Astrobotic Showcases Griffin-1 Lander
Ahead of Environmental Testing in California (Source:
Spaceflight Now)
Astrobotic showed off its nearly completed lunar lander, named
Griffin-1, as the vehicle prepares to head to NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in California for environmental testing later this month.
The robotic lander, which has a 650 kg payload capacity, has been
integrated with multiple payloads so far. On exception is Astrolab’s
FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) rover. FLIP will meet its lander
down at Cape Canaveral for integration in the final weeks ahead of
launch later this year. (6/16)
Key Mission for Europe's Commercial
Space Enterprise Scrubbed Again (Source: Ars Technica)
Isar Aerospace still commands top position among a new generation of
European rocket startups, but the company’s efforts to launch a
critical test flight of its Spectrum rocket continue to encounter
roadblocks. The latest delay came Monday, when Isar scrubbed a launch
attempt after “detecting off nominal behavior in the vehicle’s fluid
systems,” according to a social media post. “The teams are analyzing
the new data to isolate the root cause.” (6/16)
Chinese Probe Preps for Approach to
Asteroid (Source: Space News)
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft performed a major engine burn on June 7,
followed by a series of small propulsive maneuvers. These fine
adjustments, likely using the spacecraft's ion thruster system, have
successfully guided the probe into the vicinity of its primary target,
the near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa. The Tianwen-2 spacecraft is
currently executing its approach maneuvers, lining up for an official
rendezvous and close encounter with Kamoʻoalewa in July. (6/16)
AstroForge Preps for Second Attempt at
Reaching an Asteroid (Source: Aerospace America)
Roughly 15 months after its first spacecraft was lost, deep-space
mining startup AstroForge is readying for a do-over. The California
company announced on June 3 it has completed assembly of its
DeepSpace-2 spacecraft, slated to be launched aboard Intuitive
Machines’ IM-3 lunar lander “this year,” said Matthew Gialich,
co-founder and CEO. (6/16)
Japanese Satellite Makes Electricity
From Sunlight and Beams it Down to Earth as Microwaves (Source:
Autonocion)
The satellite is called OHISAMA, Japanese for “the sun,” and it is
roughly the size of a washing machine. It was built by the nonprofit
research foundation Japan Space Systems under a contract from the
country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, it weighs about 180
kilograms, and it is slated to fly during Japan’s fiscal 2026. The
entire near-term goal of the mission is to light one LED. That sounds
anticlimactic right up until you realize the LED is not the point. The
aiming is.
The aiming works through a two-way handshake the engineers call
retrodirective beam control. A station on the ground sends a pilot
signal up to the satellite. OHISAMA locks onto that signal and routes
its microwave beam back down along the exact same path. On a bench in a
lab, this is tractable. From orbit it is not, because the transmitter
is moving at orbital velocity, the target is a fixed dish on a rotating
planet, and the beam has to punch through the ionosphere and a harder
vacuum than anything the program has tested so far. (6/14)
Cosmic Rays Cause Light Flashes for
Astronauts (Source: Space Daily)
The reports began on Apollo 11. After a period of dark adaptation, with
eyes open or closed, crew members saw flashes they described as
pinpoints, thin streaks, or small clouds of light. They were almost
always colorless. They came at a rate of roughly one-half to two a
minute, often enough to be a distraction when someone was trying to
sleep.
This was not confined to one crew or one flight. Flashes were reported
across the Apollo missions, and later by astronauts on Skylab, on Mir,
and on the International Space Station. The phenomenon even had a kind
of forecast. As early as 1952, the biophysicist Cornelius Tobias had
suggested that people exposed to cosmic radiation in space might see
exactly this sort of thing, and the team that investigated the Apollo
reports traced them back to that idea. (6/14)
A Satellite Just Learned to Find
Things on its Own — Here’s What That Means (Source: Tech Crunch)
For the first time, an Earth observation satellite has found what it
was looking for — on its own, without human analysts on the ground. The
milestone, which occurred in April, marks the first reported use of a
vision-language model in orbit, and offers a glimpse of how AI could
fundamentally change what space-based sensors are capable of — and how
much they’re worth.
Typically, satellites download large chunks of data to analysts on the
Earth below, who use machine learning algorithms or their own eyes to
figure out what’s going on. But onboard YAM-9, a spacecraft built by
space infrastructure company Loft Orbital, a software package built by
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory identified areas of interest in
response to natural language queries. Google DeepMind’s Gemma 3 — the
vision-language model, or VLM, that powered the demonstration — is
purpose-built for edge applications, meaning it is designed to run on
limited hardware far from a data center. (6/15)
Scientists Propose That Entire
Universes Can Form Inside Collapsing Stars (Source: Futurism)
Prevailing models of physics dictate that when an extremely massive
star runs out of nuclear fuel, it collapses in on itself, leaving
behind a black hole that prevents anything, even light, from escaping.
Or maybe not. Physicists are proposing the demise of a large star can
lead to something even stranger: a tiny, nascent universe that’s loaded
with dark energy pushing outward, preventing the star from collapsing
entirely.
Specifically, the new universe would exist at the core of a previously
proposed class of objects called “gravastars,” which were already
understood to contain a core made up of dark energy, the hypothetical
cosmic force that scientists estimate accounts for around 68 percent of
the total energy-mass content of the known universe. The conditions as
a gravastar comes into being are not unlike the ones present during the
Big Bang, the moment at which our own universe seemingly sprang into
existence billions of years ago. (6/15)
Sidus Space's LizzieSat Completes
Vibration Testing Ahead of Expected Fall Launch (Source: Sidus
Space)
Sidus Space announced that its next LizzieSat has successfully
completed vibration testing, a key environmental qualification
milestone for SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission from Vandenberg
Space Force Base in California, currently scheduled for launch no
earlier than October 2026. (6/16)
Chinese Team Flags Life-Threatening
Weakness in NASA’s Artemis Program (Source: SCMP)
In the 21st century race to the moon, there is a question that
engineers must ask: what happens when the main engine fails?
China and the United States are answering this in contrasting ways.
Their answers could reveal the value they place on human life. From the
Apollo Lunar Module in the 1960s to Nasa’s new Orion spacecraft for the
Artemis program, the American architecture relies on a single, powerful
main engine to do the heavy lifting.
On the descent stage, one main engine controls the entire fall from
lunar orbit to the surface. On the ascent stage, one main engine is the
only ticket home. If that one engine fails, there is no backup. This
design, to quote a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Chinese
Space Science and Technology in March, “contains some glaring
weaknesses”. The Chinese lunar lander puts its faith not in one main
engine, but in four. (6/16)
Alaska Committed to Protecting Small
Business Set-Aside Program (Source: FNN)
In today’s fractured political landscape, consensus and bipartisanship
are considered relics of a bygone era. But not in Alaska. Our
colleagues in the Alaska state legislature recently sent a resounding
message to policymakers in Washington: Maintain the Small Business
Administration’s 8(a) Business Development program to strengthen
American national security and provide the federal government with the
elite technical capabilities it requires to meet its most critical
missions. Recently, our state legislature worked together in a
bipartisan effort to pass House Joint Resolution 44 in support of
Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) participation in the 8(a) program.
(6/15)
Orbital Edge Accelerator Helps
Startups Turn Space R&D Into Commercial Reality (Source:
CASIS)
The ISS National Lab’s Orbital Edge Accelerator is now in its second
year, helping startups turn space-based R&D into commercial
success. Brandon Kortokrax, principal at E2MC Ventures, one of the
founding investors in Orbital Edge, said the accelerator aims to reduce
barriers and help startups “take something from the science and
technology space and start to translate it into the commercial market.”
He explained, “We are just really chipping away at each layer of
friction that an early-stage startup faces. […] A good accelerator
should compress a company’s roadmap and hopefully take something
they’re planning across the next one to two years and accelerate that
down into months.” In addition to working closely with companies to get
their R&D to space, the program provides mentors who share
expertise and experience and help founders establish partnerships to
move their businesses forward. (6/15)
China’s Spectrum Squatting Reserves
244,000 Satellite Slots to Combat SpaceX’s LEO Monopoly (Source:
SatNews)
While SpaceX dominates the physical reality of Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
with a staggering 10,653 active satellites, Beijing is playing a
high-stakes regulatory chess game to lock the West out of future cosmic
real estate. China has aggressively filed for a jaw-dropping 244,000
orbital slot reservations with the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU). The move represents a regulatory reservation footprint
that is roughly 128 times the size of China’s actual active presence in
orbit—sparking widespread accusations of geopolitical “spectrum
squatting.”
Currently, the global space asset distribution remains highly
asymmetrical. Out of the nearly 11,000 active satellites bearing a U.S.
registration tag, the vast majority belong to Elon Musk’s rapidly
expanding Starlink mega-constellation. In contrast, China maintains an
operational fleet estimated between just 1,300 and 1,900 hardware
assets.
To bridge this operational asymmetry, Beijing is exploiting loopholes
in the ITU’s regulatory architecture. Under current, highly lenient
international coordination rules, a nation does not need to possess the
physical rockets to launch a constellation at the time of filing. The
ITU’s current milestone deadlines are highly accommodating, requiring a
member state to deploy just 10 percent of their filed constellation
within 9 years of the initial application. (6/15)
Chinese Rocket Breaks Apart
Dangerously Close to the Starlink Constellation (Source: Ars
Technica)
The upper stage from a commercial Chinese rocket that launched last
week has broken apart in space, spreading debris in a heavily
trafficked part of low-Earth orbit home to the International Space
Station and a significant portion of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband
network. The breakup occurred shortly after the Zhuque-2E rocket
reached orbit on June 9 with two satellites providing direct-to-cell
communications, perhaps around the time the upper stage was expected to
perform a disposal burn. (6/15)
SpaceX Set to Overtake Microsoft,
Amazon in Value as Stock Soars (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX shares jumped on Tuesday, putting the firm on track to overtake
both Amazon and Microsoft to become the fourth largest publicly traded
company in the world just days after its blockbuster debut. Shares rose
as much as 17%, extending gains since SpaceX’s record initial public
offering. That pushed the market value of Elon Musk’s rocket and AI
company to nearly $3 trillion, roughly $300 billion higher than
Amazon’s and about $20 billion more than Microsoft’s. (6/16)
SpaceX to Acquire Cursor for $60B in
Stock (Source: Tech Crunch)
SpaceX has agreed to acquire AI coding startup Cursor in a $60 billion
stock deal, just a few days after the space company’s historic IPO and
less than two months after announcing a tie-up between the two. The
deal is meant to help SpaceX’s AI division — built around Elon Musk’s
AI company xAI, which SpaceX merged with earlier this year — catch up
to the major AI labs. Despite being a centerpiece of its IPO promises,
SpaceX’s AI division has been in the midst of a restructuring after
running into repeated controversies, like allowing users to generate
non-consensual deepfakes of women and children. (6/16)
Deep Space Network Antenna Mishap
Blamed on Poor Training and Procedures (Source: Space News)
A NASA investigation revealed that $4.1 million to $4.6 million in
damage sustained by a 70-meter Deep Space Network antenna at the
Goldstone complex was caused by poor training, bypassed safety
protocols, and over-reliance on undocumented procedures. (6/16)
Pegasus: The Next-Gen Lunar Rover That
Will Leave Apollo Buggy in its Dust (Source: New Atlas)
Built by Lunar Outpost, Pegasus will navigate the harsh, jagged terrain
of the lunar south pole autonomously, with an astronaut behind the
wheel, or via teleoperation commands beamed from Earth. AJ Gemer,
co-founder and CTO of Lunar Outpost, said Pegasus will “extend the
range and duration of human activity on the lunar surface in a way that
wasn’t possible during Apollo.” It will achieve this by leveraging a
state-of-the-art autonomous thermal management system, allowing it to
withstand the Moon’s wild swings in temperature. Click here.
(6/13)
In Long Beach, Voyager Using AI to
Speed Aerospace Production (Source: Space Daily)
Inside a 140,000-square-foot building in Long Beach that the local
aerospace crowd calls Space Beach, circuit boards for spacecraft and
defense systems are now coming off the line in a matter of weeks — the
same boards that used to take years. The people who run the plant are
not claiming the engineers suddenly got faster. They are saying
something stranger: there are no longer enough engineers to build the
hardware the United States has ordered, and a software agent is now
doing the parts a person used to do.
The facility belongs to Voyager Technologies, a Denver-based aerospace
and defense company that opened the site on March 12, 2026. Its purpose
is narrow and blunt — compress the timeline between a
defense-electronics design and a working board, using agentic
artificial intelligence to do it. That single fact cuts against the
loudest story being told about AI everywhere else. In most industries
the technology arrives as a way to trim headcount. In aerospace and
defense it is arriving because the headcount cannot be filled. (6/15)
Russia’s Satellite Moves Push Europe
to Rethink Space Defense (Source: TVP World)
German space officials have warned that the prospect of conflict in
orbit is becoming increasingly real, as Russia’s activity raises
growing concern among European defense planners. The head of Germany’s
Space Command said Moscow may be developing technologies that could
allow it to place a nuclear warhead in space. He also pointed to recent
maneuvers by Russian Kosmos satellites near ICEYE-36, a radar satellite
operated by the Finnish-Polish company ICEYE, whose imagery has
supported Ukraine.
The episode has intensified debate over how Europe should protect both
military and commercial space assets. Russian satellites moving close
to foreign spacecraft can be used to collect intelligence, study how a
system operates, interfere with its functions or potentially disable
it. Germany has proposed creating a European Space Component Command to
coordinate military space operations across the continent. Berlin says
it is already in talks with partners, including Poland, about forming a
core team with international participation from the outset. (6/14)
Europe’s Iris2 Constellation Adds 66
Early-Delivery Satellites, to Launch in 2029, to Mitigate Delay in
Full-Performance Network (Source: Space Intel Report)
Europe’s Iris2 multi-orbit secured connectivity network, facing
pressure from European governments to limit it schedule delays, is
adding 66 smaller satellites to its low-Earth-orbit component to assure
launches starting in 2029, with the full-capacity, 264-satellite system
to be launched around 2032, according to European government and
industry officials. Both groups of satellites will be launched into the
same 1,200-km orbit. The early satellites will not be equipped with the
full 5G digital capacity promised but will allow secured
communications. (6/15)
Kongsberg “All In” on European
Sovereign Space: ISR Constellation with Germany, RF SigInt, Adapting
SpinLaunch for Security Needs (Source: Space Intel Report)
Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace does not lack for security-based space
ambition. An Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
constellation; maritime AIS and radar, secure satcom, RF signals
intelligence — the company is preparing a bouquet of space-based
security and defense options, including the use of its KSat global
ground station network, for allied governments.
The sovereign space push includes Lithuania-based Kongsberg
NanoAvionics, a small satellite platform builder. Kongsberg is based in
Norway, which is not an EU member. In its pivot beyond space
launch, SpinLaunch selected Kongsberg NanoAvionics to design and build
over 280 microsatellites for is proposed Meridian constellation.
Kongsberg provided financial backing (including a $12 million strategic
investment) to take a minority stake in SpinLaunch. (6/15)
Unseenlabs’ BRO-22 Successfully
Launched Aboard Japan’s H3 Launch Vehicle (Source: Unseenlabs)
Unseenlabs has successfully launched BRO-22, the first satellite
operated by a foreign private company to fly aboard Japan’s H3 Launch
Vehicle. BRO-22 was launched at 09:53 a.m. (UTC+9) Japan Standard Time
on June 12 from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency’s Tanegashima Space Center. The satellite was
integrated by Space BD. BRO-22 strengthens Unseenlabs’ space-based RF
detection constellation dedicated to maritime surveillance. (6/15)
Lithuania to host European Space
Education Resource Office (Source: LRT)
Lithuania will host a European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO)
under a new agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), the economy
and innovation ministry announced. The office will operate in
Lithuania until 2028, funded from Lithuania's contributions to the
agency. A selection process for the organization that will run the
program is to be announced shortly. ESERO offices operate across many
European countries with the aim of using space-related themes to
inspire student interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and
mathematics, known as STEAM, while providing teachers with modern
educational tools. (6/15)
Government Ratchets Up Scrutiny of
Small Business Set-Asides (Source: FNN)
The Small Business Administration is expanding its scrutiny of
socio-economic contracting programs to now include a review of the
women-owned small business program. In an email sent to economically
disadvantaged women-owned small businesses earlier this week, SBA is
giving these firms until June 30 to respond to a survey and provide the
agency with “personal and business tax returns for the last three
years.” (6/12)
Embry‑Riddle Worldwide Students Unite
for NASA Challenge Success (Source: ERAU)
A team of students working remotely through Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical
University’s Worldwide Campus earned Best Prototype and innovation
honors at NASA’s Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts–Academic
Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, proposing a novel system to store energy
on the moon. The team, whose members live across the U.S. and met in
person for the first time at the event, was the only fully remote team
to present at the competition, which challenges university students to
develop bold concepts that push the boundaries of space exploration.
(6/10)
Space Force Orders Two More GPS
Satellites From Lockheed Martin for $514 Million (Source: Space
News)
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $514 million
contract to build Global Positioning System IIIF Space Vehicles 23 and
24, bringing its total GPS IIIF commitment to 14 spacecraft. With
legacy spacecraft past their intended design life, this award marks a
vital step in continued modernization of the constellation.
The 14 upcoming GPS IIIF satellites will deliver advanced, reliable
positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for both military and
civilian users. IIIF capabilities include: the Regional Military
Protection capability that provides a 63-fold increase in anti-jam
capabilities, allowing warfighters to access strong GPS signals in
contested environments; additional M-Code-enabled satellites, allowing
for secure GPS connection for warfighters; and a digital navigation
payload, increasing accuracy and reliability of IIIF spacecraft. (6/15)
Emboldened by SpaceX, Investors Are
Piling Into All Things Space (Source: Wall Street Journal)
It isn’t just SpaceX SPCX 19.60%increase; up pointing triangle.
Encouraged by the Elon Musk-led company’s successes—and steadily
climbing valuation—venture capitalists and private-market investors are
stepping up bets on space startups, hoping to find the next breakout
stars. (6/14)
SpaceX: To the Moon for Investors or a
Bumpy Ride? (Source: CNBC)
“Retail investors bought $100 billion in shares, and you’ve got to ask
the question, are some of them going to get panicky if SpaceX misses a
few quarters, because this stuff is not easy to do.“ In a now-deleted
post on X, Musk said that SpaceX “might be able” to reach approximately
$1 trillion in revenue by 2030, and added that he would be “surprised”
if revenue is not greater than that figure by 2031. “Investors at
SpaceX, I believe, will get pretty grumpy after three or four quarters
if he doesn’t meet some of the growth projections that they made in the
S1,” Westly added. (6/15)
Having Sex in Space Would Be Tricky,
But Having Kids in Space is Riskier (Source: Geekwire)
Last year, researchers found evidence that exposure to space radiation
during pregnancy would carry a “significantly higher” risk of producing
congenital birth defects. More recently, a different set of researchers
reported that zero-G conditions impaired sperm navigation, egg
fertilization and embryo development in mammals.
