted off at 12:46 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, placing 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. (8/12)

Pentagon Pushing for Increased Missile Interceptor Production (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon is pressing defense contractors to increase production of missile interceptors. Recent conflicts have shown that such interceptors can be used far faster than they can be produced, depleting stockpiles. The Pentagon has moved recently to expand production across the missile-defense industrial base after heavy use of U.S. interceptors. In the longer term, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command said it is considering a broader defensive architecture that could include less-expensive interceptors, guns, electronic warfare systems and, eventually, directed-energy weapons. (8/12)

NASA Plans Nuclear Propulsion Demo Launch in 2028 (Source: Space News)
NASA officials say they are confident in plans to launch a space nuclear propulsion demonstration mission at the end of 2028. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and other agency officials visited last week the Idaho National Lab (INL), which is responsible for the reactor that will be used on Space Reactor 1 (SR-1) Freedom. SR-1 will use that reactor to power an electric propulsion system to go to Mars. Isaacman said after the tour that visiting the lab increased his confidence in the schedule for the mission. The reactor, based on an existing design called VALKRE, needs to be completed by the spring of 2028 to meet the launch schedule for SR-1 Freedom. Both NASA and INL officials said that design will be extensible for larger future reactors, including those planned to support NASA's lunar base effort. (8/12)

JSC Losing its Cow Herd (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA's Johnson Space Center is losing one of its defining features: a herd of cattle. For three decades a herd of longhorn cattle has grazed on JSC property, an initiative started by former center director George Abbey as part of an educational effort. The nonprofit organization that has managed the project since 2015 announced it will shut down later this month, citing "significant financial challenges." The cattle currently at JSC will go to event venues and ranches, the organization stated. (8/12)

Funding Cliff Threatens Continued Golden Dome Development (Source: Space News)
The general in charge of the Golden Dome missile defense system warned the program was facing a funding cliff. Gen. Michael Guetlein said at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium Tuesday that Golden Dome is in an unusual budget position because its initial funding was routed through reconciliation rather than the Pentagon's regular annual budget. The administration planned another reconciliation package for fiscal year 2027 that would support Golden Dome, but that is now seen as less likely. The Pentagon is seeking about $17.5 billion for Golden Dome in 2027, but just $400 million is included in the base defense budget. He said he expected the funding to eventually come through, but the timing and process remain topics of concern. (8/12)

Golden Dome = Golden Goose for Many Contractors (Source: Space News)
Companies involved with Golden Dome are also closely watching the funding situation. Executives said money is flowing into their companies to work on Golden Dome, including contracts for satellite sensors, interceptor weapons and other programs now grouped under the initiative. Most details remain classified, limiting what contractors can say about their specific roles, but executives nevertheless have highlighted the program as a source of future growth. Golden Dome's high level of classification is testing the defense industry's ability to understand and respond to requirements, including among companies that hold security clearances. (8/12)

Firefly Ramps Up Rocket Production (Source: Space News)
Firefly Aerospace said Tuesday that it has increased launch vehicle production even as launch activity lags. In an earnings call, executives said production of its Alpha rocket is at an "all-time high" and cited strong government and commercial demand for the vehicle. However, Alpha has not launched since March and the company says the next launch, previously planned for late summer, is now expected in the fourth quarter. The company also declined to give guidance on how many Alpha launches it plans for 2027. Firefly also said it continues to make progress on the medium-lift Eclipse rocket it is developing with Northrop Grumman, but its first launch remains scheduled for no earlier than 2027. (8/12)

SpaceX Role in Missile Defense Grows (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is playing a bigger role in missile defense. Recent Space Force awards totaling roughly $8.1 billion place the company at the center of the Pentagon's push under the Golden Dome program to build a layered missile-defense architecture. Those contracts include work on the Space Data Network satellite communications systems, the initial constellation of space-based Airborne Moving Target Indicator satellites and launches of Space-Based Sensing and Targeting satellites. Space Force officials said that despite those recent awards competition remains a central objective. (8/12)

U.S. Space and Missile Defense at Center Stage in Huntsville, Alabama (Source: Washington Times)
The future of space-based military operations, the need for quicker replenishment of munitions stockpiles, and President Trump’s Golden Dome missile shield are all in the spotlight as top Pentagon officials and defense contractors descend on a conference that opens here Tuesday. The annual Space & Missile Defense Symposium is slated to draw more than 9,000 attendees. Huntsville is nicknamed “Rocket City” for its role in space exploration and missile development. The city has emerged anew in the Trump era as a center of American dominance in 21st-century space-defense technology.

The Trump administration is pushing for historic increases in defense spending. But industry and congressional sources have told Threat Status at The Washington Times that back-hallway discussions at this year’s symposium are likely to hinge on the extent to which the expanding cost of replenishing U.S. missiles that are being used in the Iran and Ukraine wars may detract from funding for projects such as the Golden Dome.

Anxiety over munitions stockpiles has boiled over in Washington during recent weeks. A Center for Strategic & International Studies analysis last month stated that U.S. Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile interceptor stockpiles have dropped by two-thirds and by half, respectively, since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran in late February. (8/10)

Voyager Wins Space Force Tactical Data Link Comms Work (Source: Aviation Week)
Voyager Technologies was awarded a contract with the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to develop space-to-space communication capabilities. The effort supports a resilient data transport architecture for the Department of Defense. Voyager will develop a flight-ready waveform design capable of operating for a variety of orbits, with specific requirements for weight, power and design life. This requirement is one of many Space Force standards for space-to-space data link communications. The company will also perform an on-orbit communication demonstration. (8/11)

SpaceX Plan for Vast Launch Site on Louisiana Coast Sparks Backlash (Source: The Guardian)
The prospect of a new spaceport spanning an area several times larger than Washington DC has alarmed some opponents in Pecan Island. On Monday a website was launched to rally opposition to the SpaceX plan, with its organizer warning that the huge new facility would imperil critical migratory bird habitat.

