May 30, 2026

Mini World Near Pluto is Far More Active Than it Should Be – and Experts are Baffled (Source: BBC)
A tiny frozen world in the outer Solar System has been found to have an atmosphere, making it only the second object beyond Neptune, after Pluto, known to have one. The finding could mean that such mini worlds are much more active than planetary scientists had believed. The world, known as 2002 XV93, is a minor planet and a Trans Neptunian Object (TNO), meaning it orbits the Sun somewhere beyond the orbit of Neptune in a region known as the Kuiper Belt. (5/27)

Australia Keeps Being Described as a Junior AUKUS Partner — But the Radar in Its Outback and the Port in Its Northwest Are Quietly Rewriting Who Controls Orbital Traffic (Source: Space Daily)
In Western Australia’s outback near Exmouth, an array of parabolic dishes spread across the landscape is already tracking satellites in geostationary orbit for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) Site 1, ultimately a 27-antenna array operating as a single sensor, has begun feeding tracking data to AUKUS partners, with full operational capability targeted for 2027. Several hundred kilometers up the coast, the iron-ore port of Port Hedland is being seriously discussed as a future Starship recovery site. These are not parallel curiosities. They are the visible edges of Australia’s transformation into the southern anchor of allied space power. (5/23)

China is Building Launch Pads Near its Nuclear Missile Silos (Source: Defense News)
In a remote Chinese desert, a vast military complex is taking shape that some security scholars say appears built to ensure no American first strike on China’s nuclear arsenal could reliably knock out Beijing’s ability to hit back. China’s nuclear missiles can already reach any city in the United States. Now, satellite images reviewed by Reuters show Beijing is building a sprawling web of launch pads, bunkers and communications nodes near the isolated nuclear silos that hold the Chinese military’s longest-range missiles.

The images reveal more than 80 pads for possible use by China’s expanding fleet of mobile missile launchers and air-defense batteries. They also show facilities that may serve electronic warfare, satellite communications and command operations, according to three security analysts. (5/29)

Hypersonic Startup Nabs Contract For High-Speed Drone Testing (Source: Air and Space Forces)
Venture capital-backed aircraft startup Hermeus announced May 28 its Quarterhorse unmanned aircraft will conduct a series of flight tests with the Defense Innovation Unit over the next few years. Under the $159 million contract, the company will provide flight data from upcoming Quarterhorse flights to DIU, the Air Force, and the Navy to inform future concepts for high-speed military aircraft. (5/28)

Arctic Ocean Passes 'Irreversible' Chemical Tipping Point (Source: Oceanographic)
A new study spanning two decades reveals that the loss of sea ice has triggered an irreversible chemical shift in the Arctic Ocean. By exposing shallow coastal waters to intense sunlight, the melting ice has accelerated a process that destroys nitrate, the foundational fertilizer required for marine life to survive. The study suggests the Arctic passed a critical ecological tipping point in 2009. The resulting nutrient famine is already affecting the whole Arctic food chain, threatening everything from microscopic plankton to commercial fish stocks, seabirds, and marine mammals. (5/28)

Redwire vs. Intuitive Machines: Which Space Stock Has More Potential? (Source: Zacks)
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RDW’s 2026 sales and earnings per share (EPS) implies an improvement of 41% and 57.3%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter’s reported figures. RDW’s 2026 and 2027 EPS estimates have moved south over the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LUNR’s 2026 sales implies a year-over-year improvement of 341.9%, while that for EPS suggests a 23.8% decline. The stock’s 2026 and 2027 EPS estimates have moved south over the past 60 days.

RDW is trading at a premium, with its forward 12-month price/sales of 9.03X being more than LUNR’s forward price/sales of 8.91X. This makes LUNR's valuation more attractive than RDW's. Neither stock appears attractive for investment right now. Redwire is showing stronger growth, while Intuitive Machines is expanding its lunar business and infrastructure capabilities. Investors may be better off waiting for a better entry point and improved visibility before investing in either stock. (5/28)

Forget Rocket Lab: This Aerospace Defense Titan Is a Far Smarter Valuation Play (Source: 247 Wall Street)
General Dynamics (GD) is a dividends and buybacks machine commanding a market cap barely larger than Rocket Lab (RKLB) despite generating 78x more revenue and profitable operations. Rocket Lab’s 425% one-year rally reflects hype around the Neutron rocket and space-economy IPOs but is causing plenty of concern that hype is the real narrative, causing many to consider a pivot. Those who do should consider this defense sector stalwart. (5/29)

Blue Origin Advances Lunar Settlement Plans With Moon Dust Oxygen Extraction System (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin has unveiled a major technological breakthrough aimed at supporting long-term human presence on the Moon: a reactor capable of extracting breathable oxygen directly from lunar soil. The system, called Air Pioneer, represents a significant step toward reducing dependence on Earth-based resupply missions during future lunar exploration and settlement efforts.

The reactor works by processing lunar regolith, the dusty material covering the Moon’s surface, using a technique known as molten regolith electrolysis. In this process, lunar soil is heated to extremely high temperatures, allowing oxygen chemically bound within oxide-rich minerals to be released and collected. Scientists have known for decades that lunar regolith contains large amounts of oxygen, but efficiently extracting it in usable quantities has remained a major engineering challenge.

The technology forms part of Blue Origin’s broader Blue Alchemist initiative, which focuses on in-situ resource utilization—using local materials in space rather than transporting everything from Earth. This approach is increasingly viewed as essential for sustainable lunar operations because transporting oxygen, fuel, water, and construction materials from Earth remains extraordinarily expensive and logistically difficult. (5/28)

Amazon to Acquire Apple's Globalstar Stake in Satellite Deal (Source: MacRumors)
Amazon is initiating a merger structure. It will create a new subsidiary called Grapefruit Acquisition Sub II to absorb Globalstar's operations, and then the new subsidiary will acquire Apple's equity. Apple has 20 percent equity and 20 percent voting interests in Globalstar Licensee LLC, a Globalstar subsidiary that operates the satellite system that delivers satellite connectivity to iPhone users in the U.S. Apple invested $450 million in Globalstar back in 2022 to fund Globalstar's satellite buildout for the Emergency SOS via satellite feature. Apple received 20 percent equity and 85 percent of Globalstar's network capacity in return. (5/27)

Blue Origin and Amazon Had Momentum. Then Came the Fireball (Source: New York Times)
The delays from the explosion will hit Blue Origin and its customers, including Amazon and NASA, just as SpaceX is nearing a much-hyped initial public offering that could value the company at more than $1.25 trillion. Had the rocket exploded in the air, the failure could have been almost routine, but the explosion badly damaged the launchpad. At least one massive steel tower appeared to be essentially gone, and there are questions about the state of the tangle of hydraulics and fueling systems that run below the concrete pad and through the area.

New Glenn has only one launchpad: Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Blue Origin spent several years and more than $1 billion to rebuild the 1960s-era launch site. That means Blue Origin not only needs to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it but also has to rebuild the launch infrastructure, creating the potential for major delays before the company can start testing New Glenn again. The delays will affect Blue Origin when it was otherwise hitting its stride.

Industry watchers say Mr. Bezos will stick with his ambitions. He is worth more than $290 billion, and he views Blue Origin as a cornerstone of his legacy. Blue Origin’s resources are limited only by his appetite to spend. Delays with Blue Origin further box Amazon into a corner as it looks to begin commercial operations of its satellite constellation, Amazon Leo, which aims to compete with Starlink. A third of the almost 3,500 remaining satellites that Amazon has contracted to launch were set to ride on New Glenn. (5/29)

Russia Plans to Launch Crewed Spacecraft From Baikonur in July (Source: Bloomberg)
Russia plans its first launch of a manned space mission from the Baikonur launch site this year with a crew that includes a NASA astronaut. A three-member crew, including two cosmonauts, is scheduled to take off on July 14, Dmitry Bakanov, the head of Roscosmos, told state-run broadcaster Vesti on Thursday. (5/28)

Swiss Startup Stellar Alpina Raises €3.8M ($4.4M) to Advance Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (Source: Stellar Alpina)
Stellar Alpina is targeting one emerging bottleneck in the space economy: moving assets between orbits, supporting cislunar operations, and enabling future in-space servicing infrastructure. Unlike traditional rocket engines that rely on subsonic combustion, RDREs use supersonic detonation waves to extract more energy from the same propellant. The result could be higher-performance propulsion systems with fewer mechanical parts and lower mass, potentially reshaping how satellites and spacecraft maneuver in space.

The team moved quickly after founding in February 2026, completing its first RDRE hotfire campaign just 82 days after incorporation, including what Stellar Alpina says were Europe’s first commercial RDRE hotfire milestones. Stellar Alpina plans to test as many engines as possible in the next year. The company will target testing a new configuration every two weeks. (5/28)

California Aerospace Firm at the Center of Chemical Leak Crisis (Source: New York Times)
The chemical leak that prompted evacuations in Orange County, California on Friday occurred at a site belonging to GKN Aerospace, a manufacturing company based in the United Kingdom that produces military and civilian aerospace parts. About 16,000 people are employed at the company overall, including at least 540 at the location with the leak in Garden Grove.