Alex Layendecker, ASRI’s founder and director, said the health effects
of exposure to the space environment might not show up until more than
a generation later. That conjecture is based on a study of female mice
that were flown on the International Space Station, and then brought
back to be mated with males on Earth. “The first generation seemed not
to have many differences, but when the grandchildren mice were born —
and this was a really big smoking gun — the grandchildren mice actually
had a significantly altered phenotype,” Layendecker said. “They had
differences in mass. They had differences in behavior.” (6/14)
June 15, 2026
DARPA to Explore Ways to Rapidly
Rebuild Satellite Networks if Attacked (Source: Space News)
DARPA has released a Request for Information (RFI) titled “Rapid Reconstitution of Space Capabilities”. The agency is seeking technical concepts and operational strategies from the space industry to rapidly restore critical satellite networks and on-orbit services within hours to weeks following an adversarial attack or debris collision. The RFI focuses on highly responsive, cost-effective, and scalable solutions, seeking input across four key technical areas.
These include: Space Vehicles: Concepts for highly modular, "plug-and-play" satellite buses, radiation-hardened payloads, and reconfigurable software-defined satellites; Launch Vehicles: Methods to minimize spacecraft assembly, launch preparation, and deployment times to match rapid-response needs; Integration: Innovative procedures for rapidly integrating and mating the space vehicle with the launch vehicle; and Concept of Operations (CONOPS): New approaches to mission execution, logistics, and on-orbit capabilities that accommodate tactical timelines (hours to weeks) and demand surges. (6/15)
ULA to Launch 29 Amazon Broadband Satellites July 3 (Source: Space Coast Daily)
United Launch Alliance is preparing for a July 3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using an Atlas V 551 rocket to deploy 29 Amazon broadband satellites. The mission, part of Amazon's Project Kuiper, aims to expand global internet coverage. (6/14)
Viasat Wins Contract for Space Force Swarm 1 (Source: SatNews)
Viasat has been selected by the US Space Force as a prime contractor for the Swarm 1 Delivery Order under the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program. Viasat will manufacture, launch and operate a small, maneuverable geosynchronous satellite for resilient communications. Viasat's dual-band satellite, leveraging technology from the ViaSat-3 fleet, is expected to achieve initial operating capability by 2029. (6/13)
Proposed Elimination of SDA And Space RCO Faces Opposition (Source: Defense Daily)
Congressional defense authorizers' proposal to nix the 2019-established Space Development Agency (SDA) and the 2018-created Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) may backfire, according to analysts. SDA and Space RCO have together employed between 400 and 500 people, and staffers are unsure what will become of their positions.
(6/12)
NASA X-59 Flies At Mach 1.4 ‘Mission Conditions’ (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA’s X-59 Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator achieved Mach 1.4 at 55,000 ft. on June 12, representing the speed and altitude planned for flights over U.S. communities to measure the public response to reduced sonic booms. The first flight to hit “mission conditions” lasted just more than 1 hr. and came only seven days after the X-59 flew supersonically for the first time on June 5, reaching Mach 1.1 on an 81-min. mission from Edwards AFB, California. (6/12)
Other Space Companies Fall During Initial SpaceX IPO Rise (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX's surge came at the expense of many other publicly traded space companies. Shares in companies ranging from AST SpaceMobile to Rocket Lab fell between 6% and 12% in trading Friday, while Virgin Galactic fell 28%. Analysts said the declines may reflect profit-taking after their shares rose in recent weeks as well as a desire to move money into SpaceX. There are also concerns that the stocks may have become overvalued. In the case of Virgin Galactic, some speculate that traders may have confused its stock ticker, SPCE, with that of SpaceX, SPCX. (6/15)
Avanti Sells GEO Broadband for Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT (Source: Space News)
Avanti Communications is selling its newest GEO broadband payload, closing a chapter on the debt-fueled expansion that once defined the British satellite operator. The company announced an agreement last week to sell its Hylas-3 Ka-band hosted payload to Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT, which is in expansion mode and has three new GEO satellites on order. Hylas-3 is on a spacecraft launched in 2019 that also carries the EDRS-C payload for the European Data Relay System.
A Sky Perfect JSAT spokesperson said the satellite, currently at 31 degrees east, would be relocated to cover more of Asia as part of the deal. The Hylas-3 sale follows mounting pressure on regional GEO operators from SpaceX's Starlink and other LEO constellations. Avanti has shifted focus toward partnerships rather than large satellite procurements, including a deal to integrate Telesat's planned Lightspeed LEO network with its GEO services. (6/15)
US Needs More Solid Rocket Motors (Source: Space News)
U.S. production of solid rocket motors is rising, but not fast enough to meet the Pentagon's missile-defense program demands. A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says solid rocket motors remain a bottleneck across the U.S. missile industrial base, even as the Pentagon prepares for a sharp increase in interceptor production.
The study found that the air and missile defense interceptor industrial base isn't configured for a long conflict with high missile-expenditure rates. Shifts away from solid-fuel motors for space launch have also reduced the space sector's role as a stabilizing source of demand for solid motor suppliers. The report calls for stable demand signals, multiyear buying, direct investment in suppliers, requirements reform and broader acceptance of new suppliers. (6/15)
Revised SpaceX and Blue Origin Lunar Plans Revealed (Source: Space News)
As part of the Artemis 3 announcement last week, SpaceX confirmed that its revised Starship lunar lander plans involve docking Starship with Orion in low Earth orbit, instead of around the moon, and using Starship to send Orion to lunar orbit. Doing so, both the company and NASA argue, improves crew safety while also reducing propellant demands on Starship. Blue Origin, meanwhile, is setting aside work on a "transporter" spacecraft for aggregating propellant in Earth orbit and transferring it to lunar orbit, and will instead use transfer stages derived from its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. (6/15)
China's Kinetica-1 Launches Eight Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A small Chinese rocket launched eight satellites overnight. A Kinetica-1, or Lijian-1, rocket lifted off at 11:44 p.m. Eastern Sunday night from the Jiuquan spaceport. It placed eight high-resolution optical imaging satellites into orbit. This was the 14th launch of the Kintetica-1 solid-fuel rocket, carrying a combined 105 satellites. (6/15)
AI Employed to Help Fill Aerospace Worker Shortage (Source: Space News)
In aerospace and defense, companies are using AI to help fill a worker shortage. Executives in these sectors increasingly see AI not as a replacement for workers but as a necessary tool for helping an overstretched industrial base build faster, scale production and compete with China. It is helping drive a wave of investment into agentic AI systems capable of assisting with engineering, testing, supply-chain management and manufacturing workflows. Companies hope the technology will compress development timelines that have frustrated the Pentagon for years. (6/15)
Orbital Data Centers: Another Worry for Astronomy Interference (Source: Space News)
Astronomers are worried orbital data centers will exacerbate the growing problem of satellite interference. Astronomers have spent the last several years raising concerns about the brightness of satellites in broadband constellations and how they impact groundbased astronomy. At a recent meeting, though, a leading astronomer said both the size of individual data center satellites, with giant solar panels and radiators, along with the sheer numbers of those satellites could make that interference problem much worse.
SpaceX, which has proposed launching up to 1 million orbital data center satellites, provided more details last week about the design of its AI1 satellite, which will be 70 meters long and 20 meters tall when its arrays and radiators are deployed. SpaceX expects to start launching AI1 satellites by the end of next year. (6/15)
T-Minus Barracuda Suffers Anomaly After Launch from Nova Scotia (Source: European Spaceflight)
A single-stage sounding rocket launched by Dutch firm T-Minus Engineering from Spaceport Nova Scotia on 10 June suffered an anomaly late in its flight. The anomaly prompted teams to stand down from a second planned flight. Founded in 2011, T-Minus Engineering develops and operates a range of suborbital rockets for microgravity research and hypersonic experimentation. The largest of its rockets is the Barracuda, a sounding rocket that stands approximately four meters tall and can carry payloads of up to 40 kilograms to altitudes of around 120 kilometers. (6/15)
Spaceport Company Sees Missile Test Backlog, Considers Offshore Capability for Large Orbital Rockets (Source: The Spaceport Company)
The Spaceport Company signed contracts with two commercial companies and is in final negotiations with a third. These signed and potential contracts represent six missile test launches and over $2 million in new revenue, before the end of CY2026. These are in addition to existing missile-related contracts with Lockheed Martin, the Golden Dome project, and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). "MDA continues to be very bullish on The Spaceport Company and has become a solid source of regular revenue."
In response to DoD demand for new medium-large launch capabilities, "The Spaceport has Company received inquiries and in early consultations with U.S. government officials on how to build an offshore site to potentially meet this need." (6/15)
Sustained Maneuver Has a Propulsion Problem (Source: Space News)
For years, space architecture was treated mostly as a question of placement: where to put a spacecraft, and how reliably it could hold position. That framing is now too narrow. A growing number of missions need to reposition, retask, inspect, avoid threats, persist, support logistics or simply preserve options as the operating environment changes. The community is taking maneuver more seriously — and that shift is overdue. (6/15)
Scientists Find Strange Changes on Sun Hours Before a Powerful X9 Solar Flare (Source: Space.com)
Researchers were able to take advantage of an unusually fortuitous dataset that captured the buildup to an X9-class solar flare that erupted on Oct. 3, 2024. Their analysis identified several changes in the sun's atmosphere hours before the explosion, offering new clues about how major flares begin and potentially revealing early warning signs of future events.
The active region that produced the eruption had already generated several powerful flares in the preceding days, prompting scientists to keep multiple solar observatories focused on the area. Among them was NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, a spacecraft designed to study a narrow slice of the sun's atmosphere in extraordinary detail. Because IRIS was already observing the region, researchers obtained nearly five uninterrupted hours of observations before the flare erupted, providing a rare window into the processes unfolding in the sun's atmosphere before the explosion. (6/15)
German Satellite Maker OHB Seeks €500 Million to Fuel Growth (Source: Bloomberg)
German satellite maker OHB SE is kicking off a stock offering to help it contribute to Europe’s space and defense programs as well as increase its free float. The Germany-based firm is selling shares worth around €500 million ($580 million) in a fully marketed offering, according to terms seen by Bloomberg. Private equity group KKR & Co. Inc., which currently owns about 29% of its shares, is also looking to sell shares, although the size of the deal is yet to be confirmed. (6/15)
DARPA has released a Request for Information (RFI) titled “Rapid Reconstitution of Space Capabilities”. The agency is seeking technical concepts and operational strategies from the space industry to rapidly restore critical satellite networks and on-orbit services within hours to weeks following an adversarial attack or debris collision. The RFI focuses on highly responsive, cost-effective, and scalable solutions, seeking input across four key technical areas.
These include: Space Vehicles: Concepts for highly modular, "plug-and-play" satellite buses, radiation-hardened payloads, and reconfigurable software-defined satellites; Launch Vehicles: Methods to minimize spacecraft assembly, launch preparation, and deployment times to match rapid-response needs; Integration: Innovative procedures for rapidly integrating and mating the space vehicle with the launch vehicle; and Concept of Operations (CONOPS): New approaches to mission execution, logistics, and on-orbit capabilities that accommodate tactical timelines (hours to weeks) and demand surges. (6/15)
ULA to Launch 29 Amazon Broadband Satellites July 3 (Source: Space Coast Daily)
United Launch Alliance is preparing for a July 3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station using an Atlas V 551 rocket to deploy 29 Amazon broadband satellites. The mission, part of Amazon's Project Kuiper, aims to expand global internet coverage. (6/14)
Viasat Wins Contract for Space Force Swarm 1 (Source: SatNews)
Viasat has been selected by the US Space Force as a prime contractor for the Swarm 1 Delivery Order under the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program. Viasat will manufacture, launch and operate a small, maneuverable geosynchronous satellite for resilient communications. Viasat's dual-band satellite, leveraging technology from the ViaSat-3 fleet, is expected to achieve initial operating capability by 2029. (6/13)
Proposed Elimination of SDA And Space RCO Faces Opposition (Source: Defense Daily)
Congressional defense authorizers' proposal to nix the 2019-established Space Development Agency (SDA) and the 2018-created Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) may backfire, according to analysts. SDA and Space RCO have together employed between 400 and 500 people, and staffers are unsure what will become of their positions.
(6/12)
NASA X-59 Flies At Mach 1.4 ‘Mission Conditions’ (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA’s X-59 Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator achieved Mach 1.4 at 55,000 ft. on June 12, representing the speed and altitude planned for flights over U.S. communities to measure the public response to reduced sonic booms. The first flight to hit “mission conditions” lasted just more than 1 hr. and came only seven days after the X-59 flew supersonically for the first time on June 5, reaching Mach 1.1 on an 81-min. mission from Edwards AFB, California. (6/12)
Other Space Companies Fall During Initial SpaceX IPO Rise (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX's surge came at the expense of many other publicly traded space companies. Shares in companies ranging from AST SpaceMobile to Rocket Lab fell between 6% and 12% in trading Friday, while Virgin Galactic fell 28%. Analysts said the declines may reflect profit-taking after their shares rose in recent weeks as well as a desire to move money into SpaceX. There are also concerns that the stocks may have become overvalued. In the case of Virgin Galactic, some speculate that traders may have confused its stock ticker, SPCE, with that of SpaceX, SPCX. (6/15)
Avanti Sells GEO Broadband for Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT (Source: Space News)
Avanti Communications is selling its newest GEO broadband payload, closing a chapter on the debt-fueled expansion that once defined the British satellite operator. The company announced an agreement last week to sell its Hylas-3 Ka-band hosted payload to Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT, which is in expansion mode and has three new GEO satellites on order. Hylas-3 is on a spacecraft launched in 2019 that also carries the EDRS-C payload for the European Data Relay System.
A Sky Perfect JSAT spokesperson said the satellite, currently at 31 degrees east, would be relocated to cover more of Asia as part of the deal. The Hylas-3 sale follows mounting pressure on regional GEO operators from SpaceX's Starlink and other LEO constellations. Avanti has shifted focus toward partnerships rather than large satellite procurements, including a deal to integrate Telesat's planned Lightspeed LEO network with its GEO services. (6/15)
US Needs More Solid Rocket Motors (Source: Space News)
U.S. production of solid rocket motors is rising, but not fast enough to meet the Pentagon's missile-defense program demands. A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says solid rocket motors remain a bottleneck across the U.S. missile industrial base, even as the Pentagon prepares for a sharp increase in interceptor production.
The study found that the air and missile defense interceptor industrial base isn't configured for a long conflict with high missile-expenditure rates. Shifts away from solid-fuel motors for space launch have also reduced the space sector's role as a stabilizing source of demand for solid motor suppliers. The report calls for stable demand signals, multiyear buying, direct investment in suppliers, requirements reform and broader acceptance of new suppliers. (6/15)
Revised SpaceX and Blue Origin Lunar Plans Revealed (Source: Space News)
As part of the Artemis 3 announcement last week, SpaceX confirmed that its revised Starship lunar lander plans involve docking Starship with Orion in low Earth orbit, instead of around the moon, and using Starship to send Orion to lunar orbit. Doing so, both the company and NASA argue, improves crew safety while also reducing propellant demands on Starship. Blue Origin, meanwhile, is setting aside work on a "transporter" spacecraft for aggregating propellant in Earth orbit and transferring it to lunar orbit, and will instead use transfer stages derived from its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. (6/15)
China's Kinetica-1 Launches Eight Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A small Chinese rocket launched eight satellites overnight. A Kinetica-1, or Lijian-1, rocket lifted off at 11:44 p.m. Eastern Sunday night from the Jiuquan spaceport. It placed eight high-resolution optical imaging satellites into orbit. This was the 14th launch of the Kintetica-1 solid-fuel rocket, carrying a combined 105 satellites. (6/15)
AI Employed to Help Fill Aerospace Worker Shortage (Source: Space News)
In aerospace and defense, companies are using AI to help fill a worker shortage. Executives in these sectors increasingly see AI not as a replacement for workers but as a necessary tool for helping an overstretched industrial base build faster, scale production and compete with China. It is helping drive a wave of investment into agentic AI systems capable of assisting with engineering, testing, supply-chain management and manufacturing workflows. Companies hope the technology will compress development timelines that have frustrated the Pentagon for years. (6/15)
Orbital Data Centers: Another Worry for Astronomy Interference (Source: Space News)
Astronomers are worried orbital data centers will exacerbate the growing problem of satellite interference. Astronomers have spent the last several years raising concerns about the brightness of satellites in broadband constellations and how they impact groundbased astronomy. At a recent meeting, though, a leading astronomer said both the size of individual data center satellites, with giant solar panels and radiators, along with the sheer numbers of those satellites could make that interference problem much worse.
SpaceX, which has proposed launching up to 1 million orbital data center satellites, provided more details last week about the design of its AI1 satellite, which will be 70 meters long and 20 meters tall when its arrays and radiators are deployed. SpaceX expects to start launching AI1 satellites by the end of next year. (6/15)
T-Minus Barracuda Suffers Anomaly After Launch from Nova Scotia (Source: European Spaceflight)
A single-stage sounding rocket launched by Dutch firm T-Minus Engineering from Spaceport Nova Scotia on 10 June suffered an anomaly late in its flight. The anomaly prompted teams to stand down from a second planned flight. Founded in 2011, T-Minus Engineering develops and operates a range of suborbital rockets for microgravity research and hypersonic experimentation. The largest of its rockets is the Barracuda, a sounding rocket that stands approximately four meters tall and can carry payloads of up to 40 kilograms to altitudes of around 120 kilometers. (6/15)
Spaceport Company Sees Missile Test Backlog, Considers Offshore Capability for Large Orbital Rockets (Source: The Spaceport Company)
The Spaceport Company signed contracts with two commercial companies and is in final negotiations with a third. These signed and potential contracts represent six missile test launches and over $2 million in new revenue, before the end of CY2026. These are in addition to existing missile-related contracts with Lockheed Martin, the Golden Dome project, and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). "MDA continues to be very bullish on The Spaceport Company and has become a solid source of regular revenue."
In response to DoD demand for new medium-large launch capabilities, "The Spaceport has Company received inquiries and in early consultations with U.S. government officials on how to build an offshore site to potentially meet this need." (6/15)
Sustained Maneuver Has a Propulsion Problem (Source: Space News)
For years, space architecture was treated mostly as a question of placement: where to put a spacecraft, and how reliably it could hold position. That framing is now too narrow. A growing number of missions need to reposition, retask, inspect, avoid threats, persist, support logistics or simply preserve options as the operating environment changes. The community is taking maneuver more seriously — and that shift is overdue. (6/15)
Scientists Find Strange Changes on Sun Hours Before a Powerful X9 Solar Flare (Source: Space.com)
Researchers were able to take advantage of an unusually fortuitous dataset that captured the buildup to an X9-class solar flare that erupted on Oct. 3, 2024. Their analysis identified several changes in the sun's atmosphere hours before the explosion, offering new clues about how major flares begin and potentially revealing early warning signs of future events.
