May 22, 2026

Building Australia’s Dual-Use Space Infrastructure for Strategic Resilience (Source: Space News)
Australia's geography, critical mineral supply and existing manufacturing supply chains make it an underutilized hub of southern hemisphere resilience for AUKUS, the trilateral security agreement among the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, independent strategic analyst Crystal Elle Arena-Turner says. Seeing Australia as a vital complement for American launch sites, Arena-Turner called on AUKUS to rapidly establish a working group that would bring together space and military organizations from the three countries to make sure Australian space infrastructure and capability is utilized as effectively as possible. (5/22)

Spain Boosts Investment in Sovereign Satcom Alongside Europe’s Iris2, Says Ukraine Dependence on Starlink is ‘Servitude’ (Source: Space Intel Report)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government is creating a fund dedicated to building a secure satellite communications network that would be compatible with Europe’s Iris2 multi-orbit constellation but focused on Spanish military requirements. Many details of the “Special Modernization Program” remain unclear, including the amount of its financing and the timing of the investment. One industry official said the program appears to be similar to what the Polish government decided in 2025. (5/21)

Lunar Outpost Has Big Plans for the Moon. The New Pegasus Lunar Rover is Just the Start (Source: Space.com)
Lunar Outpost has big plans for the moon. It's right there in their name. The Colorado-based company has already built a sleek lunar rover named Eagle and sent a robotic mini-rover to the moon on a commercial lunar lander. There's a Lego kit inspired by both of them. This month, the company announced that it has secured $30 million in funding to help it develop a new, smaller rover named Pegasus.

Concept art shared by the company reveals Pegasus to be a leaner offering than the larger, SUV-like Eagle rover, resembling NASA's "moon buggy" used during the Apollo missions. The company hopes to have the new Pegasus rover delivered by the end of 2027, with a launch to the moon in 2028, a timeline that matches NASA's latest timeline for Artemis 4. Already, Lunar Outpost has more moon rovers assigned to missions than all other commercial companies combined. But rovers aren't the only lunar technologies the company is researching and developing. (5/21)

Better Moon-Tech Tops NASA Stakeholder Wishlist (Source: Payload)
Better Moon infrastructure was the top ask of hundreds of space community members, according to a NASA ranking of space technology “shortfalls” released on Thursday. The agency said it uses this list “as one of many inputs into decision-making.” But the ranking was made public days before a big agency event announces more details about its pivot to a Moon base on Tuesday. NASA identified 40 focus areas to invest in fiscal year 2026, based in part on the rankings

Two years ago, NASA asked the space community what technical challenges are giving people the biggest headaches to help NASA prioritize its space tech investments. More than 450 stakeholders submitted feedback on 187 ideas, which were cut down to the final 32. Many of the top 10 shortfalls identified by stakeholders relate to Moon exploration, such as: Surface mobility and logistics for crew and assets; Land science payloads on planetary surfaces; and Transport and maneuver uncrewed spacecraft for missions in cislunar and deep space. (5/21)

Surf Air, SpaceX, xAI Staffers Line Up SPAC for Space Assets (Source: Bloomberg)
A group of aviation and telecommunication experts, including former staffers from Surf Air Mobility, xAI, and SpaceX, are forming a blank check company that will seek to take a space company public, as Wall Street chases the industry. Futurecorp Space Acquisition 1 is seeking to raise $200 million in an initial public offering, and expects to target businesses in space manufacturing, launch platforms, and defense investments, according to a filing Tuesday.

Special purpose acquisition companies raise funds by listing on an exchange, then find a private company to merge with and take it public. FutureCorp Space Acquisition 1 is led by CEO, CFO, and Director Joshua Marks, who is the CEO of Anuvu, a provider of satellite-based connectivity and media solutions to the aviation and maritime industries. He is joined by Chairman Sudhin Shahani, who is the co-founder of Surf Air Mobility.

The SPAC intends to target businesses in the global space economy and adjacent industries, including space manufacturing and component supply chains, launch platforms, in-orbit services and habitats, in-orbit computing and manufacturing, space-based telecommunications and Earth observation, and defense-related activities. The Los Angeles, CA-based company was founded in 2026. It plans to list on the NYSE under the symbol FTRAU. (5/20)

LatConnect 60 Announces Accelerated Growth Investment Round to Build AUKUS-Aligned Highest Resolution SWIR Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
LatConnect 60 (LC60), an Australian Earth observation and AI company, announced its growth investment round that is in-progress to accelerate development plans for a proliferated,  Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) satellite constellation with the highest resolution globally, designed for dual-use applications.

This growth investment round builds on significant initial funding from the Australian Space Agency and the Western Australian Government,  enabling LC60 to move from its first two SWIRSAT missions to an 18-satellite constellation, before expanding toward a planned 100-satellite network by 2035. (5/21)

Ground Equipment Problem Scrubs Starship Launch Attempt (Source: Space News)
Problems with ground equipment forced SpaceX to scrub the first attempt to launch its new version of Starship on Thursday. SpaceX scrubbed the launch after holding at the T-40 second mark for the 7:30 p.m. Eastern launch. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later said that a hydraulic pin for a tower arm on the launch pad did not retract as planned. SpaceX could attempt another launch as soon as 6:30 p.m. Eastern today pending repairs to the pad. This will be the first flight of version 3 of Starship, which includes numerous improvements to the vehicle to enhance performance and reliability.

SpaceX plans to use this version of Starship for orbital launches, including deployments of Starlink satellites and for NASA's Artemis program. During the launch webcast, SpaceX announced that Chun Wang, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur who flew on the Fram2 private astronaut mission in 2025, would go on a Starship circumlunar flight and, later, a Starship Mars flyby mission. SpaceX did not reveal schedules for either mission. (5/22)

Space Force to Double in Size (Source: Space News)
The Space Force plans to nearly double the size of its active-duty force by the end of the decade. Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, told lawmakers this week that the service plans to add 2,800 active-duty personnel and 2,000 civilian employees in fiscal year 2027, putting the service on a path to grow from roughly 10,000 active-duty Guardians today to about 20,000 by 2030. Saltzman said growing mission demands are now forcing the service to expand more rapidly. Members of both House and Senate committees supported the proposed Space Force budget of $71 billion in 2027, more than double 2026 levels, and some even asked whether the Space Force could grow even faster. (5/22)

Rocket Lab to Build Two GEO Surveillance Satellites for Space Force (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab won a Space Force contract for two space surveillance satellites that will operate in geostationary orbit. The $90 million contract announced Thursday will fund the two satellites that will carry electro-optical sensor payloads previously ordered by the Space Systems Command under a separate $80.7 million contract with Geost, a payload manufacturer Rocket Lab acquired in 2025 and folded into Rocket Lab Optical Systems. The satellites will be built on Rocket Lab's Lightning spacecraft bus, a satellite platform the company is using for missile-tracking satellites it is producing for the Space Development Agency as well as for commercial constellations. The satellites will be the first GEO spacecraft built by Rocket Lab. (5/22)

Rocket Lab Launches Japanese Satellite From New Zealand (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab launched a Japanese radar imaging satellite on Friday. An Electron lifted off from the company's New Zealand launch site at 5:33 a.m. Eastern, deploying the StriX satellite into low Earth orbit nearly an hour later. This was the ninth launch Rocket Lab has performed for Synspective, a Japanese company developing a constellation of at least 30 satellites. (5/22)

Starfish Space to Dock with Australian Satellite (Source: Geekwire)
Starfish Space will attempt to dock a spacecraft to an Australian satellite. Starfish announced this week it reached an agreement with Gilmour Space to use the ElaraSat spacecraft as the docking target for Starfish's Otter Pup 2 spacecraft. Otter Pup 2 will approach ElaraSat and maneuver around it before attempting to dock using an electrostatic mechanism. The two spacecraft launched on the same rideshare mission last June, although Otter Pup 2 originally planned to dock with a D-Orbit Ion spacecraft. (5/22)

Starlab Raises Investor $$ for Commercial Space Station (Source: Starlab Space)
Commercial space station company Starlab Space has raised money from investment firm 1789 Capital. Starlab, a joint venture led by Voyager Technologies, announced on Thursday a "strategic investment" of undisclosed size from 1789 Capital to support its development of the Starlab commercial station. 1789 Capital includes Donald Trump Jr. as one of its partners. (5/22)

Space Force Advances On-Orbit Logistics (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Space Force is planning two on-orbit refueling demonstrations next year, aiming to quickly transition these capabilities to operational use. The demonstrations, part of the USSF-23 mission, involve Astroscale and Starfish Space and are intended to inform the Space Force's roadmap for on-orbit servicing and refueling, addressing feasibility and affordability. The Space Force is also closely monitoring other initiatives, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Mission Robotic Vehicle. (5/21)

European Space Officials Seek Autonomy (Source: Politico)
The European Space Agency — one of NASA’s oldest international partners — is contemplating a future where the U.S. may not be the reliable collaborator it once was. NASA announced it would stop work on Gateway, a lunar space station NASA wants to scrap to help pay for a future moon base. And it canceled a program to return Martian rock samples to Earth after years of concerns over its ballooning cost. ESA was contributing key elements to both programs. In response, one of Europe’s top space officials is talking about taking more control of the continent’s future in the heavens. (5/22)