The Garden Grove site, one of 32 manufacturing plants the company has across the world, is part of California’s robust aerospace and defense sector, which directly contributes $35 billion to the state’s annual economic output, according to one estimate. Many of those businesses are based in Southern California. Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and RTX all have substantial operations in the region. (5/28)

ULA Launches Atlas V with Amazon Leo Satellites, a Day After New Glenn Explosion (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Following the explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket during a May 28 test fire, business got back to normal on Florida's Space Coast, as both SpaceX and ULA launched rockets on satellite missions May 29. A ULA Atlas V launched 29 Amazon Leo satellites. This was the seventh batch of production satellites that ULA launched on behalf of Amazon and the penultimate mission for the tech giant using an Atlas 5 rocket. (5/29)

3 Astronauts From China Return to Earth After Nearly 7 Months in Space, a Record for a Chinese Crew (Source: AP)
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after spending nearly seven months in space, setting a record for the longest on-orbit stay by a Chinese crew. The craft carrying Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang of the Shenzhou 21 crew touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia region in the evening. Their return came as China prepares for its first lunar landing by 2030. The crew had completed various tasks, from processing and transmitting experimental data to transferring remaining supplies. (5/29)

Italy's Leaf Space Launches ‘TreeNet’ to Eliminate Connectivity Bottlenecks Associated with Modern Satellite Constellations (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Leaf Space has launched TreeNet, a technology designed to transform satellite clusters into shared orbital mesh networks. TreeNet marks a fundamental shift in space communications: moving from intermittent, schedule-dependent links to a resilient, "always-on" network architecture that eliminates the connectivity bottlenecks of modern constellations. (5/29)

ESA Greenlights Two Budget-Friendly Earth Observation Missions (Source: European Spaceflight)
ESA approved its HiBiDiS and SOVA-S Scout missions, with development led by SITAEL and OHB Czechspace, respectively. These missions are required to progress from initial approval to launch within three years, with costs capped at €35 million. The first of the two missions greenlit for development is the Hyperspectral Biodiversity Scout (HiBiDiS). Using hyperspectral imaging, HiBiDiS aims to improve understanding of understorey ecosystem biodiversity, the layer of plant life beneath forest canopies. HiBiDiS is being developed by SITAEL, an Italian small satellite company.

The second is the Satellite Observation of Waves in the Atmosphere – Scout (SOVA-S) mission, which is being developed by OHB Czechspace, the relatively small Czech-based subsidiary of German space technology company OHB. SOVA-S will utilize shortwave infrared imaging to provide near-global daily observations of gravity waves between 80 kilometers and 120 kilometers above Earth’s surface. (5/29)

BlackSky Advances Non-Earth Imaging Business With 7-Figure Renewal (Source: Via Satellite)
BlackSky Technology has received a large contract renewal focused on non-Earth imagery services — in which its satellites capture imagery of other objects in orbit. BlackSky said this award comes as it advances a fully automated, dynamic space-to-space collection system. The company previously expanded into this type of data collection in 2024, working with non-Earth imaging (NEI) startup HEO. BlackSky did not name the customer, but described it as a seven-figure, multi-year contract renewal. (5/28)

Blue Origin Rocket Explosion Rattles NASA's Artemis Plans (Source: Nature)
leaves NASA at least temporarily without a key partner for its ambitious Moon base plans. A Blue Origin mission was supposed to launch to the Moon later this year using a rocket of the type that just exploded. The mission would have landed near the lunar south pole with an array of scientific and technical instruments, and NASA administrator Jared Isaacman had optimistically rebranded it ‘Moon Base I’ earlier this week to invoke the agency’s ultimate goal of establishing a sustained presence on the Moon.

Another major company involved in NASA’s Moon goals is also struggling. SpaceX has not yet got its flagship rocket, Starship, into a complete Earth orbit. Its most recent test flight, on 22 May, yielded mixed results; the main portion of Starship flew most of the way around Earth as expected, but a rocket booster malfunctioned before it splashed into the Gulf of Mexico. The FAA has grounded Starship until the mishap has been investigated.

Editor's Note: According to Frank Slazer: "It’s worth noting that, to the extent that returning to the moon first is a national priority, it’s now out of NASA’s control.  Fortunately, both companies have solid financial backing. In the era of NASA relying on commercial services to do exploration, it should be recognized that this also means that our nation’s space program is not fully under NASA’s control." (5/29)

Danish Pension Blacklists SpaceX Over ‘Catastrophic Governance’ (Source: Bloomberg)
A $25 billion Danish pension fund that earlier this year made headlines by ditching Treasuries as Donald Trump was threatening to seize Greenland now says it won’t touch SpaceX. The company, which is targeting a valuation of at least $1.8 trillion in its initial public offering, is not only “grossly overvalued” but also marred by a “catastrophic governance structure,” according to Anders Schelde, the chief investment officer of Akademiker Pension. (5/29)

Space Force Plans Network of Resilient Ops Centers for Wartime Command and Control (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force wants to build out ground infrastructure needed for its new space systems. Brig. Gen. Christopher Fernengel, director of plans and programs on the Space Force headquarters staff, said at the State of the Space Industrial Base conference this week that one focus for the service is creation of resilient operations centers. Those facilities are intended to ensure military space missions can continue during wartime when command-and-control sites become targets. The Space Force envisions building as many as 10 such operations centers across the United States, creating a distributed architecture capable of supporting overseas combatant commands while preserving continuity of operations if individual sites are disrupted. The service is seeking $1 billion for four centers in its fiscal 2027 budget proposal. (5/29)

Revolv Space to Provide Solar Array Assemblies for French Satellite Servicing (Source: Space News)
Revolv Space won a contract from French satellite servicing company Infinite Orbits for solar-array drive assemblies. Revolve Space, based in Italy and the Netherlands, said Infinite Orbits ordered the assemblies, which control solar arrays to maximize power output, for its GEO servicing spacecraft. The value of Revolv Space's contract with Infinite Orbits was not disclosed. Revolv has flown more than 20 of the units on low Earth orbit spacecraft. (5/29)

Chinese Reusable Rocketeers Nearing Launch (Source: Space News)
Several Chinese reusable rockets are nearing launch. Rockets from state-owned CASC and commercial entities including Galactic Energy, iSpace and more are in various states of readiness for long-awaited debuts. Those vehicles are needed to deploy Chinese megaconstellation satellites. CASC’s Long March 12B recently appeared vertical on the pad with landing legs attached, but it is unclear if CASC will attempt a first-stage landing on its upcoming flight. Other vehicles nearing flight include Galactic Energy's Pallas-1, iSpace's Hyperbola-3 and the Long March 10B. Another recovery attempt is expected from Landspace with its Zhuque-3, which successfully reached orbit late last year but failed in the latter stages of a first stage powered descent and landing attempt. (5/29)

Amid Critical Analyses, SpaceX Dials Back IPO Valuation (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX is reportedly dialing back the valuation it is seeking in its IPO. The company is now seeking to go public at a valuation of $1.8 trillion, less than the $2 trillion or more previously reported, after discussions with investors and advisers. The company is seeking to raise up to $75 billion in the IPO, which would be the largest ever for any company. The company is expected to go public by mid-June after releasing its prospectus last week. (5/29)

Firefly Stock Sale to Raise $200 Million (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace will raise nearly $200 million in an additional stock sale. The company, which went public last year, said Thursday it will sell four million shares at $48 each, raising $192 million before expenses. The company said it will use the funds for company operations, including to support growth of its core business and recently awarded programs and initiatives. Firefly shareholders also plan to sell an additional eight million shares, but the company will not receive the proceeds of those sales. (5/29)

Japan's HTV-X1 ISS Cargo Craft Reenters (Source: Japan Times)
A Japanese cargo spacecraft has completed its mission with a destructive reentry. The HTV-X1 spacecraft burned up over the South Pacific Ocean on Tuesday as planned, the Japanese space agency JAXA announced. HTV-X1, the first flight of the upgraded HTV-X cargo spacecraft, launched to the International Space Station last October and was unberthed from the station in March. The spacecraft performed additional tests after leaving the station, including deployment of a smallsat. (5/29)

NASA's Morgan Retires From Astronaut Corps (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut Drew Morgan has retired from the agency. NASA selected Morgan, a U.S. Army officer, to join the astronaut corps in 2013. He flew a 272-day mission to the ISS in 2019 and 2020, participating in seven spacewalks while there. He served in various other NASA roles after that mission and, for the last two years, had been on assignment to the Army in the Pacific. NASA said Morgan will continue his military career after leaving the agency. (5/29)

Virgin Galactic Signs Research Customer for 2027 Mission (Source: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic has signed a new research customer for its suborbital spaceplane. The company said Thursday that the nonprofit Operation Period will conduct a suborbital research mission in 2027 on what the company called the first dedicated research mission to study menstruation in microgravity. Manju Bangalore and Priya Abiram will conduct the research on the flight, becoming the youngest South Asian women to go to space. (5/29)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission Above Ruins of New Glenn Pad (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 10-53 mission carrying 29 Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral’s Spaceport. The first-stage booster flew for the 16th time and made a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. (5/29)

Starship’s Path to Reusability Looks Murky After SpaceX’s Pre-IPO Filing (Source: Tech Crunch)
Hidden behind the fantastic expectations for AI enterprise profits and plans for a moon base is a more grounded reality: An expendable Starship could keep SpaceX in business, but doesn’t achieve the cost reductions — or frontier business models — Elon Musk is betting on. A note that stood out in SpaceX’s S-1 was the first acknowledgment that full reusability of Starship isn’t necessary to launch the new generation of Starlink satellites. But without full reusability, the cost will go up, making the business less attractive.

“If this reusability is not achieved then the cost of launch on Starship may not be much lower than Falcon 9, even if the full 100 ton capability is realized (which is by no means a foregone conclusion),” satellite market analyst Tim Farrar wrote in a note to clients last week. “The cost per launch may be as much as $100M (i.e. $1000 per kg) while tempo remains constrained by the rate at which second stages can be manufactured and first stages can be refurbished.”

At first glance a classic example of Musk’s timelines, it may actually be an expectation that initial launches will expend the Starship. If so, SpaceX might not be able to count on as much free satellite cash as expected, and its plans to launch space data centers will become untenable until the rocket is reusable. (5/26)

Mystery GPS Jammer in Iran Becomes Test for NASA Satellites’ Capabilities (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA satellites designed to observe cyclone wind speeds and collapsing ice sheets have also proven capable of identifying the approximate locations of GPS jammers. That could help monitor high-risk areas for aircraft and ships navigating the growing prevalence of GPS interference worldwide. Two different NASA satellite systems showed how they could locate a known but mysterious GPS jammer within several kilometers of its position in Iran. Such jammers use strong signals to overpower the weaker radio signals coming from US-operated GPS satellites and other global navigation satellite systems.

Such NASA satellites cannot perform “near-real time monitoring” or pinpoint the exact location of GPS jammers, said Clara Chew. But identifying the approximate locations of GPS jammers “could potentially be helpful for flight planning” or for “indicating high risk areas for maritime shipping.”

