February 28, 2026

Orbital Warfare Unit Gets Live Satellite to Practice Maneuvers (Source: Air and Space Forces)
Guardians in the Space Force’s orbital warfare unit, Mission Delta 9, just got a significant upgrade to their training capabilities in the form of a live satellite, which they’ll use to practice precise, advanced offensive and defensive maneuvers for space warfighting. The satellite was launched Feb. 12 on the Space Force’s USSF-87 mission, which also featured a pair of spacecraft for another program the delta operates—the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program. Operators will be flying the satellite in ways specific to the orbital warfare mission that weren’t possible with previous on-orbit training assets. (2/26)

Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic Have Paused Flights. What's the Future for Suborbital Space Tourism? (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flew 122 people, not including repeat fliers or Virgin Galactic’s pilots. Then both companies stopped flying. Virgin Galactic, which flies from New Mexico, is building a new spacecraft that will carry more people and launch more frequently. Blue Origin is focusing on orbital missions that are more lucrative and relevant to NASA. And both companies are grappling with the economic realities of suborbital tourism, where they will likely need to launch hundreds of people a year to turn a profit and make their tickets affordable.

“We're very far from that,” said Phil Smith, a space industry analyst at BryceTech. “And after a while, wealthy people may move on to something else.” Not everyone has been willing to wait. Elizabeth Schneider, a 71-year-old who lives in Cape Canaveral, paid a $150,000 deposit in 2021. But she was getting nervous about losing her deposit if something happened to the company while it stopped flying. Schneider also paid a $1,000 deposit to fly to the edge of space on a high-altitude balloon with Space Perspective, but the company was liquidated and she did not get her money back.

Schneider owned a company, Galactic Medallion, that took tourists to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. She ultimately asked Virgin Galactic for her deposit back in late 2024 — $25,000 was not refundable. Meagan Crawford, managing partner of Houston-based venture capital firm SpaceFund, said Bezos would need “a compelling business reason” [to re-start tourism flights]. “New Shepard was a bit of a stunt to begin with,” Crawford said. “It was never going to be a money maker for Blue Origin. (2/27)

Virgin Galactic Wants to Make its Return This Year (Source: Space Explored)
The Delta vehicles are being engineered for faster turnaround times, greater durability, and scalable manufacturing. The company has constructed new manufacturing facilities in Arizona and continues subsystem testing with the goal of restarting commercial service in the fourth quarter of 2026.

This extended pause has been costly, but leadership appears committed to the long game. CEO Michael Colglazier remains in place, and company strategy has centered on transitioning from demonstration missions to repeatable operations.

Financially, Virgin Galactic remains in a precarious phase. Revenue fell sharply during the flight hiatus while research, development, and infrastructure spending continued. Analysts expect continued losses through 2026 as the company works toward reestablishing regular flights. (2/24)

Japan’s Space One Plans Sunday Launch for Kairos No. 3 Rocket (Source: Japan Times)
Space One said Friday that it would launch the No. 3 unit of its Kairos small rocket carrying artificial satellites on Sunday morning. The Tokyo-based space development startup canceled the initially scheduled launch on Wednesday, citing a forecast for unfavorable weather conditions. The Kairos No. 3 unit is set to lift off from the company’s Spaceport Kii launch site in the town of Kushimoto. The rocket will carry five satellites, including one developed by the Taiwan Space Agency. (2/27)

GPS Interference is a Growing Concern (Source: Ars Technica)
Recent high-profile examples of GPS interference include an incident in 2024 that resulted in a fatal airline crash, killing 38 people. The International Air Transport Association reported a 500 percent increase in GPS spoofing incidents in 2024. For these reasons, the Space Force is prioritizing the launch of new GPS satellites better equipped to repel all of this jamming and spoofing.

Currently, 26 of the 31 operational GPS satellites carry M-code capability, enough for global coverage with little margin. But just 19 of the 31 satellites broadcast the higher-power civilian L5 signal, which is more resistant to interference than the civilian signals onboard satellites launched before 2010. (2/26)

NASA Safety Panel Warns of “High Risk” for Artemis III (Source: Space Policy Online)
As NASA prepares to launch the Artemis II crew around the Moon in the very near future, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) is raising warning flags about the next flight in the queue, Artemis III. That’s the mission designed to land astronauts on the surface of the Moon for the first time since 1972, but ASAP warns the current plan is too risky.

In its annual report issued yesterday, ASAP left no doubt about the level of their concerns, many expressed in previous reports. Chief among them is the “ambitious timeline” for developing lunar spacesuits and the Human Landing System (HLS) to get astronauts down to and back from the Moon’s surface. Among other things, ASAP is concerned about the number of “firsts” needed for the mission to succeed. That includes the first operational use of the HLS version of SpaceX’s Starship, which requires in-space refueling, another first; first use of Axiom Space’s spacesuits. (2/26)

Vast and Axiom Awarded New Private Missions to ISS, Continue Work on Commercial Space Stations (Source: NSF)
With NASA awarding back-to-back Private Astronaut Missions to aerospace companies Vast Space and Axiom Space in early 2026, NASA continues to foster and accelerate growth in commercial low-Earth orbit. The new missions are expected to launch in 2027, with NASA and SpaceX partnering with the companies to train, launch, and return four-person crews to and from the International Space Station.

Axiom has already flown four missions to the Station. Axiom-4 launched in June 2025, with former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding the 18-day mission. Vast’s mission will be the company’s first and the first by a company other than Axiom. Alongside their Private Astronaut Missions (PAM), both companies are building their own commercial space stations, with Vast’s Haven-1 recently completing cleanroom integration ahead of a 2027 launch. The first module of Axiom’s station, which will be assembled at the International Space Station (ISS) and eventually undock to become its own free-flying space station, is anticipated to launch in 2027. (2/26)

Lockheed Martin Plans to Deploy 5 to 10 Kilowatt Nuclear Fission System for Lunar Base (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Lockheed Martin is focusing on developing Fission Surface Power (FSP) as the essential solution for enabling long-term human presence and industrial activity on the Moon. The company advocates for a flexible, scalable architecture. Starting with smaller 5–10 kW systems for initial operations reduces risk, while evolving to 25–50 kW or eventually 100 kW systems will support larger-scale commercial and industrial infrastructure. (2/26)

Ursa Major Unveils HAVOC Medium-Range Hypersonic Missile System Designed for Affordable, Scalable Production (Source: Defense Industry Europe)
Ursa Major has introduced the HAVOC Missile System, a medium-range hypersonic system whose core module can also be used for hypersonic targets and is engineered for rapid production and scalability.

The HAVOC missile system is powered by Ursa Major’s Draper engine, a safe, storable tactical liquid rocket engine designed to cost a fraction of airbreathing alternatives. The company said it achieves affordability through advanced additive manufacturing, innovative design and modern production processes. (2/25)

GAMMA-H Cuts Hypersonic Propulsion Component Build Time Tenfold (Source: Interesting Engineering)
The Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) initiative seeks to develop a prototype manufacturing solution. According to L3Harris Technologies, the program has focused on identifying materials, equipment, and scalable processes that can produce propulsion systems at higher rates and lower costs. “Under GAMMA-H, we have been identifying materials, equipment, and processes capable of building these propulsion systems at scale,” said Scott Alexander, President, Missile Propulsion, Missile Solutions, L3Harris. (2/24)

China’s LandSpace Plans More Recovery Test Launches of Its Zhuque-3 Reusable Rocket in Q2 of 2026 (Source: Global Times)
Chinese private space company LandSpace confirmed with the Global Times on Wednesday that it plans to conduct another recovery test of its Zhuque-3 reusable rocket in the second quarter of this year. LandSpace has drawn growing public attention for its technological advances. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the company successfully launched the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket on December 3. The rocket's second stage managed to enter the designated orbit, but recovery of its first stage failed. (2/25)

Nuclear Startups Bullish on Hitting US Pilot Program Deadline (Source: Reuters)
Following an executive order in May 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) launched an accelerated Reactor Pilot Program under which 10 nuclear developers were selected: Aalo Atomics, Antares Nuclear, Atomic Alchemy, Deep Fission, Last Energy, Oklo, Natura Resources, Radiant Energy, Terrestrial Energy and Valar Atomics. Construction of the pilot projects is following an accelerated timeline as the qualifying developers are exempted from securing permits from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The permitting is a lengthy and costly process. DOE has the authority to eliminate or expedite "environmental reviews for authorizations, permits, approvals, leases, and any other activity requested" by participating companies. The executive order called for at least three test reactors to achieve criticality, the point of a self-sustaining chain reaction, by July 4, 2026.

Editor's Note: I wonder if this special exemption empowerment at DOE might be applied to the time-critical development of a nuclear microreactor processing facility at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (2/24)

How Russia is Intercepting Communications From European Satellites (Source: The Conversation)
Officials recently sounded the alarm over Russia intercepting communications from European satellites. But this isn’t a new problem. Ever since the initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, two Russian satellites have been secretly stalking European spacecraft. They have been maneuvering close enough to raise concerns about more than mere observation.

In 2018, the French defense minister accused Russia of espionage after one of these vehicles was spotted in the vicinity of a Franco-Italian military communications satellite. Two Intelsat satellites were similarly targeted before that. An Australian company called HEO recently flew by a classified Chinese satellite to uncover its technical features. In theory, information like this could be used in the future to disrupt the functioning of satellites.

However, the Russian satellites have often shadowed the same spacecraft for months, occasionally approaching within five kilometers of their targets. This does not fit the mission profile of satellite inspection, which would involve merely passing by a target, taking pictures and quickly moving on to another trajectory. (2/25)

A Culture Reset at NASA is Underway. Will it Stick This Time? (Source: FNN)
Two decades ago, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin observed that the space agency has become too dependent on outside contractors. He said over the last few decades, NASA hollowed out some of the skills the agency needs in-house to oversee and evaluate programs. Griffin was not the first, nor the last, to express these concerns. Over the last 20-plus years, lawmakers, NASA leaders and others have tried and tried again to address workforce challenges, including when NASA kicked off its Vision 2040 project in 2018.

Now it’s NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s turn to pave over this well-known ground. But observers say for Isaacman’s plans to refocus and reinvigorate NASA’s workforce to be different, he has to overcome some stiff cultural barriers that hamstrung, and eventually choked off, previous efforts.

