NASA’s Workhorse Crawler Has Been
Hauling Rockets Since Apollo (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
When he’s not at work, Sam Dove drives a Chevy Silverado 1500. But on
the job, he gets behind the wheel of a 16-million-pound behemoth that’s
been transporting NASA’s rockets for more than 60 years. Dove gets to
drive the crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2), which was one of two tracked
vehicles originally designed to haul the Saturn V rockets of the Apollo
program.
“It’s the enormity of what you’re carrying, right? … Basically, you’re
carrying $4 billion of hardware, so you don’t want to really mess up or
run into anything,” he said about the most rewarding aspect of the job.
“It’s the responsibility to do that and get everything out, and get it
there safely in one piece.”
CT-2, which was revamped to handle the heavier loads of the Artemis
program compared to the shuttles and Saturn V rockets, can handle up to
18 million pounds. Without fuel, the Space Launch System rocket, Orion
spacecraft and Mobile Launcher 1 come in at around 15 million pounds.
“It’s all mojo, man. This thing’s powerful. There’s no magic dust. It’s
all powerful,” he said. (3/19)
L3Harris Technologies completes Space
Surveillance Telescope Refurbishment (Source: Australian
Defense)
L3Harris Technologies, working alongside its partner nation, Australia,
has completed a major mirror refurbishment for the US Space Force’s
Space Surveillance Telescope (SST). “Working with our partners in
Western Australia, maintainers of the Space Surveillance Telescope have
successfully completed their first primary mirror recoat, significantly
improving our ability to detect small targets in GEO," Mission Delta 2
commander, Col. Barry Croker, stated. (3/20)
Skyward Africa to Convene African
Space Leaders and U.S. Policy Experts in Washington (Source:
Asha Strategies)
As space becomes an increasingly important domain for economic
development, national security, and technological innovation, African
nations are expanding investments in satellite infrastructure, space
research, and international partnerships. For this reason Asha
Strategies will convene the Skyward Africa Space Salon, examining how
Africa's space ambitions intersect with geopolitical competition,
commercial space markets, and the role of diaspora talent in shaping
the continent's technological future.
"Africa is increasingly becoming part of the global space conversation,
from satellite infrastructure to earth observation and international
partnerships. The Skyward Africa Space Salon brings together
policymakers, industry leaders, and diaspora innovators shaping
Africa's role in the global space economy," said Nneka Achapu, CEO of
Asha Strategies. (3/19)
Middle Powers On the Move Toward
Reduced US Reliance: Canada and Norway Deepen Space Defense Ties
(Source: SpaceQ)
Canada and Norway have taken a step toward integrating their space and
defence architectures, signing a new Letter of Intent (LOI) to deepen
bilateral cooperation in the space domain. The agreement arrives as the
two Arctic nations simultaneously move to modernize an 18-year-old free
trade pact, signaling a comprehensive alignment of their economic,
industrial, and national security interests. (3/19)
NASA Convening Artemis International
Partners Next Week (Source: Space Policy Online)
NASA is bringing together the international partners in the Artemis
program next week to discuss the program’s new architecture. NASA
differentiates Artemis from the Apollo program by emphasizing that this
time international partners will be an integral part. But recent
changes are raising questions about their role, especially the future
of the international Gateway lunar space station. (3/19)
As SpaceX Prepares for Texas Starship
Launch, Gigabay Rises in Florida (Source: Florida Today)
As SpaceX prepares for its next Starship launch from Texas — the first
version of the rocket that will launch from Florida — the company’s
massive Starship maintenance facility continues to rise on the Kennedy
Space Center skyline. Its name is Gigabay. The building's looming metal
structure with black siding is easily visible from across the Indian
River in Titusville. Situated at SpaceX’s Robert’s Road facility within
Kennedy Space Center, it stands as a new landmark not too far from
NASA's massive Vehicle Assembly Building. (3/20)
Blue Origin Files FCC Application for
Orbital Data Center Constellation (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin is the latest company to propose a giant orbital data
center constellation. The company filed an application with the FCC
Thursday for what it calls "Project Sunrise," a constellation of up to
51,600 satellites in low Earth orbit that would serve as an orbital
data center for AI and other space computing applications. The company
provided few technical details about the system other than it would
operate in sun-synchronous orbits and use optical intersatellite
communications links with its separate TeraWave broadband
constellation. Both SpaceX and Starcloud have also filed applications
with the FCC in recent weeks for orbital data center constellations of
up to 1 million satellites. (3/20)
Kratos Wins $446 Million for Space
Force Missile Warning Constellation (Source: Space News)
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions won a $446.8 million Space
Force contract for the ground system for a new constellation of
missile-warning satellites in medium Earth orbit. The contract covers
ground management and integration for the service's Resilient Missile
Warning and Tracking program, Space Systems Command announced Thursday.
Kratos will provide the systems used to operate the satellites after
launch, including sending commands, receiving sensor data and
processing that information for delivery to military operators. The
constellation features 12 satellites being built by Boeing subsidiary
Millennium Space Systems and 10 under construction by BAE Systems.
(3/20)
Fanning: Space Supply Chain Resiliency
a "National Imperative" (Source: Breaking Defense)
The space manufacturing supply chain is facing significant challenges,
including a lack of capacity for nine specialized components such as
rocket motor nozzles and optical intersatellite links, according to a
study by the Aerospace Industries Association and
PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Without deliberate steps to strengthen
suppliers and modernize regulations, we risk turning today's momentum
into tomorrow's bottlenecks. A resilient space supply chain is not
optional -- it's a national imperative," said AIA President and CEO
Eric Fanning. (3/19)
ESA Plans to Buy a Dragon Mission to
ISS for European Crew (Source: Space News)
ESA is planning to fly a dedicated Crew Dragon mission to the
International Space Station. The ESA Council endorsed Thursday a
proposal for a project called EPIC, the ESA Provided Institutional
Crew. Under EPIC, ESA would charter a Crew Dragon mission to the ISS in
early 2028, spending a month at the station. The four-person crew would
include ESA astronauts and potentially those from international
partners. ESA said it developed EPIC to create more flight
opportunities for its astronaut corps, including five career astronauts
selected in 2022. (3/20)
Kayhan Space Unveils Situational
Awareness Terminal (Source: Space News)
Kayhan Space has unveiled a new software platform that turns data about
orbital activities into business insights for investors and insurers.
The Satcat Terminal is modeled on the Bloomberg terminal used by
financial professionals and lets users query orbital activity in plain
language, such as whether a constellation is expanding on schedule or
if there have been unusual events around a specific satellite. The
terminal is an expansion of Kayhan's work providing space situational
awareness data for satellite operators. (3/20)
Portal Space Systems and Paladin Space
Plan Debris Removal Service (Source: Space News)
Portal Space Systems is partnering with an Australian startup on a
debris removal service. Portal announced Thursday an agreement with
Paladin Space to include that company's Triton debris removal payload
on a Starburst satellite launching in 2027. Triton is designed to
detect and capture small debris and, mounted on the highly maneuverable
Starburst bus, could capture between 20 to 50 pieces on a single
mission. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the
agreement or details about the commercial model they are proposing for
debris removal, but did announce a letter of intent with commercial
space station developer Starlab Space to be a customer of that service.
(3/20)
Artemis 2 SLS Rolls Out to Florida
Launch Pad (Source: CBS)
Artemis 2 is heading back to the pad for a launch in early April. The
rollout of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft started
at 12:20 a.m. Eastern Friday, nearly four and a half hours late because
of high winds. It will take about 12 hours for the vehicle to reach
Launch Complex 39B, where workers will then begin final preparations
for a launch scheduled as soon as April 1. [CBS]
Hubble Captures Comet Breakup
(Source: New York Times)
Breaking up is not necessarily hard to do for a comet. Images from the
Hubble Space Telescope captured the breakup of the nucleus of comet
C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) in November, shortly after the comet made a close
approach to the sun. While comet breakups are not unusual, Hubble was
able to see the initial phases of the breakup as the icy nucleus split
into several pieces. (3/20)
Platypi Prepare for Space
(Source: Collect Space)
NASA's latest astronaut class now has its nickname: the Platypi. NASA
said this week that the 10 members of the class, announced last
September and formally known as Class 24, would be known as the
Platypi. The nickname is part of a tradition of the NASA astronaut
corps, with the name selected by the previous class, in this case the
Flies. The Platypi nickname is intended to reflect diverse and
sometimes hidden talents of the new astronaut class, like the platypus.
(3/20)
103 Members of Congress Seek $9B for
NASA Science (Source: Douglas Messier)
103 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a bipartisan
letter calling for $9 billion for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate
(SMD) in the fiscal year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies Appropriations bill. The letter, led by Congressional
Planetary Science Caucus Co-Chairs Don Bacon (R-NE) and Judy Chu
(D-CA), is another sign of the breadth of congressional support for
NASA’s science activities ahead of the impending release of the
administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. (3/20)
NASA Armstrong to Host Partnership Days
(Source: NASA)
Companies, government agencies, and organizations are invited to
explore collaboration opportunities in advanced research and technology
development with NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center at Partnership
Days on 15-16 April. (3/20)
Spire Targets 50% Growth in 2026 After
Adjustments in 2025 (Source: Satellite Today)
After divesting its maritime business and paying down its debt in 2025,
Spire Global has set a large revenue growth target for 2026 of 50%, CEO
Theresa Condor told investors on Thursday. Condor called 2025 a
“transformational year” for Spire, as it closed the acquisition of its
maritime business and used the proceeds to pay down its debt. Excluding
the impact of the maritime divestiture, Spire delivered 44%
year-over-year revenue growth in the fourth quarter. (3/20)
ESA Awards OHB a €248 Million Contract
to Build Weather Satellite Constellation (Source: European
Spaceflight)
German space technology company OHB has been awarded a €248 million
contract by the European Space Agency to develop and build 20 small
satellites for EUMETSAT’s EPS-Sterna weather satellite constellation.
The EPS-Sterna constellation is an expansion of the capabilities
successfully demonstrated by the Arctic Weather Satellite, which was
launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 in August 2024. (3/20)
JUICE is Planning To Do Science On
Jupiter's "Minor" Moons Too (Source: Universe Today)
ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe is on its (very long)
way to Jupiter, and will finally arrive at the King of Planets in 2031.
Its primary mission is to focus on the “big three” icy moons -
Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. But while JUICE is busy mapping
Ganymede’s magnetic field, it will also be keeping a sharp eye on the
other 94 moons in the Jupiter system. (3/19)
The Moon's Going To Get Crowded - We
Should Protect Our Heritage On It While We Still Can (Source:
Universe Today)
On Earth, protecting historical buildings is a relatively
straightforward process - at least in developed countries. There are
zoning laws and heritage registries - things that maintain the history
but frustrate new developers. In space, things are much more
complicated. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty dictates that nations retain
jurisdiction over the hardware they send into space. It also requires
countries to avoid “harmful interference” with other states’
activities. However, as the paper points out, that doesn’t stop a
country from visiting an old site to retrieve material, or disrupt a
culturally significant lunar landscape.
More recently, the Artemis Accords introduced principles specifically
intended to preserve historically significant landing sites and
artifacts. But the Accords are a non-binding multilateral agreement
with no enforcement mechanism. And crucially, major spacefaring nations
like China and Russia haven’t signed them, meaning they have no legal
obligation to abide by them. In other words, the Accords, which were
originally drawn up by America, which arguably has the most heritage to
lose on the Moon, suffer from a distinct lack of global consensus.
(3/19)
HyImpulse Signs Launch Agreement with
SaxaVord (Source: Payload)
Germany’s HyImpulse Technologies announced a launch service agreement
to begin flying from SaxaVord Spaceport, in the Shetland Islands. The
suborbital flight, which is expected to lift off in Q3, is the latest
in a broader, European-wide push for sovereign launch
capabilities much closer to home than French Guiana, which requires
many of Europe’s launchers today—including Arianespace and Avio—to
cross an ocean before passing the Kármán line. (3/19)
Modified Vulcan Expected to Launch
This Summer (Source: Payload)
ULA is expecting to fly its first modified Vulcan this summer, interim
CEO John Elbon told Payload. The upgrades will improve the performance
of the nozzle and solid rocket boosters. The company was already
planning the modifications before ULA suffered an anomaly with its
Vulcan booster during a February mission for the Space Force. (3/18)
OHB Sweden to Build Sterna Weather
Constellation (Source: ESA)
Thanks to the success of the Arctic Weather Satellite prototype and
Eumetsat’s recent greenlight to develop a full constellation of similar
satellites called Sterna, the European Space Agency has awarded OHB
Sweden with the contract to build 20 satellites. This marks a major
step toward better monitoring rapidly evolving weather, improving
forecasts of severe events in vulnerable regions such as the
Mediterranean, and closing critical data gaps over the Arctic – the
fastest-warming region on Earth and a key driver of Europe’s weather
systems. (3/18)
Canada-Japan Agreement Signals Shift
to Dual-Use Space Defense Tech (Source: SpaceQ)
Canada and Japan are moving to integrate their space and defence
industrial bases through a new “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”
that prioritizes the co-development of frontier technologies and
dual-use aerospace systems.
Building on the momentum of January’s Equipment and Technology Transfer
Agreement (ETTA), Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japanese Prime
Minister Takaichi Sanae signaled a shift toward joint defense
procurement, specifically targeting space communications, artificial
intelligence, and autonomous systems. For the Canadian space sector,
the agreement marks a transition from traditional scientific
collaboration to a security alliance aimed at ensuring resilient
orbital infrastructure and “sovereign” technological advantages in a
contested Indo-Pacific. (3/19)
Intuitive Machines Misses on Revenue
After Government Shutdown (Source: Bloomberg)
Intuitive Machines Inc., a provider of space services and maker of
spacecraft, reported worse-than-expected financial results as the
government shutdown in late 2025 hurt revenue. Houston-based Intuitive
Machines announced on Thursday that it posted revenue of about $45
million for the final three months of 2025, lower than the average of
$53.6 million expected by analysts polled by Bloomberg. (3/19)
French launch company acquires component manufacturer. French launch
startup Sirius Space Services has acquired the high-precision
metal-component manufacturer AMM-42, part of the company’s vertical
integration efforts to bring key manufacturing capabilities in-house,
European Spaceflight reports. This is Sirius’ second such purchase in
less than a year, following its acquisition of SERM in June 2025. That
acquisition specialized in advanced metal manufacturing and is
bolstering its parent company’s additive manufacturing capacity,
particularly for combustion chambers and turbopumps.
Sirius Acquires AMM-42 (Source:
Ars Technica)
French launch company acquires component manufacturer. French launch
startup Sirius Space Services has acquired the high-precision
metal-component manufacturer AMM-42, part of the company’s vertical
integration efforts to bring key manufacturing capabilities in-house,
European Spaceflight reports. This is Sirius’ second such purchase in
less than a year, following its acquisition of SERM in June 2025. That
acquisition specialized in advanced metal manufacturing and is
bolstering its parent company’s additive manufacturing capacity,
particularly for combustion chambers and turbopumps. (3/20)
NASA Won’t Give Up Hope on Silent
MAVEN Mars Probe: ‘We’re Still Looking for It’ (Source:
Space.com)
NASA has yet to reestablish contact with its MAVEN Mars spacecraft
despite ongoing efforts, agency officials said Monday. NASA lost
contact with MAVEN on Dec. 6, 2025, after the spacecraft was expected
to emerge from Mars' far side. Communications received two days earlier
showed the spacecraft was operating normally — with "no indications of
problems whatsoever." However, analysis of a fragment of tracking data
from the day contact was lost suggests MAVEN was rotating in an
unexpected manner as it emerged from behind Mars and was no longer in
its planned orbit, according to NASA.
NASA resumed attempts to contact MAVEN after the solar conjunction
ended, but those efforts have so far been unsuccessful, Louise Prockter
said. "We haven't officially said MAVEN is lost yet. We're still
looking for it." NASA has deployed additional assets to locate the
spacecraft, including the National Science Foundation's Green Bank
Observatory. (3/20)
For Satellite Startups, War Pays
Better Than Climate Change (Source: Wall Street Journal)
A flock of companies sent satellites into space in recent years
promising to beam down crucial new insights into the Earth’s
fast-changing climate. But many are increasingly focused on scanning
warzones. “Most of the demand right now—I would say probably two
thirds, maybe more—is defense-related,” said Max Gulde, chief executive
of German satellite startup Constellr. (3/19)
Cyprus Becomes Associate Member of the
European Space Agency (Source: AeroMorning)
The Republic of Cyprus became an Associate Member of the European Space
Agency (ESA) on 17 March 2026, following the entry into force of the
Association Agreement signed on 23 October 2025. The seven year
agreement opens the way for Cyprus’s participation in ESA’s optional
programs. (3/19)
March 20, 2026
“Are You an Engineer? Do You Work at
SpaceX?” Beware Chinese and Russian Spies on the Space Coast!