One of the NASA satellite systems, the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), has eight microsatellites that detect GPS signals reflected from ocean surfaces to measure wind speeds within the eyewalls of hurricanes, tropical cyclones, and typhoons. When an Earth-based jammer turns on, the effect creates a huge footprint in the reflected GPS signals that can show up hundreds of kilometers from the jammer’s location. (5/27)

The Propulsion Imperative Behind Golden Dome (Source: Voyager Technologies)
Missile defense has traditionally been framed around detection, tracking and interception. Golden Dome changes that calculus, broadening the focus to the entire distributed infrastructure enabling the architecture, placing propulsion front and center. The effectiveness of that architecture ultimately depends on whether satellites can maneuver in contested space and whether interceptors can maintain precise control at critical moments.

Deploying a constellation of interceptors in orbit requires not only advanced propulsion and vehicle technology, but also sophisticated sensor fusion, tracking algorithms and real-time command software. No single capability determines the outcome. But without propulsion systems engineered for endurance, responsiveness and production at scale, none of the rest functions as designed. (5/28)

Italian Space Company Argotec Opens Space Coast HQ with Rapid Hiring Plans (Source: Florida Today)
A growing Italian space company has established a foothold on Florida's Space Coast, opening a facility to process and produce small-scale satellites ranging in size from briefcases to large microwave ovens. Argotec hosted an April grand-opening ceremony of its new U.S. headquarters and manufacturing base inside a North Drive industrial park in Melbourne. The goal: expand in America's space market while boosting Argotec's brand. (5/28)

Blue Canyon Supports Dutch Space Sovereignty (Source: Blue Canyon)
Blue Canyon Technologies is supporting Dutch efforts to advance sovereign capability and national security in orbit. Utilizing Blue Canyon’s flight-proven bus designs and high-performance components, PAMI-1 will demonstrate how agile, mission-ready small satellite technology can deliver reliable, responsive solutions tailored to evolving defense and intelligence needs. (5/27)

India's AnduraX Plans Spaceplane Drop Test (Source: MSN)
India is gearing up for a significant aerospace project: the high-altitude drop test of ADM01, its first privately built reusable space plane. Startup AnduraX is preparing for the test in early June, lifting the ARES experimental vehicle to 25 km via a high-altitude balloon to validate guidance systems for future microgravity semiconductor and crystal manufacturing. (5/26)

Germany Seeks Space Ties with Japan (Source: Japan Times)
Bremen Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte, while in Tokyo, called for deeper space and satellite infrastructure cooperation between Germany and Japan to reduce reliance on SpaceX. He emphasized that Germany and Japan urgently need a reliable, autonomous alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink to secure independent space-based communications. Bovenschulte's Tokyo itinerary included meetings with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to build upon an existing 2022 cooperation agreement with the German Aerospace Center. (5/28)

Companies Like SpaceX Want Electromagnetic Catapults on the Moon. Could They Be Used as Weapons? (Source: Space.com)
A new report stresses the strategic and security implications of placing mass drivers on the moon  — essentially electromagnetic catapults   — by arguing that these launchers could serve as valuable first strike weapons systems. These mass drivers could use powerful magnetic fields to throw satellites and other probes into space without the need for costly and heavy chemical propellants.

Putting railguns on the moon isn't a new idea, and was most recently proposed by SpaceX as a means of launching thousands of AI data center satellites into deep space. But according to a new report, these mass drivers are inherently dual use, meaning they can be used for both civilian and military purposes; while it's true they could help launch peaceful satellites, being large electrically-driven cannons, they could also potentially launch weapons from the moon. (5/28)

Epic Fury Highlighted Space Force Needs for Distributed Ops, EW Sites (Source: Breaking Defense)
The loss of Space Force capabilities during Operation Epic Fury in Iran has highlighted the need for the service to invest in disaggregating its ground-based space operations centers and new “tactical” electronic warfare (EW) centers both at home and abroad, according to one of the service’s top budget planners. The Air Force’s fiscal 2027 budget includes $1 billion to build four space operations centers in the US at: Kirtland Air Force Base, NM; Redstone Arsenal, AL; Schriever Space Force Base, CO; and Grand Forks Air Force Base, ND. (The Space Force does not have a separate military construction budget, instead relying on the Air Force.) (5/28)

SpaceX Wins $4.16B Space Force Contract to Detect Airborne Moving Targets (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force announced today that it has awarded SpaceX a contract worth $4.16 billion to “accelerate” the service’s “Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI)” program. Space-based AMTI sensors are being designed to replace the Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail, which is turn was developed to replace the aging E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft. The move to space is seen by the Department of the Air Force as necessary due to ever-more sophisticated anti-access/area-denial systems available to potential adversaries. (5/29)

FAA Completes Environmental Review for SpaceX Starfall (Source: FAA)
The FAA issued the Final Environmental Assessment for the SpaceX Starfall reentry vehicle. The review evaluated the environmental impacts of reentry, splashdown, and recovery activities. Under the proposal, SpaceX would launch two Starfall missions to Low Earth Orbit or to a sub-orbital trajectory as a payload on the Falcon 9 or the Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicles.

The capsules would splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the U.S. west coast in international waters. The completion of the environmental review process does not guarantee the FAA will issue a Starfall reentry license. The SpaceX application must also meet safety, risk and financial responsibility requirements before a license can be issued. (5/29)

FAA and NASA Sign Annex on Commercial Space Activities at Wallops Flight Facility (Source: FAA)
The FAA and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia signed an annex that implements and clarifies safety authorities, responsibilities, and roles for commercial launch and reentry activities at NASA Wallops. It streamlines the FAA launch license approval process, improves the efficiency of the FAA technical review, reduces duplicative safety reviews, and lessens the amount of launch application material the operator must submit.

This is an annex to a 2025 FAA / NASA agreement that clarifies safety roles and responsibilities, eliminates any duplicative requirements, and resolves any inconsistent requirements between the agencies. A similar annex for FAA-licensed launch operations from the NASA Kennedy Space Center was signed earlier this year. (5/29)

FAA Issues Guidance on Navigating the Spaceport Licensing Process (Source: FAA)
There is growing interest in expanding the number of FAA-licensed commercial spaceports across the country. To educate prospective spaceport license applicants, and help make the process easier and faster, the FAA posted its Spaceport Licensing Primer.

The guidance incorporates the collective experiences of the FAA and the spaceport community from prior license evaluations. It also highlights best practices and lessons learned and identifies challenges and common pitfalls to help applicants save time and money before formally entering the licensing process. (5/29)

May 29, 2026

New Launch Complex 51 Could Make Room for Another New Glenn Pad at the Cape (Source: SPACErePORT)
During a breakfast presentation a couple months ago, Col. Brian Chatman, commander of Space Launch Delta 46, shared a map graphic of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport that few noticed included a new launch pad, Launch Complex 51. Located east of LC-17 (the former site of Delta-2 launches) LC-51 is a potential replacement site for Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) operations currently situated at LC-46, at the very tip of the Cape. LC-46 is currently a dual-use Navy site shared with Space Florida, but the Navy might relocate its operations to the new LC-51, to support testing and processing for submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles.

So what would happen to LC-46? It was most recently used for low-key military hypersonic test launches, and Space Florida accommodated Astra there for a failed launch in June 2022. Being adjacent to Blue Origin's LC-36, LC-46 could potentially become the home of a second launch pad for New Glenn at the spaceport...if funding is made available to relocate NOTU's operations to the new LC-51. This may not be a far-fetched DoD budget item as the Air Force has declared a national need for more heavy-lift launch pads (in the context of a massive trillion-dollar DoD budget), and a second New Glenn pad at LC-46 could be inserted into the design/re-build package for LC-36.

Interestingly, after the last Delta-2 launch from LC-17 in 2011, the Air Force declared that no more launch pads would be developed south of LC-46, to minimize potential hazards to civilian operations at Port Canaveral and the City of Cape Canaveral. LC-51 would seem to go against that decision. Also, new launch pad towers could interfere with air traffic to/from the Skid Strip airfield at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (5/29)

New Glenn Explodes During Ground Test, Causing Major Damage to Launch Pad (Source: SPACErePORT)
A static fire test in preparation for Blue Origin's next New Glenn commercial launch went terribly wrong on Thursday night at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The New Glenn rocket and some important infrastructure at Launch Complex 36 was destroyed in a huge fireball. Blue Origin advised soon afterward that all personnel were accounted for. This event, with requirement to investigate, mitigate, and rebuild, will affect Blue Origin's near-term commercial and government launch manifest and may impact NASA's upcoming Artemis missions aboard New Glenn. (5/28)

Explosion Provides New Data on MethaLox (Source: SPACErePORT)
Spaceport and spaceflight regulators have been conducting controlled-environment testing to determine the precise explosive potential of the methane/liquid-oxygen fuel mixture for next-generation rockets like New Glenn, Starship, and others. Without sufficient test data, regulators have used TNT as a substitute, to quantify what they believed would be worst-case MethaLox explosive capacity. This was necessary to establish blast-zone safety perimeters around launch pads and to calculate downrange risks from MethaLox rockets in-flight. 

Launch companies and spaceport operators have been hopeful (and in some cases have lobbied) for minimized explosive risk calculations for MethaLox, to allow tighter blast danger areas that would otherwise limit operations around launch pads and fuel storage areas. (At the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, larger blast zones can impede activities at neighboring launch pads.) Thursday night's Blue Origin explosion provides new real-world data for MethaLox blast zone calculations. The event already has some observers calling for a reevaluation of SpaceX's Starbase blast zone in Texas, and for Rocket Lab's proposed Neutron launch pad in Virginia. (5/29)

Sidus Space Announces Pricing of $100 Million Registered Stock Offering (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced the pricing of a best-efforts registered direct offering of 19,685,039 shares of its Class A common stock at an offering price of $5.08 per share. Total gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting the placement agent fee and other offering expenses, are expected to be approximately $100 million. (5/27)

Millions of Planets Might Form Around Supermassive Black Holes (Source: New Scientist)
The active centers of galaxies might be regions of extraordinary planet formation, where millions of worlds are born. Most galaxies in the universe, such as our own Milky Way, host a supermassive black hole at their center. Most of the time, these black holes are quiescent, as there is no matter falling into them. But occasionally they become active and consume huge amounts of dust and gas, perhaps from a merger with another galaxy, becoming an active galactic nucleus for millions of years. (5/28)

European Space Industry Warns EU Space Act Could Slow Competitiveness (Source: Space News)
European space industry officials said they did not oppose regulation itself or the idea behind a common European framework. However, the words most frequently used to describe the first and second drafts of the EU Space Act were “monopoly,” “slow,” “rigid” and “micromanaging.” The proposed implementation would slow down companies through requirements such as licensing that could take up to 12 months to obtain. Another concern is that the act could favor large incumbent players over startups. Its treatment of countries outside the EU, like Norway and the United Kingdom, could affect launch since both countries host spaceports used by EU-based launch companies. (5/28)

Racing to Separate Themselves From US Dependence, European Nations Opt for a Mix of Sovereign, Bilateral, Federated and Commercial Space Capabilities (Source: Space News)
European nations are adopting a mix of sovereign, bilateral, federated and dual-use commercial technologies to enhance military readiness. Still, it can be difficult to determine which capabilities should be owned and operated nationally and when it’s preferable to pool resources to establish multinational space systems. (5/28)

House Defense Authorization Bill Would Reorganize Space Acquisition with SDA and Rapid Capabilities Office Collapse (Source: Space News)
A House defense authorization bill would eliminate the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office as standalone organizations. The proposed changes align with the reorganization of Department of the Air Force acquisition programs around Portfolio Acquisition Executives, or PAEs, senior officials responsible for managing broad mission portfolios rather than individual programs.

