July 17, 2026

Slingshot Wins $69 Million From Space Force for AI Training Environments (Source: Space News)
Slingshot Aerospace won a $69.2 million U.S. Space Force contract to develop artificial intelligence-based training environments. The Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 contract, spanning four and a half years, supports the service's Operational Test and Training Infrastructure program, or OTTI. That effort aims to give Space Force units more realistic tools for testing systems and preparing personnel for increasingly complex operations in space. Slingshot said it will provide AI-enabled environments in which Space Force operators can rehearse scenarios involving the protection and defense of U.S. space systems, compare possible responses and practice making decisions under conditions designed to resemble an actual conflict. (7/16)

Space Commerce Office Says Mission Authorization Scheme Gives Certainty (Source: Space News)
The Office of Space Commerce says its proposal for mission authorization of novel space activities would give companies regulatory certainty without burdensome requirements. At a House Science Committee hearing Wednesday, Taylor Jordan, director of the office, said the voluntary "Space Commerce Certification" system would ensure companies working on concepts not clearly regulated today could get government approvals quickly. The proposal, announced in March, is awaiting approval by the White House; if that comes, the office will put out a call for applications to help test the process. (7/16)

India's ISRO Takes Steps to Curb Resignations (Source: NDTV)
The Indian space agency ISRO is limiting the ability of key staff to depart after a surge of resignations. An internal memo directed ISRO centers not to accept resignation or retirement requests from key scientists and engineers, referring those requests instead to agency leadership. The order came after more than 100 people left the agency recently, some to join space startups in the country. (7/16)

Former ISRO Chief Joins Launch Startup's Board (Source: The Hindu)
A former chairman of ISRO is joining the board of an Indian launch startup. Agnikul Cosmos said that S. Somanath, ISRO chairman from 2022 to 2024, will be an observer on its board. The company is developing a small orbital launch vehicle with plans to recover and reuse the first stage. The company says it is preparing for an orbital launch attempt called Mission 02, but did not disclose the schedule for that mission. (7/16)

New Jersey Meteorite Contained Amino Acids (Source: Space.com)
A meteorite that hit a New Jersey home two years ago contains amino acids. The meteorite fell through the roof of a house in Hillsborough, New Jersey, and the homeowner carefully preserved the pieces. Scientists said that made the carbonaceous chondrite samples unusually pristine, allowing for detailed analysis. That analysis found traces of amino acids and other organic compounds, and evidence that the asteroid it came from had been altered by water. It adds to evidence that the building blocks for life to form on Earth came from similar asteroids. (7/16)

ISU Founder Pitches Virtual Reinvention Plan (Source: Douglas Messier)
The International Space University (ISU) is looking to reinvent itself as a virtual university in the wake of the bankruptcy of the school’s French organization and the closing of its Central Campus in Strasbourg, ISU Co-founder Bob Richards said. Although ISU France is being liquidated, the university has a separate incorporation in Massachusetts that dates back to its founding in 1987. ISU would be rebuilt under that organization.

Richards said the structure being considered involves the establishment of three to five regional hubs connected to a network of educational institutions around the world. He said he wants Strasbourg to continue to play an important part of ISU even though it will no longer host the Central Campus. Richards stressed that restructuring the university in its very early stages. The primary focus is on winding down ISU France, which is in the hands of a court-appointed liquidator, and assisting more than 100 students who were impacted by the university’s bankruptcy. (7/16)

SpaceX Scrubs Starship Launch at T-0 (Source: Space News)
The launch of Starship on its 13th suborbital test flight was aborted Thursday just as the Super Heavy booster's engines ignited. SpaceX later said that not all of the booster's 33 engines ignited, causing the scrub. SpaceX is targeting early next week for the next launch attempt after replacing two engines. Flight 13 is designed to fly the same suborbital profile as Flight 12 in May, with plans to address issues seen on that earlier flight. Shares in SpaceX, which closed below its IPO price for the first time Thursday, fell several more dollars in after-hours trading immediately after the scrub. (7/17)

SpaceX Launches SDA Mission From California (Source: Space News)
SpaceX successfully launched a set of Space Development Agency communications satellites earlier in the day. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the T1TL-E mission for SDA, carrying 21 Tranche 1 Transport Layer spacecraft built by York Space Systems. This was the third launch of Tranche 1 Transport Layer but the first since last October. SDA said the pause was driven by hardware and software issues found on the first 42 Tranche 1 satellites. The agency, which previously planned a monthly cadence of launches, is now moving to a readiness-based model, launching "whoever is ready" rather than holding to a fixed schedule. (7/17)

Schiess Says Massive Space Force Budget Needed to Counter China (Source: Space News)
The nominee to be the next commanding general of the U.S. Space Force said the service's proposed massive budget increase is needed to counter China. Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess said at a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing Thursday said the proposed $71.1 billion budget for the Space Force, more than double its 2026 budget, is "exactly what we need." He said most of the proposed increase would pay for weapons, facilities, training and other equipment rather than personnel. If confirmed, Schiess would succeed Gen. Chance Saltzman as the third chief of space operations. He currently serves as the Space Force's deputy chief of operations. (7/17)

DIU Wants Power Beaming (Source: Space News)
The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking commercial proposals to beam electrical power between spacecraft and from orbit to the ground. Companies selected for the project would be expected to complete a laboratory demonstration within 12 months of receiving an award. The government would then assess whether the technology is ready for an on-orbit prototype demonstration within 24 months. The technology could allow spacecraft to operate for longer periods or support more power-intensive payloads without relying exclusively on their own solar arrays and batteries. The Pentagon wants access to an operational space power-beaming capability by fiscal 2030, either by operating its own system or buying it as a service. (7/17)

Serbia Signs Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Serbia is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords, two years after joining a Chinese lunar initiative. Serbia's foreign minister signed the Artemis Accords Thursday at NASA Headquarters. The country is the 10th so far this year to sign the Accords and the 69th overall. The Artemis Accords outline best practices for space exploration, and NASA plans to use the Accords to coordinate cooperation on its lunar base plans. In 2024, Serbia joined the Chinese-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) effort but did not disclose what role it might play in that lunar base effort. Two other ILRS countries, Senegal and Thailand, have also signed the Artemis Accords. (7/17)

AST SpaceMobile Raising $1 Billion, Including for Launches (Source: AST SpaceMobile)
AST SpaceMobile is planning to raise $1 billion as it seeks alternative launch options. The company announced this week it would raise $1 billion in convertible senior notes, with an option to sell an additional $150 million in notes. The company said it would use the net proceeds of the sale to pursue growth options "and secure additional access to orbit for its space-based cellular broadband network, including partnerships and/or acquisitions to further vertically integrate its business and mitigate risks associated with third-party launch providers."

AST's rollout of its commercial broadband direct-to-device service has slipped to 2027 because of launch delays, including the grounding of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. There are, however, limited launch company acquisition options for AST given the amount of money it has available. (7/17)

NASA to Use Starlink to Augment Artemis 3 Comms (Source: NASA)
NASA plans to use Starlink to augment communications for the Artemis 3 mission. NASA said Thursday it will install optical intersatellite terminals on the Orion spacecraft to enable it to communicate with Starlink satellites, allowing Orion to download 4K video and images. Orion will remain in low Earth orbit for Artemis 3, allowing it to use the Starlink constellation in addition to other ground and satellite communications systems. (7/17)

Isaacman Donates $500K to Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is making a record-setting donation to a scholarship program. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation announced this week that Isaacman had donated $500,000, the largest one-time personal donation in the foundation's history. The foundation, established in 1984 by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts, awards scholarships to students pursuing STEM degrees. (7/16)

ASI Chief (and COPUOS President) Dies (Source: ASI)
The head of the Italian space agency ASI has died. The agency announced Thursday the "untimely passing" of Teodoro Valente but did not disclose any additional details. Valente had been president of ASI since 2023 and was a professor who did research in composite materials and nanotechnology. Earlier this year he was named president of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, or COPUOS, for a two-year term. ASI's vice president, Elda Turco Bulgherini, will take over as president. (7/17)

$10B Defense Investment Boosts Pennsylvania Aerospace/Defense Workforce (Source: GovCon Wire)
President Trump announced nearly $10 billion in new defense-related investments at the Pennsylvania Defense & Innovation Summit, supporting more than 4,000 jobs. The announcements span defense manufacturing, emerging technologies, workforce development and R&D initiatives. Major projects include facility expansions, new production capabilities and significant shipbuilding, aerospace and autonomous systems investments. Defense leaders emphasize the effort will strengthen the industrial base and accelerate innovation across the national security ecosystem. (7/17)

Amazon Leo Targets South Africa (Source: Independent)
Amazon has announced that its new satellite internet service, Amazon Leo, will launch in South Africa by 2027, positioning the tech giant to potentially outpace Elon Musk’s rival Starlink in Africa’s most developed economy. The tech giant, founded by Jeff Bezos, confirmed a partnership with South African internet provider Herotel to roll out the service in the nation of 62 million people.

This marks Amazon’s inaugural satellite internet agreement on the African continent. Financial specifics of the deal were not immediately disclosed. Amazon’s announcement comes amid sharp criticism from Elon Musk regarding South Africa’s regulatory environment. The world’s wealthiest individual has previously stated that South African regulations have prevented Starlink’s launch there, attributing the issue to his race and accusing the government of racism. (7/15)

SWISSto12 Raises $70 Million for Small GEO Satellite Production (Source: Payload)
European space company SWISSto12 has raised a $70M Series C, which will help it scale to meet the global demand for sovereign hardware in orbit. The Swiss company, founded in 2011, sells two main products: HummingSat: a small sat intended to operate in GEO, which is expected to launch for the first time next year; and HummingLink, a multi-orbit satcom payloads and terminals. (7/16)

Move Over, GPS: Navigation Satellites in Low-Earth Orbit are Making a Comeback (Source: Ars Technica)
New navigation satellites in low-Earth orbit could provide 100 times stronger signal strength compared to GPS and other global navigation satellite systems operating from higher orbital altitudes—enabling greater location accuracy within dense cities, under thick foliage, and even inside buildings. Such signals would also likely prove more resilient to interference at a time when commercial flights, maritime shipping, and even various smartphone apps face increasingly widespread disruption from GPS jamming.