The active region that produced the eruption had already generated several powerful flares in the preceding days, prompting scientists to keep multiple solar observatories focused on the area. Among them was NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, a spacecraft designed to study a narrow slice of the sun's atmosphere in extraordinary detail. Because IRIS was already observing the region, researchers obtained nearly five uninterrupted hours of observations before the flare erupted, providing a rare window into the processes unfolding in the sun's atmosphere before the explosion. (6/15)
German Satellite Maker OHB Seeks €500 Million to Fuel Growth (Source: Bloomberg)
German satellite maker OHB SE is kicking off a stock offering to help it contribute to Europe’s space and defense programs as well as increase its free float. The Germany-based firm is selling shares worth around €500 million ($580 million) in a fully marketed offering, according to terms seen by Bloomberg. Private equity group KKR & Co. Inc., which currently owns about 29% of its shares, is also looking to sell shares, although the size of the deal is yet to be confirmed. (6/15)
June 14, 2026
Mars's Missing Water and Atmosphere
Finally Tracked Down (Source: BBC)
A pair of studies suggest both Mars's water and its atmosphere retreated to an unlikely place: deep beneath its surface. Most intriguingly, this means both the water and the carbon are still on Mars. Initially, the leading theory for their loss was they were simply lost to space. Mars has no plate tectonics and only a very weak magnetic field. There’s no volcanism replenishing the gases, and the solar wind is free to strip away the planet’s atmosphere and any water vapor along with it.
On Earth, tectonic activity and our magnetic field keep the atmosphere in check. Tectonic activity helps regulate our atmosphere, as shifting plates and volcanic activity bring new rocks to the surface which can interact and absorb water and the atmosphere, or drag old rocks back into the mantel. The magnetic field, meanwhile, helps guide the Sun’s solar wind around our planet.
When researchers ran simulations to examine how the planet’s climate evolved over time, it quickly became apparent that atmospheric loss couldn’t be the only thing at play. It could only account for a fraction of Mars’s missing water, and didn’t explain why the carbon levels specifically had fallen so dramatically. NASA's InSight lander provided seismic data that, once analyzed, revealed enough water to flood Mars’s surface to a depth between 1 and 2 km( about 1 mile). The water was around 11.5 to 20km (7 to 13 miles) underground, trapped between tiny cracks and pores in the rock. (6/12)
Breathable Oxygen Has Now Been Produced on the Surface of Mars (Source: Space Daily)
Sometime around midday on April 20, 2021, a microwave-sized device on Mars finished its first hour of work and reported back to its operators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It had produced 5.4 grams of breathable oxygen, enough for an astronaut to breathe for about ten minutes. The machine, called MOXIE, was the first device ever to manufacture air on the surface of another planet. By the time it shut down for the final time on August 7, 2023, it had run sixteen times and produced a cumulative 122 grams of oxygen — roughly what a small dog breathes in ten hours. (6/12)
Naval Research Laboratory Receives Space Force Antenna, Expanding Joint Space Capabilities (Source: DoD)
Earlier this year, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory received a transportable satellite tracking antenna system from Space Systems Command's System Delta 81 to expand joint space testing, training and operational support capabilities at the laboratory's Blossom Point Tracking Facility in Welcome, Maryland. The antenna system enhances the facility's ability to support tracking, telemetry and command operations for emerging space technologies and future operational concepts. The capability will provide additional flexibility for experimentation, system evaluation and long-duration performance monitoring, supporting both naval and joint space missions. (6/12)
Cape Canaveral Could Get New Launch Site Only 2 Miles From the Port (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
An environmental study is underway for a potential new launch pad at the at Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Launch Complex 51 would be about 2 miles from Port Canaveral to give the U.S. Army and Navy a place to test launch missiles instead of relying on nearby LC-46, which falls too close to Blue Origin’s launch site, LC-36. LC-51 would be constructed about 2.5 miles south of LC-46 just south of Pier Road and include “the complete construction of new infrastructure, utilities and structures” across 50 acres.
A public notice detailed the “the proposed infrastructure improvements could potentially impact wetlands, if present within the project area, and would occur within the floodplain. A wetland survey has been initiated; however, field investigations and impact determinations are not yet complete, and the presence, extent, and magnitude of potential wetland impacts have not been fully defined.” LC-51 would be located about 2 miles from Port Canaveral's federal channel and harbor entrance. (6/13)
Lawsuit Seeks to Stop SpaceX Land Deal From Destroying Texas Wildlife Refuge (Source: Center for Biological Diversity)
Tribal and conservation groups today sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop a land trade that would hand 715 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas to SpaceX. In exchange for these lands, SpaceX is giving 683 acres to the Service. Under the law, any exchanges of wildlife refuge lands must result in net conservation benefits to both the individual refuge where land will be exchanged and the wildlife refuge system as a whole.
The wildlife habitat that SpaceX has sought to take ownership of has been degraded by SpaceX’s expanding operations and failed rocket launches. In its decision last week, the Fish and Wildlife Service chose to give those lands to SpaceX in exchange for fewer acres of private lands, the majority of which will be added to a separate wildlife refuge. This land deal resulting in the loss of more than 700 acres of a national wildlife refuge is one of the largest exchanges of land in the refuge system’s history outside the state of Alaska. (6/10)
The EU’s Bid to Nationalize Space (Source: Truth on the Market)
Europe’s latest space policy has a simple theory: To build a champion, you must first clear the field. The European Commission’s newly adopted proposal to reallocate the 2 GHz mobile-satellite-service (MSS) band—a slice of radio spectrum used for satellite communications—would reserve most of that spectrum for European operators. The same proposal would limit non-EU militaries and startups, including both EU and non-EU firms, to just one-third of the available and highly desirable band.
The move reflects a broader push for “tech sovereignty,” the idea that Europe should reduce dependence on foreign technology providers in strategically important sectors. That concern now spans data centers, payments processing, telecommunications, and, increasingly, space. But the EU’s 2 GHz plan is industrial policy dressed up as tech sovereignty. It assumes Europe can create a globally competitive satellite champion by reserving critical inputs for favored firms and denying them to more efficient rivals.
That is bad economic policy for what is inherently a global communications system. For anyone who remembers the first wave of digital-sovereignty fights two decades ago, it is also eerily familiar. Although framed as a security measure, the proposal effectively allocates market share by nationality. The defense set-aside may be defensible on its own terms. Reserving a third of the commercial band for “EU operators entering the market” is not. (6/8)
Xona Joins GPS Innovation Alliance (Source: GPS Innovation Alliance)
The GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), the leading association for companies developing and deploying GPS and other space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies, announced Xona as its newest member. A pioneer in developing navigation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Xona’s L-band commercial satellite navigation system will deliver stronger signals, higher accuracy, and greater resilience against interference and spoofing to complement and enhance existing GPS infrastructure. (6/9)
ESA Signs an Agreement with Vast on Behalf of the Czech Republic (Source: ESA)
The European Space Agency (ESA) will implement an astronaut mission to the International Space Station for the Czech Republic. The flight will be part of the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station NASA awarded to Vast. Subject to Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) review and approval, Aleš Svoboda, one of the 12 members of the astronaut reserve selected by ESA in November 2022, will serve as the mission’s pilot. (6/8)
How Innovative Is China’s Space Industry? (Source: ITIF)
China seeks to develop its space capabilities and surpass the United States in innovation. China has built a large, vertically integrated manufacturing base for spacecraft and launch vehicles, which enables rapid scaling and development of advanced technologies. The nation is a leader in innovation for positioning, navigation, and timing satellites, and Earth observation satellites, but its space companies still lack key technologies such as fully operational reusable rockets and large, modern satellite Internet constellations.
Data from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) shows that China has a high rating for technology monopoly risk (TMR) in several technologies categorized as “defense, space, robotics, and transportation.” This designation means that China is publishing “more than three times as much high-impact research as its nearest competitor” and is “home to eight or more of the top 10 institutions” in space technology. China has maintained consistent growth in the number of annual top-cited publications since 2020 and surpassed the USA in 2022. China produced 597 aerospace engineering publications in 2024.
China has significantly more space technology patents than the rest of the world does. According to the World IP Organization (WIPO), from 2000 through 2023, China increased its annual number of patent family publications related to space from 15 to about 6,600. Among the top five countries with the most space patents, China has more patent family publications than do the other countries combined. WIPO data also shows that 11 of the top 25 space technology patent owners are from China. Click here. (6/8)
HawkEye 360 Announces Over $100 Million in New International Contract Awards (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 announced over $100 million in new international contract awards and contract option value secured this year to date. The total represents a combination of immediate bookings, multi-year contracts, and award options across eight international customers and programs. The awards span defense, intelligence, and national security organizations across allied and partner nations seeking enhanced domain awareness, electronic warfare support, and operational decision advantage. (6/8)
AAC Clyde Space Signs ESA Contract for INFLECION (Source: BeQuoted)
AAC Clyde Space has signed a EUR 10.9 million contract with ESA to advance the development and demonstration of a VDES satellite constellation and future maritime services within the INFLECION program. The contract follows the previously completed definition phase (phase 1). The INFLECION program now advances into separate workstreams covering different capabilities of the system. This contract covers Workstream 1, which consists of the development and in-orbit demonstration of a twelve-satellite constellation. (6/9)
ICEYE Leads a New Era of Sovereign Intelligence From Space with €1B Funding Round (Source: Iceye)
ICEYE has raised EUR 450 million (USD 520 million) in a primary Series F funding round led by General Atlantic, at a valuation of over EUR 10 billion (USD 12 billion). Additional investors include Solidium, Tesi, Varma, Ilmarinen, Lifeline Ventures, as well as Nokia, from Finland, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and TCV. Together with a secondary placement, the total Series F funding round exceeds EUR 1 billion. (6/9)
UK Funding Boosts Breakthrough Space Technologies (Source: Gov.UK)
Britain’s space ambitions received a major boost today (10 June), with Space Minister Liz Lloyd announcing more than £19 million for cutting-edge technologies that could transform manufacturing in orbit and help keep space safe. Speaking at London Tech Week, Minister Lloyd announced a package of more than £19 million to back British space innovation. The package will support companies developing technologies that could change how materials are made in space, make it easier to bring them back to Earth, and help keep the space environment safe and sustainable.
Cardiff-based Space Forge will receive £10 million to develop its reusable fold-out heat shield, Pridwen, making it simpler and cheaper to return materials manufactured in space. A further £9.25 million will support more early-stage UK space companies, helping them grow and bring in private investment. The package includes new backing for companies developing technologies that strengthen space infrastructure, improve navigation and help track satellites and debris in orbit. (6/10)
Japan's Astroscale Leads New Industry Initiative on Spacecraft Reentry and Atmospheric Impact (Source: Astroscale)
Astroscale announced the launch of the Atmospheric Impact of Reentered Spacecraft (AIRS) initiative, an industry–academia collaboration convened by Astroscale to improve scientific understanding of the effects of spacecraft reentry on Earth’s atmosphere. Planet Labs PBC and the University of Southampton join Astroscale as founding participants in the initiative.
As activity in low Earth orbit accelerates, the number of satellites reentering Earth’s atmosphere is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. While space sustainability efforts have historically focused on in-orbit operations and debris removal, the atmospheric effects of spacecraft reentry remain an underexplored area of research. (6/9)
Rafael and Reflex Aerospace Announce Strategic Partnership (Source: Reflex Aerospace)
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Reflex Aerospace announced today a strategic co-development partnership and introduced a new class of Very High Resolution and Very High Revisit satellite constellation (VHR²C). The satellite system is designed for rapid production at large constellation scale, directly addressing the growing operational demands for persistent, actionable intelligence from space. (6/13)
Why is the US Space Force Researching 'Orbital Warehouses'? (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. military is looking into putting "orbital warehouses" into orbit around Earth where fuel and other materials could be stored for easy pickup by future spacecraft on satellite servicing missions. A new U.S. military challenge aims to "accelerate operational logistics" for to help the U.S. Space Force keep its satellites active and respond in a timely fashion to threats. The challenge was created amid repeated warnings that China and Russia are actively maneuvering their own satellites close to U.S. spacecraft in orbit and launching new types of orbital weaponry.
"An orbital warehouse will have the same functionality as a terrestrial warehouse: to receive, store, inspect, and cross-load supplies, while offering protection of those supplies from the environment," a SSC spokesperson told Space.com via email. "The orbital transfer vehicles would transport the supplies to and from the orbital warehouse, or other location of interest." (6/12)
China Successfully Debuts Tallest Rocket, LandSpace Prepares for Second Landing Attempt (Source: NSF)
China kicked off a busy month with three missions for a single internet constellation in the span of nearly four days. Another maiden launch saw the nation’s tallest rocket successfully reach orbit, though the debut raised eyebrows with the absence of airspace notices ahead of the mission. Similarly, its first asteroid-sampling mission appears to have quietly reached a major milestone without official fanfare.
Meanwhile, Chinese commercial launch providers continue making progress towards propulsively landing and recovering reusable first stages. Beyond targeting landings on concrete pads and offshore barges, recovery methods range from tensioned steel nets to a more familiar tower-catch approach, with one now considering a horizontal landing dubbed the “bellyflop.” (6/12)
ESA and EU to Collaborate on In-Space Servicing (Source: ESA)
ESA and the European Commission signed a joint declaration on In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS), signaling a shared ambition to build European leadership in in-orbit servicing. The agreement formalizes their intent to cooperate closely on the development and maturation of key technologies and mission concepts. The joint ISOS activities will ensure the future competitiveness and resilience of the European space sector, providing Europe with strategic autonomy.
In-space operations and services will extend the entire space sector beyond the present frontiers. Rather than relying on ‘disposable’ satellites, the future is also introducing orbital infrastructure elements that can achieve refilling, assembly, manufacturing, removal, repositioning, inspection, refurbishment and recycling in space. This approach supports the transition towards a circular economy in space, allowing new operations and transportation paradigms. The improved sustainability and efficiency will go hand in hand with new commercial opportunities for Europe. (6/13)
A pair of studies suggest both Mars's water and its atmosphere retreated to an unlikely place: deep beneath its surface. Most intriguingly, this means both the water and the carbon are still on Mars. Initially, the leading theory for their loss was they were simply lost to space. Mars has no plate tectonics and only a very weak magnetic field. There’s no volcanism replenishing the gases, and the solar wind is free to strip away the planet’s atmosphere and any water vapor along with it.
On Earth, tectonic activity and our magnetic field keep the atmosphere in check. Tectonic activity helps regulate our atmosphere, as shifting plates and volcanic activity bring new rocks to the surface which can interact and absorb water and the atmosphere, or drag old rocks back into the mantel. The magnetic field, meanwhile, helps guide the Sun’s solar wind around our planet.
When researchers ran simulations to examine how the planet’s climate evolved over time, it quickly became apparent that atmospheric loss couldn’t be the only thing at play. It could only account for a fraction of Mars’s missing water, and didn’t explain why the carbon levels specifically had fallen so dramatically. NASA's InSight lander provided seismic data that, once analyzed, revealed enough water to flood Mars’s surface to a depth between 1 and 2 km( about 1 mile). The water was around 11.5 to 20km (7 to 13 miles) underground, trapped between tiny cracks and pores in the rock. (6/12)
Breathable Oxygen Has Now Been Produced on the Surface of Mars (Source: Space Daily)
Sometime around midday on April 20, 2021, a microwave-sized device on Mars finished its first hour of work and reported back to its operators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It had produced 5.4 grams of breathable oxygen, enough for an astronaut to breathe for about ten minutes. The machine, called MOXIE, was the first device ever to manufacture air on the surface of another planet. By the time it shut down for the final time on August 7, 2023, it had run sixteen times and produced a cumulative 122 grams of oxygen — roughly what a small dog breathes in ten hours. (6/12)
Naval Research Laboratory Receives Space Force Antenna, Expanding Joint Space Capabilities (Source: DoD)
Earlier this year, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory received a transportable satellite tracking antenna system from Space Systems Command's System Delta 81 to expand joint space testing, training and operational support capabilities at the laboratory's Blossom Point Tracking Facility in Welcome, Maryland. The antenna system enhances the facility's ability to support tracking, telemetry and command operations for emerging space technologies and future operational concepts. The capability will provide additional flexibility for experimentation, system evaluation and long-duration performance monitoring, supporting both naval and joint space missions. (6/12)
Cape Canaveral Could Get New Launch Site Only 2 Miles From the Port (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
An environmental study is underway for a potential new launch pad at the at Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Launch Complex 51 would be about 2 miles from Port Canaveral to give the U.S. Army and Navy a place to test launch missiles instead of relying on nearby LC-46, which falls too close to Blue Origin’s launch site, LC-36. LC-51 would be constructed about 2.5 miles south of LC-46 just south of Pier Road and include “the complete construction of new infrastructure, utilities and structures” across 50 acres.
A public notice detailed the “the proposed infrastructure improvements could potentially impact wetlands, if present within the project area, and would occur within the floodplain. A wetland survey has been initiated; however, field investigations and impact determinations are not yet complete, and the presence, extent, and magnitude of potential wetland impacts have not been fully defined.” LC-51 would be located about 2 miles from Port Canaveral's federal channel and harbor entrance. (6/13)
Lawsuit Seeks to Stop SpaceX Land Deal From Destroying Texas Wildlife Refuge (Source: Center for Biological Diversity)
Tribal and conservation groups today sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop a land trade that would hand 715 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas to SpaceX. In exchange for these lands, SpaceX is giving 683 acres to the Service. Under the law, any exchanges of wildlife refuge lands must result in net conservation benefits to both the individual refuge where land will be exchanged and the wildlife refuge system as a whole.
The wildlife habitat that SpaceX has sought to take ownership of has been degraded by SpaceX’s expanding operations and failed rocket launches. In its decision last week, the Fish and Wildlife Service chose to give those lands to SpaceX in exchange for fewer acres of private lands, the majority of which will be added to a separate wildlife refuge. This land deal resulting in the loss of more than 700 acres of a national wildlife refuge is one of the largest exchanges of land in the refuge system’s history outside the state of Alaska. (6/10)
The EU’s Bid to Nationalize Space (Source: Truth on the Market)
Europe’s latest space policy has a simple theory: To build a champion, you must first clear the field. The European Commission’s newly adopted proposal to reallocate the 2 GHz mobile-satellite-service (MSS) band—a slice of radio spectrum used for satellite communications—would reserve most of that spectrum for European operators. The same proposal would limit non-EU militaries and startups, including both EU and non-EU firms, to just one-third of the available and highly desirable band.
The move reflects a broader push for “tech sovereignty,” the idea that Europe should reduce dependence on foreign technology providers in strategically important sectors. That concern now spans data centers, payments processing, telecommunications, and, increasingly, space. But the EU’s 2 GHz plan is industrial policy dressed up as tech sovereignty. It assumes Europe can create a globally competitive satellite champion by reserving critical inputs for favored firms and denying them to more efficient rivals.