Hundreds of millions of birds, including snow geese, whooping cranes and 40% of all North American waterfowl, use Pecan Island as a crucial stop-off in their migratory flights through the Mississippi flyway, a key corridor that birds use in seasonal flights between North and South America. “We have existed alongside oil and gas for over 100 years, we aren’t against industry, but we haven’t blasted off high-octane rocketry before,” said Gabe Giffin. “I think space is cool, too. But many of these birds need this area and we need to have a proper process in place for this.” (8/10)

Starlink Excludes Poland from Europe Roaming Zone Without Explanation (Source: TVP World)
Poland has been mysteriously excluded from satellite internet network Starlink’s European roaming region, leaving users facing higher costs for cross-border use than customers in neighboring countries. The network has not explained the reasoning behind the change. Under Starlink's updated travel rules, more than 30 European countries – including Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania – are grouped into a single region, allowing customers to use the satellite internet service across borders without triggering international-use restrictions. Poland, however, is explicitly excluded from that region. (8/11)

Major Rocket Maker Spins Off, Recommits to Greater Cincinnati Site (Source: WKRC)
L3Harris Technologies, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors, has spun off its space propulsion division into a stand-alone company with a significant Greater Cincinnati presence. Florida-based private equity firm AE Industrial Partners on Aug. 4 completed the acquisition of a 60% stake, valued at $845 million, in L3Harris’ commercial space propulsion and power systems business. The deal was first announced in January. (8/10)

Musk: Starlink To Grow Beyond 100,000 Satellites With Higher Throughput (Source: Aviation Week)
SpaceX will grow the Starlink satellite constellation to more than 100,000 satellites, including the spacecraft to provide direct-to-device connectivity, CEO Elon Musk says. The constellation would expand with the higher throughput V3 satellites due for deployment on the Starship heavy-launch system. (8/10)

Government’s Strategic Funding May Propel India’s Space Economy to $100 Billion (Source: Financial Express)
India has recently announced a slew of measures to boost production and manufacturing of space technology by private players. The domestic space economy is projected to grow from $8.4 billion to about $44 billion by 2033 and a whopping $100 billion by 2040. Much of this is expected to be driven by private sector participation — with the government recently announcing Rs 1,500 crore support measures for space startups.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center has announced several schemes to promote participation of private enterprises in space activities. This includes a Rs 1,000 crore Venture Capital Fund and a Rs 500 crore Technology Adoption Fund announced by the Department of Space. (8/11)

SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites to Orbit From Florida on Tuesday (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX sent yet another batch of its Starlink internet satellites skyward on Aug. 11. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Spaceport, carrying 29 of the broadband spacecraft toward low Earth orbit (LEO). About 8.5 minutes later, the rocket's first stage made a pinpoint landing in the Atlantic Ocean atop the SpaceX droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas." It was the 18th flight for this particular booster, which is designated B1085. (8/11)

August 11, 2026

ALL.SPACE to Provide Hydra MAX Terminals to Aalyria (Source: Via Satellite)
ALL.SPACE has won a contract to provide its Hydra MAX terminals to Aalyria. They will be deployed with Aalyria’s Spacetime orchestration software integrated directly with the platform. The two companies announced the deal, Aug. 10. Hydra MAX is ALL.SPACE’s flagship next-generation SATCOM platform, a dual-beam, full-duplex, 500 MHz-per-beam Ka-band terminal for communications-on-the-move, delivering up to 1 GHz of aggregate instantaneous bandwidth across commercial and military Ka-band frequencies. (8/10)

Rwanda Partners with Planet Labs on National Satellite-Data Program (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Rwanda has launched a national program with Planet Labs to provide the company’s satellite data to government agencies and other users. The initiative positions Rwanda among African countries building domestic access to commercial Earth-observation data for public-sector applications. (8/11)

SpaceX’s Proposed 1 Million AI Satellites Raise Climate and Atmospheric Pollution Concerns (Source: Space.com)
A proposal to deploy as many as 1 million AI satellites in orbit could sharply increase rocket-launch emissions and produce concentrated toxic ash as spacecraft reenter the atmosphere. The scale of the data-center constellation raises questions about the environmental limits of orbital computing and satellite disposal. (8/11)

SpaceX Stock Climbs Back To its IPO Price As It Rebounds After Lockup Expiration (Source: IBTimes)
SpaceX has gone back to its IPO price as the stock continues to rebound on Monday. Concretely, Shares gained more than 2.5% at 11:04 a.m. and clocked in at $136.68. They have climbed more than 23% since Thursday, when it stood below $107. The company had already soared more than 15% on Friday after overcoming two major hurdles that many investors expected would send the stock tumbling: the company's first quarterly earnings report as a public company and the largest lock-up expiration since its June initial public offering. (8/10)