(Source: Vanity Fair)
“The Space Coast is like a small town where big-city things happen,” Rigby Assad said. “The guys, who literally wear their corporate affiliation on their sleeve, share an optimism bias. Why would anyone be interested in me or my company? But the reality is this is a target-rich environment.”
“Florida is home to 21 military installations and three combatant commands, the world’s busiest spaceport, hundreds of cleared defense contractors and theme amusement parks, as well as other critical infrastructure vital to national security.” Put simply, in DCSA’s view, “Florida poses a significant risk to collection from FIEs”—agency argot for foreign intelligence entities. “It’s easy to hide in plain sight here ... Chinese nationals, Russian nationals—people from everywhere. You don’t see that in South Dakota. You see it in Orlando, Titusville, the Space Coast.”
Individuals of Chinese descent were flying drones over restricted sites. They were peering through windows. They were slipping into trees to aim listening devices at defense contractors. They were trying to breach off-limits areas by posing as delivery drivers. The activity wasn’t confined to the Chinese. An immaculately groomed Russian family—straight out of The Americans—appeared at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral complex, presenting themselves as tourists. CFIX later learned the same family had surfaced at a SpaceX facility in California under the guise of sightseeing. Click here. (3/19)
Russia Denies Aiding Iran with US Intel (Source: MSN)
Russia has denied U.S. allegations that it is providing Iran with intelligence [including satellite imagery] on American military assets amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran. The denial follows reports from multiple outlets, citing U.S. officials, that Moscow has shared targeting data to help Tehran strike U.S. forces in the Middle East. The dispute has heightened political tensions in Washington, where lawmakers from both parties are criticizing President Trump’s handling of the claims. Trump has publicly downplayed the possibility of Russian assistance to Iran, saying if it occurred, it was not 'helping much.' (3/19)
'Vulnerable' Satellites Guide the World — and its Wars (Source: DW.com)
If you have ever used a smartphone map or watched a delivery vehicle move across a tracking app, you have used GPS. What many people do not realize is that GPS — the US's Global Positioning System — is only one part of a broader family known as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Four global satellite systems circle Earth. They guide aircraft, ships, cars and trucks, or tourists looking for a place to eat. But they also play a central role in war.
GNSS technology is highly accurate and fast. It is deeply embedded in everyday life. But it also comes with a hidden fragility. "Signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems are quite vulnerable," said Dana Goward, President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. "They are exceptionally weak — meaning that any radio noise near their frequency, accidental or malicious, can interfere with reception." (3/18)
Ursa Major Proves Hypersonic Capability for First Time with Storable Liquid Fuel (Source: Breaking Defense)
Hypersonics are often defined by long timelines, high costs, and exquisite one-offs. The Air Force’s Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD) is designed to disrupt such challenges and convention as it was structured to achieve first flight in under a year, which it successfully accomplished just a few weeks ago.
Ursa Major’s Draper storable liquid engine is central to that approach, enabling non-cryogenic storage and powered, throttleable flight profiles for both endo- and exo-atmospheric flight applications. Katrina Hornstein, a Stanford and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) educated engineer and program manager for Ursa Major, breaks down the program and Ursa Major’s prime role. (3/18)
Hermeus Receives Experimental Certification for Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 (Source: Flight Global)
US hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus has secured experimental type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1, enabling the company to proceed with supersonic flight testing at Spaceport America in New Mexico. (3/19)
Musk Says SpaceX AI, Tesla Will Keep Ordering Nvidia Chips at Scale (Source: Reuters)
Elon Musk said late on Wednesday that his companies SpaceX AI and Tesla expect to continue ordering Nvidia chips at scale.Last month, SpaceX acquired xAI in an all-stock deal ahead of a potential blockbuster initial public offering for SpaceX later this year. This was Musk's first post referring to the combined entity as SpaceX AI. (3/18)
How Russian Electronic Warfare is Forcing Ships to Abandon GPS (Source: The Times)
Russian electronic warfare has routinely made parts of the Baltic Sea “barely navigable” over the past two years, an investigation has found. The interference has often hit ships’ navigation systems so severely that civilian vessels are frequently advised to use ancient navigation methods across parts of the sea and even some countries’ warships have occasionally struggled to plot a course.
At the end of 2023, states in northeastern Europe began detecting signs of widespread GPS “jamming” and “spoofing”, where radio waves are used to block or falsify the satellite-based navigation signals used by ships, aircraft, satnavs and mobile phones. Two Russian sources were swiftly located: a mobile jammer near St Petersburg and a high-powered GT-01 Murmansk-BN stationary electronic warfare system in Kaliningrad, an exclave on the southern Baltic coast between Poland and Lithuania. (3/19)
Dogfighting in Space Won’t Look Like the Movies, But This Company Wants In on It (Source: Ars Technica)
If a battle is fought in space, it will look nothing like those depicted in the Star Wars franchise, with sleek TIE fighters blasting enemy ships with laser cannons and mag-pulses. Instead, these battles will be cerebral and unhurried, somewhat like the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, a slow-burning political thriller with a plot that somehow mixes tension with clinical precision.
True Anomaly, which emerged from stealth just three years ago, is planning for The Day of the Jackal in space. The startup’s primary hardware product, aptly named Jackal, is a war-ready satellite platform designed for mass production. In nature, jackals are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and hunting prowess. True Anomaly’s Jackal boasts similar traits in space.
The Jackal spacecraft is designed for agility and maneuverability. True Anomaly has launched two Jackal test missions to date, and a third one is planned for launch in the next few months. The spacecraft bus, or chassis, is about the size of a refrigerator. It’s essentially a flying fuel tank with room for thrusters and sensors to rapidly turn, approach, and surveil other objects in orbit. Some day, True Anomaly believes Jackal could be used for orbital combat. (3/19)
K2 to Launch its First High-Powered Satellite for Space Compute (Source: Tech Crunch)
An ambitious satellite builder will launch one of the highest-powered spacecraft ever built in the weeks ahead to demonstrate technology that will be required to build data centers in orbit. K2 Space, founded by brothers and former SpaceX engineers Karan and Neel Kunjur in 2022, has packed its satellite Gravitas into a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket expected to launch as soon as the end of this month.
Gravitas has a mass of two metric tons, with a 40 meter wingspan when its solar panels are unfolded. The point of the big satellite is big power: Gravitas is capable of producing 20 kW of electricity for use by payloads like powerful sensors, transceivers, and computers. (3/19)
Pentagon Eyes Second B-21 Production Line (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The U.S. military struck a $4.5 billion deal last month to increase the rate of production on its new B-21 bomber. Now officials are considering whether they will open up an entire second production line to go even faster in constructing the sixth-generation stealth Raider.
Editor's Note: Northrop Grumman’s Space Coast campus -- its Manned Aircraft Design Center of Excellence -- served as the primary hub for the design, engineering, and development of the B-21. Maybe the company's campus at Melbourne International Airport could accommodate a B-21 production line. (3/18)
Capacity Gap for 9 Specialized Components Gnarls Space Supply Chain (Source: Breaking Defense)
The space manufacturing supply chain faces a number of interlocking challenges, ranging from greatly increased demand to inconsistent US government budgets to outdated specification requirements, according to a new study by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
“We went out to talk to some of the leading space manufacturers across the industry, and we asked them: What are you having difficulty getting your hands on? What might have long lead times? Where are prices really high, and, in some cases, [where is it] you just might not ever be able to get your hands on quality components that are ready to go for spacecraft?” Jordan Tomaszewski said. (3/19)
A Private Space Company Has a Radical New Pan to Bag an Asteroid (Source: Ars Technica)
It may sound fanciful, but a Los Angeles-based company says it has conceived of a plan to fly out to a smallish, near-Earth asteroid, throw a large bag around it, and bring the body back to a “safe” gathering point near our planet. The company, TransAstra, said Wednesday that an unnamed customer has agreed to fund a study of its proposed “New Moon” mission to capture and relocate an asteroid approximately the size of a house, with a mass of about 100 metric tons. (3/19)
U.S. Space Command Forecasts On-Orbit Maneuver In Geosynchronous Orbit As Important (Source: Defense Daily)
U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) explored the importance of maneuvering satellites, especially those in geosynchronous orbit, in an Apollo Griffin wargame last year, according to U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Samuel Keener, the director of joint forces development and training (J-7) at SPACECOM. (3/19)
Satellogic Plans Next-Gen Merlin EO Constellation (Source: Via Satellite)
Satellogic detailed plans for its next-generation ‘Merlin’ satellites, designed to provide one-meter resolution. The company said that Merlin will be differentiated by its ability to provide daily mapping of the entire planet, with one-meter spatial resolution. Satellogic is moving quickly to deploy Merlin, with the first satellite scheduled to launch in October of this year, with full operational capability expected in the first half of 2027. (3/19)
NASA’s Hubble Telescope Spots Comet K1 Exploding Into Fragments (Source: New York Times)
Astronomers on Wednesday announced a stroke of cosmic luck: While using the Hubble Space Telescope, they captured imagery of a comet just as it exploded into fragments. From Nov. 8 to Nov. 10, the comet — known as C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or more casually as K1 — was seen erupting and shattering into four, perhaps five distinct shards, each surrounded by an atmosphere of vaporized ices. (3/19)
'Miracle': Europe Reconnects With Lost Spacecraft (Source: Phys.org)
ESA has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago. Proba-3, which launched on a two-year mission in 2024, uses two spacecraft flying in precise formation to simulate a solar eclipse more than 60,000 kilometers above Earth. One satellite has a 1.4-meter (five-foot) shield that plays the role of the moon in blocking the sun's light, while the other observes the corona from the shadow.
However, something happened to the second spacecraft, which has the crucial coronagraph instrument, on February 14. A chain reaction led to the spacecraft losing its orientation, causing its solar panel to face away from the sun, draining the batteries. The spacecraft then entered survival mode—it has been silently floating through space since. However, overnight "some miracle happened because we reconnected with the spacecraft," ESA director Josef Aschbacher said on Thursday. (3/19)
JWST Spies LRDs, a Mysterious Phenomenon (Source: CNN)
Like tiny photobombers, cosmic anomalies resembling small, bright red points show up in almost every snapshot taken by the most powerful space telescope ever made. Astronomers now call them little red dots, or LRDs, but there is no agreement yet on what exactly they are. Since NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope started peering into the universe four years ago, hundreds of the puzzling objects have appeared in its images. Their unknown origins effectively launched a scientific case that hundreds of studies have attempted to crack. (3/17)
An AI Cyberattack Could Trigger a Satellite Apocalypse in the Next 2 Years (Source: Space.com)
AI systems could soon be able to hijack satellites in orbit and cause them to collide with other spacecraft, potentially triggering a dangerous cascade of smash-ups that could render the environment around Earth unsafe for years, according to experts. Cyber security researchers are already using AI to identify so-called zero-day vulnerabilities — yet undiscovered security holes in code — to alert operators and help them patch the problems before hackers could exploit them. But attackers, too, can take advantage of those advanced systems to find those holes more quickly. (3/19)
Even JWST Can’t See Through This Planet’s Massive Haze (Source: Penn State)
Kepler-51d is a giant, ultra-light “super-puff” planet wrapped in an unusually thick haze that’s blocking scientists from seeing what it’s made of. Observations from JWST revealed that this haze may be one of the largest ever detected, possibly stretching as wide as Earth itself. The planet’s low density and close orbit don’t match existing models of how gas giants form or survive. Now, researchers are left with more questions than answers about how such a strange world came to be. (3/18)
There Might be Less Water on the Moon Than We’d Hoped (Source: Scientific American)
Analyzing images of the moon’s darkest areas from ShadowCam, a NASA instrument on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, the study’s authors determined that, in most of the moon’s darkest craters, water makes up less than about 20 to 30 percent of the material by weight—and that many may have no surface ice at all.
“I think, based on what data we have now..., we are pretty sure there is ice on the surface,” says Shuai Li, lead author of the study. The multibillion-dollar question remains just how abundant that ice is—and thus how much future explorers might rely on it for producing potable water, and manufacturing rocket fuel.
Whatever water ice exists in lunar PSRs wasn’t necessarily deposited there directly by infalling asteroids and comets; rather a process called “cold trapping” could have allowed ice to accumulate on dark, frigid crater floors on the moon via whiffs of impactor- or solar-wind-derived water vapor that wafted in from elsewhere. (3/18)
The Discovery of a Buried Delta on Mars Could Boost the Search for Life (Source: Phys.org)
There's more evidence that water once flowed on Mars with the discovery of an ancient river delta deep below the surface. NASA's Perseverance rover found it more than 35 meters beneath Jezero Crater using ground-penetrating radar. Perseverance was launched in 2020 to search for signs of ancient life on the red planet. Since landing in February 2021, it has been exploring Jezero Crater and collecting rock samples.
The radar identified numerous clinoforms, sloping layers of sediment characteristic of deltas. These structures form when a river enters a standing body of water, such as a lake, and deposits sand and mud. According to the researchers, this buried delta formed between 3.7 billion and 4.2 billion years ago and predates the fan-shaped expanse of sediment visible on the crater floor, known as the Western Delta. (3/19)
SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites Thursday From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX completed its 29th Starlink mission of the year, which launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Thursday morning. The Starlink 10-33 mission added another 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to the low Earth orbit megaconstellation, which now consists of more than 10,000 spacecraft. (3/18)
“The Space Coast is like a small town where big-city things happen,” Rigby Assad said. “The guys, who literally wear their corporate affiliation on their sleeve, share an optimism bias. Why would anyone be interested in me or my company? But the reality is this is a target-rich environment.”
“Florida is home to 21 military installations and three combatant commands, the world’s busiest spaceport, hundreds of cleared defense contractors and theme amusement parks, as well as other critical infrastructure vital to national security.” Put simply, in DCSA’s view, “Florida poses a significant risk to collection from FIEs”—agency argot for foreign intelligence entities. “It’s easy to hide in plain sight here ... Chinese nationals, Russian nationals—people from everywhere. You don’t see that in South Dakota. You see it in Orlando, Titusville, the Space Coast.”
Individuals of Chinese descent were flying drones over restricted sites. They were peering through windows. They were slipping into trees to aim listening devices at defense contractors. They were trying to breach off-limits areas by posing as delivery drivers. The activity wasn’t confined to the Chinese. An immaculately groomed Russian family—straight out of The Americans—appeared at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral complex, presenting themselves as tourists. CFIX later learned the same family had surfaced at a SpaceX facility in California under the guise of sightseeing. Click here. (3/19)
Russia Denies Aiding Iran with US Intel (Source: MSN)
Russia has denied U.S. allegations that it is providing Iran with intelligence [including satellite imagery] on American military assets amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Iran. The denial follows reports from multiple outlets, citing U.S. officials, that Moscow has shared targeting data to help Tehran strike U.S. forces in the Middle East. The dispute has heightened political tensions in Washington, where lawmakers from both parties are criticizing President Trump’s handling of the claims. Trump has publicly downplayed the possibility of Russian assistance to Iran, saying if it occurred, it was not 'helping much.' (3/19)
'Vulnerable' Satellites Guide the World — and its Wars (Source: DW.com)
If you have ever used a smartphone map or watched a delivery vehicle move across a tracking app, you have used GPS. What many people do not realize is that GPS — the US's Global Positioning System — is only one part of a broader family known as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Four global satellite systems circle Earth. They guide aircraft, ships, cars and trucks, or tourists looking for a place to eat. But they also play a central role in war.
GNSS technology is highly accurate and fast. It is deeply embedded in everyday life. But it also comes with a hidden fragility. "Signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems are quite vulnerable," said Dana Goward, President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. "They are exceptionally weak — meaning that any radio noise near their frequency, accidental or malicious, can interfere with reception." (3/18)
Ursa Major Proves Hypersonic Capability for First Time with Storable Liquid Fuel (Source: Breaking Defense)
Hypersonics are often defined by long timelines, high costs, and exquisite one-offs. The Air Force’s Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD) is designed to disrupt such challenges and convention as it was structured to achieve first flight in under a year, which it successfully accomplished just a few weeks ago.