SDA and Space RCO were established to accelerate space procurement outside the traditional military acquisition system, but their efforts have now become institutionalized across the Space Force. The Space Force plans to have SDA focus on missile warning and tracking, but it is unclear how Space RCO will be realigned. (5/28)

SpaceX Called Upon to Tighten Controls Over Russian Military Starlink Use (Source: Space News)
A former Ukrainian defense official says SpaceX needs to further tighten controls on Russian access to Starlink. Kateryna Chernohorenko, Ukraine's deputy minister of defense from 2022 to 2025, said at SmallSat Europe that while SpaceX has taken measures to limit use of Starlink by Russian forces, the company could do more, like enhanced geolocation controls. She said that while Ukraine has benefited from extensive European contributions in areas like satellite communications, Europe lacks several critical capabilities that continue to make SpaceX an indispensable partner. (5/28)

European Spectrum Moves Could Hinder SpaceX and Viasat (Source: Space News)
A proposal for allocating direct-to-device satellite spectrum in Europe could hinder SpaceX and Viasat. The European Commission outlined plans Wednesday to divide the 2-gigahertz spectrum band into three equal blocks. One would be used by the IRIS² constellation and a second by EU operators entering the market, with only the third available to operators outside the EU.

U.S.-based Viasat is using the spectrum for its hybrid satellite-cellular European Aviation Network, while EchoStar plans to sell off its holdings to bolster SpaceX's Starlink Mobile D2D service. The proposal still needs approval from the European Parliament and Council, leaving room for changes as lawmakers scrutinize the plan. (5/28)

Spire Scaling Up Satellite Production with Germany's Schaeffer AG for Sovereign Capabilities (Source: Space News)
Spire Global plans to collaborate with a German manufacturer on scaling up European satellite production. Spire said it will work with Schaeffer AG, a major German manufacturer of automotive systems and other motion technologies, drawing on Schaeffler's expertise in large-scale manufacturing, precision engineering and production discipline. The two companies said they would create a "sovereign European space hardware and mission business" by the end of the decade. Spire announced earlier this month a new factory in Munich capable of building up to 100 smallsats annually. The first satellites to be integrated in the Munich facility will be for Eurialo, satellite constellation designed to locate and track aircraft by observing their radio-frequency emissions. (5/28)

Kongsberg Scaling Up Satellite Production for SpinLaunch Constellation (Source: Space News)
Kongsberg NanoAvionics is working to scale up satellite production. The company secured a contract last year to build up to 280 satellites for SpinLaunch's Meridian Space broadband constellation. NanoAvionics, founded in Lithuania, plans to retain a "center of excellence" there while establishing new production facilities in other countries. The company also sees opportunities to build and operate sovereign constellations for countries. (5/28)

SpinLaunch Pivot Includes Sovereign Constellation Development (Source: Space  News)
SpinLaunch sees new opportunities for its constellation thanks to geopolitics. The company's CEO, Massimiliano Ladovaz, said in an interview that the company's Meridian system, meant to employ smaller, highly-efficient satellites, could make sovereign constellations financially attainable for countries and regional operators that previously lacked the resources to compete. That would allow, he said, constellations to be built for hundreds of millions of dollars and be deployed on a single launch. (5/28)

Virgin Galactic Uses Older Spaceplane for Flight Training (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic's older spaceplane has resumed test flights to train for its new vehicle. Virgin's VSS Unity vehicle performed a glide flight Wednesday, dropped from the company's Eve aircraft and gliding to a landing at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company plans several such glide flights to train pilots and ground crews ahead of tests of the company's next-generation SpaceShip. Those flights are expected to begin in the third quarter, with commercial suborbital launches starting by the end of the year. (5/28)

Cosmonauts Perform ISS Spacewalk (Source: Space.com)
Russian cosmonauts performed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday. Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev spent a little more than six hours outside the station on the spacewalk, installing and retrieving science instruments. That work included installing a telescope called Solntse-Teragerts on the exterior of the Zvezda module that will be used to monitor solar flares. The spacewalk was the second for Kud-Sverchkov and the first for Mikaev. (5/28)

Telesat Offers Secure Satcom for Italy's Government (Source: Reuters)
Telesat is in early-stage talks to provide secure communications services for the Italian government. Sources said the discussions between Telesat and Italian officials remain preliminary, and have not yet included financial details. The Italian government considered giving SpaceX a contract last year to provide similar services using Starlink, but backed off giving tensions between Europe and the United States. (5/28)

Does Gravity Create Reality? A Shocking Path to a Theory of Everything (Source: New Scientist)
For decades, the accepted route to an ultimate theory of everything has involved taking our best theory of gravity and squeezing it into the frame of quantum mechanics. Given that quantum theory is wildly successful in describing the other three of the four fundamental forces of nature, it is an understandable approach. Yet, almost a century later, scientists still haven’t managed to make gravity fit. That’s why a few mavericks have championed an alternative strategy. They suggest that tweaking the equations of quantum mechanics helps explain how the strange world of particles gives rise to our everyday reality.

Various experimental avenues are opening up to probe this approach, involving everything from levitating diamonds and glowing metals to swinging pendulums and ticking clocks. The tests promise to shine a light on how the quantum world operates and guide the search for a more complete understanding of the universe. “This is like going into the open ocean: we have no clue where to go,” says Angelo Bassi, a physicist at the University of Trieste in Italy. “But maybe … by going in the wrong direction, we’ll discover the right thing.” (5/25)

Space Nuclear Power’s Biggest Obstacles Are Logistical, Not Technical (Source: Aerospace America)
“The technology has never been the bottleneck,” Lal said. “What has failed each time is the system around the reactor: the mission case, the scope, the discipline, the political continuity, the leadership architecture. If anyone tells you the American space nuclear program is a technical problem, send them to me. I will tell them that we’ve spent sixty years and over twenty billion dollars proving them wrong.” (5/27)

Blue Origin Readies New Glenn to Launch 48 Amazon Leo Satellites After FAA Clearance (Source: Geekwire)
Five weeks after experiencing its first launch failure, Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin is getting ready to put its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket back in service to launch 48 satellites into low Earth orbit for the growing Amazon Leo constellation. The mission, designated as NG-4 for the rocket and LN-01 for the payload, will mark the first time Blue Origin’s rockets have launched satellites for Amazon — forging a new connection between the two best-known companies founded by Jeff Bezos. It will also set a new high for the number of Leo broadband satellites launched on a single mission. (5/27)

UCF’s Rosen College is Training the Next Generation of Space Tourism Hospitality Professionals (Source: Orlando Shine)
UCF has been tied to the space industry since before it was even called UCF. The university was built, in part, to support Kennedy Space Center. Established as Florida Technological University in 1964, its primary mission was to provide personnel and engineering talent to the space operations on Florida’s Space Coast. But the industry is changing. Space is moving from propulsion and exploration into habitation and settlement, and someone has to figure out the hospitality side of it.

That someone, at least at UCF, is Dr. Amy Gregory, the Endowed Chair of Space Tourism Programming and Initiatives at Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and she represents the college on the UCF Space Council, a body that recently expanded beyond engineers and physicists to include faculty from across the university in a variety of disciplines. She also lives on the Space Coast. (5/27)

Mainland China Welcomes Taiwan Compatriots in Joint Space Exploration (Source: Xinhua)
The Chinese mainland looks forward to Taiwan compatriots joining its efforts in exploring the universe, a mainland spokesperson said in response to a media query about hopes in Taiwan that locals, especially young people, could take part in the nation's future space programs. The successful launch of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft on Sunday has drawn widespread attention in Taiwan. Among the crew is Hong Kong astronaut Li Jiaying, who has become the first person from the special administrative region to travel to space.

The success of the Shenzhou-23 mission is a source of pride and honor for all Chinese people, Chen said, noting that advancing the space program and building China into a space power have long been part of the Chinese nation's pursuit of its space dream. (5/27)

Australia’s Place in the Space Industry and Inspiring the Next Generation (Source: The Nightly)
Unlike the Apollo era, where Aussie kids watched on in awe of the US, I hope during the Artemis era Aussies watch on in awe of our own nation’s achievements and of what our futures could hold. This mission has captured people’s attention and inspired them to look up and out, when there are so many issues which give us the perfect excuse to look down and in.

We are once again reminded of the power of ambition and grand pursuits in peaceful partnership, the importance of preparing for the future, while in parallel confronting the challenges of the present. Artemis – the new Apollo - is a new beginning for space exploration, and Australia’s contribution to it is also just beginning. (5/27)

Air Force ‘Still Working’ to Sort Space Programs Into Acquisition Portfolios (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Air Force which oversees Space Force acquisition, has officially announced six portfolio acquisition executives (PAEs): Space Access; Space Based Sensing and Targeting; Infrastructure; Battle Management, Command, Control, Communication & Space Intelligence (BMC3I); Satellite Communication and Positioning, Navigation & Timing; and Missile Warning and Tracking. Thomas Ainsworth said there would be at least three other PAEs set up to cover space control; electronic, cyber and orbital warfare; and integration.

