European Space Industry Warns EU Space
Act Could Slow Competitiveness (Source: Space News)
European space industry officials said they did not oppose regulation
itself or the idea behind a common European framework. However, the
words most frequently used to describe the first and second drafts of
the EU Space Act were “monopoly,” “slow,” “rigid” and “micromanaging.”
The proposed implementation would slow down companies through
requirements such as licensing that could take up to 12 months to
obtain. Another concern is that the act could favor large incumbent
players over startups. Its treatment of countries outside the EU, like
Norway and the United Kingdom, could affect launch since both countries
host spaceports used by EU-based launch companies. (5/28)
Racing to Separate Themselves From US
Dependence, European Nations Opt for a Mix of Sovereign, Bilateral,
Federated and Commercial Space Capabilities (Source: Space News)
European nations are adopting a mix of sovereign, bilateral, federated
and dual-use commercial technologies to enhance military readiness.
Still, it can be difficult to determine which capabilities should be
owned and operated nationally and when it’s preferable to pool
resources to establish multinational space systems. (5/28)
House Defense Authorization Bill Would
Reorganize Space Acquisition with SDA and Rapid Capabilities Office
Collapse (Source: Space News)
A House defense authorization bill would eliminate the Space
Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office as
standalone organizations. The proposed changes align with the
reorganization of Department of the Air Force acquisition programs
around Portfolio Acquisition Executives, or PAEs, senior officials
responsible for managing broad mission portfolios rather than
individual programs.
SDA and Space RCO were established to accelerate space procurement
outside the traditional military acquisition system, but their efforts
have now become institutionalized across the Space Force. The Space
Force plans to have SDA focus on missile warning and tracking, but it
is unclear how Space RCO will be realigned. (5/28)
SpaceX Called Upon to Tighten Controls
Over Russian Military Starlink Use (Source: Space News)
A former Ukrainian defense official says SpaceX needs to further
tighten controls on Russian access to Starlink. Kateryna Chernohorenko,
Ukraine's deputy minister of defense from 2022 to 2025, said at
SmallSat Europe that while SpaceX has taken measures to limit use of
Starlink by Russian forces, the company could do more, like enhanced
geolocation controls. She said that while Ukraine has benefited from
extensive European contributions in areas like satellite
communications, Europe lacks several critical capabilities that
continue to make SpaceX an indispensable partner. (5/28)
European Spectrum Moves Could Hinder
SpaceX and Viasat (Source: Space News)
A proposal for allocating direct-to-device satellite spectrum in Europe
could hinder SpaceX and Viasat. The European Commission outlined plans
Wednesday to divide the 2-gigahertz spectrum band into three equal
blocks. One would be used by the IRIS² constellation and a second by EU
operators entering the market, with only the third available to
operators outside the EU.
U.S.-based Viasat is using the spectrum for its hybrid
satellite-cellular European Aviation Network, while EchoStar plans to
sell off its holdings to bolster SpaceX's Starlink Mobile D2D service.
The proposal still needs approval from the European Parliament and
Council, leaving room for changes as lawmakers scrutinize the plan.
(5/28)
Spire Scaling Up Satellite Production
with Germany's Schaeffer AG for Sovereign Capabilities (Source:
Space News)
Spire Global plans to collaborate with a German manufacturer on scaling
up European satellite production. Spire said it will work with
Schaeffer AG, a major German manufacturer of automotive systems and
other motion technologies, drawing on Schaeffler's expertise in
large-scale manufacturing, precision engineering and production
discipline. The two companies said they would create a "sovereign
European space hardware and mission business" by the end of the decade.
Spire announced earlier this month a new factory in Munich capable of
building up to 100 smallsats annually. The first satellites to be
integrated in the Munich facility will be for Eurialo, satellite
constellation designed to locate and track aircraft by observing their
radio-frequency emissions. (5/28)
Kongsberg Scaling Up Satellite
Production for SpinLaunch Constellation (Source: Space News)
Kongsberg NanoAvionics is working to scale up satellite production. The
company secured a contract last year to build up to 280 satellites for
SpinLaunch's Meridian Space broadband constellation. NanoAvionics,
founded in Lithuania, plans to retain a "center of excellence" there
while establishing new production facilities in other countries. The
company also sees opportunities to build and operate sovereign
constellations for countries. (5/28)
SpinLaunch Pivot Includes Sovereign
Constellation Development (Source: Space News)
SpinLaunch sees new opportunities for its constellation thanks to
geopolitics. The company's CEO, Massimiliano Ladovaz, said in an
interview that the company's Meridian system, meant to employ smaller,
highly-efficient satellites, could make sovereign constellations
financially attainable for countries and regional operators that
previously lacked the resources to compete. That would allow, he said,
constellations to be built for hundreds of millions of dollars and be
deployed on a single launch. (5/28)
Virgin Galactic Uses Older Spaceplane
for Flight Training (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic's older spaceplane has resumed test flights to train
for its new vehicle. Virgin's VSS Unity vehicle performed a glide
flight Wednesday, dropped from the company's Eve aircraft and gliding
to a landing at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company plans
several such glide flights to train pilots and ground crews ahead of
tests of the company's next-generation SpaceShip. Those flights are
expected to begin in the third quarter, with commercial suborbital
launches starting by the end of the year. (5/28)
Cosmonauts Perform ISS Spacewalk (Source:
Space.com)
Russian cosmonauts performed a spacewalk outside the International
Space Station on Wednesday. Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev
spent a little more than six hours outside the station on the
spacewalk, installing and retrieving science instruments. That work
included installing a telescope called Solntse-Teragerts on the
exterior of the Zvezda module that will be used to monitor solar
flares. The spacewalk was the second for Kud-Sverchkov and the first
for Mikaev. (5/28)
Telesat Offers Secure Satcom for
Italy's Government (Source: Reuters)
Telesat is in early-stage talks to provide secure communications
services for the Italian government. Sources said the discussions
between Telesat and Italian officials remain preliminary, and have not
yet included financial details. The Italian government considered
giving SpaceX a contract last year to provide similar services using
Starlink, but backed off giving tensions between Europe and the United
States. (5/28)
Does Gravity Create Reality? A
Shocking Path to a Theory of Everything (Source: New Scientist)
For decades, the accepted route to an ultimate theory of everything has
involved taking our best theory of gravity and squeezing it into the
frame of quantum mechanics. Given that quantum theory is wildly
successful in describing the other three of the four fundamental forces
of nature, it is an understandable approach. Yet, almost a century
later, scientists still haven’t managed to make gravity fit. That’s why
a few mavericks have championed an alternative strategy. They suggest
that tweaking the equations of quantum mechanics helps explain how the
strange world of particles gives rise to our everyday reality.
Various experimental avenues are opening up to probe this approach,
involving everything from levitating diamonds and glowing metals to
swinging pendulums and ticking clocks. The tests promise to shine a
light on how the quantum world operates and guide the search for a more
complete understanding of the universe. “This is like going into the
open ocean: we have no clue where to go,” says Angelo Bassi, a
physicist at the University of Trieste in Italy. “But maybe … by going
in the wrong direction, we’ll discover the right thing.” (5/25)
Space Nuclear Power’s Biggest
Obstacles Are Logistical, Not Technical (Source: Aerospace
America)
“The technology has never been the bottleneck,” Lal said. “What has
failed each time is the system around the reactor: the mission case,
the scope, the discipline, the political continuity, the leadership
architecture. If anyone tells you the American space nuclear program is
a technical problem, send them to me. I will tell them that we’ve spent
sixty years and over twenty billion dollars proving them wrong.” (5/27)
Blue Origin Readies New Glenn to
Launch 48 Amazon Leo Satellites After FAA Clearance (Source:
Geekwire)
Five weeks after experiencing its first launch failure, Kent,
Wash.-based Blue Origin is getting ready to put its heavy-lift New
Glenn rocket back in service to launch 48 satellites into low Earth
orbit for the growing Amazon Leo constellation. The mission, designated
as NG-4 for the rocket and LN-01 for the payload, will mark the first
time Blue Origin’s rockets have launched satellites for Amazon —
forging a new connection between the two best-known companies founded
by Jeff Bezos. It will also set a new high for the number of Leo
broadband satellites launched on a single mission. (5/27)
UCF’s Rosen College is Training the
Next Generation of Space Tourism Hospitality Professionals
(Source: Orlando Shine)
UCF has been tied to the space industry since before it was even called
UCF. The university was built, in part, to support Kennedy Space
Center. Established as Florida Technological University in 1964, its
primary mission was to provide personnel and engineering talent to the
space operations on Florida’s Space Coast. But the industry is
changing. Space is moving from propulsion and exploration into
habitation and settlement, and someone has to figure out the
hospitality side of it.
That someone, at least at UCF, is Dr. Amy Gregory, the Endowed Chair of
Space Tourism Programming and Initiatives at Rosen College of
Hospitality Management, and she represents the college on the UCF Space
Council, a body that recently expanded beyond engineers and physicists
to include faculty from across the university in a variety of
disciplines. She also lives on the Space Coast. (5/27)
Mainland China Welcomes Taiwan
Compatriots in Joint Space Exploration (Source: Xinhua)
The Chinese mainland looks forward to Taiwan compatriots joining its
efforts in exploring the universe, a mainland spokesperson said in
response to a media query about hopes in Taiwan that locals, especially
young people, could take part in the nation's future space programs.
The successful launch of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft on Sunday
has drawn widespread attention in Taiwan. Among the crew is Hong Kong
astronaut Li Jiaying, who has become the first person from the special
administrative region to travel to space.
The success of the Shenzhou-23 mission is a source of pride and honor
for all Chinese people, Chen said, noting that advancing the space
program and building China into a space power have long been part of
the Chinese nation's pursuit of its space dream. (5/27)
Australia’s Place in the Space
Industry and Inspiring the Next Generation (Source: The Nightly)
Unlike the Apollo era, where Aussie kids watched on in awe of the US, I
hope during the Artemis era Aussies watch on in awe of our own nation’s
achievements and of what our futures could hold. This mission has
captured people’s attention and inspired them to look up and out, when
there are so many issues which give us the perfect excuse to look down
and in.
We are once again reminded of the power of ambition and grand pursuits
in peaceful partnership, the importance of preparing for the future,
while in parallel confronting the challenges of the present. Artemis –
the new Apollo - is a new beginning for space exploration, and
Australia’s contribution to it is also just beginning. (5/27)
Air Force ‘Still Working’ to Sort
Space Programs Into Acquisition Portfolios (Source: Breaking
Defense)
The Air Force which oversees Space Force acquisition, has officially
announced six portfolio acquisition executives (PAEs): Space Access;
Space Based Sensing and Targeting; Infrastructure; Battle Management,
Command, Control, Communication & Space Intelligence (BMC3I);
Satellite Communication and Positioning, Navigation & Timing; and
Missile Warning and Tracking. Thomas Ainsworth said there would be at
least three other PAEs set up to cover space control; electronic, cyber
and orbital warfare; and integration.
“The majority of the PAEs that have been assigned right now are
acting,” Ainsworth said. Each of the new PAE heads also will chair a
“capability trade council” for their portfolio that will include
“warfighters in the room” representing the operations, intelligence and
testing communities, Ainsworth said. He stressed that the DAF worked to
ensure that all of the new offices all “work consistently” based on the
“same authorities” to make decisions. “[I]f you move between one PAE
and another, you’re not sitting there having to figure out a whole new
process; everyone’s working off of the same process and the same rule
book,” Ainsworth said. (5/27)
Orbital Data Centers Must Tackle Chip
Lifespan, Launch Availability, and Cybersecurity Challenges (Source:
Via Satellite)
The way processors and chips go through iteration will create a new set
of problems. “Instead of a five-year span, the next generation of
processors come out every two years … we’re now shortening the lives of
the hardware in the data center. That creates a lifespan issue for
satellites in orbit.” Compute lifespan and replacement is a significant
logistics issue, which will also bring up issues around decommissioning
satellites, Paul Struhsaker said. “They burn energy like nobody’s
business. Every generation of chip doubles in energy,” said Struhsaker.
Acccording to Oguz Karasu: “We are all are waiting for Starship’s
success — but without that, data centers on orbit won’t be feasible
either,” he said. “There is an economic danger.” Karasu also pointed to
data security concerns, saying that people who build data centers on
Earth have raised this question to him, of how to protect a data center
in orbit from being targeted. Karasu cautioned against the industry
overly investing in this concept at the expense of other areas of
space. He believes there’s been “misleading” information about the
concept. (5/28)
Europe's Revolv Space Enters In-Orbit
Servicing Market with Infinite Orbits Deal (Source: Space News)
The Italian-Dutch company Revolv Space has announced that French
in-orbit services provider Infinite Orbits has selected its Solar Array
Drive Assemblies (SADAs), the devices used to manage and optimize solar
energy capture, for the firm’s geostationary orbit (GEO) in-orbit
servicers. Editor's
Note: Europe's growing commitment (and investment) toward
sovereign space capabilities is impressive, but currently lacks a
SpaceX-like low-cost reusable launch system for hardware and humans.
(5/28)
Space Startup Raises Funds for Laser
Satellite Links (Source: Bloomberg)
Observable Space raised $90 million in its debut funding round as the
company seeks to use lasers to help satellites and potentially orbiting
data centers move information to and from Earth. On the same day as the
funding announcement, the company also secured a $94 million U.S. Space
Force contract to build out ground-based optical telescope networks for
satellite tracking and space domain awareness.
The startup is tackling the massive data bottlenecks faced by modern
satellites and orbital data centers by beaming information to the
ground via high-speed optical lasers rather than traditional radio
waves. Observable Space operates with a combined 100+ person team
across Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and a 57-acre manufacturing and
optics research campus in Michigan. (5/28)
SITAEL Adds to Italy's Space
Capabilities (Source: Space News)
Italy's SITAEL presented its growth strategy at SmallSat Europe
Amsterdam, built on ten years of investment in satellite platforms,
electric propulsion and production infrastructure. The plan fits within
Europe’s new space cycle, in which secure communications, Earth
observation, defense and technological sovereignty require robust
industrial capabilities. SITAEL operates through two industrial hubs in
Italy: a production facility with five satellites under construction
simultaneously; and a production line for Hall-effect electric
propulsion inaugurated in July 2025.
The combination of proprietary satellite platforms and electric
propulsion sets SITAEL apart in the fields of constellations, orbital
management, space sustainability and Very Low Earth Orbit missions. The
company develops solutions based on the NextGen and EMPYREUM platforms
and has launched with ESA the concept for a propellantless RAM-EP
thruster for very low orbits. (5/27)
EarthDaily Partners with Geospatial
Intelligence to Strengthen Earth Observation Capabilities in Australia
(Source: Spacewatch Global)
EarthDaily and Geospatial Intelligence Pty Ltd have entered a new
partnership to expand access to science-grade Earth observation data
and analytics for customers across Australia. Through this partnership,
Australian customers will gain local access to EarthDaily’s calibrated
Earth observation data and analytics, supported by Geospatial
Intelligence’s experience serving government and industry across
Australia. (5/28)
SpaceX IPO is Filled with AI Bets,
Starship Dreams, and Elon Musk at the Center (Source: MexNews)
It contains 36 pages of risk factors to SpaceX’s business, and details
legal fights it faces following the absorption of Musk’s artificial
intelligence and social media companies — battles SpaceX says will
likely cost it $530 million. The company lost about $4.9 billion in
2025 on revenue of more than $18 billion. The filing details a business
that is currently dominated by Starlink, which generated more than half
of the company’s revenue last year — around $11 billion. It also shows
how much SpaceX has burned to get to this point: more than $37 billion
lost since inception, according to the S-1.
XAI, the artificial intelligence company Elon Musk created and recently
merged into SpaceX, is not helping on that front. The filing shows
SpaceX directed around 60% of its capital spending in 2025 to its AI
division, or around $20 billion. And yet that division — which houses
the chatbot Grok — lost billions last year, and only grew revenue by
about 22%.
The company is, of course, making a lot of astronomical promises in the
filing. One of the biggest? That it has “identified the largest
actionable total addressable market in human history” of $28.5
trillion. The company attributes an enormous portion of that — $22.7
trillion — to “enterprise applications” of AI. Despite SpaceX’s complex
business, much of its future is pegged to the success of Starship.
(5/20)
New US Stamp Depicts 'Postcrossing'
Astronaut (Source: Collect Space)
A new US postage stamp features a colorful graphic of an astronaut
carrying a postcard out on a spacewalk. Officially, the stamp
celebrates the global hobby of "Postcrossing," but it also offers a
welcome nod to the history of space mail. The astronaut-themed stamp is
one of four Postcrossing issues at the Boston World Exposition stamp
show. The artwork, by illustrator Jackson Gibbs, was inspired by the
international project that "enables participants to send and receive
postcards from interested people around the world." (5/28)
May 28, 2026
FAA Grounds SpaceX's Starship V3
Megarocket After Flight 12 'Mishap' (Source: Space.com)
Just five days after its debut flight, SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket has been grounded. The FAA just declared the May 22 Starship V3 launch a mishap and is requiring an investigation before the huge vehicle can take to the skies again. "A return to flight of the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," FAA officials wrote. (5/27)
Rocket Lab Achieves Milestone for Missile Defense Constellation (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has successfully passed System Requirements Review (SRR) for the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) constellation. This milestone advances the program that will see Rocket Lab deliver satellites equipped with advanced missile warning, tracking, and defense capabilities to U.S. and allied national security. The SRR milestone confirms that Rocket Lab's proposed solution meets SDA's operational requirements and establishes the technical baseline for the program. (5/27)
Rough is the New Smooth: A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned (Source: WIRED)
Researchers have overturned a long-held aeronautical rule by proving that deliberate surface micro-roughness can actually reduce aerodynamic drag. Under certain conditions, engineered micro-textures create tiny, stabilizing vortices that delay boundary layer separation better than a perfectly smooth surface. For decades, the standard rule of thumb was that making an aircraft or vehicle as sleek and frictionless as possible was the best way to cut through the air. However, the new findings reveal a much more nuanced dynamic.
As air moves over an object, it creates a boundary layer of slower-moving air. If the surface is too smooth, this layer can detach prematurely, creating massive pressure drag (the primary resistance on vehicles). Deliberate micro-roughness acts as a flow-control mechanism. It introduces small, controlled vortices that mix faster-moving free-stream air with the boundary layer. (5/26)
Challenge Accepted: China Shakes Up its Space Programs to Land Astronauts on the Moon by 2030 (Source: Space.com)
China is establishing an integrated program called the Lunar Exploration Program, melding both its robotic Chang'e lunar probe activities with the country's human spaceflight program. Zhang Jingbo said that "to fully leverage the technological expertise and practical experience accumulated over decades" via its human spaceflight and Chang'e lunar rover programs, "the existing manned lunar landing and unmanned lunar exploration efforts will be integrated across three areas of missions, resources, and teams."