Acquisition Reform ‘Necessary’ But ‘Not Sufficient,’ U.S. Space Force Official Says (Source: Aerospace America)
The Pentagon’s push to accelerate acquisition is “an absolute necessary condition,” Space Force Brig. Gen. Nick Hague said here today, but that effort alone is “not sufficient.” Hague, assistant deputy chief of space operations for operations, told attendees that acquisition reform “doesn’t get at requirements reform and capability delivery reform.” (5/21)

White House ‘Making Good Progress’ on Revising Space Transportation Policy (Source: Aerospace America)
A White House official involved in revising the U.S. National Space Transportation Policy said the document is behind schedule but “mature.” “We’re actually a month or so behind on that, but we’re still making good progress,” Charlie Powell, the assistant director for space policy in the White House’s Office for Science and Technology Policy, said here during a Tuesday panel organized by the Commercial Space Federation. (5/21)

Proposed Fiscal 2027 Funding Could Support Two Commercial Space Stations, Developers Say (Source: Aerospace America)
Executives from two companies developing commercial space stations expressed confidence Tuesday that NASA will be able to fund two concepts, based on the funding included in the bill the House Appropriations Committee advanced last week. (5/21)
   
Stellerian, Readying for First Demo, Seeks to Cut Out Ground Stations with Space Domain Awareness Software (Source: Aerospace America)
What if satellites didn’t need ground stations to make sense of their surroundings? That’s what a Los Angeles-based startup is asking in its effort to move the detection, tracking and identification of space objects entirely into orbit. (5/21)

Pushing the Envelope: Licensing Process for Space Launches Catching Up to Demand but More Resources, Flexibility Needed (Source: AIAA)
The FAA’s approval process for regulating space launches is steadily improving due to recent streamlining efforts, but it must continue to evolve to sustain the dynamic ramp-up in activity in the coming years, government and industry leaders told ASCEND 2026. (5/21)

Space Force Seeks More Innovations to Characterize Space Threats, General Says (Source: AIAA)
The Space Force, which is anticipating its biggest budget ever, must improve its “space domain awareness” as low Earth orbit becomes more crowded and adversaries pursue greater means to attack satellites and other assets, a top Space Force general told the ASCEND 2026 audience. (5/21)

Experts Warn: Without Nuclear Power and National Will, America’s Lunar Future at Risk (Source: AIAA)
Policy and research experts from the University of Central Florida joined Arizona’s first space commissioner in a lively debate on America’s drive to the moon. The session explored what needs to happen from policy and technical perspectives to bring America’s lunar ambitions to fruition. (5/21)

Redwire Taps Voyager for Subcontract for DARPA Otter Mission (Source: Via Satellite)
Redwire has awarded Voyager Technologies a subcontract for the Otter mission for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to supply its high-precision Acceleration Measurement System (AMS). (5/21)

SpaceX Aims for 10,000 Annual Launches Within Five Years, FAA Says (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX aims to reach 10,000 launches annually within five years, but government officials will ​need to see improved reliability before approving such an expansion, the head of the ‌FAA said on Wednesday. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said he met with SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, who told him about the company's ambitious goal. SpaceX conducted 170 launches in 2025 deploying about 2,500 satellites. (5/21)

Space Debris is Forcing Satellites to Dodge More Often — Costing Us Vital Science (Source: Space.com)
Satellites forced to avoid space debris appear to have lost some of their data due to the movement. They've also lost precious fuel. Scientists are starting to find surprising gaps in that data. Logs maintained by NASA show multiple occasions where fire-tracking datasets reported errors. Why? Incoming space debris. 'Things will get worse before they get better,' say NASA scientists. (5/21)

NASA's Employee Retention Driven by Culture, Leadership (Source: Human Resources Director)
NASA's Glenn Research Center has an employee turnover rate of 2% to 5%, most of which is due to retirements, says Jerry Traster, the center's director of human capital. Employees stay because of a culture that prioritizes mission and people, he says, and NASA invests in leadership development and knowledge transfer to maintain this environment. (5/19)

Astronauts to Train on Blue Origin Lunar Lander Mockup (Source: USA Today)
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston has received a full-scale replica of Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander crew cabin. Standing over 15 feet tall, the mockup features realistic details like an exterior ladder and is designed to help astronauts train for upcoming lunar missions. The replica allows both NASA and Blue Origin teams to conduct simulations, provide design feedback and become familiar with mission workflows before the lander is sent to the moon for the Artemis program. (5/20)

SpaceX Pre-IPO Prospectus Gives Financial Details (Source: Space News)
SpaceX officially filed plans to go public Wednesday, offering details about its finances and long-term ambitions. The company filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to go public on the Nasdaq exchange, but did not disclose how many shares it plans to sell or at what price. The filing did provide details about the company's finances, showing it generated $18.7 billion in revenue in 2025 and adjusted EBITDA of $6.6 billion, but a net loss of $4.9 billion.

SpaceX divides its business into three segments, called space, connectivity and AI; space includes launch and related services while connectivity includes its Starlink system. Starlink accounted for the majority of its 2025 revenue. SpaceX projected a total addressable market for its services of a whopping $28.5 trillion, a figure dominated by AI, which in turn relies on orbital data centers. (5/21)

Starship is Key to SpaceX Growth Plans (Source: Space News)
SpaceX's growth plans depend on Starship. The company stated in its prospectus that it requires Starship to launch its next-generation Starlink broadband and direct-to-device satellites, which are too launch to launch on Falcon 9. Starship is also required for its proposed orbital data center constellation. Successfully flying Starship, and being able to do so at a high cadence, is a key risk factor, the company stated. SpaceX is gearing up for its next Starship test flight, the first of the upgraded version 3 of the vehicle, on Thursday afternoon from Texas. (5/21)

Chinese Dependence a Stubborn Problem for US Space Supply Chain (Source: Space News)
The U.S. commercial space industry remains dependent on components from Chinese suppliers. A study released Wednesday by supply-chain intelligence firm Altana found that since 2022 more than 849,000 commercial space imports had exposure to Chinese suppliers at the third tier of the supply chain or further upstream.

The report said the vulnerabilities are concentrated in specialized components that are difficult to replace, including radiation-hardened semiconductors used in satellites and spacecraft, space-grade rubber seals and coatings, and structural metal components such as aluminum ducts, fasteners and rivets. The report also found that companies rely on Taiwanese suppliers for radiation-hardened chips, a supply chain that could be disrupted in any future conflict involving Taiwan. (5/21)

White House Practicing Diplomacy for WRC-27 (Source: Space News)
White House officials say the United States will be better prepared than ever for the next World Radiocommunication Conference. Officials said they are working to finalize positions on agenda items well ahead of WRC-27, which will take place in Shanghai in the fall of 2027. Doing that early will give the U.S. time to "share and champion" those positions with allies ahead of the conference.

The space industry considers WRC-27 critical because about 80% of the agenda items for the international conference involve space applications of spectrum, from extending spectrum access for new services to protecting existing spectrum allocations from terrestrial uses. (5/21)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission on Thursday From Florida (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites this morning from Florida. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:04 a.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral, deploying 29 satellites into orbit. The early morning launch provided dramatic views of the rocket's plume along the East Coast. (5/21)

German Companies are Joining Forces to Sell Submarines and Rockets to Canada (Source: European Spaceflight)
German launch company Isar Aerospace announced this week a partnership with TKMS, a German submarine company. The companies said they will join forces as part of TKMS's bid to sell up to 12 submarines to the Canadian military in an ongoing competition. As part of its bid, the companies said they would also make a "significant investment" in a Canadian launch complex, with Isar creating a Canadian entity to offer a sovereign Canadian launch capability. The Canadian government is expected to award the submarine contract later this year. (5/21)

Bezos Skeptical of Orbital Data Centers (Source: CNBC)
Jeff Bezos is skeptical that orbital data centers will be viable in the near term. In a television interview Wednesday, Bezos called plans to start operating data centers in orbit in the next two to three years "a little ambitious," citing the need to reduce costs of both launch and AI chips. SpaceX, in its IPO filing released later in the day, said it expected to start launching orbital data center spacecraft as soon as 2028. Bezos' Blue Origin has also filed plans for an orbital data center constellation. (5/21)

Exploration Company Raising $200 Million (Source: The National)
The Exploration Company is looking to raise at least $200 million. The European company, developing the Nyx spacecraft for cargo and crew transportation, is meeting with investors in the Middle East for a Series C round. The company raised $160 million in 2024 and, while targeting $200 million in this round, expects it will be oversubscribed. The new funding would support work on a large rocket engine the company is developing in addition to Nyx. (5/21)

NASA Advisory Council Members Fear It Doesn't Exist (Source: El Paso Matters)
Former members of the NASA Advisory Council say they are concerned that the agency has effectively disbanded the committee. Members of the council received letters in March informing them they had been removed from the committee, with no replacements named. Those members, which include former astronauts and agency leaders, say they believe current NASA leadership is displaying "a level of ignorance or arrogance" by removing them. NASA noted in a statement that the charter for the NASA Advisory Council remains active and that future membership of the committee "is under discussion." (5/21)

May 21, 2026

GNSS is No Longer a Given: Rethinking Trusted Navigation for Autonomous Systems (Source: LinkedIn)
In autonomous systems, GNSS has long been treated as a foundation; that assumption is now breaking down. From urban canyons to contested environments, satellite positioning is increasingly unreliable, intermittent - or deliberately denied.