“The majority of the PAEs that have been assigned right now are acting,” Ainsworth said. Each of the new PAE heads also will chair a “capability trade council” for their portfolio that will include “warfighters in the room” representing the operations, intelligence and testing communities, Ainsworth said. He stressed that the DAF worked to ensure that all of the new offices all “work consistently” based on the “same authorities” to make decisions. “[I]f you move between one PAE and another, you’re not sitting there having to figure out a whole new process; everyone’s working off of the same process and the same rule book,” Ainsworth said. (5/27)

Orbital Data Centers Must Tackle Chip Lifespan, Launch Availability, and Cybersecurity Challenges (Source: Via Satellite)
The way processors and chips go through iteration will create a new set of problems. “Instead of a five-year span, the next generation of processors come out every two years … we’re now shortening the lives of the hardware in the data center. That creates a lifespan issue for satellites in orbit.” Compute lifespan and replacement is a significant logistics issue, which will also bring up issues around decommissioning satellites, Paul Struhsaker said. “They burn energy like nobody’s business. Every generation of chip doubles in energy,” said Struhsaker.

Acccording to Oguz Karasu: “We are all are waiting for Starship’s success — but without that, data centers on orbit won’t be feasible either,” he said. “There is an economic danger.” Karasu also pointed to data security concerns, saying that people who build data centers on Earth have raised this question to him, of how to protect a data center in orbit from being targeted. Karasu cautioned against the industry overly investing in this concept at the expense of other areas of space. He believes there’s been “misleading” information about the concept. (5/28)

Europe's Revolv Space Enters In-Orbit Servicing Market with Infinite Orbits Deal (Source: Space News)
The Italian-Dutch company Revolv Space has announced that French in-orbit services provider Infinite Orbits has selected its Solar Array Drive Assemblies (SADAs), the devices used to manage and optimize solar energy capture, for the firm’s geostationary orbit (GEO) in-orbit servicers. Editor's Note: Europe's growing commitment (and investment) toward sovereign space capabilities is impressive, but currently lacks a SpaceX-like low-cost reusable launch system for hardware and humans. (5/28)

Space Startup Raises Funds for Laser Satellite Links (Source: Bloomberg)
Observable Space raised $90 million in its debut funding round as the company seeks to use lasers to help satellites and potentially orbiting data centers move information to and from Earth. On the same day as the funding announcement, the company also secured a $94 million U.S. Space Force contract to build out ground-based optical telescope networks for satellite tracking and space domain awareness.

The startup is tackling the massive data bottlenecks faced by modern satellites and orbital data centers by beaming information to the ground via high-speed optical lasers rather than traditional radio waves. Observable Space operates with a combined 100+ person team across Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and a 57-acre manufacturing and optics research campus in Michigan. (5/28)

SITAEL Adds to Italy's Space Capabilities (Source: Space News)
Italy's SITAEL presented its growth strategy at SmallSat Europe Amsterdam, built on ten years of investment in satellite platforms, electric propulsion and production infrastructure. The plan fits within Europe’s new space cycle, in which secure communications, Earth observation, defense and technological sovereignty require robust industrial capabilities. SITAEL operates through two industrial hubs in Italy: a production facility with five satellites under construction simultaneously; and a production line for Hall-effect electric propulsion inaugurated in July 2025.

The combination of proprietary satellite platforms and electric propulsion sets SITAEL apart in the fields of constellations, orbital management, space sustainability and Very Low Earth Orbit missions. The company develops solutions based on the NextGen and EMPYREUM platforms and has launched with ESA the concept for a propellantless RAM-EP thruster for very low orbits. (5/27)

EarthDaily Partners with Geospatial Intelligence to Strengthen Earth Observation Capabilities in Australia (Source: Spacewatch Global)
EarthDaily and Geospatial Intelligence Pty Ltd have entered a new partnership to expand access to science-grade Earth observation data and analytics for customers across Australia. Through this partnership, Australian customers will gain local access to EarthDaily’s calibrated Earth observation data and analytics, supported by Geospatial Intelligence’s experience serving government and industry across Australia. (5/28)

SpaceX IPO is Filled with AI Bets, Starship Dreams, and Elon Musk at the Center (Source: MexNews)
It contains 36 pages of risk factors to SpaceX’s business, and details legal fights it faces following the absorption of Musk’s artificial intelligence and social media companies — battles SpaceX says will likely cost it $530 million. The company lost about $4.9 billion in 2025 on revenue of more than $18 billion. The filing details a business that is currently dominated by Starlink, which generated more than half of the company’s revenue last year — around $11 billion. It also shows how much SpaceX has burned to get to this point: more than $37 billion lost since inception, according to the S-1.

XAI, the artificial intelligence company Elon Musk created and recently merged into SpaceX, is not helping on that front. The filing shows SpaceX directed around 60% of its capital spending in 2025 to its AI division, or around $20 billion. And yet that division — which houses the chatbot Grok — lost billions last year, and only grew revenue by about 22%.

The company is, of course, making a lot of astronomical promises in the filing. One of the biggest? That it has “identified the largest actionable total addressable market in human history” of $28.5 trillion. The company attributes an enormous portion of that — $22.7 trillion — to “enterprise applications” of AI. Despite SpaceX’s complex business, much of its future is pegged to the success of Starship. (5/20)

New US Stamp Depicts 'Postcrossing' Astronaut (Source: Collect Space)
A new US postage stamp features a colorful graphic of an astronaut carrying a postcard out on a spacewalk. Officially, the stamp celebrates the global hobby of "Postcrossing," but it also offers a welcome nod to the history of space mail. The astronaut-themed stamp is one of four Postcrossing issues at the Boston World Exposition stamp show. The artwork, by illustrator Jackson Gibbs, was inspired by the international project that "enables participants to send and receive postcards from interested people around the world." (5/28)

May 28, 2026

FAA Grounds SpaceX's Starship V3 Megarocket After Flight 12 'Mishap' (Source: Space.com)
Just five days after its debut flight, SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket has been grounded. The FAA just declared the May 22 Starship V3 launch a mishap and is requiring an investigation before the huge vehicle can take to the skies again. "A return to flight of the Starship-Super Heavy vehicle is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," FAA officials wrote. (5/27)

Rocket Lab Achieves Milestone for Missile Defense Constellation (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has successfully passed System Requirements Review (SRR) for the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Tracking Layer Tranche 3 (TRKT3) constellation. This milestone advances the program that will see Rocket Lab deliver satellites equipped with advanced missile warning, tracking, and defense capabilities to U.S. and allied national security. The SRR milestone confirms that Rocket Lab's proposed solution meets SDA's operational requirements and establishes the technical baseline for the program. (5/27)

Rough is the New Smooth: A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned (Source: WIRED)
Researchers have overturned a long-held aeronautical rule by proving that deliberate surface micro-roughness can actually reduce aerodynamic drag. Under certain conditions, engineered micro-textures create tiny, stabilizing vortices that delay boundary layer separation better than a perfectly smooth surface. For decades, the standard rule of thumb was that making an aircraft or vehicle as sleek and frictionless as possible was the best way to cut through the air. However, the new findings reveal a much more nuanced dynamic.

As air moves over an object, it creates a boundary layer of slower-moving air. If the surface is too smooth, this layer can detach prematurely, creating massive pressure drag (the primary resistance on vehicles). Deliberate micro-roughness acts as a flow-control mechanism. It introduces small, controlled vortices that mix faster-moving free-stream air with the boundary layer. (5/26)

Challenge Accepted: China Shakes Up its Space Programs to Land Astronauts on the Moon by 2030 (Source: Space.com)
China is establishing an integrated program called the Lunar Exploration Program, melding both its robotic Chang'e lunar probe activities with the country's human spaceflight program. Zhang Jingbo said that "to fully leverage the technological expertise and practical experience accumulated over decades" via its human spaceflight and Chang'e lunar rover programs, "the existing manned lunar landing and unmanned lunar exploration efforts will be integrated across three areas of missions, resources, and teams."

"We will spare no effort to strive for the goal of achieving the first Chinese landing on the moon by 2030," Zhang added. On the robotic side of moon exploration, in April, China's Chang'e-7 lunar probe was shipped to China's sprawling Wenchang Space Launch Site. Preparations for pre-launch testing are now underway, with the mission slated for launch in the second half of the year, reportedly this August. The Chang'e-7 mission will include orbiting, landing, roving, and a lunar hopper to study the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, while also carrying out international cooperation, said Zhang. (5/27)

Growing Doubts in China About Starship's Ultimate Success (Source: SCMP)
There are growing doubts within China’s space sector that Starship, the world’s most powerful rocket being developed by SpaceX in the United States, will ever overcome its engineering and financial challenges and deliver for founder and CEO Elon Musk. starship’s latest flight on Friday – weeks before the company’s expected initial public offering (IPO) – was described as “mostly successful” by the company after engine failures occurred in both the first and second stages.

After the first stage Super Heavy Booster entered the Gulf of Mexico at high speed, Starship itself “barely made it” to its designated return area in the Indian Ocean, according to observers posting on Chinese social media. One space commenter said the test flight’s results showed the key issue was the reliability of Starship’s upgraded Raptor 3 engines, which have had a redesign to give them higher thrust and lighter weight. (5/27)

Students Build Moon Robots for NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge at KSC (Source: NASA)
Finals for NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge competition were held on May 19 at the KSC Visitor Complex in Florida. When the simulated lunar dust settled, the University of Virginia earned the Off World Grand Prize for completing all events and achieving the highest overall score. Forty-seven teams from around the U.S. designed and built remote-controlled robots capable of traversing challenging lunar terrain while constructing regolith-based berm under conditions similar to those the agency will face as it returns to the lunar surface.