That vision may start to take shape when the first six production satellites of California-based Xona Space Systems are scheduled to launch in October 2026, with early service starting in 2027. Once the full constellation of 258 Pulsar satellites has been launched in the following years, Xona claims that customers will be able to accurately pinpoint their locations anywhere on Earth to within several centimeters. (7/16)

Mission Authorization Hearing Puts Office of Space Commerce Framework Costs Under Scrutiny (Source: Payload)
A hearing to review the Office of Space Commerce’s (OSC’s) proposed framework for novel mission authorization became a referendum on whether the office can afford to run it. On Wednesday, OSC Director Taylor Jordan appeared before a House Science Space and Technology Subcommittee to discuss the mission authorization proposal OSC released in March. Instead, lawmakers spent much of the hearing criticizing the proposed OSC budget cuts— and Jordan conceded that the budget request would not cover the mission authorization plan.

The FY27 budget proposal, released in April, included just $11M for OSC—and no dedicated funding to continue the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS), an SSA tool that opened the pilot phase to satellite operators in May. Altogether the cuts represent a ~80% markdown from the $52.5M Congress enacted for FY26.

Despite the cuts, Jordan said that the office was still pursuing TraCSS alongside its mission authorization proposal. But Democratic lawmakers weren’t buying that the office could make its budget stretch that far.
(7/16)

Eutelsat FCC Filing Suggests its 440-Satellite Airbus OneWeb Order Could Add New Capabilities (Source: Space Intel Report)
Eutelsat’s FCC filing tied to its Airbus Defence and Space order for 440 OneWeb satellites indicates the batch may not be a straight continuation of the current 640-satellite fleet. The filing points to potential additional features—such as optical inter-satellite links—that are not present across today’s satellites. (7/15)

Commercial Space Federation Launches State and Local Council to Tackle US Commercial Space Capacity Constraints (Source: Space News)
The Commercial Space Federation (CSF) announced the launch of its State and Local Council (SLC), a new membership body aimed at convening state and regional stakeholders. The group will address the industry’s most pressing capacity challenges and align regional capabilities to strengthen the national industrial base. (7/15)

July 16, 2026

SDA Resumes Satellite Launches After Months-Long Pause (Source: Aerospace America)
The U.S. Space Development Agency is slated to launch the latest batch of satellites for its proliferated constellation this week. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is to launch Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base with 21 York Space Systems-built satellites to be placed in low-Earth orbit, said GP Sandhoo, who also serves as the Space Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for missile tracking and warning. (7/15)

Office of Space Commerce’s New Authorization Framework Should Balance Innovation with Safety, Lawmakers Say (Source: Aerospace America)
The Office of Space Commerce’s proposed method to streamline and expedite approvals for novel in-space operations must take into account national security and public safety, members of the U.S. House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee said during a hearing on Wednesday. (7/16)

Slingshot Aerospace Wins Space Force Contract to Expand AI Mission Rehearsal (Source: Via Satellite)
Slingshot Aerospace has won a contract worth almost $70 million with the U.S. Space Force, a contract the company is calling the largest in its history. The contract will see Slingshot Aerospace deliver AI-powered mission rehearsal and operational training capabilities to Space Force Guardians. The $69.2 million award, issued as a SBIR Phase III contract, builds on a previous Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract, which supported development of a digital space twin of the space operating environment. (7/15)

Florida Startup Developing Orbital Debris Removal System (Source: SPACErePORT, Space News)
Fort Pierce-based Satellite Orbital Access and Removal (SOAR) is developing PODRS, a passive capture concept for the smallest, fastest, and least trackable objects in low Earth orbit. The goal is to intercept debris 10 centimeters and smaller, slow it, and retain it without active propulsion or capture mechanisms. SOAR announced a partnership July 15 with the University of Texas, El Paso to develop PODRS. (7/15)

Florida Startup Developing "SpaceBox" for Sending Items to Space (Source: Blackstar Orbital)
Titusville-based BlackStar Orbital's SpaceBox will allow users to send products, memorabilia, artwork, prototypes, research, and personal items on a real spaceflight, with eligible payloads receiving BlackStar Orbital Space Certification as verified proof of their journey beyond Earth. Whether for a global marketing campaign, advancing research, commemorating a milestone, or making history with your brand, SpaceBox provides a unique opportunity to access space and turn your vision into a certified space-flown legacy. (7/15)

A Most Improbable Astronaut Fust Went to Space (Source: Ars Technica)
Anil Menon, a NASA flight surgeon, felt crushed nine years ago as his hopes and aspirations collapsed around him. For the fourth time, he had diligently applied to become an astronaut at the US space agency, seeking to fulfill a lifelong dream. Although he made it to the final round, NASA had once again rejected his application at the end of the grueling process. Click here. (7/15)

Update on China's New Launchers and Recovery Plans (Source: NSF)
China reached a major milestone less than a week ago with the first successful recovery of an orbital-class booster, using a novel cable-net catch system at sea. Two years ago this week, LandSpace set a different record when its ZhuQue-2 became the first methane-powered launcher to reach orbit. LandSpace is now expected to launch a second ZQ-3 to orbit in August. If this mission successfully lands the first stage on the pad downrange in Gansu Province, it would mark China’s first land-based propulsive landing of an orbital booster.

Commercial launch provider iSpace has been conducting sea trials of its first autonomous droneship that will support the recovery of boosters for its Shuang Quxian-3 (SQX-3, or Hyperbola-3) vehicle. The Qinglan (“Clear Waves”) measures 100 m long and 42 m wide with a deck area measuring approximately 60 x 40 meters. The droneship was first revealed in August 2025 when it left the Runyang Shipyard in Yangzhou and is the first in a fleet the company has named Xingji Guihang (“Interstellar Return/Homecoming”).

After nine months, OrienSpace is preparing for the third sea-launch of its all-solid motor-driven Gravity-1 no earlier than July 22. The rocket last took flight in October 2025 after a 21-month gap following its debut in January 2024. The company does not have exclusive use of the Dongfang Hangtiangang launch vessel, though the delays are more attributable to slow early production methods and some leadership turbulence between the first and second flights. Meanwhile, the company has been transporting engines to the Haiyang spaceport, potentially for testing ahead of the maiden launch of its Gravity-2 later this year. (7/15)

Short Sellers Notch $8.7 Billion Profit as SpaceX Shares Dip to IPO Price (Source: CNA)
Short sellers targeting SpaceX shares are sitting on an estimated $8.7 billion in paper profit since the rockets-to-AI firm's initial public offering last month, as its stock slipped below the IPO price, according to data and analytics firm Ortex Technologies. Short sellers, who borrow shares to sell them and later buy them back at a lower price for a profit, have pressed their bearish bets on SpaceX as the company's shares slipped toward its IPO price of $135 from a post-IPO high of $225.64. (7/16)

Elon Musk's Audacious Gamble Has Already Swallowed Up More Than $800 Billion in One Month (Source: Numerama)
In June 2026, Elon Musk and SpaceX achieved the largest IPO in history. A month later, the company had almost returned to square one, after a meteoric rise that was as spectacular as it was short-lived. After peaking above $2.7 trillion, SpaceX has almost returned to its IPO level and is now worth $1.792 trillion, as of July 15.

In less than a month, this stock market rollercoaster has swallowed up $863 billion in market capitalization. The operation is not a failure for SpaceX, however. The company did recoup the $75 billion it sought, and its stock price remains slightly above its initial public offering price. The situation is considerably less rosy for investors who joined during the initial euphoria, some of whom are now reporting losses close to 40%. (7/15)

Space Startup Funding Near Record Highs as SpaceX IPO Draws New Investors (Source: Reuters)
Global investment in space startups was near ‌record levels in the second quarter, buoyed by investor enthusiasm following SpaceX's nearly $86 billion initial public offering, according to a Seraphim Space report on Thursday. "We are seeing increased inbound from investors with limited or no prior space exposure, who are now looking ​to build positions in the category." Space companies raised about $7.5 billion across 141 venture funding deals ​in the second quarter, ​compared with a record $8 ⁠billion across 159 deals in the previous quarter. (7/16)

Flying blind: NASA’s X-59 Could Bolster the Windowless Cockpit (Source: Aerospace America)
When NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft broke the sound barrier for the first time on June 5, it marked a big step toward the return of commercial supersonic flight. But the aircraft could help foster innovation in another area as well: the cockpit. (7/15)

New Frontier Aerospace Plans Sales of 3D-Printed Hypersonic Rocket Engine (Source: Aerospace America)
Washington state startup New Frontier Aerospace is moving to install by the end of this year its 3D-printed, hypersonic-capable rocket engine onto a drone to demonstrate and gather data on its performance. The company, headquartered in Kent, plans to offer the relatively compact, liquid natural gas-fueled engine, known as Mjölnir, for sale commercially.

New Frontier says it is designing Mjölnir to power small satellites and rockets that fall under NASA’s Venture Class, which includes Rocket Lab’s Electron, for example. New Frontier has been hot-firing the engines since mid-2024. CEO Bill Bruner, a former assistant administrator for legislative and governmental affairs at NASA, founded New Frontier in 2020 with David Gregory, former development lead for Blue Origin’s BE-3 engine, and Jess Sponable, a former DARPA program manager who led spaceplane development. (7/15)

The Space Force Faces Growing Pains. Here’s How the Next Chief Can Help (Source: Breaking Defense)
On July 16, Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a hearing as part of his path towards being the third Chief of Space Operations. Doubling the service from roughly 10,000 to 20,000 military members by 2030 is not a trivial matter. Gen. Schiess and the Space Force must ensure it has the right people, with the right ranks, doing the right functions, and in the right locations — all while preserving the high standards of qualification that make Guardians unique, and in a way that will create a sustainable force structure.