“What Isaacman is trying to do is a culture reset,” said Mary Davie, a former deputy associate administrator for mission support directorate who retired in 2023 after 35 years of government service. “When he talks about things like mission-driven intensity and bias toward action, he’s probably discovered there is a lot of governance and oversight, that decisions take a long time, and it feels like every executive in the agency is involved in every decision.” (2/24)

Space Lasers Reveal Oceans Rising Faster Than Ever (Source: Science Daily)
A new 30-year analysis reveals that melting land ice is now the main force behind rising global sea levels. Researchers discovered that oceans rose about 90 millimeters since 1993, with most of the increase coming from added water mass rather than just warming expansion. Ice loss from Greenland and mountain glaciers accounts for the vast majority of this gain. Even more concerning, the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. (2/24)

SpaceX's Cellular Starlink Aims for Speeds That Reach 150Mbps Per User (Source: PC Mag)
SpaceX this week offered more details on its plan to deliver 5G connectivity with its next-generation cellular Starlink service for mobile phones. “We are aiming at peak speeds of 150Mbps per user,” SpaceX satellite policy lead Udrivolf Pica said at the International Telecommunication Union's Space Connect conference. “So something incredible if you think about the link budgets from space to the mobile phone.” (2/24)

NASA Study Finds Ancient Life Could Survive 50 Million Years in Martian Ice (Source: Science Daily)
Future missions to Mars may want to dig into ice rather than rock. Scientists say ancient microbes, or traces of them, could be locked inside Martian ice deposits, preserved for tens of millions of years.

Researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State recreated Mars like conditions in the laboratory to test that idea. They found that pieces of amino acids from E. coli bacteria, if trapped in Martian permafrost or ice caps, could survive more than 50 million years even under constant cosmic radiation. The findings, published in Astrobiology, suggest that missions searching for life on Mars should prioritize pure ice or ice rich permafrost instead of focusing mainly on rocks, clay, or soil. (2/25)

FAA Awarded for Space Safety Operations, Supported 1100 License/Permit Actions (Source: FAA)
The international Civil Air Navigation Services Organization presented its Global Safety Achievement Award to the FAA Air Traffic Organization Space Operations group for its collaboration with Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) to reduce aviation risk during space launch and reentry activities.

In February, the FAA reached another milestone with its 1,100th FAA-licensed or permitted commercial space operation. It took from 1989 to August 2025 to reach 1,000-- more than 35 years. With 100 operations in just the past six months, the next 1,000 will come considerably quicker. No public injuries or fatalities have occurred during any FAA commercial space launch and reentry operation. (2/27)

Space Force Readying Launch Of AFRL Cislunar SSA Satellite (Source: Aviation Week)
A new U.S. military satellite built to track objects in cislunar space could fly by the end of 2026. But the U.S. Space Force is reviewing the launch schedule as the mission was slated to launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket. (2/27)

Space Command Offering Bonuses to Staffers Who Make the Move to Alabama (Source: Air and Space Forces)
U.S. Space Command will offer “significant relocation bonuses” to its civilians who choose to move to the command’s new home in Huntsville, Ala., after President Donald Trump ordered the headquarters to relocate last September. Space Command is currently located in Colorado Springs, Colo. President Donald Trump selected Huntsville as the permanent headquarters, reversing the decision by former President Joe Biden to keep the command in Colorado. (2/24)

ESA Phi-Lab Ireland Launches to Drive Space Tech Innovation (Source: ESA)
Irish ambitions to grow its space manufacturing ecosystems have taken a major step forward today with the launch of the European Space Agency Phi-Lab Ireland, a facility that transforms cutting-edge research into commercial technologies. ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, headquartered at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) in Mullingar and run in collaboration with the AMBER Centre at Trinity College Dublin, enables firms to mature technologies in response to market needs, bolstering the country’s position in the fast-growing European space economy. (2/13)

Switzerland Bill Would Strengthen Space Industry (Source: BAFU)
The draft of a federal act on space operations has been approved for submission to Parliament. The proposed legislation is intended to enable players in Switzerland to exploit technological and economic opportunities in space. It also sends a signal that Switzerland is a forward-looking and responsible space nation. It will regulate the requirements for the operation of Swiss satellites in space for the first time.

The Federal Council wants all space operations to be authorized, supervised and compliant with international standards. The proposed act will also address liability issues and establish a national register for space objects. The Confederation thereby contributes to the safe, responsible and sustainable use of outer space. A clear legal framework in Switzerland will facilitate private investment in this rapidly growing sector, thereby boosting the international competitiveness of Swiss players. (2/25)

Report Highlights Challenges in NASA's Commercial Shift (Source: Military and Aerospace Electronics)
NASA's transition from government-owned systems to commercial human spaceflight is under scrutiny as the agency prepares to shift from the International Space Station to privately operated low-Earth orbit destinations. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel's 2025 report highlights that while NASA has made progress, its current commercial transition strategy remains undefined and aspirational. (2/27)

New Hypersonic Missiles Unveiled for Fighter Planes, Ground Systems (Source: Defense News)
The U.S. will soon have the ability to deploy a new type of hypersonic missile that can be shot from fighter planes, bombers, ground-based launchers — and can even be fired from space. Ursa Major, a Colorado-based defense manufacturer, debuted the HAVOC missile system on Tuesday. (2/25)

Pratt & Whitney Plans $200M Expansion of Georgia Facility (Source: Flying)
Aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney will spend $200 million to grow its manufacturing sites in Columbus, Georgia, a move intended to increase production of critical parts. The company will add a seventh isothermal forging press at its Columbus Forge facility. The press, expected to become operational by 2028, will boost output of components such as rotating compressor and turbine disks by 30 percent to support GTF, F135, and other engine programs, officials said. (2/25)

Artemis 2 Mission Shouldn't Launch Until Late 2026, Analysis of Solar Superflares Suggests (Source: Space.com)
Powerful solar superflares, which can generate geomagnetic storms and disrupt radio communications and GPS, damage satellites and endanger astronauts and even airline passengers, just got a lot easier to predict, thanks to a new formula that's based on half a century of X-ray observations of the sun. The new findings could have immediate real-world implications. NASA's Artemis 2 astronaut mission around the moon has been pushed back to the beginning of April at the earliest to address issues with its rocket, but Victor M. Velasco Herrera of the National Autonomous University of Mexico thinks that it should be delayed even longer. "Given how active the sun is right now, our forecasts suggest that delaying the launch until the end of 2026 may be a much safer decision," Velasco Herrera said, (2/27)

Rocket Lab Acquires OSI for  Strengthening National Security Payload Capability (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has completed the acquisition of Optical Support, Inc. (OSI), a leader in the design, engineering, and manufacture of optical and optomechanical instruments. OSI’s advanced lenses and optomechanical systems are critical enablers for national security and commercial satellites, and are key subsystems used in Rocket Lab Optical Systems’ high-performance payloads for space protection, space domain awareness, missile warning, tracking and defense. OSI delivers end-to-end solutions from concept design and prototyping to full-scale production including CNC machining, optical alignment, cleanroom assembly, and testing. The transaction further cements Rocket Lab’s position as a disruptive vertically integrated prime contractor, (2/27)

ESA Eyes Full Hydrogen Peroxide Engine Demonstration (Source: Aviation Week)
ESA and ArianeGroup are looking to advance work on a hydrogen peroxide and ethanol rocket engine that would be more sustainable than those using current propellants. ArianeGroup said the next step for the so-called Greta program is a full engine demonstration, due in 2027. The project aims to develop a 5-kN-thrust-class engine that can be restarted. The next phase follows a series of tests last year of Greta, during which the engine ran for more than 40 sec. and demonstrated controlled shutdowns.

The kind of engine being developed under Greta could be used on lunar landers or serve as kick stage, such as the Astris, which is in development for Ariane 6. Astris is supposed to provide an Ariane 6 orbital transfer vehicle capable of month-long missions that can be used for in-orbit servicing. It is due to fly in about three years. (2/27)

Hutcherson to Lead NASA Commercial Crew Program (Source: NASA)
NASA has named a new manager of its commercial crew program. NASA said Thursday that Dana Hutcherson, deputy manager for the commercial crew program, will take over as manager effective immediately. She replaces Steve Stich, who had managed the program for the last several years. The announcement came a day after Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for space operations, which includes commercial crew, announced his retirement. Last week, NASA released a report about the Starliner crewed test flight that identified both technical and organizational failings. (2/27)

Rocket Lab Delays Neutron Debut to 2027 (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab is pushing back the first launch of its Neutron rocket to late this year. The company said in an earnings call Thursday that the rupture of a propellant tank during testing last month will delay the first flight of the rocket to at least the fourth quarter of the year. Rocket Lab said a manufacturing defect in the composite tank caused it to rupture during a hydrostatic pressure test, noting that the company had expected the tank to pass the tests.

The company is producing a replacement tank using a new automated system rather than the hand-laid process used for the first tank, and is also making minor design changes to the tank. Before the test failure Rocket Lab expected to have the first vehicle on the pad this quarter but had not set a launch date. Rocket Lab added in the call that it continues to see strong demand for its Electron small launch vehicle, including a contract with BlackSky for four launches. (2/27)

Virgin Media Offers Starlink-Enabled Satellite-to-Smartphone Connectivity (Source: Space News)
British mobile operator Virgin Media O2 said it started offering satellite-to-smartphone connectivity in the United Kingdom using Starlink. The service, initially limited to subscribers who have Samsung Galaxy devices, provides messaging and voice services as well as access to some apps. Virgin Media O2, owned by Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, said the space-enabled service expands its U.K. landmass coverage from 89% to 95%, adding an area roughly two-thirds the size of Wales. The operator secured regulatory approval for the direct-to-device service earlier this month after British regulator Ofcom published rules to enable such services. (2/27)

Space Force Open to Guardian Astronauts (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is keeping the door open to flying guardians in space. At the Air & Space Forces Association's Warfare Symposium, senior officials said they could not rule out deploying personnel in space at some future time. That could include flying Space Force personnel on future commercial space stations. The Space Force maintains a liaison program with NASA so guardians can gain experience in the planning and ground operations side of human spaceflight. (2/27)

TSS to Host Year-Long Chinese Astronaut Stay, Pakistani Visit (Source: Space News)
A Chinese astronaut will spend a year in space on the Tiangong space station to allow a flight by a Pakistani astronaut. Chinese officials said Friday that one astronaut from the upcoming Shenzhou-23 mission will spend a year in space to gain data on human health and performance over an extended spaceflight. That would appear to allow China to fly a Pakistani astronaut on the Shenzhou-24 mission late this year, with that astronaut returning days later on Shenzhou-23. Together, the one-year mission and international astronaut plans indicate a shift in China's operational practices and reinforce earlier statements on long-duration missions and international cooperation through Tiangong. (2/27)

SpaceX Launches Friday Starlink Mission at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Another day means another Starlink launch. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Friday morning, carrying 29 Starlink satellites. It was the third launch of Starlink satellites from Florida and California in the last 72 hours. (2/27)

Dragon Capsule Splashes Down Off California Coast (Source: NASA)
A Dragon cargo spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station Thursday. The CRS-33 Dragon undocked from the station at 12:05 p.m. Eastern, splashing down off the California coast at 2:44 a.m. Eastern Friday. The Dragon, which had been at the station for six months, returned with science experiments and hardware. (2/27)

Infinite Orbits Expands into Luxembourg, Acquiring LMO to its Expand European Footprint (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Infinite Orbits has acquired LMO’s Luxembourg-based operations, a specialist in autonomous space systems. The acquisition establishes Infinite Orbits’ operational presence in Luxembourg, reinforcing its European footprint after the expansion of its team in France and in Spain. Acquiring LMO will subsequently strengthen Infinite Orbits’ ‘Orbit Guard’ geostationary surveillance microsatellite’s capacity. (2/27)

February 27, 2026

Space Coast Firm Signs to Pursue Spaceport Development in Dominican Republic (Source: LOD)
Launch On Demand's LOD Holdings, a development arm specializing in the planning, financing, and execution of spaceport projects worldwide, has signed an agreement with the government of the Dominican Republic to develop a commercial spaceport near Oviedo in the province of Pedernales.