The Lunabotics Challenge invites students from higher education institutions to apply NASA’s Systems Engineering principles to design and build a prototype off-world construction robot. Participants will develop a robot capable of performing construction operations that support future space exploration objectives. (5/27)

SpaceX’s AI Pursuits Have Yet to Take Off (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX's recent SEC S-1 filing for its upcoming IPO confirmed that the highly profitable Starlink division and space-launch operations form a strong financial core, offsetting massive cash burns. However, the company's aggressive expansion into orbital computing and artificial intelligence—boosted by its merger with xAI—posted steep losses, drawing scrutiny from market analysts. (5/26)

Space Force Expands PTS Prototype Program Ahead Of 2027 Launches (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Space Force expects to launch two prototype spacecraft next year as it looks toward the next generation of anti-jam satellite communications. The service has tapped Boeing and Northrop Grumman to demonstrate the use of an updated, encrypted signal called the Protected Tactical Waveform aboard company-built spacecraft. Both companies are now developing two prototypes under the service’s Protected Tactical Satcom-Prototype (PTS-P) program, following a May 15 contract award to fund a second free-flyer system from Northrop Grumman.

The initial prototype from each company is on track for launch, on-orbit demonstration and testing no earlier than 2027, a Space Systems Command (SSC) official said May 21. The new, $398 million “Enhanced PTS-P” contract award funds a second prototype free-flyer to launch no earlier than 2030. (5/26)

How Canada’s First Commercial Spaceport is Taking Shape in Nova Scotia (Source: Financial Post)
Canada’s push to build the country’s first commercial spaceport in rural Nova Scotia is moving from ambition to execution, backed by hundreds of millions in federal funding and infrastructure investment, but it faces criticism that early stage construction appears limited to a concrete slab and access roads. Spaceport Nova Scotia, under development just outside Canso, will give Canada domestic orbital launch capability and support regional economic development while entering a global launch industry increasingly dominated by private companies.

Canada currently relies on foreign launch sites in the United States and Europe to send satellites into orbit for communications, earth observation, navigation and defense purposes. The company behind the project, Halifax-based Maritime Launch Services Inc. (MLS), said it is on track, though it is still in its early stages and must navigate technical, financial and market risks to become operational on schedule. (5/26)

Isar Aerospace Partners with Maritime Launch Services for Orbital Launch Readiness From Nova Scotia (Source: Isar Aerospace)
Space company Isar Aerospace and Spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services (MLS), have signed a Letter of Intent to advance sovereign orbital launch readiness from Nova Scotia, Canada. The agreement brings together Isar Aerospace’s orbital launch system and MLS’s launch site, Spaceport Nova Scotia, which is strategically located for launches to support reliable access to mid- to high-inclination and polar orbits for Earth observation and communication satellites and constellations, supporting commercial and government missions. (5/26)

New Material Could Help NASA Melt Moon Rocks, Harness Lunar Resources (Source: NASA)
A material recently discovered and tested at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland could help astronauts pack lighter for future missions to the Moon. NASA is researching ways explorers could “live off the land” by harnessing lunar resources, including melting Moon rocks to extract metals for building infrastructure and oxygen for fuel and life support.

As part of a graduate fellowship through the agency’s Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities, Dr. Kevin Yu and Dr. Jamesa Stokes realized they’d stumbled across something promising and entirely new. After combining simulated lunar dust with a compound called scandium oxide and heat treating the mixture using a red-hot furnace, they discovered that an unknown material had formed. The team found that the new substance isn’t corroded too quickly by the molten Moon dirt and can withstand the high temperatures needed to melt it — up to six times hotter than the oven in your kitchen. (5/27)

Aitech Upgrades its Space Supercomputer (Source: Payload)
Aitech Systems announced an upgrade to its supercomputer today that is intended to fuel the next wave of AI applications in orbit. By integrating NVIDIA’s IGX Thor platform into the S-A2300 COTS AI Supercomputer, as well as future computing iterations, Aitech officials say the company is drastically expanding customers’ ability to process data in orbit—an important growth point as the demand for in-space computing skyrockets. (5/27)

Schaeffler, Spire Global Team Up for Space Hardware, Satellite Platforms in Europe (Source: Reuters)
Schaeffler and U.S.-based satellite operator Spire Global have signed a memorandum ‌of understanding to jointly develop space hardware and satellite platforms for European defense, weather and security applications. Shares of the German ​machine and auto parts maker jumped 15% after ​the deal was announced. The ​companies intend to build a sovereign European space hardware ​and mission business before the end of this decade, they said in the joint statement. (5/27)

UK's Archangel Tests World's Smallest Optical Ground Station (Source: Space News)
Archangel Lightworks, the laser communications company, has successfully completed field trials of the TERRA-M, the world’s smallest deployable operational optical ground station, proving its capability. The news was warmly welcomed by Liz Lloyd, the UK Space Minister, and the trials were funded by the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory.

Data was securely and rapidly transferred between the TERRA-M and a satellite in low Earth orbit over the course of a multi-day field trial in the Mediterranean region earlier this month. The field trials used the U.S. Space Development Agency laser communication standard and were repeated across multiple passes to prove reliability. The TERRA-M is a small fraction of the size of traditional optical ground stations with an optical head standing just 1.1m tall and 0.7m in diameter. (5/27)

EU to Squeeze US Space Tech Out of Prized Satellite Airwaves (Source: Politico)
The European Commission wants to reserve most satellite frequencies for European operators when a prized spectrum band opens up next year, opening a new battleground with Washington in the fight for control over technology. European Commission top officials on Wednesday agreed on the details of the selection procedure, earmarking two thirds of a coveted spectrum band for EU players. (5/27)

HPS GmbH to Provide the Communications Antenna for the Apophis-Bound ‘Ramses’ Spacecraft (Source: Spacewatch Global)
OHB Italia and Munich-based antenna specialist HPS GmbH signed a contract making the latter responsible for procuring the communications antenna for the Apophis-bound Ramses spacecraft. Asteroid Apophis will fly within 32,000 km of the Earth’s surface in 2029, almost ten times closer than the moon, offering a unique opportunity for scientific and planetary defense research. The Ramses Spacecraft will therefore launch a year earlier and rendezvous with the asteroid before the flyby, helping scientists gather vital data about the flyby’s effect on the 375-meter asteroid. (5/27)

Starships Are Meant to Eventually Fly (Source: Space Review)
Last week marked both the first flight of the latest version of SpaceX’s Starship as well as the release of the company’s prospectus for its initial public offering. Jeff Foust reports on how both reveal how central Starship is to the company’s future. Click here. (5/27)
 
Fear and Panic in Orbit Around the Red Planet: Missions to Phobos and Deimos (Source: Space Review)
While most concepts for missions to Mars have focused on the planet itself, some have instead planned to explore its two small moons. Dwayne Day examines the history of those concepts and an upcoming Japanese sample return mission. Click here. (5/27)
 
Reassessing NASA Procurement Strategy: A Hybrid Approach (Source: Space Review)
NASA is using a mix of cost-plus and fixed-price contracts for its missions, but each approach as advantages and disadvantages. Eli Lichtenstein offers an alternative that attempts to combine the best of both. Click here. (5/27)

NASA Goes Big on Lunar Base Plan, "Hundreds of Square Miles" (Source: Space.com)
"We envision the moon base to be hundreds of square miles, with different assets all building up to the objective of permanent lunar presence on the moon," Carlos García-Galán, the manager of NASA's Moon Base program at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., said during a press conference Tuesday (May 26). NASA didn't go into the moon base-planning process with a big footprint as a priority. Rather, it emerged naturally, as all of the envisioned elements started coming together in planners' heads.

"There's no one spot that covers all the science, all the technology, all the habitation needs of the surface, and even within the local area, you have to consider the terrain," NASA's Nujoud Merancy, chief architect of the Moon Base program, said during today's briefing. (5/27)

Astrophysicists Gain Treasure Trove of Gravitational Wave Detections (Source: Phys.org)
Researchers from the University of Glasgow's Institute for Gravitational Research are celebrating the publication of a vast new treasure trove of gravitational wave detections, hailed as a milestone marking the coming of age of gravitational astronomy. This latest update details a total of 161 new signals from colliding black holes detected between April 2024 and the end of January 2025 by the gravitational wave detectors LIGO in the United States, Virgo in Italy, and KAGRA in Japan, known as the LVK collaboration. The publication brings the total number of gravitational wave signals detected to date to 390. (5/26)

Blue Canyon Supports Dutch Space Sovereignty (Source: Blue Canyon)
Through the Axient Systems B.V. PAMI mission, Blue Canyon Technologies is supporting Dutch efforts to advance sovereign capability and national security in orbit. Utilizing Blue Canyon’s flight-proven bus designs and high-performance components, PAMI-1 will demonstrate how agile, mission-ready small satellite technology can deliver reliable, responsive solutions tailored to evolving defense and intelligence needs. (5/27)

Could Aliens Ever Visit Earth? An Aerospace Scientist Unpacks the Challenges of Interstellar Spaceflight (Source: The Conversation)
There is no evidence of intelligent alien life in our solar system. So any extraterrestrial visitors would likely have to come from another star system within our Milky Way galaxy. Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, is located 4.25 light-years away. Since only a fraction of stars are thought to host intelligent life, the nearest alien civilization – if one exists – is surely much farther away than Proxima.

There is no universally accepted upper limit on interstellar flight speeds, but studies tend to converge around 19,000 miles per second (30,000 km/s) – 10% of the speed of light – as a realistic cruise velocity. At this speed, a journey of 10 light-years will take approximately 100 years to complete. Finding a way to accelerate the ship to its target cruise speed is the central challenge facing any would-be alien explorers. No single law of physics prohibits an interstellar voyage to Earth. But the combined effects of hundreds of extreme, often conflicting engineering requirements may render it physically infeasible.

Ultimately, engineering challenges are just some of the many barriers to interstellar travel. Any prospective alien visitors must also have sufficient cognitive ability, technological maturity, physical resources, collective desire and proximity to Earth. That said, if the stars were to align and an alien vessel made it to Earth intact, it would trigger a torrent of burning questions: Where are they from? What do they want? What are they made of? Editor's Note: Given the constraints we understand, if any of the suspected visitations are real, they likely are extra-dimensional. (5/26)

How Mobile Deep‑Space Medical Systems Could Support Future Landings on the Moon and Mars (Source: The Conversation)
 As a physician and space medicine researcher, I watched life aboard the mission spacecraft Orion — where four astronauts worked, ate, exercised and managed personal hygiene in a tiny capsule — with curiosity. Questions raced through my mind: Is this confined living environment psychologically sustainable if future missions last several months? What if there is a medical emergency during the 40-minute communications blackout when Orion passes behind the far side of the moon?