CNES Secures Multi-Year Access to Orbitworks’ AI-Enabled Altair Earth-Observation Constellation (Source: Spacewatch Global)
France’s CNES has secured multi-year access to Altair, a 10-satellite Earth-observation constellation being developed and manufactured by UAE-based Orbitworks. The agreement gives the French space agency access to an AI-enabled commercial constellation while expanding Orbitworks’ institutional customer base. (8/10)

NASA Outlines Artemis Progress on Lunar Landers, Habitats and SLS/Orion Hardware (Source: NSF)
NASA has released a series of updates on the Artemis program, spanning commercial robotic lunar landers, technology demonstrations for future surface habitats, and hardware progress on the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft for Artemis III and beyond. Reinvigorated under NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a suite of programs is working in tandem to lay the roadmap for the return of astronauts to the lunar surface this decade. Click here. (8/9)

USAF Receives Viasat Tactical Gateway (Source: Jane's)
Viasat is preparing for the next round of MOJO Next deliveries following the initial handover to the US Air Force's Air Mobility Command in July. While details on specific units or deployment locations remain undisclosed, the accelerated delivery timeline suggests that further orders and subsequent deployments may follow to address ongoing Air Force operational requirements. (8/10)

Rocket Lab, JetZero Drive SoCal Aerospace Growth (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Rocket Lab has secured a $266 million US Space Force contract for 12 suborbital launches and a $397 million contract for surveillance satellites, marking its largest launch award to date. JetZero is seeking up to $3 billion in financing from the Export-Import Bank of the US for a $4.7 billion manufacturing plant in Greensboro, N.C. The company has received backing from United Airlines and the US Air Force. (8/10)

BlackSky Gains Undisclosed International Customer (Source: Space News)
Earth imaging company BlackSky has won a multi-year contract with an undisclosed international customer . The contract, announced Tuesday, is a "seven-figure" deal to provide the customer with persistent space-based monitoring and on-demand satellite tasking. BlackSky operates a constellation of Gen-2 and Gen-3 imaging satellites, the latter offering higher resolution. In an earnings call last week, BlackSky cited "exceptional performance" of the Gen-3 satellites for helping it attract new business, particularly from international customers. Revenues from BlackSky's international customers grew 200% year-over-year in the second quarter. The company expects to have eight Gen-3 satellites in orbit by the end of the year and plans to expand the constellation to 12 to 15 satellites. (8/11)

Crider Joins Proteus Space Board (Source: Space News)
Proteus Space, an AI-native aerospace company focused on rapid, end-to-end access to space, has appointed retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kimberly “Kim” Crider to its Board of Directors. Crider previously served as the U.S. Air Force’s first Chief Technology and Innovation Officer. (8/11)

Shaw Joins Lunar Outpost Board (Source: Space News)
A former Space Force general has joined the board of a lunar rover company. Lunar Outpost announced Tuesday that John Shaw has joined its board of directors. He will represent Industrious Ventures, the venture capital fund that led Lunar Outpost's $30 million Series B round in May. The company develops lunar rovers and won a $220 million NASA contract in May to develop a rover for use by astronauts on future Artemis missions. Shaw retired from the Space Force in 2023 as a lieutenant general, spending his last three years as deputy commander of U.S. Space Command. Shaw, an adviser at Industrious Ventures, also serves on the board of several other space companies, such as SES, Sierra Space and Stoke Space. (8/11)

Japan Launches NavSat on H3 (Source: Space News)
Japan launched a navigation satellite on an H3 rocket on Monday. The H3 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center and deployed the Michibiki 7 satellite into its planned transfer orbit 29 minutes later. The satellite is part of Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), which provides navigation services to augment other satellite navigation systems. This launch was intended to complete the expansion of QZSS from four to seven satellites, using a mix of geostationary and inclined geosynchronous orbits, but one satellite was lost on an H3 launch failure last December. This was the second H3 launch this year after the vehicle's return to flight in June on a test flight. (8/11)

Virgin Galactic Reduces Lease Payments to Spaceport America (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
New Mexico's Spaceport America says it is facing a funding shortfall after Virgin Galactic cut monthly payments. At a legislative committee hearing on Monday, spaceport officials said the company exercised a provision in its lease agreement to sharply reduce payments while it is not flying from the spaceport. Virgin, which had been paying nearly $190,000 a month in user fees when it was flying from the spaceport, is now paying just $50,000 a month. The spaceport, though, is still providing services for the company, including support for aircraft test flights there. Virgin Galactic is continuing to develop its new suborbital spaceplane and is expected to provide an update on that work during an earnings call Wednesday. (8/11)

India Plans to Commercialize New Spaceport (Source: Times of India)
The Indian government is proposing to commercialize a spaceport that is still under construction. IN-SPACe, the agency that both regulates and promotes India's space industry, has started the process to transfer operations of the Small Satellite Launch Complex to the private sector. The Indian space agency ISRO has been developing the spaceport, located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, for use by the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. It could also be used by other small launchers, such as those being developed by Indian startups like Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos. (8/11)

Vietnam's VinSpace to Launch Satellites on SpaceX Transporter Rideshare Mission (Source: Bloomberg)
A Vietnamese company has signed a contract to launch with SpaceX. VinSpace Joint Stock Company said Tuesday it will launch satellites on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission in 2027. The company did not disclose how many satellites will be on the launch but said those satellites will test technologies intended for future, unspecified commercial missions. The contract shows there is still some space available on Transporter missions despite reports of a constrained supply of such flights and expectations that SpaceX will stop offering rideshare launches on its Falcon 9 in the next few years. (8/11)