This initiative began a few years ago with a simple question from the nation's leadership: how can the Dominican Republic leverage the space domain to strengthen its future? Since then, our team has spent time here meeting local leaders, developers, and students. What stands out most is not just the scale of the project, but what it represents for the next generation of Dominicans. The project was announced by the nation's president in his state of the republic address and follows a detailed technical feasibility study. (2/27)

The Fastest Way to Fail an Orbital Program Is to Skip Suborbital (Source: EXOS Aerospace)
Orbital programs fail for many reasons. Not just launch vehicles - but avionics, guidance and navigation systems, payload deployment mechanisms, thermal protection, communications, and mission sequencing. And one of the most preventable failure modes is this: Teams attempt full orbital missions before their systems have experienced real flight. Click here. (2/27)

Isaacman to Shifts SLS and Artemis Architecture for Increased Cadence, Lower Costs (Source: NASA)
NASA has revised its plans for future Artemis missions. A new mission, designated Artemis 3, will dock with lunar landers from Blue Origin and/or SpaceX in low Earth orbit in 2027. The first crewed landing attempt on the moon is now planned for Artemis 4 in early 2028, with a possible second landing on Artemis 5 in late 2028. As part of those changes, NASA said it is abandoning plans to upgrade the Space Launch System after Artemis 3.

"The way forward is to start now by standardizing the SLS to a near-common Block 1 configuration and maintain this architecture across future missions," Jared Isaacman wrote in an agency-wide email Friday. "This approach will reduce cost, improve safety, and allow for an increased launch cadence, which is essential to returning NASA astronauts to the Moon." (2/27)

Blue Origin Snags Former SpaceX Site for Latest Space Coast Expansion (Sources: Orlando Business Journal, SPACErePORT)
Blue Origin expands its aerospace operations in Florida with a $11.5 million land purchase. Blue Origin Manufacturing LLC purchased 20 acres at 850 Cidco Rd. in Cocoa for $11.5 million on Feb. 17, according to a deed posted to Brevard County records. The site was formerly used by SpaceX to develop prototype designs for its Starship launch system, before the establishment of Starbase manufacturing and launch operations in Texas. (2/27)

SLS Block 1 Freeze Will Impact Boeing, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Others (Source: SPACErePORT)
NASA's plan to halt major SLS upgrades beyond the Block 1 configuration would impact a significant collection of prime contractors, their subcontractors, and suppliers. Boeing, of course, is the lead contractor for the Exploration Upper Stage, but it's unclear whether this element will continue. Northrop Grumman's advanced solid rocket boosters would be canceled. L3Harris' upgraded RS-25 engines would be canceled. Leidos' development of a new Universal Stage Adapter may be scrapped.

As for spaceport infrastructure, work by Bechtel and others on a new mobile launch platform (ML2) may soon be canceled ; LC-39B cryogenic upgrades by BRPH, Jacobs and others may be canceled; and in the VAB's High Bay 3, modifications led by Hensel Phelps, RS&H, and others may be canceled. (2/27)

Private Space Station Developers Advocate for Multiple Pathways to Secure NASA Approval (Source: Aerospace America)
As NASA mulls the acquisition strategy for the next phase of its commercial space station program, executives from several of the developers urged an approach that offers flexibility for demonstrating they can meet the agency’s requirements. Each of the four companies represented on the panel are employing a slightly different approach to orbiting their stations by 2030, the target date NASA has set for retiring the International Space Station. (2/26)

NIH Releases Update on ISS Tissue Chips Research (Source: Upward)
Six research projects were selected through a joint solicitation from the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the Tissue Chips in Space 2.0 initiative. The ISS National Lab first began collaborating with NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) on tissue chips in space nearly a decade ago. (2/26)

UKAEA to Help Pulsar Fusion with Shielding for Nuclear Propulsion System (Source: European Spaceflight)
UK-based in-orbit propulsion systems provider Pulsar Fusion has announced that the UK Atomic Energy Authority will assist the company with the development of neutron shielding and activation modelling for its Sunbird Migratory Transfer Vehicle. (2/26)

AIA Plans Recommendations for Resilient Space Supply Chain (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Aerospace Industries Association is studying the space sector supply chain via discussions with AIA members amid a global rush for satellites and launch capacity for both commercial and defense functions. AIA's Jordan Tomaszewski has characterized the current cycle as "the year of the supply chain." Based on the current discussion AIA plans to issue recommendations for strengthening the space supply chain. (2/25)

L3Harris Overhauls Space Force Telescope in Australia (Source: Defense Post)
L3Harris Technologies, is leading a significant update of the primary mirror of the US Space Force's Space Surveillance Telescope in Australia. The project, which included enhancements to mirrors, extends the telescope's operational life and improves its performance in tracking objects in geostationary orbit. The telescope is crucial to the US-Australia space situational awareness partnership. (2/26)

Four Scottish Space Companies (Source: Space Scotland)
Space Scotland, the industry group that unites, supports, and promotes the rapidly growing Scottish space sector, has announced the winners of the Pivot into Space program. The Scotland-wide initiative is designed to help companies prepare for selling into the growing space supply chain by adapting and scaling their technologies. The program, part-funded by the UK Space Agency (UKSA), helps organizations from advanced manufacturing, robotics, photonics, life sciences and other adjacent sectors to develop space-ready technologies, unlock new commercial opportunities, and strengthen the UK and Scotland's space capabilities.

The four winners are: CEXAL based in Edinburgh, specializing in Biotechnology; LumiAIres based in Glasgow, specializing in Photonic AI Processors; PowerPhotonic, based in Dunfermline, specializing in Advanced Manufacturing; and Thistle Design, based in Loanhead, specializing in Electronics Manufacturing. Each company will deliver a sprint R&D project, supported by grants of up to £25,000, covering 50–70% of project costs. Projects commenced in January and will be completed by 23 March 2026, ensuring rapid progression from concept to commercial opportunity. (2/27)

BlackSky Reports Mixed Financial Results (Source: Via Satellite)
BlackSky’s 2025 financial performance was a mixed bag, with an increase in fourth quarter revenue and a 32% increase in backlog, despite an increase in the company’s net loss and a second consecutive year of contracting growth. BlackSky posted $106.6 million in full year revenue in 2025, a 4.4% year-over-year increase from 2024. It marks a second year of sliding YoY growth, after 8% growth in 2024 and 45% growth in 2023. (2/26)

Redwire Emphasizes Defense Pivot and Maturing Capabilities in 2025 Results (Source: Via Satellite)
Jacksonville FL-based Redwire grew revenue by 10.3% in 2025, which the company attributed to its business maturing and capabilities advancing from development into production. In its fourth quarter 2025 results released Wednesday, Redwire reported $335.4 million full year revenue. The fourth quarter in particular had 56% year-over-year growth to $108.8 million in revenue. (2/26)

Canada’s NordSpace Opens VC Arm for Sovereign Space Investments (Source: Payload)
While NordSpace is working on building a Canadian sovereign launch capability, it’s also establishing a small VC business to invest in strategic partners. The company has launched NordSpace Ventures, which will make investments in “Canadian space, defense, and dual-use technologies”. “This was the fastest way to have a direct interest in, and impact on, Canadian companies that are intertwined with NordSpace’s own future,” a spokesperson said. (2/26)

Phantom Space Reclaims Former Vector Launch Technology (Sources: Space News, SPACErePORT)
Remnants of Vector Launch have made it back to one of its original architects after Phantom Space bought launch assets that were sold off in 2020 during the small rocket developer’s bankruptcy. Both Vector and Phantom were founded by Jim Cantrell, an early SpaceX rocketeer. The assets had been purchased post-bankruptcy by TLS Bidco for just over $1 million, with plans to restart the company. The newly reacquired IP and assets will help Phantom speed up development of its Daytona rocket.