That is bad economic policy for what is inherently a global communications system. For anyone who remembers the first wave of digital-sovereignty fights two decades ago, it is also eerily familiar. Although framed as a security measure, the proposal effectively allocates market share by nationality. The defense set-aside may be defensible on its own terms. Reserving a third of the commercial band for “EU operators entering the market” is not. (6/8)
Xona Joins GPS Innovation Alliance (Source: GPS Innovation Alliance)
The GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), the leading association for companies developing and deploying GPS and other space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies, announced Xona as its newest member. A pioneer in developing navigation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Xona’s L-band commercial satellite navigation system will deliver stronger signals, higher accuracy, and greater resilience against interference and spoofing to complement and enhance existing GPS infrastructure. (6/9)
ESA Signs an Agreement with Vast on Behalf of the Czech Republic (Source: ESA)
The European Space Agency (ESA) will implement an astronaut mission to the International Space Station for the Czech Republic. The flight will be part of the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station NASA awarded to Vast. Subject to Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) review and approval, Aleš Svoboda, one of the 12 members of the astronaut reserve selected by ESA in November 2022, will serve as the mission’s pilot. (6/8)
How Innovative Is China’s Space Industry? (Source: ITIF)
China seeks to develop its space capabilities and surpass the United States in innovation. China has built a large, vertically integrated manufacturing base for spacecraft and launch vehicles, which enables rapid scaling and development of advanced technologies. The nation is a leader in innovation for positioning, navigation, and timing satellites, and Earth observation satellites, but its space companies still lack key technologies such as fully operational reusable rockets and large, modern satellite Internet constellations.
Data from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) shows that China has a high rating for technology monopoly risk (TMR) in several technologies categorized as “defense, space, robotics, and transportation.” This designation means that China is publishing “more than three times as much high-impact research as its nearest competitor” and is “home to eight or more of the top 10 institutions” in space technology. China has maintained consistent growth in the number of annual top-cited publications since 2020 and surpassed the USA in 2022. China produced 597 aerospace engineering publications in 2024.
China has significantly more space technology patents than the rest of the world does. According to the World IP Organization (WIPO), from 2000 through 2023, China increased its annual number of patent family publications related to space from 15 to about 6,600. Among the top five countries with the most space patents, China has more patent family publications than do the other countries combined. WIPO data also shows that 11 of the top 25 space technology patent owners are from China. Click here. (6/8)
HawkEye 360 Announces Over $100 Million in New International Contract Awards (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 announced over $100 million in new international contract awards and contract option value secured this year to date. The total represents a combination of immediate bookings, multi-year contracts, and award options across eight international customers and programs. The awards span defense, intelligence, and national security organizations across allied and partner nations seeking enhanced domain awareness, electronic warfare support, and operational decision advantage. (6/8)
AAC Clyde Space Signs ESA Contract for INFLECION (Source: BeQuoted)
AAC Clyde Space has signed a EUR 10.9 million contract with ESA to advance the development and demonstration of a VDES satellite constellation and future maritime services within the INFLECION program. The contract follows the previously completed definition phase (phase 1). The INFLECION program now advances into separate workstreams covering different capabilities of the system. This contract covers Workstream 1, which consists of the development and in-orbit demonstration of a twelve-satellite constellation. (6/9)
ICEYE Leads a New Era of Sovereign Intelligence From Space with €1B Funding Round (Source: Iceye)
ICEYE has raised EUR 450 million (USD 520 million) in a primary Series F funding round led by General Atlantic, at a valuation of over EUR 10 billion (USD 12 billion). Additional investors include Solidium, Tesi, Varma, Ilmarinen, Lifeline Ventures, as well as Nokia, from Finland, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and TCV. Together with a secondary placement, the total Series F funding round exceeds EUR 1 billion. (6/9)
UK Funding Boosts Breakthrough Space Technologies (Source: Gov.UK)
Britain’s space ambitions received a major boost today (10 June), with Space Minister Liz Lloyd announcing more than £19 million for cutting-edge technologies that could transform manufacturing in orbit and help keep space safe. Speaking at London Tech Week, Minister Lloyd announced a package of more than £19 million to back British space innovation. The package will support companies developing technologies that could change how materials are made in space, make it easier to bring them back to Earth, and help keep the space environment safe and sustainable.
Cardiff-based Space Forge will receive £10 million to develop its reusable fold-out heat shield, Pridwen, making it simpler and cheaper to return materials manufactured in space. A further £9.25 million will support more early-stage UK space companies, helping them grow and bring in private investment. The package includes new backing for companies developing technologies that strengthen space infrastructure, improve navigation and help track satellites and debris in orbit. (6/10)
Japan's Astroscale Leads New Industry Initiative on Spacecraft Reentry and Atmospheric Impact (Source: Astroscale)
Astroscale announced the launch of the Atmospheric Impact of Reentered Spacecraft (AIRS) initiative, an industry–academia collaboration convened by Astroscale to improve scientific understanding of the effects of spacecraft reentry on Earth’s atmosphere. Planet Labs PBC and the University of Southampton join Astroscale as founding participants in the initiative.
As activity in low Earth orbit accelerates, the number of satellites reentering Earth’s atmosphere is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. While space sustainability efforts have historically focused on in-orbit operations and debris removal, the atmospheric effects of spacecraft reentry remain an underexplored area of research. (6/9)
Rafael and Reflex Aerospace Announce Strategic Partnership (Source: Reflex Aerospace)
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Reflex Aerospace announced today a strategic co-development partnership and introduced a new class of Very High Resolution and Very High Revisit satellite constellation (VHR²C). The satellite system is designed for rapid production at large constellation scale, directly addressing the growing operational demands for persistent, actionable intelligence from space. (6/13)
Why is the US Space Force Researching 'Orbital Warehouses'? (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. military is looking into putting "orbital warehouses" into orbit around Earth where fuel and other materials could be stored for easy pickup by future spacecraft on satellite servicing missions. A new U.S. military challenge aims to "accelerate operational logistics" for to help the U.S. Space Force keep its satellites active and respond in a timely fashion to threats. The challenge was created amid repeated warnings that China and Russia are actively maneuvering their own satellites close to U.S. spacecraft in orbit and launching new types of orbital weaponry.
"An orbital warehouse will have the same functionality as a terrestrial warehouse: to receive, store, inspect, and cross-load supplies, while offering protection of those supplies from the environment," a SSC spokesperson told Space.com via email. "The orbital transfer vehicles would transport the supplies to and from the orbital warehouse, or other location of interest." (6/12)
China Successfully Debuts Tallest Rocket, LandSpace Prepares for Second Landing Attempt (Source: NSF)
China kicked off a busy month with three missions for a single internet constellation in the span of nearly four days. Another maiden launch saw the nation’s tallest rocket successfully reach orbit, though the debut raised eyebrows with the absence of airspace notices ahead of the mission. Similarly, its first asteroid-sampling mission appears to have quietly reached a major milestone without official fanfare.
Meanwhile, Chinese commercial launch providers continue making progress towards propulsively landing and recovering reusable first stages. Beyond targeting landings on concrete pads and offshore barges, recovery methods range from tensioned steel nets to a more familiar tower-catch approach, with one now considering a horizontal landing dubbed the “bellyflop.” (6/12)
ESA and EU to Collaborate on In-Space Servicing (Source: ESA)
ESA and the European Commission signed a joint declaration on In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS), signaling a shared ambition to build European leadership in in-orbit servicing. The agreement formalizes their intent to cooperate closely on the development and maturation of key technologies and mission concepts. The joint ISOS activities will ensure the future competitiveness and resilience of the European space sector, providing Europe with strategic autonomy.
In-space operations and services will extend the entire space sector beyond the present frontiers. Rather than relying on ‘disposable’ satellites, the future is also introducing orbital infrastructure elements that can achieve refilling, assembly, manufacturing, removal, repositioning, inspection, refurbishment and recycling in space. This approach supports the transition towards a circular economy in space, allowing new operations and transportation paradigms. The improved sustainability and efficiency will go hand in hand with new commercial opportunities for Europe. (6/13)
July 13, 2026
SpaceX Shares Rise Nearly 20% in
Historic IPO (Source: Space News)
SpaceX shares rose on the first day of trading as the company went public in a milestone event for both the company and the broader space industry. SpaceX sold nearly 555.6 million shares at $135 per share in an initial public offering June 12, raising $75 billion before expenses for the company. SpaceX did not change details about the IPO after disclosing the number of shares and pricing June 3. (6/12)
The Transition From Early Infrastructure to Sustained Operations (Source: SpaceCom)
NASA’s mission-based exploration is episodic by design. Artemis II, like Apollo before it, was a tightly integrated, bespoke effort calibrated to achieve a specific objective. Success is binary: the mission is completed, or it is not.
What is now emerging, in fits and starts, is a structural transition, from exploration as a sequence of singular achievements to space as an operational domain defined by persistence, cadence, and interdependence. This is the threshold to continuous presence. Sustained presence requires something fundamentally different. It depends on repeatable operations, logistics networks, transportation layers, supply chains, and systems that endure beyond any single mission. Success is measured not by arrival, but by uptime, reliability, and continuity over time. Click here. (7/12)
Putin Vows to Expand Starlink Rival With Aim to Step Up Attacks (Source: Bloomberg)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is expanding a constellation of domestically produced satellites as he vowed to step up strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with servicemen Friday, Putin said Russia had begun deploying a low orbit satellite system similar to Starlink, though the number of 16 craft was “absolutely insufficient.” (6/12)
Musk’s Rocket Launches are a Nuisance for This California Town (Source: LA Times)
The sonic booms often arrive without warning. In the strawberry fields outside Lompoc, Calif., farmworkers flinch and look skyward. They feel the vibrations in their toes. Children jump in their seats in classrooms a few miles away. Inside the Lompoc federal prison complex, more than 3,000 inmates absorb the shock waves and rattling walls with no way to escape them. And across a coastline the Chumash people have considered sacred for thousands of years, the ground shudders. This is what a SpaceX launch feels like from below. (6/13)
Blue Origin Says it Will Fly Again This Year After Explosion. NASA Needs It To (Source: Guardian)
As Blue Origin tells it, the most spectacular launchpad explosion in recent memory, which destroyed its pioneering New Glenn space rocket last month and severely damaged almost everything around it, was merely a blip. “We will fly again before the end of this year. Gradatim Ferociter,” Dave Limp, the company’s chief executive, posted on X on 1 June, using the Latin form of its motto, “Step by step, ferociously”.
What has transpired since has been an all-hands effort to identify what went wrong and get New Glenn swiftly back to flight, a response unmatched in speed and intensity since the Columbia space shuttle tragedy of 2003.
Jared Isaacman, among the first to survey the wrecked pad, promised a “whole government response” to help Blue Origin, reflective of the importance of Jeff Bezos’s company to Nasa’s moon schedule. “Everybody is responding quickly. NASA is going to deploy subject matter experts to help with the investigation to get to the root cause of the problem [and] help them rebuild the pad,” he said. (6/13)
Out-of-This-World Medical Tech Could Boost Health Care on Earth (Source: CBC)
The ear thermometer. Portable ultrasounds that plug into an iPhone. A virtual doctor's appointment. All of these now-common medical tools were adapted from space technology. Now, deep space exploration is set to bring new innovations to health-care systems on Earth, researchers say, including portable medical technology and robotic care.
And these developments could be particularly beneficial for remote and under-resourced communities. "The lessons that we can learn from a lunar habitat for delivering remote medical care [are], in a similar manner, transferrable to northern Canada," said Dr. Dave Williams, a former emergency room doctor and astronaut based in Toronto. (6/13)
Japan's Strategic Headquarters for Space Development (Source; Japan's Prime Minister)
On June 12, Prime Minister Takaichi held the 34th meeting of the Strategic Headquarters for Space Development at the Prime Minister’s Office. At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on the priority measures for the revision of the Roadmap of the Basic Plan on Space Policy.
"My administration has positioned the space sector as one of its seventeen strategic sectors. Investment in space is an important investment in next-generation national infrastructure that supports our security, economic activities, and the daily lives of our people.
From the perspective of national security, we will strengthen our space domain awareness capabilities and make greater use of satellite constellations, thereby fundamentally enhancing our defense capabilities through the utilization of space. At the same time, we will further strengthen cooperation with our allies and like-minded countries and ensure free and open access to space." (6/12)
Boeing Expands in Kansas (Source: ENR)
Global aerospace manufacturer The Boeing Co. plans to invest $1 billion over three years to construct new buildings, upgrade facilities, expand employee training and strengthen production systems at its facilities in Wichita, Kan., while also partnering with Wichita State University on its initiative to build a 35,000-sq-ft, $45-million aerospace training facility. On June 9, the Wichita City Council approved $450 million in industrial bonds to abate the company’s property taxes and support construction of new buildings. The Sedgwick County Board also is considering $100 million in bonds that would enable Boeing to pay nothing in county property taxes for new buildings and improvements over the next 10 years. (6/10)
Air Force Releases Draft RFP for TETRAS III R&D Support IDIQ (Source: GovConWire)
The Department of the Air Force has issued a draft request for proposals for Test and Evaluation Technologies for Ranges, Armaments and Spectrum III, opening industry review of the planned multiple-award recompete of its TETRAS contract vehicle. The Air Force Test Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is running the procurement. The competition will be conducted on a full and open basis, with security requirements ranging from confidential to top secret. (6/12)
ISU Course Focuses on Foundations of Spaceport Leadership (Source: GSA)
Foundations of Spaceport Leadership is the inaugural course in the ISU–GSA Professional Certification in Spaceport Leadership. It is designed as an intensive, executive-level program that delivers the “decision advantage” required to lead, evaluate, or enter the global spaceport sector. It is a fast track to the knowledge and confidence required to make consequential decisions, generate revenue, and lead in the global spaceport sector. Participants will complete six modules spanning infrastructure, operations, policy, economics, and industry application. (6/12)
Latitude Ditches the Name Zephyr for Its Two-Stage Rocket (Source: European Spaceflight)
French launch startup Latitude has removed all mentions of the Zephyr name from its website, now referring to its rocket simply as “Our Launcher”. The rocket, previously known as Zephyr, is a two-stage launch vehicle that will stand 19 meters tall and is designed to deliver up to 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The company is currently targeting the second half of 2027 for the rocket’s inaugural flight. The Zephyr name is already trademarked within the aerospace sector by Airbus subsidiary AALTO, whose solar-powered High Altitude Platform Station aircraft bears the name. (6/12)
Canadian Government Awards EO Satellite Contracts to Calian, Kepler, MDA Space (Source: Via Satellite)
The Canadian government has signed a slew of new contracts as it looks to boost its capabilities in Earth Observation (EO). It has signed three contracts, valued at C$2.4 million ($1.7 million) in total, awarded to Calian, Kepler and MDA Space. These contracts will support the development of concepts for the systems used to control Canada’s new generation of EO satellites and manage their data on Earth. This funding complements the funding announced late last year for the satellite infrastructure in orbit. (6/12)
U.S. State Department Taps SpaceX’s Starlink for Two-Year Disaster Response Initiative (Source: Via Satellite)
The U.S. Department of State signed a two-year agreement with SpaceX to utilize the Starlink satellite internet system to enhance international disaster preparedness and U.S. humanitarian response efforts worldwide. The effort aims to leverage Starlink’s LEO satellite technology to restore critical communications when crises and natural disasters damage infrastructure. The Department’s Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response will coordinate with Starlink to provide rapid connectivity to emergency responders, humanitarian organizations following disasters, and people in need. (6/12)
The Critical Robot Arm on the ISS isn't Working Properly, but NASA Has a Plan to Fix It (Source: Space.com)
One of the space station's robot arms, crucial for catching cargo ships and doing a share of maintenance duties, is offline for at least a few weeks for repairs. Canadarm2, which just passed 25 years of service in April on the International Space Station (ISS), will require a spacewalk to fix an apparently broken part that seized up during routine work on May 27, NASA said in a blog post Wednesday (June 10). The arm is in a stable spot, but it is awaiting help from spacewalking astronauts on June 30 — the day before Canada Day, a national holiday in that country. (6/12)
Aligning Ariane 6 Production with Demand (Source: Space Intel Report)
European governments spent years trying to figure out how to stimulate demand for their Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket so that, even it it’s not profitable, its losses could be kept to a level acceptable to its contributing nations. That script has been turned on its head. The challenge now is whether Ariane 6 can increase its production rate in time to capture the coming demand from European governments, especially in the next few years. (6/12)
What the Space Force Is Eyeing for Its Future GPS Enterprise? (Source: Air and Space Forces)
After years of talking about the issue and a few fits and starts, the Space Force is refining its plans to bolster its legacy GPS architecture amid fears that its satellites and ground systems are increasingly vulnerable to threats like jamming, spoofing, and even kinetic attack. The service has equipped its newest GPS satellites with more powerful military signals and defenses against signal jamming and spoofing.
The Space Force’s roadmap for modernizing the system includes near-term upgrades to the constellation, including fielding 12 more GPS IIIF satellites, part of what the service refers to as its “Generation 3” architecture. Those spacecraft, expected to start launching in 2028, will be equipped with stronger signals and accuracy than previous spacecraft. Barnas said the service is weighing potential modifications to those satellites, including adding an antenna to strengthen its military signal. (6/10)
Policies Drive Sharp Reduction in Small Business and Set-Aside Contracting (Source: FNN)
A new report from the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee found since January 2025, when President Trump took office, agencies have reduced spending with small business contractors by $47 billion, and more than 6,500 firms have left the federal market.
They not only found total dollars going to small firms dropped over the last year, but every socio-economic group from small disadvantaged to women-owned to Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) to veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small firms have felt the impact of the Trump administration’s policies. Contract set-aside dollars to small businesses in HUBZone firms are down 31%. Set-aside contract dollars to firms in the 8(a) program are down 29%. Contract set-aside dollars to women-owned small businesses are down 24%. Contracts to veteran-owned and service disabled veteran-owned small firms are down by 11%. (6/11)
Boom Supersonic Targeting Late 2027 for First Deliveries of Ground Turbines (Source: Aerospace America)
Boom Supersonic is targeting “the end of next year” to ship the first five units of its Superpower ground turbines, founder and CEO Blake Scholl said at AIAA AVIATION Forum. “There’s a lot of work left to do to make that happen, but nothing impossible,” he said in a Thursday morning keynote. (6/11)
Why Orbital Data Centers Are Harder Than Silicon Valley Thinks (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
The cost of delivery and space hardening of the payload makes general-purpose space-based data centers difficult to justify economically today, despite the fact that data-center builders in many regions are scrambling for electric power. However, there are niche applications where the much higher costs of computing in space could be justified. (6/12)
ESA Eyes Ariane 6 For Human Spaceflight (Source: Aviation Week)
As Europe pursues its goal of becoming more autonomous in space, ESA is exploring whether its Ariane 6 rocket could take astronauts to orbit. Ariane 6 is Europe’s flagship heavy-lift rocket that has been used to deploy spacecraft for two years. While it is not currently human-rated, “this is something that we're investigating right now,” ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said.
A final assessment has not been made, but Aschbacher was upbeat about the prospects. “The chances are pretty high, or pretty good, that this can be materialized,” he told reporters at the ILA Berlin air show. It would require some adaptation of the rocket, he acknowledged. (6/11)
SpaceX shares rose on the first day of trading as the company went public in a milestone event for both the company and the broader space industry. SpaceX sold nearly 555.6 million shares at $135 per share in an initial public offering June 12, raising $75 billion before expenses for the company. SpaceX did not change details about the IPO after disclosing the number of shares and pricing June 3. (6/12)
The Transition From Early Infrastructure to Sustained Operations (Source: SpaceCom)
NASA’s mission-based exploration is episodic by design. Artemis II, like Apollo before it, was a tightly integrated, bespoke effort calibrated to achieve a specific objective. Success is binary: the mission is completed, or it is not.