ASI Gets Extraordinary Commissioner (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian government has, as expected, appointed an "extraordinary commissioner" for its space agency. The space agency ASI said Monday that Mario Cospito will serve as extraordinary commissioner, or acting head, of the agency after the death in July of its president, Teodoro Valente. Cospito's career started an Italian diplomat who was ambassador to Romania and Sweden. He later served as director of institutional relations for Avio and then an adviser on aerospace policies for Italy's industry minister. (8/11)

Rocket Lab Unveils Deployable GHOST Launch System (Source: Satellite Evolution)
Rocket Lab Corporation has unveiled GHOST: a new globally-deployable containerized launch system to enable suborbital and orbital launches from anywhere in the world. The GHOST (Global Hypersonic & Orbital Spaceport Technology) system transforms Rocket Lab’s Electron and HASTE rockets into a launch-anywhere, launch-anytime capability for multi-launch flight campaigns and critical national security missions. Packaged entirely within standard shipping containers, GHOST deploys complete rockets, launch infrastructure, ground support, and range control systems anywhere in the world. (8/10)

Rocket Lab Cautions of Fresh Risks to Key Neutron Rocket Debut (Source: Bloomberg)
Rocket Lab Corp. shares fell after it signaled a potential new delay with its Neutron rocket, raising the prospect that the vehicle meant to challenge SpaceX’s dominant Falcon 9 rocket won’t fly until 2027. Neutron, a more powerful and larger descendant of its workhorse Electron, is scheduled to be delivered to the launchpad in the fourth quarter as previously planned, but the company stopped short of saying that the vehicle would fly this year. (8/10)

Kepler Books Neutron for 2028 Optical Relay Launch (Source: Space News)
Kepler Communications plans to deploy next-generation optical relay satellites on Rocket Lab’s upcoming Neutron rocket in one of several launches the Canadian operator has slated for 2028. Previous Kepler satellites have shared rides on rockets such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Kepler deployed 10 satellites around 300 kilograms each for Tranche 1 of the network earlier this year, as part of the company’s shift away from providing connectivity for remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices with much smaller radio frequency spacecraft around 12 kilograms. (8/10)

Ukraine Warns That Russia is Accelerating Rassvet Satellite Constellation, Targeting Nearly 300 Spacecraft by 2027 (Source: Reuters)
Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia is deploying Rassvet, a domestic Starlink-style satellite network, faster than planned, with 292 satellites targeted by 2027 and 924 by 2035. Moscow is also reportedly developing Volna-Kupol-Garant, a system designed to disrupt satellite communications at the spacecraft level. (8/10)

Russia’s New Starlink Killer Doesn’t Target Terminals—It Targets the Satellites (Source: Frontier India)
Russia has reportedly developed a specialised electronic warfare system designed to disrupt Starlink communications in a fundamentally different way from conventional battlefield jammers. The Volna-Kupol-Garant’s main objective is not to overpower a Starlink terminal located on the ground. The communication link at the satellite is reportedly targeted by the system, which reportedly directs powerful radio-frequency interference upward. The objective is to temporarily “blind” a Starlink satellite to terminals that operate beneath it. (8/10)

NASA, ESA and Partners Develop Infrastructure for a Viable Lunar Base (Source: Aerospace Global News)
NASA and ESA are defining the infrastructure needed to support a sustainable lunar base. Establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon will require: a network of communications satellites; navigation services; power generation; prepared landing areas;  cargo systems; surface vehicles; and construction equipment. Much of this infrastructure will need to operate robotically before crews arrive. It must also keep working on its own during the long periods between human missions. Click here. (8/10)

MDA Space Reports Double-Digit Revenue and EBITDA Growth as It Expands in the U.S. and Europe (Source: Space Intel Report)
MDA Space reported another quarter of double-digit increases in revenue and adjusted EBITDA, while outlining an international strategy focused on expanding its space hardware and geospatial imagery businesses in the United States and Europe. The company is also widening its portfolio and geographic presence. (8/10)

EnduroSat and Bulgaria to Redevelop Former Military Airbase as Space and Defense Center (8/10)
EnduroSat is partnering with the Bulgarian government to redevelop Dobroslavtsi, a former military airbase, into a space and defense development center. The project is positioned as a new hub for space-sector activity in Europe, linking Bulgaria’s former military infrastructure with emerging commercial space capabilities. (8/10)

International Lunar Consultations: Future-Looking Developments at the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (Source: Space Review)
The UN’s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Space established an “action team” in 2024 to study how to coordinate lunar activities. Giorgio Cardile offers an update on the team’s work, including challenges they face on space resources. Click here. (8/10)
 
Decisions Without Deciders: Authority at Machine Speed in the Space Enterprise (Source: Space Review)
Space activities increasingly rely on automation and AI to make decisions faster than humans. Bharath Gopalaswamy and Daniel Dant describe how this creates challenges for determining what decisions get made and how. Click here. (8/10)
 
Who Will Believe the Space Logs in 2040? Space Governance and the quantum Audit Problem (Source: Space Review)
Satellite activities are extensively logged, providing an audit trail for tracking down problems or determining blame. Burak Oktenli explains why the rise of quantum computing threatens the integrity of those records and what can be done in response. Click here. (8/10)
 
Seeing Through the Storm: SAR Imagery’s Evolution Beyond Defense Applications (Source: Space Review)
Synthetic aperture radar imagery had long been considered primarily a tool for defense applications. Kateryna Sergieieva discusses how commercial SAR systems have made such imagery available for many civil uses as well. Click here. (8/10)

ispace Receives $73M Grant for Japan’s Space Strategy Fund Project (Source: Douglas Messier)
ispace has been awarded a grant of 11.6 billion yen ($73 million) for its “High-Precision Landing Technology in the Lunar Polar Regions” project, under Phase 2 of the Space Strategy Fund Program administered by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The maximum grant amount remains 20 billion yen ($125.7 million). Since this figure is subject to change based on stage-gate reviews and other factors, it is not yet certain that the full amount will be received.