After raising tens of millions of dollars for its launch vehicle and GalacticSky satellite operations software, and failing to fulfill an Air Force launch contract, Vector filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Along the way, Vector sued Lockheed Martin for GalacticSky patent infringement, and after losing the legal battle ended up selling GalacticSky to Lockheed in 2020. Cantrell also alleged he was wrongfully terminated from Vector in 2019. Following Vector's bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee sued Cantrell, alleging he had "systematically looted" Vector for personal gain. (2/26)

Sierra Space Names Dan Jablonsky CEO (Source: Space News)
Sierra Space announced that longtime defense executive Dan Jablonsky has been appointed chief executive officer, effective March 2. He previously led rocket engine maker Ursa Major. Also effective March 2, according to a Feb. 20 announcement, Jablonsky will join the board of directors at BWX Technologies. (2/26)

BWXT Expands on Space Coast (Source: Investing.com)
BWX Technologies, Inc. announced the opening of a new Digital Center in Melbourne, Florida. This 11,600-square-foot facility will be pivotal for the company’s digital transformation, focusing on smart operations, AI, automation, and cybersecurity. Additionally, BWXT has inaugurated its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, aimed at enhancing U.S. uranium enrichment capabilities for national security. (2/20)

China's Asteroid Mission On Track (Source: Space News)
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft is operating normally on its way to a near-Earth asteroid later this year. The spacecraft, launched last May, is scheduled to arrive later this year at the asteroid 469219 Kamo'oalewa. It will collect samples of the asteroid and return them to Earth by November 2027, a Chinese official said in a presentation to the United Nations' Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space earlier this month. After returning the samples to Earth, Tianwen-2 will use Earth's gravity to send it on a course for main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving in 2034. (2/26)

Space Force Pauses Use of ULA Vulcan Pending Anomaly Investigation (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is pausing use of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket after an anomaly on a launch earlier this month. The service said Wednesday that it will not fly national security missions on Vulcan while an investigation continues into the USSF-87 launch Feb. 12, when ULA reported an "observation" with one of the rocket's strap-on boosters. The incident was similar to one on Vulcan's second flight in October 2024, when a nozzle on one of the solid boosters came off in flight. A halt in national security launches is a setback for ULA as it seeks to increase Vulcan's flight rate and establish a steady operational tempo. The company recently projected 18 to 22 launches this year. (2/26)

Bowersox Retiring From NASA (Source: Space News)
A top NASA official is retiring from the agency. Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations, said at the end of a speech at the ASCENDxTexas conference Wednesday that he would be retiring. He did not give a reason for the retirement or a timeframe, but suggested it would be imminent. Bowersox leads NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, responsible for the International Space Station, commercial crew and other programs. His announcement came less than a week after NASA released an independent report in the 2024 Starliner crewed test flight that identified problems with how NASA managed the issue. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said when the report was released that "there will be leadership accountability" but didn't elaborate. (2/26)

Seraphim Exceeds $100M Fundraise for Venture Fund (Source: Space News)
Seraphim Space announced Feb. 25 it has completed fundraising for its second private early-stage venture fund. The British firm declined to disclose the fund's final size but said it exceeded a goal of $100 million. New investors include Saudi satellite operator Arabsat and the U.K. government-backed British Business Bank and National Security Strategic Investment Fund. They join existing strategic partners that include Eutelsat, SKY Perfect JSAT and Japanese technology company NEC. The new fund, named Seraphim Space Ventures II, has already invested in startups such as small geostationary satellite maker AscendArc and Hubble Networks, which is developing a constellation to connect Bluetooth devices. (2/26)

Golden Dome Will Require Unprecedented Command Coordination (Source: Space News)
The Golden Dome missile defense initiative will require unprecedented coordination among existing combatant commands. Leaders of U.S. Northern Command, Space Command and Strategic Command said they are part of an executive council supporting Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Golden Dome program manager. Golden Dome will have a significant space component, while Northern Command is responsible for defending the U.S. and Canada from attack and Strategic Command has global missile defense responsibilities. The leaders of the three organizations said Guetlein has been a "fantastic partner" in developing requirements for Golden Dome that could help accelerate deployment of the system. (2/26)

Starlink Mission Launches From Vandenberg on Wednesday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
A California launch placed more Starlink satellites into orbit Wednesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, deploying 25 Starlink satellites. With this mission SpaceX has launched more than 500 Starlink satellites this year. (2/26)

SLS Rolled Back to VAB for Helium System Repair (Source: CBS)
Artemis 2 is back in the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. NASA rolled back the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B Wednesday, taking more than 10 hours to complete the trip. Once back in the VAB, engineers will examine a problem with the helium pressurization system in the rocket's upper stage. There are several potential causes for the problem, and NASA has not estimated how long the repairs might take. NASA will also replace batteries in the rocket. The next available launch window for the Artemis 2 mission is in early April. (2/26)

Houston Hopes to Host IAC 2029 (Source: AIAA)
Houston is bidding to host a major space conference in 2029. AIAA announced Wednesday its intent to bid on the 2029 International Astronautical Congress, one of the largest space conferences worldwide. AIAA said it is working with local organizations to host the conference, timed to the 60th anniversary of Apollo 11. Organizers hope to break the IAC attendance record of 12,000 set in 2024 in Milan, adding it has received more than 160 letters of support from agencies and organizations. The International Astronautical Federation will select the site of the 2029 conference at the 2026 IAC in Turkey in October. (2/26)

Airbus and Leonardo Report Increased Space Revenues for 2025 (Source: Space News)
Airbus Defense and Space and Leonardo reported increased 2025 revenues in their space divisions, following a challenging 2024. Airbus saw an 11% revenue rise to €13.4 billion ($14.5 billion), while Leonardo's Space division exceeded €1 billion in revenue, also up roughly 11%. Both are in talks to merge space assets with Thales. (2/26)

NASA Reveals Mars Orbiter Objectives (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA released a “pre-solicitation” for what is expected to be a hotly contested contract to develop a spacecraft to orbit Mars and relay communications from the red planet back to Earth. US Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX, supported $700 million for NASA to develop the orbiter and specified the funding had to be awarded “not later than fiscal year 2026,” which ends Sep. 30, 2026. This legislation was seemingly crafted by Cruz’s office to favor a single contractor, Rocket Lab. However, multiple sources say it was poorly written and therefore the competition is more open than intended. Click here. (2/26)

Sorry SpaceX: It’s Getting Too Crowded Up There (Source: New York Times)
SpaceX, recently asked the U.S. government for permission to launch one million satellites. The idea is to put solar-powered data centers into orbit, an ambition shared by other tech giants. But Earth orbit is already packed with spacecraft and space junk. And greenhouse gas emissions are affecting the upper atmosphere in ways that could significantly increase the clutter in space. By the end of the century, half as many satellites might safely fit in Earth orbit, researchers have found. (2/26)

CesiumAstro Announces Acquisition of Vidrovr (Source: Business Wire)
CesiumAstro announced the acquisition of Vidrovr, an artificial intelligence (AI) company specializing in real-time multimodal signal analysis. The acquisition accelerates CesiumAstro’s strategy to embed AI directly into space telecommunications and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) infrastructure. (2/26)

Old Apollo Rocks Shed New Light on the Moon’s Magnetic Field (Source: AP)
Lunar rocks collected by Apollo astronauts more than half a century ago are providing a fresh take on the moon’s mysterious magnetic field, scientists reported Wednesday. Samples to be retrieved by future moonwalkers in NASA’s new Artemis program should yield even more clues. The study suggests that while the moon’s magnetic field has been weak during most of its existence, it strengthened and even exceeded Earth’s magnetic activity during extremely brief periods 3 billion to 4 billion years ago. (2/25)

Congress to Weigh Extending Space Station Life, NASA Moon Base (Source: Reuters)
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation next week will consider extending the planned life of the ISS by two years to give companies more time to develop a replacement, one of a few changes to a NASA bill focused on rivaling China's growing footprint in space. The bill would also require that NASA build a base on the moon's surface as part of its Artemis program. (2/25)

Space ISAC Launches New Quantum Initiative (Source: Via Satellite)
The issue of quantum computing is becoming more important in the space cybersecurity community, and Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) is now launching a new initiative in this area. It is announcing its first Quantum Community of Interest (COI) meeting this year with co-host MITRE. Space ISAC, through the Quantum COI and other initiatives aims to lead in the development of awareness of quantum sciences, sensing, security, and education of the COI membership. (2/25)

February 26, 2026

Pay to Play: Isaacman Donated Millions to Trump Super PAC (Sources: Douglas Messier, USA Today)
Jared Isaacman contributed $2 million to President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. political action committee (PAC) after the president withdrew his nomination to serve as NASA administrator in May and before the nomination was revived in November, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Isaacman had previously supported candidates from both political parties from 2010 through 2024. However, his donations to Democrats were 31 percent higher than his contributions to Republicans during that 14-year period. [For Trump's second nomination of Isaacman] the rationale hadn’t changed at all. But, the bank accounts of Republican PACs had gotten fatter.

The FEC has allowed the use of such PAC funds for certain legal defenses. MAGA Inc. has historically transferred millions of dollars to Save America, which then uses those funds to pay for Trump's personal legal expenses. (2/26)

SpaceX's Nascent Monopoly Faces Durability Test (Source: Reuters)
Investing in an Elon Musk company is less a bet on financial outperformance than a statement of faith in his vision for the future. SpaceX plans to launch one million satellites that will serve as distributed cloud servers in space. These orbital data centers will supposedly harness the power of the sun to process artificial-intelligence workloads. To make it happen, Musk thinks, he may need a satellite factory on the moon. He’ll undoubtedly need plenty of cash – which is where a potential SpaceX initial public offering comes in.

Starlink, its satellite broadband unit, accounted for 50% to 80% of total revenue. The implied group margin of roughly 50% is impressive for what is in large part a broadband supplier with 10 million subscribers. With a potential $1 trillion valuation, it might look like the company is preparing to capture a hefty share of the global telecom market in short order. But the reality is that satellite connectivity is a complement to conventional networks – not a replacement for them. Most consumers in developed markets will find that a fixed-line broadband connection meets their needs at home, while 4G and 5G are readily available on-the-go. Demand for satellite services comes from people and places that telecom companies otherwise struggle to reach.

This isn’t a tiny market, but it will get crowded. Amazon recently got the greenlight to add around 4,500 more satellites to its planned constellation – taking the total to just under 8,000. Some 200 satellites have been launched so far, with the full fleet due to be in service by 2029. China, meanwhile, is developing two low-earth-orbit networks of its own: one for government and security uses and another aimed at international customers, with tens of thousands of planned satellites in total. Though SpaceX will list with an effective monopoly in satellite communications, its deep-pocketed rivals are catching up. (2/26)

Golden Dome Funding Details Hit the Public Record (Source: Mach 33)
An unclassified Pentagon allocation plan identifies $151 billion in reconciliation funding, with $24.4B+ allocated to Golden Dome missile defense and $13.8B tied to Space Force elements, alongside explicit space-related components (sensors and space-based layers). This is what it looks like when “space-based defense” stops being conceptual and starts becoming a budget-shaped demand signal. The spend profile implies a multi-year pull for sensor architectures, space data plumbing, launch/test cadence, and operational integration.