What is now emerging, in fits and starts, is a structural transition, from exploration as a sequence of singular achievements to space as an operational domain defined by persistence, cadence, and interdependence. This is the threshold to continuous presence. Sustained presence requires something fundamentally different. It depends on repeatable operations, logistics networks, transportation layers, supply chains, and systems that endure beyond any single mission. Success is measured not by arrival, but by uptime, reliability, and continuity over time. Click here. (7/12)
Putin Vows to Expand Starlink Rival With Aim to Step Up Attacks (Source: Bloomberg)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is expanding a constellation of domestically produced satellites as he vowed to step up strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with servicemen Friday, Putin said Russia had begun deploying a low orbit satellite system similar to Starlink, though the number of 16 craft was “absolutely insufficient.” (6/12)
Musk’s Rocket Launches are a Nuisance for This California Town (Source: LA Times)
The sonic booms often arrive without warning. In the strawberry fields outside Lompoc, Calif., farmworkers flinch and look skyward. They feel the vibrations in their toes. Children jump in their seats in classrooms a few miles away. Inside the Lompoc federal prison complex, more than 3,000 inmates absorb the shock waves and rattling walls with no way to escape them. And across a coastline the Chumash people have considered sacred for thousands of years, the ground shudders. This is what a SpaceX launch feels like from below. (6/13)
Blue Origin Says it Will Fly Again This Year After Explosion. NASA Needs It To (Source: Guardian)
As Blue Origin tells it, the most spectacular launchpad explosion in recent memory, which destroyed its pioneering New Glenn space rocket last month and severely damaged almost everything around it, was merely a blip. “We will fly again before the end of this year. Gradatim Ferociter,” Dave Limp, the company’s chief executive, posted on X on 1 June, using the Latin form of its motto, “Step by step, ferociously”.
What has transpired since has been an all-hands effort to identify what went wrong and get New Glenn swiftly back to flight, a response unmatched in speed and intensity since the Columbia space shuttle tragedy of 2003.
Jared Isaacman, among the first to survey the wrecked pad, promised a “whole government response” to help Blue Origin, reflective of the importance of Jeff Bezos’s company to Nasa’s moon schedule. “Everybody is responding quickly. NASA is going to deploy subject matter experts to help with the investigation to get to the root cause of the problem [and] help them rebuild the pad,” he said. (6/13)
Out-of-This-World Medical Tech Could Boost Health Care on Earth (Source: CBC)
The ear thermometer. Portable ultrasounds that plug into an iPhone. A virtual doctor's appointment. All of these now-common medical tools were adapted from space technology. Now, deep space exploration is set to bring new innovations to health-care systems on Earth, researchers say, including portable medical technology and robotic care.
And these developments could be particularly beneficial for remote and under-resourced communities. "The lessons that we can learn from a lunar habitat for delivering remote medical care [are], in a similar manner, transferrable to northern Canada," said Dr. Dave Williams, a former emergency room doctor and astronaut based in Toronto. (6/13)
Japan's Strategic Headquarters for Space Development (Source; Japan's Prime Minister)
On June 12, Prime Minister Takaichi held the 34th meeting of the Strategic Headquarters for Space Development at the Prime Minister’s Office. At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on the priority measures for the revision of the Roadmap of the Basic Plan on Space Policy.
"My administration has positioned the space sector as one of its seventeen strategic sectors. Investment in space is an important investment in next-generation national infrastructure that supports our security, economic activities, and the daily lives of our people.
From the perspective of national security, we will strengthen our space domain awareness capabilities and make greater use of satellite constellations, thereby fundamentally enhancing our defense capabilities through the utilization of space. At the same time, we will further strengthen cooperation with our allies and like-minded countries and ensure free and open access to space." (6/12)
Boeing Expands in Kansas (Source: ENR)
Global aerospace manufacturer The Boeing Co. plans to invest $1 billion over three years to construct new buildings, upgrade facilities, expand employee training and strengthen production systems at its facilities in Wichita, Kan., while also partnering with Wichita State University on its initiative to build a 35,000-sq-ft, $45-million aerospace training facility. On June 9, the Wichita City Council approved $450 million in industrial bonds to abate the company’s property taxes and support construction of new buildings. The Sedgwick County Board also is considering $100 million in bonds that would enable Boeing to pay nothing in county property taxes for new buildings and improvements over the next 10 years. (6/10)
Air Force Releases Draft RFP for TETRAS III R&D Support IDIQ (Source: GovConWire)
The Department of the Air Force has issued a draft request for proposals for Test and Evaluation Technologies for Ranges, Armaments and Spectrum III, opening industry review of the planned multiple-award recompete of its TETRAS contract vehicle. The Air Force Test Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is running the procurement. The competition will be conducted on a full and open basis, with security requirements ranging from confidential to top secret. (6/12)
ISU Course Focuses on Foundations of Spaceport Leadership (Source: GSA)
Foundations of Spaceport Leadership is the inaugural course in the ISU–GSA Professional Certification in Spaceport Leadership. It is designed as an intensive, executive-level program that delivers the “decision advantage” required to lead, evaluate, or enter the global spaceport sector. It is a fast track to the knowledge and confidence required to make consequential decisions, generate revenue, and lead in the global spaceport sector. Participants will complete six modules spanning infrastructure, operations, policy, economics, and industry application. (6/12)
Latitude Ditches the Name Zephyr for Its Two-Stage Rocket (Source: European Spaceflight)
French launch startup Latitude has removed all mentions of the Zephyr name from its website, now referring to its rocket simply as “Our Launcher”. The rocket, previously known as Zephyr, is a two-stage launch vehicle that will stand 19 meters tall and is designed to deliver up to 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The company is currently targeting the second half of 2027 for the rocket’s inaugural flight. The Zephyr name is already trademarked within the aerospace sector by Airbus subsidiary AALTO, whose solar-powered High Altitude Platform Station aircraft bears the name. (6/12)
Canadian Government Awards EO Satellite Contracts to Calian, Kepler, MDA Space (Source: Via Satellite)
The Canadian government has signed a slew of new contracts as it looks to boost its capabilities in Earth Observation (EO). It has signed three contracts, valued at C$2.4 million ($1.7 million) in total, awarded to Calian, Kepler and MDA Space. These contracts will support the development of concepts for the systems used to control Canada’s new generation of EO satellites and manage their data on Earth. This funding complements the funding announced late last year for the satellite infrastructure in orbit. (6/12)
U.S. State Department Taps SpaceX’s Starlink for Two-Year Disaster Response Initiative (Source: Via Satellite)
The U.S. Department of State signed a two-year agreement with SpaceX to utilize the Starlink satellite internet system to enhance international disaster preparedness and U.S. humanitarian response efforts worldwide. The effort aims to leverage Starlink’s LEO satellite technology to restore critical communications when crises and natural disasters damage infrastructure. The Department’s Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response will coordinate with Starlink to provide rapid connectivity to emergency responders, humanitarian organizations following disasters, and people in need. (6/12)
The Critical Robot Arm on the ISS isn't Working Properly, but NASA Has a Plan to Fix It (Source: Space.com)
One of the space station's robot arms, crucial for catching cargo ships and doing a share of maintenance duties, is offline for at least a few weeks for repairs. Canadarm2, which just passed 25 years of service in April on the International Space Station (ISS), will require a spacewalk to fix an apparently broken part that seized up during routine work on May 27, NASA said in a blog post Wednesday (June 10). The arm is in a stable spot, but it is awaiting help from spacewalking astronauts on June 30 — the day before Canada Day, a national holiday in that country. (6/12)
Aligning Ariane 6 Production with Demand (Source: Space Intel Report)
European governments spent years trying to figure out how to stimulate demand for their Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket so that, even it it’s not profitable, its losses could be kept to a level acceptable to its contributing nations. That script has been turned on its head. The challenge now is whether Ariane 6 can increase its production rate in time to capture the coming demand from European governments, especially in the next few years. (6/12)
What the Space Force Is Eyeing for Its Future GPS Enterprise? (Source: Air and Space Forces)
After years of talking about the issue and a few fits and starts, the Space Force is refining its plans to bolster its legacy GPS architecture amid fears that its satellites and ground systems are increasingly vulnerable to threats like jamming, spoofing, and even kinetic attack. The service has equipped its newest GPS satellites with more powerful military signals and defenses against signal jamming and spoofing.
The Space Force’s roadmap for modernizing the system includes near-term upgrades to the constellation, including fielding 12 more GPS IIIF satellites, part of what the service refers to as its “Generation 3” architecture. Those spacecraft, expected to start launching in 2028, will be equipped with stronger signals and accuracy than previous spacecraft. Barnas said the service is weighing potential modifications to those satellites, including adding an antenna to strengthen its military signal. (6/10)
Policies Drive Sharp Reduction in Small Business and Set-Aside Contracting (Source: FNN)
A new report from the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee found since January 2025, when President Trump took office, agencies have reduced spending with small business contractors by $47 billion, and more than 6,500 firms have left the federal market.
They not only found total dollars going to small firms dropped over the last year, but every socio-economic group from small disadvantaged to women-owned to Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) to veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small firms have felt the impact of the Trump administration’s policies. Contract set-aside dollars to small businesses in HUBZone firms are down 31%. Set-aside contract dollars to firms in the 8(a) program are down 29%. Contract set-aside dollars to women-owned small businesses are down 24%. Contracts to veteran-owned and service disabled veteran-owned small firms are down by 11%. (6/11)
Boom Supersonic Targeting Late 2027 for First Deliveries of Ground Turbines (Source: Aerospace America)
Boom Supersonic is targeting “the end of next year” to ship the first five units of its Superpower ground turbines, founder and CEO Blake Scholl said at AIAA AVIATION Forum. “There’s a lot of work left to do to make that happen, but nothing impossible,” he said in a Thursday morning keynote. (6/11)
Why Orbital Data Centers Are Harder Than Silicon Valley Thinks (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
The cost of delivery and space hardening of the payload makes general-purpose space-based data centers difficult to justify economically today, despite the fact that data-center builders in many regions are scrambling for electric power. However, there are niche applications where the much higher costs of computing in space could be justified. (6/12)
ESA Eyes Ariane 6 For Human Spaceflight (Source: Aviation Week)
As Europe pursues its goal of becoming more autonomous in space, ESA is exploring whether its Ariane 6 rocket could take astronauts to orbit. Ariane 6 is Europe’s flagship heavy-lift rocket that has been used to deploy spacecraft for two years. While it is not currently human-rated, “this is something that we're investigating right now,” ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said.
A final assessment has not been made, but Aschbacher was upbeat about the prospects. “The chances are pretty high, or pretty good, that this can be materialized,” he told reporters at the ILA Berlin air show. It would require some adaptation of the rocket, he acknowledged. (6/11)
July 12, 2026
The Nationalization of American Science
(Source: Marginal Revolution)
OMB, joined by some forty grantmaking agencies—NSF, HHS, DOE, NASA, DOD among them—has proposed a sweeping rewrite of the rules governing all federal grants, the Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance. American science has long been state funded but not state directed. Money has flowed through many agencies to independent universities, allocated largely by peer review. The system has flaws—conformity, gerontocracy, waste—but it had one great virtue, the system was decentralized and not under state control.
This new rule proposes to bring science funding under top-down, state control. Program goals must now be “aligned with administration policies and priorities” (§ 200.202). Merit review is subordinated to politics: “senior appointees must conduct these reviews,” ensuring “that discretionary awards advance the President’s policy priorities,” while “peer review remains advisory and does not replace agency discretion” (§ 200.205).
And every grant becomes terminable at will, whenever it “no longer effectuates program goals, Federal agency priorities, or the national interest *as they exist at the time of the termination*” (§ 200.340, emphasis added). Universities must even ensure their subrecipients don’t “significantly damage the reputation of… the Federal Government” (§ 200.332)—a loyalty clause for scientists. (6/11)
Hundreds of New Moons are Revealing Our Solar System's Violent History (Source: New Scientist)
Beyond Jupiter, the sun is no longer a blazing disc, but a cold, white lamp. The planets are separated by gulfs of darkness. Light takes just 8 minutes to get from the sun to Earth, but typically more than an hour to cross the yawning chasm between Uranus and Neptune. But in the middle of what seems like an uneventful part of the solar system, astronomers recently made a mammoth discovery: a hidden population of more than 100 moons that, until recently, remained almost invisible. From Earth, they appear as faint, fast-moving points of light, easily lost in their planets’ glare.
They aren’t moons as we imagine them – grand worlds like our own pale satellite, Jupiter’s volcanic Io or Saturn’s haze-wrapped Titan. They are smaller, darker and far more unruly. Astronomers call them irregular moons, and with their numbers now so high, their hidden kingdom has become harder to ignore. They hint that the outer part of our solar system might not be enjoying a quiet retirement, but instead has seen periods of incredible turbulence surprisingly recently. These hidden moons may also help us solve a mystery about one of our solar system’s most iconic sights: how did Saturn get its rings? (6/10)
Senate Bill Would Fold SDA and Rapid Capabilities Office Into Space Force (Source: Space News)
A Senate defense authorization bill supports plans to fold two offices into the Space Force. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved Thursday its National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027. The bill includes a provision that would eliminate separate statutory requirements for the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, similar to language in the House version of the bill. The provision is intended to give the Department of the Air Force greater flexibility to restructure the Space Force acquisition organization, streamline operations and accelerate implementation of broader acquisition reforms. The bill also includes a missile-defense provision that would restrict certain Pentagon funding until lawmakers receive an independent assessment of space-based missile defense capabilities. (6/12)
K2 Space and Rocket Lab to Support Space Force Comms Network (Source: Space News)
K2 Space and Rocket Lab have landed key supplier roles in the U.S. Space Force's next-generation military communications network. K2 Space will provide the satellite platform for SES's entry in the Protected Tactical Satcom-Global program, known as PTS-G, while Rocket Lab will supply the spacecraft bus for Viasat's PTS-G satellite. The supplier selections shed new light on the industrial teams behind the first operational phase of PTS-G, a Space Force effort to build a more resilient military communications network using commercially derived satellites in geostationary orbit. (6/12)
UK's Open Cosmos Seeks More Time for Constellation Deployment (Source: Space News)
British small satellite specialist Open Cosmos is seeking more time to deploy its proposed sovereign broadband constellation. The company said Liechtenstein, which holds the Ka-band spectrum filings it is using for the network, has submitted an extension request to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the 144 satellites tied to a June 10 deadline. Open Cosmos said failures of India's PSLV rocket created a "force majeure" situation that prevented the company from reaching its ITU deployment milestone. The Open Cosmos filings were previously assigned to Germany-based Rivada Space Networks, which had planned to use them for its proposed Outernet broadband network, but Liechtenstein rescinded the licenses in 2024 following a dispute over a required performance bond and awarded them to Open Cosmos earlier this year. (6/12)
ESA Picks AAC Clyde Space for Maritime Awareness Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
AAC Clyde Space won a European Space Agency contract to complete development of and demonstrate a maritime domain awareness satellite program. The 10.9 million euro ($12.6 million) contract supports completion of the 12-satellite Inflecion constellation, a low-cost approach to detecting, tracking and monitoring maritime vessels, including ships that turn off their automated identification system (AIS) transponders. The VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) satellites enable two-way communication, including the ability to contact ships being tracked to challenge them to identify themselves. Aside from Inflecion, AAC Clyde Space plans to launch additional VDES satellites to expand its maritime-monitoring business. (6/12)
Post-Gateway Negotiation Gives ESA Astronaut Assignment to Artemis 3 Mission (Source: Space News)
The assignment of an ESA astronaut to the Artemis 3 mission is part of renegotiations between NASA and ESA about roles on Artemis. ESA had seats on three Artemis missions to the lunar Gateway under previous agreements with NASA, but those plans were disrupted by NASA's decision in March to halt work on the Gateway. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said at a press conference Thursday that while he could not discuss details about ongoing talks with NASA about new roles on ESA, the assignment of ESA's Luca Parmitano on Artemis 3 "is part of the negotiation process as the first step." Aschbacher said he is working to find ways to get European astronauts on future Artemis lunar landing missions. (6/12)
Japan's H3 Returns to Flight with Lower-Cost Variant (Source: Space News)
Japan's H3 rocket successfully returned to flight Thursday night. An H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch was a test flight of a new version of the rocket, the H3-30S, which uses three engines in its first stage but no solid rocket boosters. The rocket placed six smallsats, including one from French company Unseenlabs, into orbit. The launch was the first for the H3 since a failure in December when shocks from deployment of the payload fairing damaged its satellite and payload adapter, causing the satellite to fall off the upper stage. (6/12)
SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites From California and Florida on Friday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX conducted two Starlink launches just before the launch of its IPO. One Falcon 9 lifted off at 11:06 a.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, putting 24 Starlink satellites in orbit. A second Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:37 a.m. Eastern Friday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 29 Starlink satellites. (6/12)
Germany's HyImpulse Considers Launching From Oman (Source: Space News)
German launch company HyImpulse has signaled its interest in launching from a spaceport in Oman. HyImpulse signed a letter of intent with Etlaq Spaceport, Oman's commercial spaceport, to study launches from the site. The agreement covers both HyImpulse's suborbital launcher SR75, which conducted its first test flight from the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia in May 2024, and its orbital rocket SL1, which is planned to fly in 2027. (6/12)
Rocket Lab Included in Nasdaq 100 (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab is marking its own Nasdaq milestone today. The company announced it has been selected for inclusion in the Nasdaq 100, a stock index for the 100 of the largest non-financial companies on the exchange. The company's shares have risen significantly in recent months, giving it a market cap approaching $70 billion. The company's inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 takes effect on June 22. (6/12)
Russian Satellite Tied to GPS and Galileo Disruptions (Source: Defense One)
GPS disruptions in Europe have been traced to a Russian satellite. Researchers said in a paper published this month that they detected at 75 instances of high-powered radio transmissions since 2019 at frequencies used by GPS and Galileo, disrupting GPS antennas across Europe. The study concluded the bursts likely came from a Russian early-warning satellite, Cosmos 2546, flying in a highly elliptical orbit. The bursts appear to be intentional but it is unclear what Russia's intentions are. (6/12)
After Nearly Breaking, NASA’s Deep Space Network “Worked Well” on Artemis II (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA pushed its Deep Space Network beyond its limits during the Artemis I mission nearly four years ago. The global array of deep space communications antennas couldn’t keep up with the routine demands of 40 robotic science missions and the extraordinary surge required by NASA’s Orion space capsule as it flew around the Moon. The experience in late 2022 reduced or delayed downlinks from several high-profile science missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope and Mars rovers, as the data-hungry Artemis I mission took priority on NASA’s communications network.