Ursa Major’s Draper storable liquid engine is central to that approach, enabling non-cryogenic storage and powered, throttleable flight profiles for both endo- and exo-atmospheric flight applications. Katrina Hornstein, a Stanford and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) educated engineer and program manager for Ursa Major, breaks down the program and Ursa Major’s prime role. (3/18)
Hermeus Receives Experimental Certification for Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 (Source: Flight Global)
US hypersonic aircraft developer Hermeus has secured experimental type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Quarterhorse Mk 2.1, enabling the company to proceed with supersonic flight testing at Spaceport America in New Mexico. (3/19)
Musk Says SpaceX AI, Tesla Will Keep Ordering Nvidia Chips at Scale (Source: Reuters)
Elon Musk said late on Wednesday that his companies SpaceX AI and Tesla expect to continue ordering Nvidia chips at scale.Last month, SpaceX acquired xAI in an all-stock deal ahead of a potential blockbuster initial public offering for SpaceX later this year. This was Musk's first post referring to the combined entity as SpaceX AI. (3/18)
How Russian Electronic Warfare is Forcing Ships to Abandon GPS (Source: The Times)
Russian electronic warfare has routinely made parts of the Baltic Sea “barely navigable” over the past two years, an investigation has found. The interference has often hit ships’ navigation systems so severely that civilian vessels are frequently advised to use ancient navigation methods across parts of the sea and even some countries’ warships have occasionally struggled to plot a course.
At the end of 2023, states in northeastern Europe began detecting signs of widespread GPS “jamming” and “spoofing”, where radio waves are used to block or falsify the satellite-based navigation signals used by ships, aircraft, satnavs and mobile phones. Two Russian sources were swiftly located: a mobile jammer near St Petersburg and a high-powered GT-01 Murmansk-BN stationary electronic warfare system in Kaliningrad, an exclave on the southern Baltic coast between Poland and Lithuania. (3/19)
Dogfighting in Space Won’t Look Like the Movies, But This Company Wants In on It (Source: Ars Technica)
If a battle is fought in space, it will look nothing like those depicted in the Star Wars franchise, with sleek TIE fighters blasting enemy ships with laser cannons and mag-pulses. Instead, these battles will be cerebral and unhurried, somewhat like the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, a slow-burning political thriller with a plot that somehow mixes tension with clinical precision.
True Anomaly, which emerged from stealth just three years ago, is planning for The Day of the Jackal in space. The startup’s primary hardware product, aptly named Jackal, is a war-ready satellite platform designed for mass production. In nature, jackals are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and hunting prowess. True Anomaly’s Jackal boasts similar traits in space.
The Jackal spacecraft is designed for agility and maneuverability. True Anomaly has launched two Jackal test missions to date, and a third one is planned for launch in the next few months. The spacecraft bus, or chassis, is about the size of a refrigerator. It’s essentially a flying fuel tank with room for thrusters and sensors to rapidly turn, approach, and surveil other objects in orbit. Some day, True Anomaly believes Jackal could be used for orbital combat. (3/19)
K2 to Launch its First High-Powered Satellite for Space Compute (Source: Tech Crunch)
An ambitious satellite builder will launch one of the highest-powered spacecraft ever built in the weeks ahead to demonstrate technology that will be required to build data centers in orbit. K2 Space, founded by brothers and former SpaceX engineers Karan and Neel Kunjur in 2022, has packed its satellite Gravitas into a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket expected to launch as soon as the end of this month.
Gravitas has a mass of two metric tons, with a 40 meter wingspan when its solar panels are unfolded. The point of the big satellite is big power: Gravitas is capable of producing 20 kW of electricity for use by payloads like powerful sensors, transceivers, and computers. (3/19)
Pentagon Eyes Second B-21 Production Line (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The U.S. military struck a $4.5 billion deal last month to increase the rate of production on its new B-21 bomber. Now officials are considering whether they will open up an entire second production line to go even faster in constructing the sixth-generation stealth Raider.
Editor's Note: Northrop Grumman’s Space Coast campus -- its Manned Aircraft Design Center of Excellence -- served as the primary hub for the design, engineering, and development of the B-21. Maybe the company's campus at Melbourne International Airport could accommodate a B-21 production line. (3/18)
Capacity Gap for 9 Specialized Components Gnarls Space Supply Chain (Source: Breaking Defense)
The space manufacturing supply chain faces a number of interlocking challenges, ranging from greatly increased demand to inconsistent US government budgets to outdated specification requirements, according to a new study by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
“We went out to talk to some of the leading space manufacturers across the industry, and we asked them: What are you having difficulty getting your hands on? What might have long lead times? Where are prices really high, and, in some cases, [where is it] you just might not ever be able to get your hands on quality components that are ready to go for spacecraft?” Jordan Tomaszewski said. (3/19)
A Private Space Company Has a Radical New Pan to Bag an Asteroid (Source: Ars Technica)
It may sound fanciful, but a Los Angeles-based company says it has conceived of a plan to fly out to a smallish, near-Earth asteroid, throw a large bag around it, and bring the body back to a “safe” gathering point near our planet. The company, TransAstra, said Wednesday that an unnamed customer has agreed to fund a study of its proposed “New Moon” mission to capture and relocate an asteroid approximately the size of a house, with a mass of about 100 metric tons. (3/19)
U.S. Space Command Forecasts On-Orbit Maneuver In Geosynchronous Orbit As Important (Source: Defense Daily)
U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) explored the importance of maneuvering satellites, especially those in geosynchronous orbit, in an Apollo Griffin wargame last year, according to U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Samuel Keener, the director of joint forces development and training (J-7) at SPACECOM. (3/19)
Satellogic Plans Next-Gen Merlin EO Constellation (Source: Via Satellite)
Satellogic detailed plans for its next-generation ‘Merlin’ satellites, designed to provide one-meter resolution. The company said that Merlin will be differentiated by its ability to provide daily mapping of the entire planet, with one-meter spatial resolution. Satellogic is moving quickly to deploy Merlin, with the first satellite scheduled to launch in October of this year, with full operational capability expected in the first half of 2027. (3/19)
NASA’s Hubble Telescope Spots Comet K1 Exploding Into Fragments (Source: New York Times)
Astronomers on Wednesday announced a stroke of cosmic luck: While using the Hubble Space Telescope, they captured imagery of a comet just as it exploded into fragments. From Nov. 8 to Nov. 10, the comet — known as C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or more casually as K1 — was seen erupting and shattering into four, perhaps five distinct shards, each surrounded by an atmosphere of vaporized ices. (3/19)
'Miracle': Europe Reconnects With Lost Spacecraft (Source: Phys.org)
ESA has re-established communication with a spacecraft that is part of its Proba-3 mission, after losing contact with the satellite a month ago. Proba-3, which launched on a two-year mission in 2024, uses two spacecraft flying in precise formation to simulate a solar eclipse more than 60,000 kilometers above Earth. One satellite has a 1.4-meter (five-foot) shield that plays the role of the moon in blocking the sun's light, while the other observes the corona from the shadow.
However, something happened to the second spacecraft, which has the crucial coronagraph instrument, on February 14. A chain reaction led to the spacecraft losing its orientation, causing its solar panel to face away from the sun, draining the batteries. The spacecraft then entered survival mode—it has been silently floating through space since. However, overnight "some miracle happened because we reconnected with the spacecraft," ESA director Josef Aschbacher said on Thursday. (3/19)
JWST Spies LRDs, a Mysterious Phenomenon (Source: CNN)
Like tiny photobombers, cosmic anomalies resembling small, bright red points show up in almost every snapshot taken by the most powerful space telescope ever made. Astronomers now call them little red dots, or LRDs, but there is no agreement yet on what exactly they are. Since NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope started peering into the universe four years ago, hundreds of the puzzling objects have appeared in its images. Their unknown origins effectively launched a scientific case that hundreds of studies have attempted to crack. (3/17)
An AI Cyberattack Could Trigger a Satellite Apocalypse in the Next 2 Years (Source: Space.com)
AI systems could soon be able to hijack satellites in orbit and cause them to collide with other spacecraft, potentially triggering a dangerous cascade of smash-ups that could render the environment around Earth unsafe for years, according to experts. Cyber security researchers are already using AI to identify so-called zero-day vulnerabilities — yet undiscovered security holes in code — to alert operators and help them patch the problems before hackers could exploit them. But attackers, too, can take advantage of those advanced systems to find those holes more quickly. (3/19)
Even JWST Can’t See Through This Planet’s Massive Haze (Source: Penn State)
Kepler-51d is a giant, ultra-light “super-puff” planet wrapped in an unusually thick haze that’s blocking scientists from seeing what it’s made of. Observations from JWST revealed that this haze may be one of the largest ever detected, possibly stretching as wide as Earth itself. The planet’s low density and close orbit don’t match existing models of how gas giants form or survive. Now, researchers are left with more questions than answers about how such a strange world came to be. (3/18)
There Might be Less Water on the Moon Than We’d Hoped (Source: Scientific American)
Analyzing images of the moon’s darkest areas from ShadowCam, a NASA instrument on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, the study’s authors determined that, in most of the moon’s darkest craters, water makes up less than about 20 to 30 percent of the material by weight—and that many may have no surface ice at all.
“I think, based on what data we have now..., we are pretty sure there is ice on the surface,” says Shuai Li, lead author of the study. The multibillion-dollar question remains just how abundant that ice is—and thus how much future explorers might rely on it for producing potable water, and manufacturing rocket fuel.
Whatever water ice exists in lunar PSRs wasn’t necessarily deposited there directly by infalling asteroids and comets; rather a process called “cold trapping” could have allowed ice to accumulate on dark, frigid crater floors on the moon via whiffs of impactor- or solar-wind-derived water vapor that wafted in from elsewhere. (3/18)
The Discovery of a Buried Delta on Mars Could Boost the Search for Life (Source: Phys.org)
There's more evidence that water once flowed on Mars with the discovery of an ancient river delta deep below the surface. NASA's Perseverance rover found it more than 35 meters beneath Jezero Crater using ground-penetrating radar. Perseverance was launched in 2020 to search for signs of ancient life on the red planet. Since landing in February 2021, it has been exploring Jezero Crater and collecting rock samples.
The radar identified numerous clinoforms, sloping layers of sediment characteristic of deltas. These structures form when a river enters a standing body of water, such as a lake, and deposits sand and mud. According to the researchers, this buried delta formed between 3.7 billion and 4.2 billion years ago and predates the fan-shaped expanse of sediment visible on the crater floor, known as the Western Delta. (3/19)
SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites Thursday From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX completed its 29th Starlink mission of the year, which launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Thursday morning. The Starlink 10-33 mission added another 29 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to the low Earth orbit megaconstellation, which now consists of more than 10,000 spacecraft. (3/18)
March 19, 2026
Rocket Lab Wins 20 HASTE Launches From
DoD at Virginia Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab announced Wednesday it won a Pentagon contract for 20 launches of the suborbital version of its Electron rocket. The $190 million award, issued by the Pentagon's Test Resource Management Center under its Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed, or MACH-TB 2.0, program covers 20 missions scheduled over the next four years of Rocket Lab's HASTE vehicle. The contract follows a recent HASTE launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a hypersonic aircraft developed by Australia-based Hypersonix. With this latest award, Rocket Lab says its launch backlog now exceeds 70 missions. (3/19)
NASA Plans Monthly Uncrewed Lunar Lander Missions (Source: Space News)
NASA wants to start flying robotic lunar landers on a monthly basis as soon as next year. While the agency has not made a formal announcement, officials including Administrator Jared Isaacman have talked recently about rapidly increasing the cadence of robotic landers that could assist in plans to develop a lunar base. That would leverage the existing CLPS program supporting commercial lunar landers, although officials said other procurement mechanisms could be used. NASA said it will include science payloads on all of those missions, although in some cases those may be tech demos of instruments in development. One challenge to increasing the cadence of landers is the handful of companies currently building landers at a pace of about one per year, and the mixed record of missions conducted so far by CLPS. (3/19)
Finland's ReOrbit to Develop Two Satellites for Ka-Band Comms (Source: Space News)
Finnish satellite manufacturer ReOrbit has signed a contract with asset-financing company SLI for two small GEO communications satellites. ReOrbit announced Thursday the contract, valued at 150 million euros ($172 million), with the two satellites to be delivered four months apart in 2029. The satellites will have software-defined Ka-band communications payloads and 10-year lifetimes. SLI plans to lease the satellites to companies and countries using a business model similar to airliner leasing. (3/19)
Apex Sells Satellite Bus to NEC (Source: Space News)
Apex has sold one of its Aries satellite buses to Japanese company NEC. The companies announced the sale on Thursday, with NEC using the bus to fly an optical communications technology demonstration mission in 2027. That mission could be a precursor to a future constellation. Apex, which has largely focused on U.S. government customers, says it is seeing growing international demand for its spacecraft buses. The company is currently producing about two dozen satellites a year at its factory, with plans to increase that production to 200 annually. (3/19)
As Golden Dome’s Price Tag Rises, Some Say New Estimate is No More Credible (Source: FNN)
The Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense system is getting more expensive. Gen. Michael Guetlein, Golden Dome’s program manager, said Tuesday the Pentagon is now at “$185 billion for the objective architecture, which delivers way out into the 2035 timeframe.” The price tag is already $10 billion higher than what President Trump said the system would cost last year. Guetlein said the additional funding is needed to support airborne moving target indication (AMTI), space data networking and hypersonic missile tracking. “We were asked to prepare some additional space capabilities,” Guetlein said.
Shortly after the president announced the initiative, the Congressional Budget Office, Congress’ nonpartisan budget watchdog, estimated that a limited space-based interceptor system that could be deployed as part of Golden Dome could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion. An analysis done by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, estimated that a robust Golden Dome architecture could cost about $3.6 trillion over 20 years — that figure includes operations, maintenance and replenishment costs. (3/18)
Kongsberg Solar Array Contract Sheds Light on South Korea NatSec Constellation Plans (Source: Space News)
South Korea's plans for a national security constellation are coming into sharper focus with a contract for solar cells. Lithuania-based small satellite specialist Kongsberg NanoAvionics announced Wednesday a multi-million-euro contract to provide kilowatt-class solar arrays to Flexell Space, a South Korean startup that is supporting the LEO constellation. The deal adds to details emerging around the secretive program led by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Systems, which recently partnered with Canada's MDA Space and Telesat to develop next-generation LEO capabilities. An initial demonstration satellite for that system is planned to launch as soon as the second half of 2027. (3/19)
Space Command Plans Wargame Next Week in Colorado (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Command officials and representatives from 25 commercial space companies will participate in a classified wargame next week in Colorado Springs. The exercise is the first in a series of quarterly wargames in 2026 that will include commercial participants as part of a broader effort to bring industry more directly into classified planning. A Space Force general said Wednesday the decision to classify the wargame will allow for a level of intelligence sharing that has not previously been extended to commercial partners. (3/19)
Astronauts Perform Spacewalk at ISS (Source: Space.com)
Two NASA astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday. Jessica Meir and Chris Williams completed the seven-hour spacewalk at 3:54 p.m. Eastern after carrying out their primary tasks. That work involved the installation of a mount for a new solar panel that will be added to the station on a future spacewalk. Some additional tasks were deferred to a future spacewalk because of the limited time available. The spacewalk was the first from the U.S. segment of the station since last May, and took place on the 61st anniversary of the first spacewalk by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. (3/19)
China Identifies Asteroid Target for Kinetic Deflection Test (Source: Space News)
China has identified a new target near Earth asteroid for its first planetary defense kinetic test mission. Long Lehao, a senior official with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said at a Chinese conference thar the redirect test misison would go to 2016 WP8, a small Aten-class near Earth asteroid. The mission would launch in late 2027, with an observer spacecraft rendezvousing with the asteroid before a separate impactor spacecraft collides with the asteroid to change its orbit. (3/19)
TransAstra Proposes Near Earth Asteroid Mission (Source: Space News)
An American company is proposing moving a small near Earth asteroid. TransAstra has outlined plans for a mission that could launch in 2028 or 2029 to go to an asteroid weighing about 100 metric tons and move it to a stable orbit in the Earth-Moon system. Once there, additional missions could extract resources from it for space industrial applications. The concept is similar to NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission proposed more than a decade ago, but later canceled. (3/19)
Firefly Wins Collier Trophy for Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Accomplishment (Source: NAA)
Firefly Aerospace is the winner of a prestigious aerospace trophy. The National Aeronautic Association announced Wednesday it selected Firefly's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander mission for the Collier Trophy, awarded annually for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America. Recent winners of the trophy include the Parker Solar Probe, OSIRIS-REx and James Webb Space Telescope missions. (3/19)
NASA Demotes SLS in Artemis Moon Plan (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has announced a new Artemis mission architecture in which the Space Launch System (SLS) will launch the Orion spacecraft into Earth orbit where it will dock with SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander. Starship will propel the two vehicles into orbit around the Moon.