Editor's Note: The "launch/test cadence" item is interesting as it might represent an opportunity for Golden Dome funding to support spaceport-based infrastructure investments needed to support test-or deployment-related launch operations. (2/24)

Eutelsat to Raise €1.5 Billion to Refinance its Debt (Source: European Spaceflight)
European satellite operator Eutelsat has announced that it will raise €1.5 billion to refinance existing debt and add cash to the company’s balance sheet. In June 2025, Eutelsat reported net debt of just over €2.6 billion, up €82.2 million year-on-year, with a net debt-to-EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) ratio of 3.88×. At the same time, the company had committed more than €2 billion to procure 440 new satellites to replenish and expand its OneWeb broadband constellation. (2/25)

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Plans New 'Project Aero' Attraction (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex officials plan to build a 55,000-square-foot attraction facility featuring show and ride spaces on 2.9 acres immediately south of the space shuttle Atlantis building, permitting records show.

The mystery attraction is code-named Project Aero. On Feb. 17, NASA officials applied for stormwater permitting from the St. Johns River Water Management District, seeking authorization for construction to proceed. To clear room for Project Aero, heavy equipment crews have demolished buildings at the aging administrative building complex just east of the tour bus loop. (2/24)

ExLabs Asteroid Apophis Flyby Sparks the Rise of Commercial Interplanetary Missions (Source: ExLabs)
The ApophisExL mission represents a pivotal moment in the commercialization of deep space, where private operators increasingly complement traditional government programs. Partnering with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), ExLabs demonstrates a hybrid model that blends institutional scientific rigor with the speed, flexibility, and scalability of commercial innovation. The mission also opens the door to new entrants, such as Japan’s Chiba Institute of Technology, whose student-built payloads will operate directly on the asteroid’s surface.

Asteroid Apophis’ unprecedented 2029 Earth flyby offers a rare chance to study how Earth’s gravity reshapes an asteroid in real time. By pioneering a commercially led rideshare approach and integrating academic and institutional partners, ApophisExL exemplifies how private enterprise can expand access to interplanetary exploration. The mission showcases a future where deep space is not just the domain of governments but a collaborative frontier for commercial, academic, and emerging space organizations alike. (2/25)

NASA Reveals Crew-11 Astronaut Who Had Medical Event in Orbit Aboard ISS (Source: Florida Today)
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke has been identified as the Crew-11 member who experienced a medical event in early January aboard the ISS, triggering NASA's first medical evacuation in ISS history. NASA shared a statement from Fincke on social media Wednesday, Feb. 25, revealing the affected crew member's identity for the first time. " ... I experienced a medical event that required immediate attention from my incredible crewmates. Thanks to their quick response and the guidance of our NASA flight surgeons, my status quickly stabilized," Fincke said. Specifics about the medical event were not disclosed. (2/25)

Valve Malfunction Blamed for Failure of Indian Satellite To Raise Its Orbit (Source: Space News)
India’s space agency says a valve failure prevented a navigation spacecraft launched more than a year ago from raising its orbit. A team traced the anomaly to a failure in the spacecraft’s pyro system. According to the findings, the drive signal did not reach the pyro valve in the oxidizer line of the engine meant for orbit-raising maneuvers. As a result, the engine could not be fired to shift the satellite from its transfer orbit. (2/25)

How Long Could Earth Microbes Live on Mars? (Source: Universe Today)
A team of researchers has introduced the Mars Microbial Survival (MMS) model, which they note could be used to estimate the amount of forward contamination from Earth-based microbes on Mars. More specifically, how long in Mars sols would Earth-based microbes that weren’t caught before launch could survive on the Red Planet upon arrival?

The researchers analyzed how a spacecraft would encounter microbial sterilization during the cruise phase and surface phase. During the cruise phase, the spacecraft is bombarded with solar wind in the form of Ultraviolet-C radiation, in a vacuum with varying temperatures and solar radiation. For the surface phase, the spacecraft is exposed to Mars’ surface temperatures and pressures, while also being exposed to incoming solar radiation since Mars lacks a protective ozone layer or magnetic field like Earth.

The model determined that the spacecraft exteriors were sterilized from solar wind while the encased rovers may be sterilized by the vacuum environment and temperature changes. For the surface phase, the model determined that it would take approximately one Mars sol for upward-facing spacecraft surfaces to become sterilized, and it would take approximately one Mars year (687 Earth days) for the entire spacecraft to become sterilized. (2/25)

Mars Astronauts Need More Than Just Space Greenhouses (Source: Universe Today)
Storing food for five years, and trying to make sure it's still edible, while it is constantly being bombarded by radiation is a recipe for disaster. At this point in our exploration journey, we’re not even sure we can actually safely package food for that long in those conditions. Even if we were, radiation can mutate bacteria, making them potentially more dangerous and harder to kill.

There is evidence that managing crops and cooking provides a psychological boost. However, doing so takes away time from other mission-critical tasks, like exercise or navigation, so there’s a trade-off of how much psychological benefits those systems provide versus the opportunity cost of tending to other mission-critical tasks.

Menu fatigue is another real problem for astronauts. If you’re eating the same nutrient paste every day for five years, it’s very likely that, after some time, you’ll begin to eat less of it simply due to the fact that you’re sick of it. If a food lacks "organoleptic appeal” (i.e. taste, texture, and smell), then it’s highly likely that astronauts will simply dispose of it instead of actually eating it. (2/25)

Airmo Selects EnduroSat to Launch Methane-Monitoring Sensors Into Orbit (Source: Via Satellite)
Germany and Luxembourg-based sensing company Airmo will partner with satellite manufacturer EnduroSat to put its methane emissions monitoring technology into orbit, with the first satellite of a projected 12-satellite constellation slated to launch in 2027. Airmo said it aims to fill a gap in unreliable methane emissions reporting, as increasing sectoral oversight like the European Union’s 2024 methane regulation increases demand for data. (2/25)

UCF's "Go For Launch" Campaign Aims to Raise $3.5 Billion (Source: UCF)
Go For Launch is the most ambitious philanthropic and revenue-generating campaign in UCF history. We have set goals that include $1 billion in philanthropic support and $2.5 billion in expanded research activity, partnerships, and innovation-driven revenue. Together, these $3.5 billion in commitments will help strengthen UCF’s capacity and leadership in a rapidly changing world. (2/25)

Intuitive Machines Plans $175 Million Investment in SatCom and Space Data Processing (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Intuitive Machines announced a $175 million strategic equity investment. Following its acquisition of Lanteris in January, the company intends to expand its Near Space Network Services (NSNS) and establish a solar system internet independent of Earth. The Company believes it can expand capability around the Moon, extend capability to Mars, and support emerging high-power on-orbit data processing and edge computing. (2/25)

Methane Monitoring Science Act Would Task NASA (Source: Payload)
Two lawmakers introduced a bill that would task NASA to improve the nation’s ability to detect cow farts—and all other forms of methane leaks. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) introduced the Methane Monitoring Science Act this month. The bill would direct the space agency to evaluate the state of methane monitoring tech, and ensure data can be shared across federal and private agencies to quickly find and stop leaks that hurt the atmosphere. (2/24)

DAF Shakes Up Space Acquisition Leadership, Purdy Takes ‘Senior Advisor’ Role (Source: Breaking Defense)
In a surprise move, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, who until recently was running the space acquisition shop at the Department of the Air Force, has been shifted out of that office to serve as “senior advisor” to Secretary Troy Meink. Purdy on Jan. 22 announced he had stepped down from his year-long stint as Air Force acting head of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ). He had been simultaneously serving as military deputy to that office. The Defense Department has yet to nominate an assistant secretary for space acquisition, who also holds the role of DoD’s Space Acquisition Executive (SAE). (2/24)

Gilat Receives $39 Million in Orders for Sidewinder ESA Terminals (Source: Gilat)
Gilat Satellite Networks has received $39 million in orders from a leading satellite operator for its electronically steered antenna (ESA) Sidewinder in-flight connectivity terminals, including both linefit and retrofit installations. Deliveries are expected over the next 12 months. These new orders of additional Sidewinder ESA terminals highlight the accelerating global shift toward ESA solutions as airlines and service providers work to meet rapidly growing demand for high quality in-flight broadband. (2/24)

Hegseth Visits Colorado Space Companies (Source: Space News)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used a pair of stops at Colorado space companies Monday to criticize defense bureaucracy. Speaking to workers at True Anomaly and Sierra Space as part of the Pentagon's "Arsenal of Freedom" tour, Hegseth framed the department's acquisition struggles as the product of a sclerotic Beltway establishment, saying companies like theirs are the antidote. His rhetoric aligns with a broader procurement reform narrative inside the Pentagon. Senior officials have voiced dissatisfaction with cost overruns and slow fielding timelines in major defense programs and signaled greater interest in commercially funded innovation, fixed-price contracts and faster development cycles. (2/25)

Luxembourg's OQ Technology Raises $30 Million for Constellation Expansion (Source: Space News)
Luxembourg-based OQ Technology has received 25 million euros ($30 million) from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to expand its direct-to-device constellation. The funding, announced Wednesday, is a loan that will support the deployment of more than 20 small satellites. OQ Technology uses S-band to connect proprietary and mass-market off-the-grid tracking and monitoring devices after deploying 10 Internet of Things (IoT) satellites in low Earth orbit, but is developing its first dedicated satellite to provide smartphone connectivity in C-band that is slated for launch in the middle of this year. C-band promises greater bandwidth than S-band, and additional spacecraft would improve coverage and latency for what OQ Technology intends to be a multi-band constellation serving IoT and smartphone devices. (2/25)

Communication Among Satellite Operators is a Challenge for Space Traffic Management (Source: Space News)
One challenge for space traffic coordination turns out to be figuring out how satellite operators can communicate with each other. At the Space Traffic Conference last week, a major issue discussed was the difficulty finding contact information for satellite operators in the event of a potential conjunction. Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, said her office was asked twice in the last 14 months to help make contact with operators to coordinate maneuvers to avoid collisions after other efforts to make contact failed. The problem, experts say, shows the need for a comprehensive directory of satellite operators of some kind, or ultimately automating the process of coordinating collision avoidance maneuvers. (2/25)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission on Tuesday From Florida (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites from Florida Tuesday evening. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, deploying 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. This was SpaceX's 18th launch so far this year of Starlink satellites. (2/25)

Alabama Lawmakers Advance Bill Renaming, Expanding State Aerospace Agency (Source: Yellowhammer)
The Alabama Legislature is advancing SB228, a bill that would rename the Alabama Space Authority the Alabama Aerospace Authority and expand its membership and duties. Under the bill, the Alabama Space Authority — currently an office within the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs responsible for promoting research and development in space exploration and spaceport technology — would be formally renamed the Alabama Aerospace Authority later this year. Among the new duties added by the bill, the authority would be required to develop strategies to promote and encourage private investment in the aerospace sector. (2/24)

Puerto Rico Spaceport Decision Anticipated Soon (Source: SPACErePORT)
A decision regarding a proposed spaceport at Puerto Rico's Roosevelt Roads base is past due (proposals were submitted in April 2025). The site could potentially host launch pads for small, medium, or large rockets. It could also support offshore launch platforms hosted at the port (mainly for small launchers), and reentry and downmass recovery/processing for space-produced biomedical goods. (2/25)

China vs SpaceX in Race for Space AI Data Centers (Source: Fox News)
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation outlined a five-year plan to build what it calls "gigawatt-class space digital-intelligence infrastructure," according to reporting cited by CCTV. While that phrase may sound bureaucratic. It is not. Gigawatt-class means massive energy output. Think industrial scale. These proposed orbital hubs would integrate cloud, edge and device-level computing. In simple terms, data collected on Earth could be processed in space instead of inside giant warehouses in Arizona or Inner Mongolia.