Due to new Pentagon policies, DOGE cuts, and even a few retirements, the Space Force lost many qualified personnel across its military and civilian workforce. While the numbers of people in these categories are likely in the low hundreds for the Space Force, they could offer ready-made talent that could be easily re-integrated. One area where new interservice transfers might be helpful is to grow the existing apparatus responsible for new accessions — recruitment, basic training, skills training, and assignment matching.

Perhaps the most promising option is for the Space Force to direct commission or direct enlist experts from industry and other fields whose specialties the Space Force needs. This would be like the programs the other services employ for medical and legal professionals. The technical nature of many Space Force functions could be ideal for such an approach. By bringing them in at higher ranks than a traditional new member, the Space Force can create a more uniform growth path for itself. (7/14)

Moon Landings Could Destroy Evidence of Life's Origins (Source: Space.com)
Landing spacecraft on the moon could contaminate ancient clues about how life may have originated on Earth, a new study finds. The exhaust from spacecraft involved with these landings could expel enough methane to contaminate the moon's surface — possibly destroying molecules that could help to explain how life may have originated on Earth. (7/14)

Kratos Wins $100M for Space Domain Awareness System Build (Source: ExecutiveBiz)
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has secured an approximately $100 million sole-source prime contract to deliver a ground-based space domain awareness system for an undisclosed government customer. CEO Eric Demarco says the company is positioned to deliver space systems quickly at competitive costs. (7/14)

Space Force Aims to Double Personnel (Source: Breaking Defense)
Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, on track to become the third chief of space operations, faces the challenge of doubling US Space Force personnel to 20,000 by 2030. Schiess could consider reinstating members separated for nondisciplinary reasons, increasing interservice transfers, integrating Guard and Reserve forces and direct appointments from industry. Expanding the Space Force's geographic footprint beyond its current states is also recommended to boost awareness and congressional support. (7/14)

Spain’s Pangea Propulsion Opens New Manufacturing Facility (Source: European Spaceflight)
Pangea Propulsion has inaugurated a new 1,000-square-metre manufacturing facility in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona, investing an initial €1 million in its establishment. According to the company’s CEO, Adrià Argemí Samsó, the opening of the new facility marks the company’s shift to serial production. (7/14)

Space Cargo Costs Could Fall More Than 90% by 2040 (Source: University of Cambridge)
The expense of launching cargo into space will plummet over the next few years, with the cost of reaching orbit forecast to more than halve between now and the end of the decade, and fall around 93% by 2040, according to new Cambridge-led research.

The cost of sending a kilogram of payload into low Earth orbit, an average of $3,868 last year, is set to fall more than 58% to just $1,569 by 2030, and could reach as little as 273 US dollars per kilo by 2040, the study suggests. The analysis shows that the cost of reaching space is falling faster than the expense of steamship freight did during the 19th-century transport revolution, and even faster than solar photovoltaics: a benchmark for rapidly affordable “transformative technologies”. (7/14)

First Diagnostic X-Rays in Space (Source: RSNA)
A team of crew members aboard a commercial spaceflight acquired the first diagnostic X-rays during an orbital flight. For more than four decades, ultrasound has been the only reliable medical imaging modality used in spaceflight. As spaceflight missions increase in duration and distance, increasing the risk of adverse medical events, the limitations of ultrasound have become less acceptable. Ultrasound imaging requires substantial operator training and relies on a sound wave transmitting medium.

The Fram2 mission launched on March 31, 2025, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, entering into a 90-degree orbit at 425 to 450 kilometers above sea level. The mission duration was 3 days and 14 hours, and the spacecraft returned to Earth on April 4, 2025. The X-ray generator sustained superficial structural damage during landing and recovery. However, internal hardware components and X-ray output were unaffected. (7/14)

Guardian Astronaut Brings Operational Medicine Experience to ISS Mission (Source: USSF)
U.S. Space Force Col. Anil Menon launched aboard NASA’s Expedition 75 mission to the International Space Station, bringing with him a career shaped by operational medicine, military service and human spaceflight support. Menon is serving as a flight engineer aboard the ISS during his first mission to space, marking another milestone in the growing relationship between NASA and the Space Force as Guardians continue supporting the nation’s expanding role in the space domain. (7/14)

Researchers Map Moon’s Regolith Thickness (Source: Brown University)
New research by lunar scientists from Brown University provides critical new insights into the thickness of the Moon’s regolith, the layer of loose dust and rock that drapes the entire lunar surface. Using an analysis of more than 300 small and freshly formed impact craters across the lunar surface, along with data collected from lunar missions dating back to the 1970s, the researchers created a map of regolith thickness across the Moon. The team has made the data publicly available in the hope that other researchers will add to it, helping to make it a valuable resource for future lunar exploration. (7/14)

SpaceX Data Center Plan Fuels Push to Oust Texas Mayor (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
The debate over data centers on Earth has landed in a small town outside of Waco that’s crucial to Elon Musk’s vision to move the technology to space. Concerns over the closed-door approval of a new data center project and years of water violations tied to SpaceX rocket engine testing have some in McGregor calling for changes at City Hall. More than 60 people have signed a petition to change or remove Mayor Jim Lilley, according to Dennis Fehler, a fourth-generation native of the town who’s leading the recall effort.

Gov. Greg Abbott recently called for blocking new data centers in rural parts of the state. He also has directed the Public Utility Commission and Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the statewide grid, to take steps to reduce the impact of data centers. The fight in McGregor is happening in the town that’s home to SpaceX’s busiest test site, where every one of the company’s rocket engines is test-fired before flight.

Wall Street on SpaceX: ‘Everything Depends on Starship’ (Source: AEI)
What do the banks think about (a) the viability of Starship, and (b) assuming Starship will be a reliable, reusable, high-cadence vehicle, what does that mean for launch costs? Bankers' analyses tend to focus on a single number: dollars per kilogram to orbit. It’s the number that will determine the economic viability of humanity living and working in low-Earth orbit, colonizing the Moon and Mars (and beyond), and whether we can build space-based energy and AI infrastructure.

Given that these reports are from banks that underwrote the SpaceX IPO, you would expect them to be upbeat. But they’re hardly the most optimistic. Goldman Sachs: “We expect Starship to become fully operational and prove out commercial viability in the coming quarters as the vehicle begins deploying internal (and in 2027, external) payloads into orbit.” ... The “total number of Starship launches [is] expected to reach ~2,750 in 2030” and that means SpaceX “will have to manufacture 600 Starships through 2029 to support launches.”

JP Morgan: "Everything Depends on Starship. We view Starship’s path to rapid and complete reusability as the critical enabler underpinning SpaceX’s many long-term growth drivers. Accordingly, any delays, technical setbacks, or regulatory hurdles that constrain the launch trajectory will impede planned growth across multiple business lines. ... While SpaceX has an incredibly strong track record of innovation, with many key “firsts” across Space, Connectivity, and AI, Starship’s scale & complexity will require superior execution." (7/7)

Utah Helicopter Flights Test NASA’s DAVINCI Mission to Venus (Source: NASA)
Before NASA sends its DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) descent probe down through Venus’s thick atmosphere, scientists need to confirm that its cameras and instruments can do the job. During its 60-minute descent at Venus, the probe will capture images, measure the atmospheric chemistry, and explore the environment of a world no one has seen up close in this way.

To prepare, a team of DAVINCI scientists and engineers traveled to Crater Island, Utah, in late June. There, they simulated the descent imaging part of their Venus mission through slow, near-vertical helicopter descents from altitudes as high as 18,000 feet to make sure they would be able to measure the landscapes using only optical and infrared images taken on the way down. (7/14)

July 15, 2026

NRO and USAF Nominees Support Closer Coordination Between Space Force and Intelligence Agencies (Source: Space News)
Trump administration nominees for two influential U.S. national security space posts endorsed closer coordination between the Space Force and intelligence agencies as well as acquisition improvements. Erich Hernandez-Baquero, nominated to become the Air Force's top civilian space acquisition official, and Roger Mason, the president's choice to lead the National Reconnaissance Office, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

The two nominees received only limited questions in the hearing as senators focused on other nominees, but Mason said the roles of the NRO and Space Force remained clear as the military shifts airborne and ground moving-target surveillance missions toward satellite-based systems. Hernandez-Baquero said his priorities would be acquisition reform, integration across missions and rebuilding the acquisition workforce, while calling for greater use of commercial technology and new business models. [SpaceNews]

Japan Intends to Increase Launch Cadence (Source: Space News)
The Japanese government wants to sharply increase launches. At the Spacetide conference last week, officials said the government's space policy has a goal of hosting 30 launches per year by the early 2030s. Japan has conducted just two launches so far this year, including the failed launch of the Kairos small rocket. Space One, which operates Kairos, said the company was working on the next Kairos launch despite the failures of all three launches of that rocket to date. Reaching a goal of 30 launches per year could require Japan hosting launches of foreign vehicles. [SpaceNews]

Satellite-Oriented Investments Soar in 2026 (Source: Space News)
Investment in satellite companies so far in 2026 has broken annual records. Investment in satellite companies reached $8.1 billion in the first half of 2026, according to a study by Space Capital, led by Iceye's $1.2 billion Series F round in June. That is more than the investment in satellite companies in any single year. Those companies that the report classifies as infrastructure - defined as the design, manufacture, launch and operation of space-based assets - collectively raised $20.7 billion, which is a quarterly record.