"We will spare no effort to strive for the goal of achieving the first Chinese landing on the moon by 2030," Zhang added. On the robotic side of moon exploration, in April, China's Chang'e-7 lunar probe was shipped to China's sprawling Wenchang Space Launch Site. Preparations for pre-launch testing are now underway, with the mission slated for launch in the second half of the year, reportedly this August. The Chang'e-7 mission will include orbiting, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, while also carrying out international cooperation, said Zhang. (5/27)
Growing Doubts in China About Starship's Ultimate Success (Source: SCMP)
There are growing doubts within China’s space sector that Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket being developed by SpaceX in the United States, will ever overcome its engineering and financial challenges and deliver for founder and CEO Elon Musk. starship’s latest flight on Friday – weeks before the company’s expected initial public offering (IPO) – was described as “mostly successful” by the company after engine failures occurred in both the first and second stages.
After the first stage Super Heavy Booster entered the Gulf of Mexico at high speed, Starship itself “barely made it” to its designated return area in the Indian Ocean, according to observers posting on Chinese social media. One space commenter said the test flight’s results showed the key issue was the reliability of Starship’s upgraded Raptor 3 engines, which have had a redesign to give them higher thrust and lighter weight. (5/27)
Students Build Moon Robots for NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge at KSC (Source: NASA)
Finals for NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge competition were held on May 19 at the KSC Visitor Complex in Florida. When the simulated lunar dust settled, the University of Virginia earned the Off World Grand Prize for completing all events and achieving the highest overall score. Forty-seven teams from around the U.S. designed and built remote-controlled robots capable of traversing challenging lunar terrain while constructing regolith-based berm under conditions similar to those the agency will face as it returns to the lunar surface.
The Lunabotics Challenge invites students from higher education institutions to apply NASA’s Systems Engineering principles to design and build a prototype off-world construction robot. Participants will develop a robot capable of performing construction operations that support future space exploration objectives. (5/27)
SpaceX’s AI Pursuits Have Yet to Take Off (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX's recent SEC S-1 filing for its upcoming IPO confirmed that the highly profitable Starlink division and space-launch operations form a strong financial core, offsetting massive cash burns. However, the company's aggressive expansion into orbital computing and artificial intelligence—boosted by its merger with xAI—posted steep losses, drawing scrutiny from market analysts. (5/26)
Space Force Expands PTS Prototype Program Ahead Of 2027 Launches (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Space Force expects to launch two prototype spacecraft next year as it looks toward the next generation of anti-jam satellite communications. The service has tapped Boeing and Northrop Grumman to demonstrate the use of an updated, encrypted signal called the Protected Tactical Waveform aboard company-built spacecraft. Both companies are now developing two prototypes under the service’s Protected Tactical Satcom-Prototype (PTS-P) program, following a May 15 contract award to fund a second free-flyer system from Northrop Grumman.
The initial prototype from each company is on track for launch, on-orbit demonstration and testing no earlier than 2027, a Space Systems Command (SSC) official said May 21. The new, $398 million “Enhanced PTS-P” contract award funds a second prototype free-flyer to launch no earlier than 2030. (5/26)
How Canada’s First Commercial Spaceport is Taking Shape in Nova Scotia (Source: Financial Post)
Canada’s push to build the country’s first commercial spaceport in rural Nova Scotia is moving from ambition to execution, backed by hundreds of millions in federal funding and infrastructure investment, but it faces criticism that early stage construction appears limited to a concrete slab and access roads. Spaceport Nova Scotia, under development just outside Canso, will give Canada domestic orbital launch capability and support regional economic development while entering a global launch industry increasingly dominated by private companies.
Canada currently relies on foreign launch sites in the United States and Europe to send satellites into orbit for communications, earth observation, navigation and defense purposes. The company behind the project, Halifax-based Maritime Launch Services Inc. (MLS), said it is on track, though it is still in its early stages and must navigate technical, financial and market risks to become operational on schedule. (5/26)
Isar Aerospace Partners with Maritime Launch Services for Orbital Launch Readiness From Nova Scotia (Source: Isar Aerospace)
Space company Isar Aerospace and Spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services (MLS), have signed a Letter of Intent to advance sovereign orbital launch readiness from Nova Scotia, Canada. The agreement brings together Isar Aerospace’s orbital launch system and MLS’s launch site, Spaceport Nova Scotia, which is strategically located for launches to support reliable access to mid- to high-inclination and polar orbits for Earth observation and communication satellites and constellations, supporting commercial and government missions. (5/26)
New Material Could Help NASA Melt Moon Rocks, Harness Lunar Resources (Source: NASA)
A material recently discovered and tested at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland could help astronauts pack lighter for future missions to the Moon. NASA is researching ways explorers could “live off the land” by harnessing lunar resources, including melting Moon rocks to extract metals for building infrastructure and oxygen for fuel and life support.
As part of a graduate fellowship through the agency’s Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities, Dr. Kevin Yu and Dr. Jamesa Stokes realized they’d stumbled across something promising and entirely new. After combining simulated lunar dust with a compound called scandium oxide and heat treating the mixture using a red-hot furnace, they discovered that an unknown material had formed. The team found that the new substance isn’t corroded too quickly by the molten Moon dirt and can withstand the high temperatures needed to melt it — up to six times hotter than the oven in your kitchen. (5/27)
Aitech Upgrades its Space Supercomputer (Source: Payload)
Aitech Systems announced an upgrade to its supercomputer today that is intended to fuel the next wave of AI applications in orbit. By integrating NVIDIA’s IGX Thor platform into the S-A2300 COTS AI Supercomputer, as well as future computing iterations, Aitech officials say the company is drastically expanding customers’ ability to process data in orbit—an important growth point as the demand for in-space computing skyrockets. (5/27)
Schaeffler, Spire Global Team Up for Space Hardware, Satellite Platforms in Europe (Source: Reuters)
Schaeffler and U.S.-based satellite operator Spire Global have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop space hardware and satellite platforms for European defense, weather and security applications. Shares of the German machine and auto parts maker jumped 15% after the deal was announced. The companies intend to build a sovereign European space hardware and mission business before the end of this decade, they said in the joint statement. (5/27)
UK's Archangel Tests World's Smallest Optical Ground Station (Source: Space News)
Archangel Lightworks, the laser communications company, has successfully completed field trials of the TERRA-M, the world’s smallest deployable operational optical ground station, proving its capability. The news was warmly welcomed by Liz Lloyd, the UK Space Minister, and the trials were funded by the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory.
Data was securely and rapidly transferred between the TERRA-M and a satellite in low Earth orbit over the course of a multi-day field trial in the Mediterranean region earlier this month. The field trials used the U.S. Space Development Agency laser communication standard and were repeated across multiple passes to prove reliability. The TERRA-M is a small fraction of the size of traditional optical ground stations with an optical head standing just 1.1m tall and 0.7m in diameter. (5/27)
EU to Squeeze US Space Tech Out of Prized Satellite Airwaves (Source: Politico)
The European Commission wants to reserve most satellite frequencies for European operators when a prized spectrum band opens up next year, opening a new battleground with Washington in the fight for control over technology. European Commission top officials on Wednesday agreed on the details of the selection procedure, earmarking two thirds of a coveted spectrum band for EU players. (5/27)
HPS GmbH to Provide the Communications Antenna for the Apophis-Bound ‘Ramses’ Spacecraft (Source: Spacewatch Global)
OHB Italia and Munich-based antenna specialist HPS GmbH signed a contract making the latter responsible for procuring the communications antenna for the Apophis-bound Ramses spacecraft. Asteroid Apophis will fly within 32,000 km of the Earth’s surface in 2029, almost ten times closer than the moon, offering a unique opportunity for scientific and planetary defense research. The Ramses Spacecraft will therefore launch a year earlier and rendezvous with the asteroid before the flyby, helping scientists gather vital data about the flyby’s effect on the 375-meter asteroid. (5/27)
Starships Are Meant to Eventually Fly (Source: Space Review)
Last week marked both the first flight of the latest version of SpaceX’s Starship as well as the release of the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering. Jeff Foust reports on how both reveal how central Starship is to the company’s future. Click here. (5/27)
Fear and Panic in Orbit Around the Red Planet: Missions to Phobos and Deimos (Source: Space Review)
While most concepts for missions to Mars have focused on the planet itself, some have instead planned to explore its two small moons. Dwayne Day examines the history of those concepts and an upcoming Japanese sample return mission. Click here. (5/27)
Reassessing NASA Procurement Strategy: A Hybrid Approach (Source: Space Review)
NASA is using a mix of cost-plus and fixed-price contracts for its missions, but each approach as advantages and disadvantages. Eli Lichtenstein offers an alternative that attempts to combine the best of both. Click here. (5/27)
NASA Goes Big on Lunar Base Plan, "Hundreds of Square Miles" (Source: Space.com)
"We envision the moon base to be hundreds of square miles, with different assets all building up to the objective of permanent lunar presence on the moon," Carlos García-Galán, the manager of NASA's Moon Base program at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said during a press conference Tuesday (May 26). NASA didn't go into the moon base-planning process with a big footprint as a priority. Rather, it emerged naturally, as all of the envisioned elements started coming together in planners' heads.
"There's no one spot that covers all the science, all the technology, all the habitation needs of the surface, and even within the local area, you have to consider the terrain," NASA's Nujoud Merancy, chief architect of the Moon Base program, said during today's briefing. (5/27)
Astrophysicists Gain Treasure Trove of Gravitational Wave Detections (Source: Phys.org)
Researchers from the University of Glasgow's Institute for Gravitational Research are celebrating the publication of a vast new treasure trove of gravitational wave detections, hailed as a milestone marking the coming of age of gravitational astronomy. This latest update details a total of 161 new signals from colliding black holes detected between April 2024 and the end of January 2025 by the gravitational wave detectors LIGO in the United States, Virgo in Italy, and KAGRA in Japan, known as the LVK collaboration. The publication brings the total number of gravitational wave signals detected to date to 390. (5/26)
Blue Canyon Supports Dutch Space Sovereignty (Source: Blue Canyon)
Through the Axient Systems B.V. PAMI mission, Blue Canyon Technologies is supporting Dutch efforts to advance sovereign capability and national security in orbit. Utilizing Blue Canyon’s flight-proven bus designs and high-performance components, PAMI-1 will demonstrate how agile, mission-ready small satellite technology can deliver reliable, responsive solutions tailored to evolving defense and intelligence needs. (5/27)
Could Aliens Ever Visit Earth? An Aerospace Scientist Unpacks the Challenges of Interstellar Spaceflight (Source: The Conversation)
There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system. So any extraterrestrial visitors would likely have to come from another star system within our Milky Way galaxy. Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, is located 4.25 light-years away. Since only a fraction of stars are thought to host intelligent life, the nearest alien civilization – if one exists – is surely much farther away than Proxima.
There is no universally accepted upper limit on interstellar flight speeds, but studies tend to converge around 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) – 10% of the speed of light – as a realistic cruise velocity. At this speed, a journey of 10 light-years will take approximately 100 years to complete. Finding a way to accelerate the ship to its target cruise speed is the central challenge facing any would-be alien explorers. No single law of physics prohibits an interstellar voyage to Earth. But the combined effects of hundreds of extreme, often conflicting engineering requirements may render it physically infeasible.
Ultimately, engineering challenges are just some of the many barriers to interstellar travel. Any prospective alien visitors must also have sufficient cognitive ability, technological maturity, physical resources, collective desire and proximity to Earth. That said, if the stars were to align and an alien vessel made it to Earth intact, it would trigger a torrent of burning questions: Where are they from? What do they want? What are they made of? Editor's Note: Given the constraints we understand, if any of the suspected visitations are real, they likely are extra-dimensional. (5/26)
How Mobile Deep‑Space Medical Systems Could Support Future Landings on the Moon and Mars (Source: The Conversation)
As a physician and space medicine researcher, I watched life aboard the mission spacecraft Orion — where four astronauts worked, ate, exercised and managed personal hygiene in a tiny capsule — with curiosity. Questions raced through my mind: Is this confined living environment psychologically sustainable if future missions last several months? What if there is a medical emergency during the 40-minute communications blackout when Orion passes behind the far side of the moon?
My previous research has highlighted how the environment of space itself can be disabling, and virtually every system within the human body is affected by the extremes of space flight. As humanity prepares for its next mission to the moon and eventually onward to Mars, we need to consider how to evolve health-care delivery beyond Earth. We need deep-space medical systems that are self-sustaining, lightweight, robust and functional with minimal maintenance or reliance on Earth-based support.
Astronauts will require substantially greater medical autonomy, including the ability to assess, diagnose and manage acute and chronic issues. A lunar base or Mars mission would need the crew to have access to an entire mobile medical clinic integrated within their spacecraft or habitat. Such a facility would house diagnostic and treatment capabilities sufficient to independently manage health issues over prolonged periods. (5/26)
An Astronaut Suddenly Couldn’t Speak in Space. What Does That Mean for Future Missions? (Source: CNN)
Five months into his fourth International Space Station mission, veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke was having dinner the day before a routine spacewalk. Suddenly, he found himself unable to speak. The episode in January lasted just 20 minutes and while Fincke felt no pain, he became agitated. “It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick,” Fincke recently said. “My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress. It was all hands on deck within just a matter of seconds,” he said.
Fincke’s fellow astronauts and a series of emergency protocols kept him safe, but NASA still made an unprecedented move: The agency cut short the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, returning Fincke and three of his fellow astronauts to Earth a month early. Certain blood flow issues could also potentially lead to a temporary lapse of speech. “There is something known as a TIA, or Transient ischaemic attack, which is basically a brief episode of a neurological dysfunction, usually due to the blood flow to the brain being interrupted,” Dr. Farhan Asrar said. “It tends to resolve by itself and not leave any kind of permanent damage.”
One way to manage the problem would be to include a doctor as a crew member, which wouldn’t be too difficult since many astronauts are also physicians. The first American medical doctor to become an astronaut was Joseph Kerwin in 1973, and since then about three dozen NASA physicians have become astronauts. It’s common in other countries, too: Four of the nine Canadians who have flown in space are physicians. (5/26)
Texas Companies Win and Lose NASA Contracts As the Agency Pushes Toward a Moon Base (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA unveiled new contracts on Tuesday as part of its push to build a moon base, awarding work to one Texas company while passing over another firm based in Houston. Central Texas-based Firefly Aerospace will deliver NASA’s aerial scouts – propulsive drones built off the technology developed for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter – to the moon.
But Houston’s Intuitive Machines will not continue its work on an unpressurized vehicle for astronauts to drive. NASA selected California-based Astrolab and Colorado-based Lunar Outpost to build these Lunar Terrain Vehicles. Houston’s Axiom Space, which is building a commercial space station, is part of the Astrolab-led team. It’s assisting with spacesuit integration, crew display and controls, and tool design. NASA initially chose three companies, including Intuitive Machines, to design Lunar Terrain Vehicles as part of a feasibility study. NASA was not expected to fund all three to move forward with their designs. (5/26)
Moscow Threatens Elon Musk’s SpaceX With Nuclear Retaliation Over Ukraine Starlink Use (Source: United 24)
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin threatened a nuclear strike if SpaceX continues to provide Ukraine with Starlink satellite internet access. His comments follow a Ukrainian strike on occupied Starobilsk on May 22, which the Ukrainian General Staff reported targeted the "Rubikon" Russian drone unit headquarters. Moscow claims the attack hit a college dormitory. (5/26)
Musk Says US Military Suicide Drones Used Starlink in Violation of SpaceX Rules (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today. It appears that SpaceX asked the military for more money after it started using satellite terminals on “kamikaze” attack drones in Iran. Elon Musk claimed the Reuters report is wrong. But Musk also said the military drones initially used the commercial Starlink service instead of the government-specific network, in violation of Starlink’s terms of service.
Musk blamed the violation on the contractor that built the drones for the government. The Reuters report, based on Pentagon documents and interviews with sources familiar with the pricing talks, said that SpaceX recently asked the military to pay $25,000 for Starshield access on each kamikaze drone. The Pentagon, which previously paid $5,000 for each connection, objected to the price hike but ultimately agreed to pay it. (5/26)
Rice Launches Space Humanities Initiative To Bring Cultural Inquiry Into Conversation About Space (Source: Rice University)
Ethics is rarely the first thing built into a rocket. Yet as space increasingly becomes the domain of commercial contracts, national rivalries and questions about who owns what beyond Earth, a new Rice University initiative argues those questions deserve their own infrastructure, not a footnote in someone else’s research agenda. The Space Humanities Initiative officially launched May 7 and brings scholars across disciplines together to examine how culture, language, ethics and imagination shape space exploration, and how space exploration shapes them in return. (5/26)
Embry‑Riddle Speaker Series Explores International Collaborations in Space (Source: ERAU)
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University recently hosted a series of policy experts and officials to discuss U.S.-Japan cooperation in space security. The seven-part series — held throughout the spring semester — concluded in late April with a lecture by Keiichi Wada, director of the Washington, D.C. office for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). In that role, Wada is responsible for fostering collaborations with U.S. agencies, including NASA and NOAA, as well as other space programs in North and South America. (5/21)
Rocket Lab Adds Mars-Proven Robotics Capabilities with Completion of Motiv Space Systems Acquisition (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has completed the acquisition of Motiv Space Systems, a California-based company specializing in space robotics, motion control systems, and precision mechanisms for spacecraft. Motiv – now rebranded as Rocket Lab Robotics – brings mission-tested Mars heritage and is renowned for its advanced multi-degree of freedom robotic arms, actuators, and drive electronics that have enabled some of the most ambitious planetary exploration missions in history, and precision mechanisms supporting critical scientific instruments and spacecraft subsystems.