The vision goes even further. A December policy document describes an industrial-scale "Space Cloud" by 2030. The goal is deep integration of computing power, storage and transmission bandwidth, all powered by solar energy in orbit. China also signaled that space-based solar power tied to AI computing will be a core pillar of its upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan. It's all part of its national strategy. (2/24)

Avio to Build $500 Million Facility in Hurt, Virginia, with State Incentives (Source: European Spaceflight)
Italian rocket builder Avio has announced that it will build its new US-based solid rocket motor manufacturing facility in Hurt, Virginia. Subject to approval by the Virginia General Assembly, the company will be eligible for a $100 million “special appropriation” to supplement the $500 million it plans to invest in the construction and operation of the new facility. In November 2025 the company announced plans to build its new production facility in Virginia, but did not specify a location. This week it confirmed that the facility would be built in Hurt, Pittsylvania County. (2/24)

Cargo, Investment Play Part in Japan's Space Industry in Global Race (Source: The Mainichi)
Japan, regarded as one of the most competitive players in the promising space business, needs to establish commercial cargo operations and narrow the scope of service areas eligible for government financial aid to better catch up with leading global rivals, analysts say. Japan is among the first five countries to land a probe on the Moon and ranks third in public investment in the space sector, while a growing number of companies are seeking to offer services ranging from communications and in-orbit servicing to space travel.

Japanese commercial cargo servicers are still in development or trial phases. Rocket launches from Japan will be vital for transporting cargoes at lower cost and with shorter lead times, analysts say. Aside from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's H3 rocket, space venture Interstellar Technologies Inc. and startup Space One Co. are among the frontrunners in developing private rockets, while Honda Motor Co. has also joined the fray from the auto industry. (2/25)

NM Governor Appoints CEO of Investment Firm to Spaceport America Board (Source: KOAT)
James Prendamano, the CEO of PreReal Investments, has been appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to the Board of Directors of Spaceport America, which is owned by the state of New Mexico and located east of Truth or Consequences. Prendamano said he welcomes the opportunity to manage the Spaceport at this historically challenging time. (2/24)

Industry Input Wanted for Next Canadian Space Agency Priority Technologies (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is looking for input as it prepares to release its next Space Technology Development Program opportunity, a program that is continually underfunded. The request for information (RFI) was released on Thursday, Feb. 19 and is titled Enabling Technologies for Future Missions. (2/24)

February 25, 2026

Artemis 2 Crew Attends State of the Union Address (Source: Axios)
The Artemis 2 astronauts attended Tuesday's State of the Union address. The astronauts were guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who invited them to highlight the role his state plays in building the Space Launch System rocket at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The invitation was presumably made at the last minute, as the astronauts were supposed to be in a pre-flight quarantine for the Artemis 2 launch this week before NASA delayed the launch to fix a problem with the SLS upper stage. (2/25)

A Banner Year for US Military Space Funding (Source: Space News)
The Space Force has nearly $42 billion in funding this year, although future funding is uncertain. An analysis released by the National Security Space Association on Tuesday estimated that the Pentagon is spending $57.7 billion on space in fiscal year 2026, including the Space Force, Missile Defense Agency and space efforts in other services. That funding comes from the regular appropriations bill and last summer's budget reconciliation act, including money set aside for the Golden Dome missile defense initiative. A key question is whether the 2026 surge represents a new baseline or a peak. If the additional funding from budget reconciliation is not renewed, the Space Force's budget could revert to $26 billion, placing constraints on some programs. (2/24)

Iridium Launches Next Generation IoT Platform (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Communications unveiled the Iridium 9604, a compact, three-in-one IoT module that integrates Iridium Short Burst Data satellite service, LTE-M cellular connectivity, and GNSS positioning into a single platform. By combining these features in one device, the Iridium 9604 reduces solution complexity, lowers costs, and accelerates time to market, making dual-mode IoT connectivity viable for price-sensitive, high-volume deployments. (2/24)

Lockheed Martin Presses Case That GPS Upgrade Will Counter Jamming Threats (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin is stepping up its argument that the U.S. military’s GPS constellation is becoming more resilient, even as military leaders warn publicly about rising jamming and spoofing threats and lawmakers debate alternatives to satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing. (2/24)

Microsoft and SpaceX’s Starlink Partner on Global Community Internet Effort (Source: CNBC)
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service to expand connectivity across the world. It’s a sign of the software company’s willingness to collaborate with Tesla  CEO Elon Musk’s family of businesses, as the world’s richest person takes Microsoft partner OpenAI to court. (2/24)

Applied Aerospace Acquires Vestigo Aerospace for Deorbit Drag Sails (Source: Via Satellite)
Applied Aerospace & Defense has acquired Vestigo Aerospace, which is known for its line of drag sails used to deorbit satellites. The company’s Spinnaker line of drag sails are designed to deorbit cubesats, small satellites, orbital transfer vehicles, and launch vehicle upper stages. The drag sails are thin deployable structures that work by increasing aerodynamic drag and accelerating orbital decay. (2/24)

February 24, 2026

AST SpaceMobile Awarded $30 Million Prime Contract by U.S. Space Development Agency for HALO Europa Program (Source: AST)
AST SpaceMobile has entered into an agreement with the United States Space Development Agency (SDA) for the Europa Track 2 Commercial Solutions program. The agreement, executed under the Hybrid Acquisition for proliferated Low-earth Orbit (HALO) program, has a total contract value of approximately $30 million.

This Other Transaction (OT) agreement focuses on the rapid demonstration and delivery of innovative capabilities to the United States warfighter. Under the contract, AST will utilize its BlueBird satellite constellation to demonstrate resilient, low-latency tactical satellite communications directly between government end devices. (2/23)

How the Free Market Can Free NASA From the Space Launch System (Source: The Hill)
An analysis by the Planetary Society suggests that the Space Launch System was more a creation of political parochialism than sound engineering. It was also the result of a perfect storm of bad policy decisions, with an economic recession thrown in for good measure. The Space Launch System will fly just three more times under the current schedule, once every two years. It is clearly not sustainable if we mean to open the moon for human settlement.

Fortunately, help may be on the way. The House Science Committee has passed a NASA authorization bill that allows the space agency to procure commercial services to take crews and cargo to and from the moon without stipulating a time frame. The provision allows NASA to move away from the Space Launch System and all of its problems. The bill has to pass the full House and then the Senate before being signed into law, by no means a certain proposition. In the meantime, the two biggest commercial space companies are stepping up.

Once the commercial sector gets involved in every aspect of lunar exploration and settlement, a new space age will begin that was unimagined when humans first went to the moon. NASA will still be involved, but increasingly as a customer rather than as a controlling government agency. The moon will be only the beginning. When Musk can turn his attention back to Mars, the first expedition will likely be a mix of commercial, NASA and international astronauts. And it can happen within the lifetimes of most people alive today. (2/22)

Orbital Space Race Heats Up in Arctic North (Source: BBC)
Esrange has emerged as a player in a Europe-wide race to deliver orbital rocket launches. "Within a couple of years, we will have the first satellite launch from here," says SSC business development director Mattias Abrahamsson. The new launchpad was inaugurated in early 2023, but has faced delays. Two clients are preparing rockets to carry satellites into orbit from northern Sweden: South Korea's Perigee; and American company, Firefly, which achieved a lunar landing last year.

"We are now building out more infrastructure that is specific to Firefly's Alpha rocket," explains Katarina Lahti from SSC's orbital launch and rocket test division. That includes different fuelling, security and safety systems, she adds. The signing of a technology safeguard agreement between the US and Sweden, allowing American companies to send advanced space technology to the Scandinavian country, is another major milestone, Lahti says. Meanwhile, Esrange is hosting ground tests for Themis, Europe's first reusable rocket, as well as engine testing for German start-up Isar Aerospace.

Elsewhere, there's Norway's Andoya, the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria, and start-up EuroSpaceport hopes to launch orbital flight from a ship anchored in the North Sea, 50km off the Danish coast. On Scotland's Shetland Islands, SaxaVord is the UK's first licensed vertical spaceport, and is working with a number of companies, including Germany's Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and HyImpulse. (2/23)

Committee to Probe ‘Systemic Issues’ Behind Repeated Failure of PSLV Rocket (Source: The Hindu)
A committee that includes K. VijayRaghavan, former Principal Scientific Advisor, and S. Somanath, former Chairman, India Space Research Organization (ISRO), will probe “systemic issues” underlying the successive failures of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). They will investigate questions on whether “organizational” problems may have played a role in the debacles involving the PSLV. (2/23)

“We Failed Them”: NASA Grapples with Starliner (Source: Space Review)
Last week, on very short notice, NASA released an independent report on the flawed Starliner crewed test flight in 2024. Jeff Foust reports on that study and its assessment of both the technical and organization problems at the root of that mission. Click here. (2/24)
 
Prometheus Bound: The Legacy of the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (Source: Space Review)
More than 20 years ago, NASA embarked on an effort to develop a massive nuclear-powered mission to the moons of Jupiter. Dwayne Day examines that ill-fated effort and the legacy it created for future missions. Click here. (2/24)
 
We Can Build Cities on the Moon—but Who Will Govern Them? (Source: Space Review)
As companies follow the lead of countries in returning humans to the Moon, it raises new questions of governance of those efforts. Rachel Williams and Jatan Mehta discuss how precedents set in the coming years should shape lunar activity for decades to come. Click here. (2/24)
 