And that was before the first Artemis mission with astronauts onboard. When Artemis II launched April 1, NASA called upon the DSN again to connect Mission Control to the Orion capsule as it soared more than a quarter of a million miles from Earth. The demand for signal is only going up. NASA and its commercial and international partners plan to launch numerous missions to the Moon in the next few years. NASA is working with commercial providers to construct ground antennas for a dedicated network for Moon missions, called Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS), to free up more capacity on the DSN to support other spacecraft. (6/11)
SpaceX Treated as ‘Simply Too Risky’ for Funds With Governance Mandates (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX is offering 555.6 million shares at a fixed price of $135 each, which would raise about $75 billion. The stock is set to start trading on June 12. The IPO is expected to rank as the biggest ever, topping Saudi Aramco’s $29.4 billion listing in 2019. The list of sustainability-focused fund managers opting to blacklist SpaceX is growing, as they contemplate the unprecedented level of control that Elon Musk will hold over the rockets-to-chatbot behemoth. “It’s simply too, too risky for the type of longevity we want to see in a company,” said Marcela Pinilla. (6/11)
Voyager CEO Confident NASA Will Pick Company’s Space Station (Source: Bloomberg)
A NASA review of its plan for commercial space stations will likely conclude with the agency supporting a project backed by Voyager Technologies Inc., according to the company’s chief executive. The Denver-based company is working on Starlab, a proposed space station, with partners including Airbus SE, Mitsubishi Corp. and Palantir Technologies Inc. (6/11)
Growth is Harder for Starlink, Heading Into IPO (Source: CNBC)
According to its IPO filings, SpaceX has accumulated a deficit of $41.3 billion since it was founded in 2002, and recorded an operating loss of $1.9 billion in the first quarter. The company has spent more than $15 billion developing Starship. Average Starlink revenue per using is dropping. The number fell to $66 per month in the first quarter from $86 a year earlier. For all of last year, ARPU slid to $81 from $91 in 2024 and $99 in 2023. Even as the number of subscribers doubled in the first quarter, operating income barely budged, going from $1.03 billion to $1.19 billion.
The cost of producing Starlink terminals also remains a challenge for SpaceX as the company scales. Farrar estimates that the devices are typically about three times more expensive to produce than modems for terrestrial internet. Meanwhile, Starlink is moving into a more competitive space. Starlink is now targeting more developed and urban markets, where it has to go up against traditional broadband providers, creating a whole new level of price sensitivity. (6/11)
Deriving BDA Clarity From Blue Origin’s Bad Day (Sources: Aviation Week, SPACErePORT)
The root cause of Blue Origin’s failed New Glenn Flight 4 (NG-4) static fire test has yet to be disclosed, but one metric stands out: 7,174. That is the number of feet around the New Glenn launch pad that comprised the blast damage area (BDA) ahead of the test, based on an equivalent use of TNT instead of MethaLox. (BDAs can grow/shrink based on weather patterns and environmental conditions.) Despite this being possibly the largest rocket explosion ever at the spaceport, the Space Force has acknowledged finding New Glenn debris only within ~2,640 feet from the pad— well inside the 7,174-foot BDA diameter.
For comparison, Starship's planned BDA at 100% TNT equivalency is expected to reach approximately 12,000 feet in diameter from its pad. From the Space Force's perspective, the blast didn't injure anyone, which supports the existing BDA methodology rather than calling it into question. Also, it is unclear (and seemingly unlikely) that the New Glenn's upper stage was fueled during the static test accident. Because the upper stage uses liquid hydrogen instead of methane, even a partially loaded upper stage could skew any attempt to derive a clean MethaLox blast yield from this event. (6/10)
The Biggest Reason Sea Level Rise is Accelerating (Source: Science Alert)
The rate of sea-level rise is accelerating, but the main cause may not be what you think. It’s not melting glaciers or even shrinking ice sheets. A new study suggests it is the steady expansion of our warming ocean waters. The phenomenon is called thermal expansion, and it means that in the coming decades, the same amount of seawater will come to occupy more volume. It’s a key factor that, until now, some of our climate models haven't fully grasped. (6/11)
Aerospace Manufacturing Center Planned for West El Paso (Source: KVIA)
ARC Aerospace and Defense Systems said Wednesday it will establish a new manufacturing center in West El Paso. The expansion will support U.S. military and national security objectives, the company said. ARC Aerospace, which is based in El Paso, specializes in developing and manufacturing missile technology, including counter-drone strike systems. (6/10)
UCF Hosts Annual NASA Lunabotics Qualification Challenge Focused on Lunar Exploration (Source: Team Orlando)
The University of Central Florida hosted NASA’s Lunabotics qualification challenge for the third year in a row at UCF’s Exolith lab on May 14. The Lunabotics Challenge is a collegiate engineering competition that tasks teams with designing lunar robots for future space infrastructure needs and aims to advance engineering education through hands-on experience.
This year’s competition hosted 47 teams from universities across the country to design, build and operate a 125-pound rover robot prototype that performs construction tasks in a lunar-surface environment. After qualifiers, the top 10 teams advance to compete in the championship round at the Kennedy Space Center. Teams aim to build a lunar rover to perform construction tasks in future space exploration efforts. (6/2)
Trump Urges Passage of $350B Reconciliation Bill (Source: The Hill)
President Donald Trump has called on Congress to "immediately" pass a $350 billion reconciliation bill that is critical for reaching a $1.5 trillion military budget. Funding from the bill would go to projects such as Golden Dome and the manufacturing of F-47s and B-21s, Trump said. (6/10)
Space Force Plans Additional Space Data Network Vendors (Source: Via Satellite)
The US Space Force is planning to request $1.5 billion in the fiscal year 2027 reconciliation bill for the Space Data Network Backbone, a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation. This allocation includes $685 million to accelerate the expansion of its low-Earth orbit satellite constellation and $800 million dedicated to onboarding additional vendors as commercial technologies mature. (6/10)
Airbus to Lead German Consortium for Sovereign ISR Capability (Source: Via Satellite)
Airbus has put together a consortium of German companies to develop a sovereign intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) solution. The team announced Wednesday includes Rohde & Schwarz, thermal intelligence startup constellr, Orbint, and High Performance Space Structure Systems (HPS). Airbus will be responsible for overall mission and system architecture, end-to-end integration, program management, and the customer interface. (6/10)
Open Cosmos Seeks Deadline Extension for Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
British small satellite specialist Open Cosmos is seeking more time to deploy its proposed sovereign broadband constellation for Europe following an Indian rocket’s failure in January. The company said Liechtenstein, which holds the Ka-band spectrum filings it is using for the network, has submitted an extension request to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the 144 satellites tied to a June deadline. (6/11)
GEO Cancellations Complicate Space Insurance Recovery (Source: Space News)
The recent cancellation of three geostationary satellites—two by SES and one by Eutelsat—is a significant hit to satellite underwriters. These expensive legacy cash cows were relied upon to generate large premiums and offset heavy losses from a bruising recent streak of in-orbit and launch claims. The shift away from geostationary (GEO) fleets reflects the evolving economics of the space industry. :
Operators increasingly prefer to extend the life of existing spacecraft in orbit or rely on self-insured, high-volume LEO mega-constellations. The space insurance sector has struggled with high-severity claims over the last several years. With fewer high-value, traditional satellites being ordered, underwriters are missing out on the substantial premium injections historically required to balance their books. (6/11)
Space Forge Secures £10 Million Through European Space Agencies, for Reentry Heat Shield (Source: Via Satellite)
Space Forge has received a £10 million ($13.4 million) boost thanks to ESA's General Support Technology Program, funded through the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) investment in ESA. The £10 million will be used to develop its reusable fold-out heat shield, Pridwen, with the aim of making it simpler and cheaper to return materials manufactured in space. Space Forge announced this news, June 11.
Pridwen is designed to deploy during re-entry, creating a larger protective surface that helps shield the spacecraft from extreme heat and pressure while making the system lighter, easier to recover and more practical to use again. The mission will help bring Pridwen to full commercial readiness, enabling frequent and reliable return of cargo from space which is critical to the growth of the in-space manufacturing industry. (6/11)
Sky Perfect JSAT to Purchase Avanti’s HYLAS 3 Satellite (Source: Via Satellite)
Sky Perfect JSAT will acquire the HYLAS 3 satellite that is currently in orbit and owned by Avanti Communications. Sky Perfect JSAT said the satellite will go through in-orbit testing and related procedures, and Sky Perfect JSAT expects to begin operations with the satellite under the name JSAT-144D in early fiscal year 2027. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. (6/10)
Austria's Another Earth Expands Into Brazil (Source: Via Satellite)
Another Earth, an Earth Observation (EO) data company, is expanding into Brazil, one of the largest markets in Latin America. The company believes Brazil’s combination of climate pressures, rapid growth in renewable energy, environmental regulation, and large-scale agriculture makes it an important market for EO and environmental modelling technologies. The company announced the move, June 10. The expansion follows Another Earth’s recent $4 million seed funding round and forms part of the company’s broader international growth plans. (6/10)
El Salvador and Thailand Projects Advance in Cubesat Competition (Source; UNOOSA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) sponsor the KiboCUBE program to provide developing countries with opportunities to deploy CubeSats from the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” of the International Space Station (ISS). JAXA and UNOOSA have selected Key Institute of the Republic of El Salvador and Chulalongkorn University of Thailand for the ninth round of KiboCUBE program. (6/11)
OMB, joined by some forty grantmaking agencies—NSF, HHS, DOE, NASA, DOD among them—has proposed a sweeping rewrite of the rules governing all federal grants, the Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance. American science has long been state funded but not state directed. Money has flowed through many agencies to independent universities, allocated largely by peer review. The system has flaws—conformity, gerontocracy, waste—but it had one great virtue, the system was decentralized and not under state control.
This new rule proposes to bring science funding under top-down, state control. Program goals must now be “aligned with administration policies and priorities” (§ 200.202). Merit review is subordinated to politics: “senior appointees must conduct these reviews,” ensuring “that discretionary awards advance the President’s policy priorities,” while “peer review remains advisory and does not replace agency discretion” (§ 200.205).
And every grant becomes terminable at will, whenever it “no longer effectuates program goals, Federal agency priorities, or the national interest *as they exist at the time of the termination*” (§ 200.340, emphasis added). Universities must even ensure their subrecipients don’t “significantly damage the reputation of… the Federal Government” (§ 200.332)—a loyalty clause for scientists. (6/11)
Hundreds of New Moons are Revealing Our Solar System's Violent History (Source: New Scientist)
Beyond Jupiter, the sun is no longer a blazing disc, but a cold, white lamp. The planets are separated by gulfs of darkness. Light takes just 8 minutes to get from the sun to Earth, but typically more than an hour to cross the yawning chasm between Uranus and Neptune. But in the middle of what seems like an uneventful part of the solar system, astronomers recently made a mammoth discovery: a hidden population of more than 100 moons that, until recently, remained almost invisible. From Earth, they appear as faint, fast-moving points of light, easily lost in their planets’ glare.
They aren’t moons as we imagine them – grand worlds like our own pale satellite, Jupiter’s volcanic Io or Saturn’s haze-wrapped Titan. They are smaller, darker and far more unruly. Astronomers call them irregular moons, and with their numbers now so high, their hidden kingdom has become harder to ignore. They hint that the outer part of our solar system might not be enjoying a quiet retirement, but instead has seen periods of incredible turbulence surprisingly recently. These hidden moons may also help us solve a mystery about one of our solar system’s most iconic sights: how did Saturn get its rings? (6/10)
Senate Bill Would Fold SDA and Rapid Capabilities Office Into Space Force (Source: Space News)
A Senate defense authorization bill supports plans to fold two offices into the Space Force. The Senate Armed Services Committee approved Thursday its National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027. The bill includes a provision that would eliminate separate statutory requirements for the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, similar to language in the House version of the bill. The provision is intended to give the Department of the Air Force greater flexibility to restructure the Space Force acquisition organization, streamline operations and accelerate implementation of broader acquisition reforms. The bill also includes a missile-defense provision that would restrict certain Pentagon funding until lawmakers receive an independent assessment of space-based missile defense capabilities. (6/12)
K2 Space and Rocket Lab to Support Space Force Comms Network (Source: Space News)
K2 Space and Rocket Lab have landed key supplier roles in the U.S. Space Force's next-generation military communications network. K2 Space will provide the satellite platform for SES's entry in the Protected Tactical Satcom-Global program, known as PTS-G, while Rocket Lab will supply the spacecraft bus for Viasat's PTS-G satellite. The supplier selections shed new light on the industrial teams behind the first operational phase of PTS-G, a Space Force effort to build a more resilient military communications network using commercially derived satellites in geostationary orbit. (6/12)
UK's Open Cosmos Seeks More Time for Constellation Deployment (Source: Space News)
British small satellite specialist Open Cosmos is seeking more time to deploy its proposed sovereign broadband constellation. The company said Liechtenstein, which holds the Ka-band spectrum filings it is using for the network, has submitted an extension request to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the 144 satellites tied to a June 10 deadline. Open Cosmos said failures of India's PSLV rocket created a "force majeure" situation that prevented the company from reaching its ITU deployment milestone. The Open Cosmos filings were previously assigned to Germany-based Rivada Space Networks, which had planned to use them for its proposed Outernet broadband network, but Liechtenstein rescinded the licenses in 2024 following a dispute over a required performance bond and awarded them to Open Cosmos earlier this year. (6/12)
ESA Picks AAC Clyde Space for Maritime Awareness Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
AAC Clyde Space won a European Space Agency contract to complete development of and demonstrate a maritime domain awareness satellite program. The 10.9 million euro ($12.6 million) contract supports completion of the 12-satellite Inflecion constellation, a low-cost approach to detecting, tracking and monitoring maritime vessels, including ships that turn off their automated identification system (AIS) transponders. The VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) satellites enable two-way communication, including the ability to contact ships being tracked to challenge them to identify themselves. Aside from Inflecion, AAC Clyde Space plans to launch additional VDES satellites to expand its maritime-monitoring business. (6/12)
Post-Gateway Negotiation Gives ESA Astronaut Assignment to Artemis 3 Mission (Source: Space News)
The assignment of an ESA astronaut to the Artemis 3 mission is part of renegotiations between NASA and ESA about roles on Artemis. ESA had seats on three Artemis missions to the lunar Gateway under previous agreements with NASA, but those plans were disrupted by NASA's decision in March to halt work on the Gateway. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said at a press conference Thursday that while he could not discuss details about ongoing talks with NASA about new roles on ESA, the assignment of ESA's Luca Parmitano on Artemis 3 "is part of the negotiation process as the first step." Aschbacher said he is working to find ways to get European astronauts on future Artemis lunar landing missions. (6/12)
Japan's H3 Returns to Flight with Lower-Cost Variant (Source: Space News)
Japan's H3 rocket successfully returned to flight Thursday night. An H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch was a test flight of a new version of the rocket, the H3-30S, which uses three engines in its first stage but no solid rocket boosters. The rocket placed six smallsats, including one from French company Unseenlabs, into orbit. The launch was the first for the H3 since a failure in December when shocks from deployment of the payload fairing damaged its satellite and payload adapter, causing the satellite to fall off the upper stage. (6/12)
SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites From California and Florida on Friday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX conducted two Starlink launches just before the launch of its IPO. One Falcon 9 lifted off at 11:06 a.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, putting 24 Starlink satellites in orbit. A second Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:37 a.m. Eastern Friday morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying 29 Starlink satellites. (6/12)
Germany's HyImpulse Considers Launching From Oman (Source: Space News)
German launch company HyImpulse has signaled its interest in launching from a spaceport in Oman. HyImpulse signed a letter of intent with Etlaq Spaceport, Oman's commercial spaceport, to study launches from the site. The agreement covers both HyImpulse's suborbital launcher SR75, which conducted its first test flight from the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia in May 2024, and its orbital rocket SL1, which is planned to fly in 2027. (6/12)
Rocket Lab Included in Nasdaq 100 (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab is marking its own Nasdaq milestone today. The company announced it has been selected for inclusion in the Nasdaq 100, a stock index for the 100 of the largest non-financial companies on the exchange. The company's shares have risen significantly in recent months, giving it a market cap approaching $70 billion. The company's inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 takes effect on June 22. (6/12)
Russian Satellite Tied to GPS and Galileo Disruptions (Source: Defense One)
GPS disruptions in Europe have been traced to a Russian satellite. Researchers said in a paper published this month that they detected at 75 instances of high-powered radio transmissions since 2019 at frequencies used by GPS and Galileo, disrupting GPS antennas across Europe. The study concluded the bursts likely came from a Russian early-warning satellite, Cosmos 2546, flying in a highly elliptical orbit. The bursts appear to be intentional but it is unclear what Russia's intentions are. (6/12)
After Nearly Breaking, NASA’s Deep Space Network “Worked Well” on Artemis II (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA pushed its Deep Space Network beyond its limits during the Artemis I mission nearly four years ago. The global array of deep space communications antennas couldn’t keep up with the routine demands of 40 robotic science missions and the extraordinary surge required by NASA’s Orion space capsule as it flew around the Moon. The experience in late 2022 reduced or delayed downlinks from several high-profile science missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope and Mars rovers, as the data-hungry Artemis I mission took priority on NASA’s communications network.
And that was before the first Artemis mission with astronauts onboard. When Artemis II launched April 1, NASA called upon the DSN again to connect Mission Control to the Orion capsule as it soared more than a quarter of a million miles from Earth. The demand for signal is only going up. NASA and its commercial and international partners plan to launch numerous missions to the Moon in the next few years. NASA is working with commercial providers to construct ground antennas for a dedicated network for Moon missions, called Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS), to free up more capacity on the DSN to support other spacecraft. (6/11)
SpaceX Treated as ‘Simply Too Risky’ for Funds With Governance Mandates (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX is offering 555.6 million shares at a fixed price of $135 each, which would raise about $75 billion. The stock is set to start trading on June 12. The IPO is expected to rank as the biggest ever, topping Saudi Aramco’s $29.4 billion listing in 2019. The list of sustainability-focused fund managers opting to blacklist SpaceX is growing, as they contemplate the unprecedented level of control that Elon Musk will hold over the rockets-to-chatbot behemoth. “It’s simply too, too risky for the type of longevity we want to see in a company,” said Marcela Pinilla. (6/11)
Voyager CEO Confident NASA Will Pick Company’s Space Station (Source: Bloomberg)
A NASA review of its plan for commercial space stations will likely conclude with the agency supporting a project backed by Voyager Technologies Inc., according to the company’s chief executive. The Denver-based company is working on Starlab, a proposed space station, with partners including Airbus SE, Mitsubishi Corp. and Palantir Technologies Inc. (6/11)
Growth is Harder for Starlink, Heading Into IPO (Source: CNBC)
According to its IPO filings, SpaceX has accumulated a deficit of $41.3 billion since it was founded in 2002, and recorded an operating loss of $1.9 billion in the first quarter. The company has spent more than $15 billion developing Starship. Average Starlink revenue per using is dropping. The number fell to $66 per month in the first quarter from $86 a year earlier. For all of last year, ARPU slid to $81 from $91 in 2024 and $99 in 2023. Even as the number of subscribers doubled in the first quarter, operating income barely budged, going from $1.03 billion to $1.19 billion.