For engineers designing drones, robotics and defense platforms, the question is no longer how accurate GNSS can be, but what happens when it fails. A new generation of navigation architectures is emerging - where inertial sensing, external aiding and sensor fusion redefine what “trusted localization” really means. (5/21)

Space Force Study Recommends Third Heavy Launch Site (Source: Air and Space Forces)
A recent study of the Space Force’s launch infrastructure found that the service needs a third launch site to manage surging government and commercial launch demand. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink highlighted the finding during a May 20 House Armed Services Committee hearing, noting that the study is still moving through the approval process.

“At a high level, what it says is we probably need another site that’s capable of heavy and super heavy launch capability, both from a resiliency perspective and just, even at the Cape, limitations on how much space we’ve got,” Meink said. He didn’t expand any further on the findings of the study, which was mandated by Congress in the Fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, and it’s not clear what locations the service is considering. (5/20)

Germany Touts Pan-German Space Command Amid European Push to Supplant US Tech (Source: Defense One)
Germany’s defense minister used a rare four-nation gathering of German-speaking defense chiefs this week to push forward plans for a European military space command, calling on close partners including Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, to help shape the initiative rather than simply join it.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, announced at a press conference in Berlin that Germany is developing a European Space Component Command alongside a Weltraumakademie − a multilateral space training academy − and insisted that partner nations will be “embedded in the design phase” rather than presented with finished structures. (5/20)

Neptune’s Mysterious Moon Nereid (Source: AP)
Neptune’s far-flung moon Nereid may be the last of the planet’s original companions that managed to survive a cosmic crash, scientists reported Wednesday. Sixteen known moons circle Neptune, our solar system’s eighth and most distant planet. Neptune’s biggest moon, Triton, barged in from the solar system’s frigid outskirts billions of years ago, scattering the planet’s original moons and putting them on destructive collision courses. (5/20)

Report Finds U.S. Space Supply Chains Rely Heavily on Chinese Manufacturing (Source: Space News)
A new report from supply-chain intelligence firm Altana quantifies the extent to which the U.S. commercial space industry remains dependent on components sourced from Chinese suppliers. At the same time, space companies face mounting pressure to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers viewed as security risks by the Pentagon. (5/20)

Famously Secret About its Finances, SpaceX Opens its Books for the First Time (Source: Ars Technica)
After nearly a quarter of a century operating as a private company, with its financial accounts a closely guarded secret, SpaceX on Wednesday afternoon released a detailed accounting of its business in a nearly 400-page S-1 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The document revealed no major surprises about the company’s space operations, but there was a trove of details about its sprawling operations, which now encompass launch, spaceflight, space-based Internet, and, thanks to its recent acquisition of Musk’s xAI, social media and AI.

SpaceX projects a “total addressable market,” or TAM, of $28.5 trillion across its present and future offerings in space, data, and AI services. However, of this amount, only about $2 trillion is directly related to space or the company’s Starlink network. The remaining $26.5 trillion is believed to come from AI, largely from enterprise applications.

“We believe we have identified the largest TAM in human history,” the company states on page 171 of the filing. “We believe our next trillion-dollar market is AI compute." Musk’s salary in 2025 was $54,080, a value tied to California’s minimum salary for exempt employees. Gwynne Shotwell received a salary of $1.08 million in 2025, but including stock awards, her total compensation was valued at $85.8 million. The S-1 filing notes that Musk has served as an advisor to President Trump and alludes to the possibility that changes in politics might materially affect the company’s future. (5/20)

Government Contracts Bolster SpaceX, Pose Risks (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Spending by U.S. federal agencies accounted for about 20% of SpaceX’s revenue last year. That proportion highlights both the close ties the company has developed with the government as well as how it has reduced its dependence on public spending by building up other customer bases.

Clients across the government include NASA, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies. The company didn’t spell out many details about its national-security work but noted the National Reconnaissance Office, a U.S. spy agency focused on space-based intelligence work, is a customer. SpaceX has been working with the NRO to develop a classified satellite network over the past few years, The Wall Street Journal has reported. (5/20)

Starlink Just Raised Prices Again (Source: JCristina)
SpaceX Starlink just decided to raise prices across multiple service tiers for the majority of it's 10 million customer base. But this story goes far beyond a simple price hike. Why are Starlink prices increasing while SpaceX prepares for massive next-generation satellite expansion? Is this about congestion, network scaling, V3 satellites, Wall Street pressure, or something much bigger happening behind the scenes? (5/18)

SpaceX Tackling Payload Capacity Problem for Starship (Sources: Bloomberg, SPACErePORT)
Starship still cannot carry as much stuff to orbit as Elon Musk has promised. SpaceX's payload capacity challenges with Starship stem from the "tyranny of the rocket equation": the vehicle's dry mass (the empty weight of the rocket) has historically come in significantly higher than original targets, and high-energy reusability hardware adds a heavy weight penalty.

SpaceX has continuously redesigned the vehicle to shave off structural weight, culminating in Starship Version 3 (V3). V3 features a clean-sheet redesign that aims to lower the dry mass by 100 metric tons and utilizes the upgraded, more powerful Raptor 3 engines. (5/20)

LiveEO Gets €6.6 Million From Germany for Twinspector Constellation (Source: LiveEO)
We are thrilled to share the next major milestone for LiveEO: securing €6.6 million in public funding through the GRW program, backed by the Federal Government and the State of Berlin. This funding accelerates a critical mission. As climate change, aging assets, and geopolitical risks place unprecedented pressure on European infrastructure, the need for independent, sovereign access to very high-resolution Earth observation data has never been more urgent.

General-purpose satellite systems simply weren't built for the precise operational needs of infrastructure monitoring. That is the gap we are closing with Twinspector, the world’s first satellite constellation purpose-built for critical infrastructure. (5/20)

Peterson SFFB Needs More Room as Space Force Doubles in Size (Source: The Gazette)
As the U.S. Space Force prepares to double in size, Peterson Space Force Base is pushing to secure more personnel, operational space, and updated infrastructure. The projected personnel growth and ongoing operational demands at Peterson are reshaping base infrastructure and strategic planning in several key ways.

To accommodate this massive personnel increase, Space Base Delta 1 leaders at Peterson are actively evaluating building capacity. The base is aiming to optimize workspaces and make room for rising national security demands, even as the broader Space Command headquarters planning continues. Officials report that current facilities at local installations, such as Schriever Space Force Base, are maxed out, emphasizing the urgent need for new operational centers. The Space Force plans to reach a personnel milestone of up to 20,000 active-duty troops and civilians over the next five to ten years. (5/19)

Starfighters Space Expands Mu-g Technologies Partnership with Midland Facility Integration and Joint NASA Microgravity Response (Source: Starfighters Space)
Starfighters Space, together with Mu-g Technologies, announced an expansion of its strategic partnership. Starfighters will assist Mu-g’s flight test program for its Dassault Falcon 50 from its facilities located within the Midland Air & Space Port (KMAF), and the two companies are jointly responding to NASA’s Request for Information for Parabolic Flight Services. (5/20)

Amazon Leo Gears Up to Challenge Starlink (Source: Geekwire)
Amazon Leo is preparing for the commercial launch of its satellite broadband network, aiming to compete with SpaceX's Starlink. Amazon Leo has more than 300 satellites in orbit and plans to increase this to more than 3,200 by mid-2029. The project, initially called Project Kuiper, faced challenges in developing cost-effective customer terminals and optical laser links between satellites. Amazon Leo aims to provide high-speed connectivity, especially in remote areas, with downlink speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps. (5/19)
 
Sandhoo to Lead Space Force Missile Warning, Tracking (Source: Breaking Defense)
The US Space Force has announced Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo as head of the new Missile Warning and Tracking Portfolio Acquisition Executive office. Sandhoo will also serve as the permanent director of the Space Development Agency. The office will oversee the Tracking Layer of satellites in low Earth orbit, the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared constellation and the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking Medium Earth Orbit program. (5/19)

NASA-Funded Research May Create Chinese Security Risk (Source: Payload)
NASA has potentially funded or supported hundreds of scientific collaborations since 2015 that might involve Chinese researchers, a new Congressional report says. The House Select Committee on China’s report, released Thursday, says these collaborations may violate the Wolf Amendment, which is a law that prohibits NASA from working with Chinese researchers.

NASA and OSTP cannot use government money to collaborate with China or Chinese-owned companies under the amendment, unless Congress and the FBI authorizes an exception. NASA is at risk of violating the law, the report states. Academic coauthorships have “included entities within China’s defense research and industrial base, many of which are designated on publicly available US government lists identifying entities posing national-security risks.”

The report recommends creating a task force—composed of Department of Justice and NASA’s Office of the Inspector General officials—to scrutinize potential violations. It also urged NASA to “pursue suspensions and debarments” for universities who repeatedly violate the amendment by working with China. (5/20)

The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Vibration Testing (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Exploration Company has completed a series of vibration tests on a Nyx Structural Test Model (STM) to assess how the capsule will perform during launch conditions. Nyx is a modular space capsule designed to initially transport cargo to and from low Earth orbit destinations. Planned future iterations of the capsule are expected to be capable of transporting crews to low Earth orbit and cargo to the surface of the Moon. (5/20)

Starfighters Turns Texas Facility Toward Microgravity Flight Testing (Source: Space News)
Starfighters Space is utilizing its hangar at Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas as a staging ground for commercial microgravity flight testing. The company partnered with Mu-G Technologies to modify and test a Dassault Falcon 50 aircraft, and together they are jointly responding to a NASA Request for Information (RFI) for commercial parabolic flight services.