That figure included a $12 billion investment in Prometheus, an industrial artificial intelligence venture backed by Jeff Bezos that Space Capital argues is space-adjacent since it will support the design and development of launch vehicles and space assets. Lines among industry sectors are blurring, Space Capital argues, and it expects standalone launch companies to atrophy over time as more follow moves such as Rocket Lab's planned acquisition of Iridium. [SpaceNews]

Icarus Robotics Picks Kulr Batteries for ISS Joyride (Source: Space News)
Space robotics startup Icarus Robotics has selected Kulr to provide batteries for a payload going to the ISS. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, KULR One Space (K1S) battery systems will power Icarus's Joy as it navigates, maneuvers and assists astronauts on the Joyride-1 mission scheduled for early 2027. KULR batteries, designed to comply with NASA crewed vehicle safety requirements, obtained flight heritage in a cubesat flown aboard NASA's Artemis 2 lunar mission. [SpaceNews]

Frontier Airlines Adopts Starlink for In-Flight Wifi (Source: CNBC)
Discount airline Frontier is the latest to adopt SpaceX's Starlink for in-flight wifi. The airline, which does not currently offer wifi on its aircraft, said Tuesday it will start outfitting its planes with Starlink early next year. The airline has private equity firm Indigo Partners as an investor, and four other airlines Indigo owns stakes in across Asia, Europe and Latin America also announced they would adopt Starlink for in-flight wifi. (7/15)

Bonuses for Reenlisting Guardians (Source: Military Times)
The Space Force is offering big bonuses for guardians willing to enlist for an extended tour of duty. The service announced this week its Initial Enlisted Bonus Pilot program, which will provide a $25,000 bonus to enlistees who commit to serving for eight years. Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna said the longer contracts reflect the additional training needed for guardians to serve in highly technical fields. The Space Force had previously used four- and six-year enlistment terms. (7/15)

Laying the Groundwork for the First Human Mars Mission (Source: Space News)
Developing a Mars mission is not just about designing and building a spacecraft that can get there, land and get back. A successful mission must also be able to carry out science activities at Mars while also understanding, tracking and ensuring human health and performance issues so that astronauts can do what we’re asking of them and do it safely. Very different components must be developed together and integrated from the very beginning into a single mission concept and plan, before some designs have already been fixed.
NASA should begin development of the Mars human mission architecture now to enable identification and development of areas within these four disciplines that require long lead time. It should should coordinate early with the engineering/architecture, science, health and human performance and planetary protection communities so that all have input into architecture and mission planning and to ensure that there is an integrated mission concept and design.

A NASA chartered community group that includes representation from each of these communities should be commissioned to stand up quarterly or semi-annual workshops as follow-ons to our workshop. The goals of these workshops would be to continue to drive toward an actual integrated mission concept and to develop specific landing-site criteria and recommendations. (7/15)

Honeywell Aerospace Leads Consortium for ESA-Funded Compact Quantum Space Magnetometer (Source: Via Satellite)
Honeywell Aerospace will lead a consortium including Quantum Brilliance and Jagiellonian University to develop, test and deliver a compact quantum space magnetometer for the European Space Agency. The project is structured around an ESA-funded contract, with delivery targeted for 2027 to support research into Earth’s magnetic field. (7/14)

New Russian-American Crew Launched to ISS From Russia (Source: Space Policy Online)
Russia launched a new crew to the ISS on Tuesday from the Baikonur spaceport on a Soyuz rocket.  Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, docked at the ISS about three hours later for an 8-month mission. (7/14)

Japan's Axelspace Reports 38% Revenue Decline (Source: Space Intel Report)
Small satellite manufacturer and operator Axelspace of Japan reported a 39% decline in revenue and a wider operating loss for the six months ending May 31 compared to the same period a year ago, citing higher costs for construction of a satellite test model, increased personnel charges and a change in revenue recognition for government projects. Elevent months after its introduction onto the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Axelspace reported revenue of 564 million yen for the period, down from 921 million yen a year ago. (7/14)

Regulators Again Rebuff Italy's Request for Extension of Deadline to Operate Sicral 3A, 3B Military Satellites (Source: Space Intel Report)
In its second attempt in four months, Italy was unable to secure regulatory approval of a deadline extension for its Sicral 3A and 3B military telecommunications satellites, both expected to be used by the NATO alliance as well as by the European Union’s GovSatCom program. Sacral 3A, with an SHF/EHF payload; and Sacral 3B with a UHF-band payload are scheduled for launch on separate SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets between mid-2027 and early 2028. (7/13)

Strasbourg Group Plans Revival of ISU France (Source: Douglas Messier)
A group of faculty and staff members are attempting to revive International Space University’s (ISU) operations in France in the wake of a court order liquidating the bankrupt ISU France organization and closing the school’s Central Campus in Strasbourg.

The French effort sets up a potential legal clash over use of the university’s name and intellectual property with a group led by ISU Co-founders Bob Richards and Peter Diamandis. The U.S.-based co-founders went public last week with ISU Global, an organization that aims to develop a virtual global campus system under the university’s original and still active incorporation in Massachusetts. (7/12)

ESA Awards €10M Contract to EMXYS for Don Quijote Asteroid Lander (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency has awarded Spanish satellite manufacturer EMXYS a contract to build a small lander that will attempt to touch down on the surface of an asteroid ahead of its close encounter with Earth. Apophis, the asteroid in question, will pass within 32,000 kilometres of Earth’s surface, closer than the geostationary satellites orbiting the planet, in April 2029. The Don Quijote lander is aptly named for an ambitious Spanish-led attempt to land on an asteroid.

While not tilting at windmills, the little spacecraft has the odds stacked against it. It will attempt to land on an asteroid that is “likely to be tumbling chaotically,” according to Francesca Ingiosi, the ESA engineer overseeing the mission. Due to the asteroid’s ultra-low gravity, the lander may bounce along its surface before coming to rest. As no one knows what it will encounter on the asteroid’s surface, there is even “a small possibility that Don Quijote sinks into the ground, which,” Ingiosi noted, “would not be good!” (7/11)

NASA Considers Nuclear-Powered Rover for a Lunar Mission (Source: The Hill)
Jared Isaacman has suggested the possibility of sending a spare nuclear-powered Mars rover — an engineering model of the Mars Perseverance rover — to the moon. Such a proposal represents outside-the-box thinking for NASA, which is becoming more common under Isaacman’s leadership. Had someone proposed sending a car-sized nuclear rover to the moon in times past, NASA would have gone through its usual years-long, multibillion dollar process to make it happen. By one estimate, Mars Perseverance cost $2.7 billion, including launch costs and initial operations. (7/12)

Europe’s Space Sovereignty is an Execution Problem (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Europe can set policy routes toward “space sovereignty” but still struggles to build the industrial capabilities to match. European policy and spending can fail to produce the industrial outcomes required for autonomy in space services. The opening of Reflex Aerospace's Berlin facility is a focal point in the debate over Europe's space sovereignty.

Reflex Aerospace has been pushing to shorten lead times and vertically integrate key components, moving away from reliance on non-European supply chains. Whether companies like Reflex can bridge the gap remains a critical test. (7/10)

Parabilis Tests Propulsion System for Maneuverable Cubesats (Source: Space News)
Small satellites have become a staple of military space programs because they are relatively inexpensive and quick to build. Many, however, have little or no ability to maneuver after reaching orbit. The Space Force is working with propulsion startup Parabilis Space Technologies on a system intended to expand the missions those spacecraft can perform. (7/11) 

Atoms for Space: Past US Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Programs (Source: Space Review)
Throughout the Space Age the United States worked on space nuclear power and propulsion systems, although very few actually made it to space. Dwayne Day examines those programs and what went wrong. Click here. (7/14)

The Iranian Use of Space Operations During Epic Fury (Source: Space Review)
While the United States has made extensive use of space capabilities in its ongoing conflict with Iran, that country has also made use of space. Three experts examine Iran’s access to satellite imagery and its efforts to jam satellite signals. Click here. (7/14)
 
The Whole World Looking Up: Inspiration From the Moon (Source: Space Review)
Humanity has long been inspired by the night sky. Richard Logue offers a new way to provide that inspiration through a series of spacecraft that would be visible from the ground while also testing solar sail technologies. Click here. (7/14)
 
The Mystery of Mission Zero (Source: Space Review)
A payload processing facility at the Kennedy Space Center has been used for dozens of missions over the years, but one of them was not publicly documented. James Behling discusses the secrecy behind the very first mission to use that facility. Click here. (7/14)

Lunar Outpost Europe to Support NUVIEW’s Moonraker Lunar LiDAR Mapping Mission (Source: Payload)
Lunar Outpost Europe—the Luxembourg-based subsidiary of the US lunar terrain vehicle manufacturer—was selected to contribute to ESA’s Moonraker mission launching in 2030. The mission is being led by NUVIEW GmbH, and will feature a lunar orbiting satellite that uses LiDAR to map the lunar surface in 3D, with the goal of gathering more information about potential landing sites at the lunar South Pole.