My previous research has highlighted how the environment of space itself can be disabling, and virtually every system within the human body is affected by the extremes of space flight. As humanity prepares for its next mission to the moon and eventually onward to Mars, we need to consider how to evolve health-care delivery beyond Earth. We need deep-space medical systems that are self-sustaining, lightweight, robust and functional with minimal maintenance or reliance on Earth-based support.

Astronauts will require substantially greater medical autonomy, including the ability to assess, diagnose and manage acute and chronic issues. A lunar base or Mars mission would need the crew to have access to an entire mobile medical clinic integrated within their spacecraft or habitat. Such a facility would house diagnostic and treatment capabilities sufficient to independently manage health issues over prolonged periods. (5/26)

An Astronaut Suddenly Couldn’t Speak in Space. What Does That Mean for Future Missions? (Source: CNN)
Five months into his fourth International Space Station mission, veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke was having dinner the day before a routine spacewalk. Suddenly, he found himself unable to speak. The episode in January lasted just 20 minutes and while Fincke felt no pain, he became agitated. “It was completely out of the blue. It was just amazingly quick,” Fincke recently said. “My crewmates definitely saw that I was in distress. It was all hands on deck within just a matter of seconds,” he said.

Fincke’s fellow astronauts and a series of emergency protocols kept him safe, but NASA still made an unprecedented move: The agency cut short the SpaceX Crew-11 mission, returning Fincke and three of his fellow astronauts to Earth a month early. Certain blood flow issues could also potentially lead to a temporary lapse of speech. “There is something known as a TIA, or Transient ischaemic attack, which is basically a brief episode of a neurological dysfunction, usually due to the blood flow to the brain being interrupted,” Dr. Farhan Asrar said. “It tends to resolve by itself and not leave any kind of permanent damage.”

One way to manage the problem would be to include a doctor as a crew member, which wouldn’t be too difficult since many astronauts are also physicians. The first American medical doctor to become an astronaut was Joseph Kerwin in 1973, and since then about three dozen NASA physicians have become astronauts. It’s common in other countries, too: Four of the nine Canadians who have flown in space are physicians. (5/26)

Texas Companies Win and Lose NASA Contracts As the Agency Pushes Toward a Moon Base (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA unveiled new contracts on Tuesday as part of its push to build a moon base, awarding work to one Texas company while passing over another firm based in Houston. Central Texas-based Firefly Aerospace will deliver NASA’s aerial scouts – propulsive drones built off the technology developed for the Ingenuity Mars helicopter – to the moon.

But Houston’s Intuitive Machines will not continue its work on an unpressurized vehicle for astronauts to drive. NASA selected California-based Astrolab and Colorado-based Lunar Outpost to build these Lunar Terrain Vehicles. Houston’s Axiom Space, which is building a commercial space station, is part of the Astrolab-led team. It’s assisting with spacesuit integration, crew display and controls, and tool design. NASA initially chose three companies, including Intuitive Machines, to design Lunar Terrain Vehicles as part of a feasibility study. NASA was not expected to fund all three to move forward with their designs. (5/26)

Moscow Threatens Elon Musk’s SpaceX With Nuclear Retaliation Over Ukraine Starlink Use (Source: United 24)
Russian State Duma  Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin threatened a nuclear strike if SpaceX continues to provide Ukraine with Starlink satellite internet access. His comments follow a Ukrainian strike on occupied Starobilsk on May 22, which the Ukrainian General Staff reported targeted the "Rubikon" Russian drone unit headquarters. Moscow claims the attack hit a college dormitory. (5/26)

Musk Says US Military Suicide Drones Used Starlink in Violation of SpaceX Rules (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX and the Pentagon have been bickering about the price of using Starshield satellite service during the Iran war, according to a Reuters report published today. It appears that SpaceX asked the military for more money after it started using satellite terminals on “kamikaze” attack drones in Iran. Elon Musk claimed the Reuters report is wrong. But Musk also said the military drones initially used the commercial Starlink service instead of the government-specific network, in violation of Starlink’s terms of service.

Musk blamed the violation on the contractor that built the drones for the government. The Reuters report, based on Pentagon documents and interviews with sources familiar with the pricing talks, said that SpaceX recently asked the military to pay $25,000 for Starshield access on each kamikaze drone. The Pentagon, which previously paid $5,000 for each connection, objected to the price hike but ultimately agreed to pay it. (5/26)

Rice Launches Space Humanities Initiative To Bring Cultural Inquiry Into Conversation About Space (Source: Rice University)
Ethics is rarely the first thing built into a rocket. Yet as space increasingly becomes the domain of commercial contracts, national rivalries and questions about who owns what beyond Earth, a new Rice University initiative argues those questions deserve their own infrastructure, not a footnote in someone else’s research agenda. The Space Humanities Initiative officially launched May 7 and brings scholars across disciplines together to examine how culture, language, ethics and imagination shape space exploration, and how space exploration shapes them in return. (5/26)

Embry‑Riddle Speaker Series Explores International Collaborations in Space (Source: ERAU)
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University recently hosted a series of policy experts and officials to discuss U.S.-Japan cooperation in space security. The seven-part series — held throughout the spring semester — concluded in late April with a lecture by Keiichi Wada, director of the Washington, D.C. office for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). In that role, Wada is responsible for fostering collaborations with U.S. agencies, including NASA and NOAA, as well as other space programs in North and South America. (5/21)

Rocket Lab Adds Mars-Proven Robotics Capabilities with Completion of Motiv Space Systems Acquisition (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has completed the acquisition of Motiv Space Systems, a California-based company specializing in space robotics, motion control systems, and precision mechanisms for spacecraft. Motiv – now rebranded as Rocket Lab Robotics – brings mission-tested Mars heritage and is renowned for its advanced multi-degree of freedom robotic arms, actuators, and drive electronics that have enabled some of the most ambitious planetary exploration missions in history, and precision mechanisms supporting critical scientific instruments and spacecraft subsystems.

The acquisition establishes Rocket Lab as one of the few companies in the world capable of delivering end-to-end Mars mission solutions including launch, spacecraft, software, and Mars-proven robotics for surface and on-orbit operations. (5/26)

American Airlines Picks Starlink for In-Flight Wi-Fi on More Than 500 Planes (Source: CNBC)
American Airlines plans to outfit more than 500 of its narrow-body aircraft with Starlink, handing another win to Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit that has made inroads with major carriers for in-flight Wi-Fi. American was evaluating Starlink and Amazon Leo as recently as March for the service. (5/26)

May 27, 2026

NASAWatch Editor Keith Cowing to Receive NSS Space Pioneer Award (Source: NSS)
The National Space Society will honor Keith Cowing at its 44th annual International Space Development Conference on June 4-7, 2026. Cowing will receive the NSS’s Space Pioneer Award for excellence in mass media. Cowing is the editor of NASAWatch.com, a news source and watchdog for U.S. space efforts, and Astrobiology.com. He is a former NASA space biologist and International Space Station payload manager. (5/26)

Space Force Supports Rescue of Plane Crash Off Florida/Bahamas Coast (Source: SLD-45)
Space Launch Delta 45 Airmen and Guardians at Patrick Space Force Base played a key role in the rapid rescue of 11 Bahamian adults who survived the ditching of a Beechcraft King Air twin-engine turboprop aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean on May 12. The operation showcased seamless collaboration among U.S. military services, federal agencies and local partners. It highlighted how Space Force infrastructure and training for domestic emergencies save lives.

An emergency locator transmitter aboard the aircraft activated after engine failure during a flight from Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, to Freeport. The signal reached the international Cospas-Sarsat system, which relies on critical space-based assets. U.S. Space Force satellites, including those supported by launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, helped relay the distress alert swiftly. Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center received the initial notification and alerted the U.S. Coast Guard. (5/21)

US Plans to Significantly Reduce NATO Military Support (Source: The Independent)
The US plans to reduce its military support to NATO during crises, cutting fighter jets, warships and bombers. Envoy Alexander Velez-Green briefed NATO officials on the changes, which would require Europe to provide more of its own military assets. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the US cannot be everywhere at once and that the alliance is discussing how to manage multiple threats. (5/26)

SpaceX Wins $2.29B to Speed Space Force’s LEO Communications ‘Backbone’ (Source: Space News)
SpaceX won a Space Force contract worth nearly $2.3 billion for a military satellite data network. The $2.29 billion award, announced Tuesday, is for the development of a network known as the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, previously known as MILNET. It will feature optically interconnected satellites that would transport military data through space rather than relying primarily on terrestrial relay networks or ground stations.

The Space Force said the SDN backbone will be integrated with the Space Development Agency's Transport Layer constellation, a separate low Earth orbit mesh network intended to provide military communications and data relay services. Military officials view the SDN as a foundational component of Golden Dome because it would allow missile-tracking satellites to rapidly transmit targeting data through orbital relay networks to command systems or interceptors with minimal delay. (5/27)

Starcloud Buying SpaceX Optical Terminals for Data Center Constellation (Source: Space News)
Orbital data center startup Starcloud is buying optical terminals from SpaceX. Starcloud said Tuesday it signed a contract for more than 50 Starlink Mini Lasers, enough to equip at least 25 satellites with two terminals each as part of a constellation that ultimately envisions 88,000 orbital data centers. The terminals would connect Starcloud satellites directly into Starlink's low Earth orbit mesh network, bypassing bandwidth-constrained ground stations. The company plans to use the links on spacecraft starting with Starcloud 2, a 450-kilogram spacecraft launching in January that is set to be the venture's first to run commercial cloud workloads. (5/27)

Voyager Wins $16.5 Million From DARPA for Solid Rocket Motor Thrust Control (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies won a DARPA contract to continue development of a solid rocket motor thrust-control technology. The $16.5 million contract announced Tuesday funds Phase 2 of DARPA's "Burn n' Go" program, an effort launched last year to develop what the agency describes as a "propellant-embedded control technology" that would give solid rocket motors tailorable, post-manufacturing thrust control. The 20-month contract will work to validate Voyager's technology through ground tests. (5/27)