The Midland, Texas facility is acting as a hub for both flight testing and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification work. The joint effort directly answers NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center's RFI, which aims to identify and rebuild commercial microgravity capability across North America. (5/20)

Australia's Southern Launch Aids Varda W-6 Capsule Re-Entry (Source: Australian Defence)
Southern Launch has announced the safe return of Varda Space Industries’ W-6 capsule to the Koonibba Test Range. The W‑6 re‑entry is the fourth capsule to land at the Koonibba Test Range in just over 12 months, putting orbital re‑entries on a path to becoming as routine as space launch. "Four capsules safely returned in just over 12 months is a proven, repeatable capability. Southern Launch has built the infrastructure and the expertise to make orbital re‑entry as routine as launch, and the W‑6 mission is further proof of that," Lloyd Damp said. (5/20)

May 20, 2026

SDA Chief Gets Broader Role (Source: Space News)
The head of the Space Development Agency is taking on broader roles for missile warning at the Space Force. Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo will serve as both director of the SDA and the portfolio acquisition executive, or PAE, for missile warning and tracking, the agency announced Tuesday. Sandhoo has led SDA as acting director since September 2025 and reports indicated he would be named to the PAE role.

Under the arrangement, Sandhoo will continue overseeing Tranches 1 and 2 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or PWSA, that remain under SDA management, while also overseeing future tranches of the missile-warning portion of the architecture as those programs transition into the Space Force's new acquisition structure. The Transport Layer of communications satellites that SDA had also been overseeing will not continue, and that work will be folded into a larger initiative known as the Space Data Network. (5/20)

Isaacman: Chinese Astronauts to Orbit Moon Next Year (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says he expects China to send astronauts around the moon next year. Isaacman on Tuesday said the next people to fly around the moon after Artemis 2 will be Chinese taikonauts in 2027, meaning the U.S. "will no longer be the exclusive power to send humans into the lunar environment." He did not elaborate on that assessment, but repeated it at another event later in the day. China has not formally announced plans for a circumlunar mission but is rumored to be considering one as part of efforts to land humans on the moon by the end of the decade. Isaacman has previously warned of a space race between China and the United States to be the next to land humans on the moon, stating that "the difference between success and failure will be measured in months, not years." (5/20)

Contrivian Argues Against Combined-Orbit Constellations (Source: Space News)
A startup argues that combining multiple low Earth orbit satellite constellations will provide better communications services than multi-orbit approaches. Some satellite operators have promoted systems that combine satellites in low, medium and geostationary orbits to produce more resilient systems. However, Contrivian, a telecommunications software company founded in 2023, says that approach introduces technical complications that degrade performance for modern internet applications, and instead believes a better approach is to combine multiple LEO networks. The company is developing technology to combine LEO networks, offering it to military customers in a ruggedized case slightly larger than a carry-on suitcase. (5/20)

Quindar to Manage Portal Space Missions (Source: Space News)
Quindar will provide mission management services for Portal Space Systems' maneuverable spacecraft. The agreement announced Tuesday covers multiple missions, including operations support for Portal's planned launches of its Starburst and Supernova spacecraft. Quindar provides cloud-hosted mission operations software that automates satellite command, planning and ground operations, replacing traditional customized solutions. (5/20)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From California on Tuesday (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Tuesday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:46 p.m. Eastern, placing 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. With this launch, SpaceX now has nearly 10,500 working Starlink satellites in orbit. (5/20)

Goldman Sachs Expected to Lead SpaceX IPO (Source: CNBC)
Goldman Sachs is expected to be the lead bank for SpaceX's IPO. According to multiple reports, Goldman will have the "lead left" position on the IPO, overseeing the process of taking the company public. Other banks expected to be involved include Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. SpaceX is expected to publicly release its IPO prospectus as soon as today ahead of going public around June 12. (5/20)

Germany's OHB Partners with Helsing for AI-Supported Reconnaissance From Space (Source: OHB)
German space company OHB is partnering with AI firm Helsing on a space-based reconnaissance system. The joint venture between the companies, called KIRK from the German acronym for Artificial Intelligence and Space Competence, would involve satellite systems from OHB utilizing AI technologies from Helsing to provide near-real-time tactical targeting. It builds on an earlier agreement among Helsing, Kongsberg and Hensoldt. The companies did not provide a timeline or cost for fielding the system KIRK would develop. (5/20)

Firefly Aerospace Accelerates Spacecraft Production with Expanded Campus and Innovation Lab in Central Texas (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace has moved into a new headquarters and expanded its cleanroom space, along with an innovation lab to support Firefly’s growing workforce, to accelerate spacecraft production and enable breakthrough space technologies. The expansion includes two new buildings adjacent to Firefly’s existing spacecraft facility in Cedar Park, Texas, enabling one robust campus with 144,000 total square feet for spacecraft assembly and testing, mission control, avionics and component production, engineering, and business operations.

The new campus is twice the size of Firefly’s former Cedar Park facilities and is less than 30 miles from Firefly’s 200-acre Rocket Ranch in Briggs, Texas, where the company operates six test stands and 217,000 square feet of facilities for launch vehicle engineering, manufacturing, and integration. (5/19)

Sweden Joins India for Venus Mission (Source: Times of India)
Space collaboration got a big boost during PM Modi’s visit to Europe. Sweden has formally joined India's orbiter mission to Venus after signing an MOU with ISRO. The Swedish Institute of Space Physics will develop a Venusian Neutrals Analyzer (VNA) instrument for the mission. (5/20)

Sri Lanka to Formulate Space Policy (Source: Newswire)
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a resolution presented by the Minister of Science and Technology to appoint an expert committee tasked with formulating Sri Lanka’s first National Space Policy. According to the government, space technology has become a critical driver of national development, delivering benefits across disaster management, communication, security, environmental monitoring, and economic innovation. (5/20)

Intuitive Machines Announces Two Prime Lunar Contracts (Source: Douglas Messier)
Intuitive Machines has won contracts worth $20 million to operate NASA cameras aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO). Intuitive Machines will operate the LRO Camera under a three-year, $15.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The company will also operate NASA’s ShadowCam instrument aboard the South Korean orbiter under a three-year, $4.5 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. (5/20)

Mach Industries Acquires Exquadrum to Advance Defense and Space Systems Capabilities (Source: Mach Industries)
Mach Industries, a defense manufacturer building advanced unmanned systems for modern defense, and Exquadrum, Inc., a leading innovator in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced that they have completed a definitive agreement under which Mach Industries has acquired Exquadrum, Inc. The acquisition expands Mach Industries' ability to design, manufacture, and rapidly iterate on next-generation unmanned systems by integrating energetics system development and manufacturing infrastructure directly into its platform architecture. (5/19)

The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Vibration Testing (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Exploration Company has completed a series of vibration tests on a Nyx Structural Test Model (STM) to assess how the capsule will perform during launch conditions. Nyx is a modular space capsule designed to initially transport cargo to and from low Earth orbit destinations. Planned future iterations of the capsule are expected to be capable of transporting crews to low Earth orbit and cargo to the surface of the Moon. (5/20)

After NASA Contract Change, Sierra Space Seeks Path Forward for Dream Chaser (Source: Aerospace America)
Nearly nine years ago, a helicopter hoisted a prototype of the Dream Chaser spaceplane into the sky above Edwards Air Force Base, California, then dropped it. The winged vehicle ultimately skidded — by design — to a successful runway landing. That drop test was a milestone in a deal between what’s now Sierra Space and NASA to conduct a minimum of seven cargo resupply flights to the International Space Station. (5/20)

NASA, Lockheed Martin Say Artemis III Advancing, Facing Milestones This Year (Source: Aerospace America)
NASA and its contractors, moving forward with manufacturing components for the Artemis III mission, now expect several key milestones to occur this calendar year. “We’re looking at stacking in the next two months,” Administrator Jared Isaacman told the audience here during a Tuesday morning keynote, referring to the SLS rocket for Artemis III. (5/20)

Northrop Grumman’s First MRV Readies for Summer Launch to Expand the Space Servicing Toolkit (Source: Via Satellite)
Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics is scheduled to launch its next-generation space vehicle for on-orbit refueling and satellite life extension this summer, program leaders told reporters Tuesday. The company said it secured a dedicated SpaceX launch for its Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV), which is in testing at the company’s satellite manufacturing facility in Virginia. It will launch along with three Mission Extension Pods (MEP) for Geostationary (GEO) satellite life extension services.

The MRV will be the first commercial robotic in-space servicing mission in the emerging and increasingly competitive market for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing. The vehicle, outfitted with two robotic arms and a suite of advanced technologies, sets a baseline capability for satellite life extension and refueling, program leaders said, while paving the way for future services, such as in-orbit inspection, repairs and assembly. (5/19)

Lasers in Moon Craters Could Create a Lunar GPS System (Source: Space.com)
Placing ultrastable lasers inside some of the coldest, darkest lunar craters could help scientists establish a GPS-like navigation system on the moon, allowing future Artemis astronauts and spacecraft to navigate the lunar surface more easily. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have proposed that permanently shadowed craters near the moon's south pole may offer the perfect natural environment for extraordinarily precise laser systems.