Led by the United States, lunar exploration is currently accelerating rapidly. Following a December 2025 presidential executive order announcing the U.S. intention to develop a lunar base by 2030, in April 2026, NASA disclosed its plan for 20 lunar landing missions by 2028, and more than 70 missions during the next decade. (8/7)

August 10, 2026

From Vandenberg to Paso Robles, Central Coast is at the Center of a New Space Boom (Source: San Luis Obispo Tribune)
Bradley Wilkinson has been chasing rocket launches out of Vandenberg Space Force Base for 12 years. The administrator of Facebook group Vandenberg Rocket Launches livestreams on YouTube for people from California, Texas and Utah, amassing over 181,700 members over the course of 10 years. It seems these days everyone on the Central Coast is wanting a part in the latest “space boom” — from Vandenberg seeking to grow its launch capabilities in the coming years to Paso Robles’ quest to add a spaceport and local groups pushing initiatives aimed at bolstering the growing aerospace workforce.

Jennifer Green-Lanchoney, chief of Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs at Vandenberg, credits the obsession with space and launches from Vandenberg with the “absolute human condition of exploration.” And here on the Central Coast, officials are ready to spend millions to capitalize on that urge to reach for the stars. Sally Buffalo Taylor is the vice president of communications and external affairs at REACH, a regional economic action coalition that launched its initiative Space Vandenberg in August 2025 with a $9.5 million state grant that will propel Vandenberg to grow and create high-quality jobs and encourage “innovation and bring new investment to the region.” (8/9)

As Spectrum Gets Noisier, New Tech Works to Silence Satellite Interference (Source: Defense Post)
Israeli firm Gilat Satellite Networks is aiming to help satellite communication links withstand interference that can degrade data transmission, a growing concern as military operations increasingly depend on resilient communications. During a demonstration, the company showed how its new AI-based technology handled a range of unpredictable conditions, including signals that changed over time and originated from uncooperative sources. Initial results indicated that the platform could improve noise detection and suppression by up to 10 times compared with conventional methods. (8/10)

Exploring ‘Very Low Earth Orbit’: The World’s 1st Air-Breathing Satellite Thruster Could Soon Get a Test Run (Source: Space.com)
The Spanish company Kreios Space plans to launch into orbit the world's first satellite that uses scooped-up air to push it forward, the company announced on Tuesday (Aug. 4). The technology Kreios Space has been developing is called air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP). It relies on air sourced from Earth's atmosphere, which is then heated up, ionized and expelled to generate thrust. This method will allow satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) — the region from roughly 60 miles to 250 miles (100 to 400 kilometers) above our planet — to counteract atmospheric drag without the aid of liquid fuel. (8/9)

Florida Diverts EV Charger Funds to Flying Taxi Project (Source: CarBuzz)
Florida is reallocating $200 million in federal funds from electric vehicle charging stations to develop infrastructure for flying taxis, or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. The Florida Department of Transportation plans to build 32 taxi pads at airports, luxury apartments, golf courses and military bases, in collaboration with companies such as Archer, BETA Technologies, Joby Aviation and Electra. (8/9)

US Seeks Major Ramp Up in Weapons Production (Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
The Pentagon has called on defense industry leaders to accelerate weapons production to replenish depleted munitions stockpiles, particularly after recent conflicts with Iran have significantly reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD interceptors. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg has given major defense companies 21 days to submit plans for faster delivery schedules, emphasizing the need for rapid modernization. (8/10)

The Space Boom has Created a Giant Mess. Now Startups Want to Clean it Up (Source: CNBC)
Thousands of satellites are circling the Earth, and when they die, they don’t just disappear. Neither do the rockets that put them there. Defunct satellites, spent rocket parts and other debris can remain in orbit for years, adding to an increasingly congested environment and an elevated risk of collisions. Now, a growing group of companies is betting that cleaning up this orbital junk, and servicing satellites before they become it, could become a business in its own right.

Astroscale develops spacecraft for debris removal and other in-orbit services. “That means that we’re building spacecraft that are designed to be very agile, designed to safely operate in and around other spacecraft in orbit,” Faiola said. It is one of the few commercial companies that has demonstrated the ability to dock with another spacecraft in orbit through a magnetic capture system. That’s a difficult task given objects in lower Earth orbit move at the speed of 7 or 8 kilometers per second – faster than the speed of a bullet – and can tumble uncontrollably.