The acquisition establishes Rocket Lab as one of the few companies in the world capable of delivering end-to-end Mars mission solutions including launch, spacecraft, software, and Mars-proven robotics for surface and on-orbit operations. (5/26)
American Airlines Picks Starlink for In-Flight Wi-Fi on More Than 500 Planes (Source: CNBC)
American Airlines plans to outfit more than 500 of its narrow-body aircraft with Starlink, handing another win to Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit that has made inroads with major carriers for in-flight Wi-Fi. American was evaluating Starlink and Amazon Leo as recently as March for the service. (5/26)
Just five days after its debut flight, SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket has been grounded. The FAA just declared the May 22 Starship V3 launch a mishap and is requiring an investigation before the huge vehicle can take to the skies again. "A return to flight of the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," FAA officials wrote. (5/27)
Rocket Lab Achieves Milestone for Missile Defense Constellation (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has successfully passed System Requirements Review (SRR) for the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) constellation. This milestone advances the program that will see Rocket Lab deliver satellites equipped with advanced missile warning, tracking, and defense capabilities to U.S. and allied national security. The SRR milestone confirms that Rocket Lab's proposed solution meets SDA's operational requirements and establishes the technical baseline for the program. (5/27)
Rough is the New Smooth: A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned (Source: WIRED)
Researchers have overturned a long-held aeronautical rule by proving that deliberate surface micro-roughness can actually reduce aerodynamic drag. Under certain conditions, engineered micro-textures create tiny, stabilizing vortices that delay boundary layer separation better than a perfectly smooth surface. For decades, the standard rule of thumb was that making an aircraft or vehicle as sleek and frictionless as possible was the best way to cut through the air. However, the new findings reveal a much more nuanced dynamic.
As air moves over an object, it creates a boundary layer of slower-moving air. If the surface is too smooth, this layer can detach prematurely, creating massive pressure drag (the primary resistance on vehicles). Deliberate micro-roughness acts as a flow-control mechanism. It introduces small, controlled vortices that mix faster-moving free-stream air with the boundary layer. (5/26)
Challenge Accepted: China Shakes Up its Space Programs to Land Astronauts on the Moon by 2030 (Source: Space.com)
China is establishing an integrated program called the Lunar Exploration Program, melding both its robotic Chang'e lunar probe activities with the country's human spaceflight program. Zhang Jingbo said that "to fully leverage the technological expertise and practical experience accumulated over decades" via its human spaceflight and Chang'e lunar rover programs, "the existing manned lunar landing and unmanned lunar exploration efforts will be integrated across three areas of missions, resources, and teams."
"We will spare no effort to strive for the goal of achieving the first Chinese landing on the moon by 2030," Zhang added. On the robotic side of moon exploration, in April, China's Chang'e-7 lunar probe was shipped to China's sprawling Wenchang Space Launch Site. Preparations for pre-launch testing are now underway, with the mission slated for launch in the second half of the year, reportedly this August. The Chang'e-7 mission will include orbiting, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, while also carrying out international cooperation, said Zhang. (5/27)
Growing Doubts in China About Starship's Ultimate Success (Source: SCMP)
There are growing doubts within China’s space sector that Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket being developed by SpaceX in the United States, will ever overcome its engineering and financial challenges and deliver for founder and CEO Elon Musk. starship’s latest flight on Friday – weeks before the company’s expected initial public offering (IPO) – was described as “mostly successful” by the company after engine failures occurred in both the first and second stages.
After the first stage Super Heavy Booster entered the Gulf of Mexico at high speed, Starship itself “barely made it” to its designated return area in the Indian Ocean, according to observers posting on Chinese social media. One space commenter said the test flight’s results showed the key issue was the reliability of Starship’s upgraded Raptor 3 engines, which have had a redesign to give them higher thrust and lighter weight. (5/27)
Students Build Moon Robots for NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge at KSC (Source: NASA)
Finals for NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge competition were held on May 19 at the KSC Visitor Complex in Florida. When the simulated lunar dust settled, the University of Virginia earned the Off World Grand Prize for completing all events and achieving the highest overall score. Forty-seven teams from around the U.S. designed and built remote-controlled robots capable of traversing challenging lunar terrain while constructing regolith-based berm under conditions similar to those the agency will face as it returns to the lunar surface.
The Lunabotics Challenge invites students from higher education institutions to apply NASA’s Systems Engineering principles to design and build a prototype off-world construction robot. Participants will develop a robot capable of performing construction operations that support future space exploration objectives. (5/27)
SpaceX’s AI Pursuits Have Yet to Take Off (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX's recent SEC S-1 filing for its upcoming IPO confirmed that the highly profitable Starlink division and space-launch operations form a strong financial core, offsetting massive cash burns. However, the company's aggressive expansion into orbital computing and artificial intelligence—boosted by its merger with xAI—posted steep losses, drawing scrutiny from market analysts. (5/26)
Space Force Expands PTS Prototype Program Ahead Of 2027 Launches (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Space Force expects to launch two prototype spacecraft next year as it looks toward the next generation of anti-jam satellite communications. The service has tapped Boeing and Northrop Grumman to demonstrate the use of an updated, encrypted signal called the Protected Tactical Waveform aboard company-built spacecraft. Both companies are now developing two prototypes under the service’s Protected Tactical Satcom-Prototype (PTS-P) program, following a May 15 contract award to fund a second free-flyer system from Northrop Grumman.
The initial prototype from each company is on track for launch, on-orbit demonstration and testing no earlier than 2027, a Space Systems Command (SSC) official said May 21. The new, $398 million “Enhanced PTS-P” contract award funds a second prototype free-flyer to launch no earlier than 2030. (5/26)
How Canada’s First Commercial Spaceport is Taking Shape in Nova Scotia (Source: Financial Post)
Canada’s push to build the country’s first commercial spaceport in rural Nova Scotia is moving from ambition to execution, backed by hundreds of millions in federal funding and infrastructure investment, but it faces criticism that early stage construction appears limited to a concrete slab and access roads. Spaceport Nova Scotia, under development just outside Canso, will give Canada domestic orbital launch capability and support regional economic development while entering a global launch industry increasingly dominated by private companies.
Canada currently relies on foreign launch sites in the United States and Europe to send satellites into orbit for communications, earth observation, navigation and defense purposes. The company behind the project, Halifax-based Maritime Launch Services Inc. (MLS), said it is on track, though it is still in its early stages and must navigate technical, financial and market risks to become operational on schedule. (5/26)
Isar Aerospace Partners with Maritime Launch Services for Orbital Launch Readiness From Nova Scotia (Source: Isar Aerospace)
Space company Isar Aerospace and Spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services (MLS), have signed a Letter of Intent to advance sovereign orbital launch readiness from Nova Scotia, Canada. The agreement brings together Isar Aerospace’s orbital launch system and MLS’s launch site, Spaceport Nova Scotia, which is strategically located for launches to support reliable access to mid- to high-inclination and polar orbits for Earth observation and communication satellites and constellations, supporting commercial and government missions. (5/26)
New Material Could Help NASA Melt Moon Rocks, Harness Lunar Resources (Source: NASA)
A material recently discovered and tested at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland could help astronauts pack lighter for future missions to the Moon. NASA is researching ways explorers could “live off the land” by harnessing lunar resources, including melting Moon rocks to extract metals for building infrastructure and oxygen for fuel and life support.
As part of a graduate fellowship through the agency’s Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities, Dr. Kevin Yu and Dr. Jamesa Stokes realized they’d stumbled across something promising and entirely new. After combining simulated lunar dust with a compound called scandium oxide and heat treating the mixture using a red-hot furnace, they discovered that an unknown material had formed. The team found that the new substance isn’t corroded too quickly by the molten Moon dirt and can withstand the high temperatures needed to melt it — up to six times hotter than the oven in your kitchen. (5/27)
Aitech Upgrades its Space Supercomputer (Source: Payload)
Aitech Systems announced an upgrade to its supercomputer today that is intended to fuel the next wave of AI applications in orbit. By integrating NVIDIA’s IGX Thor platform into the S-A2300 COTS AI Supercomputer, as well as future computing iterations, Aitech officials say the company is drastically expanding customers’ ability to process data in orbit—an important growth point as the demand for in-space computing skyrockets. (5/27)
Schaeffler, Spire Global Team Up for Space Hardware, Satellite Platforms in Europe (Source: Reuters)
Schaeffler and U.S.-based satellite operator Spire Global have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop space hardware and satellite platforms for European defense, weather and security applications. Shares of the German machine and auto parts maker jumped 15% after the deal was announced. The companies intend to build a sovereign European space hardware and mission business before the end of this decade, they said in the joint statement. (5/27)
UK's Archangel Tests World's Smallest Optical Ground Station (Source: Space News)
Archangel Lightworks, the laser communications company, has successfully completed field trials of the TERRA-M, the world’s smallest deployable operational optical ground station, proving its capability. The news was warmly welcomed by Liz Lloyd, the UK Space Minister, and the trials were funded by the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory.
Data was securely and rapidly transferred between the TERRA-M and a satellite in low Earth orbit over the course of a multi-day field trial in the Mediterranean region earlier this month. The field trials used the U.S. Space Development Agency laser communication standard and were repeated across multiple passes to prove reliability. The TERRA-M is a small fraction of the size of traditional optical ground stations with an optical head standing just 1.1m tall and 0.7m in diameter. (5/27)
EU to Squeeze US Space Tech Out of Prized Satellite Airwaves (Source: Politico)
The European Commission wants to reserve most satellite frequencies for European operators when a prized spectrum band opens up next year, opening a new battleground with Washington in the fight for control over technology. European Commission top officials on Wednesday agreed on the details of the selection procedure, earmarking two thirds of a coveted spectrum band for EU players. (5/27)
HPS GmbH to Provide the Communications Antenna for the Apophis-Bound ‘Ramses’ Spacecraft (Source: Spacewatch Global)
OHB Italia and Munich-based antenna specialist HPS GmbH signed a contract making the latter responsible for procuring the communications antenna for the Apophis-bound Ramses spacecraft. Asteroid Apophis will fly within 32,000 km of the Earth’s surface in 2029, almost ten times closer than the moon, offering a unique opportunity for scientific and planetary defense research. The Ramses Spacecraft will therefore launch a year earlier and rendezvous with the asteroid before the flyby, helping scientists gather vital data about the flyby’s effect on the 375-meter asteroid. (5/27)
Starships Are Meant to Eventually Fly (Source: Space Review)
Last week marked both the first flight of the latest version of SpaceX’s Starship as well as the release of the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering. Jeff Foust reports on how both reveal how central Starship is to the company’s future. Click here. (5/27)
Fear and Panic in Orbit Around the Red Planet: Missions to Phobos and Deimos (Source: Space Review)
While most concepts for missions to Mars have focused on the planet itself, some have instead planned to explore its two small moons. Dwayne Day examines the history of those concepts and an upcoming Japanese sample return mission. Click here. (5/27)
Reassessing NASA Procurement Strategy: A Hybrid Approach (Source: Space Review)
NASA is using a mix of cost-plus and fixed-price contracts for its missions, but each approach as advantages and disadvantages. Eli Lichtenstein offers an alternative that attempts to combine the best of both. Click here. (5/27)
NASA Goes Big on Lunar Base Plan, "Hundreds of Square Miles" (Source: Space.com)
"We envision the moon base to be hundreds of square miles, with different assets all building up to the objective of permanent lunar presence on the moon," Carlos García-Galán, the manager of NASA's Moon Base program at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said during a press conference Tuesday (May 26). NASA didn't go into the moon base-planning process with a big footprint as a priority. Rather, it emerged naturally, as all of the envisioned elements started coming together in planners' heads.
"There's no one spot that covers all the science, all the technology, all the habitation needs of the surface, and even within the local area, you have to consider the terrain," NASA's Nujoud Merancy, chief architect of the Moon Base program, said during today's briefing. (5/27)
Astrophysicists Gain Treasure Trove of Gravitational Wave Detections (Source: Phys.org)
Researchers from the University of Glasgow's Institute for Gravitational Research are celebrating the publication of a vast new treasure trove of gravitational wave detections, hailed as a milestone marking the coming of age of gravitational astronomy. This latest update details a total of 161 new signals from colliding black holes detected between April 2024 and the end of January 2025 by the gravitational wave detectors LIGO in the United States, Virgo in Italy, and KAGRA in Japan, known as the LVK collaboration. The publication brings the total number of gravitational wave signals detected to date to 390. (5/26)
Blue Canyon Supports Dutch Space Sovereignty (Source: Blue Canyon)
Through the Axient Systems B.V. PAMI mission, Blue Canyon Technologies is supporting Dutch efforts to advance sovereign capability and national security in orbit. Utilizing Blue Canyon’s flight-proven bus designs and high-performance components, PAMI-1 will demonstrate how agile, mission-ready small satellite technology can deliver reliable, responsive solutions tailored to evolving defense and intelligence needs. (5/27)
Could Aliens Ever Visit Earth? An Aerospace Scientist Unpacks the Challenges of Interstellar Spaceflight (Source: The Conversation)
There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system. So any extraterrestrial visitors would likely have to come from another star system within our Milky Way galaxy. Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, is located 4.25 light-years away. Since only a fraction of stars are thought to host intelligent life, the nearest alien civilization – if one exists – is surely much farther away than Proxima.
There is no universally accepted upper limit on interstellar flight speeds, but studies tend to converge around 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) – 10% of the speed of light – as a realistic cruise velocity. At this speed, a journey of 10 light-years will take approximately 100 years to complete. Finding a way to accelerate the ship to its target cruise speed is the central challenge facing any would-be alien explorers. No single law of physics prohibits an interstellar voyage to Earth. But the combined effects of hundreds of extreme, often conflicting engineering requirements may render it physically infeasible.
Ultimately, engineering challenges are just some of the many barriers to interstellar travel. Any prospective alien visitors must also have sufficient cognitive ability, technological maturity, physical resources, collective desire and proximity to Earth. That said, if the stars were to align and an alien vessel made it to Earth intact, it would trigger a torrent of burning questions: Where are they from? What do they want? What are they made of? Editor's Note: Given the constraints we understand, if any of the suspected visitations are real, they likely are extra-dimensional. (5/26)
How Mobile Deep‑Space Medical Systems Could Support Future Landings on the Moon and Mars (Source: The Conversation)
As a physician and space medicine researcher, I watched life aboard the mission spacecraft Orion — where four astronauts worked, ate, exercised and managed personal hygiene in a tiny capsule — with curiosity. Questions raced through my mind: Is this confined living environment psychologically sustainable if future missions last several months? What if there is a medical emergency during the 40-minute communications blackout when Orion passes behind the far side of the moon?
My previous research has highlighted how the environment of space itself can be disabling, and virtually every system within the human body is affected by the extremes of space flight. As humanity prepares for its next mission to the moon and eventually onward to Mars, we need to consider how to evolve health-care delivery beyond Earth. We need deep-space medical systems that are self-sustaining, lightweight, robust and functional with minimal maintenance or reliance on Earth-based support.
Astronauts will require substantially greater medical autonomy, including the ability to assess, diagnose and manage acute and chronic issues. A lunar base or Mars mission would need the crew to have access to an entire mobile medical clinic integrated within their spacecraft or habitat. Such a facility would house diagnostic and treatment capabilities sufficient to independently manage health issues over prolonged periods. (5/26)
An Astronaut Suddenly Couldn’t Speak in Space. What Does That Mean for Future Missions? (Source: CNN)
Five months into his fourth International Space Station mission, veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke was having dinner the day before a routine spacewalk. Suddenly, he found himself unable to speak. The episode in January lasted just 20 minutes and while Fincke felt no pain, he became agitated. “It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick,” Fincke recently said. “My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress. It was all hands on deck within just a matter of seconds,” he said.
Fincke’s fellow astronauts and a series of emergency protocols kept him safe, but NASA still made an unprecedented move: The agency cut short the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, returning Fincke and three of his fellow astronauts to Earth a month early. Certain blood flow issues could also potentially lead to a temporary lapse of speech. “There is something known as a TIA, or Transient ischaemic attack, which is basically a brief episode of a neurological dysfunction, usually due to the blood flow to the brain being interrupted,” Dr. Farhan Asrar said. “It tends to resolve by itself and not leave any kind of permanent damage.”
One way to manage the problem would be to include a doctor as a crew member, which wouldn’t be too difficult since many astronauts are also physicians. The first American medical doctor to become an astronaut was Joseph Kerwin in 1973, and since then about three dozen NASA physicians have become astronauts. It’s common in other countries, too: Four of the nine Canadians who have flown in space are physicians. (5/26)
Texas Companies Win and Lose NASA Contracts As the Agency Pushes Toward a Moon Base (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA unveiled new contracts on Tuesday as part of its push to build a moon base, awarding work to one Texas company while passing over another firm based in Houston. Central Texas-based Firefly Aerospace will deliver NASA’s aerial scouts – propulsive drones built off the technology developed for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter – to the moon.
But Houston’s Intuitive Machines will not continue its work on an unpressurized vehicle for astronauts to drive. NASA selected California-based Astrolab and Colorado-based Lunar Outpost to build these Lunar Terrain Vehicles. Houston’s Axiom Space, which is building a commercial space station, is part of the Astrolab-led team. It’s assisting with spacesuit integration, crew display and controls, and tool design. NASA initially chose three companies, including Intuitive Machines, to design Lunar Terrain Vehicles as part of a feasibility study. NASA was not expected to fund all three to move forward with their designs. (5/26)
Moscow Threatens Elon Musk’s SpaceX With Nuclear Retaliation Over Ukraine Starlink Use (Source: United 24)
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin threatened a nuclear strike if SpaceX continues to provide Ukraine with Starlink satellite internet access. His comments follow a Ukrainian strike on occupied Starobilsk on May 22, which the Ukrainian General Staff reported targeted the "Rubikon" Russian drone unit headquarters. Moscow claims the attack hit a college dormitory. (5/26)
Musk Says US Military Suicide Drones Used Starlink in Violation of SpaceX Rules (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today. It appears that SpaceX asked the military for more money after it started using satellite terminals on “kamikaze” attack drones in Iran. Elon Musk claimed the Reuters report is wrong. But Musk also said the military drones initially used the commercial Starlink service instead of the government-specific network, in violation of Starlink’s terms of service.
Musk blamed the violation on the contractor that built the drones for the government. The Reuters report, based on Pentagon documents and interviews with sources familiar with the pricing talks, said that SpaceX recently asked the military to pay $25,000 for Starshield access on each kamikaze drone. The Pentagon, which previously paid $5,000 for each connection, objected to the price hike but ultimately agreed to pay it. (5/26)
Rice Launches Space Humanities Initiative To Bring Cultural Inquiry Into Conversation About Space (Source: Rice University)
Ethics is rarely the first thing built into a rocket. Yet as space increasingly becomes the domain of commercial contracts, national rivalries and questions about who owns what beyond Earth, a new Rice University initiative argues those questions deserve their own infrastructure, not a footnote in someone else’s research agenda. The Space Humanities Initiative officially launched May 7 and brings scholars across disciplines together to examine how culture, language, ethics and imagination shape space exploration, and how space exploration shapes them in return. (5/26)
Embry‑Riddle Speaker Series Explores International Collaborations in Space (Source: ERAU)
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University recently hosted a series of policy experts and officials to discuss U.S.-Japan cooperation in space security. The seven-part series — held throughout the spring semester — concluded in late April with a lecture by Keiichi Wada, director of the Washington, D.C. office for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). In that role, Wada is responsible for fostering collaborations with U.S. agencies, including NASA and NOAA, as well as other space programs in North and South America. (5/21)
Rocket Lab Adds Mars-Proven Robotics Capabilities with Completion of Motiv Space Systems Acquisition (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has completed the acquisition of Motiv Space Systems, a California-based company specializing in space robotics, motion control systems, and precision mechanisms for spacecraft. Motiv – now rebranded as Rocket Lab Robotics – brings mission-tested Mars heritage and is renowned for its advanced multi-degree of freedom robotic arms, actuators, and drive electronics that have enabled some of the most ambitious planetary exploration missions in history, and precision mechanisms supporting critical scientific instruments and spacecraft subsystems.