Those lasers could one day provide the timing backbone needed for future astronauts, rovers and spacecraft to navigate the moon without relying so heavily on Earth-based tracking systems. (5/19)

“I’ll Buy 10 of Those”—NASA Science Chief Yearns for Mass-Produced Satellites (Source: Ars Technica)
There are more opportunities to access space than ever, thanks to a bevy of commercial rockets, some with reusable boosters, led by SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9. So why is NASA launching fewer telescopes and planetary science missions than it did a quarter-century ago?

The answer is complex. It is not necessarily the money. The space agency’s science budget this year is $7.25 billion, roughly the same as it was in 2000, adjusted for inflation. This is despite attempts by the Trump administration to drastically reduce NASA science funding. A future with numerous robotic probes spread throughout the Solar System sounds thrilling to space scientists and space enthusiasts, but you can’t get there with flat budgets and billion-dollar missions that take a decade to get off the ground. (5/19)

Sky Perfect JSAT Invests in Astroscale to Partner on On-Orbit Servicing (Source: Via Satellite)
Sky Perfect JSAT is investing in Astroscale as part of a strategic partnership between the companies to work together on on-orbit servicing initiatives. Through the partnership announced Tuesday, the companies will cooperate on on-orbit servicing initiatives led by Astroscale, including satellite inspection, repair, and life-extension, and plan to work together jointly on new business. Sky Perfect JSAT did not disclose the specific terms of the investment. (5/19)

“Autonomous Human Spaceflight is Not a Luxury,” Says ESA Chief (Source: European Spaceflight)
European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher argues that Europe must develop an independent human spaceflight capability. Prior to 2022, ESA astronauts were transported to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russian Soyuz and US Dragon spacecraft. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ESA suspended its cooperation with Russia. This left the agency reliant on its barter arrangements with NASA to secure seats for its astronauts.

Director General Josef Aschbacher explained that recent changes to the Artemis architecture by the United States “signal a rapidly shifting landscape in human space exploration,” adding that “Europe has become too exposed to decisions beyond its control.” (5/19)

NASA Satellite will Test Orbital 'Gas Station' Tech to Help Astronauts Reach the Moon and Mars (Source: Space.com)
A new NASA satellite will test critical technologies for storing and transferring super-chilled, cryogenic fuels in space in order to help astronauts reach the moon and potentially Mars someday. The Liquid Oxygen Flight demonstration (LOXSAT) will launch to orbit around the Earth later this year to test the fluid management capabilities that will be needed to maintain cryogenic fuels in microgravity, which come with additional challenges compared to other propellants. (5/19)

York Space Systems to Acquire Solestial (Source: Payload)
York Space Systems’ M&A team is having a busy year. York announced a definitive agreement today to acquire Solestial, the space-solar-cell manufacturer, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is York’s third this year. In April, York announced it planned to acquire terminal manufacturer All.Space for $355M. In March, York acquired Hall-effect electric propulsion manufacturer Orbion Space Technology for approximately $74.9M, according to the company’s latest SEC filing.

Based in Arizona, Solestial builds ultra-thin, radiation hardened silicon solar cells that are 95% sourced from the US. As the number of satellites in orbit has ballooned in recent years, demand for space-rated solar cells has often put a strain on domestic supply chains. Solar cells remain expensive, and lead times can often exceed two years, according to York. By bringing Solestial into the fold, York is attempting to reduce its supply chain risk to build more complex systems at lower cost. (5/19)

Super Heavy Block 3 the Booster of the Future (Source: NSF)
The first stage of Starship, the Super Heavy booster, has already undergone many changes during its development. This most recent design change, from Block 1/2 boosters to Block 3, is by far the biggest leap. This new design we are about to cover is a clean-sheet design built from the ground up, informed by lessons learned over the last seven years.

One of the most visual changes is the integrated hotstage truss, a big improvement over the old add-on hotstage ring that SpaceX used for Boosters 9 through 16. This new design uses an N1 rocket-style hotstage truss system, which is more open, and instead of a separate surface for the ship exhaust to hit, the exhaust hits the booster’s forward dome. The forward dome also has added steel plating for additional protection from the ship’s exhaust plume. (5/18)

Portal Space Taps Quindar for Ground Mission Support of its Maneuvering Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
Quindar, a Denver-based startup specializing in satellite ground systems, signed an agreement with Portal Space Systems to provide mission management services for upcoming missions involving maneuverable spacecraft. The agreement covers multiple missions, including operations support for Portal’s planned launches of its Starburst and Supernova spacecraft, Quindar said.

Portal Space Systems, based in Washington state, is developing spacecraft designed for in-space mobility, or the ability to move satellites and payloads between orbits. The company’s Starburst spacecraft is designed as a maneuverable satellite bus, while Supernova is being developed as an orbital transfer vehicle that uses solar thermal propulsion to move between orbital regimes. Portal plans to launch its first Starburst spacecraft later this year aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The first Supernova mission is scheduled for 2027. (5/19)

Space Launch and Reentry Environmental Concerns are Real, but Can Be Mitigated (Source: Space Review)
The sharp increase in launches has led to warnings about the environmental impacts of emissions from those launches and subsequent reentries on the upper atmosphere. Michael Puckett discusses how those analyses don’t include changes in launch systems that can mitigate those impacts. Click here. (5/19)
 
The Isaacman Honeymoon (Source: Space Review)
Despite a budget request that proposed steep cuts to NASA, administrator Jared Isaacman still remains popular on Capitol Hill and in industry. Jeff Foust reports on how long those good feelings might last. Click here. (5/19)
 
Critiquing and Defending the Overview Effect (Source: Space Review)
A recent essay took issue with claims that seeing the Earth from space can create a meaningful shift in perception. Frank White, who proposed the Overview Effect, defends the concept and its significance. Click here. (5/19)
 
Deep Black on the West Coast: Honoring the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Special Projects and the Star Catchers (Source: Space Review)
The people who worked on NRO spysat programs during the Cold War did so in anonymity. Dwayne Day describes a new monument that finally gives them some public recognition for their achievements. Click here. (5/19)

Record Revenue for Intuitive Machines (Source: Douglas Messier)
Intuitive Machines reported record first-quarter revenue of $186.7 million, which is nearly three times the revenue it earned during the same period last year. The company also closed its $800 million acquisition of spacecraft manufacturer Lanteris Space Systems, and it signed an agreement to acquire Goonhilly Earth Station and its COMSAT subsidiary to provide communications with spacecraft. (5/19)

SwRI Findings Reconsider the Existence of Europa’s Vapor Plumes (Source: SwRI)
May 18, 2026 — Looking back at 14 years of Hubble telescope data for Jupiter’s moon Europa has given Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientists a better understanding of its tenuous atmosphere. The findings have cast doubt on previous evidence suggesting that the icy moon intermittently discharges faint water plumes from a presumed subsurface ocean. (5/18)

Delta CEO Says Amazon Leo's Tech, Pricing Beat SpaceX's Starlink (Source: Bloomberg)
Delta Air Lines Inc.’s Ed Bastian rebuffed Elon Musk’s criticism about his airline picking Amazon.com for its in-flight Wi-Fi service, saying the retail giant’s product is cheaper than SpaceX’s Starlink and also includes a suite of streaming content. “Amazon brings a lot more than just satellite technology,” Bastian said. “They bring great retailing capability and Amazon Prime and video gaming technologies, which Starlink does not have.” (5/18)

Starlink Raises Prices Across Satellite Internet Plans (Source: The Verge)
Starlink is raising prices across its satellite internet plans in the US — including Standby Mode — with the cheapest 100Mbps Residential plan going from $50 to $55 / month. Meanwhile, Starlink’s 200Mbps residential plan has jumped from $80 to $85 / month, while the Residential Max plan went from $120 to $130 / month. (5/18)

ESA and CNES Renew Commitment to Europe’s Spaceport (Source: ESA)
On 30 April European Space Agency Director of Space Transportation Géraldine Naja, and Director of the Guiana Space Centre at CNES, Philippe Lier, signed a contract for the continued operation of Europe’s Spaceport. The signature affirms continued cooperation between the two organizations, supporting the performance, safety and competitiveness of European space activities. (5/18)

All Roads to Space Still Run Through Huntsville, NASA Administrator Stresses (Source: AL.com)
Artemis III is still on target to launch next year with Marshall Space Flight Center playing a major role in the mission. “Their subject matter and expertise are throughout the entire vehicle,” Isaacman said of Marshall’s role in the mission. That also includes expertise with the lunar landers that astronauts will test in lower earth orbit during the mission. “All roads have led through Huntsville, Alabama, since the beginning of America’s space flight program,” Isaacman said. “That’s not changing." (5/18)

One Mars Spacecraft, Two Senators, and a Cloud of Questions (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA released a much-anticipated contract solicitation for a Mars-orbiting spacecraft late last week, kicking off what is sure to be a hotly contested and potentially controversial procurement. At issue is $700 million, already appropriated by Congress, to build a spacecraft, launch it to Mars, and once there to serve as a vehicle to relay communications between the red planet and Earth.