NASA’s previous plan had SLS sending Orion into a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon where it would have docked with SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander. The astronaut-tended Gateway station would also be placed in NRHO.
Under NASA’s new plan, the Orion-Starship configuration would be placed in a lower orbit around the Moon. Reports indicate that NASA will stay with SLS through the Artemis V mission, which would be the second crewed landing on the Moon. (3/19)
Finland Rises n European Space Agency (Source: Business Finland)
Finnish Kimmo Kanto, who works at Business Finland, has been appointed as Vice-Chair of the Council of the European Space Agency in Interlaken, Switzerland, on March 19, 2026. Kanto will begin his term on July 1. The ESA Council is the organization’s highest strategic decision-making body, and Kanto is the first Finnish representative to hold the position. At Business Finland, Kanto is the Director of the Space, Defense and Connectivity unit. (3/19)
NASA Pinpoints Where Meteorites May Have Fallen After Northeast Ohio Fireball (Source: Cleveland.com)
If meteorites from Tuesday morning’s fireball reached the ground, scientists say they’re most likely to be found in a narrow band across mostly Medina County. A new analysis from NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science office maps out that potential “strewn field” — the area where fragments from the exploding space rock were expected to land — stretching roughly from northern Medina County between Hinckley and Richfield south-southwest toward Rittman and parts of Wayne County. (3/18)
Firefly Aerospace Looks Ahead to Moon Missions, More Launches After Alpha Rocket’s Return to Flight (Source: Austin American Statesman)
Prior to last week's launch, only Alpha's third and fifth missions had been unqualified successes. Firefly has a growing portfolio of contracts with government and commercial entities, including NASA, the U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., and others.
The company still has not set a launch date for its next Moon mission, but it is expected sometime next year. This new mission will take the U.S. to the far side of the Moon, where the country has never gone before. The lander will also be different from its successful mission a year ago. Instead of a roughly six-foot-tall lander, the mission will take not only the lander but also two orbital vehicles, one of which will be for the European Space Agency, making the lander more than 22 feet tall. (3/17)
ESA Seeks Scalable VLEO Platforms for Satellite Video (Source: ESA)
Today's Earth observation satellites deliver snapshots – precise and valuable, but static. Many of the most consequential events on Earth, from wildfires to floods to urban crises, unfold over minutes and hours. A new SysNova campaign is looking for ideas that could change that.
The Scalable VLEO Platform for Satellite Video campaign invites industry and academia to develop disruptive mission concepts for continuous, high-fidelity video monitoring from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). Satellites operating at VLEO altitudes – typically 250 to 350 km – are significantly closer to Earth's surface than conventional Earth observation spacecraft, offering sharper resolution, lower latency, and improved revisit and persistence characteristics. (3/17)
Starlink service launches in UAE (Source: The National)
Elon Musk's satellite internet service can now be accessed in the UAE. Packages for Starlink, owned and operated by Mr Musk's SpaceX, are advertised on the site as starting from Dh230 a month. It offers a residential service with the standard kit costing Dh1,545, including shipping, estimated at between one week and two weeks. In the Middle East, Starlink is also available in Qatar, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel. (3/18)
SES Sells ‘Space Bonds’ Ranked Lower Than Hybrids (Source: Luxembourg Times)
European satellite operator SES SA, a rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink network, has launched the sale of unusually structured hybrid bonds, which it hopes will help it reclaim an investment-grade credit rating. The company aims to raise an expected €500 million by issuing so-called Space bonds — subordinated perpetual with automatic conversion events — for which investors have placed more than €3 billion of bids so far, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. (3/17)
Where Are All the Aliens? Maybe They Just Don't Want to Talk to Us (Source: Space.com)
"Advanced extraterrestrials may not be shy, they may simply be prudent," Erik Geslin said. "If extraterrestrial civilizations are biocentric or ecocentric, humanity may not yet appear to them as a safe partner for contact. Such civilizations might simply be cautious."
Other starfolk may understand very well the potential risks involved in interacting with humanity, a species that is still strongly anthropocentric, heavily resource-driven and often conflict-prone, according to Geslin. "What we interpret as silence might therefore not reflect fear, but prudence! Perhaps even a kind of ethical restraint. In that sense, their behavior could resemble a principle of non-interference," he said. (3/17)
Pentagon Developing Space-Centric National Defense Strategy (Source: Aviation Week)
The Defense Department and its partner agencies are crafting a new national defense strategy dedicated to space security, a senior department official said March 17. One key area of focus will be the department’s future space-based position, navigation and timing (PNT) capability, “and assuring that that is not only robust, but resilient,” Marc Berkowitz said. The top two priorities in the unclassified version of the 2026 strategy—homeland defense and deterring China—are “fundamentally enabled by our space capabilities,” he said. (3/17)
Iran War Drives DoD Budget Spike (Source: Washington Post)
The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran. Even before the war in Iran, President Trump had called for a $1.5 trillion defense budget, a more than 50 percent increase from the previous year. The enormous new ask that is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict. (3/18)
Rocket Lab announced Wednesday it won a Pentagon contract for 20 launches of the suborbital version of its Electron rocket. The $190 million award, issued by the Pentagon's Test Resource Management Center under its Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed, or MACH-TB 2.0, program covers 20 missions scheduled over the next four years of Rocket Lab's HASTE vehicle. The contract follows a recent HASTE launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a hypersonic aircraft developed by Australia-based Hypersonix. With this latest award, Rocket Lab says its launch backlog now exceeds 70 missions. (3/19)
NASA Plans Monthly Uncrewed Lunar Lander Missions (Source: Space News)
NASA wants to start flying robotic lunar landers on a monthly basis as soon as next year. While the agency has not made a formal announcement, officials including Administrator Jared Isaacman have talked recently about rapidly increasing the cadence of robotic landers that could assist in plans to develop a lunar base. That would leverage the existing CLPS program supporting commercial lunar landers, although officials said other procurement mechanisms could be used. NASA said it will include science payloads on all of those missions, although in some cases those may be tech demos of instruments in development. One challenge to increasing the cadence of landers is the handful of companies currently building landers at a pace of about one per year, and the mixed record of missions conducted so far by CLPS. (3/19)
Finland's ReOrbit to Develop Two Satellites for Ka-Band Comms (Source: Space News)
Finnish satellite manufacturer ReOrbit has signed a contract with asset-financing company SLI for two small GEO communications satellites. ReOrbit announced Thursday the contract, valued at 150 million euros ($172 million), with the two satellites to be delivered four months apart in 2029. The satellites will have software-defined Ka-band communications payloads and 10-year lifetimes. SLI plans to lease the satellites to companies and countries using a business model similar to airliner leasing. (3/19)
Apex Sells Satellite Bus to NEC (Source: Space News)
Apex has sold one of its Aries satellite buses to Japanese company NEC. The companies announced the sale on Thursday, with NEC using the bus to fly an optical communications technology demonstration mission in 2027. That mission could be a precursor to a future constellation. Apex, which has largely focused on U.S. government customers, says it is seeing growing international demand for its spacecraft buses. The company is currently producing about two dozen satellites a year at its factory, with plans to increase that production to 200 annually. (3/19)
As Golden Dome’s Price Tag Rises, Some Say New Estimate is No More Credible (Source: FNN)
The Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense system is getting more expensive. Gen. Michael Guetlein, Golden Dome’s program manager, said Tuesday the Pentagon is now at “$185 billion for the objective architecture, which delivers way out into the 2035 timeframe.” The price tag is already $10 billion higher than what President Trump said the system would cost last year. Guetlein said the additional funding is needed to support airborne moving target indication (AMTI), space data networking and hypersonic missile tracking. “We were asked to prepare some additional space capabilities,” Guetlein said.
Shortly after the president announced the initiative, the Congressional Budget Office, Congress’ nonpartisan budget watchdog, estimated that a limited space-based interceptor system that could be deployed as part of Golden Dome could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion. An analysis done by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, estimated that a robust Golden Dome architecture could cost about $3.6 trillion over 20 years — that figure includes operations, maintenance and replenishment costs. (3/18)
Kongsberg Solar Array Contract Sheds Light on South Korea NatSec Constellation Plans (Source: Space News)
South Korea's plans for a national security constellation are coming into sharper focus with a contract for solar cells. Lithuania-based small satellite specialist Kongsberg NanoAvionics announced Wednesday a multi-million-euro contract to provide kilowatt-class solar arrays to Flexell Space, a South Korean startup that is supporting the LEO constellation. The deal adds to details emerging around the secretive program led by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Systems, which recently partnered with Canada's MDA Space and Telesat to develop next-generation LEO capabilities. An initial demonstration satellite for that system is planned to launch as soon as the second half of 2027. (3/19)
Space Command Plans Wargame Next Week in Colorado (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Command officials and representatives from 25 commercial space companies will participate in a classified wargame next week in Colorado Springs. The exercise is the first in a series of quarterly wargames in 2026 that will include commercial participants as part of a broader effort to bring industry more directly into classified planning. A Space Force general said Wednesday the decision to classify the wargame will allow for a level of intelligence sharing that has not previously been extended to commercial partners. (3/19)
Astronauts Perform Spacewalk at ISS (Source: Space.com)
Two NASA astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday. Jessica Meir and Chris Williams completed the seven-hour spacewalk at 3:54 p.m. Eastern after carrying out their primary tasks. That work involved the installation of a mount for a new solar panel that will be added to the station on a future spacewalk. Some additional tasks were deferred to a future spacewalk because of the limited time available. The spacewalk was the first from the U.S. segment of the station since last May, and took place on the 61st anniversary of the first spacewalk by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. (3/19)
China Identifies Asteroid Target for Kinetic Deflection Test (Source: Space News)
China has identified a new target near Earth asteroid for its first planetary defense kinetic test mission. Long Lehao, a senior official with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said at a Chinese conference thar the redirect test misison would go to 2016 WP8, a small Aten-class near Earth asteroid. The mission would launch in late 2027, with an observer spacecraft rendezvousing with the asteroid before a separate impactor spacecraft collides with the asteroid to change its orbit. (3/19)
TransAstra Proposes Near Earth Asteroid Mission (Source: Space News)
An American company is proposing moving a small near Earth asteroid. TransAstra has outlined plans for a mission that could launch in 2028 or 2029 to go to an asteroid weighing about 100 metric tons and move it to a stable orbit in the Earth-Moon system. Once there, additional missions could extract resources from it for space industrial applications. The concept is similar to NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission proposed more than a decade ago, but later canceled. (3/19)
Firefly Wins Collier Trophy for Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Accomplishment (Source: NAA)
Firefly Aerospace is the winner of a prestigious aerospace trophy. The National Aeronautic Association announced Wednesday it selected Firefly's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander mission for the Collier Trophy, awarded annually for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America. Recent winners of the trophy include the Parker Solar Probe, OSIRIS-REx and James Webb Space Telescope missions. (3/19)
NASA Demotes SLS in Artemis Moon Plan (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has announced a new Artemis mission architecture in which the Space Launch System (SLS) will launch the Orion spacecraft into Earth orbit where it will dock with SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander. Starship will propel the two vehicles into orbit around the Moon.
NASA’s previous plan had SLS sending Orion into a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon where it would have docked with SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander. The astronaut-tended Gateway station would also be placed in NRHO.
Under NASA’s new plan, the Orion-Starship configuration would be placed in a lower orbit around the Moon. Reports indicate that NASA will stay with SLS through the Artemis V mission, which would be the second crewed landing on the Moon. (3/19)
Finland Rises n European Space Agency (Source: Business Finland)
Finnish Kimmo Kanto, who works at Business Finland, has been appointed as Vice-Chair of the Council of the European Space Agency in Interlaken, Switzerland, on March 19, 2026. Kanto will begin his term on July 1. The ESA Council is the organization’s highest strategic decision-making body, and Kanto is the first Finnish representative to hold the position. At Business Finland, Kanto is the Director of the Space, Defense and Connectivity unit. (3/19)
NASA Pinpoints Where Meteorites May Have Fallen After Northeast Ohio Fireball (Source: Cleveland.com)
If meteorites from Tuesday morning’s fireball reached the ground, scientists say they’re most likely to be found in a narrow band across mostly Medina County. A new analysis from NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science office maps out that potential “strewn field” — the area where fragments from the exploding space rock were expected to land — stretching roughly from northern Medina County between Hinckley and Richfield south-southwest toward Rittman and parts of Wayne County. (3/18)
Firefly Aerospace Looks Ahead to Moon Missions, More Launches After Alpha Rocket’s Return to Flight (Source: Austin American Statesman)
Prior to last week's launch, only Alpha's third and fifth missions had been unqualified successes. Firefly has a growing portfolio of contracts with government and commercial entities, including NASA, the U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., and others.
The company still has not set a launch date for its next Moon mission, but it is expected sometime next year. This new mission will take the U.S. to the far side of the Moon, where the country has never gone before. The lander will also be different from its successful mission a year ago. Instead of a roughly six-foot-tall lander, the mission will take not only the lander but also two orbital vehicles, one of which will be for the European Space Agency, making the lander more than 22 feet tall. (3/17)
ESA Seeks Scalable VLEO Platforms for Satellite Video (Source: ESA)
Today's Earth observation satellites deliver snapshots – precise and valuable, but static. Many of the most consequential events on Earth, from wildfires to floods to urban crises, unfold over minutes and hours. A new SysNova campaign is looking for ideas that could change that.
The Scalable VLEO Platform for Satellite Video campaign invites industry and academia to develop disruptive mission concepts for continuous, high-fidelity video monitoring from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). Satellites operating at VLEO altitudes – typically 250 to 350 km – are significantly closer to Earth's surface than conventional Earth observation spacecraft, offering sharper resolution, lower latency, and improved revisit and persistence characteristics. (3/17)
Starlink service launches in UAE (Source: The National)
Elon Musk's satellite internet service can now be accessed in the UAE. Packages for Starlink, owned and operated by Mr Musk's SpaceX, are advertised on the site as starting from Dh230 a month. It offers a residential service with the standard kit costing Dh1,545, including shipping, estimated at between one week and two weeks. In the Middle East, Starlink is also available in Qatar, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel. (3/18)
SES Sells ‘Space Bonds’ Ranked Lower Than Hybrids (Source: Luxembourg Times)
European satellite operator SES SA, a rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink network, has launched the sale of unusually structured hybrid bonds, which it hopes will help it reclaim an investment-grade credit rating. The company aims to raise an expected €500 million by issuing so-called Space bonds — subordinated perpetual with automatic conversion events — for which investors have placed more than €3 billion of bids so far, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. (3/17)
Where Are All the Aliens? Maybe They Just Don't Want to Talk to Us (Source: Space.com)
"Advanced extraterrestrials may not be shy, they may simply be prudent," Erik Geslin said. "If extraterrestrial civilizations are biocentric or ecocentric, humanity may not yet appear to them as a safe partner for contact. Such civilizations might simply be cautious."
Other starfolk may understand very well the potential risks involved in interacting with humanity, a species that is still strongly anthropocentric, heavily resource-driven and often conflict-prone, according to Geslin. "What we interpret as silence might therefore not reflect fear, but prudence! Perhaps even a kind of ethical restraint. In that sense, their behavior could resemble a principle of non-interference," he said. (3/17)
Pentagon Developing Space-Centric National Defense Strategy (Source: Aviation Week)
The Defense Department and its partner agencies are crafting a new national defense strategy dedicated to space security, a senior department official said March 17. One key area of focus will be the department’s future space-based position, navigation and timing (PNT) capability, “and assuring that that is not only robust, but resilient,” Marc Berkowitz said. The top two priorities in the unclassified version of the 2026 strategy—homeland defense and deterring China—are “fundamentally enabled by our space capabilities,” he said. (3/17)
Iran War Drives DoD Budget Spike (Source: Washington Post)
The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran. Even before the war in Iran, President Trump had called for a $1.5 trillion defense budget, a more than 50 percent increase from the previous year. The enormous new ask that is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict. (3/18)
March 18, 2026
GSA Kicks Off Spaceport Heritage Series
(Source: SPACErePORT)
The Global Spaceport Alliance (GSA) is turning a spotlight to the lesser known histories of spaceport developments worldwide. The Spaceport Heritage Series, sponsored by Merrick & Co., a Denver-based aerospace architecture and engineering firm, kicked off in March with an article on the odd history of the site used by Robert Goddard to launch world's the first liquid-fueled rockets. Look to the GSA website here for bi-monthly Spaceport Heritage articles. Editor's Note: I'll be a regular contributor to this series. (3/18)
HyperSigma.AI Aims to Accelerate FAA Part 450 Licensing (Source: GSA)
HyperSigma.AI announced on March 12 that it has joined the Global Spaceport Alliance (GSA). This membership marks a strategic commitment to providing the digital infrastructure required to scale the High-Speed Aerospace Transportation (HSAT) industry. HyperSigma.AI was born out of a critical 2025 HSAT action item following extensive consultation with operators and regulators. "Our mission is to streamline complex regulatory processes with a secure, intelligent operating system."