The acquisition establishes Rocket Lab as one of the few companies in the world capable of delivering end-to-end Mars mission solutions including launch, spacecraft, software, and Mars-proven robotics for surface and on-orbit operations. (5/26)
American Airlines Picks Starlink for In-Flight Wi-Fi on More Than 500 Planes (Source: CNBC)
American Airlines plans to outfit more than 500 of its narrow-body aircraft with Starlink, handing another win to Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit that has made inroads with major carriers for in-flight Wi-Fi. American was evaluating Starlink and Amazon Leo as recently as March for the service. (5/26)
May 27, 2026
NASAWatch Editor Keith Cowing to
Receive NSS Space Pioneer Award (Source: NSS)
The National Space Society will honor Keith Cowing at its 44th annual International Space Development Conference on June 4-7, 2026. Cowing will receive the NSS’s Space Pioneer Award for excellence in mass media. Cowing is the editor of NASAWatch.com, a news source and watchdog for U.S. space efforts, and Astrobiology.com. He is a former NASA space biologist and International Space Station payload manager. (5/26)
Space Force Supports Rescue of Plane Crash Off Florida/Bahamas Coast (Source: SLD-45)
Space Launch Delta 45 Airmen and Guardians at Patrick Space Force Base played a key role in the rapid rescue of 11 Bahamian adults who survived the ditching of a Beechcraft King Air twin-engine turboprop aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean on May 12. The operation showcased seamless collaboration among U.S. military services, federal agencies and local partners. It highlighted how Space Force infrastructure and training for domestic emergencies save lives.
An emergency locator transmitter aboard the aircraft activated after engine failure during a flight from Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, to Freeport. The signal reached the international Cospas-Sarsat system, which relies on critical space-based assets. U.S. Space Force satellites, including those supported by launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, helped relay the distress alert swiftly. Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center received the initial notification and alerted the U.S. Coast Guard. (5/21)
US Plans to Significantly Reduce NATO Military Support (Source: The Independent)
The US plans to reduce its military support to NATO during crises, cutting fighter jets, warships and bombers. Envoy Alexander Velez-Green briefed NATO officials on the changes, which would require Europe to provide more of its own military assets. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the US cannot be everywhere at once and that the alliance is discussing how to manage multiple threats. (5/26)
SpaceX Wins $2.29B to Speed Space Force’s LEO Communications ‘Backbone’ (Source: Space News)
SpaceX won a Space Force contract worth nearly $2.3 billion for a military satellite data network. The $2.29 billion award, announced Tuesday, is for the development of a network known as the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, previously known as MILNET. It will feature optically interconnected satellites that would transport military data through space rather than relying primarily on terrestrial relay networks or ground stations.
The Space Force said the SDN backbone will be integrated with the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer constellation, a separate low Earth orbit mesh network intended to provide military communications and data relay services. Military officials view the SDN as a foundational component of Golden Dome because it would allow missile-tracking satellites to rapidly transmit targeting data through orbital relay networks to command systems or interceptors with minimal delay. (5/27)
Starcloud Buying SpaceX Optical Terminals for Data Center Constellation (Source: Space News)
Orbital data center startup Starcloud is buying optical terminals from SpaceX. Starcloud said Tuesday it signed a contract for more than 50 Starlink Mini Lasers, enough to equip at least 25 satellites with two terminals each as part of a constellation that ultimately envisions 88,000 orbital data centers. The terminals would connect Starcloud satellites directly into Starlink's low Earth orbit mesh network, bypassing bandwidth-constrained ground stations. The company plans to use the links on spacecraft starting with Starcloud 2, a 450-kilogram spacecraft launching in January that is set to be the venture's first to run commercial cloud workloads. (5/27)
Voyager Wins $16.5 Million From DARPA for Solid Rocket Motor Thrust Control (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies won a DARPA contract to continue development of a solid rocket motor thrust-control technology. The $16.5 million contract announced Tuesday funds Phase 2 of DARPA's "Burn n' Go" program, an effort launched last year to develop what the agency describes as a "propellant-embedded control technology" that would give solid rocket motors tailorable, post-manufacturing thrust control. The 20-month contract will work to validate Voyager's technology through ground tests. (5/27)
Hermeus Cruises Beyond Supersonic Speed In U.S. Industry First (Source: Aviation Week)
High-speed aircraft maker Hermeus flew the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 demonstrator aircraft above supersonic speed for the first time, marking a first for a privately funded, uncrewed aircraft in the U.S. Hermeus is testing its aircraft at Spaceport America in New Mexico. (5/27)
European Companies Hopeful for Investor Interest After SpaceX IPO (Source: Space News)
Europe's space industry is closely watching SpaceX's IPO. Industry officials said they believed that the initial public offering could help attract investors into other space companies as those investors seek the next SpaceX-like company. The interest in the IPO has already driven up valuations of other space companies. However, one investor noted Europe's space industry is five to 10 years behind the U.S. in its development and still lacks the large-scale contracts that can provide the foundation for a company to go public. (5/27)
Regulatory and Capital Challenges Hamper European Space Growth (Source: Space News)
Regulations and access to capital remain challenges for European space companies today, though. Executives said it remains difficult for European space companies to raise large rounds without going to American investors. They said Europe remains a good place to start a space company but that there needed to be reforms similar to those in India and Japan to promote the industry's growth. Executives also cited concerns with the EU Space Act, noting that while they approved of the goal of creating a single market for space in Europe, the approach the draft law uses could slow the industry down. (5/27)
SpaceX Launches Tuesday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched Starlink satellites Tuesday night from California. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 10:50 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, putting 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the second Starlink mission in as many days for SpaceX, after a Falcon 9 launch Monday morning from Florida. (5/27)
Trump Administration Pushes Governmentwide NDA for Federal Employees (Source: FNN)
Federal employees may soon have to sign strict non-disclosure agreements, according to a new governmentwide proposal from the Trump administration. The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday released plans to create a standardized NDA for all federal employees, in an attempt to stop government documents from being leaked to the press or otherwise made public.
The NDA applies to federal information including, but not limited to, “internal agency operations, personnel matters, procurement processes or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law,” OPM said. (5/26)
China Launches Experimental Comsat on Long March 7 (Source: CGTN)
China launched an experimental communications satellite Tuesday. A Long March 7 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport. It placed into orbit what Chinese media described as a satellite built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology to test multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technologies. (5/27)
European Military Space Spending Could Boost Industry Growth (Source: Space News)
Increased spending by European militaries on space can help companies but only if it's done quickly. Speaking at SmallSat Europe on Tuesday, Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Portuguese space domain awareness startup Neuraspace, said that while European militaries are planning tens of billions of euros of new spending on space, those agencies are not known for working quickly. That could make it difficult for startups, who have limited cash runways, from taking advantage of that spending: "You either feed innovation quickly, or innovation will perish." (5/27)
SpaceX Allegedly Seeks Major Increase in DoD Price for Connectivity (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX allegedly pushed the Pentagon to pay more for satellite connectivity during the ongoing conflict with Iran. According to a report, SpaceX sought a five-fold increase in the price of satellite terminals used on Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones, which are used as munitions. SpaceX CEO denied the report on social media but also said that the manufacturer of the drone erred in placing conventional Starlink terminals on the LUCAS drones rather than the military-grade Starshield alternative, as it is a violation of the Starlink terms of service to use the commercial system for military applications. (5/27)
NASA Aims to Understand Characteristics of Potential Lunar Base Sites, Establish a Perimeter (Source: Ars Technica)
One theme of Tuesday’s news conference was the reality that, decades after humanity’s first visits to the Moon, there remains much we do not know about conditions on the lunar surface. To that end, one of the central elements of the early Moon Base program is the development of the MoonFall program, which will entail three or four drones each about 1 meter tall, with a mass of 225 kg, including propellant.
These drones will perform a number of functions, including scouting for water ice in permanently shadowed regions, identifying areas of scientific interest, and providing detailed information about landing sites, including soil mechanics, lighting conditions, and the terrain. At the end of their flying lifetime, the drones would then be used to set a boundary for the Moon Base. (5/26)
NASA Science Cut Would Hit Colorado Universities and Aerospace Sector (Source: Colorado Newsline)
A congressional panel has voted to advance a spending bill that funds NASA, rejecting the White House’s proposal to cut the agency nearly in half but still imposing a significant reduction on the science programs that underpin Colorado’s aerospace economy and university research base. The state has more than 2,000 aerospace businesses, more than 55,000 direct aerospace employees and more than 184,000 indirect employees tied to the sector.
Bob Cone, chief operating officer of Westminster-based Advanced Space, said Colorado’s aerospace footprint is unusually concentrated along the Front Range. He argued that industry needs both human spaceflight and robotic exploration, even though those programs compete for attention and dollars.
Massimo Ruzzene, University of Colorado Boulder’s vice chancellor for research and innovation, said the proposed science cuts would reach active university missions and future opportunities. “It would mean the inability of CU Boulder to maintain critical missions that we have that are funded by NASA,” Ruzzene said, naming the Parker Solar Probe, Europa Clipper, and the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe among missions connected to the university. “And then we wouldn’t be able to propose new missions or participate in new missions.” (5/25)
Firefly Aerospace Wins Contract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $75 million subcontract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole in support of the agency’s MoonFall mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028. MoonFall is part of the first phase of NASA’s Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole. (5/26)
NASA Plans Three Lunar Lander Missions in 2026 (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has announced the first three Moon Base missions to begin building sustained operations. Moon Base I, targeted for launch in fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads. Moon Base II, planned for launch later this year, will deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, including Astrolab’s FLIP rover.
Moon Base III, also targeted for this year, will fly the first payload selected through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon initiative. Its anchor investigation, Lunar Vertex, will fly on Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Trinity lunar lander. These missions are the first of more than a dozen missions that will be announced this year, each designed to generate operational data and reduce risk ahead of crewed Artemis surface activities. (5/26)
NASA Selects Astrolab, Lunar Outpost for Crewed Lunar Rovers (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has selected Venturi Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to supply crewed lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs) for the space agency’s Artemis program that aims to return astronauts to the Moon’s surface in 2028. NASA officials said each company will receive approximately $220 million to supply the LTVs. A pair of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 landers will deliver the vehicles to the lunar surface. Blue Origin will receive $234 million for each delivery mission.
Astrolab has teamed with Axiom Space, Interlune and Odyssey Space Research to develop the LTV. The company said it expects to have its LTV deployed on the Moon by 2028. The company’s contract is valued at approximately $219 million.Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1) is designed to transport astronauts and their supplies across the lunar surface. The rover will be capable of being operated remotely.
Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus LTV is designed to support site exploration, science operations, resource prospecting, and surface site preparation. The vehicle will be capable of manual, autonomous, or teleoperated operations on the surface at speeds more than 14.5 km/h. Lunar Outpost has teamed with General Motors (GM), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and Leidos to develop the Pegasus LTV. (5/26)
Are We Ignoring Signs of Alien Life? (Source: Connect Sci)
Astronomers admit in a new study that they may be missing signs of extraterrestrial life on other planets. The research suggests that there may be many “false-negative” determinations of whether alien life is present on a planet or moon being studied and that space exploration missions and projects might have to be redesigned.
“We should be aware of these false-negative results,” says lead author Inge Loes ten Kate, professor in astrobiology at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “It means there are shortcomings in recognising the existence of life. These shortcomings are not yet high on the research agenda.” (5/23)
Blue Origin Cleared for Next Launch Within Weeks (Source: WFTV)
Blue Origin is preparing for its return to flight after the FAA signed off on the company’s investigation and corrective actions tied to last month’s New Glenn mission failure, which failed to place a broadband satellite into the correct orbit. Space analyst Dr. Ken Kremer told us the company could be back on the pad in a matter of weeks. He said, “It’s possible they could launch in the next week or two or three,” Kremer said. “They’ve got the first stage ready in their hangar, and they want to roll it out to the launch pad and do a hot fire test that’s upcoming at some point soon.”
Kremer says getting New Glenn back online is critical not just for commercial satellite launches, but also for NASA’s long-term Artemis program and future lunar missions. (5/25)
Virgin Galactic Space Flight Start Stays on Track (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic said it’s on track to start commercial flights toward the end of this year. CEO Michael Colglazier said testing of new spaceship would start in the third quarter with spaceflights beginning in the last three months of the year. “We provided our roughly 650 founding astronauts -- who make up roughly a year’s worth of advanced bookings -- with expected flight windows in 2027 and early 2028,” Colglazier said. (5/25)
In ‘For All Mankind,’ America Wins by Losing (Source: New York Times)
When science-fiction worlds are portrayed on TV, the stories usually revolve around a society whose technology is incomprehensibly advanced, or a wasteland where some weather or zombie apocalypse has destroyed modern civilization. “For All Mankind” forgoes both scenarios. The current season of this space drama is set largely on Mars. The creators say this alternate world could have been possible if the nation had stayed focused on the stars [after Apollo].
“We very purposefully leaned into the idea of, What if America lost?” Wolpert said, in a joint interview with Nedivi. “And by losing, we all wound up winning?” The drama shows viewers how after the initial moon loss the space race remains front and center in the national consciousness. Even as ships explode, nations clash and heroes die, there is a tangible optimism about the future and a conviction that humanity is better off when it pushes farther together. (5/25)
Starlink Revives GPS Function, But Only for Priority Plans (Source: PC Mag)
It looks like SpaceX is backing off from completely removing a little-known Starlink function that can be used for GPS-style location tracking. The company will retain the feature, but only for customers on its business-focused Priority plans, according to an email sent to Jonathan Pitts, a Starlink provider for businesses. (5/26)
Musk Accuses Trump Admin of Using Starlink for Military Purposes (Source: Newsweek)
Starlink owner Elon Musk on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of breaching the agreement his company has with the Pentagon amid reports of disputes over charges. Musk took to his X social media platform to accuse the Department of Defense (DOD) of violating the terms of service for using Starlink at a time when the U.S. military is relying more and more on external companies and products, specifically those belonging to the billionaire. (5/26)
The National Space Society will honor Keith Cowing at its 44th annual International Space Development Conference on June 4-7, 2026. Cowing will receive the NSS’s Space Pioneer Award for excellence in mass media. Cowing is the editor of NASAWatch.com, a news source and watchdog for U.S. space efforts, and Astrobiology.com. He is a former NASA space biologist and International Space Station payload manager. (5/26)
Space Force Supports Rescue of Plane Crash Off Florida/Bahamas Coast (Source: SLD-45)
Space Launch Delta 45 Airmen and Guardians at Patrick Space Force Base played a key role in the rapid rescue of 11 Bahamian adults who survived the ditching of a Beechcraft King Air twin-engine turboprop aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean on May 12. The operation showcased seamless collaboration among U.S. military services, federal agencies and local partners. It highlighted how Space Force infrastructure and training for domestic emergencies save lives.
An emergency locator transmitter aboard the aircraft activated after engine failure during a flight from Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, to Freeport. The signal reached the international Cospas-Sarsat system, which relies on critical space-based assets. U.S. Space Force satellites, including those supported by launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, helped relay the distress alert swiftly. Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center received the initial notification and alerted the U.S. Coast Guard. (5/21)
US Plans to Significantly Reduce NATO Military Support (Source: The Independent)
The US plans to reduce its military support to NATO during crises, cutting fighter jets, warships and bombers. Envoy Alexander Velez-Green briefed NATO officials on the changes, which would require Europe to provide more of its own military assets. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the US cannot be everywhere at once and that the alliance is discussing how to manage multiple threats. (5/26)
SpaceX Wins $2.29B to Speed Space Force’s LEO Communications ‘Backbone’ (Source: Space News)
SpaceX won a Space Force contract worth nearly $2.3 billion for a military satellite data network. The $2.29 billion award, announced Tuesday, is for the development of a network known as the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, previously known as MILNET. It will feature optically interconnected satellites that would transport military data through space rather than relying primarily on terrestrial relay networks or ground stations.
The Space Force said the SDN backbone will be integrated with the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer constellation, a separate low Earth orbit mesh network intended to provide military communications and data relay services. Military officials view the SDN as a foundational component of Golden Dome because it would allow missile-tracking satellites to rapidly transmit targeting data through orbital relay networks to command systems or interceptors with minimal delay. (5/27)
Starcloud Buying SpaceX Optical Terminals for Data Center Constellation (Source: Space News)
Orbital data center startup Starcloud is buying optical terminals from SpaceX. Starcloud said Tuesday it signed a contract for more than 50 Starlink Mini Lasers, enough to equip at least 25 satellites with two terminals each as part of a constellation that ultimately envisions 88,000 orbital data centers. The terminals would connect Starcloud satellites directly into Starlink's low Earth orbit mesh network, bypassing bandwidth-constrained ground stations. The company plans to use the links on spacecraft starting with Starcloud 2, a 450-kilogram spacecraft launching in January that is set to be the venture's first to run commercial cloud workloads. (5/27)
Voyager Wins $16.5 Million From DARPA for Solid Rocket Motor Thrust Control (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies won a DARPA contract to continue development of a solid rocket motor thrust-control technology. The $16.5 million contract announced Tuesday funds Phase 2 of DARPA's "Burn n' Go" program, an effort launched last year to develop what the agency describes as a "propellant-embedded control technology" that would give solid rocket motors tailorable, post-manufacturing thrust control. The 20-month contract will work to validate Voyager's technology through ground tests. (5/27)
Hermeus Cruises Beyond Supersonic Speed In U.S. Industry First (Source: Aviation Week)
High-speed aircraft maker Hermeus flew the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 demonstrator aircraft above supersonic speed for the first time, marking a first for a privately funded, uncrewed aircraft in the U.S. Hermeus is testing its aircraft at Spaceport America in New Mexico. (5/27)
European Companies Hopeful for Investor Interest After SpaceX IPO (Source: Space News)
Europe's space industry is closely watching SpaceX's IPO. Industry officials said they believed that the initial public offering could help attract investors into other space companies as those investors seek the next SpaceX-like company. The interest in the IPO has already driven up valuations of other space companies. However, one investor noted Europe's space industry is five to 10 years behind the U.S. in its development and still lacks the large-scale contracts that can provide the foundation for a company to go public. (5/27)
Regulatory and Capital Challenges Hamper European Space Growth (Source: Space News)
Regulations and access to capital remain challenges for European space companies today, though. Executives said it remains difficult for European space companies to raise large rounds without going to American investors. They said Europe remains a good place to start a space company but that there needed to be reforms similar to those in India and Japan to promote the industry's growth. Executives also cited concerns with the EU Space Act, noting that while they approved of the goal of creating a single market for space in Europe, the approach the draft law uses could slow the industry down. (5/27)
SpaceX Launches Tuesday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched Starlink satellites Tuesday night from California. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 10:50 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, putting 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the second Starlink mission in as many days for SpaceX, after a Falcon 9 launch Monday morning from Florida. (5/27)
Trump Administration Pushes Governmentwide NDA for Federal Employees (Source: FNN)
Federal employees may soon have to sign strict non-disclosure agreements, according to a new governmentwide proposal from the Trump administration. The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday released plans to create a standardized NDA for all federal employees, in an attempt to stop government documents from being leaked to the press or otherwise made public.