When Iran Took the Internet Hostage, Elon Musk Held the Keys (Source: Space Review)
Protestors in Iran turned to Starlink to maintain connection with the outside world when the government restricted Internet access. Bharath Gopalaswamy argues this puts private companies into roles of making policy traditionally held by governments. Click here. (2/24)
 
AI and Army Astronauts: A Judge Advocate’s Solution to Protecting the Soldier-Astronaut (Source: Space Review)
As astronauts, including those from the military, go deeper into space, they will face medical challenges that can’t be resolved by simply returning to Earth. Mitch Topaloglu says alternative solutions have to be balanced with those that protect the astronauts’ privacy. Click here. (2/24)

Aalyria Laser Data Firm Reaches Unicorn Status (Source: Space News)
Aalyria has become the latest space unicorn with a $100 million funding round. The company, which is developing laser terminals and software for dynamically routing data across space, air and ground networks, announced the funding round Monday, giving the company a valuation of $1.3 billion. Aalyria, spun out of Google's parent Alphabet four years ago, says its Spacetime platform can coordinate those links in real time, allocating capacity and routing traffic as satellites, aircraft and ground terminals move. Telesat's Lightspeed constellation will be the first commercial customer of Spacetime. Alongside Spacetime, the company said the funds will help expand deployment of its Tightbeam laser terminals, which also stem in part from Alphabet-era research. (2/24)

SECAF Says Space Force Must Grow (Source: Space News)
The Secretary of the Air Force and chief of the Space Force said the service needs to be bigger. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the Space Force is preparing for a period of sustained expansion as its mission set broadens and its workload increases. That will require more personnel and a more specialized workforce, he said. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, speaking after Meink, noted the Space Force's 15,000 personnel need to support a joint force of about 1.3 million service members. Because of its lean structure, Saltzman said, the service has limited surge capacity. (2/24)

Lockheed Martin To Test Digital Atomic Clock On Next GPS III Sat (Source: Aviation Week)
Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Space Force are testing several new technologies aboard the next GPS III satellite, including a new digital atomic clock. The 10th GPS III satellite, scheduled to launch in early 2026, will carry a new digital version, Lockheed Martin Vice President for Navigation Systems Malik Musawwir said. (2/24)

Space Force Seeks Industry Input on In-Space Refueling (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is seeking industry input on concepts for in-space refueling. A request for information (RFI) released earlier this month asks for "technical concepts and approaches to refueling services for prepared clients in orbit," with an expectation that solutions could be operational by 2030. The RFI suggests the Space Force is looking beyond demonstration missions toward a broader architecture. Industry officials, including those developing satellite refueling technologies, said they welcomed the release of the RFI. (2/24)

AST Wins SDA Broadband Contract (Source: Space News)
AST SpaceMobile won a Space Development Agency contract for a broadband demonstration. The $30 million contract, announced Monday, is part of SDA's Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or HALO, an Other Transaction Agreement designed to fund rapid on-orbit experiments. Under the contract, AST SpaceMobile will use its BlueBird satellite constellation, intended to provide direct-to-device broadband services to smartphones, to test resilient, low-latency tactical satellite communications, including to existing tactical military radios. For AST SpaceMobile, the new contract represents another step toward positioning a consumer-focused broadband system as relevant to defense missions, after receiving a $43 million contract last year to support SDA through an undisclosed prime contractor. (2/24)

Pentagon Buyer: We’re Happy With Our Launch Industry, But Payloads are Lagging (Source: Ars Technica)
The Space Force officer tasked with overseeing more than $24 billion in research and development spending says the Pentagon is more interested in supporting startups building new space sensors and payloads than adding yet another rocket company to its portfolio. The statement, made at a space finance conference in Dallas last week, was one of several points Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy wanted to get across to a room full of investors and commercial space executives. (2/24)

Telespazio Awarded €20 Million Contract for Canary Islands Constellation (and Launch) (Source: European Spaceflight)
Telespazio Ibérica, the Spanish subsidiary of the Italian space technology company Telespazio, has been awarded a €20 million contract to develop an Earth observation constellation for the Canary Islands. The constellation would consist of eight satellites in low Earth orbit and would have a proposed budget of €21.3 million, with funding allocated over six years in the island’s 2026–2031 budgets. It also stated that the satellites would be “launched from the island,” despite the absence of any orbital launch infrastructure.(2/24)

Sophia Space Raises $10 Million for Space-Based Compute (Source: Space News)
Sophia Space raised $10 million in seed funding to accelerate development of space-based edge computers and orbital data centers. The seed round, announced Tuesday, was led by Alpha Funds, KDDI Green Partners Fund and Unlock Venture Partners. With the funds, Sophia Space will accelerate development of its orbital computing systems and proprietary thermal technology. The company is working on Tile, a compute module measuring one meter by one meter by one centimeter that contains servers, solar arrays and a passive cooling system. (2/24)

Boeing Tests AI LLM on Space-Grade Hardware (Source: Space News)
Boeing has tested an artificial intelligence large language model that can operate on space-grade hardware. In recent ground tests, Boeing engineers demonstrated that a large language model running on commercial off-the-shelf hardware could examine telemetry and report in natural language on the health of a satellite. This technology would allow controllers to check a satellite's status without downloading and analyzing telemetry, as the AI model would do that work on the satellite instead. (2/24)

Japan's Space One Delays Kairos Launch From Kii Launch Site (Source: Jiji Press)
A Japanese company is delaying the launch of a small rocket. Space One said it was postponing the launch of its third Kairos rocket, which had been scheduled for this week, from the firm's Spaceport Kii launch site near the town of Kushimoto, citing poor weather. The company said the launch would be rescheduled for some time in March but did not give a more precise date. This will be the third flight of Kairos, a small solid-fuel rocket. The first two launches failed to reach orbit. (2/24)

Starlab Completes NASA Commercial Critical Design Review (Source: Starlab Space)
tarlab Space, developer of a next-generation commercial space station, has successfully completed its Commercial Critical Design Review (CCDR) with NASA in attendance, marking a decisive transition from design to manufacturing and systems integration. The CCDR data supports the 28th milestone on the NASA Commercial LEO Destinations Space Act Agreement. Starlab also completed a review of the business plan and business model, validating the commercial intent underpinning the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program. (2/23)

LambdaVision Books Space on Starlab Station for Retina Production (Source: Space News)
LambdaVision, a company that produces artificial retinas in microgravity, has booked space on a commercial space station. The company said Tuesday it reserved payload space on Starlab, the commercial space station under development by the Starlab Space joint venture. LambdaVision has flown experiments on the ISS demonstrating the ability to create layers of thin protein films for its artificial retinas. The announcement came a day after Starlab Space announced it completed a commercial critical design review for the station. (2/24)

Momentus to Host 10 Payloads on Vigoride 7 Spacecraft Aboard Transporter 16 Rideshare (Source: Space News)
Momentus will fly 10 payloads on its first mission in three years. The company said its Vigoride 7 spacecraft is slated to launch in late March on the SpaceX Transporter-16 rideshare mission. Vigoride 7 will fly payloads for NASA, DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, SpaceWERX, Portal Space Systems, Orbit Fab, CisLunar Industries, DPhi Space and Solstar Space. (2/24)

The Legal Void of the Asteroid Gold Rush (Source: Universe Today)
Asteroid mining companies are finally getting off the ground, and that is raising some concerns about the impact those activities will have on the space environment. Dr. Anna Marie Brennan discusses a framework that she thinks might work to solve the legal challenges facing those who want to protect the space environment and those who want to exploit it. She argues two main points. First, asteroid mining can irreparably break an asteroid, destroying the “scientific, cultural, and potential economic value [of that asteroid] for future generations.” Second, reckless extraction of one company could damage nearby assets or cause “accumulation of space debris that could impede future human activity”. (2/24)

Debris Strike May Have Cracked Chinese Capsule Window Last Year (Source: Space.com)
It has been billed as China's first emergency operation in the country's human spaceflight program. The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-20 mission were originally slated to return to Earth last Nov. 5, but after discovering cracks in the viewport of their spacecraft, their landing was postponed. Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, first noticed the damage to the window while conducting final checks on the return capsule. The believed culprit: space debris striking the window. (2/24)

Astronaut Mission Could Anchor Australia's Place in $900bn Global Space Market (Source: UWA)
The International Space Centre at The University of Western Australia is leading a cross-sector campaign seeking government support for a human spaceflight mission to help anchor Australia to the global space economy. The campaign includes universities, industry associations, chief scientists, STEM organizations and senior political figures from across the country, reflecting rare cross-sector alignment around the strategic importance of space.

Last month, the group submitted a package of nearly 80 letters of support to the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet members, signaling Australia’s appetite to pursue deeper collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) – including the possibility of an Australian astronaut mission. (2/24)

Advancing Research and Development of Large Space Structures (Source: ESA)
Launched in 2024, the Discovery Campaign 'New Approaches for Large Space Structure Construction, Maintenance, and Recycling Technologies, (LATTICE)' aims to develop foundational building blocks that will enable the European space sector to move today's single-use-and-dispose spacecraft towards reusable, efficient, affordable, and sustainable large space infrastructure. Twelve activities are now under way and are already yielding the first interesting results. Click here. (2/24)

Hawaii Lawmakers Look to Space for Economic Diversification (Source: West Hawaii Today)
State leaders are considering what could be a leap toward a decades-old goal of making the aerospace industry a big part of Hawaii’s economy. Two bills pending at the Legislature aim to help a California company launch payloads via rocket into space at low cost from a winged booster ship towed high into the sky by plane. The measures — one to let the firm sell up to $40 million in low-interest bonds and another to have the state help pay for building a high-tech hangar at Hilo International Airport — recently advanced after initial committee hearings.

Public testimony on the bills was all positive or neutral. Yet even if one or both do become law, it wouldn’t ensure realizing what the company, Fenix Space Inc., said could be part of its entry into a $13 billion “orbital launch” market that it projects will grow to over $40 billion by 2030. Yet state leaders also have foregone projects and other efforts to make Hawaii a more significant player in aerospace. One major failed past effort was to develop a space port in Ka‘u in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A more recent setback was the Legislature abolishing the state Office of Aerospace Development in 2021, though some of the office’s work shifted to another agency. Since then, some lawmakers have invigorated aerospace development efforts, but without much, if any, success.