The founding team identified a universal bottleneck: the administrative friction and technical complexity of the FAA Part 450 license application process. Officially launched in January 2026, HyperSigma.AI provides an AI-powered operating system specifically designed to accelerate FAA launch and reentry licensing—transforming manual submissions and compliance reviews into a streamlined, digital workflow. (3/13)
New Space Force Acquisition Portfolios Include Space Control, Orbital Warfare (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force now has put into place all of its mission-focused acquisition portfolios, including offices dedicated to space control and orbital warfare, according to the top space acquisition officer. Tom Ainsworth, who is performing the duties of the Air Force assistant secretary for Space Acquisition and Integration, told the annual McAleese Defense Programs Conference today that while the department is “still working through the detail of which programs specifically go into each one,” the final seven portfolio acquisition executive (PAE) offices now are being put in place. (3/18)
Golden Dome’s Projected Cost Just Jumped $10 Billion. Experts Fear that’s Just for Starters (Source: Defense One)
Golden Dome’s official projected price tag just jumped $10 billion to $185 billion. Experts say the real cost is likely to be far, far more. Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force officer in charge of the sprawling missile defense project, said Tuesday that it was no longer expected to cost $175 billion, the number given by President Trump when he announced the project last May. (3/18)
NASA Grappling with Planetary Science Funding Shortfall (Source: Space News)
NASA’s planetary science program, while spared steep cuts proposed last year, is still facing a funding shortfall that requires “strategic choices” about which missions to continue. Speaking at a town hall during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on March 16, Louise Prockter, director of NASA’s planetary science division, said funding for fiscal year 2026 is about $200 million below what her division received in 2025. (3/18)
Sirius Space Services Acquires AMM-42 as It Prepares for Inaugural Flight (Source: European Spaceflight)
French launch startup Sirius Space Services has acquired the high-precision metal-component manufacturer AMM-42. The acquisition is part of the company’s vertical integration efforts to bring key manufacturing capabilities in-house. (3/18)
Space Industry Growth is Straining Supply Chains (Source: Space News)
The growth of the space industry is putting new strains on its supply chain. A report released Tuesday by the Aerospace Industries Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the network of suppliers for space companies, built for smaller volumes and slower production cycles, is struggling to keep up with growth. The result is a growing number of bottlenecks across critical parts of the supply chain. Among the most constrained areas are specialized components such as space-grade microelectronics, radiation-hardened chips, sensors and propulsion systems. The report recommended government and industry provide better long-term forecasts for suppliers as well as expanding the supplier base. (3/18)
Missile Strikes Damage Iran's Space Program (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Israeli missile strikes in Iran have damaged that country's space program. An attack Friday hit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's Aerospace Division, while another Monday hit a facility Israeli officials said had been developing anti-satellite technologies. The attacks appear to have dealt a serious setback to Iran's capabilities to build and launch satellites. (3/18)
ESA to Incentivize the Use of European Launchers for LEO Cargo Return Initiative (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to provide a financial incentive to companies awarded Phase 2 contracts under its LEO Cargo Return Services initiative to use European launch services for their demonstration missions. Initially announced in May 2023, the LEO Cargo Return Service initiative aims to foster the development of a sovereign European space cargo transport service. In May 2024, the agency awarded Phase 1 contracts to The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space. This phase is focused on the maturation of the individual proposals and is expected to run until June 2026. (3/18)
Kongsberg NanoAvionics Books Solar Array Order From Korea’s Flexell Space for Hanwha Systems Constellation (Source: Space Intel Report)
Satellite platform builder Kongsberg NanoAvionics of Lithuania has signed a multimillion-dollar/euro contract to build solar arrays for Korea’s Flexell Space, a specialist in solar cells, to be used for an unnamed Korean sovereign low-orbit satellite constellation for national security uses under construction by Hanwha Systems. The contract sounds like it’s for Korea’s K-LEO constellation, but the chief executives of NanoAvionics and Flexell declined to identify it. (3/18)
China Signals New Target for 2027 Asteroid Deflection Test (Source: Space News)
China's first planetary defense kinetic test mission is scheduled to launch in 2027 targeting the near-Earth asteroid 2015 XF261. This mission involves a dual-spacecraft approach where one probe will conduct close-range observations of the asteroid before a second spacecraft performs a high-speed kinetic impact to test deflection capabilities. The target, 2015 XF261, is a small Aten-class asteroid approximately 30 meters in diameter. (3/18)
Infinite Orbits Acquires Lunasa (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Infinite Orbits, the in-orbit servicing company announces the acquisition of Lunasa Space, which becomes Infinite Orbits UK – strengthening the company’s LEO capabilities, UK market access, and rendezvous and proximity operations expertise. Infinite Orbits designs, builds, owns, and operates “servicers” – satellites whose sole purpose is to extend the life of other satellites, conduct surveillance, and eventually refuel assets in orbit. (3/17)
Europe’s Rocket Race Approaches the Finish Line (Sources: Bloomberg, Spacewatch Global, ESA)
A spaceport in Norway will host a German startup's orbital launch attempt this week. Rocket Factory Augsburg has delivered the first and second stages of its RFA ONE launch vehicle to the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, reaching an important milestone in preparation for the vehicle's first test flight, which is tentatively in summer 2026. Meanwhile at the Andoya spaceport, Isar Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 23 March for their Spectrum rocket launch. (3/18)
Government Registers Aliens.Gov Domain (Source: 404 Media)
The Executive Office of the President registered the domain aliens.gov on Wednesday a little after 6:30 AM according to a bot that monitors federal domains. There’s no associated website just yet, but the registration comes a month after Trump said he would direct the government to release files related to aliens and UFOs to the public. (3/18)
ISPTech Raises €5.5M Seed Round to Redefine How Spacecraft Maneuver in Orbit (Source: Space News)
ISPTech, a German space technology company developing propulsion systems for agile in-orbit maneuvering, announced it has raised €5.5 million in seed funding to deploy its advanced, non-toxic propulsion solutions for operational space missions. (3/17)
The Global Space Economy is on Track to Hit $1 Trillion by 2033 (Source: Modern Integrated Warfare)
The global space economy is entering a transformative era thanks in large part to expanding defense budgets and accelerating direct-to-device (D2D) capabilities. According to Novaspace, the space industry is projected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2033 from its current value of around $600 billion, with downstream solutions and sovereign space investments fueling much of this growth. But behind the headlines of consolidation, mega-mergers, and the rise of new entrants, the true drivers of long-term value will be scale, trust, resilience, and the ability to deliver proven outcomes. (3/17)
Redwire and Los Alamos National Laboratory Successfully Complete Demonstration of Deployable Heat Shield (Source: Redwire)
In November 2025, Redwire and Los Alamos National Laboratory, with assistance from NASA Ames Research Center, successfully completed the demonstration of a new deployable aeroshell. Deployable heat shields are crucial for protecting spacecraft from the extreme heat encountered at high speeds. Redwire provided the deployment mechanism and structural aeroshell for the demonstration, while Los Alamos was responsible for the payload and integration. Integration of the aeroshell structure was completed at Redwire‘s newly opened Firestone Rapid Capabilities Facility, located in Albuquerque, NM. (3/6)
ESA-Enabled Helical Antenna Innovations Boost Space-Based Connectivity (Source: ESA)
Recent in‑orbit demonstrations supported by ESA‑developed technologies represent a significant advancement in deployable antenna systems for small satellites. Oxford Space Systems’ (OSS) successful deployment of a large Very High Frequency (VHF) isoflux helical antenna further underscores Europe’s growing leadership in compact, lightweight, and high‑performance antenna solutions. The in‑space deployment of OSS’s antenna on the IOD 2 mission marks a major milestone. Supporting the Startical ECHOES project, the nearly 4‑metre deployable antenna – designed to operate between 117 MHz and 138 MHz – plays a crucial role in enabling space‑based air traffic management (ATM). (3/16)
Can Potatoes Grow on the Moon? (Source: Science)
Researchers have shown that potatoes can indeed grow in the equivalent of Moon dust, though they need a lot of help from compost found on Earth. As NASA researchers plot out sustained Moon bases, they are considering crops such as the potato, which is nutrient- and calorie-dense and adaptable to different environments. The work provides “in-depth analysis to start to answer the questions that need to be answered” to ensure the success of these long-term missions, says Jared Long-Fox, a lunar scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was not involved with the work. (3/16)
SpaceX Launches Tuesday Starlink Mission at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX kicked off the St. Patrick’s Day holiday on Tuesday with a Falcon 9 rocket launch, flying from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Starlink 10-46 mission added another 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the low Earth orbit megaconstellation. Liftoff was from Launch Complex 40. (3/17)
China Launches Highly Retrograde Yaogan Satellite (Sources: CGTN, Space News)
China on Sunday sent the Yaogan-50 02 remote sensing satellite into space. The satellite was sent into a highly retrograde orbit aboard a modified version of the Long March-6 rocket at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The launch was the 633rd flight mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series. (3/16)
Office of Space Commerce Weighing Options for TraCSS User Fees (Source: Space News)
The Trump administration has not yet decided whether to charge for space safety data, despite a December 2025 policy change removing the "free of direct user fees" clause for Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) data. While the update allows for potential charges, officials stated no decision has been made. During a March 2026 panel, administration officials confirmed that the policy change does not automatically mean fees will be implemented. The Office of Space Commerce is still exploring options for TraCSS, which is designed to manage space traffic as satellites increase. (3/17)
Telesat Pivots Lightspeed Toward Defense as Delays Push Global Service to 2028 (Source: Space News)
Telesat plans to carve out 25% of its Lightspeed broadband constellation for military Ka-band as the program’s latest delay pushes global service into early 2028, creating more room to align the design with shifting geopolitical priorities. The Canadian operator announced plans March 17 to add 500 megahertz of Mil-Ka to Lightspeed’s initial 156 satellites, replacing the same amount of commercial Ka-band frequencies on the network’s user link. Goldberg said substantially increasing the global supply of Mil-Ka band would enable Lightspeed to outperform legacy geostationary systems that rely on protected Ka-band spectrum. (3/17)
The Global Spaceport Alliance (GSA) is turning a spotlight to the lesser known histories of spaceport developments worldwide. The Spaceport Heritage Series, sponsored by Merrick & Co., a Denver-based aerospace architecture and engineering firm, kicked off in March with an article on the odd history of the site used by Robert Goddard to launch world's the first liquid-fueled rockets. Look to the GSA website here for bi-monthly Spaceport Heritage articles. Editor's Note: I'll be a regular contributor to this series. (3/18)
HyperSigma.AI Aims to Accelerate FAA Part 450 Licensing (Source: GSA)
HyperSigma.AI announced on March 12 that it has joined the Global Spaceport Alliance (GSA). This membership marks a strategic commitment to providing the digital infrastructure required to scale the High-Speed Aerospace Transportation (HSAT) industry. HyperSigma.AI was born out of a critical 2025 HSAT action item following extensive consultation with operators and regulators. "Our mission is to streamline complex regulatory processes with a secure, intelligent operating system."
The founding team identified a universal bottleneck: the administrative friction and technical complexity of the FAA Part 450 license application process. Officially launched in January 2026, HyperSigma.AI provides an AI-powered operating system specifically designed to accelerate FAA launch and reentry licensing—transforming manual submissions and compliance reviews into a streamlined, digital workflow. (3/13)
New Space Force Acquisition Portfolios Include Space Control, Orbital Warfare (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force now has put into place all of its mission-focused acquisition portfolios, including offices dedicated to space control and orbital warfare, according to the top space acquisition officer. Tom Ainsworth, who is performing the duties of the Air Force assistant secretary for Space Acquisition and Integration, told the annual McAleese Defense Programs Conference today that while the department is “still working through the detail of which programs specifically go into each one,” the final seven portfolio acquisition executive (PAE) offices now are being put in place. (3/18)
Golden Dome’s Projected Cost Just Jumped $10 Billion. Experts Fear that’s Just for Starters (Source: Defense One)
Golden Dome’s official projected price tag just jumped $10 billion to $185 billion. Experts say the real cost is likely to be far, far more. Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Space Force officer in charge of the sprawling missile defense project, said Tuesday that it was no longer expected to cost $175 billion, the number given by President Trump when he announced the project last May. (3/18)
NASA Grappling with Planetary Science Funding Shortfall (Source: Space News)
NASA’s planetary science program, while spared steep cuts proposed last year, is still facing a funding shortfall that requires “strategic choices” about which missions to continue. Speaking at a town hall during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on March 16, Louise Prockter, director of NASA’s planetary science division, said funding for fiscal year 2026 is about $200 million below what her division received in 2025. (3/18)
Sirius Space Services Acquires AMM-42 as It Prepares for Inaugural Flight (Source: European Spaceflight)
French launch startup Sirius Space Services has acquired the high-precision metal-component manufacturer AMM-42. The acquisition is part of the company’s vertical integration efforts to bring key manufacturing capabilities in-house. (3/18)
Space Industry Growth is Straining Supply Chains (Source: Space News)
The growth of the space industry is putting new strains on its supply chain. A report released Tuesday by the Aerospace Industries Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the network of suppliers for space companies, built for smaller volumes and slower production cycles, is struggling to keep up with growth. The result is a growing number of bottlenecks across critical parts of the supply chain. Among the most constrained areas are specialized components such as space-grade microelectronics, radiation-hardened chips, sensors and propulsion systems. The report recommended government and industry provide better long-term forecasts for suppliers as well as expanding the supplier base. (3/18)
Missile Strikes Damage Iran's Space Program (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Israeli missile strikes in Iran have damaged that country's space program. An attack Friday hit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's Aerospace Division, while another Monday hit a facility Israeli officials said had been developing anti-satellite technologies. The attacks appear to have dealt a serious setback to Iran's capabilities to build and launch satellites. (3/18)
ESA to Incentivize the Use of European Launchers for LEO Cargo Return Initiative (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to provide a financial incentive to companies awarded Phase 2 contracts under its LEO Cargo Return Services initiative to use European launch services for their demonstration missions. Initially announced in May 2023, the LEO Cargo Return Service initiative aims to foster the development of a sovereign European space cargo transport service. In May 2024, the agency awarded Phase 1 contracts to The Exploration Company and Thales Alenia Space. This phase is focused on the maturation of the individual proposals and is expected to run until June 2026. (3/18)
Kongsberg NanoAvionics Books Solar Array Order From Korea’s Flexell Space for Hanwha Systems Constellation (Source: Space Intel Report)
Satellite platform builder Kongsberg NanoAvionics of Lithuania has signed a multimillion-dollar/euro contract to build solar arrays for Korea’s Flexell Space, a specialist in solar cells, to be used for an unnamed Korean sovereign low-orbit satellite constellation for national security uses under construction by Hanwha Systems. The contract sounds like it’s for Korea’s K-LEO constellation, but the chief executives of NanoAvionics and Flexell declined to identify it. (3/18)
China Signals New Target for 2027 Asteroid Deflection Test (Source: Space News)
China's first planetary defense kinetic test mission is scheduled to launch in 2027 targeting the near-Earth asteroid 2015 XF261. This mission involves a dual-spacecraft approach where one probe will conduct close-range observations of the asteroid before a second spacecraft performs a high-speed kinetic impact to test deflection capabilities. The target, 2015 XF261, is a small Aten-class asteroid approximately 30 meters in diameter. (3/18)
Infinite Orbits Acquires Lunasa (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Infinite Orbits, the in-orbit servicing company announces the acquisition of Lunasa Space, which becomes Infinite Orbits UK – strengthening the company’s LEO capabilities, UK market access, and rendezvous and proximity operations expertise. Infinite Orbits designs, builds, owns, and operates “servicers” – satellites whose sole purpose is to extend the life of other satellites, conduct surveillance, and eventually refuel assets in orbit. (3/17)
Europe’s Rocket Race Approaches the Finish Line (Sources: Bloomberg, Spacewatch Global, ESA)
A spaceport in Norway will host a German startup's orbital launch attempt this week. Rocket Factory Augsburg has delivered the first and second stages of its RFA ONE launch vehicle to the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, reaching an important milestone in preparation for the vehicle's first test flight, which is tentatively in summer 2026. Meanwhile at the Andoya spaceport, Isar Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 23 March for their Spectrum rocket launch. (3/18)
Government Registers Aliens.Gov Domain (Source: 404 Media)