This is still a nascent, deep-tech market, so initial contracts are coming largely from space agencies and governments, which will demonstrate to the private sector that this is a viable business, Faiola said. “In the future, we would expect that this would be paid for by operators of constellations of spacecraft.” (8/8)

NASA Funds Research on Mapping Exoplanet Continents (Source: Douglas Messier)
Paul Stankus of Brookhaven Science Associates is working on changing that. He is reaching a method to resolve continents and other surface features on an Earth-like planet around a nearby star in visible light. “The innovation is in two stages. First, the design of a new kind of nulling interferometer — ‘dynamic hierarchical nulling’ — combining inputs from multiple apertures and capable of separating star light from planet light with contrast of 10^10 or better in the visible,” the proposal summary said. (8/9)

Europe's Free Satellite Service Just Made it Easier to Track Wildfires (Source: Ars Technica)
The wildfires afflicting communities across the world can now be tracked more easily by anyone using Europe’s free and open satellite imagery service—all thanks to a wildfire visualization script originating from nearly a decade ago. The Copernicus Browser provides free access to the latest satellite imagery taken by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel satellites for the European Union’s Earth observation program. (8/10)

India Joins Lox-Methane Rocket Engine Club (Source: The Hindu)
India's Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled India’s first privately built 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) LOX-Methane rocket engine named EVEREST. This makes India the fourth nation to have FFSC engine technology after Russia, USA and China. (8/10)

China Loses Long March 7A in Post-Launch Explosion (Source: SCMP)
China has suffered a rare failure of one of its newer-generation Long March rockets, losing a communications satellite after the launcher exploded shortly after take-off on Monday night. Around 8pm Beijing time, the unmanned 60-metre (197-foot) Long March 7A blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the southern island of Hainan, piercing the night sky as it carried the ChinaSat-4B satellite towards high Earth orbit. But less than 90 seconds into the flight, the rocket erupted into a fireball engulfed in thick black smoke, according to videos posted on social media by spectators near the launch site. (8/10)

BE-4 Issue Carries Wider Launch Stakes (Source: Benzinga)
The valve issue that may have caused the New Glenn explosion matters beyond Blue Origin. New Glenn uses seven methane-fueled BE-4 engines on its first stage, while United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan uses two. ULA said it is collaborating with Blue Origin, making the investigation important to a constrained U.S. launch market. New Glenn remains central to Blue Origin’s competition with SpaceX. NASA expects the rocket to launch Blue Moon lunar missions under Artemis, while Amazon has booked New Glenn and Vulcan flights for its Leo broadband constellation, a Starlink rival. Blue Origin’s schedule will determine how quickly those missions can proceed. (8/6)

Musk Refuses Starlink for Ukrainian Strikes in Russia (Source: Kyiv Post)
Elon Musk is refusing to allow Ukraine to use the SpaceX-operated Starlink satellite network for strikes inside Russian territory. President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Trump to intervene and pressure Musk to lift the geographical restrictions so Kyiv can target Russian missile batteries. Trump reportedly did not provide a clear answer. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has also attempted to lobby Musk through informal backchannels without success.

Musk has repeatedly cited the risk of Russian escalation and told Ukrainian officials that “it is time to make a deal.” The refusal coincides with broader US hesitancy to transfer advanced military technology, with NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker recently confirming that Washington will not allow Ukraine to domestically produce Patriot interceptor missiles, walking back earlier promises made by the Trump administration. (8/8)

Intel's Proposed Orbital Data Centers Would Manage Thousands of Simple LEO Satellites (Source: Tom's Hardware)
An Intel patent application published on August 6 describes an orbital data center architecture that moves some of the computing used to operate massive satellite constellations off the ground and into space. The architecture proposes a two-tier satellite network in which a small number of more powerful satellites in higher orbits manage large constellations of relatively simple satellites in low-Earth orbit, handling much of the computing and constellation coordination normally performed by data centers and network operations centers on the ground. (8/8)

Titan Has Rivers, Rainfall, Lakes and a Slow Hydrological Cycle Remarkably Like Earth’s (Source: Science Blog)
Nine hundred million miles from Earth, in the outer solar system, Saturn’s largest moon runs a full weather cycle. Methane evaporates from surface lakes. It condenses into clouds. It falls as rain — slowly, in droplets larger than any raindrop on Earth. It gathers into rivers that flow across ice-covered valleys, cuts channels into the frozen surface, pools into shallow lakes and small seas. Then it evaporates back up into the atmosphere and begins the cycle again. (8/9)

Katalyst Making Progress on Swift Rescue Spacecraft Control (Source: Space News)
Katalyst Space Technologies is making progress on restoring control of the spacecraft it launched to reboost a NASA observatory. The company said last week that it had slowed the spin rate of its Link spacecraft from 9 to 1.47 degrees per second using one of its electric thrusters. The company is working on a flight software update to restore full control of the spacecraft and allow it to continue its mission. Link launched in early July to grapple NASA's Swift gamma-ray observatory and raise its orbit, but Link suffered problems in late July that put the spacecraft into a multi-axis spin. Katalyst now expects Link to rendezvous with Swift late this month. (8/10)

Lithuania's Astrolight Teams with Atmos Space Cargo for Tech Demo (Source: Space News)
Lithuanian space laser communications company Astrolight has signed an agreement with Atmos Space Cargo to test its technologies in space. The companies announced a memorandum of understanding to demonstrate in-flight optical communications link between an Atmos reentry spacecraft and an orbiting satellite in 2027. Astrolight's ATLAS-X laser communication terminals would fly onboard Atmos's Phoenix reentry vehicle and an unidentified spacecraft, testing data links at speeds of up to 2.5 gigabits per second. (8/10)

Vandenberg Surge: SpaceX Launches Saturday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Saturday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:35 p.m. Eastern, putting 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 50th this year by SpaceX from Vandenberg as the company emphasizes launches there over its Florida launch pads. (8/9)

RFA Still Plans 2026 Debut From SaxaVord Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The majority owner of German small launch vehicle company Rocket Factory Augsburg still expects a first launch this year despite a testing setback. RFA was planning to launch its RFA ONE rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands as soon as this week, but the company said in late July it needed to destack the rocket on the pad because of an issue with the rocket. During an earnings call last week, OHB, the German aerospace company that owns 65% of RFA, said the issue was with tanks on the rocket but did not disclose additional details.