But the stakes may be even bigger than this, including the possible resurrection of the recently canceled Mars Sample Return mission. As part of the new solicitation, NASA says it will conduct the acquisition “as a full and open competition.” But will it? That’s the question that several people involved with this procurement process are asking. And it could turn messy, quickly. (5/18)

French Spacesuit Prototype Delivered to the International Space Station (Source: European Spaceflight)
A European intravehicular activity (IVA) spacesuit prototype developed under a CNES-initiated program was transported to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The spacesuit will be tested aboard the station by ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. The EuroSuit project was initiated by CNES in December 2023 as part of the agency’s Spaceship FR program, which aims to foster the development of core technologies required for future crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit. (5/18)

ispace Moves Forward on Moon Missions After Recording Net Loss (Source: Douglas Messier)
ispace reported a net loss of 8.15 billion yen ($51.36 million) for the fiscal year that ended in March as the company reaffirmed plans to move ahead with three additional lunar landing missions despite failures on its first two attempts in 2023 and 2025. (5/19)

May 19, 2026

Pentagon Funds Solid Rocket Motor Parts Production (Source: ExecutiveGov)
The Department of War has invested $32.7 million under the Defense Production Act Title III to enhance production of solid rocket motor components. Systima Technologies will use $5 million to establish an SRM nozzle production line, while R.E. Darling will use $27.7 million to expand production of SRM internal insulation components. (5/18)

Arkansas Town Thrives as Defense Manufacturing Hub (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Camden, Ark., has become a notable player in defense manufacturing, driven by a surge in demand for weapons due to the conflict in Ukraine. Lockheed Martin and other defense contractors have expanded operations, creating jobs and strengthening the local economy. The town has partnered with Southern Arkansas University Tech to develop a skilled workforce, attracting young engineers and revitalizing the community.(5/17)

USAF Eyes Decommissioned Oil Rigs for Rocket Recovery (Source: Air Force Times)
The US Air Force has proposed Project Able Baker, which would repurpose offshore oil rigs as platforms to recover rocket boosters. The proposal, called Project Able Baker, would solve two problems, the Air Force said. First, the new Sea-Based Recovery Stations would offer a cheaper way of retrieving reusable heavy-lift rockets so they can be launched again. And, it would provide a new purpose and refurbishment for decommissioned oil platforms before they become environmental hazards.

Other desired features of the offshore oil platforms include “passive/active flame deflection, remote fire suppression systems, and precision navigation aids for autonomous landing guidance.” In addition, these platforms should have “integrated barge or Vertical Takeoff and Landing systems to move boosters from the landing pad to transit vessels." Companies may also be asked to identify at least three offshore platforms that can handle heavy-lift rockets. (5/18)

The Small Changes to Dragonfly’s Rotors That Could Make a Big Difference (Source: Aerospace America)
One of the many firsts in planetary exploration that NASA will attempt with its Dragonfly mission is slated to occur before the spacecraft even reaches the surface of Titan. The plan for delivering the Mini Cooper-sized Dragonfly to the surface of this Saturnian moon is starkly different from most interplanetary probes. It won’t be lowered by a skycrane or have airbags cushioning the impact like a Mars rover. Instead, Dragonfly is to spin up its four dual rotors while still falling through Titan’s thick atmosphere, fly free of its protective aeroshell and touch down on the surface under its own power. (5/18)

Astrolight and Aristotle University to Boost Europe’s Space Connectivity with New Optical Ground Station in Greece (Source: Astrolight)
Astrolight, a space and defense company developing laser communication solutions across space, ground, and maritime domains, completed the commissioning of the Holomondas Optical Ground Station (OGS) in Greece this March. The station will support Greek In-Orbit Demonstration and Validation (IOD/IOV) missions, now underway, with high-throughput, secure optical data transmissions from the satellites in orbit to the Holomondas OGS on Earth. (5/18)

Vast to Develop Satellite Buses (Source: Space News)
Commercial space station developer Vast is expanding into satellite buses. On Tuesday, the company announced Vast Satellite, a line of high-power satellite buses leveraging technologies the company developed for its space stations. The first bus will produce 15 kilowatts of power and host payloads of 350 kilograms or more, with projected applications ranging from broadband communications to orbital data centers. Vast said a confidential customer has agreed to buy four satellites, with Vast planning to launch an initial set of 10 satellites in late 2027. (5/19)

European Imaging Companies Providing Imagery US Companies Won't (Source: Space News)
European imaging companies are stepping up to fill a gap in imagery of the Middle East. American companies have largely stopped the sale of images of the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the United States. Industry leaders at the third ESA EO Commercialization Forum in Seville, Spain, last week said the crisis created an opening for European Earth observation companies. Those companies said they have seen interest from global energy traders, insurers, shipping firms and news organizations, all of whom depend on commercial satellite imagery to monitor traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. However, it also highlighted Europe's remaining limitations, such as near-real-time capabilities available from larger American operators. (5/19)

DoD Wants More Companies to Join Golden Dome Effort (Source: Space News)
Pentagon officials are trying to convince commercial technology companies and their investors to participate in the Golden Dome missile defense system. At conferences, industry meetings and investor gatherings, Golden Dome officials have signaled that the Pentagon cannot build the system using conventional defense acquisition models alone.

The Pentagon's outreach reflects a recognition that many of the technologies relevant to Golden Dome are now emerging from commercial firms rather than exclusively from traditional defense contractors. The Golden Dome program office is trying to create an environment where startups, venture-backed firms and traditional defense companies can work together while the Pentagon evaluates which industrial capabilities and pools of private capital are available to support the effort. Editor's Note: It's hard to envision Golden Dome surviving beyond the present administration. (5/19)

Lynk Approved for D2D Satellite Services (Source: Space News)
Lynk has won regulatory approval to test how its direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services can extend private utility networks. The one-year FCC license allows Lynk to test satellite links over 900 megahertz spectrum from Anterix with smartphones, computers, advanced routers and other communications devices across seven areas in the U.S. Using mobile network operator spectrum from space, Lynk is currently enabling intermittent messaging and alert services outside terrestrial coverage in a handful of island nations using seven satellites. The company plans to ramp up satellite deployment to improve services after closing its merger with Omnispace, which holds satellite S-band spectrum once earmarked for its own D2D constellation. (5/19)

Senate Confirms Anderson as NASA Deputy Administrator (Source: Space News)
The Senate confirmed Matt Anderson on Monday as NASA's deputy administrator. The Senate voted 46-43 on party lines to confirm a set of nominees that included Anderson. He was first nominated to be deputy administrator last May and renominated in January, winning approval from the Senate Commerce Committee in March. NASA said in a statement that Anderson, as second-in-command of the agency, will help oversee NASA's operations and strategic initiatives. (5/19)

European-Chinese Mission Launched on Vega C Rocket (Source: Space News)
A European-Chinese space science mission successfully launched overnight. A Vega C rocket lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 11:52 p.m. Eastern, placing the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) spacecraft into orbit. SMILE was jointly developed by ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to study how the Earth's magnetosphere interacts with solar storms. The launch was the first of the Vega C where Avio, the vehicle's prime contractor, also served as the launch operator. Arianespace had previously been the launch operator for Vega. (5/19)

NASA Payloads Added to Astrolab Lunar Rover (Source: Space News)
Four NASA payloads will fly on a lunar rover built by Astrolab. The company announced Monday it worked with NASA field centers to identify the payloads, including a laser retroreflector, lidar sensors, dust experiment and helium-3 instrument, for its FLIP rover. The payloads are flying through non-reimbursable Space Act Agreements. FLIP is scheduled to launch late this year on Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander. (5/19)

Worker Dies at Starbase Construction Site (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
Federal regulators are investigating the death of a worker at SpaceX's Starbase. The worker died at a construction site at Starbase early Friday, but local authorities have not disclosed the identity of the worker or the cause of death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday it is investigating the accident, which took place days before SpaceX plans to launch its next Starship test flight. (5/19)

NASA Transfers Lunar Cameras to Intuitive Machines (Source: Intuitive Machines)
NASA has transferred management of two lunar cameras to Intuitive Machines. NASA said Monday it handed over operations of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera on the LRO spacecraft and the ShadowCam instrument on South Korea's Danuri orbiter to Intuitive Machines after the principal investigators and science team members joined the company. The instruments had been managed by Arizona State University. Intuitive Machines said it received contracts worth $20 million over three years to continue operating the instruments. Images from the instruments will continue to be stored in NASA's Planetary Data System but Intuitive Machines plans to also use the images for orbital and surface navigation services. (5/19)

AIAA, Amazon Leo, Eutelsat, Iridium, and SpaceX Release Reference Guide: “Satellite Orbital Safety Best Practices 3.0” (Source: AIAA)
AIAA, along with Amazon Leo, Eutelsat, Iridium Communications, Inc., and SpaceX, have released the third edition of "Satellite Orbital Safety Best Practices 3.0.,” which provides additional lessons learned and adding clarity and rationale for the recommendations. The document provides a consolidated, high-level set of recommended best practices that span design, launch, orbital operations, and disposal. (5/19)

Skynopy to Support U-Space Missions With Ground Station Services (Source: Via Satellite)
Skynopy has won a new contract from U-Space, a Toulouse-based next-generation small satellite manufacturer. Skynopy will be U-Space’s ground station service provider for the operation of its two satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), SOAP and PANDORE. The two companies announced the deal, May 18. (5/19)

The Transatlantic Space Defense Timeline Mismatch is Now a NATO Problem (Source: SatNews)
The United States is fielding a tactical low-Earth orbit data fabric while European allies are in the early procurement phases of their own equivalent programs. NATO has not designated who arbitrates the interoperability standards between them, and the US-side requirements are hardening fastest. (5/19)

A 2027 Lunar Landing Will Put This Navigation Prototype to the Test (Source: Aerospace America)
Engineers at Sydney, Australia-based Advanced Navigation have designed a laser navigation prototype that could guide future spacecraft landings on the moon, and they’re now adapting the technology to build a sensor for drone navigation in GPS-denied airspace.