The Executive Office of the President registered the domain aliens.gov on Wednesday a little after 6:30 AM according to a bot that monitors federal domains. There’s no associated website just yet, but the registration comes a month after Trump said he would direct the government to release files related to aliens and UFOs to the public. (3/18)
ISPTech Raises €5.5M Seed Round to Redefine How Spacecraft Maneuver in Orbit (Source: Space News)
ISPTech, a German space technology company developing propulsion systems for agile in-orbit maneuvering, announced it has raised €5.5 million in seed funding to deploy its advanced, non-toxic propulsion solutions for operational space missions. (3/17)
The Global Space Economy is on Track to Hit $1 Trillion by 2033 (Source: Modern Integrated Warfare)
The global space economy is entering a transformative era thanks in large part to expanding defense budgets and accelerating direct-to-device (D2D) capabilities. According to Novaspace, the space industry is projected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2033 from its current value of around $600 billion, with downstream solutions and sovereign space investments fueling much of this growth. But behind the headlines of consolidation, mega-mergers, and the rise of new entrants, the true drivers of long-term value will be scale, trust, resilience, and the ability to deliver proven outcomes. (3/17)
Redwire and Los Alamos National Laboratory Successfully Complete Demonstration of Deployable Heat Shield (Source: Redwire)
In November 2025, Redwire and Los Alamos National Laboratory, with assistance from NASA Ames Research Center, successfully completed the demonstration of a new deployable aeroshell. Deployable heat shields are crucial for protecting spacecraft from the extreme heat encountered at high speeds. Redwire provided the deployment mechanism and structural aeroshell for the demonstration, while Los Alamos was responsible for the payload and integration. Integration of the aeroshell structure was completed at Redwire‘s newly opened Firestone Rapid Capabilities Facility, located in Albuquerque, NM. (3/6)
ESA-Enabled Helical Antenna Innovations Boost Space-Based Connectivity (Source: ESA)
Recent in‑orbit demonstrations supported by ESA‑developed technologies represent a significant advancement in deployable antenna systems for small satellites. Oxford Space Systems’ (OSS) successful deployment of a large Very High Frequency (VHF) isoflux helical antenna further underscores Europe’s growing leadership in compact, lightweight, and high‑performance antenna solutions. The in‑space deployment of OSS’s antenna on the IOD 2 mission marks a major milestone. Supporting the Startical ECHOES project, the nearly 4‑metre deployable antenna – designed to operate between 117 MHz and 138 MHz – plays a crucial role in enabling space‑based air traffic management (ATM). (3/16)
Can Potatoes Grow on the Moon? (Source: Science)
Researchers have shown that potatoes can indeed grow in the equivalent of Moon dust, though they need a lot of help from compost found on Earth. As NASA researchers plot out sustained Moon bases, they are considering crops such as the potato, which is nutrient- and calorie-dense and adaptable to different environments. The work provides “in-depth analysis to start to answer the questions that need to be answered” to ensure the success of these long-term missions, says Jared Long-Fox, a lunar scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was not involved with the work. (3/16)
SpaceX Launches Tuesday Starlink Mission at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX kicked off the St. Patrick’s Day holiday on Tuesday with a Falcon 9 rocket launch, flying from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Starlink 10-46 mission added another 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the low Earth orbit megaconstellation. Liftoff was from Launch Complex 40. (3/17)
China Launches Highly Retrograde Yaogan Satellite (Sources: CGTN, Space News)
China on Sunday sent the Yaogan-50 02 remote sensing satellite into space. The satellite was sent into a highly retrograde orbit aboard a modified version of the Long March-6 rocket at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The launch was the 633rd flight mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series. (3/16)
Office of Space Commerce Weighing Options for TraCSS User Fees (Source: Space News)
The Trump administration has not yet decided whether to charge for space safety data, despite a December 2025 policy change removing the "free of direct user fees" clause for Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) data. While the update allows for potential charges, officials stated no decision has been made. During a March 2026 panel, administration officials confirmed that the policy change does not automatically mean fees will be implemented. The Office of Space Commerce is still exploring options for TraCSS, which is designed to manage space traffic as satellites increase. (3/17)
Telesat Pivots Lightspeed Toward Defense as Delays Push Global Service to 2028 (Source: Space News)
Telesat plans to carve out 25% of its Lightspeed broadband constellation for military Ka-band as the program’s latest delay pushes global service into early 2028, creating more room to align the design with shifting geopolitical priorities. The Canadian operator announced plans March 17 to add 500 megahertz of Mil-Ka to Lightspeed’s initial 156 satellites, replacing the same amount of commercial Ka-band frequencies on the network’s user link. Goldberg said substantially increasing the global supply of Mil-Ka band would enable Lightspeed to outperform legacy geostationary systems that rely on protected Ka-band spectrum. (3/17)
March 17, 2026
Artemis 2 SLS Rollout Slips One Day
for FTS Wiring Install (Source: NASA)
NASA is delaying the return of Artemis 2 to the launch pad by a day. The agency announced Monday that the rollout of the vehicle to Launch Complex 39B was now planned for this Friday, a one-day slip because of work over the weekend to replace an electrical harness in the rocket's flight termination system. The delay does not hinder the planned launch of Artemis 2, which remains scheduled for as soon as April 1. (3/17)
SpaceX Launch From California Brings Starlink to 10,000+ Satellites (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX now has more than 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit after a launch overnight. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, deploying 25 Starlink satellites. The launch brings the number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 10,020, the first time the company has had more than 10,000 satellites in orbit. (3/17)
Chinese Astronauts Take Spacewalk Outside TSS (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station Monday. Zhang Lu and Wu Fei spent about seven hours outside the station, installing space debris protection for the station among other work. The spacewalk was the sixth in Zhang's career, making him one of the most experienced Chinese spacewalkers. (3/17)
Russian Progress Cargo Craft Departs ISS (Source: NASA)
A Progress cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station Monday. The Progress MS-31 spacecraft, designated Progress 92 by NASA, undocked from the station as planned at 9:24 a.m. Eastern and reentered several hours later. Its departure opens a docking port for a new Progress cargo spacecraft scheduled to launch on Sunday. (3/17)
FSGC Programs Aim to Align Florida University Research With NASA and State Priorities (Source: FSGC)
The NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium, led by UCF and including most of the state's universities and colleges, sponsors an array of space education and research programs for Florida faculty and students. Among the current opportunities is the Florida Space Research Program for space exploration research aligned with NASA's mission directorates (click here for details). Then there's the FSGC/Space Florida/KSC Technology Development and Commercialization Program, with this year's topic areas aimed at lunar regolith and sorbent polymer extraction and remediation (click here). For each program, the maximum funding per award is $25,000. Proposals for both opportunities are due May 29. (3/16)
Rapid-Built Liquid Rocket Engine Hits Supersonic in New US Test (Source: Defense Post)
The Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD) moved into supersonic territory during a recent flight trial, thanks to a rapidly developed liquid rocket engine. The demonstrator used Ursa Major’s Draper propulsion system in the test, highlighting its role in validating new engine technology for future missile applications. (3/16)
European Space Agency Taps Terran Orbital Subsidiary for Defense Deal (Source: Via Satellite)
Tyvak International, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital, has won a new cubesat contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). It will develop Farinella, a 6U CubeSat that will support ESA’s RAMSES planetary defense mission to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. Terran Orbital announced the contract award, March 13. (3/16)
Swedish Military Advances Esrange Spaceport Plans with SSC Space (Source: Flight Global)
NATO member Sweden has signed an agreement paving the way for it to commence satellite launch services from late this decade. Announced by Stockholm’s FMV defense materiel administration on 16 March and valued at SKr209 million ($22.3 million), the pact with SSC Space will lead to the “establishment of satellite launch capability from the company’s Esrange Space Center”. (3/16)
EECL Amplifiers Reach In-Orbit Milestone on ESA HydroGNSS Mission (Source: Inside GNSS)
Ultra-low-noise amplifiers developed by European Engineering & Consultancy Ltd. (EECL) are now operating successfully in orbit on the European Space Agency’s HydroGNSS Earth observation mission, marking an early technical milestone for the satellite payloads. (3/16)
FAA Streamlines Commercial Space License Approvals (Source: FAA)
The FAA is streamlining its processes for launch and reentry licensing. All licensing will now occur under the Part 450 rule, which consolidates four old rules into one. It provides more flexibility and more methods of compliance, reducing the administrative and cost burdens on industry and the FAA. Part 450 reduces the number of times an operator needs an FAA license approval and allows one license for a portfolio of operations, different vehicle configurations and mission profiles, and even multiple launch and reentry sites.
Operators that transitioned legacy licenses by the March 9, 2026, deadline include Blue Origin New Shepard, Firefly Aerospace Alpha, SpaceX Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy and Dragon, Rocket Lab Electron, and United Launch Alliance Atlas and Vulcan. (3/17)
Canada Makes Dedicated Push Toward Sovereign Space Launch (Sources: Aviation Week, Space News)
Canada wants to stand up a sovereign spaceport, with plans to invest $200 million CAD ($146 million) over 10 years for a multiuser launchpad, Minister of National Defense David McGuinty announced March 16. Ottawa will use the funds over the next decade to lease a space launch pad near Canso, Nova Scotia, which will serve as the foundation for a future spaceport.
The military is also providing a combined 25 million Canadian dollars to three startups developing small launch vehicles — Canada Rocket Company, NordSpace and Reaction Dynamics — as part of a multi-year program valued at 105 million Canadian dollars. (3/17)
European Defense Agency Awards Contract for First VLEO Military Satellite Concept (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Defense Agency (EDA) has awarded a €15.65 million research contract to a consortium led by Spanish aerospace engineering company Sener to design a military satellite specifically optimized for very low Earth orbit (VLEO). Known as VLEO-DEF, the initiative prepares for a future flight experiment and includes payloads for Earth observation and navigational warfare. (3/17)
Belgium Selects Redwire to Build Natsec Satellite (Source: Via Satellite)
Florida-based aerospace and defense company Redwire has won a prime contract from the Belgian federal government to build the nation’s first national security satellite in collaboration with Aerospacelab, the company announced on Monday. Belgian Defense is fully funding the contract, and Redwire and Aerospacelab will jointly develop the satellite, Redwire said in a statement.
The mission—known as MATTEO—will be built in-country leveraging and supporting Belgium’s National Defence Industrial Technology Base strategy. Redwire and Aerospacelab will jointly develop MATTEO. MATTEO will enhance Belgium’s ability to monitor, protect, and respond to evolving regional and global security challenges. (3/16)
ESA-funded Envisage Space Improves GNSS Positioning in Urban Environments (Source: Inside GNSS)
UK company Envisage Space Ltd., working with Cranfield University and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) NAVISP program, has developed analytical software designed to improve the reliability of GNSS positioning in dense urban environments. (3/17)
No Sun, No Problem? How Life Could Thrive on Moons of Starless ‘Rogue’ Planets (Source: Space.com)
Moons orbiting starless "rogue" planets could stay warm enough to host liquid water for billions of years, a new study suggests, potentially creating long-lived habitats for life in the depths of space. Using computer models, researchers found that temperatures on an Earth-size moon orbiting a Jupiter-like rogue planet could remain warm enough to support liquid water on its surface for up to 4.3 billion years — nearly as long as Earth has existed. (3/16)
France's Kayrros to be Acquired by Energy Aspects (Source: Space News)
French satellite analytics provider Kayrros is being acquired amid a growing demand for geospatial intelligence data. Energy Aspects announced plans March 12 to buy Kayrros for an undisclosed sum, pending regulatory approval. Kayrros uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and geoanalytics to analyze raw data from more than 20 satellite constellations, producing insights on oil production, storage levels, supply chains, environmental risks and other energy market indicators. The company said traders and analysts are increasingly turning to geospatial intelligence in the region after Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz. (3/17)
South Korea's Innospace Finds Combustion Chamber Rupture as Cause of Hanbit-Nano Launch Failure in Brazil (Source: Space News)
Korean launch company Innospace has completed the investigation into the failure of its first launch. Innospace said Monday that the investigation into the first Hanbit-Nano launch in December found that exhaust leaked out of the first stage's combustion chamber, causing the chamber to rupture 33 seconds after liftoff and breaking apart the rocket. Innospace said it will improve assembly processes and quality management procedures, as well as make other unspecified design changes. The next Hanbit-Nano launch is planned for the third quarter from Brazil. (3/17)
Jupiter on the Space Shuttle and the Titan II: the FARRAH Signals Intelligence Satellites (Source: Space Review)
The introduction of the Space Shuttle led the intelligence community to study what satellites should be shifted to that vehicle. Dwayne Day examines how that affected one electronic intelligence program as it moved on to, and then off of, the shuttle. Click here. (3/17)
If China Returns to the Moon First, Will Americans Care? (Source: Space Review)
Many in the space community believe the United States is in a race with China to land the next humans on the Moon, with serious consequences for losing. Dante Sanaei cautions that, should China win that race, many Americans might not care. Click here. (3/17)
The Next Phase of Space Ambitions in Texas (Source: Space Review)
The state of Texas is seeking to expand its space industry with a grant program and a new space institute. Jeff Foust reports on what is next as that institute nears completion and the first round of grants is awarded. Click here. (3/17)
Artemis via the ISS? A Breakout Opportunity for Kickstarting a Sustainable Cislunar Economy (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s plans for the Artemis lunar exploration campaign are largely separate from the planned transition from the International Space Station. Madhu Thangavelu describes how ISS could be more closely integrated into lunar exploration. Click here. (3/17)
Golden Domes, Fragile Firms: The Business Risks of AI-Enabled Space Infrastructure (Source: Space Review)
Space companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to manage their satellite operations. Bharath Gopalaswamy and Daniel Dant warn that doing so could open up companies to unanticipated business risks. Click here. (3/17)
Israeli Intel: 'We Destroyed Iran's Base for Attacking Satellites to Keep Space Supremacy (Source: Jerusalem Post)
In an extremely rare public statement, an IDF Unit 9900 intelligence official said on Monday that Israel has destroyed an Iranian base which was focused on building technologies to shoot down Israeli satellites and other adversaries' satellites.
According to the officer from the IDF's clandestine satellite intelligence division, the goal of the attack was to maintain Israel's supremacy in space, especially regarding satellite surveillance. "We are leading many efforts to preserve the IDF's freedom of action in the arena of space, and to harm the capabilities of Iran to act and to build such forces," said the Unit 9900 official. (3/16)
Astronomers Found the Source of the Brightest Fast Radio Burst Ever (Source: Science Daily)
Astronomers have discovered the brightest fast radio burst ever detected and traced it to a nearby galaxy using a new network of CHIME Outrigger telescopes. The flash, nicknamed RBFLOAT, lasted only a fraction of a second but briefly outshone every other radio source in its galaxy. Follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope spotted a faint infrared signal at the same location. The burst’s unusual behavior—showing no signs of repeating—may challenge current ideas about what causes these mysterious cosmic flashes. (3/15)
The Astronaut Who Took One Giant Leap for Manx-Kind (Source: BBC)
A retired NASA astronaut has said her experiences had made her realize that people living on Earth were crewmates and needed to look after the planet together. Nicole Stott spent 104 days in space across two missions, performed a spacewalk, and became the first person to speak Manx as well as paint in watercolors in space.
As part of her training, she spent 18 days as an aquanaut living in an undersea habitat. Stott has recently contributed to a special collection of stamps put together by the Isle of Man Post Office, providing a series of essays to accompany a set to images straddling both space and deep sea. (3/14)
Greece Enters the Astronaut Era as Scientist Joins ESA Training Program (Source: EuroNews)
Dr Adrianos Golemis was selected for ESA's astronaut training program, after a highly competitive process with over 22,000 applicants. His participation paves the way for a possible Greek presence in a future space mission. Greece is marking a significant milestone in space exploration, as a Greek scientist has been selected to participate in the European Space Agency's (ESA) astronaut training program, raising the possibility of a Greek astronaut joining a space mission for the first time. (3/15)
Florida Without Kennedy Space Center? Director Sounds Alarm Over Relationship (Source: Tampa Bay Times)
The KSC director didn’t mince words. “We stand at a pivotal moment,” Janet Petro told state lawmakers in Tallahassee last fall. The future of one of Florida’s signature assets was in jeopardy. KSC needs more money, she said. It needs state funding for roads, utilities and facilities to support its surge in space traffic. It needs research dollars to advance the aerospace industry.
Yet Space Florida hasn’t been particularly willing, Petro said. As Texas and Alabama vie for space business and close collaboration with NASA, Space Florida’s relationship with the agency is strained by disagreements over funding and control. Space Florida didn't respond to questions about its relationship with NASA.