The cost of producing Starlink terminals also remains a challenge for SpaceX as the company scales. Farrar estimates that the devices are typically about three times more expensive to produce than modems for terrestrial internet. Meanwhile, Starlink is moving into a more competitive space. Starlink is now targeting more developed and urban markets, where it has to go up against traditional broadband providers, creating a whole new level of price sensitivity. (6/11)
Deriving BDA Clarity From Blue Origin’s Bad Day (Sources: Aviation Week, SPACErePORT)
The root cause of Blue Origin’s failed New Glenn Flight 4 (NG-4) static fire test has yet to be disclosed, but one metric stands out: 7,174. That is the number of feet around the New Glenn launch pad that comprised the blast damage area (BDA) ahead of the test, based on an equivalent use of TNT instead of MethaLox. (BDAs can grow/shrink based on weather patterns and environmental conditions.) Despite this being possibly the largest rocket explosion ever at the spaceport, the Space Force has acknowledged finding New Glenn debris only within ~2,640 feet from the pad— well inside the 7,174-foot BDA diameter.
For comparison, Starship's planned BDA at 100% TNT equivalency is expected to reach approximately 12,000 feet in diameter from its pad. From the Space Force's perspective, the blast didn't injure anyone, which supports the existing BDA methodology rather than calling it into question. Also, it is unclear (and seemingly unlikely) that the New Glenn's upper stage was fueled during the static test accident. Because the upper stage uses liquid hydrogen instead of methane, even a partially loaded upper stage could skew any attempt to derive a clean MethaLox blast yield from this event. (6/10)
The Biggest Reason Sea Level Rise is Accelerating (Source: Science Alert)
The rate of sea-level rise is accelerating, but the main cause may not be what you think. It’s not melting glaciers or even shrinking ice sheets. A new study suggests it is the steady expansion of our warming ocean waters. The phenomenon is called thermal expansion, and it means that in the coming decades, the same amount of seawater will come to occupy more volume. It’s a key factor that, until now, some of our climate models haven't fully grasped. (6/11)
Aerospace Manufacturing Center Planned for West El Paso (Source: KVIA)
ARC Aerospace and Defense Systems said Wednesday it will establish a new manufacturing center in West El Paso. The expansion will support U.S. military and national security objectives, the company said. ARC Aerospace, which is based in El Paso, specializes in developing and manufacturing missile technology, including counter-drone strike systems. (6/10)
UCF Hosts Annual NASA Lunabotics Qualification Challenge Focused on Lunar Exploration (Source: Team Orlando)
The University of Central Florida hosted NASA’s Lunabotics qualification challenge for the third year in a row at UCF’s Exolith lab on May 14. The Lunabotics Challenge is a collegiate engineering competition that tasks teams with designing lunar robots for future space infrastructure needs and aims to advance engineering education through hands-on experience.
This year’s competition hosted 47 teams from universities across the country to design, build and operate a 125-pound rover robot prototype that performs construction tasks in a lunar-surface environment. After qualifiers, the top 10 teams advance to compete in the championship round at the Kennedy Space Center. Teams aim to build a lunar rover to perform construction tasks in future space exploration efforts. (6/2)
Trump Urges Passage of $350B Reconciliation Bill (Source: The Hill)
President Donald Trump has called on Congress to "immediately" pass a $350 billion reconciliation bill that is critical for reaching a $1.5 trillion military budget. Funding from the bill would go to projects such as Golden Dome and the manufacturing of F-47s and B-21s, Trump said. (6/10)
Space Force Plans Additional Space Data Network Vendors (Source: Via Satellite)
The US Space Force is planning to request $1.5 billion in the fiscal year 2027 reconciliation bill for the Space Data Network Backbone, a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation. This allocation includes $685 million to accelerate the expansion of its low-Earth orbit satellite constellation and $800 million dedicated to onboarding additional vendors as commercial technologies mature. (6/10)
Airbus to Lead German Consortium for Sovereign ISR Capability (Source: Via Satellite)
Airbus has put together a consortium of German companies to develop a sovereign intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) solution. The team announced Wednesday includes Rohde & Schwarz, thermal intelligence startup constellr, Orbint, and High Performance Space Structure Systems (HPS). Airbus will be responsible for overall mission and system architecture, end-to-end integration, program management, and the customer interface. (6/10)
Open Cosmos Seeks Deadline Extension for Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
British small satellite specialist Open Cosmos is seeking more time to deploy its proposed sovereign broadband constellation for Europe following an Indian rocket’s failure in January. The company said Liechtenstein, which holds the Ka-band spectrum filings it is using for the network, has submitted an extension request to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the 144 satellites tied to a June deadline. (6/11)
GEO Cancellations Complicate Space Insurance Recovery (Source: Space News)
The recent cancellation of three geostationary satellites—two by SES and one by Eutelsat—is a significant hit to satellite underwriters. These expensive legacy cash cows were relied upon to generate large premiums and offset heavy losses from a bruising recent streak of in-orbit and launch claims. The shift away from geostationary (GEO) fleets reflects the evolving economics of the space industry. :
Operators increasingly prefer to extend the life of existing spacecraft in orbit or rely on self-insured, high-volume LEO mega-constellations. The space insurance sector has struggled with high-severity claims over the last several years. With fewer high-value, traditional satellites being ordered, underwriters are missing out on the substantial premium injections historically required to balance their books. (6/11)
Space Forge Secures £10 Million Through European Space Agencies, for Reentry Heat Shield (Source: Via Satellite)
Space Forge has received a £10 million ($13.4 million) boost thanks to ESA's General Support Technology Program, funded through the UK Space Agency’s (UKSA) investment in ESA. The £10 million will be used to develop its reusable fold-out heat shield, Pridwen, with the aim of making it simpler and cheaper to return materials manufactured in space. Space Forge announced this news, June 11.
Pridwen is designed to deploy during re-entry, creating a larger protective surface that helps shield the spacecraft from extreme heat and pressure while making the system lighter, easier to recover and more practical to use again. The mission will help bring Pridwen to full commercial readiness, enabling frequent and reliable return of cargo from space which is critical to the growth of the in-space manufacturing industry. (6/11)
Sky Perfect JSAT to Purchase Avanti’s HYLAS 3 Satellite (Source: Via Satellite)
Sky Perfect JSAT will acquire the HYLAS 3 satellite that is currently in orbit and owned by Avanti Communications. Sky Perfect JSAT said the satellite will go through in-orbit testing and related procedures, and Sky Perfect JSAT expects to begin operations with the satellite under the name JSAT-144D in early fiscal year 2027. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. (6/10)
Austria's Another Earth Expands Into Brazil (Source: Via Satellite)
Another Earth, an Earth Observation (EO) data company, is expanding into Brazil, one of the largest markets in Latin America. The company believes Brazil’s combination of climate pressures, rapid growth in renewable energy, environmental regulation, and large-scale agriculture makes it an important market for EO and environmental modelling technologies. The company announced the move, June 10. The expansion follows Another Earth’s recent $4 million seed funding round and forms part of the company’s broader international growth plans. (6/10)
El Salvador and Thailand Projects Advance in Cubesat Competition (Source; UNOOSA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) sponsor the KiboCUBE program to provide developing countries with opportunities to deploy CubeSats from the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” of the International Space Station (ISS). JAXA and UNOOSA have selected Key Institute of the Republic of El Salvador and Chulalongkorn University of Thailand for the ninth round of KiboCUBE program. (6/11)
July 11, 2026
Rare Pegasus Mission to Launch NASA's
Swift Rescue at Kwajalein (Source: NASA)
Engineers completed installation of Katalyst Space’s LINK robotic servicing spacecraft into a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on Tuesday, June 9, at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Launch is anticipated later this month. NASA contracted Katalyst to build and launch LINK to raise the altitude of the agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Recent solar activity has caused Swift's orbit to decay faster than anticipated.
Based on the orbital and programmatic needs of the mission, Katalyst selected the air-launched Pegasus XL as the best means of reaching the observatory in time to perform the boost maneuver. Northrop Grumman will launch the rocket using Stargazer, its modified L-1011 aircraft. Northrop Grumman engineers will attach Pegasus XL to Stargazer, which will carry it from NASA Wallops to Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, for launch. (6/10)
NASA Chief Defends Selection of All-Male Crew for Artemis III Mission (Source: CBS)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, responding to questions about the agency's selection of an all-male crew for the Artemis III mission, said the astronauts were chosen based solely on their experience, skill sets and availability. Isaacman wrote on the social media platform X that "I have seen reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage."
One such response on Reddit called the crew announcement "massively upsetting." "Women represent 50 percent of the population," the post read. "They deserve at least one seat on every mission from a government run agency." Isaacman said he had "personally been to space twice with 50 percent female crews. My closest advisors and some of the smartest engineers I know are women. In our latest NASA leadership organization, nearly 50 percent of the center directors and mission directorate leadership are women." (6/10)
Elizabeth Warren Warns Elon Musk’s SpaceX IPO May Screw Retirees, Must Be Delayed (Source: New York Magazine)
Not everyone thinks the SpaceX public stock debut is something to celebrate. Senator Elizabeth Warren, for one, is hoping to convince the Securities and Exchange Commission to (temporarily) scrap the whole thing. Warren writes to the SEC that she has “extreme concern[s]” about the upcoming SpaceX IPO that comes down to three main points. First, the fact that the company is offering stock at approximately 100 times 2025 revenue, which does not appear to have any basis in reality.
“The idea of having Elon negotiate with Elon and decide that the value of this company is some astronomical number makes market analysts laugh — or maybe cry.”) Second, that the governance structure of the public company will basically make Musk unfireable (while leaving investors with “significantly fewer rights than those traditionally offered to purchasers of public shares”). And third, that because of the rewriting of rules that were created after the dot-com crash — rewritten by index providers expressly for the benefit of SpaceX — millions of Americans will be forced to own shares of the company through their retirement accounts. (6/10)
Everglades University Offers Bachelor's Degree in Space Studies (Source: Everglades University)
Florida's Everglades University has established an on-campus/online Bachelor's Degree for students Interested in shaping the future of the rapidly expanding space industry. "Our bachelor’s in Space Studies prepares students to work at the intersection of science, business, policy, and innovation in today’s evolving space sector... You’ll explore topics ranging from space policy, ethics, and international law to satellite communications, sustainability, and space entrepreneurship. A capstone experience allows you to apply what you’ve learned to real-world challenges in the space sector." (6/10)
Port Canaveral Plans New Basin for Growing Space Operations (Source: Fox 35)
Port Canaveral is working on plans for a new basin dedicated to space operations as companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and smaller startups compete for limited space along Florida’s Space Coast. The port has become a key hub for recovering rocket boosters and handling vessels tied to commercial space launches. However, officials say the growth of the industry has created congestion among space, cruise and cargo operations.
Space Florida and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are working on plans for a basin near the port that would be reserved for space operations. Officials say the project would give space companies a dedicated place to operate while reducing competition with cruise and cargo ships. Florida officials say the state must be prepared to support the transportation of 5,000 metric tons of cargo into space annually by 2035. Space Florida also says the industry is creating high-paying jobs. The average aerospace salary in Florida is about $119,000, roughly double the average salary for other workers in the state. (6/3)
Pakistan Launched 6 Spy Satellites, Can Be Used to Keep Eye on India (Source: Times of India)
Pakistan has boosted its space surveillance power manifold by launching a series of six earth observation (EO) satellites in the last one and a half years. These EO or spy satellites can be used by Pakistan to keep an eye on India’s borders, troop deployment and military assets. Though the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was set up in 1961, Pakistan launched its first satellite only in 1990. Even the payloads launched in the last several decades with the help of foreign launchers were less than a dozen. However between Jan 2025 and April 2026, Pakistan surprisingly launched six EO satellites, mostly with the help of Chinese rockets. (6/11)
Four Russian Military Satellites Came Within 13 Km of an Iceye Radar Satellite That Supplies Ukraine With Battlefield Imagery - ‘Legitimate Targets,’ Moscow Said in 2022 (Source: Meduza)
Last month, four Russian military satellites — Kosmos-2610, Kosmos-2611, Kosmos-2612, and Kosmos-2613 — altered their orbits and moved toward ICEYE-X36, a radar satellite that has been supplying data to Ukraine’s military since 2022, according to a May 22 report by the analytics firm Integrity ISR. The dangerous maneuvers came several months after the Finnish-American satellite operator ICEYE and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry signed a new cooperation agreement. Under its terms, Ukraine’s armed forces received expanded access to high-quality radar satellite imagery. (6/9)
Spire To Pursue Space-Based Missile Warning in Partnership With German Defense Firm (Source: Space News)
Spire Global signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Diehl Defence, a leading German air defense and guided missile systems integrator, to pursue satellite-based early warning and intelligence systems. The strategic partnership, announced at the ILA Berlin Airshow, focuses on countering ballistic and hypersonic threats. It aims to provide the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and broader European defense frameworks with sovereign space and reconnaissance capabilities. (6/10)
Two Years Later, We’re Finally Learning How a Transformers-Inspired Rover Fared on the Moon (Source: Gizmodo)
On January 19, 2024, a tiny, spherical rover called SORA-Q arrived on the Moon and unfurled itself into two halves to deploy wheels on each side. The miniature-sized robot, which could fit snugly into your palms, rolled around the lunar surface for nearly two hours, capturing images and relaying data back to Earth. Its short-lived stint will help inform the design of a fleet of tiny explorers capable of fitting into cramped areas that are otherwise inaccessible to their larger counterparts.
A new study details the results from SORA-Q’s time on the Moon, highlighting the challenges encountered during the mission, as well as lessons learned for future designs of small-sized space robots. The study suggests that small rovers could act as helpful sidekicks for more flexible, robust, and cost-effective missions to the Moon and other celestial bodies. To help create the transformable lunar robot, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) partnered with researchers from Doshisha University, Sony, and TakaraTomy. The Japanese toy company Tomy may not have much experience with space exploration, but it is known for creating the earliest Transformer toys in the early 80s. (6/10)
Let’s Destroy American Science (Source; NASA Watch)
The Federal Government recently issued “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” which, if implemented, would gut the way that American science has been evaluated and conducted for the better part of a century. At a time when the avowed stance of the Administration to pursue “Gold Standard Science“ and assert global leadership in science and technology this regulation would infect it with politics, fatally hamper its ability to thrive, and turn it into lead instead of gold. Click here. (6/10) https://nasawatch.com/policy/lets-destroy-american-science/
Galaxy-Killing Wind Discovered in the Early Universe (Source: Phys.org)
Astronomers have discovered a "galaxy-killing wind" that may explain why there are far more massive "dead" galaxies than expected in the early universe. This wind, powered by cosmic collisions between galaxies, could quickly blow away all the fuel for new stars, leaving a galaxy on the brink of death and helping to solve one of the biggest mysteries in modern astrophysics. (6/10)
Musk's Age of Impunity (Source: Axios)
Elon Musk is on the verge of financial immortality: The world's richest man — and potentially its first trillionaire — has built a sovereign corporate kingdom that is too systemic to fail. And yet, on the eve of SpaceX's monster IPO, its CEO was hunkered down in his digital fiefdom stoking far-right culture wars with an impunity unmatched in modern corporate history. (6/11)
House Budget Meets Space Force Request, But Without Reconciliation Bump (Source: Space News)
House appropriators unveiled a budget that provides $55.5 billion for the Space Force but without additional funding once proposed in a separate package. The draft legislation, released by the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee ahead of a markup Thursday, funds the Pentagon at the level requested by the administration through the regular appropriations process. However, it excludes roughly $350 billion in additional defense spending that administration officials have proposed funding through a separate budget reconciliation bill.
Senators said earlier this week another budget reconciliation bill was unlikely to pass this year. That could affect Golden Dome, for which the administration sought $17.5 billion through reconciliation in fiscal year 2027 but would get less than $400 million in the House bill. Despite excluding reconciliation spending, the House bill still represents a substantial increase for the Space Force. (6/11)
Thales Alenia and Airbus to Build Radar Imaging Satellites for ESA (Source: Space News)
Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space won contracts to build next-generation radar imaging satellites. ESA signed contracts Wednesday with the companies for the Sentinel-1 Next Generation (NG) program, a pair of radar-imaging satellites that will be part of the Copernicus Earth observation program. Thales, the prime contractor, said its contract was worth 700 million euros ($807 million) for the first tranche of the program, with Airbus serving as a subcontractor to provide the radar imaging payloads.
The satellites will build upon the existing Sentinel-1 spacecraft with new capabilities such as improved resolution. The first Sentinel-1 NG spacecraft is expected to launch in 2034. ESA separately approved for development Arrakihs, a small astrophysics mission with a cost cap of 175 million euros. Arrakihs, designed to study galactic evolution, will launch by the end of 2030. (6/11)
SpaceX IPO Shares Oversubscribed (Source: Bloomberg)
Demand for SpaceX shares in its impending initial public offering is far outstripping supply. Institutional investors seeking to buy shares in the IPO have requested more than four times the 555.6 million shares SpaceX plans to sell at $135 per share. The IPO will raise about $75 billion for SpaceX and value the company at nearly $1.8 trillion, with shares expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange on Friday. (6/11)
China Launches Classified Long March 5 Mission (Source: Space News)
China launched a classified satellite early Thursday. A Long March 5 lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island, placing the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-25 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft will be mainly used to carry out multi-band and high-speed communication technology validation tests, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said, although Western analysts note that line of satellites appear to be used for classified missions such as signals intelligence, early warning missions and satellite inspection activities. (6/11)
NOAA's SOLAR-1 Space Weather Satellite Online (Source: NOAA)
A NOAA space weather satellite has started regular operations. NOAA said Wednesday that its SOLAR-1 had formally started operational service. SOLAR-1, or Space weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness-1, was previously known as Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 and launched last September along with two NASA missions to the Earth-sun L-1 Lagrange point. SOLAR-1 will provide early warning of space weather events, taking over for aging spacecraft at the L-1 location. (6/11)
Stoke Completes Stage 1 Testing/Qualification at Washington State Facility (Source: Stoke Space)
Over the past three weeks at our Moses Lake Test Site (MLTS), the Stoke team successfully completed Stage 1 proto-qualification testing for Nova. This campaign verified 46 structural test objectives across the vehicle, while also exercising critical fluid systems, avionics, software, ground systems, and operations procedures. This is a major step toward flight. (6/8)
Starlink Rival Qianfan Hits Satellite Milestone, But is it Too Slow and Costly? (Source: SCMP)
China’s Qianfan network has hit a national milestone by placing over 200 broadband satellites in orbit, but there are concerns its deployment could be too slow and costly. Despite the quickening pace, the Starlink challenger’s roll-out still lags behind official targets. “If the company can’t ramp up its launch schedule, the project might just fall through,” said one anonymous source.
Hu Haiying, chief commander of the Qianfan satellite system, said the goals of the project had been adjusted and it now aimed to have 324 satellites up and running by July. Each satellite costs over 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) to manufacture, according to Hu, who also heads the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ microsatellite academy in Shanghai. That price tag makes Qianfan a luxury compared to its US rival. For roughly the same weight, SpaceX built its first-generation Starlink satellites for just $250,000 each. (6/10)
NASA Picks First European Astronaut for Artemis Mission (Source: DW)
NASA has tapped Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano to pilot the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to be a part of the US space agency's key human spaceflight campaign. Parmitano will be the second non-US member involved in the Artemis program after the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen flew on Artemis II. The 49-year-old was selected as an astronaut by the ESA in 2009. His track record includes two completed missions on board the ISS. Parmitano, who trained at the Italian Air Force Academy and worked as a test pilot, also completed complex spacewalks. (6/10)
NASA Webb Finds Strongest Evidence Yet for ‘Black Hole Stars’ (Source: NASA)
The complex puzzle known as little red dots has become more complete since their initial discovery by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. Now a particular little red dot’s spectrum is helping connect many of the pieces. By carefully analyzing the dot’s spectrum captured by Webb — the deepest spectrum to date of a little red dot — the research team has identified multiple lines of evidence, all of which support the interpretation that GLIMPSE-17775 is a supermassive black hole enveloped in a dense cocoon of partially ionized gas, a model referred to as the BH* (black hole star) scenario.