The NDA applies to federal information including, but not limited to, “internal agency operations, personnel matters, procurement processes or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law,” OPM said. (5/26)
China Launches Experimental Comsat on Long March 7 (Source: CGTN)
China launched an experimental communications satellite Tuesday. A Long March 7 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport. It placed into orbit what Chinese media described as a satellite built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology to test multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technologies. (5/27)
European Military Space Spending Could Boost Industry Growth (Source: Space News)
Increased spending by European militaries on space can help companies but only if it's done quickly. Speaking at SmallSat Europe on Tuesday, Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Portuguese space domain awareness startup Neuraspace, said that while European militaries are planning tens of billions of euros of new spending on space, those agencies are not known for working quickly. That could make it difficult for startups, who have limited cash runways, from taking advantage of that spending: "You either feed innovation quickly, or innovation will perish." (5/27)
SpaceX Allegedly Seeks Major Increase in DoD Price for Connectivity (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX allegedly pushed the Pentagon to pay more for satellite connectivity during the ongoing conflict with Iran. According to a report, SpaceX sought a five-fold increase in the price of satellite terminals used on Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones, which are used as munitions. SpaceX CEO denied the report on social media but also said that the manufacturer of the drone erred in placing conventional Starlink terminals on the LUCAS drones rather than the military-grade Starshield alternative, as it is a violation of the Starlink terms of service to use the commercial system for military applications. (5/27)
NASA Aims to Understand Characteristics of Potential Lunar Base Sites, Establish a Perimeter (Source: Ars Technica)
One theme of Tuesday’s news conference was the reality that, decades after humanity’s first visits to the Moon, there remains much we do not know about conditions on the lunar surface. To that end, one of the central elements of the early Moon Base program is the development of the MoonFall program, which will entail three or four drones each about 1 meter tall, with a mass of 225 kg, including propellant.
These drones will perform a number of functions, including scouting for water ice in permanently shadowed regions, identifying areas of scientific interest, and providing detailed information about landing sites, including soil mechanics, lighting conditions, and the terrain. At the end of their flying lifetime, the drones would then be used to set a boundary for the Moon Base. (5/26)
NASA Science Cut Would Hit Colorado Universities and Aerospace Sector (Source: Colorado Newsline)
A congressional panel has voted to advance a spending bill that funds NASA, rejecting the White House’s proposal to cut the agency nearly in half but still imposing a significant reduction on the science programs that underpin Colorado’s aerospace economy and university research base. The state has more than 2,000 aerospace businesses, more than 55,000 direct aerospace employees and more than 184,000 indirect employees tied to the sector.
Bob Cone, chief operating officer of Westminster-based Advanced Space, said Colorado’s aerospace footprint is unusually concentrated along the Front Range. He argued that industry needs both human spaceflight and robotic exploration, even though those programs compete for attention and dollars.
Massimo Ruzzene, University of Colorado Boulder’s vice chancellor for research and innovation, said the proposed science cuts would reach active university missions and future opportunities. “It would mean the inability of CU Boulder to maintain critical missions that we have that are funded by NASA,” Ruzzene said, naming the Parker Solar Probe, Europa Clipper, and the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe among missions connected to the university. “And then we wouldn’t be able to propose new missions or participate in new missions.” (5/25)
Firefly Aerospace Wins Contract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $75 million subcontract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole in support of the agency’s MoonFall mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028. MoonFall is part of the first phase of NASA’s Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole. (5/26)
NASA Plans Three Lunar Lander Missions in 2026 (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has announced the first three Moon Base missions to begin building sustained operations. Moon Base I, targeted for launch in fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads. Moon Base II, planned for launch later this year, will deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, including Astrolab’s FLIP rover.
Moon Base III, also targeted for this year, will fly the first payload selected through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon initiative. Its anchor investigation, Lunar Vertex, will fly on Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Trinity lunar lander. These missions are the first of more than a dozen missions that will be announced this year, each designed to generate operational data and reduce risk ahead of crewed Artemis surface activities. (5/26)
NASA Selects Astrolab, Lunar Outpost for Crewed Lunar Rovers (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has selected Venturi Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to supply crewed lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs) for the space agency’s Artemis program that aims to return astronauts to the Moon’s surface in 2028. NASA officials said each company will receive approximately $220 million to supply the LTVs. A pair of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 landers will deliver the vehicles to the lunar surface. Blue Origin will receive $234 million for each delivery mission.
Astrolab has teamed with Axiom Space, Interlune and Odyssey Space Research to develop the LTV. The company said it expects to have its LTV deployed on the Moon by 2028. The company’s contract is valued at approximately $219 million.Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1) is designed to transport astronauts and their supplies across the lunar surface. The rover will be capable of being operated remotely.
Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus LTV is designed to support site exploration, science operations, resource prospecting, and surface site preparation. The vehicle will be capable of manual, autonomous, or teleoperated operations on the surface at speeds more than 14.5 km/h. Lunar Outpost has teamed with General Motors (GM), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and Leidos to develop the Pegasus LTV. (5/26)
Are We Ignoring Signs of Alien Life? (Source: Connect Sci)
Astronomers admit in a new study that they may be missing signs of extraterrestrial life on other planets. The research suggests that there may be many “false-negative” determinations of whether alien life is present on a planet or moon being studied and that space exploration missions and projects might have to be redesigned.
“We should be aware of these false-negative results,” says lead author Inge Loes ten Kate, professor in astrobiology at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “It means there are shortcomings in recognising the existence of life. These shortcomings are not yet high on the research agenda.” (5/23)
Blue Origin Cleared for Next Launch Within Weeks (Source: WFTV)
Blue Origin is preparing for its return to flight after the FAA signed off on the company’s investigation and corrective actions tied to last month’s New Glenn mission failure, which failed to place a broadband satellite into the correct orbit. Space analyst Dr. Ken Kremer told us the company could be back on the pad in a matter of weeks. He said, “It’s possible they could launch in the next week or two or three,” Kremer said. “They’ve got the first stage ready in their hangar, and they want to roll it out to the launch pad and do a hot fire test that’s upcoming at some point soon.”
Kremer says getting New Glenn back online is critical not just for commercial satellite launches, but also for NASA’s long-term Artemis program and future lunar missions. (5/25)
Virgin Galactic Space Flight Start Stays on Track (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic said it’s on track to start commercial flights toward the end of this year. CEO Michael Colglazier said testing of new spaceship would start in the third quarter with spaceflights beginning in the last three months of the year. “We provided our roughly 650 founding astronauts -- who make up roughly a year’s worth of advanced bookings -- with expected flight windows in 2027 and early 2028,” Colglazier said. (5/25)
In ‘For All Mankind,’ America Wins by Losing (Source: New York Times)
When science-fiction worlds are portrayed on TV, the stories usually revolve around a society whose technology is incomprehensibly advanced, or a wasteland where some weather or zombie apocalypse has destroyed modern civilization. “For All Mankind” forgoes both scenarios. The current season of this space drama is set largely on Mars. The creators say this alternate world could have been possible if the nation had stayed focused on the stars [after Apollo].
“We very purposefully leaned into the idea of, What if America lost?” Wolpert said, in a joint interview with Nedivi. “And by losing, we all wound up winning?” The drama shows viewers how after the initial moon loss the space race remains front and center in the national consciousness. Even as ships explode, nations clash and heroes die, there is a tangible optimism about the future and a conviction that humanity is better off when it pushes farther together. (5/25)
Starlink Revives GPS Function, But Only for Priority Plans (Source: PC Mag)
It looks like SpaceX is backing off from completely removing a little-known Starlink function that can be used for GPS-style location tracking. The company will retain the feature, but only for customers on its business-focused Priority plans, according to an email sent to Jonathan Pitts, a Starlink provider for businesses. (5/26)
Musk Accuses Trump Admin of Using Starlink for Military Purposes (Source: Newsweek)
Starlink owner Elon Musk on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of breaching the agreement his company has with the Pentagon amid reports of disputes over charges. Musk took to his X social media platform to accuse the Department of Defense (DOD) of violating the terms of service for using Starlink at a time when the U.S. military is relying more and more on external companies and products, specifically those belonging to the billionaire. (5/26)
May 26, 2026
Fabian Passes at 87 (Source:
Collect Space)
Former NASA astronaut John Fabian has died. Fabian, part of the historic 35-member NASA astronaut class of 1978, flew on two shuttle missions, STS-7 in 1983 and STS-51G in 1985. He was the first to capture a satellite in orbit using the shuttle's Canadarm robotic arm on the STS-7 mission. He also served on the accident board the investigated the loss of the shuttle Challenger in 1986. He was 87. (5/26)
Ride Sally Ride (Source: Tropic Press)
It’s Sally Ride Day, celebrating the birth of the first American woman to fly into space. Since her pioneering launch aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, she has been followed by nearly 60 other women joining the more than 300 men who have “slipped the surly bonds of Earth.” Sally Ride would have turned 75 today had pancreatic cancer not claimed her a little more than a decade ago. (5/26)
NASA Readies Mission to Reverse the Swift Observatory’s Skyfall (Source: Aerospace America)
If left to its own devices, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will succumb to atmospheric drag and make a fiery reentry within months. NASA is aiming to prevent that, targeting June for the launch of a robotic spacecraft that is to autonomously rendezvous, capture and then boost Swift to a safe altitude. (5/26)
Stratolaunch Supports US Hypersonic Missile Defense Test With Talon-A3 Flight (Source: Aviation News Daily)
Stratolaunch has successfully supported a new US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) hypersonic flight test using its Talon-A3 test vehicle, launched from Mojave Air and Space Port aboard the company’s modified Boeing 747-400, marking another step in accelerating America’s hypersonic defense capabilities. (5/26)
UK Inaugurates New Space Domain Awareness Software Borealis (Source: Via Satellite)
A new space domain awareness (SDA) software for the U.K. government is now operational, six months ahead of schedule. The new software, called Borealis, improves tracking of satellites and space debris for the UK Ministry of Defense and the UK Space Agency. (5/26)
Starlink Could Compete with Terrestrial Wireless Networks (Source: Space News)
SpaceX's IPO documents show the company is planning to turn Starlink into a potential competitor for terrestrial wireless networks. The company's regulatory filing outlined how upgraded satellites and the spectrum it is acquiring from U.S.-based EchoStar would greatly improve services currently limited to messaging and light voice and data services, offering "the preferred connectivity experience" to customers regardless of location. That ambition contrasts with a more cautious view from telcos, including anchor mobile network operator partner T-Mobile, which provides the wireless spectrum Starlink Mobile satellites use to plug terrestrial coverage gaps across the United States. (5/26)
China's Mega Engine Tests Mega Engine (Source: Space News)
Chinese startup Mega Engine advanced its reusable staged-combustion rocket engine. A new Chinese commercial rocket engine startup has conducted a successful long-duration hot fire test of a closed-cycle kerosene-liquid oxygen engine. Xi’an-based Mega Engine Technology announced successful tests of its “Chi” engine in a Chinese social media post May 25, with a single engine accumulating 1,000 seconds of run time at rated conditions, with total program test accumulation reaching 2,000 seconds. (5/26)
Exolaunch and SEOPS Purchase Falcon 9 Missions for Rideshare (Source: Space News)
Two companies that help arrange rideshare launches of payloads are buying their own dedicated rideshare launches. Exolaunch announced Tuesday that it purchased two Falcon 9 launches for rideshare missions, called Exo-1 and -2, scheduled for late 2027 and 2028 respectively. SEOPS separately announced Tuesday it purchased a Falcon 9 launch for its Waymaker-1 rideshare mission in 2028. The companies said high demand for rideshare launches, like SpaceX's Transporter and Bandwagon missions prompted them to purchase their own rideshare launches. (5/26)
Orbit Fab and Thales Alenia Planning On-Orbit Refueling (Source: Space News)
Orbit Fab is partnering with Thales Alenia Space to study on-orbit refueling of satellites with electric propulsion systems. The companies said Tuesday they will explore integrating Orbit Fab's RAFTI refueling interface with electric propulsion systems developed by Thales Alenia Space, such as xenon-fueled Hall-effect thrusters, as part of a project supported by the U.K. Space Agency. RAFTI, short for Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface, is a docking and fuel-transfer port designed to allow satellites to connect with orbital fuel depots or servicing spacecraft for propellant replenishment. The project focuses on adapting the RAFTI interface for electric propulsion systems, an area of growing interest in Europe as operators seek ways to extend satellite lifetimes and support more maneuverable spacecraft. (5/26)
Atlantic Council Urges Clarity for Golden Dome (Source: Washington Times)
The Atlantic Council is urging the Pentagon and Congress to clarify the objectives of the Golden Dome missile defense initiative before debating its cost. The council notes a significant gap between the Congressional Budget Office's estimate of $1.2 trillion and the Pentagon's figure of $185 billion. "A clearly scoped, incrementally demonstrable program is achievable; a political deadline-driven moonshot risks becoming the most expensive procurement failure in American history," the council says in a report. (5/25)
Pentagon Spars with SpaceX Over Starlink Price Hike During Iran War (Source: Reuters)
As U.S. kamikaze drones guided by Elon Musk’s Starlink network began to make visible gains in the war against Iran, senior SpaceX officials reached a conclusion: The Pentagon should be paying more for access to their satellite Wi-Fi network. Within weeks of the United States launching its bombing campaign, SpaceX executives met Pentagon officials and argued the military had been paying about $5,000 for connection per terminal while effectively using a higher tier of service worth closer to $25,000. (5/26)
Italy’s Lunar Habitat Clears NASA System Requirements Review (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian Space Agency announced that its Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) module had been cleared by a NASA review board to progress toward a Preliminary Design Review in 2027. The first MPH module is expected to launch in 2033. When NASA “paused” development of the lunar Gateway space station and shifted its focus to building a base on the Moon’s surface, Italy’s MPH modules were identified as a key element of the initiative. (5/26)
Starlink and Amazon May Be Able to Buy Into EU Mobile Satellite Spectrum Plan (Source: Reuters)
Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's (AMZN.O), opens new tab low-earth-orbit satellite business may be able to acquire some European mobile satellite spectrum next year, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. But they said two-thirds of the satellite spectrum that allows mobile devices and vehicles to communicate seamlessly even in remote locations, would be reserved for European companies. (5/26)
DoD Wants More Test Ranges for Contested Environments (Source: Breaking Defense)
The heads of US Special Operations Command and US Southern Command this week hit on a common need that each said they need to be ready for modern combat threats: more leeway to use test ranges that simulate contested environments. “We have to develop ranges and places where we can test and evaluate, rehearse those highly choreographed maneuvers and projections in these new, contested environments. That’s not easy to do,” said SOCOM Commander Adm. Frank Bradley.
“The FAA here in the United States controls the altitudes at which drones can fly, even over our military bases and ranges, and so we have to find places where these kind of more sophisticated projections of force can be rehearsed and can be tested and tried,” he said. Tension between the military and the FAA are hardly new, and the Pentagon has said it is working with its federal agency partner to extend US bases more leeway, at least when it comes to base defense. (5/21)
DARPA Readies Robotic Deep-Space Repair Satellite for 2026 Launch (Source: Space.com)
DARPA's long-delayed Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellite (RSGS) demonstrator is slated to launch as soon as this summer, the U.S. military's research and development group stated in a statement on Wednesday (May 20). And as the name suggests, robots will form an integral part of the spacecraft's work. The heart of the mission will be a "highly dexterous robotic servicing suite", DARPA stated, that should be able to jump in on several critical tasks to help satellites needing a boost: "on-orbit upgrades, inspections, anomaly resolution, and satellite relocation." (5/25)
Northern Norway is Ready to Launch. EU Space Regulation — and its New Arctic Policy – is Not (Source: Space News)
The European Commission is currently updating its Arctic policy, with a new policy statement expected this coming autumn. Unlike the latest policy from 2021, the update will place greater emphasis on security, defense and connectivity. These additions matter. But there is a risk that Brussels will articulate an ambitious Arctic policy while overlooking one of Europe’s most significant strategic assets: Andøya Spaceport in Northern Norway. The barrier preventing Andøya from becoming a standard part of Europe’s launch infrastructure is not technical, but political. (5/25)
Redwire Delivers Argonaut Robotic Arm Prototype (Source: European Spaceflight)
US-based space technology company Redwire has delivered an initial prototype of a robotic arm that could be used aboard the European Space Agency’s Argonaut lunar lander. The announcement comes as ESA has opened a call for proposals to demonstrate a similar system aboard the lander’s inaugural mission, which is expected to launch in 2030.
In early 2024, ESA awarded contracts to Redwire and Poland’s PIAP Space to deliver an initial prototype of the Manipulator for Argonaut Payload Needs and Unloading Support (MANUS) system, a multi-use robotic arm for its future lunar lander platform. Redwire explained in 2024 that, under the contract, the company would build an initial prototype of the robotic arm to validate the system’s core features. It also stated that the company would then be able to “compete for a follow-on contract.”