As part of the consortium, Lunar Outpost Europe will develop thermal management solutions to help Moonraker withstand the wide temperature swings in lunar orbit. Ahead of the Moonraker flight in 2030, Lunar Outpost plans to fly an in-orbit demonstration mission in LEO, funded by the European Commission, to gain flight heritage on thermal components it will use on Moonraker. (7/14)

Tiny Meteorite Hints at Now-Gone Moon-Sized Body (Source: Space Daily)
A small stone from Northwest Africa has become evidence for a much larger absence. In a 2026 paper, researchers argue that the meteorite known as Northwest Africa 12774 may preserve material from a vanished planetary embryo, a body perhaps comparable in size to the Moon and possibly larger, that once orbited the young Sun. The study found clinopyroxene, a crystal common in planetary rocks. The clinopyroxene is unusually rich in aluminum, suggesting it formed under very high pressure. (7/13)

Bezos Doubles Down on Blue Origin with $2 Billion (Source: The Street)
Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion in its first outside funding round, a deal valuing the company at $130 billion, with Bezos personally writing a $2 billion check. Money has been a pressure point inside the company. Blue Origin’s ambitions would “take a lot of capital,” CEO Dave Limp told employees. (7/9)

New Iridium Chip Offers Protection From GPS/GNSS Threats (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Communications announced the commercial availability of the Iridium PNT ASIC, a first-to-market chip designed to help protect GPS- and GNSS-dependent devices from jamming, spoofing, and other growing threats. Iridium has received unprecedented demand from more than 150 organizations worldwide, spanning maritime, unmanned and autonomous systems (UXV), aviation, telecommunications, and other critical infrastructure sectors. (7/14)

SpaceX Plans Contingency Landings for Starship Under New FAA Environmental Assessment (Source: FAA)
The FAA announced a new Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Starship reentry contingency operations. It is proposed that the FAA would modify SpaceX’s vehicle operator license to authorize the expansion of a previously evaluated Hawaii and Central Pacific Landing Area and Southeast Pacific Region Landing Area. Also, a new Northern Pacific Contingency Landing Area in the Northeast Pacific would be established for Florida launches on a trajectory toward intended landings at Starbase in Texas. Also authorized would be temporary airspace closures associated with landings at Starbase. Click here. (7/13)

Most Common Exoplanet Type Doesn't Exist in Our Solar System (Source: Space Daily)
The Solar System gives us a familiar catalogue of planets: small rocky worlds close to the Sun, then gas and ice giants farther out. For a long time, that local inventory shaped the imagination. A planet could be Earth-like, Mars-like, Jupiter-like, Neptune-like. Then exoplanet surveys began finding something that sits awkwardly between those categories.

These worlds are often called sub-Neptunes, or sometimes grouped with super-Earths depending on their size and mass. They are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. They appear again and again in data from missions such as Kepler, yet there is no example of one orbiting the Sun. Planets between Earth and Neptune are among the most common types revealed by exoplanet surveys, but the Solar System gives astronomers no nearby specimen to inspect.

That absence is part of the difficulty. We can measure some of these planets’ sizes and, for a smaller set, their masses. But a radius between Earth and Neptune does not by itself tell us whether the planet is a rocky core with a thin hydrogen envelope, a water-rich world under high pressure, a mini-Neptune with a deep atmosphere, or something more complicated. The category is observationally common and physically unresolved. (7/13)

July 14, 2026

The Space Race Comes to Latin America (Source: Americas Quarterly)
Why would Ecuador, of all places, be a focus in Latin America’s new space race? A new private spaceport is planned there for vertical launches and horizontal vehicle recovery at one of three potential sites. The Guayaquil area is strategic because it sits just two degrees south of the equator, meaning rockets launched there can carry more payload at a lower cost.

Compared to many other countries that sit directly on the equator—a list that includes Congo, Somalia, Uganda and Indonesia, as well as Colombia and Brazil—Ecuador, with its dollarized economy and business-friendly government, looks attractive despite its security challenges.

Space is an important theater in the strategic rivalry between China and the United States, with both superpowers vying in Latin America for allies and key geography such as the Southern Cone region, whose clear skies are ideal for tracking satellites. Meanwhile, Latin American governments are determined to be not just a battleground in a new Cold War, but key protagonists in the space industry’s growth and governance. (7/14)

Pentagon Wants Space-Based Solar Power, Potential Investors Want a Committed Customer (Source: Breaking Defense)
The military sees major potential for Silicon Valley and venture capital to help deploy space-based solar power. However, while VCs are funding lighter, more efficient power technologies, they hesitate to back massive orbital energy projects without DoD first committing to be an anchor customer. The DoD wants to beam solar energy wirelessly from space to remote, austere locations on Earth, or directly to other orbital assets. (7/14)

NASA SunRISE Smallsat Shifts From Vulcan to Falcon Heavy for Rideshare (Source: NASA)
A NASA smallsat mission is shifting launch vehicles. NASA announced Monday that the SunRISE mission, previously set to launch as a rideshare payload on a U.S. Space Force flight of a Vulcan Centaur, will instead fly on a Falcon Heavy as a rideshare on another Space Force mission. NASA did not disclose a new launch date for the mission, which was previously planned to launch this summer. NASA did not give a reason for the shift, but the Vulcan has not flown since a February mission that encountered an anomaly with one of its solid rocket boosters. SunRISE, or Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment, features six smallsats flying just above geosynchronous orbit that will monitor radio bursts from the sun's corona. (7/14)

Scolese Retires From NRO (Source: NRO)
Chris Scolese has formally retired as NRO director. The agency said Monday that Scolese's last day as director was last Friday, concluding a nearly seven-year tenure as the NRO's first Senate-confirmed leader. The White House has nominated Roger Mason to be his successor, with a confirmation hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee scheduled for today. Principal Deputy Director Bill Adkins will serve as acting director until Mason is confirmed. (7/14)

Sugar Cloud Found in Space (Source: New York Times)
Astronomers have discovered the galaxy has a sweet tooth. Observations of a cloud of gas and dust near the Milky Way's center turned up evidence of erythrulose, a sugar molecule found in raspberries. It's the first time a sugar molecule has been seen in interstellar space, and adds to evidence that sugar molecules were delivered to the early Earth from asteroid and comet impacts, providing key compounds for life to form. (7/14)

ESA Plans Poland Space Center (Source: Space News)
ESA will develop a new space center in Poland focused on civil security and resilience. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and ESA's director general Josef Aschbacher announced the new facility during a press conference Monday in Warsaw. The center will contribute to the implementation of ESA's growing activities in security and resilience. Poland has sharply increased its contributions to ESA and is boosting its expenditure on space-related programs while supporting a growing space industry in the country. (7/14)

UK Space Strategy Update Will Provided Whole-of-Government Attention to Space (Source: Space News)
The British government is preparing to release a new space strategy that will provide a whole-of-government approach to space. At a conference last week, Rebecca Evernden, director of the U.K. Space Agency, said the strategy, set for release "in the coming weeks," would provide guidance for civil, commercial and national security space activities, grounding them on the goals of economic growth and national security. The strategy will have four key focus areas: satellite communications, launch, space domain awareness and space sustainability, and in-space servicing and manufacturing. A new defense investment plan released last month pledged more than £3 billion ($4 billion) in additional spending on satellite communications and space-based ISR through 2030. (7/14)

Defense Spending Raises Europe's Space Economy (Source: Space News)
Increased defense spending is helping Europe's space economy. A study released Monday by ESA found that European government space spending jumped 12% to 13.5 billion euros ($15.4 billion) in 2025 even as government spending worldwide slumped. The United States represented 58% of global government space budgets in 2025, with China ranked second at 15% followed by Europe at 11%. The report also noted that European space companies are at a disadvantage in capturing the increased defense spending, as many governments there do not give preferences to domestic industry even as the United States and China lock out foreign suppliers. (7/14)

SpaceX Conducts Bi-Coastal Starlink Launches on Monday and Tuesday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX conducted a pair of Starlink launches overnight. One Falcon 9 lifted off Monday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, putting 27 Starlink satellites into orbit. A second Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida Tuesday, putting 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. The Florida launch was the 600th flight of a Falcon 9 to use a previously flown booster. (7/14)

NASA’s Hubble Discovers First of Star Cluster’s Missing Black Holes (Source: NASA)
The massive globular star cluster Omega Centauri has puzzled astronomers for decades. It should be filled with black holes left behind by exploding stars, yet evidence for them is scarce. Now, astronomers using archival data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and supportive observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have finally located their first stellar-mass black hole in this cluster.  (7/13)

Jackal, Puma Spacecraft to Chase Each Other Victus Haze Demo (Source: Breaking Defense)
With the first, threshold-setting missions for the Space Force’s Victus Haze demonstration now complete, space firms Rocket Lab and True Anomaly will undertake several sets of maneuvers over the next six months in a celestial game of tag — trading roles as chaser and chased, according to executives from both companies.

The point of the game is to demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), which involve close maneuvers around a target satellite to either surveil it, as is the primary goal of Victus Haze; help it, for exampling by refueling; or, in the case of on-orbit combat, hurt it. Victus Haze is the second of several Victus demos planned under the service’s Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program. (7/13)

China's Rocket Recovery Validates New Approach with Net-Capture System (Source: Aerospace Global News)
China has successfully recovered the first stage of its Long March-10B rocket using a sea-based net capture system, demonstrating a different approach to reusable launch vehicles as countries race to reduce the cost of access to space. The maiden flight of the Long March-10B lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site on 10 July, placing its payload into orbit before the rocket’s first stage returned under powered flight and was captured by a purpose-built recovery vessel in the South China Sea.

Chinese state media described it as the world’s first successful net-based recovery of an orbital-class launch vehicle. The recovery makes China one of only a handful of nations to demonstrate controlled recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster. More significantly, it introduces an engineering approach that differs from the landing-leg systems pioneered by SpaceX and later adopted by Blue Origin. (7/14)

Reditus Readies First Launch of its Re-Entry Vehicle/Hypersonic Target (Source: Breaking Defense)
Atlanta-bases startup Reditus Space has completed construction of its reusable re-entry vehicle for microgravity research, which also is being developed for DoD use as a hypersonics test bed — and, potentially, target vehicle. The spacecraft, called ENOS, can carry payloads for military testers wanting to evaluate how a specific system or technology functions in a hypersonic environment — or instead serve as a Mach 25+ target vehicle for interceptors both above and within the atmosphere. (7/13)

Northrop Grumman Sets Launch Date For Robotic Servicing Spacecraft (Source: Aviation Week)
Northrop Grumman expects to launch its in-space robotic servicer no earlier than July 21. The Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV), a spacecraft built by Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics that is about the size of a minivan, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (7/14)

Sejba Named to Advisory Role at Florida Tech (Source: Florida Tech)
Retired U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, a past STARCOM commander and former Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Space Operations, will bring his extensive military and space leadership experience to Florida Tech in the new role of Military Affairs Advisor to the President. (7/6)

The Implications of Dual-Use for Protecting Space Assets (Source: Via Satellite)
For many years Europe organized space around clear distinctions. Civil programs were separated from defense. Commercial companies served institutional customers. Governments developed sovereign capabilities while industry provided technology and services. The concept of dual-use existed, but it remained politically uncomfortable. The separation itself was often seen as a strength. Today, that separation is becoming increasingly artificial. Not because governments deliberately decided to abandon it, but because reality has moved faster than policy.