Gov. DeSantis asked for $17.5 million for Space Florida’s operating budget in the next fiscal year, plus $5 million to expand wastewater capacity for commercial launch companies and $10 million to boost aerospace startups. But that request is stalled amid state budget negotiations. And it’s still meager compared to the $350 million that Texas has already spent on space projects in recent years. Petro fears that if Florida doesn’t work more closely with NASA, the future of KSC and the commercial space industry it helps support is at risk. (3/16)
NASA is delaying the return of Artemis 2 to the launch pad by a day. The agency announced Monday that the rollout of the vehicle to Launch Complex 39B was now planned for this Friday, a one-day slip because of work over the weekend to replace an electrical harness in the rocket's flight termination system. The delay does not hinder the planned launch of Artemis 2, which remains scheduled for as soon as April 1. (3/17)
SpaceX Launch From California Brings Starlink to 10,000+ Satellites (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX now has more than 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit after a launch overnight. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, deploying 25 Starlink satellites. The launch brings the number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 10,020, the first time the company has had more than 10,000 satellites in orbit. (3/17)
Chinese Astronauts Take Spacewalk Outside TSS (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station Monday. Zhang Lu and Wu Fei spent about seven hours outside the station, installing space debris protection for the station among other work. The spacewalk was the sixth in Zhang's career, making him one of the most experienced Chinese spacewalkers. (3/17)
Russian Progress Cargo Craft Departs ISS (Source: NASA)
A Progress cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station Monday. The Progress MS-31 spacecraft, designated Progress 92 by NASA, undocked from the station as planned at 9:24 a.m. Eastern and reentered several hours later. Its departure opens a docking port for a new Progress cargo spacecraft scheduled to launch on Sunday. (3/17)
FSGC Programs Aim to Align Florida University Research With NASA and State Priorities (Source: FSGC)
The NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium, led by UCF and including most of the state's universities and colleges, sponsors an array of space education and research programs for Florida faculty and students. Among the current opportunities is the Florida Space Research Program for space exploration research aligned with NASA's mission directorates (click here for details). Then there's the FSGC/Space Florida/KSC Technology Development and Commercialization Program, with this year's topic areas aimed at lunar regolith and sorbent polymer extraction and remediation (click here). For each program, the maximum funding per award is $25,000. Proposals for both opportunities are due May 29. (3/16)
Rapid-Built Liquid Rocket Engine Hits Supersonic in New US Test (Source: Defense Post)
The Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD) moved into supersonic territory during a recent flight trial, thanks to a rapidly developed liquid rocket engine. The demonstrator used Ursa Major’s Draper propulsion system in the test, highlighting its role in validating new engine technology for future missile applications. (3/16)
European Space Agency Taps Terran Orbital Subsidiary for Defense Deal (Source: Via Satellite)
Tyvak International, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital, has won a new cubesat contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). It will develop Farinella, a 6U CubeSat that will support ESA’s RAMSES planetary defense mission to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. Terran Orbital announced the contract award, March 13. (3/16)
Swedish Military Advances Esrange Spaceport Plans with SSC Space (Source: Flight Global)
NATO member Sweden has signed an agreement paving the way for it to commence satellite launch services from late this decade. Announced by Stockholm’s FMV defense materiel administration on 16 March and valued at SKr209 million ($22.3 million), the pact with SSC Space will lead to the “establishment of satellite launch capability from the company’s Esrange Space Center”. (3/16)
EECL Amplifiers Reach In-Orbit Milestone on ESA HydroGNSS Mission (Source: Inside GNSS)
Ultra-low-noise amplifiers developed by European Engineering & Consultancy Ltd. (EECL) are now operating successfully in orbit on the European Space Agency’s HydroGNSS Earth observation mission, marking an early technical milestone for the satellite payloads. (3/16)
FAA Streamlines Commercial Space License Approvals (Source: FAA)
The FAA is streamlining its processes for launch and reentry licensing. All licensing will now occur under the Part 450 rule, which consolidates four old rules into one. It provides more flexibility and more methods of compliance, reducing the administrative and cost burdens on industry and the FAA. Part 450 reduces the number of times an operator needs an FAA license approval and allows one license for a portfolio of operations, different vehicle configurations and mission profiles, and even multiple launch and reentry sites.
Operators that transitioned legacy licenses by the March 9, 2026, deadline include Blue Origin New Shepard, Firefly Aerospace Alpha, SpaceX Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy and Dragon, Rocket Lab Electron, and United Launch Alliance Atlas and Vulcan. (3/17)
Canada Makes Dedicated Push Toward Sovereign Space Launch (Sources: Aviation Week, Space News)
Canada wants to stand up a sovereign spaceport, with plans to invest $200 million CAD ($146 million) over 10 years for a multiuser launchpad, Minister of National Defense David McGuinty announced March 16. Ottawa will use the funds over the next decade to lease a space launch pad near Canso, Nova Scotia, which will serve as the foundation for a future spaceport.
The military is also providing a combined 25 million Canadian dollars to three startups developing small launch vehicles — Canada Rocket Company, NordSpace and Reaction Dynamics — as part of a multi-year program valued at 105 million Canadian dollars. (3/17)
European Defense Agency Awards Contract for First VLEO Military Satellite Concept (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Defense Agency (EDA) has awarded a €15.65 million research contract to a consortium led by Spanish aerospace engineering company Sener to design a military satellite specifically optimized for very low Earth orbit (VLEO). Known as VLEO-DEF, the initiative prepares for a future flight experiment and includes payloads for Earth observation and navigational warfare. (3/17)
Belgium Selects Redwire to Build Natsec Satellite (Source: Via Satellite)
Florida-based aerospace and defense company Redwire has won a prime contract from the Belgian federal government to build the nation’s first national security satellite in collaboration with Aerospacelab, the company announced on Monday. Belgian Defense is fully funding the contract, and Redwire and Aerospacelab will jointly develop the satellite, Redwire said in a statement.
The mission—known as MATTEO—will be built in-country leveraging and supporting Belgium’s National Defence Industrial Technology Base strategy. Redwire and Aerospacelab will jointly develop MATTEO. MATTEO will enhance Belgium’s ability to monitor, protect, and respond to evolving regional and global security challenges. (3/16)
ESA-funded Envisage Space Improves GNSS Positioning in Urban Environments (Source: Inside GNSS)
UK company Envisage Space Ltd., working with Cranfield University and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) NAVISP program, has developed analytical software designed to improve the reliability of GNSS positioning in dense urban environments. (3/17)
No Sun, No Problem? How Life Could Thrive on Moons of Starless ‘Rogue’ Planets (Source: Space.com)
Moons orbiting starless "rogue" planets could stay warm enough to host liquid water for billions of years, a new study suggests, potentially creating long-lived habitats for life in the depths of space. Using computer models, researchers found that temperatures on an Earth-size moon orbiting a Jupiter-like rogue planet could remain warm enough to support liquid water on its surface for up to 4.3 billion years — nearly as long as Earth has existed. (3/16)
France's Kayrros to be Acquired by Energy Aspects (Source: Space News)
French satellite analytics provider Kayrros is being acquired amid a growing demand for geospatial intelligence data. Energy Aspects announced plans March 12 to buy Kayrros for an undisclosed sum, pending regulatory approval. Kayrros uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and geoanalytics to analyze raw data from more than 20 satellite constellations, producing insights on oil production, storage levels, supply chains, environmental risks and other energy market indicators. The company said traders and analysts are increasingly turning to geospatial intelligence in the region after Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz. (3/17)
South Korea's Innospace Finds Combustion Chamber Rupture as Cause of Hanbit-Nano Launch Failure in Brazil (Source: Space News)
Korean launch company Innospace has completed the investigation into the failure of its first launch. Innospace said Monday that the investigation into the first Hanbit-Nano launch in December found that exhaust leaked out of the first stage's combustion chamber, causing the chamber to rupture 33 seconds after liftoff and breaking apart the rocket. Innospace said it will improve assembly processes and quality management procedures, as well as make other unspecified design changes. The next Hanbit-Nano launch is planned for the third quarter from Brazil. (3/17)
Jupiter on the Space Shuttle and the Titan II: the FARRAH Signals Intelligence Satellites (Source: Space Review)
The introduction of the Space Shuttle led the intelligence community to study what satellites should be shifted to that vehicle. Dwayne Day examines how that affected one electronic intelligence program as it moved on to, and then off of, the shuttle. Click here. (3/17)
If China Returns to the Moon First, Will Americans Care? (Source: Space Review)
Many in the space community believe the United States is in a race with China to land the next humans on the Moon, with serious consequences for losing. Dante Sanaei cautions that, should China win that race, many Americans might not care. Click here. (3/17)
The Next Phase of Space Ambitions in Texas (Source: Space Review)
The state of Texas is seeking to expand its space industry with a grant program and a new space institute. Jeff Foust reports on what is next as that institute nears completion and the first round of grants is awarded. Click here. (3/17)
Artemis via the ISS? A Breakout Opportunity for Kickstarting a Sustainable Cislunar Economy (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s plans for the Artemis lunar exploration campaign are largely separate from the planned transition from the International Space Station. Madhu Thangavelu describes how ISS could be more closely integrated into lunar exploration. Click here. (3/17)
Golden Domes, Fragile Firms: The Business Risks of AI-Enabled Space Infrastructure (Source: Space Review)
Space companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to manage their satellite operations. Bharath Gopalaswamy and Daniel Dant warn that doing so could open up companies to unanticipated business risks. Click here. (3/17)
Israeli Intel: 'We Destroyed Iran's Base for Attacking Satellites to Keep Space Supremacy (Source: Jerusalem Post)
In an extremely rare public statement, an IDF Unit 9900 intelligence official said on Monday that Israel has destroyed an Iranian base which was focused on building technologies to shoot down Israeli satellites and other adversaries' satellites.
According to the officer from the IDF's clandestine satellite intelligence division, the goal of the attack was to maintain Israel's supremacy in space, especially regarding satellite surveillance. "We are leading many efforts to preserve the IDF's freedom of action in the arena of space, and to harm the capabilities of Iran to act and to build such forces," said the Unit 9900 official. (3/16)
Astronomers Found the Source of the Brightest Fast Radio Burst Ever (Source: Science Daily)
Astronomers have discovered the brightest fast radio burst ever detected and traced it to a nearby galaxy using a new network of CHIME Outrigger telescopes. The flash, nicknamed RBFLOAT, lasted only a fraction of a second but briefly outshone every other radio source in its galaxy. Follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope spotted a faint infrared signal at the same location. The burst’s unusual behavior—showing no signs of repeating—may challenge current ideas about what causes these mysterious cosmic flashes. (3/15)
The Astronaut Who Took One Giant Leap for Manx-Kind (Source: BBC)
A retired NASA astronaut has said her experiences had made her realize that people living on Earth were crewmates and needed to look after the planet together. Nicole Stott spent 104 days in space across two missions, performed a spacewalk, and became the first person to speak Manx as well as paint in watercolors in space.
As part of her training, she spent 18 days as an aquanaut living in an undersea habitat. Stott has recently contributed to a special collection of stamps put together by the Isle of Man Post Office, providing a series of essays to accompany a set to images straddling both space and deep sea. (3/14)
Greece Enters the Astronaut Era as Scientist Joins ESA Training Program (Source: EuroNews)
Dr Adrianos Golemis was selected for ESA's astronaut training program, after a highly competitive process with over 22,000 applicants. His participation paves the way for a possible Greek presence in a future space mission. Greece is marking a significant milestone in space exploration, as a Greek scientist has been selected to participate in the European Space Agency's (ESA) astronaut training program, raising the possibility of a Greek astronaut joining a space mission for the first time. (3/15)
Florida Without Kennedy Space Center? Director Sounds Alarm Over Relationship (Source: Tampa Bay Times)
The KSC director didn’t mince words. “We stand at a pivotal moment,” Janet Petro told state lawmakers in Tallahassee last fall. The future of one of Florida’s signature assets was in jeopardy. KSC needs more money, she said. It needs state funding for roads, utilities and facilities to support its surge in space traffic. It needs research dollars to advance the aerospace industry.
Yet Space Florida hasn’t been particularly willing, Petro said. As Texas and Alabama vie for space business and close collaboration with NASA, Space Florida’s relationship with the agency is strained by disagreements over funding and control. Space Florida didn't respond to questions about its relationship with NASA.
Gov. DeSantis asked for $17.5 million for Space Florida’s operating budget in the next fiscal year, plus $5 million to expand wastewater capacity for commercial launch companies and $10 million to boost aerospace startups. But that request is stalled amid state budget negotiations. And it’s still meager compared to the $350 million that Texas has already spent on space projects in recent years. Petro fears that if Florida doesn’t work more closely with NASA, the future of KSC and the commercial space industry it helps support is at risk. (3/16)
March 16, 2026
Eutelsat Ends Russian Spacecraft
Leases (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat has ended capacity leases on two Russian spacecraft after one failed in orbit and the other is set to relocate. Eutelsat had planned to lease capacity for at least three more years from Express-AT1 and Express-AT2, two Russian satellites in GEO, but Express-AT1 malfunctioned earlier this month. Eutelsat said it expected only a "low single-digit million" loss of revenue that would be offset by lower costs by terminating the leases. It allows Eutelsat to get out of contracts hit by Western sanctions and the structural decline in TV broadcasts. (3/16)
Iran War Driving Geospatial Demand (Source: Space News)
Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is driving demand for commercial geospatial intelligence services. The busy shipping corridor has become a contested maritime environment where governments, energy companies, insurers and militaries are trying to understand events as they unfold. One geospatial intelligence company, Danti, said the crisis is driving demand for tools that combine satellite imagery with other sources of intelligence, such as radio-frequency and other signals data and automatic identification system (AIS) ship tracking feeds. Danti says AI analysis of that data can help detect trends early. (3/16)
Starcloud Plans 88,000 Satellite Data Center Constellation (Source: Space News)
A startup has filed plans with the FCC for a constellation of up to 88,000 orbital data center satellites. The FCC accepted for filing Friday an application by Starcloud for that constellation, which would feature spacecraft operating in a series of low Earth orbits to provide computation for AI models and other services. The application provided few details about the satellites themselves, such as their size. Starcloud launched a smallsat last November with an Nvidia processor for testing AI models and is working on a second, commercial satellite for launch in 2027. The filing comes after SpaceX proposed in late January an orbital data center constellation of up to one million satellites. (3/16)
China Unveils Economical Lunar Transport (Source: Space News)
A Chinese state-owned space contractor has unveiled a concept for an "economical lunar cargo transport" system. At a conference exhibit last week, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology showed off plans for a family of cargo landers capable of delivering between 120 and 5,000 kilograms to the lunar surface. The tiered payload classes suggest a logistics architecture capable of supporting regular cargo deliveries to the lunar surface, suggesting a shift in China from single flagship lander missions. SAST has developed a prototype that has performed takeoff and landing tests. (3/16)
Sweden's First Astronaut Urges Filipino Students to Pursue STEM Careers (Source: Manila Bulletin)
For Dr. Christer Fuglesang, the first Swedish astronaut to travel to space, the journey began with something simple: curiosity. Speaking to students at De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila on March 14, Fuglesang encouraged young people to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, emphasizing that curiosity and passion for learning are often the first steps toward extraordinary opportunities. (3/16)
Hanwha Acquires KAI Stake After 7 Years, Accelerating 'Korean SpaceX' Ambitions (Source: Seoul Economic Daily)
Hanwha Group, South Korea's largest aerospace and defense conglomerate, has made a substantial investment in Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), signaling its commitment to the "Korean SpaceX" initiative that has drawn attention from both government and industry. According to Financial Supervisory Service disclosures on the 15th, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha's defense subsidiary, announced through its business report filed on the 13th that it purchased 566,635 common shares of KAI for 59.9 billion won. (3/16)
China's Kuaizhou-11 Y7 Rocket Launches 8 New Satellites (Source: Global Times)
China on Monday launched the Kuaizhou-11 Y7 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province, sending eight new satellites into preset orbits, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The mission marked the fifth flight of the Kuaizhou-11 rocket. The "Kuaizhou" series of small solid-propellant launch vehicles was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) and represents China's first small solid rocket capable of rapid integration and rapid orbital insertion, setting the country's fastest record for launch preparation. (3/16)
ispace Opens New Headquarters “Earth Base” in Tokyo (Source: ispace)
ispace, a global lunar exploration company, announced effective today its new headquarters location, “Earth Base” has opened in the central Nihonbashi section of Tokyo. The location in the heart of Tokyo is quickly becoming an ecosystem for space startups and space-focused companies and organizations. (3/9)
Nvidia Unveils AI Computing Module for Space-Based Data Centers (Source: Space News)
Nvidia is pushing its artificial-intelligence hardware beyond Earth, unveiling a computing module designed for space missions and potential orbital data centers. The Space-1 Vera Rubin Module is a specialized AI computing module engineered for satellites and potential orbital data centers, designed to operate in environments where size, weight, and power are constrained. (3/16)
Kayrros Sale Signals Rising Demand for Satellite Intelligence Amid Hormuz Crisis (Source: Space News)
Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have pushed interest in commercial geospatial intelligence services to unprecedented levels, an executive at Kayrros said after the French satellite analytics provider agreed to be acquired by U.K.-based Energy Aspects. (3/16)
Spanish MoD, Hisdesat Near Choice of Airbus To Replace Airbus-Built SpainSat NG2, Ask ITU to OK a 2030 Launch (Source: Space Intel Report)
The Spanish government and Spain’s Hisdesat satellite operator have tentatively selected Airbus Defence and Space to build the SpainSat NG3 UHF-, X- and military-Ka-band satellite to replace the Airbus-built NG2, which failed in orbit in November five weeks after launch. The failure occurred during SpainSat NG2’s orbit-raising maneuver on the way to its final geostationary position at 30 degrees west following what Airbus has concluded was a micrometeorite or other space particle. (3/16)
Swedish Military Advances Esrange Satellite Launch Site Plans with SSC Space (Source: Flight Global)
NATO member Sweden has signed an agreement paving the way for it to commence satellite launch services from late this decade. Announced by Stockholm’s FMV defense materiel administration on 16 March and valued at SKr209 million ($22.3 million), the pact with SSC Space will lead to the “establishment of satellite launch capability from the company’s Esrange Space Center”. “The capability will give the [Swedish] armed forces the capacity and availability to launch their own satellites into orbit,” the FMV says. (3/16)
Isaacman Plans Monthly Uncrewed Lunar Landings In 2027 (Source: Payload)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is going all in on building a Moon base, with initial plans kicking off next year. Isaacman is calling for monthly lunar lander missions to the South Pole starting in 2027, saying the only way to build a Moon base is with regular, frequent missions. Those missions will largely rely on the CLPS program framework, he said. “We are going to plus up for Moon base construction in a huge way,” said during an interview with Spaceflight Now that was released late Friday night. (3/16)
Egyptian Space Agency Launches Space Academy for Regional Capacity Building and Future Skills Development (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The Egyptian Space Agency has launched the Egyptian Space Academy, a specialized training entity dedicated to developing skills in future technologies, as part of its strategic role in supporting the localization of the space industry and strengthening human capacity in space science and technology in the region. The Space Academy's establishment builds upon the efforts undertaken by EgSA over the past years in capacity building and human capital development. (3/16)
Investing in Student Programs is Essential for America’s Lead in Space (Source: Space News)
The University of Illinois’ Space Entanglement and Annealing Quantum Experiment (SEAQUE) is a compelling success story in the global race to develop quantum communication networks in space. The experiment’s success was enabled by a novel collaboration approach across academia, industry and government. As such, SEAQUE is more than a physics experiment. It’s a demonstration of student-driven innovation, commercial collaboration, and American ingenuity at the edge of science that offers a model for how the United States can lead on crucial space-based quantum technologies. But that model could be at risk if not financially supported. (3/16)
Europe’s Space Future Depends on Smarter Funding Frameworks (Source: Spacewatch Global)
How should Europe evolve its space funding frameworks to remain competitive in a rapidly transforming global space economy? The industry is increasingly commercial, investment-driven, and globally competitive. The ability to translate innovation into scalable commercial activity will determine which regions lead the next phase of growth. This is where funding frameworks become decisive.