The Argonaut 1 Moon Robotic Payload Mission call has a maximum budget of €68 million. Its geo-return targets, which ensure companies from member states receive contracts roughly proportional to their states’ contributions to a particular program, favor work in Germany, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, and Poland. Germany is allocated the largest potential share, ranging from 35% to 60% of the contract value. (5/25)
Germany’s New Telescope System for LEO and GEO Space Surveillance Nears Completion (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Germany’s advanced dual-telescope system in Meßstetten has passed its site acceptance testing and entered trial operations. Developed to monitor orbital activity from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), it significantly boosts Germany's sovereign space surveillance and collision avoidance capabilities. (5/25)
SpaceX Launches Starlink 10-47 Mission From Cape Canaveral (Source: Florida Today)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Memorial Day, May 25, carrying 29 Starlink satellites. With this one there have been 35 orbital launches from the spaceport so far in 2026. (5/25)
Former NASA astronaut John Fabian has died. Fabian, part of the historic 35-member NASA astronaut class of 1978, flew on two shuttle missions, STS-7 in 1983 and STS-51G in 1985. He was the first to capture a satellite in orbit using the shuttle's Canadarm robotic arm on the STS-7 mission. He also served on the accident board the investigated the loss of the shuttle Challenger in 1986. He was 87. (5/26)
Ride Sally Ride (Source: Tropic Press)
It’s Sally Ride Day, celebrating the birth of the first American woman to fly into space. Since her pioneering launch aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, she has been followed by nearly 60 other women joining the more than 300 men who have “slipped the surly bonds of Earth.” Sally Ride would have turned 75 today had pancreatic cancer not claimed her a little more than a decade ago. (5/26)
NASA Readies Mission to Reverse the Swift Observatory’s Skyfall (Source: Aerospace America)
If left to its own devices, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory will succumb to atmospheric drag and make a fiery reentry within months. NASA is aiming to prevent that, targeting June for the launch of a robotic spacecraft that is to autonomously rendezvous, capture and then boost Swift to a safe altitude. (5/26)
Stratolaunch Supports US Hypersonic Missile Defense Test With Talon-A3 Flight (Source: Aviation News Daily)
Stratolaunch has successfully supported a new US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) hypersonic flight test using its Talon-A3 test vehicle, launched from Mojave Air and Space Port aboard the company’s modified Boeing 747-400, marking another step in accelerating America’s hypersonic defense capabilities. (5/26)
UK Inaugurates New Space Domain Awareness Software Borealis (Source: Via Satellite)
A new space domain awareness (SDA) software for the U.K. government is now operational, six months ahead of schedule. The new software, called Borealis, improves tracking of satellites and space debris for the UK Ministry of Defense and the UK Space Agency. (5/26)
Starlink Could Compete with Terrestrial Wireless Networks (Source: Space News)
SpaceX's IPO documents show the company is planning to turn Starlink into a potential competitor for terrestrial wireless networks. The company's regulatory filing outlined how upgraded satellites and the spectrum it is acquiring from U.S.-based EchoStar would greatly improve services currently limited to messaging and light voice and data services, offering "the preferred connectivity experience" to customers regardless of location. That ambition contrasts with a more cautious view from telcos, including anchor mobile network operator partner T-Mobile, which provides the wireless spectrum Starlink Mobile satellites use to plug terrestrial coverage gaps across the United States. (5/26)
China's Mega Engine Tests Mega Engine (Source: Space News)
Chinese startup Mega Engine advanced its reusable staged-combustion rocket engine. A new Chinese commercial rocket engine startup has conducted a successful long-duration hot fire test of a closed-cycle kerosene-liquid oxygen engine. Xi’an-based Mega Engine Technology announced successful tests of its “Chi” engine in a Chinese social media post May 25, with a single engine accumulating 1,000 seconds of run time at rated conditions, with total program test accumulation reaching 2,000 seconds. (5/26)
Exolaunch and SEOPS Purchase Falcon 9 Missions for Rideshare (Source: Space News)
Two companies that help arrange rideshare launches of payloads are buying their own dedicated rideshare launches. Exolaunch announced Tuesday that it purchased two Falcon 9 launches for rideshare missions, called Exo-1 and -2, scheduled for late 2027 and 2028 respectively. SEOPS separately announced Tuesday it purchased a Falcon 9 launch for its Waymaker-1 rideshare mission in 2028. The companies said high demand for rideshare launches, like SpaceX's Transporter and Bandwagon missions prompted them to purchase their own rideshare launches. (5/26)
Orbit Fab and Thales Alenia Planning On-Orbit Refueling (Source: Space News)
Orbit Fab is partnering with Thales Alenia Space to study on-orbit refueling of satellites with electric propulsion systems. The companies said Tuesday they will explore integrating Orbit Fab's RAFTI refueling interface with electric propulsion systems developed by Thales Alenia Space, such as xenon-fueled Hall-effect thrusters, as part of a project supported by the U.K. Space Agency. RAFTI, short for Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface, is a docking and fuel-transfer port designed to allow satellites to connect with orbital fuel depots or servicing spacecraft for propellant replenishment. The project focuses on adapting the RAFTI interface for electric propulsion systems, an area of growing interest in Europe as operators seek ways to extend satellite lifetimes and support more maneuverable spacecraft. (5/26)
Atlantic Council Urges Clarity for Golden Dome (Source: Washington Times)
The Atlantic Council is urging the Pentagon and Congress to clarify the objectives of the Golden Dome missile defense initiative before debating its cost. The council notes a significant gap between the Congressional Budget Office's estimate of $1.2 trillion and the Pentagon's figure of $185 billion. "A clearly scoped, incrementally demonstrable program is achievable; a political deadline-driven moonshot risks becoming the most expensive procurement failure in American history," the council says in a report. (5/25)
Pentagon Spars with SpaceX Over Starlink Price Hike During Iran War (Source: Reuters)
As U.S. kamikaze drones guided by Elon Musk’s Starlink network began to make visible gains in the war against Iran, senior SpaceX officials reached a conclusion: The Pentagon should be paying more for access to their satellite Wi-Fi network. Within weeks of the United States launching its bombing campaign, SpaceX executives met Pentagon officials and argued the military had been paying about $5,000 for connection per terminal while effectively using a higher tier of service worth closer to $25,000. (5/26)
Italy’s Lunar Habitat Clears NASA System Requirements Review (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian Space Agency announced that its Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) module had been cleared by a NASA review board to progress toward a Preliminary Design Review in 2027. The first MPH module is expected to launch in 2033. When NASA “paused” development of the lunar Gateway space station and shifted its focus to building a base on the Moon’s surface, Italy’s MPH modules were identified as a key element of the initiative. (5/26)
Starlink and Amazon May Be Able to Buy Into EU Mobile Satellite Spectrum Plan (Source: Reuters)
Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's (AMZN.O), opens new tab low-earth-orbit satellite business may be able to acquire some European mobile satellite spectrum next year, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. But they said two-thirds of the satellite spectrum that allows mobile devices and vehicles to communicate seamlessly even in remote locations, would be reserved for European companies. (5/26)
DoD Wants More Test Ranges for Contested Environments (Source: Breaking Defense)
The heads of US Special Operations Command and US Southern Command this week hit on a common need that each said they need to be ready for modern combat threats: more leeway to use test ranges that simulate contested environments. “We have to develop ranges and places where we can test and evaluate, rehearse those highly choreographed maneuvers and projections in these new, contested environments. That’s not easy to do,” said SOCOM Commander Adm. Frank Bradley.
“The FAA here in the United States controls the altitudes at which drones can fly, even over our military bases and ranges, and so we have to find places where these kind of more sophisticated projections of force can be rehearsed and can be tested and tried,” he said. Tension between the military and the FAA are hardly new, and the Pentagon has said it is working with its federal agency partner to extend US bases more leeway, at least when it comes to base defense. (5/21)
DARPA Readies Robotic Deep-Space Repair Satellite for 2026 Launch (Source: Space.com)
DARPA's long-delayed Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellite (RSGS) demonstrator is slated to launch as soon as this summer, the U.S. military's research and development group stated in a statement on Wednesday (May 20). And as the name suggests, robots will form an integral part of the spacecraft's work. The heart of the mission will be a "highly dexterous robotic servicing suite", DARPA stated, that should be able to jump in on several critical tasks to help satellites needing a boost: "on-orbit upgrades, inspections, anomaly resolution, and satellite relocation." (5/25)
Northern Norway is Ready to Launch. EU Space Regulation — and its New Arctic Policy – is Not (Source: Space News)
The European Commission is currently updating its Arctic policy, with a new policy statement expected this coming autumn. Unlike the latest policy from 2021, the update will place greater emphasis on security, defense and connectivity. These additions matter. But there is a risk that Brussels will articulate an ambitious Arctic policy while overlooking one of Europe’s most significant strategic assets: Andøya Spaceport in Northern Norway. The barrier preventing Andøya from becoming a standard part of Europe’s launch infrastructure is not technical, but political. (5/25)
Redwire Delivers Argonaut Robotic Arm Prototype (Source: European Spaceflight)
US-based space technology company Redwire has delivered an initial prototype of a robotic arm that could be used aboard the European Space Agency’s Argonaut lunar lander. The announcement comes as ESA has opened a call for proposals to demonstrate a similar system aboard the lander’s inaugural mission, which is expected to launch in 2030.
In early 2024, ESA awarded contracts to Redwire and Poland’s PIAP Space to deliver an initial prototype of the Manipulator for Argonaut Payload Needs and Unloading Support (MANUS) system, a multi-use robotic arm for its future lunar lander platform. Redwire explained in 2024 that, under the contract, the company would build an initial prototype of the robotic arm to validate the system’s core features. It also stated that the company would then be able to “compete for a follow-on contract.”
The Argonaut 1 Moon Robotic Payload Mission call has a maximum budget of €68 million. Its geo-return targets, which ensure companies from member states receive contracts roughly proportional to their states’ contributions to a particular program, favor work in Germany, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Spain, and Poland. Germany is allocated the largest potential share, ranging from 35% to 60% of the contract value. (5/25)
Germany’s New Telescope System for LEO and GEO Space Surveillance Nears Completion (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Germany’s advanced dual-telescope system in Meßstetten has passed its site acceptance testing and entered trial operations. Developed to monitor orbital activity from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), it significantly boosts Germany's sovereign space surveillance and collision avoidance capabilities. (5/25)
SpaceX Launches Starlink 10-47 Mission From Cape Canaveral (Source: Florida Today)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Memorial Day, May 25, carrying 29 Starlink satellites. With this one there have been 35 orbital launches from the spaceport so far in 2026. (5/25)
May 25, 2026
China Launches Shenzhou 23 Spacecraft
with 1 of 3 Astronauts set for Yearlong Stay (Source: AP)
China launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft Sunday night with three astronauts heading to its space station, including one set to stay in space for a year. The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The much-anticipated launch comes as China prepares for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030. (5/24)
Very Low-Earth Orbit Could Help U.S. Space Force in a Conflict Scenario (Source: Aerospace America)
Deploying satellites below 250 kilometers in altitude could help the Space Force create “a resilient and survivable architecture,” the service’s deputy chief science said Wednesday. "The ability to preposition and launch quickly a proliferated architecture of intentionally throwaway systems in 30, 60, 90 days, that might be all that we need for a conflict.... There’s some resiliency and survivability about vLEO that doesn’t exist in other orbits.”
DARPA considers vLEO to be between 90 km and 450 km, but there is no widely agreed-upon definition of this orbital regime. The Space Force is also looking into vLEO’s “potential for better imagery and lower latency” communications, Bussey said. The service’s Concepts and Technology Center “has this on their plate” for fiscal year 2027. “They’re hoping to do a vLEO concept.” (5/21)
Are We Pilots or Are We Passengers? (Source: ESA)
Recent changes to the Artemis architecture by the United States signal a rapidly shifting landscape in human space exploration. Decisions to pause Gateway and cancel Mars Sample Return disrupt Europe’s lunar exploration plans, underscoring a broader reality: Europe has become too exposed to decisions beyond its control.
Europe must decide whether it prefers to be dependent on others to send its explorers into space or to assume its role as a fully capable space power. As the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), I am convinced that autonomous human spaceflight is not a luxury. It is a necessary anchor for Europe to secure its freedom to unlock the scientific, economic, strategic and geopolitical benefits of space and to inspire a new generation to shape Europe’s future.
Through ESA’s Explore2040, Member States have already agreed on a cohesive exploration strategy, laying the foundations for Europe’s own human and robotic spaceflight capability. Yet, political decisions have always fallen short of pursuing full autonomy in human exploration – a hesitation which has had lasting consequences. To reconcile this, we now need the political will to adjust and accelerate the roadmap. (5/18)
Will They Come If We Build It? Town Hall Calls for U.S. to Approach Lunar Development Like Real Estate Projects on Earth (Source: Aerospace America)
As the United States confronts its great power competition with China to the moon, NASA and policy and commercial space experts shared current thinking on how to accelerate developing the lunar environment — and why it matters. Peter Garretson of the American Foreign Policy Council summarized China’s ambition “to build a $10 trillion a year moon‑earth economic zone by 2050 and to industrialize the moon.”
Charles Miller, a longtime space entrepreneur and policy strategist, predicted that whoever dominates commercial space industries and resources will become the preeminent military space power — and thus dominate Earth. He draws an analogy to maritime history, where Britain and then the United States became dominant military powers by first becoming dominant commercial maritime powers. The goal, he explained, is to create a stable governance framework that can cut through political and regulatory uncertainty, give companies clear mining and usage rights, and unlock private capital to build out lunar infrastructure.
Miller said a shared authority would invite U.S. allies and partners to work together and coordinate long-term development of a scalable industrial hub capable of supporting mining, manufacturing, and permanent human presence. A proposed Lunar Innovation Park must support tightly co‑located landings — as close as 20 meters apart, delivering vertical solar arrays, the IPEX and later CPEX excavation platforms, energy storage, and ultimately ARMADAS self‑assembling structures and buried shelters. Over time, excavation robots would build berms and pads, enabling reusable launch/landing sites and a local power grid. (5/21)
ISS National Lab Provides Fresh Lens on Aging and Health, Sparking Space Medicine Programs Nationwide (Source: Aerospace America)
The biological research onboard the ISS over the last 26 years hasn’t only benefited astronauts; it’s driven new understanding of human health on the ground. “There are things we can learn by exposure of biology to the space environment that inform us about new cures, new therapies, and new ways to approach aging and disease here on Earth,” said Michael Roberts.
Roberts said the ISS has inspired medical researchers and biologists to use microgravity as a platform for cures on Earth. At Cedars Sinai, stem cell biologist Arun Sharma founded the Center for Space Medicine Research a decade ago to push regenerative medicine into orbit. Sharma is best known for leading a first-of-its-kind space experiment – sending human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) to the ISS – that became “the first long duration cell culture experiment in space” and set the tone for a program now centered on stem cell biomanufacturing in space. His team studied how microgravity affects human heart function over time. (5/21)
Varda CEO Foresees Space-Based Medicine Moving from Research Novelty to Manufacturing Mainstream (Source: Aerospace America)
Fresh off the reentry of its sixth vehicle over Australia and a newly announced commercial partnership with United Therapeutics, Varda Space Industries is positioning itself as a bridge between orbital research and real-world medicine, CEO and Co-founder Will Bruey said. Bruey said the United deal shows that pharmaceutical companies are starting to treat microgravity as a practical manufacturing tool rather than a research novelty. (5/21)
Uh-oh, the International Space Station is Leaking Again (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA confirmed Thursday that the Russian segment of the International Space Station has begun leaking atmosphere into space again. It’s an old problem that NASA recently hoped was resolved. For more than half a decade, engineers from Roscosmos and NASA have been tracking the leak rate from a small Russian module attached to the space station that leads to a docking port. The source of these leaks, microscopic structural cracks, have been difficult to find and address. (5/21)
Military Boots on the Moon Needed to Beat ‘Belligerent’ China (Source: Breaking Defense)
The US should begin preparing now to put boots on the moon in order to beat China to domination of outer space, argues a provocative new policy paper by the Mitchell Institute. The paper thus advocates for the US to overturn nearly 70 years of a consistent national space policy that separates NASA’s civil space program from military space activities under Title 10, as well as Washington’s almost 60-year stance as a champion of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) that prohibits territorial claims and military occupation of the moon.
Entitled “Military Human Spaceflight: A Key Component to U.S. Space Superiority,” the paper is premised on twin assumptions. First, that lunar resources and territory are a critical first step to the future habitation of space, and as such are vital to US national security. And second, that Beijing’s lunar research program is a guise for using its military to occupy the moon as an “extension” its “belligerent” earthly ambitions to extend China’s territory. (5/21)
Rocket Lab's SpaceX Moment Has Arrived (Source: Seeking Alpha)
Rocket Lab (RKLB) is transitioning into a vertically integrated space infrastructure platform providing launch services, defense systems, satellite manufacturing, propulsion technology, optical communications and in the longer term, space services. The SpaceX IPO filing shows us that ecosystems, not launch, have been creating superior economics all along. Having a $2.2 billion backlog, growing exposure to defense, five Neutron launches contracted out pre-first flight and rapidly scaling Space Systems revenues make Rocket Lab the only credible public space company poised to benefit from space infrastructure. (5/22)
Stoke Space: The New Rocket Company in Town (Source: MyNews 13)
Space Launch Complex 14. The last time it was used, it was 1966. It sent up the crewed Gemini 12 mission, the last one for the Gemini program. Four years earlier, the historic pad sent up the Friendship 7 mission, making John Glenn the first American to orbit our Earth. Now, 60 years after the Gemini 12 mission, Stoke Space plans to send up its Nova rocket. Click here. (5/20)
Dassault Falcon Jet Joins Florida Tech’s Vertex as Newest Business-in-Residence (Source: FIT)
Dassault Falcon Jet is the newest Business-in-Residence at Florida Tech’s Vertex Applied Innovation Hub. Alongside other visionary companies in the Business-in-Residence (BIR) program, including Larsen Motorsports, SafeSky Systems USA and Zeal OTM, Dassault Falcon Jet is now part of Vertex’s impactful ecosystem. That means access to the facility’s advanced equipment and spaces as well as opportunities for expert collaboration, all in the realm of one of the country’s leading STEM universities. (5/12)
China launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft Sunday night with three astronauts heading to its space station, including one set to stay in space for a year. The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The much-anticipated launch comes as China prepares for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030. (5/24)
Very Low-Earth Orbit Could Help U.S. Space Force in a Conflict Scenario (Source: Aerospace America)
Deploying satellites below 250 kilometers in altitude could help the Space Force create “a resilient and survivable architecture,” the service’s deputy chief science said Wednesday. "The ability to preposition and launch quickly a proliferated architecture of intentionally throwaway systems in 30, 60, 90 days, that might be all that we need for a conflict.... There’s some resiliency and survivability about vLEO that doesn’t exist in other orbits.”
DARPA considers vLEO to be between 90 km and 450 km, but there is no widely agreed-upon definition of this orbital regime. The Space Force is also looking into vLEO’s “potential for better imagery and lower latency” communications, Bussey said. The service’s Concepts and Technology Center “has this on their plate” for fiscal year 2027. “They’re hoping to do a vLEO concept.” (5/21)
Are We Pilots or Are We Passengers? (Source: ESA)
Recent changes to the Artemis architecture by the United States signal a rapidly shifting landscape in human space exploration. Decisions to pause Gateway and cancel Mars Sample Return disrupt Europe’s lunar exploration plans, underscoring a broader reality: Europe has become too exposed to decisions beyond its control.