Satellites are only one element within a much broader system that includes launch services, sensors, ground stations, communications networks, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, software, user terminals and the people operating them. Modern space architectures are assembled rather than owned. A government may operate sovereign satellites while relying on commercial launch services. It may own sensors but use commercial cloud infrastructure. It may develop sovereign command-and-control capabilities while purchasing commercial imagery or communications. (7/13)

Saudi Arabia Strengthens China Partnership in Space (Source: Saudi Gazette)
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology met with government leaders and major technology companies in China to strengthen partnerships in artificial intelligence and the space sector. The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, the digital economy, technology transfer, and talent exchange programs. They also explored opportunities to expand the presence of major Chinese technology companies in Saudi Arabia. (7/14)

Debris Cloud Discovered in High-Traffic Orbit (Source: Space.com)
Tiny pieces of space junk only 2 inches in size are cluttering a valuable orbital region where some of the costliest satellites reside, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Warwick in the U.K. found that the geostationary orbit — a region of space at the altitude of 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) — is full of dangerous, previously unseen bits of space junk that could destroy satellites. (7/13)

Spinifex Space Teams With Australian Test Ranges (Source: Payload)
Spinifex Space was established Monday to provide end-to-end suborbital launch campaigns, private range access, and test and evaluation (T&E) infrastructure from facilities in southwestern Queensland, Australia. Spinifex says its team spun out of Black Sky Industries, an Australian developer and supplier of solid rocket propellant and solid rocket motors

Spinifex itself does not build rockets. Instead, its products are the land and the licenses required for flight. Spinifex operates out of two primary facilities: Black Sands Test Range provides multiple T&E facilities for energetics, kinetic effector, and hypersonic vehicle test programs; and Outback Space Port at the MAXQ facility supports suborbital vertical launch and horizontal launch test campaigns, spanning more than 3M acres of southwestern Queensland. (7/14)

SpaceX Stock Falls 4.2% in Back-to-Back Session, Tests $135 IPO Price (Source: StartupHub)
SpaceX (SPCX) fell 4.24% on July 13 to $139.14, its second straight session of losses, on volume of 70.5 million shares. The stock now sits 3% above the $135 IPO price floor. (7/13)

South Korea's Flexell Space Raises $20 Million (Source: Space News)
Flexell Space, a South Korean developer of next-generation highly efficient solar cells, completed a $20 million funding round. Completed approximately two years after the company’s founding, the investment reflects strong confidence from leading Korean investors. The company originated as an in-house venture of Hanwha Systems. (7/13)

L3Harris And Sierra Space Receive $1.75 Billion For SDA Tranche 3, Tracking Layer (Source: Defense Daily)
L3Harris Technologies [LHX] is receiving $955 million and Sierra Space $798 million rapid prototyping contracts for an expedited launch of Tranche 3, Tracking Layer satellites by the end of 2028, the Space Development Agency (SDA) said. Under the Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 (AMDT3) awards, L3Harris is to build 18 "Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS)-like missile defense variant" space vehicles (SVs) across two orbital planes. Sierra Space is under contract for “18 Missile Warning/Missile Tracking variant SVs across two orbital planes.” (7/13)

Netherlands Adopts Mandate for Its New Space Agency (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Netherlands has formalized the mandate of its rebranded space agency, adding the Ministry of Defense to its steering committee for the first time. The formation of the new agency was announced on 3 March, with the Netherlands Space Office becoming the Netherlands Space Agency (NLSA). Following the renaming in March, the governance agreement and mandate for the new agency were officially signed on 12 June and published in the Government Gazette on 6 July. (7/13)

Final NASA Space Shuttle Crew Reflects Under Atlantis 15 Years Later (Source: Florida Today)
The final four shuttle astronauts returned to Kennedy Space Center this past weekend and addressed a crowd underneath their ride, Space Shuttle Atlantis, reflecting on that last flight of the space shuttle era 15 years ago. (7/13)

Rocket Lab Reaches Full Duration Neutron Engine Test Before Maiden Flight (Source: Simply Wall Street)
For investors watching Rocket Lab, the Neutron program sits at the center of the company's move beyond small satellite launches into heavier payloads and reuse. The successful full duration AVac engine test adds a new data point alongside missions such as the Space Force's VICTUS HAZE, which highlighted the company's role in responsive launch services.

As Neutron moves closer to its first mission, the risk profile for NasdaqGS:RKLB continues to depend on execution in larger, reusable rockets and on how quickly this capability can be brought to market. Readers may want to track further test milestones, customer announcements, and any updates on Neutron's launch timeline as indicators of how the broader story is progressing. (7/14)

Extant Aerospace Expands on Space Coast (Source: EDC of Florida's Space Coast)
Founded in 1962 as Symetrics Engineering, Extant Aerospace has built a legacy of more than six decades of innovation, advanced manufacturing, and workforce excellence, manufacturing, repairing, and supporting more than 5,000 part numbers and assemblies across a wide range of commercial aerospace and defense platforms.

The company's new Melbourne facility represents an investment of more than $75 million and will include over 376,000 square feet of operational space, with an additional 120,000 square feet planned for future expansion. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to support the company's growth from more than 250 employees today to more than 450 high-quality jobs. (7/14)

July 13, 2026

Europe Faces Shortages Amid Space Militarization Race (Source: Fortune)
Europe is facing significant challenges in the space militarization race, primarily due to a shortage of heavy launchers. While the US, Russia and China have heavily invested in space capabilities, Europe has struggled with limited budgets and misaligned interests. The Andøya Spaceport in Norway represents a potential solution, but has yet to achieve notable success. The stream of political leaders visiting the Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway shows its vital importance: it may be Europe’s best shot at catching up in the race to militarize space while breaking free from dependence on SpaceX.

Launching satellites into orbit “is a capability that is important for Norway, for the EU, for Europe,” said Ketil Olsen, the chief executive officer of Andøya Space and formerly a Norwegian vice admiral. “For us it’s about strategic autonomy, it’s about sovereignty, and it’s about European independence.” (7/13)

Florida's City Labs Demos Trickle Nuclear Power System for Orbital Electronics (Source: Space News)
A Florida startup launched what it says is the first commercial nuclear-powered payload. City Labs said its Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability (BOHR) cubesat, launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission last week, is the first in-orbit demonstration of the company's NanoTritium betavoltaic power system. While the satellite itself uses conventional solar power, its NanoTritium system uses the radioactive decay of tritium to produce tiny amounts of power, measured in microwatts. That would be suitable for some low-power electronics that need to operate continuously for years. BOHR was the first spacecraft to go through processes to approve the launch of commercial missions with nuclear payloads. (7/12)

Reditus Space Completes Reentry Vehicle to Host Research Payloads (Source: Space News)
Reditus Space has completed its first reentry vehicle. The company said Monday that its ENOS spacecraft is complete and shipped for launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission later this year. ENOS will spend two months in orbit testing vehicle systems and hosting microgravity research payloads before reentering and splashing down off the Florida coast. Reditus is one of several companies working on reentry vehicles, but the company's design maximizes the amount of payload it returns to Earth, with the goal of making the spacecraft completely recoverable and reusable. (7/13)

China Plans Methalox Version of Long March 10 (Source: Space News)
China is planning a new version of its Long March 10 rocket that will use methane and liquid oxygen exclusively. Chinese officials said after the successful launch of the first Long March 10B, including recovery of the first stage, that they are working on a Long March 10C, whose first and second stages will use methane and liquid oxygen. The Long March 10B uses that propellant combination in its first stage while the upper stage uses kerosene rather than methane. The Long March 10C will use a larger first stage and potentially exceed the 25,000-kilogram payload capacity of the Long March 5B. (7/13)

NASA Begins Stacking Rocket Ahead of 2027 Artemis III Mission (Source: Space.com)
The assembly of NASA's next Artemis rocket is well underway, with the recent arrival of one of the launch vehicle's solid fuel booster sections to the agency's integration facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The bottom segment of the left-hand solid rocket booster (SRB) that will help launch Artemis III was transported to KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) this week, according to a NASA social media post. It's one of two SRBs that will be affixed to either side of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which together provide a combined 7.2 million pounds of force — more than 75% of the rocket's power at liftoff. (7/13)

July 12, 2026

What Is The Oldest Artificial Satellite Still Orbiting Earth? (Source: Slashgear)
The oldest one still orbiting Earth went up in 1958 and was actually the second successful satellite put into service by the United States. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory built Vanguard 1 for the International Geophysical Year, an 18-month multinational Earth study. Vanguard 1's mission was to collect scientific data on Earth's atmosphere and how space would affect satellites.

It was also designed to demonstrate new technology, becoming the first orbital satellite powered by solar cells. The batteries on Vanguard 1 only lasted 20 days, but the solar cells continued to provide power until 1964. This marked a major milestone in the early days of U.S. space exploration and an important stage in the evolution of solar energy. (7/8)

NASA is Creating a Fifth State of Matter on the ISS (Source: Live Science)
A new upgrade to the International Space Station's (ISS) quantum laboratory is enabling NASA to probe the behavior of atoms further than ever before, the space agency has announced.