The lunar navigation prototype — dubbed LUNA, for Laser Unit for Navigation Aid — is set to be tested next year during Intuitive Machines’ IM-4 mission, the fourth such landing the Houston space exploration company is contracted for under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The completed LUNA device, which looks like a four-lensed camera jutting out of a box about the size of a six-pack of soda, is on track for delivery to Intuitive Machines later this year. (5/19)

May 18, 2026

York Reassures Investors Amid Space Force Changes (Source: Space News)
York Space Systems defended its financial outlook amid investor concerns about the future of its biggest customer. In an earnings call last week, York CEO Dirk Wallinger sought to reassure investors that changes underway at the Pentagon and the Space Force do not undermine the long-term need for proliferated military satellite networks.

York's rapid expansion has been driven almost entirely by contracts tied to SDA's Transport Layer constellation, but the Pentagon is transitioning Transport Layer into a broader architecture known as the Space Data Network while ending SDA's status as a semi-autonomous acquisition organization.  While that has prompted speculation SpaceX could dominate this new architecture through its MILNET work, Wallinger argued that Congress will insist on competition, providing opportunities for York to win future contracts. (5/18)

House Spending Bill Restores TraCSS Development Funding (Source: Space News)
A House spending bill would fund continued work on the TraCSS space traffic coordination system. The commerce, justice and science spending bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee last week included $50 million for the Office of Space Commerce, which is leading work on TraCSS. The administration's proposal sought only $11 million for the office, saying it would effectively halt work on the system. The bill's report called on the office to continue development of TraCSS. The administration sought to cancel TraCSS in its 2026 budget proposal, but Congress provided funding to allow the office to continue work on the system. (5/18)

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to Pool Spectrum for Improved D2D (Source: Space News)
The three major wireless operators in the United States said they will join forces on direct-to-device (D2D) capabilities. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon announced last week they had agreed in principle to pool spectrum resources to improve D2D services, including standardizing their approach to help rural mobile network operators reduce coverage gaps. The companies provided few details about how that partnership would work. The announcement split satellite operators: AST SpaceMobile, which is working with AT&T and Verizon, said it welcomes the partnership, while SpaceX, working with T-Mobile, said it was skeptical, noting potential antitrust concerns. (5/18)

China's Zenk Space Raises $26 Million for ZH-1 Launcher (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch startup Zenk Space has raised $26 million ahead of its first launch attempt. The funding will provide solid financial backing for the Zhihang-1 (ZH-1) inaugural mission and ensure all pre-launch activities proceed smoothly, the company said. A separate report stated the launch is scheduled for June. ZH-1 is designed to place 4,000 kilograms into sun-synchronous orbit using kerosene-liquid oxygen engines from state-owned CASC's Academy of Aerospace Liquid Propulsion Technology. The company is studying reuse options for the rocket, including recovering the engine bay from the first stage rather than the entire booster. (5/18)

Tomorrow.io Raises $35 Million (Source: Space News)
Commercial satellite weather company Tomorrow.io added $35 million to its latest funding round. The company said Monday that the additional capital brings its Series F round, announced in February, to $210 million. The investment will support development of a new generation of satellites, called DeepSky, as well as accelerate development of an AI platform for analyzing data from those satellites. (5/18)

China Launches More Broadband Satellites on Long March 8 (Source: Xinhua)
China launched more satellites for a broadband constellation Sunday. A Long March 8 lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport at 10:42 a.m. Eastern, placing a group of satellites into orbit for Spacesail, a broadband constellation. The report did not disclose how many satellites were on board but previous launches carried 18. (5/18)

Amazon's $400M Space Coast Investment Creates Jobs (Source: Florida Today)
Amazon has invested hundreds of millions on Florida's Space Coast, creating more than 440 jobs and supporting 2,000 indirect jobs. The investment includes distribution centers in Cocoa and Melbourne, a satellite processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and infrastructure upgrades at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Amazon plans to build a 1.2-million-square-foot warehouse in West Melbourne, creating more than 1,000 jobs. The company's Amazon Leo project aims to provide space-based high-speed internet, with Cape Canaveral as a key hub for satellite processing and launches. (5/17)

Starlink's Big Year (Source: Quartz)
Starlink just crossed nine million customers, less than two months after hitting eight million. SpaceX launched the service in 2019 as a bet that low-Earth-orbit satellites could deliver broadband fast enough to matter in places cable had never reached. The internet service now operates in 155 countries, territories, and markets, with more than 9,000 satellites in orbit. It adds about 21,000 new users every day, the kind of upward curve that helps explain why SpaceX is reportedly aiming to go public this summer at a valuation near $1.75 trillion. (5/18)

Elon Musk Really Needs Starship to Work This Time (Source: Bloomberg)
After three years of explosions, redesigns and technical upgrades, SpaceX's mission-critical Starship is scheduled to launch its 12th test flight this week. The company laid out lofty goals in advance of its upcoming IPO, and almost all hinge on its behemoth Starship being able to transport a whole lot of heavy stuff into space all at once.

The rocket is supposed to deploy a larger fleet of Starlink satellites, start a human base on the moon and set in motion Elon Musk’s latest grand vision: a system of more than 1 million data center satellites to support artificial intelligence. Starship, built and launched out of SpaceX’s Starbase facility in South Texas, is also meant to unlock the company’s ultimate goal of starting a human settlement on Mars. (5/18)

After the Triumph of Artemis II, Now Comes the Hard Part (Source: The Hill)
The afterglow of Artemis II’s triumph has barely faded, and NASA is already setting about placing the first footprints on the moon in over 50 years. However, all the things that the space agency and its partners have to do makes sending four human beings around the moon seem like a weekend excursion by comparison.

Artemis III was originally supposed to be the first human moon landing since Apollo 17 over 50 years ago. But NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wisely decided that there needed to be an intermediate step between Artemis II, the first crewed deep space mission of the 21st century, and the next moon landing, which will now be designated as Artemis IV. Increasingly, the question is not whether NASA and its international and commercial partners will return to the moon, but when it will happen.

President Trump would like to cap off his presidency with a crewed lunar landing — the better to “make America great again” and enhance his own legacy. The visuals are the stuff political dreams are made of: Trump watching the mission of Artemis IV lift off from the Kennedy Space Center, talking with the astronauts as they traverse the lunar surface, as President Nixon did with the crew of Apollo 11, and then greeting them when they return from the moon. (5/17)

SpaceX Starlink and Other Satellite Megaconstellations Are Creating an ‘Unregulated Geoengineering Experiment’, Scientists Say (Source: Space.com)
Space industry aficionados have big plans. They talk about the not so distant future when hundreds of thousands or even millions of satellites orbit planet Earth, beaming the internet to the unconnected, processing data in orbital computer centers, generating solar power and more. But this ambitious vision, which many in the sector think will become reality sooner or later, worries atmospheric researchers.

Studies show that since the beginning of the mega-constellation era in 2020, concentrations of potentially dangerous high-altitude air pollution stemming from satellite launches and re-entries has significantly increased. Based on estimates described by researchers as "conservative", the global space sector will have released by 2030 more climate-altering chemicals into the atmosphere than the entire United Kingdom.

If the growth envisioned by the space industry leaders comes to pass, this air pollution, mostly concentrated in higher layers of the atmosphere, will at some point begin altering Earth's climate, said Eloise Marais. "The space industry pollution is like a small-scale, unregulated geoengineering experiment that could have many unintended and serious environmental consequences," she said. (5/18)

China's Satellite Navigation Industry Reports Growth in 2025 (Source: Xinhua)
China's satellite navigation industry continues to expand, with the total output value of the sector reaching 629 billion yuan (about $91.9 billion) in 2025, an increase of 9.24 percent year on year, according to a newly released white paper. Nearly 1.4 billion smartphones in China were equipped with BeiDou positioning capabilities by the end of 2025, accounting for about 98 percent of all mobile phones in the country.

It also said that more than 160 million wearable devices supported BeiDou positioning services. In addition, over 100 million passenger cars had onboard devices using BeiDou services for navigation and positioning. (5/18)

Taiwan Eyes Role in NASA Moon Program After Receiving Proposal Request (Source: Focus Taiwan)
Taiwan has been invited for the first time to submit suggestions on possible solutions for NASA's lunar exploration program, which the head of Taiwan's space agency hopes will help the country gain a foothold in the emerging global "lunar economy." Securing the invitation will enable Taiwanese companies to bypass third-party system contractors and work directly with the end-user, in this case NASA, Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) Director-General Wu Jong-shinn said. (5/18)

Designing Safer Space Habitats (Source: CASIS)
Understanding how microbes behave in closed environments is critical for protecting human health, whether in space or on Earth. In our latest case study, researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, San Diego mapped how microbes and chemical traces accumulate across living spaces onboard the International Space Station (ISS). They sampled more than 800 surfaces to build the first 3D microbial and chemical map of the space station.