Europe must decide whether it prefers to be dependent on others to send its explorers into space or to assume its role as a fully capable space power. As the head of the European Space Agency (ESA), I am convinced that autonomous human spaceflight is not a luxury. It is a necessary anchor for Europe to secure its freedom to unlock the scientific, economic, strategic and geopolitical benefits of space and to inspire a new generation to shape Europe’s future.
Through ESA’s Explore2040, Member States have already agreed on a cohesive exploration strategy, laying the foundations for Europe’s own human and robotic spaceflight capability. Yet, political decisions have always fallen short of pursuing full autonomy in human exploration – a hesitation which has had lasting consequences. To reconcile this, we now need the political will to adjust and accelerate the roadmap. (5/18)
Will They Come If We Build It? Town Hall Calls for U.S. to Approach Lunar Development Like Real Estate Projects on Earth (Source: Aerospace America)
As the United States confronts its great power competition with China to the moon, NASA and policy and commercial space experts shared current thinking on how to accelerate developing the lunar environment — and why it matters. Peter Garretson of the American Foreign Policy Council summarized China’s ambition “to build a $10 trillion a year moon‑earth economic zone by 2050 and to industrialize the moon.”
Charles Miller, a longtime space entrepreneur and policy strategist, predicted that whoever dominates commercial space industries and resources will become the preeminent military space power — and thus dominate Earth. He draws an analogy to maritime history, where Britain and then the United States became dominant military powers by first becoming dominant commercial maritime powers. The goal, he explained, is to create a stable governance framework that can cut through political and regulatory uncertainty, give companies clear mining and usage rights, and unlock private capital to build out lunar infrastructure.
Miller said a shared authority would invite U.S. allies and partners to work together and coordinate long-term development of a scalable industrial hub capable of supporting mining, manufacturing, and permanent human presence. A proposed Lunar Innovation Park must support tightly co‑located landings — as close as 20 meters apart, delivering vertical solar arrays, the IPEX and later CPEX excavation platforms, energy storage, and ultimately ARMADAS self‑assembling structures and buried shelters. Over time, excavation robots would build berms and pads, enabling reusable launch/landing sites and a local power grid. (5/21)
ISS National Lab Provides Fresh Lens on Aging and Health, Sparking Space Medicine Programs Nationwide (Source: Aerospace America)
The biological research onboard the ISS over the last 26 years hasn’t only benefited astronauts; it’s driven new understanding of human health on the ground. “There are things we can learn by exposure of biology to the space environment that inform us about new cures, new therapies, and new ways to approach aging and disease here on Earth,” said Michael Roberts.
Roberts said the ISS has inspired medical researchers and biologists to use microgravity as a platform for cures on Earth. At Cedars Sinai, stem cell biologist Arun Sharma founded the Center for Space Medicine Research a decade ago to push regenerative medicine into orbit. Sharma is best known for leading a first-of-its-kind space experiment – sending human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) to the ISS – that became “the first long duration cell culture experiment in space” and set the tone for a program now centered on stem cell biomanufacturing in space. His team studied how microgravity affects human heart function over time. (5/21)
Varda CEO Foresees Space-Based Medicine Moving from Research Novelty to Manufacturing Mainstream (Source: Aerospace America)
Fresh off the reentry of its sixth vehicle over Australia and a newly announced commercial partnership with United Therapeutics, Varda Space Industries is positioning itself as a bridge between orbital research and real-world medicine, CEO and Co-founder Will Bruey said. Bruey said the United deal shows that pharmaceutical companies are starting to treat microgravity as a practical manufacturing tool rather than a research novelty. (5/21)
Uh-oh, the International Space Station is Leaking Again (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA confirmed Thursday that the Russian segment of the International Space Station has begun leaking atmosphere into space again. It’s an old problem that NASA recently hoped was resolved. For more than half a decade, engineers from Roscosmos and NASA have been tracking the leak rate from a small Russian module attached to the space station that leads to a docking port. The source of these leaks, microscopic structural cracks, have been difficult to find and address. (5/21)
Military Boots on the Moon Needed to Beat ‘Belligerent’ China (Source: Breaking Defense)
The US should begin preparing now to put boots on the moon in order to beat China to domination of outer space, argues a provocative new policy paper by the Mitchell Institute. The paper thus advocates for the US to overturn nearly 70 years of a consistent national space policy that separates NASA’s civil space program from military space activities under Title 10, as well as Washington’s almost 60-year stance as a champion of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) that prohibits territorial claims and military occupation of the moon.
Entitled “Military Human Spaceflight: A Key Component to U.S. Space Superiority,” the paper is premised on twin assumptions. First, that lunar resources and territory are a critical first step to the future habitation of space, and as such are vital to US national security. And second, that Beijing’s lunar research program is a guise for using its military to occupy the moon as an “extension” its “belligerent” earthly ambitions to extend China’s territory. (5/21)
Rocket Lab's SpaceX Moment Has Arrived (Source: Seeking Alpha)
Rocket Lab (RKLB) is transitioning into a vertically integrated space infrastructure platform providing launch services, defense systems, satellite manufacturing, propulsion technology, optical communications and in the longer term, space services. The SpaceX IPO filing shows us that ecosystems, not launch, have been creating superior economics all along. Having a $2.2 billion backlog, growing exposure to defense, five Neutron launches contracted out pre-first flight and rapidly scaling Space Systems revenues make Rocket Lab the only credible public space company poised to benefit from space infrastructure. (5/22)
Stoke Space: The New Rocket Company in Town (Source: MyNews 13)
Space Launch Complex 14. The last time it was used, it was 1966. It sent up the crewed Gemini 12 mission, the last one for the Gemini program. Four years earlier, the historic pad sent up the Friendship 7 mission, making John Glenn the first American to orbit our Earth. Now, 60 years after the Gemini 12 mission, Stoke Space plans to send up its Nova rocket. Click here. (5/20)
Dassault Falcon Jet Joins Florida Tech’s Vertex as Newest Business-in-Residence (Source: FIT)
Dassault Falcon Jet is the newest Business-in-Residence at Florida Tech’s Vertex Applied Innovation Hub. Alongside other visionary companies in the Business-in-Residence (BIR) program, including Larsen Motorsports, SafeSky Systems USA and Zeal OTM, Dassault Falcon Jet is now part of Vertex’s impactful ecosystem. That means access to the facility’s advanced equipment and spaces as well as opportunities for expert collaboration, all in the realm of one of the country’s leading STEM universities. (5/12)
May 24, 2026
Starfighters Space Gains $17.5 Million
Investment to Advance Programs (Source: Starfighters Space)
Starfighters Space announced a $17.5 million strategic equity investment led by global institutional investors. The Company intends to use the capital to support operational expansion, infrastructure development, and continued advancement of its STARLAUNCH platform, including initiatives tied to launch readiness, mission execution capabilities, and broader space launch operations. (5/22)
Scientists Thought Jupiter's Moon Europa Was Ejecting Water. Now They're Not So Sure (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have studied 14 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations of Jupiter's icy moon Europa, and now suspect that its infamous water vapor eruptions may not exist as was previously thought. This Jovian moon is thought to host a global subsurface ocean that possibly harbors some of the essential elements for life under its thick and icy shell, including complex organic chemicals and water.
The faint and difficult-to-detect plumes were previously thought to originate from the vast global saltwater ocean lurking beneath the icy shell of Europa. This material is thought to erupt from cracks in the icy shell of the moon. The team feared that the detection of water vapor plumes from Europa may have been the result of "noise" in their data. "Our reanalysis took our original 99.9% confidence in the plumes’ existence and reduced it to less than 90% confidence," said team leader Lorenz Roth. (5/22)
This Cryptocurrency Billionaire Will Fly SpaceX's 1st Private Starship to Mars, But When? (Source: Space.com)
When SpaceX attempted to launch its newest (and tallest) megarocket yet on Thursday, all eyes were on the shiny Starship Version 3 atop its South Texas pad. Especially NASA's, since the agency wants to use the towering rocketship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon in two years. So it was a bit of a surprise when SpaceX, with less than 15 minutes remaining before liftoff, announced something new: A private Starship mission to Mars, a flyby expedition led by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang.
"So it's going to be a flyby mission of Mars," Wang said in a recorded announcement unveiled by SpaceX during live launch commentary (the Starship V3 liftoff was ultimately scrubbed). "A lot of people talk about Mars. We like Mars, we're gonna land on Mars. We're gonna do a city on Mars. But let's get it started with a flyby." (5/22)
Mars Fungi Could Make Red Planet Regolith Fertile for Crops (Source: Universe Today)
While growing crops on Mars using fungi might be decades away, this hasn’t stopped an international team of scientists from the United States and Brazil from pushing the limits of enhancing crop production through non-traditional methods. With their findings recently published, the researchers discuss how a type of fungi called beneficial fungi could be used to convert the toxic and nutrient-absent lunar and Martian regolith into biologically friendly soil for crop production. Beneficial fungi are a fungi species capable of driving nutrient cycling for plants, soil, and other organisms. (5/23)
NASA is Forging a Nuclear Path to Mars (Source: The Hill)
While NASA, along with its international and commercial partners, is going pedal to the metal back to the moon, the space agency is not neglecting Mars. In 2028, if all goes well, NASA plans to test a new technology that could reduce trip times to the Red Planet and open it up to exploration and, perhaps, human settlement.
NASA is developing Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a nuclear-powered spacecraft designed to deliver three helicopters called Skyfall to Mars. The idea is similar to the Ingenuity copter that went to the Red Planet as part of the Perseverance rover mission in 2021. Once there, the Skyfall helicopters could scout out possible landing sites for future human missions to Mars.
Space Reactor-1 Freedom is a nuclear electric rocket, which means that it ionizes a propellant such as xenon with electricity. This provides a slow but steady thrust that eventually accelerates a spacecraft faster than an ordinary chemical rocket. It would be launched by a conventional rocket into space before firing its nuclear electric engine. (5/24)
NASA to Add Missions to SpaceX Commercial Crew Contract (Source: Space News)
NASA plans to add more missions to SpaceX’s commercial crew contract, protecting the agency from the possibility that Boeing’s spacecraft is never certified for missions to the International Space Station. (5/24)
Hong Kong's First Astronaut Joins Mission to TSS (Source: Bloomberg)
Hong Kong’s first astronaut, a former police officer with a doctorate in computer forensics, will join a Chinese mission to its space station on Sunday, in what the city’s Chief Executive John Lee described as a “historic moment.”
Lee congratulated Lai Ka-ying, a payload expert born and raised in the city, in a statement on Saturday, saying her selection to join the Shenzhou-23 crew was not only “affirmation of her own capability, but also a testimony to the country’s high recognition of Hong Kong’s I&T talent, development, and achievements.” (5/23)
Pentagon Taps Viasat and Intelsat for $438M Anti-Jam Satellite Deal (Source: Defence Blog)
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Viasat and Intelsat General Communications a combined $437.7 million contract to build satellites for the Protected Tactical Satellite Communications-Global program, a new constellation designed to keep troops connected even when adversaries are actively trying to jam them out of the sky. The contract covers the procurement of space vehicles in support of the PTS-G program. (5/23)
The African and European Space Agencies are Calling for Applications from African Earth Observation Startups (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The African Space Agency (AfSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are jointly accepting applications for the Business Innovation Program, an accelerator initiative under the Africa–EU Space Partnership. The program supports Earth Observation (EO) startups and SMEs with capacity development, investor matchmaking, and innovation support. (5/22)
Palm Bay Residents May Hear Explosions, See Green Smoke During Space Force Drill (Source: Florida Today)
On Florida's Space Coast, Palm Bay residents may notice simulated explosions and green smoke rising from the Malabar Transmitter Annex on Friday, May 22 — but Space Force officials say these will be "controlled effects" deployed during a training exercise. (5/21)
Is Russia Maneuvering to Threaten an ICEYE Satellite? (Source: Integrity Flash)
Russia appears to have maneuvered multiple Cosmos satellites into nearly co-planar orbits with ICEYE-X36, a commercial SAR imaging satellite supporting Ukrainian military operations. The level of fuel expenditure, orbital alignment, and positioning involved is not typical of routine LEO activity and raises important questions about future rendezvous and proximity operations, counterspace positioning, and the evolving role of commercial satellites in conflict. (5/22)
Florida Rep. Leads Bill to Ensure American Semiconductor Superiority in Space (Source: Vern Buchanan)
Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) introduced the Semiconductor Superiority Act to amend the Section 48D Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit to explicitly include property and infrastructure for space-based semiconductor manufacturing. "It will strengthen Florida’s position as a national leader in the space economy and keep America ahead of China in the race for technological and space dominance. By supporting next-generation semiconductor innovation, we can bolster national security, create high-paying jobs and cement America’s leadership in the industries of the future.” (5/23)
South Africa to Host Space Law Moot Competition (Sourcec: SA News)
South Africa will host the 17th Africa Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition next week. The Chief Director of Space Affairs at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC) and Africa Regional Coordinator for the competition, Nomfuneko Majaja, said the continued growth of the initiative reflects the continent’s determination to position itself at the centre of shaping global space governance, particularly in addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, food security, resource management, and water security. (5/23)
NASA Reorganization Shuffle Combines Programs, Lands KSC New Director (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined a major overhaul of the agency’s structure that included a new director for Kennedy Space Center. Following the retirement of Janet Petro earlier this month, KSC had been in the hands of interim director Kelvin Manning. It will now be run by Brian Hughes, Isaacman announced Friday. Hughes will add the responsibility on top of his recently announced role as NASA’s senior director of launch operations. That role gave him oversight over launches from Florida, but also from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. (5/23)
ArkEdge Space Delivers Study for JAXA on a GNSS-Independent Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation & Timing System (Source: ArkEdge)
ArkEdge Space has completed a study commissioned by JAXA on “Elemental Technologies and Systems for a Dedicated, GNSS-Independent LEO-PNT Satellite System.” Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), currently derived from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as the US Global Positioning System (GPS), is vital to everyday life, from financial transactions to telecommunications and infrastructure. (5/19)
Universities Space Research Association Announces the Establishment its New Subsidiary, USRA Energy LLC (Source: USRA)
Universities Space Research Association (USRA) today announced the formation of its wholly owned subsidiary, USRA Energy LLC, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The establishment of this entity aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) priorities to apply transformational artificial intelligence to next generation workforce development, nuclear innovation, scientific discovery, and mission execution simultaneously. (5/19)
HawkEye 360 Enters Into $125 Million Revolving Credit Facility (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 announced that it has entered into a $125 million revolving credit facility maturing in May 2031. The revolving credit facility enhances the Company’s liquidity and financial flexibility to support continued investment in its space-based radio frequency (“RF”) data and analytics platform, constellation expansion, product innovation and other strategic growth initiatives. (5/21)
Washington State's PALS Evaluates Launch Options (Source: PALS)
Pacific Aerospace Launch & Spaceport (PALS) is advancing a serious early-stage effort to evaluate next-generation launch, manufacturing, and testing infrastructure in Washington. The work underway is focused on site viability, early assessment of launch-path, safety, airspace, maritime, and land-use constraints, regulatory pathway assessment, infrastructure requirements, and long-term economic value for the state. PALS is also engaging experienced aerospace, infrastructure, and regional development advisors to help shape a disciplined path forward.
Washington already plays a major role in the space economy. PALS is focused on defining what it would take to responsibly add launch, testing, and supporting infrastructure to that ecosystem. PALS was formed to pursue that opportunity with rigor, responsibility, and ambition. (5/19)
ICEYE Secures €300 Million Revolving Credit Facility to Support Continued Growth (Source: ICEYE)
ICEYE has originated a €300 million 3-year committed revolving credit facility. The RCF will support the issuance of guarantees for customer contracts, enable continued business growth, and serve as a liquidity backstop. (5/21)
Europe Wants its Own Starlink. But it's On Course for Five Failures Instead (Source: Euractiv)
The war in Ukraine changed Europe’s view of space forever. Not because satellites suddenly became important – they already were. But because Europe was forced to confront an uncomfortable reality which made one American commercial system essential to European security almost overnight. That realization triggered a political shockwave across European capitals.
The European Union’s IRIS² program is supposed to become Europe’s answer to Starlink – a secure satellite communications constellation designed to strengthen European resilience and reduce dependence on external actors. Yet even before IRIS² becomes operational, individual countries are already discussing or pursuing their own national systems. Germany has recently announced SATCOMBw as their future national secure satcom program. France has Syracuse, the UK Skynet, Italy SICRAL, not to mention various GOVSATCOM programs or commercial players such as Eutelsat/OneWeb.
This should raise alarm bells. Because the uncomfortable truth is that building a genuine alternative to Starlink is extraordinarily difficult. It is not simply a matter of launching satellites and declaring victory. Starlink works because of scale. SpaceX has launched thousands of satellites, built vertically integrated manufacturing, secured launch capacity, developed user terminals, and created a system capable of constant replenishment and rapid expansion. (5/23)
UK Space Threat Detection System Operational Six Months Early (Source: UK Defense Journal)
A new software system designed to track threats to British satellites has reached operational status six months ahead of schedule, the Ministry of Defence has announced, as the UK also released the first images captured by its Noctis-1 military space telescope. Major General Paul Tedman, Commander of UK Space Command, said the combination of Noctis-1 and the new Borealis software represented a step change in the UK’s ability to operate in what he described as the invisible front line. (5/22)
Blue Origin Announces $600M Florida Expansion (Source: Florida Today)
Look for Blue Origin to build a $600 million expansion of the space company's sprawling Rocket Park manufacturing complex on Merritt Island, supporting 500 aerospace jobs with average salaries topping $98,000. Labeled Project Horizon, this expansion will feature an estimated 830,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for upper stages of heavy-lift New Glenn rockets. (5/23)
FAA Clears New Glenn for Launch (Source: Pune Times Mirror)
Blue Origin New Glenn is back in business after a brief but serious setback. The US FAA has cleared Jeff Bezos’ heavy-lift rocket to resume launches following an April anomaly that destroyed a commercial satellite. Blue Origin later said the New Glenn upper stage “experienced an off-nominal thermal condition” that caused one of its BE‑3U engines to deliver lower-than-expected thrust. The company has previously talked about flying New Glenn as many as a dozen times by the end of 2026, though the one-month pause may complicate that schedule. (5/24)
Caltech Could Lose Management of JPL When Contract is Opened to Competitive Bidding (Source: LAist)
NASA plans to open the contract to manage the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to a competitive bidding process. Since NASA was established in 1958, Caltech has managed JPL for the federal space agency "through a contractual relationship that has been regularly reviewed and renewed," according to a memo. NASA began its regular process of evaluating the contract last year.