OHB said it expects the problem to be resolved soon, allowing for a launch attempt later this year. OHB also used the earnings call to endorse efforts to increase the Ariane 6 launch rate, noting that it is both a supplier for the rocket as well as a customer. [SpaceNews]

NASA Delays ISS Spacewalk for Spacesuit Problem (Source: NASA)
NASA is delaying an International Space Station spacewalk to study a problem with a spacesuit. NASA said Friday that a carbon dioxide sensor in the suit worn on Thursday's spacewalk by Anil Menon provided an "unexpected data reading" near the end of the spacewalk. The agency is reviewing the data to see if the suit needs to be replaced. To accommodate that work, NASA has delayed the second in a series of three spacewalks from Aug. 13 to Aug. 18. The third and final spacewalk in the sequence remains scheduled for Aug. 25. (8/10)

China’s Lunar Station Could be Guarded by Robot Watchdogs (Source: SCMP)
Robot dogs could one day lead the way across the moon, patrolling research stations, scouting hazards and helping astronauts search for scientifically valuable rocks, according to a blueprint by researchers working on China’s lunar base. The concept envisions three astronauts working alongside intelligent machines. As the crew explores the moon’s surface, one astronaut would direct two robot dogs across the landscape, while another collects rock samples and carries out detailed scientific work.

A third would remain inside a van-sized pressurized rover, coordinating the mission and controlling other robots when needed, according to the scientists from the China Academy of Space Technology, the nation’s leading spacecraft developer. (8/8)

SpaceX to Build Natural Gas Power Plants for Texas Chip Factory (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX plans to build its own power plants to support the massive semiconductor manufacturing facility it’s developing in Texas with Tesla Inc. “We’re bringing our own power,” Riley Trettel, who oversees energy and data center development for SpaceX, said Wednesday during a public meeting in Grimes County, Texas. “We’re going to be building natural gas fired power plants, and we’re going to be building very large battery arrays in order to store energy.” (8/6)

From Idaho to Mars: NASA Chief Celebrates INL's Role in the New Space Race (Source: KSL)
The administrator for NASA visited Idaho National Laboratory on Friday to celebrate the nuclear age in space. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and a team of executives traveled to INL's Materials and Fuel's Complex, where they met with the very minds who are making nuclear power in space possible. NASA executives also got to be face-to-face with groundbreaking science happening in eastern Idaho, including Deployable Energy's Unity Nuclear Battery demonstration and the Fuel Cycle Facility, where INL is reprocessing used nuclear fuel. (8/8)

August 9, 2026

Supersonic Flight Is Making a Comeback Decades After the Concorde. But One Big Hurdle Remains (Source: CNN)
The skies of Oklahoma City roared for six months in 1964 as military aircraft intentionally rattled the population below with a daily barrage of thunderous sonic booms. It was a controversial test — the consequences of which have lingered to this day. The booms — 1,253 in total — were part of an effort by the FAA to gauge the public’s attitude toward supersonic flight. A survey of 3,000 Oklahoma City residents at the end of the 1964 test found that 73% felt they could live with sonic booms.

However, the program generated immediate lawsuits to stop the flights, and the FAA received about 12,400 calls from people complaining about the noise. The agency eventually had to compensate some locals for damage to windows and walls. The FAA's new proposed rule indicates the exact threshold of sound pressure at the surface that any aircraft flying over land in the US would be allowed to produce 0.11 pound per square foot, which is equal to a moderate thump. By comparison, the Oklahoma tests produced booms as intense as 1.6 pounds per square foot, over 14 times more than the FAA’s proposed new limit.

“Manufacturers have demonstrated it is possible to fly supersonic aircraft without sonic booms reaching the surface by using sonic boom abatement techniques, making complete prohibition on civil supersonic flight outside of test areas no longer appropriate," according to the FAA. (8/7)

Chinese Company Landspace Targets Aug. 10 for Historic Launch and Landing Attempt (Source: Space.com)
The Chinese commercial launch company Landspace is set for a second attempt at catching an orbital booster. The startup launched its first Zhuque-3 rocket in December 2025, in what was a milestone for Chinese rocket reusability efforts. While the Zhuque-3 second stage successfully reached orbit, the first stage exploded in a dramatic fireball during its final powered descent toward the landing pad. Now, Landspace is poised for a second attempt at liftoff and landing. (8/7)

Environmental Groups Challenge FCC Approval of Startup’s Plan to Beam On-Demand Sunlight From Space (Source: NBC)
Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday asking the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup’s plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth, arguing the agency ignored the project’s potential impacts on wildlife, astronomy research and eye safety.