Combining the ISS's newly upgraded "Cold Atom Laboratory" with the near zero-gravity of low Earth orbit, scientists are attempting to understand the properties of so-called "ultracold" atoms in an environment impossible to replicate on Earth. The aim of the mission is to study how clouds of atoms behave at temperatures close to absolute zero (minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius) — the coldest possible temperature in the universe, where atoms lose all their energy of motion. (7/10)

Researchers Design Crash-Resistant Locator Beacons for Nuclear Spacecraft (Source: Aerospace America)
Nuclear fission has emerged as an attractive option for propelling deep space missions to Mars and beyond. However, launching such spacecraft from Earth poses a potential safety risk — and a group of Chinese researchers believes it may have a solution. Researchers described their concept for a “Micro Black Box,” or MBB, that combines a satellite locator beacon and a flight data recorder.

This 4.5-kilogram device, they wrote, would allow space agencies to quickly track down nuclear materials lost in such incidents before the substances leak into the wider environment or harm people. And they are confident of its impact resistance because they have been firing prototypes into dirt and water using a piece of recoil-less weaponry called a Davis gun. (7/9)

Rocket Lab's Approach to Fairing Reuse (Source: Motley Fool)
Rocket Lab's approach, built for its upcoming medium-lift Neutron rocket, is different. The two fairing halves are hinged to the top of the first stage and never detach. Once the rocket climbs high enough, the halves swing open like a set of jaws -- the reason engineers nicknamed it the Hungry Hippo -- release the second stage and payload, then snap shut again in about 1.5 seconds. (7/11)

Could Permanent Magnets Protect Astronauts From Solar Storms? (Source: Phys.org)
Shielding astronauts from the deadly radiation they face is a central challenge for any designer of a deep-space crewed mission. Even relatively low levels of exposure over long periods can lead to everything from central nervous system damage to cancer. But current solutions, such as passive water shells or active superconducting magnets, have their own limitations.

To get around those, a team of researchers from Italy and Germany looks at the feasibility of using a permanent magnet (and its associated permanent magnetic field) to potentially block some of that radiation without the costs of competing technologies. They require continuous cryogenic cooling and a constant power supply for both the cooling system and the magnets themselves. (7/11)

National Space Intelligence Center Welcomes New Commander Amid Growing Threats (Source: Dayton Daily News)
The National Space Intelligence Center welcomed its third commander Thursday, July 9, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Col. Patrick Hamlin, a former squadron commander at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (also at Wright-Patterson), took command of the NSIC during a change-of-command ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. (7/9)

In-Space Manufacturers Chart the Path to an Industrial Future (Source: Aerospace America)
Six companies gathered at an ISS National Laboratory technical session at ASCEND 2026 to describe their progress in in-space manufacturing, commercial space station development, and the computing and logistics infrastructure that will underpin a low Earth orbit (LEO) economy. Taken together, their presentations reflected an ecosystem still being built — but one with real hardware, real data, and real customers. Click here. (7/9)

AT&T May Be Left Out of the Starlink Deal Everyone Wants (Source: The Street)
For decades, the U.S. wireless market has operated like a private club. Three companies own the national networks, and everybody else, from Mint Mobile to your cable company’s phone plan, pays rent to get on them. That rent flows through a mobile virtual network operator agreement, known in the industry as an MVNO. The host carrier collects wholesale fees, and the renter gets nationwide coverage without spending tens of billions of dollars on spectrum and cell towers.

The unwritten rule of the club is simple. You rent to partners, never to predators. That rule is now being stress-tested by SpaceX. Wall Street has started handicapping which of the three landlords blinks first. On July 8, Wells Fargo gave its answer. The bank initiated coverage of AT&T with an underweight rating and an $18 price target, calling the carrier the least likely of the big three to cut a deal with SpaceX’s Starlink, and the most exposed if the satellite giant decides to compete head-on instead. (7/9)

SpaceX Announces Date for 13th Starship Launch (Source: KRGV)
SpaceX has set a date for its next target launch of Starship from Starbase in Texas. The target date for the 13th flight test is Thursday, July 16. As part of the test, SpaceX will set up a safety zone perimeter in coordination with law enforcement. That will include temporary closures of Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach. The 90-minute launch window will open at 5:45 p.m. (7/11)

Startup Auriga Space Plans to Catapult Satellites Into Space (Source: Forbes)
Auriga Space which is developing a linear electromagnetic accelerator to catapult rockets to high altitudes, where their engines kick in to bring them to orbit. It essentially replaces the typical first stage of a rocket. Auriga has raised more than $12 million from investors and Department of Defense grants. Earlier this month, the company announced that it’s going to market with its Prometheus accelerator–not for bringing payloads into space, but for testing materials at hypersonic speeds. Axiom Materials has signed on as a pilot customer.

Auriga is also developing its technology for defense purposes, such as anti-drone weapons. And in the long run, Auriga aims to build a multi-kilometer accelerator that can deliver small satellites into orbit. (7/10)

Churn at Vaya Space with Workforce Layoffs (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Coast-based Vaya has been developing hybrid-fuel rocket motor technology as the basis for its Dauntless launch vehicle that will launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, sharing Launch Complex 13 with Phantom Space, but also pursuing offshore and inland launch sites. The company recently has pivoted toward military missile motor production, having won DoD SBIR work for hypersonic propulsion. Last month the company laid off over a dozen engineering and leadership personnel. (7/10)

Scientists Sounding the Alarm Over Hidden Objects Threatening Critical Satellites (Source: The Debrief)
For many years, scientists have been tracking even the tiniest fragments of space debris orbiting our planet to keep tabs on whether these small leftovers from decades of spaceflight might become a problem, whether for astronauts or for populations here on Earth. Now, in new research, scientists say they have uncovered dozens of previously undetected fragments of space debris orbiting high above Earth, revealing a hidden population of tiny objects that some liken to a “potential minefield” in space that could pose a growing hazard to some of the world’s most important satellites.

Close to 80 percent of these newly detected objects had been absent from catalogs available to the public that track such debris, meaning that there could be even more unrecognized leftovers from past space missions circling the Earth than experts realize. (7/9)

LEGO Reveals Hubble Space Telescope Icons Set Coming August 1 (Source: CollectSpace)
The Hubble Space Telescope has been revealing the building blocks of the cosmos for more than 35 years. Now, it is its turn to be made up of toy bricks. The LEGO Icons Hubble Space Telescope is a 1,252-piece kit aimed at adult LEGO fans. Set to be released on Aug. 1 for $139.99, the set creates a desktop model roughly to scale with the included astronaut minifigure. (7/10)

The High Financial Stakes Behind the Modern Super Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles (Source: SpaceQ)
“It is too early to tell if the SHL launch vehicle will result in a boom for an audacious space race or a bust for a space economy where existing and more agile rockets succeed,” concludes an Aerospace Corp. report on super-heavy-lift launchers, including Starship and New Glenn.

If these oversized rockets prove financially viable, they might catalyze new markets that impact everyday life. To ensure their cargo holds stay full, rocket builders are relying heavily on the deployment of vast satellite internet networks. Amazon has already secured up to 27 launches on Blue Origin’s New Glenn for its internet constellation. Meanwhile, SpaceX has tied the future of Starship to an ambitious expansion of its space network. The company is planning a constellation of up to one million satellites to operate enormous orbital data centers.

The report compares this strategy to the shipping and commercial aviation industries. Ultra-large container ships successfully lowered the cost of moving ocean freight because they integrated perfectly into standardized global supply chains across land, rail, and sea. By contrast, the Airbus A380 jumbo jet struggled because its enormous size introduced unexpected operational complexities and costs. Point-to-point air travel replaced the hub-and-spoke model, leaving the giant planes with few profitable routes. (7/10)

SpaceX Brands Data Center Satellites As Starmind (Source: Aviation Week)
SpaceX plans to operate its future data center satellites under the name Starmind. The company detailed its plans for the data center constellation in late January in a regulatory filing, saying it may deploy as many as 1 million satellites into low Earth orbit as part of the project. (7/10)

SpaceX Launches Friday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched its latest batch of Starlink satellites Friday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base using its second most-flown Falcon 9 first stage booster. The Starlink 17-48 mission added another 24 broadband internet satellites to the company’s low Earth orbit constellation. SpaceX currently has more than 10,700 spacecraft within its constellation. (7/11)

The Space Industry is Weighing Ambitious Hiring Against Heritage (Source: Space News)
But now a growing swell of young ventures is attracting millions of dollars to pioneer some of the most ambitious space markets — some with little or even no prior space experience. Take Orbital, a Los Angeles-based startup founded by electric scooter entrepreneur Euwyn Poon earlier this year. The company recently raised $5 million for plans to deploy more than 100,000 orbital data centers. Poon has no space experience, though he plans to assemble a team of experts from SpaceX and others who have built and flown spacecraft at scale.

“Hiring from legacy companies is indeed a key way to acquire heritage indirectly,” said Gabriel Deville, a manager at research firm Novaspace. Deville pointed to how Blue Origin hired extensively out of United Launch Alliance and other legacy space companies to acquire knowledge, while former SpaceX engineers have seeded many others.

“Still, acquiring talent is only the first step of developing a company’s own knowledge base, before the slow process of development and production leading to heritage and credibility,” he said. Heritage is widely regarded as key for most space markets, Analysys Mason principal analyst Dallas Kasaboski said, especially if hardware is involved and particularly for the high-stakes launch sector. (7/10)

Space Capitalism Needs More Than a Bull Market (Source: Space News)
By most measures, commercial space is thriving. Washington produced a flurry of activity over the past year: two major executive orders, a raft of directives, and “space superiority” elevated to official doctrine. More recently, Wall Street answered in kind when SpaceX went public in the largest initial offering in history. The public and private sectors agree that the commercial space age has arrived.