JPL has been through several rounds of layoffs in recent years. The lab and the university are leaders in civilian space science, with missions that have sent spacecraft into Earth orbit, to Mars and as far from Earth as any man-made object. The lab is also a major employer in the region and hosts massive classes of interns from around the world. (5/22)
SpaceX Launches Starship, Ending Seven-Month Hiatus, But Struggles with its Engines (Source: Houston Chronicle)
SpaceX struggled with its Starship engines on Friday while debuting the latest version of its rocket. It was the company’s 12th combined launch outside of Brownsville, ending a seven-month hiatus as the company redesigned its various rocket components. The Super Heavy booster ignited its 33 engines and propelled Starship over the Gulf of Mexico. One of its engines cut out early. And after the two vehicles separated, Super Heavy did not reignite as many engines as expected when coming back to land in the water.
Starship’s six engines initially ignited, but then one cut out prematurely. The spacecraft still entered space and ejected 20 fake satellites and two actual SpaceX Starlink satellites. The Starlink satellites were modified to test new hardware and scan Starship’s heat shield. Starship landed in the Indian Ocean with two engines instead of three, though that did not appear to affect its controlled descent into the water.
Redesigns began with the launch pad, which has additional pumps to more quickly load propellant. The tower has shorter mechanical arms that can move faster when catching vehicles on future flights. Super Heavy’s upgrades included a redesigned tube for moving propellant to its 33 Raptor engines, enabling them to ignite faster and all at the same time. Starship underwent a “clean-sheet redesign” of its propulsion systems, SpaceX said, including improvements to its reaction control system used for steering during flight. (5/22)
Developing a Rocket Engine After Two Years of Study (Source: ETH Zurich)
Across the globe, research is under way on this new type of rocket engine, which is both more efficient and more powerful: ETH students from the Swiss student space initiative Aris have developed and tested their own Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine. Barbara Pary is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences and, together with 19 other colleagues, is a member of the Pegasus team of the Aris student space initiative.
Pegasus has set itself the goal of developing and testing a bi-liquid RDRE. The project is largely financed through sponsorships. Industrial companies provide the team with a substantial amount of material and services, and in some cases also with funds. The expectations on such engines are decidedly high: the aim is to deliver around 10 to 20 percent more power with the same amount of fuel. (5/17)
NASA Announces Major Reorganization (Source: Space Policy Online)
Rumors have been circulating for several weeks that major changes were in the works. Many of them affect NASA headquarters. The five programmatic mission directorates are now combined into three along with personnel adjustments and changes to reporting chains. In addition, three of NASA’s nine civil service field Centers — Goddard, Glenn, and Kennedy — have new Directors, and NASA has decided to compete the contract for management and operation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
At Headquarters, the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) and the Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) are combined, as are the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is unchanged. The Mission Support Directorate also remains in place, but under different leadership.
The merger of ESDMD and SOMD into the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate (HSMD) returns the structure to how it was from 2011-2021. Then-Administrator Bill Nelson split them up so one could focus on human exploration of the Moon and Mars with the Artemis program, and the other on operations of the International Space Station in low Earth orbit (LEO) and efforts to facilitate commercial space stations to replace it. Isaacman said today both efforts are operational now. (5/22)
Starfighters Space announced a $17.5 million strategic equity investment led by global institutional investors. The Company intends to use the capital to support operational expansion, infrastructure development, and continued advancement of its STARLAUNCH platform, including initiatives tied to launch readiness, mission execution capabilities, and broader space launch operations. (5/22)
Scientists Thought Jupiter's Moon Europa Was Ejecting Water. Now They're Not So Sure (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have studied 14 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations of Jupiter's icy moon Europa, and now suspect that its infamous water vapor eruptions may not exist as was previously thought. This Jovian moon is thought to host a global subsurface ocean that possibly harbors some of the essential elements for life under its thick and icy shell, including complex organic chemicals and water.
The faint and difficult-to-detect plumes were previously thought to originate from the vast global saltwater ocean lurking beneath the icy shell of Europa. This material is thought to erupt from cracks in the icy shell of the moon. The team feared that the detection of water vapor plumes from Europa may have been the result of "noise" in their data. "Our reanalysis took our original 99.9% confidence in the plumes’ existence and reduced it to less than 90% confidence," said team leader Lorenz Roth. (5/22)
This Cryptocurrency Billionaire Will Fly SpaceX's 1st Private Starship to Mars, But When? (Source: Space.com)
When SpaceX attempted to launch its newest (and tallest) megarocket yet on Thursday, all eyes were on the shiny Starship Version 3 atop its South Texas pad. Especially NASA's, since the agency wants to use the towering rocketship to land Artemis astronauts on the moon in two years. So it was a bit of a surprise when SpaceX, with less than 15 minutes remaining before liftoff, announced something new: A private Starship mission to Mars, a flyby expedition led by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang.
"So it's going to be a flyby mission of Mars," Wang said in a recorded announcement unveiled by SpaceX during live launch commentary (the Starship V3 liftoff was ultimately scrubbed). "A lot of people talk about Mars. We like Mars, we're gonna land on Mars. We're gonna do a city on Mars. But let's get it started with a flyby." (5/22)
Mars Fungi Could Make Red Planet Regolith Fertile for Crops (Source: Universe Today)
While growing crops on Mars using fungi might be decades away, this hasn’t stopped an international team of scientists from the United States and Brazil from pushing the limits of enhancing crop production through non-traditional methods. With their findings recently published, the researchers discuss how a type of fungi called beneficial fungi could be used to convert the toxic and nutrient-absent lunar and Martian regolith into biologically friendly soil for crop production. Beneficial fungi are a fungi species capable of driving nutrient cycling for plants, soil, and other organisms. (5/23)
NASA is Forging a Nuclear Path to Mars (Source: The Hill)
While NASA, along with its international and commercial partners, is going pedal to the metal back to the moon, the space agency is not neglecting Mars. In 2028, if all goes well, NASA plans to test a new technology that could reduce trip times to the Red Planet and open it up to exploration and, perhaps, human settlement.
NASA is developing Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a nuclear-powered spacecraft designed to deliver three helicopters called Skyfall to Mars. The idea is similar to the Ingenuity copter that went to the Red Planet as part of the Perseverance rover mission in 2021. Once there, the Skyfall helicopters could scout out possible landing sites for future human missions to Mars.
Space Reactor-1 Freedom is a nuclear electric rocket, which means that it ionizes a propellant such as xenon with electricity. This provides a slow but steady thrust that eventually accelerates a spacecraft faster than an ordinary chemical rocket. It would be launched by a conventional rocket into space before firing its nuclear electric engine. (5/24)
NASA to Add Missions to SpaceX Commercial Crew Contract (Source: Space News)
NASA plans to add more missions to SpaceX’s commercial crew contract, protecting the agency from the possibility that Boeing’s spacecraft is never certified for missions to the International Space Station. (5/24)
Hong Kong's First Astronaut Joins Mission to TSS (Source: Bloomberg)
Hong Kong’s first astronaut, a former police officer with a doctorate in computer forensics, will join a Chinese mission to its space station on Sunday, in what the city’s Chief Executive John Lee described as a “historic moment.”
Lee congratulated Lai Ka-ying, a payload expert born and raised in the city, in a statement on Saturday, saying her selection to join the Shenzhou-23 crew was not only “affirmation of her own capability, but also a testimony to the country’s high recognition of Hong Kong’s I&T talent, development, and achievements.” (5/23)
Pentagon Taps Viasat and Intelsat for $438M Anti-Jam Satellite Deal (Source: Defence Blog)
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Viasat and Intelsat General Communications a combined $437.7 million contract to build satellites for the Protected Tactical Satellite Communications-Global program, a new constellation designed to keep troops connected even when adversaries are actively trying to jam them out of the sky. The contract covers the procurement of space vehicles in support of the PTS-G program. (5/23)
The African and European Space Agencies are Calling for Applications from African Earth Observation Startups (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The African Space Agency (AfSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are jointly accepting applications for the Business Innovation Program, an accelerator initiative under the Africa–EU Space Partnership. The program supports Earth Observation (EO) startups and SMEs with capacity development, investor matchmaking, and innovation support. (5/22)
Palm Bay Residents May Hear Explosions, See Green Smoke During Space Force Drill (Source: Florida Today)
On Florida's Space Coast, Palm Bay residents may notice simulated explosions and green smoke rising from the Malabar Transmitter Annex on Friday, May 22 — but Space Force officials say these will be "controlled effects" deployed during a training exercise. (5/21)
Is Russia Maneuvering to Threaten an ICEYE Satellite? (Source: Integrity Flash)
Russia appears to have maneuvered multiple Cosmos satellites into nearly co-planar orbits with ICEYE-X36, a commercial SAR imaging satellite supporting Ukrainian military operations. The level of fuel expenditure, orbital alignment, and positioning involved is not typical of routine LEO activity and raises important questions about future rendezvous and proximity operations, counterspace positioning, and the evolving role of commercial satellites in conflict. (5/22)
Florida Rep. Leads Bill to Ensure American Semiconductor Superiority in Space (Source: Vern Buchanan)
Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) introduced the Semiconductor Superiority Act to amend the Section 48D Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit to explicitly include property and infrastructure for space-based semiconductor manufacturing. "It will strengthen Florida’s position as a national leader in the space economy and keep America ahead of China in the race for technological and space dominance. By supporting next-generation semiconductor innovation, we can bolster national security, create high-paying jobs and cement America’s leadership in the industries of the future.” (5/23)
South Africa to Host Space Law Moot Competition (Sourcec: SA News)
South Africa will host the 17th Africa Regional Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition next week. The Chief Director of Space Affairs at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC) and Africa Regional Coordinator for the competition, Nomfuneko Majaja, said the continued growth of the initiative reflects the continent’s determination to position itself at the centre of shaping global space governance, particularly in addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, food security, resource management, and water security. (5/23)
NASA Reorganization Shuffle Combines Programs, Lands KSC New Director (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman outlined a major overhaul of the agency’s structure that included a new director for Kennedy Space Center. Following the retirement of Janet Petro earlier this month, KSC had been in the hands of interim director Kelvin Manning. It will now be run by Brian Hughes, Isaacman announced Friday. Hughes will add the responsibility on top of his recently announced role as NASA’s senior director of launch operations. That role gave him oversight over launches from Florida, but also from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. (5/23)
ArkEdge Space Delivers Study for JAXA on a GNSS-Independent Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation & Timing System (Source: ArkEdge)
ArkEdge Space has completed a study commissioned by JAXA on “Elemental Technologies and Systems for a Dedicated, GNSS-Independent LEO-PNT Satellite System.” Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), currently derived from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as the US Global Positioning System (GPS), is vital to everyday life, from financial transactions to telecommunications and infrastructure. (5/19)
Universities Space Research Association Announces the Establishment its New Subsidiary, USRA Energy LLC (Source: USRA)
Universities Space Research Association (USRA) today announced the formation of its wholly owned subsidiary, USRA Energy LLC, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The establishment of this entity aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) priorities to apply transformational artificial intelligence to next generation workforce development, nuclear innovation, scientific discovery, and mission execution simultaneously. (5/19)
HawkEye 360 Enters Into $125 Million Revolving Credit Facility (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 announced that it has entered into a $125 million revolving credit facility maturing in May 2031. The revolving credit facility enhances the Company’s liquidity and financial flexibility to support continued investment in its space-based radio frequency (“RF”) data and analytics platform, constellation expansion, product innovation and other strategic growth initiatives. (5/21)
Washington State's PALS Evaluates Launch Options (Source: PALS)
Pacific Aerospace Launch & Spaceport (PALS) is advancing a serious early-stage effort to evaluate next-generation launch, manufacturing, and testing infrastructure in Washington. The work underway is focused on site viability, early assessment of launch-path, safety, airspace, maritime, and land-use constraints, regulatory pathway assessment, infrastructure requirements, and long-term economic value for the state. PALS is also engaging experienced aerospace, infrastructure, and regional development advisors to help shape a disciplined path forward.
Washington already plays a major role in the space economy. PALS is focused on defining what it would take to responsibly add launch, testing, and supporting infrastructure to that ecosystem. PALS was formed to pursue that opportunity with rigor, responsibility, and ambition. (5/19)
ICEYE Secures €300 Million Revolving Credit Facility to Support Continued Growth (Source: ICEYE)
ICEYE has originated a €300 million 3-year committed revolving credit facility. The RCF will support the issuance of guarantees for customer contracts, enable continued business growth, and serve as a liquidity backstop. (5/21)
Europe Wants its Own Starlink. But it's On Course for Five Failures Instead (Source: Euractiv)
The war in Ukraine changed Europe’s view of space forever. Not because satellites suddenly became important – they already were. But because Europe was forced to confront an uncomfortable reality which made one American commercial system essential to European security almost overnight. That realization triggered a political shockwave across European capitals.
The European Union’s IRIS² program is supposed to become Europe’s answer to Starlink – a secure satellite communications constellation designed to strengthen European resilience and reduce dependence on external actors. Yet even before IRIS² becomes operational, individual countries are already discussing or pursuing their own national systems. Germany has recently announced SATCOMBw as their future national secure satcom program. France has Syracuse, the UK Skynet, Italy SICRAL, not to mention various GOVSATCOM programs or commercial players such as Eutelsat/OneWeb.
This should raise alarm bells. Because the uncomfortable truth is that building a genuine alternative to Starlink is extraordinarily difficult. It is not simply a matter of launching satellites and declaring victory. Starlink works because of scale. SpaceX has launched thousands of satellites, built vertically integrated manufacturing, secured launch capacity, developed user terminals, and created a system capable of constant replenishment and rapid expansion. (5/23)
UK Space Threat Detection System Operational Six Months Early (Source: UK Defense Journal)
A new software system designed to track threats to British satellites has reached operational status six months ahead of schedule, the Ministry of Defence has announced, as the UK also released the first images captured by its Noctis-1 military space telescope. Major General Paul Tedman, Commander of UK Space Command, said the combination of Noctis-1 and the new Borealis software represented a step change in the UK’s ability to operate in what he described as the invisible front line. (5/22)
Blue Origin Announces $600M Florida Expansion (Source: Florida Today)
Look for Blue Origin to build a $600 million expansion of the space company's sprawling Rocket Park manufacturing complex on Merritt Island, supporting 500 aerospace jobs with average salaries topping $98,000. Labeled Project Horizon, this expansion will feature an estimated 830,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for upper stages of heavy-lift New Glenn rockets. (5/23)
FAA Clears New Glenn for Launch (Source: Pune Times Mirror)
Blue Origin New Glenn is back in business after a brief but serious setback. The US FAA has cleared Jeff Bezos’ heavy-lift rocket to resume launches following an April anomaly that destroyed a commercial satellite. Blue Origin later said the New Glenn upper stage “experienced an off-nominal thermal condition” that caused one of its BE‑3U engines to deliver lower-than-expected thrust. The company has previously talked about flying New Glenn as many as a dozen times by the end of 2026, though the one-month pause may complicate that schedule. (5/24)
Caltech Could Lose Management of JPL When Contract is Opened to Competitive Bidding (Source: LAist)
NASA plans to open the contract to manage the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California to a competitive bidding process. Since NASA was established in 1958, Caltech has managed JPL for the federal space agency "through a contractual relationship that has been regularly reviewed and renewed," according to a memo. NASA began its regular process of evaluating the contract last year.
JPL has been through several rounds of layoffs in recent years. The lab and the university are leaders in civilian space science, with missions that have sent spacecraft into Earth orbit, to Mars and as far from Earth as any man-made object. The lab is also a major employer in the region and hosts massive classes of interns from around the world. (5/22)
SpaceX Launches Starship, Ending Seven-Month Hiatus, But Struggles with its Engines (Source: Houston Chronicle)
SpaceX struggled with its Starship engines on Friday while debuting the latest version of its rocket. It was the company’s 12th combined launch outside of Brownsville, ending a seven-month hiatus as the company redesigned its various rocket components. The Super Heavy booster ignited its 33 engines and propelled Starship over the Gulf of Mexico. One of its engines cut out early. And after the two vehicles separated, Super Heavy did not reignite as many engines as expected when coming back to land in the water.
Starship’s six engines initially ignited, but then one cut out prematurely. The spacecraft still entered space and ejected 20 fake satellites and two actual SpaceX Starlink satellites. The Starlink satellites were modified to test new hardware and scan Starship’s heat shield. Starship landed in the Indian Ocean with two engines instead of three, though that did not appear to affect its controlled descent into the water.
Redesigns began with the launch pad, which has additional pumps to more quickly load propellant. The tower has shorter mechanical arms that can move faster when catching vehicles on future flights. Super Heavy’s upgrades included a redesigned tube for moving propellant to its 33 Raptor engines, enabling them to ignite faster and all at the same time. Starship underwent a “clean-sheet redesign” of its propulsion systems, SpaceX said, including improvements to its reaction control system used for steering during flight. (5/22)
Developing a Rocket Engine After Two Years of Study (Source: ETH Zurich)
Across the globe, research is under way on this new type of rocket engine, which is both more efficient and more powerful: ETH students from the Swiss student space initiative Aris have developed and tested their own Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine. Barbara Pary is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences and, together with 19 other colleagues, is a member of the Pegasus team of the Aris student space initiative.
Pegasus has set itself the goal of developing and testing a bi-liquid RDRE. The project is largely financed through sponsorships. Industrial companies provide the team with a substantial amount of material and services, and in some cases also with funds. The expectations on such engines are decidedly high: the aim is to deliver around 10 to 20 percent more power with the same amount of fuel. (5/17)
NASA Announces Major Reorganization (Source: Space Policy Online)
Rumors have been circulating for several weeks that major changes were in the works. Many of them affect NASA headquarters. The five programmatic mission directorates are now combined into three along with personnel adjustments and changes to reporting chains. In addition, three of NASA’s nine civil service field Centers — Goddard, Glenn, and Kennedy — have new Directors, and NASA has decided to compete the contract for management and operation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
At Headquarters, the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) and the Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) are combined, as are the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is unchanged. The Mission Support Directorate also remains in place, but under different leadership.
The merger of ESDMD and SOMD into the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate (HSMD) returns the structure to how it was from 2011-2021. Then-Administrator Bill Nelson split them up so one could focus on human exploration of the Moon and Mars with the Artemis program, and the other on operations of the International Space Station in low Earth orbit (LEO) and efforts to facilitate commercial space stations to replace it. Isaacman said today both efforts are operational now. (5/22)
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