DarkSky International, Environment America, the American Bird Conservancy and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility called on the FCC to overturn a decision last month authorizing Reflect Orbital to launch its Earendil-1 demonstration satellite, which will carry a 59-foot-wide mirror to reflect sunlight onto a specific spot on the planet during periods of darkness. (8/6)

Cursor Says SpaceX Deal Could be Done by End of Next Week (Source: Seeking Alpha)
SpaceX could finish its $60 billion acquisition of Cursor as soon as the end of next week. The Cursor brand name will likely be phased out for new products in the coming months, according to a report from The Information on Friday, which cited people familiar with the matter. Cursor's upcoming general-purpose agent could be branded as Grok Bot. (8/7)

SpaceXAI Sues Contractor for Unpaid Data Center Work (Source: ABC24)
SpaceXAI is suing the contractor that claims that SpaceXAI owes nearly $570 million for unpaid labor performed at its Memphis and DeSoto County facilities. Tuesday, SpaceXAI filed a federal lawsuit against Darana Hybrid, Inc. Darana Hybrid, based in Ohio, has filed several liens claiming that SpaceXAI owes millions for work done at Colossus I and Colossus II in Memphis and several facilities in DeSoto County, including its power plant on Stanton Road.

Darana Hybrid claims that SpaceXAI owes a total of $569,348,213.76. In its complaint, SpaceXAI alleges that Darana Hybrid overbilled by hundreds of millions of dollars while "selling out their own suppliers and subcontractors along the way." (8/7)

Pentagon Releases New Batch of UFO Files (Source: CBS)
The Pentagon on Friday released a new batch of documents and images related to UFOs, also known as unidentified anomalous phenomena or UAP, including a military pilot's recollection of a huge, strange triangle that blocked out the stars over Afghanistan in 2002. The 41 new files, posted on the Pentagon's UFO website, include a mix of documents, images and videos. The records come from the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, State Department and Executive Office of the President, with the oldest being from 1950 and the most recent being from this year.

Six of the videos show different versions of the same incident — an encounter over the Gulf of Oman by Special Operations forces on an AC-130J gunship in September 2021. The report said the forces onboard a C130 gunship "observed approximately 25 instances of UAPs while conducting a live fire exercise in the Gulf of Oman... The UAPs were observed as cold orbs flying at lower altitudes between 250 to 1300 MPH in different formations as well as maneuvering aggressively. UAPs also appeared to react to the aircraft firing its main cannon," the report said. (8/7)

NASA Funds Research into Advanced Solar Sails (Source: Douglas Messier)
Artur Davoyan of UCLA received a NASA Innovative Advanced Projects (NIAC) award worth up to up to $175,000 to conduct a nine-month investigation. NIAC projects are focused on early-stage concept development and are not considered official NASA missions. "Our concept integrates two core technologies: (i) A lightweight, coilable truss structure that deploys a stack of sail membranes, each with an area between 50–150 m² (limited by the rocket fairing), and (ii) Tensegrity engineering to maintain the structural integrity and shape of the deployed system,” the project summary said. (8/8)

Once-Abandoned Spanish Village Becomes NASA's Eclipse Hotspot (Source: EuroNews)
A tiny village in the province of Burgos, brought back from the brink of extinction, is about to have its moment in the "shadow" — NASA has picked Villalibado as one of its ringside seats for the total solar eclipse on 12 August. Villalibado will now host one of the US space agency's broadcast teams as the Moon takes center stage. The feed will beam out worldwide via NASA's digital platforms and San Francisco's Exploratorium, giving Villalibado more screen time than most villages get in several centuries. (8/7)

EU Lays Out $18B Satellite Constellation Plan, with Spanish Firm Winning Key Role (Source: Breaking Defense)
European officials have agreed to a rollout plan for the continent’s flagship satellite constellation, adding 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to the hundreds already envisioned and naming a Spanish firm as prime contractor for ground-based communications and networking. Altogether, the plan for the European Union’s (EU) answer to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband communications network, called Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS2), is valued in excess of €15.6 billion ($18 billion).

The first satellite launches are slated for 2029, according to HispaSat, part of Spain’s Indra Group, which said it had been selected as the prime contractor for the ground portion of the effort. (8/7)

Rocket Lab Unveils Game-Changing Flatellites (Source: Motley Fool)
Rocket Lab introduced Flatellites last February, but it hasn't produced any of those next-gen satellites yet. But it's been acquiring smaller companies and developing its own components to support the expansion of that vertically integrated satellite manufacturing business. Rocket Lab believes that approach will enable it to produce high volumes of Flatellites "without compromising performance or reliability". It also expects more of its customers to use Flatellites to rapidly deploy their own low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. (8/8)

Alan Shepard's Lunar Golf Shot (Source: Times of India)
Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard paused near the end of the mission's second moonwalk on February 6, 1971 and attached a Wilson six-iron club head to the handle of a lunar sample collection tool. It was hidden inside his spacesuit until that moment, and the improvised club had been approved by NASA but kept secret from television viewers. Shepard dropped a golf ball onto the Moon's surface and swung one-handed because his bulky spacesuit made a normal golf swing impossible. The first shot barely traveled after landing in a nearby crater, but the second flew much farther. (8/9)

Reduced Gravity Pushes People Toward Simpler Movement Patterns, Experiments Suggest (Source: Phys.org)
From reaching for a cup of coffee to tying your shoelaces, gravity shapes nearly all human movement. So how do our bodies react when that familiar force begins to change? Texas A&M University researchers are exploring the answer through a multiphase project supported by NASA. Their latest work examines how the body performs in altered-gravity conditions to identify challenges astronauts encounter in space and how the human body adapts when environments change. (8/8)