Editor's Note: Fenix Space is developing a reusable tow-launch system to deliver payloads to orbit and enable hypersonic transportation. The company last year was anticipating a $30 million investment from Alaska Capital to operate from one or more Alaska airports. (2/23)

Strong Opposition to Proposed New Hawaiian Telescopes (Source: West Hawaii Today)
As the military moves forward on its plans to build as many as seven new telescopes on the summit of Haleakala, opposition to the project is mounting on Maui. In January, the Department of the Air Force released a draft environmental assessment on the project, which would be known as Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site Small Telescope Advanced Research Facility, or AMOS STAR, when it’s completed. Hundreds of Maui residents attended public hearings, with most expressing staunch opposition. (2/24)
 
Galileo vs. Spoofing: ESA Tests in Real-World Environments (Source: ESA)
From adding timestamps to banking transactions to mapping the best route to a destination, satellite navigation plays a significant role in daily life. At the same time, attempts to interfere with and fake navigation signals are increasing. For the last seven months, a new verification service for Galileo has mitigated the threat of spoofing in the Open Service by confirming that the satellite navigation data used for positioning originated in the Galileo system. The Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) mitigates the threat of spoofing by adding an authenticity stamp to the real signal from the satellite. The stamp acts as a digital signature that ensures the satellite navigation data obtained by a receiver are coming from the Galileo system. (2/24)

Starfighters Space Stock Tumbles on CEO Leadership Change (Source: Investing.com)
Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET) fell 14.4% Monday after the company announced the resignation of founder Rick Svetkoff as Chief Executive Officer, President, Chairman and Director. Svetkoff, 72, stepped down from his leadership roles and his spouse Brenda Svetkoff also resigned as company secretary. The board appointed Tim Franta as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Svetkoff founded Starfighters in 1996 after serving as a U.S. Navy pilot and a Continental Airlines pilot. The company thanked Svetkoff for his leadership in developing Starfighters to its current stage. Franta has served as Starfighters’ Vice President of Development since October 2022. (2/23)

First In-Orbit Test of ATLAS-1 Laser Terminals to Bring Up to 100 Times Faster, Interference-Resilient Communication for Small Satellites (Source: Astrolight)
Astrolight, a space and defense-tech company pioneering laser communication solutions across space, ground, and maritime domains, is set to demonstrate its low-SWaP (size, weight, and power) ATLAS-1 laser communication terminals in space for the first time. The terminals will demonstrate high-bandwidth (up to 1 Gbps), secure space-to-ground links aboard two customer satellites, scheduled for launch this March with SpaceX’s Transporter-16. (2/23)

Two Satellite Proposals Threaten the Night Sky — the Window to Act is Now (Source: DarkSky)
In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency responsible for authorizing satellite launches and operations, is reviewing two proposals of unprecedented scale and consequence. If approved, they would alter the night sky as we know it, with impacts that would be increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. Both proposals are currently open for public comment, making this a critical moment for public engagement as the FCC considers satellite proliferation at unprecedented scales and technologies that pose serious risks to the nighttime environment.

The first proposal comes from Reflect Orbital, which plans to deploy satellites fitted with in-space mirrors to beam reflected sunlight back to Earth at night. Marketed as “sunlight on demand,” the company says the system could extend daylight for solar farms or be sold to cities to illuminate streets at brightness levels exceeding three times that of the full moon. Such illumination would introduce an entirely new source of artificial light at night, with far-reaching consequences, including disruption to wildlife and ecosystems that depend on natural cycles of light and dark, as well as serious public safety concerns.

The second proposal is even more striking in its scale. SpaceX has asked the FCC for permission to launch up to one million satellites, described in its filing as orbital data centers, as part of an expansion of its artificial intelligence infrastructure. DarkSky does not oppose satellite technology. Satellites play an important role in modern life. But the organization does oppose unchecked expansion without oversight and full environmental review, particularly when technologies pose real and lasting risks to the global nighttime environment. Click here to act. (2/11)
 
Aalyria Hits $1.3 Billion Valuation After Raising Funds for Satellite Mesh Network (Source: Space News)
Aalyria announced a $100 million funding round Feb. 23 that values the Californian venture at $1.3 billion, supporting deployment of laser terminals and software for dynamically routing data across space, air and ground networks. (2/23)

Europe’s Access-to-Space Gains Momentum with Reusable Launcher Test (Source: Space News)
Having its own reusable launcher is a cornerstone of Europe’s ambition to enhance its autonomous and sustainable access to space capability by increasing maximum achievable launch rate. Europe is committed to mastering launcher reusability, both through ESA’s and European Commission’s efforts. The SALTO project brings together 26 important EU industry players working on reusable launcher technologies and operations.

The Themis T1H prototype included the development of a flight test demonstrator for low-cost rocket recovery and reuse technologies, at a scale representative of a medium-sized launcher. The SALTO project’s main activity is the T1H flight test campaign, targeting three low-altitude flights (vertical take-off and landing), with the goal of demonstrating the vehicle’s ability to lift off, land, be recovered, refurbished and prepared for the next flight. The Themis development and the SALTO flight test campaign also represent a shift in the European space R&D mindset, embracing greater risk-taking through a “test and learn” approach. (2/23)

Open Cosmos Seeks $200M for Liechtenstein-Licensed Ka-Band Constellation (Source: Space Intel Report)
Open Cosmos of Britain and Spain has started a funding round to pay for deployment of a low-orbit Ka-band constellation to provide broadband links worldwide following the company’s successful launch of two crucial demonstration satellites in January. Under its ITU license from the government of Liechtenstein, the company has until June 10 and Sept. 28 of this year to launch 50% of its network, and then until June and September 2028 to launch the remaining satellites. (2/23)

Singapore's Can Marine to Deploy Eutelsat OneWeb for Asia-Pacific Maritime Connectivity Services (Source: Via Satellite)
Singaporean connectivity provider Can Marine will use Eutelsat’s OneWeb Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation to deliver maritime connectivity to maritime customers in the Asia-Pacific region, the companies announced Monday. Under the new multi-year agreement, Can Marine will use OneWeb connectivity to serve clients in merchant shipping and offshore energy. Can Marine provides end-to-end satellite communications solutions to its customers, including network design, service delivery, and support. (2/23)

China's Mysterious Shenlong Space Plane Recently Launched on its 4th Mission (Source: Space News)
China's reusable space plane is circling Earth once again. The Shenlong ("Divine Dragon") spacecraft launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Feb. 6, kicking off the robotic vehicle's fourth-ever orbital mission. (2/23)

Spanish Air and Space Force and GMV Agree to Install Satellite Tracking Antenna (Source: GMV)
The Spanish Air and Space Force, on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, and GMV have signed an agreement to install a Focusear system antenna at Morón Air Base in Seville, dedicated to satellite tracking. Through this agreement, the Space Operations and Surveillance Center (COVE) of the Space Command (MESPA) within the Spanish Air and Space Force will also gain access to data from GMV’s Focusear system. (2/17)

BlackSky Signs Eight-Figure Contract for Accelerated Delivery of Gen-3 Sovereign Space-Based Intelligence Solution (Source: BlackSky)
BlackSky secured a new eight-figure international contract for accelerated delivery of a Gen-3 sovereign space-based intelligence solution. The agreement combines the sale of one Gen-3 very-high resolution 35-centimeter satellite with recurring, multi-year on-orbit operations and subscription-based Assured imagery and analytics services, leveraging the company’s fully automated end-to-end architecture enabled by the BlackSky Spectra® software platform and its ground network to deliver real-time insights at mission speed and scale. (2/17)

Space Solar Power Will Inevitably Trump Trump’s War On Solar Power (Source: Clean Technica)
President Trump's fossil-friendly energy policy isn’t aging well. Solar continues to dominate new capacity additions in the US, and now the futuristic space solar field is gearing up to pull the rug right out from under the president’s phony “reliability” standard. Trump’s energy policy teeters on the unsteady idea that a “reliable” resource is one that delivers a minimum, or base load, of electricity at a steady rate, regardless of the weather, season, or time of day. Fossil fuels meet this standard, of course, while wind and solar are left out in the cold.

The new policy does satisfy Trump’s longstanding thirst for revenge against wind turbines. It also satisfies his supporters in the fossil energy industry, at least partly. However, Trump left a ticking time bomb for them to deal with in future years. The new policy embraces all “reliable” power generation resources, including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, and marine energy along with nuclear energy. As these industries grow, they will help push fossil fuels out of the nation’s power generation profile.

And now, here comes space solar to upend the whole works. Space solar, also called SBSP (short for spaced-based solar power), refers to systems that harvest solar energy in space and beam it wirelessly down to receivers on Earth in a steady, 24/7 stream, regardless of terrestrial conditions. That easily meets the reliability standard set by Trump himself. (2/20)

The Space Race is Being Rewritten by AI – and Europe Risks Falling Behind (Source: EU Startups)
Once upon a time, a company would build large, costly, and unwieldy satellites that would then be sent into orbit to sit, often for decades. Those satellites did their job, supporting navigation, tracking the weather, and enabling disaster response, as they circled the planet. These days, they do much more. They are crucial to modern armies, for example, since they underpin command and control, precision targeting, secure links, early warning, logistics, and intelligence. And their environment, orbit, has also changed. It is contested. The head of the UK’s Space Command says British satellites are targeted by Russia weekly.

It is unsurprising, then, that satellites are changing rapidly. They used to be the size of buses; now, they are often the size of basketballs. The twin pressures of the market and technological change have forced the hand of satellite operators, who must refresh their hardware more often. Applied to capacity management, AI could decide who gets bandwidth, when, and for how long. In contested settings, this matters a great deal. AI will also transform how satellites handle data. If satellites can process the bulk of that data in orbit and downlink only what can be used, the cost savings will be huge.

Machines can simulate creativity, but they cannot, at least not yet, be creative. Only human beings can. With AI handling orchestration and on-board data processing, engineers and operators can focus elsewhere, and innovation becomes more likely. Europe’s structural challenge
What this means is that AI startups could play an outsized role in deciding who wins the space race. That should be of particular interest to policymakers in Europe, which lags behind the US and China in artificial intelligence. (2/20)

Collins Aerospace Expands in Puerto Rico (Source: Invest Puerto Rico)
$40 million. 525 new jobs. One stronger aerospace ecosystem. Collins Aerospace announced today the expansion of its operations in Santa Isabel and Aguadilla, reinforcing Puerto Rico’s role as a strategic node in the global aerospace value chain. The investment will support advanced manufacturing, expand engineering capabilities, and create 525 new high-value jobs — backed by workforce development programs and aligned public-private collaboration. Editor's Note: Also coming soon: Puerto Rico will decide the next steps toward the proposed development of a spaceport at the Roosevelt Roads site. (2/23)