The study revealed that microbes don’t spread randomly but follow patterns shaped by human activity, with astronauts as the primary source. These insights could help engineers design safer habitats for long-duration space missions. On Earth, they could improve microbial control in hospitals, submarines, and other closed environments—reducing health risks and building more resilient spaces. (5/15)

Department of War Invests $191M to Expand and Enhance the Solid Rocket Motor Industrial Base (Source: DoD)
The DoW announced today the latest in a series of investments in the solid rocket motor industrial base: an April 20, 2026, investment of $27.3 million in DPA Title III funds to Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company (PacSci EMC), in Chandler, Arizona. It supports DoW's objectives to expand the munitions industrial base, bolster supply chain resiliency, and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas. (5/15)

Germany Gets Ahead in the New Space Race (Source: DW)
In Germany alone, there are three companies working on launch vehicles. Isar Aerospace in the Bavarian city of Munich is developing rockets, on which many have set their hopes. Rocket Factory Augsburg and HyImpulse Technologies in Neuenstadt am Kocher, which are also both in southern Germany, currently have rockets in the testing phase.

Many German companies are also manufacturing satellites. "We have a large number of downstream companies using satellite data to develop new data-driven business models," says Wachter. These include OHB in the northern city of Bremen, which is developing complete satellite systems and components for Ariane rockets for example. The Exploration Company, which is headquartered near Munich, builds reusable space vehicles.

OroraTech provides solutions for monitoring wildfires from space for example. Constellr's satellites can detect heat patterns that indicate human activity, infrastructure load and environmental stress. The Berlin-based company LiveEO analyzes satellite and drone data and monitors global infrastructure networks, such as Deutsche Bahn's rail lines. (5/16)

NASA Surprises the World and Flies the X-59 Twice in the Same Day (Source: CPG)
NASA conducted, for the first time, two test flights of the X-59 on the same day, marking an important milestone for the Quesst mission, a project aimed at enabling commercial supersonic aircraft over land areas with less sound impact. The tests took place on April 30, at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, during the 11th and 12th flights of the experimental aircraft developed to reduce the sonic boom to a sound more like a “soft thump.” The X-59 achieved different technical objectives at altitudes between 12,000 and 43,000 feet and speeds of 528 to 627 mph, a range equivalent to approximately Mach 0.8 to Mach 0.95. (5/15)

Artemis III Astronauts May Wear Prada Space Suits (Source: Times of India)
NASA astronauts participating in the Artemis program could soon be wearing spacesuits designed by Prada. The luxury fashion company partnered with Axiom Space to help develop the new AxEMU lunar spacesuits intended for future Artemis missions. (5/17)

India’s Mars Orbiter Cost Less Than the Movie Gravity and Reached Its Destination on the First Attempt (Source: Space Daily)
In November 2013, the Indian Space Research Organization launched its Mars Orbiter Mission from Sriharikota on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The spacecraft, also known as Mangalyaan, entered Mars orbit on 24 September 2014 at the first attempt. The total approved project budget was approximately ₹454 crore, around $74 million USD at the time. The 2013 film Gravity reportedly cost about $100 million to produce, with some industry trackers listing the figure closer to $110 million. (5/15)

Bizarre Venus Surface Formations Puzzle Planetary Scientists (Source: Universe Today)
Bizarre Venus surface formations (or coronae) are likely key to understanding our twin planet’s heretofore inscrutable interior. Using NASA Magellan spacecraft data from decades past, Anna Gulcher, an earth and planetary scientist at Germany’s University of Freiburg, have created innovative new 3D models of the largest coronae to better understand Venus’ puzzling geodynamics.

The team used data from the Magellan spacecraft’s radar sensors, which officially ceased functioning in 1994, to get a closer look at the coronae’s surrounding topography and gravitational signatures. Coronae display extraordinary diversity in size, morphology, topography, gravity signatures, and tectonic setting, indicating that they do not represent a single formation mechanism. (5/15)

Astronomers Catch Interstellar Turbulence Warping Light across Milky Way (Source: Sci.News)
The space between stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, known as the interstellar medium, is churning with clouds of ionized gas and electrons. When waves of radio light from distant objects pass through this turbulent material, they are bent and distorted in the same way heat haze rising above a fire distorts our view of everything behind it.

The astronomers analyzed nearly a decade of archival observations from NSF’s Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). They expected that when radio light from the quasar passed though the Milky Way, it would spread out into a smooth blur and fade away. Instead, they found persistent, distinct patterns, producing structured, patchy distortions in the light that could only have come from turbulence. (5/15)

Dragon Cargo Capsule Flew Its Sixth Mission to the ISS (Source: Space Daily)
The capsule flying CRS-34 first reached the station in 2021. Five years and six missions later, it has become the first cargo Dragon to match the reuse record previously set only by SpaceX’s astronaut-carrying Endeavour capsule, as Space.com reported. The Falcon 9 booster that carried it also notched its sixth flight and sixth landing, returning to Cape Canaveral about seven and a half minutes after liftoff. A six-flight booster paired with a six-flight capsule on the same mission would have been treated as historic a few years ago. (5/17)

Viasat's F2 Satellite 'Blooms,' Targets 100+ Mbps in Push Against Starlink (Source: PC Mag)
As it loses subscribers to Starlink, Viasat is showing off a new satellite that aims to deliver over 100Mbps downloads, possibly as soon as this month. In November, Viasat launched the F2 satellite, which is designed to serve customers across the Americas and promises to double the company’s bandwidth capacity across its entire satellite fleet. On Monday, Viasat posted a photo showing that a key component of the F2 satellite, the large reflector, is “fully deployed.” (5/12)

Ex-ISRO Scientist's $1 Billion Startup Eyes Maiden Orbital Rocket Launch (Source: NDTV)
India's private space revolution is entering a decisive phase, and at the heart of it stands a young company with big ambitions. Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, India's first space tech unicorn, is now preparing for its most significant milestone yet, the maiden orbital launch of its Vikram 1 rocket in just a few weeks from Sriharikota.

In eight years after leaving his secure job at ISRO, where he earned Rs 75,000 a month, Chandana, along with his cofounder Naga Bharath Daka, has created a company now valued at Rs 10,000 crore, as per a disclosure by the company. A mechanical engineer from IIT Kharagpur, he recalled asking himself a simple question early in his career: what is the most challenging machine ever built by humans? "For me it was always a rocket. I was really inspired by launches across the globe. I thought this is my calling; I need to get into the rocket industry," he said. (5/17)

Rubin Tracks Skyscraper-Size Asteroids, Failed Supernovas, and Interstellar Visitors (Source: Quanta)
Over the years, anticipation has built for the start of observations at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in the mountains of the Atacama Desert in Chile. Originally imagined in the mid-1990s as the Dark Matter Telescope, Rubin is designed to study our constantly moving and changing universe in greater detail than ever before. Once every few days for a decade, Rubin will take images of the entire night sky over the Southern Hemisphere, creating the world’s largest time-lapse movie.

In Rubin’s first year alone, scientists expect the observatory to find 1 million undiscovered asteroids — as many as have been documented in the previous 200 years of human history — as well as thousands of comets and billions of stars and galaxies. (5/17)

IN-SPACe Leads Indian Space Delegation to Italy (Source: GK Today)
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) led a delegation of nine Indian space-tech companies to Italy on 16–17 May. IN-SPACe is the regulatory and promotional body for private space activities in India under the Department of Space. It authorizes space activities by non-government entities and supports the participation of Indian companies in the space economy.

Nine Indian companies took part in the Venice event. The list included Astrogate Labs, Astrobase Space Technologies, VyomIC, Suhora, Kepler Aerospace, Hyspace Technologies, TakeMe2Space, Jarbits Pvt Ltd, and Dhruva Space. Astrobase Space Technologies is based in Karnataka, while Dhruva Space is an Indian space technology company engaged in satellite systems and space infrastructure. (5/16)

NASA’s New AI Processor Is 500x Faster Than Current Space Computers (Source: SciTech Daily)
NASA’s new AI-ready space chip could give future spacecraft a brain of their own. NASA is developing a powerful new computer chip that could dramatically change how future spacecraft operate in deep space. Created through a commercial partnership, the advanced processor is designed to give spacecraft the ability to process information far more quickly and even make certain decisions independently during missions far from Earth.

The agency’s High Performance Spaceflight Computing project is focused on increasing the computing capabilities of spacecraft used for exploration missions. Current spacecraft rely on older processors because they are reliable and durable enough to survive the harsh conditions of space. However, those chips lack the performance needed for the next generation of missions. (5/16)

Europe Just Unveiled a Serious Rival to SpaceX’s Starship (Source: SciTech Daily)
Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have now released one of the most detailed independent studies of Starship’s performance to date. Notably, they did not base their work on SpaceX’s public performance claims. Instead, they reviewed the publicly streamed footage from the first four integrated flight tests and extracted telemetry data moment by moment.

They then used those data to create and test detailed performance models of the vehicle. The resulting assessment presents Starship as a system whose real capabilities are more carefully defined, yet still more impressive than its promotional image might suggest. The analysis confirmed that in its current form, a fully reusable Starship that can deliver around 59 tons to low Earth orbit. That is roughly what a Falcon Heavy can achieve without recovering any of its boosters at all.

But the more striking part of the paper is a detailed design for a European alternative capable of launching over 70 tonnes to orbit, called the RLV C5. The concept pairs the winged, reusable booster stage from DLR’s long-running SpaceLiner project with an expendable upper stage designed to maximize payload. It burns liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which is a more efficient combination than the methane and oxygen that power Starship’s Raptor engines. In comparison, Starship is more than three times heavier than the RLV C5 at launch. (5/17)