Hermeus Cruises Beyond Supersonic Speed In U.S. Industry First (Source: Aviation Week)
High-speed aircraft maker Hermeus flew the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 demonstrator aircraft above supersonic speed for the first time, marking a first for a privately funded, uncrewed aircraft in the U.S. Hermeus is testing its aircraft at Spaceport America in New Mexico. (5/27)

European Companies Hopeful for Investor Interest After SpaceX IPO (Source: Space News)
Europe's space industry is closely watching SpaceX's IPO. Industry officials said they believed that the initial public offering could help attract investors into other space companies as those investors seek the next SpaceX-like company. The interest in the IPO has already driven up valuations of other space companies. However, one investor noted Europe's space industry is five to 10 years behind the U.S. in its development and still lacks the large-scale contracts that can provide the foundation for a company to go public. (5/27)

Regulatory and Capital Challenges Hamper European Space Growth (Source: Space News)
Regulations and access to capital remain challenges for European space companies today, though. Executives said it remains difficult for European space companies to raise large rounds without going to American investors. They said Europe remains a good place to start a space company but that there needed to be reforms similar to those in India and Japan to promote the industry's growth. Executives also cited concerns with the EU Space Act, noting that while they approved of the goal of creating a single market for space in Europe, the approach the draft law uses could slow the industry down. (5/27)

SpaceX Launches Tuesday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched Starlink satellites Tuesday night from California. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 10:50 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, putting 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the second Starlink mission in as many days for SpaceX, after a Falcon 9 launch Monday morning from Florida. (5/27)

Trump Administration Pushes Governmentwide NDA for Federal Employees (Source: FNN)
Federal employees may soon have to sign strict non-disclosure agreements, according to a new governmentwide proposal from the Trump administration. The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday released plans to create a standardized NDA for all federal employees, in an attempt to stop government documents from being leaked to the press or otherwise made public.

The NDA applies to federal information including, but not limited to, “internal agency operations, personnel matters, procurement processes or any sensitive, pre-decisional or deliberative material that is not currently publicly available and should not be disclosed under applicable law,” OPM said. (5/26)

China Launches Experimental Comsat on Long March 7 (Source: CGTN)
China launched an experimental communications satellite Tuesday. A Long March 7 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport. It placed into orbit what Chinese media described as a satellite built by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology to test multi-band, high-speed satellite communication technologies. (5/27)

European Military Space Spending Could Boost Industry Growth (Source: Space News)
Increased spending by European militaries on space can help companies but only if it's done quickly. Speaking at SmallSat Europe on Tuesday, Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Portuguese space domain awareness startup Neuraspace, said that while European militaries are planning tens of billions of euros of new spending on space, those agencies are not known for working quickly. That could make it difficult for startups, who have limited cash runways, from taking advantage of that spending: "You either feed innovation quickly, or innovation will perish." (5/27)

SpaceX Allegedly Seeks Major Increase in DoD Price for Connectivity (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX allegedly pushed the Pentagon to pay more for satellite connectivity during the ongoing conflict with Iran. According to a report, SpaceX sought a five-fold increase in the price of satellite terminals used on Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones, which are used as munitions. SpaceX CEO denied the report on social media but also said that the manufacturer of the drone erred in placing conventional Starlink terminals on the LUCAS drones rather than the military-grade Starshield alternative, as it is a violation of the Starlink terms of service to use the commercial system for military applications. (5/27)

NASA Aims to Understand Characteristics of Potential Lunar Base Sites, Establish a Perimeter (Source: Ars Technica)
One theme of Tuesday’s news conference was the reality that, decades after humanity’s first visits to the Moon, there remains much we do not know about conditions on the lunar surface. To that end, one of the central elements of the early Moon Base program is the development of the MoonFall program, which will entail three or four drones each about 1 meter tall, with a mass of 225 kg, including propellant.

These drones will perform a number of functions, including scouting for water ice in permanently shadowed regions, identifying areas of scientific interest, and providing detailed information about landing sites, including soil mechanics, lighting conditions, and the terrain. At the end of their flying lifetime, the drones would then be used to set a boundary for the Moon Base. (5/26)

NASA Science Cut Would Hit Colorado Universities and Aerospace Sector (Source: Colorado Newsline)
A congressional panel has voted to advance a spending bill that funds NASA, rejecting the White House’s proposal to cut the agency nearly in half but still imposing a significant reduction on the science programs that underpin Colorado’s aerospace economy and university research base. The state has more than 2,000 aerospace businesses, more than 55,000 direct aerospace employees and more than 184,000 indirect employees tied to the sector.

Bob Cone, chief operating officer of Westminster-based Advanced Space, said Colorado’s aerospace footprint is unusually concentrated along the Front Range. He argued that industry needs both human spaceflight and robotic exploration, even though those programs compete for attention and dollars.

Massimo Ruzzene, University of Colorado Boulder’s vice chancellor for research and innovation, said the proposed science cuts would reach active university missions and future opportunities. “It would mean the inability of CU Boulder to maintain critical missions that we have that are funded by NASA,” Ruzzene said, naming the Parker Solar Probe, Europa Clipper, and the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe among missions connected to the university. “And then we wouldn’t be able to propose new missions or participate in new missions.” (5/25)

Firefly Aerospace Wins Contract to Deliver Drones to the Moon’s South Pole (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $75 million subcontract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to deliver four drones to the Moon’s south pole in support of the agency’s MoonFall mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028. MoonFall is part of the first phase of NASA’s Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole. (5/26)

NASA Plans Three Lunar Lander Missions in 2026 (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has announced the first three Moon Base missions to begin building sustained operations. Moon Base I, targeted for launch in fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver NASA payloads. Moon Base II, planned for launch later this year, will deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, including Astrolab’s FLIP rover.

Moon Base III, also targeted for this year, will fly the first payload selected through NASA’s Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon initiative. Its anchor investigation, Lunar Vertex, will fly on Intuitive Machine’s Nova-C Trinity lunar lander. These missions are the first of more than a dozen missions that will be announced this year, each designed to generate operational data and reduce risk ahead of crewed Artemis surface activities. (5/26)

NASA Selects Astrolab, Lunar Outpost for Crewed Lunar Rovers (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has selected Venturi Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to supply crewed lunar terrain vehicles (LTVs) for the space agency’s Artemis program that aims to return astronauts to the Moon’s surface in 2028. NASA officials said each company will receive approximately $220 million to supply the LTVs. A pair of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 landers will deliver the vehicles to the lunar surface. Blue Origin will receive $234 million for each delivery mission.

Astrolab has teamed with Axiom Space, Interlune and Odyssey Space Research to develop the LTV. The company said it expects to have its LTV deployed on the Moon by 2028. The company’s contract is valued at approximately $219 million.Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1) is designed to transport astronauts and their supplies across the lunar surface. The rover will be capable of being operated remotely.

Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus LTV is designed to support site exploration, science operations, resource prospecting, and surface site preparation. The vehicle will be capable of manual, autonomous, or teleoperated operations on the surface at speeds more than 14.5 km/h. Lunar Outpost has teamed with General Motors (GM), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and Leidos to develop the Pegasus LTV. (5/26)

Are We Ignoring Signs of Alien Life? (Source: Connect Sci)
Astronomers admit in a new study that they may be missing signs of extraterrestrial life on other planets. The research suggests that there may be many “false-negative” determinations of whether alien life is present on a planet or moon being studied and that space exploration missions and projects might have to be redesigned.

“We should be aware of these false-negative results,” says lead author Inge Loes ten Kate, professor in astrobiology at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “It means there are shortcomings in recognising the existence of life. These shortcomings are not yet high on the research agenda.” (5/23)

Blue Origin Cleared for Next Launch Within Weeks (Source: WFTV)
Blue Origin is preparing for its return to flight after the FAA signed off on the company’s investigation and corrective actions tied to last month’s New Glenn mission failure, which failed to place a broadband satellite into the correct orbit. Space analyst Dr. Ken Kremer told us the company could be back on the pad in a matter of weeks. He said, “It’s possible they could launch in the next week or two or three,” Kremer said. “They’ve got the first stage ready in their hangar, and they want to roll it out to the launch pad and do a hot fire test that’s upcoming at some point soon.”

Kremer says getting New Glenn back online is critical not just for commercial satellite launches, but also for NASA’s long-term Artemis program and future lunar missions. (5/25)

Virgin Galactic Space Flight Start Stays on Track (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Space tourism company Virgin Galactic said it’s on track to start commercial flights toward the end of this year. CEO Michael Colglazier said testing of new spaceship would start in the third quarter with spaceflights beginning in the last three months of the year. “We provided our roughly 650 founding astronauts -- who make up roughly a year’s worth of advanced bookings -- with expected flight windows in 2027 and early 2028,” Colglazier said. (5/25)

In ‘For All Mankind,’ America Wins by Losing (Source: New York Times)
When science-fiction worlds are portrayed on TV, the stories usually revolve around a society whose technology is incomprehensibly advanced, or a wasteland where some weather or zombie apocalypse has destroyed modern civilization. “For All Mankind” forgoes both scenarios. The current season of this space drama is set largely on Mars. The creators say this alternate world could have been possible if the nation had stayed focused on the stars [after Apollo].

“We very purposefully leaned into the idea of, What if America lost?” Wolpert said, in a joint interview with Nedivi. “And by losing, we all wound up winning?” The drama shows viewers how after the initial moon loss the space race remains front and center in the national consciousness. Even as ships explode, nations clash and heroes die, there is a tangible optimism about the future and a conviction that humanity is better off when it pushes farther together. (5/25)
 
Starlink Revives GPS Function, But Only for Priority Plans (Source: PC Mag)
It looks like SpaceX is backing off from completely removing a little-known Starlink function that can be used for GPS-style location tracking. The company will retain the feature, but only for customers on its business-focused Priority plans, according to an email sent to Jonathan Pitts, a Starlink provider for businesses. (5/26)

Musk Accuses Trump Admin of Using Starlink for Military Purposes (Source: Newsweek)
Starlink owner Elon Musk on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of breaching the agreement his company has with the Pentagon amid reports of disputes over charges. Musk took to his X social media platform to accuse the Department of Defense (DOD) of violating the terms of service for using Starlink at a time when the U.S. military is relying more and more on external companies and products, specifically those belonging to the billionaire. (5/26)