But there are still major barriers to space capitalism. Despite capital owners’ confidence and the government’s directives, the rules of the game are not settled. Policy changes mean little until and unless they result in durable institutional change. And market optimism is no substitute for long-term strategic thinking.

Consider the policy record. Last August’s executive order streamlines licensing for launch and reentry. That’s genuinely good. It clears regulatory underbrush, lowering costs at the margin. However, we need legislation, not executive discretion, to secure lasting gains. December’s order did well to emphasize space as a strategic imperative. But that was already obvious to anyone paying attention. The binding constraints — especially security of celestial property rights and ambitions to develop the space industrial base — haven’t moved much. (7/10)

Supreme Court Ruling on Mail-in Ballots Ensures Astronauts Can Vote From Space  — or Anywhere Else (Source: Space.com)
A new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court protecting voter rights could extend to astronauts living and working in space and training internationally, their families, and the multitude of NASA workers who travel to support their missions.

On Monday (June 29), the Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots can be counted toward a total vote even if they arrive after election day, as long as they are postmarked by election day. The ruling followed efforts by the Trump Administration to place restrictions on mail-in voting. In a new statement, the nonpartisan activist organization Astronauts for America spoke out in support of the Supreme Court's decision, which supports absentee voting. (7/10)

Earth Observation Satellites Pass Telecom in European Space Industry Sales (Source: Space News)
European space industry sales rebounded in 2025 after a contraction in 2024, Eurospace reported in its latest Facts and Figures report, presented July 7. The growth is driven in large part by military acquisition of Earth observation satellites, which are now the largest revenue-producing space sector for the continent. (7/10)

NASA Selects Seven Companies To Enhance Mobility On Mars (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA has selected seven companies eligible for contract awards to advance robotic surface mobility on Mars under the Mars Exploration Program's Science Transport and Robotic Innovation for Deployment and Exploration (STRIDE) initiative. Under STRIDE, the agency seeks to support the development of innovative robotic mobility systems that may enable future Mars missions to access more challenging terrain, travel greater distances, and investigate scientifically valuable regions that are difficult to reach with current mobility systems.

The STRIDE awards have a total potential value of approximately $17 million with a period of work targeted to begin in Fall of 2026. Contract awardees are: AeroVironment, Arlington, Virginia; Astrobotic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Venturi Astrolab (Astrolab), Hawthorne, California; Ground Control Robotics, Atlanta, Georgia; Honeybee Robotics, Longmont, Colorado; Intuitive Machines, Houston, Texas; and MEI Technologies, Webster, Texas. (7/10)

An Orbiting Disco Ball Gave Einstein’s Theory its Most Precise Test Yet (Source: Ars Technica)
Measuring how much the Earth twists spacetime as it rotates has been much more challenging because our pale blue dot of a planet is millions of times lighter than a typical black hole and rotates rather slowly. But now, a team of astronomers reports the most accurate measurement of the terrestrial Lense-Thirring effect to date. Their work brings our uncertainty down from a few percentage points to just 0.2 percent. And they did it with a satellite that looks like a cross between a golf ball and a disco globe. (7/10)

ESA’s First Chemical Propulsion Lab Now Operational (Source: ESA)
ESA has officially kicked off testing at its new Chemical Propulsion Laboratory (CPL). The CPL is ESA’s first dedicated facility for testing small propulsion systems for space missions. The CPL is a combined green propellant chemistry lab and engine test cell that will support the growing need for safe and accessible propulsion testing infrastructure and training. Designed specifically for propulsion systems used on small satellites and other small missions rather than large launch vehicle engines, the facility offers rapid-turnaround testing in a safe and regulated environment. (7/8)

Starship Booster 20 Completes Record Duration Static Fire (Source: NSF)
SpaceX ignited all 33 engines on Booster 20 for a record 24 seconds. With the static fire completed, SpaceX is pushing hard to fly Flight 13 as soon as possible, with notices popping up for next week and the week after. Booster 20 is now expected to rollback, before both the booster and Ship 40 head out to the launch site to join forces for launch.

The previous record duration for a Superheavy Booster static fire was on August 11, 2022, when Booster 7 static-fired a single engine for 20 seconds. That static fire was without a water deluge system and was used to test the brand-new autogenous pressurization system. Going straight to a 33-engine static fire on only the second Block 3 booster shows the confidence SpaceX now has in its hardware and software for the booster and the launch pad. (7/10)

JAXA Successfully Lands Test Rocket for Future Reuse (Source: Jiji.com)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, successfully landed a small test rocket on Saturday, with the goal of reusing rockets in the future. At its Noshiro testing center in northeastern Japan, the RV-X test rocket slowly landed after rising about 11 meters and moving horizontally while maintaining a vertical position during its 40-second flight. JAXA found no major issues with the test rocket after the landing. (7/11)

Gaganyaan: The Mission That Could Change How the World Sees India’s Space Ambitions (Source: WION)
India is preparing to launch its first human spaceflight that could place India among a select group of nations that have independently sent humans into space. So far, only the United States, Russia and China have achieved that milestone. While a rocket carrying a satellite only needs to protect a machine, a spacecraft carrying astronauts has to ensure human lives remain safe. Having a significance far beyond the launch pad, Gaganyaan is a test of whether India can move from mastering robotic missions to building the much more demanding ecosystem required to keep humans alive beyond Earth.

The mission, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2018 with an initial budget of ₹9,023 crore, aims to send Indian astronauts into a low Earth orbit of around 400 kilometers and bring them back safely. The spacecraft will be launched using India’s heaviest operational rocket, the human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), after extensive testing and validation. (7/10)

Starlink Deployments on Record Pace (Source: The Verge)
SpaceX is currently ahead of last year’s record-setting pace for Starlink satellite deployments. SpaceX launched 1,589 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit in the first half of 2026, compared to 1,489 satellites deployed at the same point in 2025. To put these numbers into perspective, Amazon’s fledgling Leo service has only deployed about 400 satellites over the last 15 months, en route to a total planned constellation of 3,232 satellites. In other words, SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket is capable of deploying one Leo-sized space internet constellation every year. (7/9)

Fire Damages NASA Langley Waste-to-Energy Facility in Virginia (Source: WAVY)
An overnight two-alarm fire damaged the NASA Steam Plant in Hampton, and officials are still investigating to determine its cause. “We will not have a definitive answer today, but we hope that there may be more information to report on Friday,” the Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue said Thursday afternoon. The roof of the steam plant was burned through and will most likely have to be replaced, and the cranes were badly damaged, though it is not known at this point whether they will have to be completely replaced.

The Hampton/NASA Steam Plant is an award-winning facility that serves Hampton residents, the City of Poquoson, five federal installations, and the private sector. Completed in 1980 in a partnership with the federal government, the plant burns municipal trash to generate steam, and has conserved millions of gallons of fuel oil, acres of landfill space, and saved the city millions of dollars in disposal costs. (7/9)

ESA Calls for Ideas to Give Space Robots Embodied Intelligence (Source: ESA)
Launched on 30 June 2026 through the Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP), the campaign invites researchers and industry to submit early-stage concepts, feasibility studies, enabling technologies and mission concepts that bring embodied intelligence to autonomous space robotics. The campaign targets three scenarios where this kind of autonomy is needed.

The first is autonomous exploration: long-traverse science missions, surveys of permanently shadowed regions, and opportunistic science that requires a robot to spot something interesting and act on it without waiting for instructions. The second is fully autonomous in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), covering everything from prospecting and excavating regolith to coordinating teams of specialized robots building surface infrastructure. The third is support for long-term human presence, where robots work alongside astronauts – inspecting habitats, maintaining life-support systems, and operating safely in close proximity to people. (7/10)

Russian Fregat Upper Stage Delivered to Vostochny Spaceport (Source: TASS)
Roscosmos announced that the Fregat upper stage has been airlifted to the Vostochny spaceport for subsequent testing. An AN-124-100 aircraft transported the Fregat to Vostochny’s airport, after which it will be moved to the spacecraft assembly and testing facility. There, it will be installed at its designated workstation for further evaluation. (7/10)

On the Brink: Ukraine War Weakening Russia's Space Program Along with Economy (Source: SPACErePORT)
Russia’s war in Ukraine has significantly weakened its civil space program. Western sanctions have cut Roscosmos off from critical electronics, manufacturing equipment, and commercial customers. Reduced revenues and wartime budget priorities have delayed programs such as GLONASS modernization, lunar exploration, and scientific missions.

The war has accelerated Russia’s technological isolation and reduced its role in the global space market. Cooperation with Europe on projects such as ExoMars has ended, Soyuz launches from French Guiana have stopped, and Russia has become more dependent on domestic suppliers and partners such as China. While Moscow continues to invest in military space capabilities supporting the war, its civil space ambitions and commercial competitiveness have declined sharply.

The broader economic effects of the war have placed additional pressure on Russia’s industrial base. Defense spending has drawn resources away from civilian sectors, while sanctions have limited access to advanced technologies, foreign investment, and global markets. Although energy revenues and wartime production have helped sustain the economy in the short term, the conflict has contributed to inflation, labor shortages, reduced productivity, and long-term challenges to Russia’s ability to modernize high-technology industries such as aerospace. (7/11)

Ketcham Retires From Space Florida (Source: SPACErePORT)
After 18 years with Space Florida and more than 45 years contributing to America's space program on the Space Coast, Dale Ketcham has retired from Space Florida. As Vice President for Government and Community Relations, Ketcham played a pivotal role in helping transform Florida from a government-led launch center into the nation's premier commercial spaceport, while supporting the state's transition into a national leader in aerospace industry development.

His career spanned positions with Rockwell International, the U.S. Congress, Enterprise Florida, the University of Central Florida, and ultimately Space Florida, where was a recognized voice for the commercial space industry. Ketcham indicated he intends to remain engaged in advancing Florida's space future. (7/11)