Too often, companies approach funding opportunities opportunistically—pursuing grants because they exist rather than because they align with a long-term growth trajectory. The most successful organizations tend to reverse that approach. They begin with a clear industrial roadmap, identify where technology risks must be reduced, and then strategically use funding mechanisms to support each phase—from research and development to demonstration, industrialization, and ultimately commercialization.
Funding is most effective when it serves as a catalyst for growth, not the driver of strategy itself. In the coming decade, Europe will need to focus more deliberately on funding mechanisms that enable companies to move beyond research and prototypes toward production, market expansion, and global competitiveness. (3/16)
Orbit Fab Enters New Growth Chapter Amidst Leadership Transition and $20 Million Raised (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Orbit Fab is entering a decisive stage in its evolution as it transitions from developing on-orbit refueling technology to large-scale commercialization, having successfully secured $20 million Series B funding, led by Stride Capital, to strengthen its capital foundation as it moves into its next phase of growth. Furthermore, the company's erstwhile CEO, Daniel Faber, has stepped down from his day-to-day responsibilities as Orbit Fab establishes an Executive Committee to ensure its stability and operational continuity. (3/16)
ESA Contracts OKAPI:Orbits, TU Braunschweig and DLR for Space-Air Traffic Integration (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The European Space Agency has awarded a contract to OKAPI:Orbits to lead a project that will bridge the gap between space traffic coordination and air traffic management, marking an important step toward integrated operations in an era of growing launch and re-entry activity. The contract is in collaboration with the Institute of Space Systems from Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) and the Institute of Flight Guidance from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
OKAPI:Orbits, TU Braunschweig, and DLR will jointly address several key challenges in integrating space and air traffic systems. This includes defining realistic operational scenarios for launches and re-entries, developing methods to quantify uncertainties, and creating tools that allow air traffic management to respond dynamically to space activities. Furthermore, the interface will support both nominal and off-nominal conditions, including controlled and uncontrolled re-entries, ensuring robust coordination across domains. (3/16)
Before the Lunar Economy, the Infrastructure That Must Exist on the Moon (Source: Space Geotech)
Most discussions about returning to the Moon focus on rockets, landers, and astronauts. These systems solve the transportation problem. They deliver payloads to the lunar surface, but they do not create an operating environment. Sustained activity on the Moon will depend on something far less visible: infrastructure interacting with the ground. Every landing, rover movement, excavation system, power plant, and habitat ultimately transfers loads to the lunar surface.
Yet the mechanical behavior of that surface under operational conditions remains largely unexplored. Before any lunar economy can emerge, the Moon will require a capability that is still missing today: the ability to prepare, stabilize, and build on the ground. Infrastructure begins when activities can repeat with predictable performance. It requires stable ground conditions, controlled operating zones, and systems designed to interact reliably with the surface. None of these elements currently exists on the Moon. Click here. (3/12)
Eutelsat has ended capacity leases on two Russian spacecraft after one failed in orbit and the other is set to relocate. Eutelsat had planned to lease capacity for at least three more years from Express-AT1 and Express-AT2, two Russian satellites in GEO, but Express-AT1 malfunctioned earlier this month. Eutelsat said it expected only a "low single-digit million" loss of revenue that would be offset by lower costs by terminating the leases. It allows Eutelsat to get out of contracts hit by Western sanctions and the structural decline in TV broadcasts. (3/16)
Iran War Driving Geospatial Demand (Source: Space News)
Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is driving demand for commercial geospatial intelligence services. The busy shipping corridor has become a contested maritime environment where governments, energy companies, insurers and militaries are trying to understand events as they unfold. One geospatial intelligence company, Danti, said the crisis is driving demand for tools that combine satellite imagery with other sources of intelligence, such as radio-frequency and other signals data and automatic identification system (AIS) ship tracking feeds. Danti says AI analysis of that data can help detect trends early. (3/16)
Starcloud Plans 88,000 Satellite Data Center Constellation (Source: Space News)
A startup has filed plans with the FCC for a constellation of up to 88,000 orbital data center satellites. The FCC accepted for filing Friday an application by Starcloud for that constellation, which would feature spacecraft operating in a series of low Earth orbits to provide computation for AI models and other services. The application provided few details about the satellites themselves, such as their size. Starcloud launched a smallsat last November with an Nvidia processor for testing AI models and is working on a second, commercial satellite for launch in 2027. The filing comes after SpaceX proposed in late January an orbital data center constellation of up to one million satellites. (3/16)
China Unveils Economical Lunar Transport (Source: Space News)
A Chinese state-owned space contractor has unveiled a concept for an "economical lunar cargo transport" system. At a conference exhibit last week, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology showed off plans for a family of cargo landers capable of delivering between 120 and 5,000 kilograms to the lunar surface. The tiered payload classes suggest a logistics architecture capable of supporting regular cargo deliveries to the lunar surface, suggesting a shift in China from single flagship lander missions. SAST has developed a prototype that has performed takeoff and landing tests. (3/16)
Sweden's First Astronaut Urges Filipino Students to Pursue STEM Careers (Source: Manila Bulletin)
For Dr. Christer Fuglesang, the first Swedish astronaut to travel to space, the journey began with something simple: curiosity. Speaking to students at De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila on March 14, Fuglesang encouraged young people to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, emphasizing that curiosity and passion for learning are often the first steps toward extraordinary opportunities. (3/16)
Hanwha Acquires KAI Stake After 7 Years, Accelerating 'Korean SpaceX' Ambitions (Source: Seoul Economic Daily)
Hanwha Group, South Korea's largest aerospace and defense conglomerate, has made a substantial investment in Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), signaling its commitment to the "Korean SpaceX" initiative that has drawn attention from both government and industry. According to Financial Supervisory Service disclosures on the 15th, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha's defense subsidiary, announced through its business report filed on the 13th that it purchased 566,635 common shares of KAI for 59.9 billion won. (3/16)
China's Kuaizhou-11 Y7 Rocket Launches 8 New Satellites (Source: Global Times)
China on Monday launched the Kuaizhou-11 Y7 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province, sending eight new satellites into preset orbits, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The mission marked the fifth flight of the Kuaizhou-11 rocket. The "Kuaizhou" series of small solid-propellant launch vehicles was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) and represents China's first small solid rocket capable of rapid integration and rapid orbital insertion, setting the country's fastest record for launch preparation. (3/16)
ispace Opens New Headquarters “Earth Base” in Tokyo (Source: ispace)
ispace, a global lunar exploration company, announced effective today its new headquarters location, “Earth Base” has opened in the central Nihonbashi section of Tokyo. The location in the heart of Tokyo is quickly becoming an ecosystem for space startups and space-focused companies and organizations. (3/9)
Nvidia Unveils AI Computing Module for Space-Based Data Centers (Source: Space News)
Nvidia is pushing its artificial-intelligence hardware beyond Earth, unveiling a computing module designed for space missions and potential orbital data centers. The Space-1 Vera Rubin Module is a specialized AI computing module engineered for satellites and potential orbital data centers, designed to operate in environments where size, weight, and power are constrained. (3/16)
Kayrros Sale Signals Rising Demand for Satellite Intelligence Amid Hormuz Crisis (Source: Space News)
Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have pushed interest in commercial geospatial intelligence services to unprecedented levels, an executive at Kayrros said after the French satellite analytics provider agreed to be acquired by U.K.-based Energy Aspects. (3/16)
Spanish MoD, Hisdesat Near Choice of Airbus To Replace Airbus-Built SpainSat NG2, Ask ITU to OK a 2030 Launch (Source: Space Intel Report)
The Spanish government and Spain’s Hisdesat satellite operator have tentatively selected Airbus Defence and Space to build the SpainSat NG3 UHF-, X- and military-Ka-band satellite to replace the Airbus-built NG2, which failed in orbit in November five weeks after launch. The failure occurred during SpainSat NG2’s orbit-raising maneuver on the way to its final geostationary position at 30 degrees west following what Airbus has concluded was a micrometeorite or other space particle. (3/16)
Swedish Military Advances Esrange Satellite Launch Site Plans with SSC Space (Source: Flight Global)
NATO member Sweden has signed an agreement paving the way for it to commence satellite launch services from late this decade. Announced by Stockholm’s FMV defense materiel administration on 16 March and valued at SKr209 million ($22.3 million), the pact with SSC Space will lead to the “establishment of satellite launch capability from the company’s Esrange Space Center”. “The capability will give the [Swedish] armed forces the capacity and availability to launch their own satellites into orbit,” the FMV says. (3/16)
Isaacman Plans Monthly Uncrewed Lunar Landings In 2027 (Source: Payload)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is going all in on building a Moon base, with initial plans kicking off next year. Isaacman is calling for monthly lunar lander missions to the South Pole starting in 2027, saying the only way to build a Moon base is with regular, frequent missions. Those missions will largely rely on the CLPS program framework, he said. “We are going to plus up for Moon base construction in a huge way,” said during an interview with Spaceflight Now that was released late Friday night. (3/16)
Egyptian Space Agency Launches Space Academy for Regional Capacity Building and Future Skills Development (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The Egyptian Space Agency has launched the Egyptian Space Academy, a specialized training entity dedicated to developing skills in future technologies, as part of its strategic role in supporting the localization of the space industry and strengthening human capacity in space science and technology in the region. The Space Academy's establishment builds upon the efforts undertaken by EgSA over the past years in capacity building and human capital development. (3/16)
Investing in Student Programs is Essential for America’s Lead in Space (Source: Space News)
The University of Illinois’ Space Entanglement and Annealing Quantum Experiment (SEAQUE) is a compelling success story in the global race to develop quantum communication networks in space. The experiment’s success was enabled by a novel collaboration approach across academia, industry and government. As such, SEAQUE is more than a physics experiment. It’s a demonstration of student-driven innovation, commercial collaboration, and American ingenuity at the edge of science that offers a model for how the United States can lead on crucial space-based quantum technologies. But that model could be at risk if not financially supported. (3/16)
Europe’s Space Future Depends on Smarter Funding Frameworks (Source: Spacewatch Global)
How should Europe evolve its space funding frameworks to remain competitive in a rapidly transforming global space economy? The industry is increasingly commercial, investment-driven, and globally competitive. The ability to translate innovation into scalable commercial activity will determine which regions lead the next phase of growth. This is where funding frameworks become decisive.
Too often, companies approach funding opportunities opportunistically—pursuing grants because they exist rather than because they align with a long-term growth trajectory. The most successful organizations tend to reverse that approach. They begin with a clear industrial roadmap, identify where technology risks must be reduced, and then strategically use funding mechanisms to support each phase—from research and development to demonstration, industrialization, and ultimately commercialization.
Funding is most effective when it serves as a catalyst for growth, not the driver of strategy itself. In the coming decade, Europe will need to focus more deliberately on funding mechanisms that enable companies to move beyond research and prototypes toward production, market expansion, and global competitiveness. (3/16)
Orbit Fab Enters New Growth Chapter Amidst Leadership Transition and $20 Million Raised (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Orbit Fab is entering a decisive stage in its evolution as it transitions from developing on-orbit refueling technology to large-scale commercialization, having successfully secured $20 million Series B funding, led by Stride Capital, to strengthen its capital foundation as it moves into its next phase of growth. Furthermore, the company's erstwhile CEO, Daniel Faber, has stepped down from his day-to-day responsibilities as Orbit Fab establishes an Executive Committee to ensure its stability and operational continuity. (3/16)
ESA Contracts OKAPI:Orbits, TU Braunschweig and DLR for Space-Air Traffic Integration (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The European Space Agency has awarded a contract to OKAPI:Orbits to lead a project that will bridge the gap between space traffic coordination and air traffic management, marking an important step toward integrated operations in an era of growing launch and re-entry activity. The contract is in collaboration with the Institute of Space Systems from Technische Universität Braunschweig (TU Braunschweig) and the Institute of Flight Guidance from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
OKAPI:Orbits, TU Braunschweig, and DLR will jointly address several key challenges in integrating space and air traffic systems. This includes defining realistic operational scenarios for launches and re-entries, developing methods to quantify uncertainties, and creating tools that allow air traffic management to respond dynamically to space activities. Furthermore, the interface will support both nominal and off-nominal conditions, including controlled and uncontrolled re-entries, ensuring robust coordination across domains. (3/16)
Before the Lunar Economy, the Infrastructure That Must Exist on the Moon (Source: Space Geotech)
Most discussions about returning to the Moon focus on rockets, landers, and astronauts. These systems solve the transportation problem. They deliver payloads to the lunar surface, but they do not create an operating environment. Sustained activity on the Moon will depend on something far less visible: infrastructure interacting with the ground. Every landing, rover movement, excavation system, power plant, and habitat ultimately transfers loads to the lunar surface.
Yet the mechanical behavior of that surface under operational conditions remains largely unexplored. Before any lunar economy can emerge, the Moon will require a capability that is still missing today: the ability to prepare, stabilize, and build on the ground. Infrastructure begins when activities can repeat with predictable performance. It requires stable ground conditions, controlled operating zones, and systems designed to interact reliably with the surface. None of these elements currently exists on the Moon. Click here. (3/12)
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