“I think part of the scientific community is converging on a singular picture — that little red dots can be explained by black hole star models. But none of the previous little red dots have all of the pieces of evidence in the same place,” said Kokorev, lead author of the study. “With GLIMPSE-17775 we can test these models because of how deep and amazing this source’s spectrum is.” (6/10)
UK Startup Applied Atomics to Enter US Market with Focus on Military Space Mobility (Source: Space News)
Applied Atomics has raised $4 million in pre-seed funding led by Oxford Science Enterprises. The startup is developing a multimode satellite propulsion system and expanding into the U.S. defense sector, with its initial software payload preparing to launch in 2026. Applied Atomics builds technology that combines chemical and electric propulsion using a single propellant. This allows satellites to perform quick, high-thrust maneuvers while maintaining high fuel efficiency. (6/10)
Thruster Breakthrough? New 2-in-1 Propulsion System is About to Get an In-Space Test (Source: Space.com)
It's hard to fit everything on a small satellite, especially the fuel, but a new propulsion system could make it easier. Instead of having separate fuel for chemical thrusters and electrical thrusters, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study suggests that a single propellant can power both kinds of systems. And this idea will get an in-space test soon, if all goes according to plan. (6/10)
Symphony Space Unveils Adagio-XL ODC Sat (Source: Payload)
Symphony Space is getting into the orbital data center (ODC) game. The startup, which unveiled its hosted payload satellite in March, announced a more powerful concept today—called Adagio-XL—targeting the ODC market. Symphony is aiming to launch Adagio-XL in late 2029. While the sat has the same 1,200 kg payload capacity as Adagio, its main upgrade is generating 100 kW of power—200 kW on later iterations—a dramatic increase from Adagio’s 12 kW. The platform also includes increased radiative technology to help dissipate heat from power hungry GPU payloads. (6/10)
Italy Bets on Space as a Pillar of Industrial Policy (Source: Decode 39)
Italy is launching a nationwide initiative to showcase its aerospace sector as the government seeks to strengthen the country’s position in the rapidly expanding space economy, backed by rising revenues, exports and public investment. The launch of the Stati Generali dello Spazio (Space General Assembly), presented Tuesday at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, comes as Rome increasingly frames space as a strategic sector tied to industrial competitiveness, technological sovereignty and security.
Italy is positioning space as a core component of its industrial policy. The government sees the sector as a driver of growth, innovation and high-skilled employment. Rome is seeking a larger role in both European and international space initiatives. Public investments are being paired with efforts to expand the country’s industrial ecosystem, from large companies to startups. The initiative, promoted by the Parliamentary Intergroup on Space, will bring together industry, universities, research centers, startups and local institutions through 20 events across 16 Italian regions that host aerospace industrial districts. (6/9)
Swiss Space Companies Want to Liftoff - But There's a Big Problem (Source: BlueWin)
Switzerland has a long tradition in space travel. It was one of the founding countries of the European Space Agency ESA in 1975. The best-known representative is the former Ruag Space, which now operates under the name Beyond Gravity. Among other things, the company manufactures the tips of the European Ariane launch vehicles. There are also numerous suppliers. These include the propulsion specialist Maxon, which has a significant space business, and the French-speaking Swiss supplier Apco. These companies tend to belong to the established space industry.
Since the mid-2010s, the number of start-ups in the space sector has increased significantly. While five to ten companies were founded each year in the 1990s and 2000s, the number is now just under 20 per year, according to the "Swiss Space Ecosystem Report 2024". Switzerland is particularly strong in the hardware sector. One example is the company DPhi Space, which is working on data centers in space. Clearspace, which develops technologies for the removal of space debris, has also recently achieved greater prominence.
What the Swiss space industry still lacks most is visibility among the wider public, Nanja Strecker, head of the start-up incubator ESA BIC Switzerland, told the news agency AWP. SpaceX's IPO could change this, as it "should increase the visibility and attractiveness of the entire space sector and thus also give the Swiss industry a tailwind", said Raiffeisen chief economist Fredy Hasenmaile. According to Strecker, a certain spirit of optimism can already be felt in the space sector itself. However, she does not yet see it spilling over into the public discourse. (6/9)
Mitsubishi Electric Awarded Subsidy to Develop Flexible Space Mobility Technology under JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund (Source: Business Wire)
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has been awarded a subsidy for the Development of Inter-Orbit Transportation Vehicles (OTVs) under the Technology for Realizing Flexible Mobility in Space program, which is being financed by the 2nd Phase of the Space Strategy Fund managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The company was previously selected as a representative organization for the project and will develop OTVs in that capacity. (6/9)
India to Transfer LVM3 Rocket to Private Sector (Source: India Today)
India’s heaviest rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3), which powered the historic Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing mission, is set to enter a new phase as the government initiates the process of transferring the rocket’s technology and operations to the private sector. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the government’s nodal agency for promoting private participation in the space sector, has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting Indian companies to take over the end-to-end realization, operation and commercialization of the LVM3 launch vehicle. (6/10)
NRO Awards BlackSky Multi-Million Dollar Modification To Accelerate Development Of AROS Satellite (Source: Defense Daily)
BlackSky Technology on Tuesday said the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) awarded the company a contract modification to speed development of its AROS multi-spectral, broad area Earth observation satellites that will be a commercial alternative to current foundation imagery suppliers. (6/10)
Space Force Contracts Viasat, Intelsat for First of New Anti-Jam Communication Sats (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force today announced contracts to Viasat and Intelsat for production of the first two operational satellites under its “Protected Tactical SATCOM – Global (PTS-G)” program aimed at developing a jam-resistant satellite communications fleet. The two awards, collectively worth $437.7 million, cover manufacturing, integration, and test, launch, and on-orbit checkout of the two satellites collectively dubbed “Swarm-1,” according to Space Systems Command (SSC). (6/10)
How an E-Scooter Founder Raised $5 Million to Build Space Data Centers (Source: Tech Crunch)
SpaceX has changed the venture industry’s perspective on long-term, capital-intensive space so much that a talented founder with no space experience can fund a space data center company. Orbital founder and CEO Euwyn Poon previously founded e-scooter company Spin in 2017 and sold it to Ford a year later. When he was ready to start a new company, a16z’s Speedrun was eager to get on board, according to partner Andrew Chen, who told TechCrunch that Poon worked through several ideas before landing on space data centers.
Orbital, like many of it competitors, is betting on SpaceX figuring out its Starship rocket and offering it to commercial customers. “We will get to full scale when Starship comes online,” Poon explained. The price of the Falcon 9, the current state of the art, “makes this not economically feasible.”
For now, Poon and company — which includes about a dozen folks in Los Angeles, with experience at Amazon LEO, SpaceX, and Northrop Grumman — are working toward a demo flight that will see the company fly an Nvidia Blackwell chip on a partner’s satellite to test Orbital’s radiation shielding and thermal management tech. Orbital’s goal is to deploy 10,000 satellites that provide a distributed gigawatt of computing power. (6/9)
Biotech Startup Turns to Space to Manufacture Artificial Retinas (Source: CASIS)
LambdaVision’s artificial retinas could one day help restore vision in people with blindness from macular degeneration. However, manufacturing these delicate films on Earth presents challenges. The artificial retinas are made of hundreds of ultra-thin layers of a light-sensitive protein, and gravity-driven forces can cause uneven layering that leads to material waste and limits scalability.
To overcome this, the company leveraged the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, where sustained microgravity allows the thin films to form more evenly. Over multiple missions, LambdaVision worked with Commercial Service Provider Space Tango to develop an automated system for manufacturing artificial retinas in space. The result: thin films with improved uniformity, stability, and performance—while using fewer raw materials. (6/10)
Intelsat, Viasat Secure $437M Space Force Satellite Contract (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The US Space Force has awarded $437 million in contracts to Intelsat and Viasat to build the first two Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global satellites, part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM Family of Systems. The satellites, expected to launch in 2028, will provide secure communications for tactical warfighters, bridging the gap between military and commercial satellite communication needs. (6/9)
Proba-3 Formation Flying Solar Mission Back on Track (Source: ESA)
ESA's Proba-3 mission is back in service. ESA announced Tuesday that the two-spacecraft mission is ready to resume formation flying, using one spacecraft to block the disk of the sun as seen by the other spacecraft. One of the spacecraft malfunctioned in February, failing to respond to ground commands. Controllers restored contact a month later, using images from the other Proba-3 spacecraft to help diagnose the problem. Proba-3 is a mission to demonstrate precision formation flying, while also monitoring the sun's corona. (6/10)
LeoLabs Deploys Indo-Pacific Satellite Monitoring Radar (Source: Space News)
LeoLabs has deployed a mobile space-tracking radar in the Indo-Pacific region that is being used to monitor Chinese satellites and other spacecraft. The Scout-S system is tracking maneuvering spacecraft in low Earth orbit, including Chinese surveillance satellites and China’s reusable spaceplane, LeoLabs announced Wednesday. Scout-S is the first operational system in a planned family of transportable sensors that LeoLabs says can be rapidly deployed to locations where military operators need additional coverage, supplementing its network of fixed radars. (6/10)
Spaceport Congestion, Target Risks, Drive Interest in Offshore Platforms (Source:
Congested spaceports are driving new interest in sea-based launch. Long viewed as a technically difficult niche with a history of commercial failure, companies and defense officials are giving offshore launch a second look as they search for ways to expand United States launch capacity given strains at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg. National security concerns are also at play as officials warn that space launch sites could become targets in an armed conflict. Among the companies working on sea-based launch is Seagate Space, which has agreements with Firefly Aerospace and Lockheed Martin to examine launches from platforms Seagate is developing. (6/10)
China's Landspace Launches Two Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese commercial rocket launched two satellites Tuesday. Landspace's Zhuque-2E rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan spaceport, placing into orbit the Spacesail DTC 01 and China Mobile 02. Both satellites are technology demonstrators for direct-to-device communications. (6/10)
India Delays Starlink Approval (Source: The Print)
SpaceX has hit a speed bump in its efforts to win approval to provide Starlink services in India. The Indian government reportedly has delayed final clearances for Starlink at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs, based on reports that Starlink was used in the ongoing Middle East conflict despite not having a license to operate in Iran. That has raised concerns in India about SpaceX's ability to comply with Indian government security requirements. A SpaceX official dismissed the report as "unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources" and said the company remains in "active and productive" talks with the Indian government. (6/10)
Concern Over Amazon Leo Astronomy Interference (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Amazon Leo satellites could interfere with astronomical observations. A study of the brightness of the more than 300 Amazon Leo satellites launched to date found they have an average magnitude of 6.3, well above the limit of 7.2 recommended by the International Astronomical Union to avoid interference with astronomy. In one quarter of the observations, the satellites were brighter than magnitude 6, which meant they could be seen by the naked eye in skies not affected by terrestrial light pollution. (6/10)
Has Sentient Plasma Life Visited Earth? (Source: Douglas Messier)
UAP whistleblower David Grusch was asked by Congress about what types of beings are operating unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs, aka UFOs) that have been sighted in our skies and oceans. “It’s a continuum from corporeal bipedal type life to what I would consider sentient plasma life. But, there are several [species] that the U.S. government is aware of,” Grusch replied.
Grusch didn’t elaborate, and there were no follow-up questions on the subject. That sums up the whole problem with UAPs and aliens in a nutshell. There are lots of claims, but no irrefutable evidence or an admission from the government that these things really do exist. (6/10)
Engineers completed installation of Katalyst Space’s LINK robotic servicing spacecraft into a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket on Tuesday, June 9, at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Launch is anticipated later this month. NASA contracted Katalyst to build and launch LINK to raise the altitude of the agency’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Recent solar activity has caused Swift's orbit to decay faster than anticipated.
Based on the orbital and programmatic needs of the mission, Katalyst selected the air-launched Pegasus XL as the best means of reaching the observatory in time to perform the boost maneuver. Northrop Grumman will launch the rocket using Stargazer, its modified L-1011 aircraft. Northrop Grumman engineers will attach Pegasus XL to Stargazer, which will carry it from NASA Wallops to Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, for launch. (6/10)
NASA Chief Defends Selection of All-Male Crew for Artemis III Mission (Source: CBS)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, responding to questions about the agency's selection of an all-male crew for the Artemis III mission, said the astronauts were chosen based solely on their experience, skill sets and availability. Isaacman wrote on the social media platform X that "I have seen reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage."
One such response on Reddit called the crew announcement "massively upsetting." "Women represent 50 percent of the population," the post read. "They deserve at least one seat on every mission from a government run agency." Isaacman said he had "personally been to space twice with 50 percent female crews. My closest advisors and some of the smartest engineers I know are women. In our latest NASA leadership organization, nearly 50 percent of the center directors and mission directorate leadership are women." (6/10)
Elizabeth Warren Warns Elon Musk’s SpaceX IPO May Screw Retirees, Must Be Delayed (Source: New York Magazine)
Not everyone thinks the SpaceX public stock debut is something to celebrate. Senator Elizabeth Warren, for one, is hoping to convince the Securities and Exchange Commission to (temporarily) scrap the whole thing. Warren writes to the SEC that she has “extreme concern[s]” about the upcoming SpaceX IPO that comes down to three main points. First, the fact that the company is offering stock at approximately 100 times 2025 revenue, which does not appear to have any basis in reality.
“The idea of having Elon negotiate with Elon and decide that the value of this company is some astronomical number makes market analysts laugh — or maybe cry.”) Second, that the governance structure of the public company will basically make Musk unfireable (while leaving investors with “significantly fewer rights than those traditionally offered to purchasers of public shares”). And third, that because of the rewriting of rules that were created after the dot-com crash — rewritten by index providers expressly for the benefit of SpaceX — millions of Americans will be forced to own shares of the company through their retirement accounts. (6/10)
Everglades University Offers Bachelor's Degree in Space Studies (Source: Everglades University)
Florida's Everglades University has established an on-campus/online Bachelor's Degree for students Interested in shaping the future of the rapidly expanding space industry. "Our bachelor’s in Space Studies prepares students to work at the intersection of science, business, policy, and innovation in today’s evolving space sector... You’ll explore topics ranging from space policy, ethics, and international law to satellite communications, sustainability, and space entrepreneurship. A capstone experience allows you to apply what you’ve learned to real-world challenges in the space sector." (6/10)
Port Canaveral Plans New Basin for Growing Space Operations (Source: Fox 35)
Port Canaveral is working on plans for a new basin dedicated to space operations as companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and smaller startups compete for limited space along Florida’s Space Coast. The port has become a key hub for recovering rocket boosters and handling vessels tied to commercial space launches. However, officials say the growth of the industry has created congestion among space, cruise and cargo operations.
Space Florida and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are working on plans for a basin near the port that would be reserved for space operations. Officials say the project would give space companies a dedicated place to operate while reducing competition with cruise and cargo ships. Florida officials say the state must be prepared to support the transportation of 5,000 metric tons of cargo into space annually by 2035. Space Florida also says the industry is creating high-paying jobs. The average aerospace salary in Florida is about $119,000, roughly double the average salary for other workers in the state. (6/3)
Pakistan Launched 6 Spy Satellites, Can Be Used to Keep Eye on India (Source: Times of India)
Pakistan has boosted its space surveillance power manifold by launching a series of six earth observation (EO) satellites in the last one and a half years. These EO or spy satellites can be used by Pakistan to keep an eye on India’s borders, troop deployment and military assets. Though the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was set up in 1961, Pakistan launched its first satellite only in 1990. Even the payloads launched in the last several decades with the help of foreign launchers were less than a dozen. However between Jan 2025 and April 2026, Pakistan surprisingly launched six EO satellites, mostly with the help of Chinese rockets. (6/11)
Four Russian Military Satellites Came Within 13 Km of an Iceye Radar Satellite That Supplies Ukraine With Battlefield Imagery - ‘Legitimate Targets,’ Moscow Said in 2022 (Source: Meduza)
Last month, four Russian military satellites — Kosmos-2610, Kosmos-2611, Kosmos-2612, and Kosmos-2613 — altered their orbits and moved toward ICEYE-X36, a radar satellite that has been supplying data to Ukraine’s military since 2022, according to a May 22 report by the analytics firm Integrity ISR. The dangerous maneuvers came several months after the Finnish-American satellite operator ICEYE and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry signed a new cooperation agreement. Under its terms, Ukraine’s armed forces received expanded access to high-quality radar satellite imagery. (6/9)
Spire To Pursue Space-Based Missile Warning in Partnership With German Defense Firm (Source: Space News)
Spire Global signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Diehl Defence, a leading German air defense and guided missile systems integrator, to pursue satellite-based early warning and intelligence systems. The strategic partnership, announced at the ILA Berlin Airshow, focuses on countering ballistic and hypersonic threats. It aims to provide the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and broader European defense frameworks with sovereign space and reconnaissance capabilities. (6/10)
Two Years Later, We’re Finally Learning How a Transformers-Inspired Rover Fared on the Moon (Source: Gizmodo)
On January 19, 2024, a tiny, spherical rover called SORA-Q arrived on the Moon and unfurled itself into two halves to deploy wheels on each side. The miniature-sized robot, which could fit snugly into your palms, rolled around the lunar surface for nearly two hours, capturing images and relaying data back to Earth. Its short-lived stint will help inform the design of a fleet of tiny explorers capable of fitting into cramped areas that are otherwise inaccessible to their larger counterparts.
A new study details the results from SORA-Q’s time on the Moon, highlighting the challenges encountered during the mission, as well as lessons learned for future designs of small-sized space robots. The study suggests that small rovers could act as helpful sidekicks for more flexible, robust, and cost-effective missions to the Moon and other celestial bodies. To help create the transformable lunar robot, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) partnered with researchers from Doshisha University, Sony, and TakaraTomy. The Japanese toy company Tomy may not have much experience with space exploration, but it is known for creating the earliest Transformer toys in the early 80s. (6/10)
Let’s Destroy American Science (Source; NASA Watch)
The Federal Government recently issued “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” which, if implemented, would gut the way that American science has been evaluated and conducted for the better part of a century. At a time when the avowed stance of the Administration to pursue “Gold Standard Science“ and assert global leadership in science and technology this regulation would infect it with politics, fatally hamper its ability to thrive, and turn it into lead instead of gold. Click here. (6/10) https://nasawatch.com/policy/lets-destroy-american-science/
Galaxy-Killing Wind Discovered in the Early Universe (Source: Phys.org)
Astronomers have discovered a "galaxy-killing wind" that may explain why there are far more massive "dead" galaxies than expected in the early universe. This wind, powered by cosmic collisions between galaxies, could quickly blow away all the fuel for new stars, leaving a galaxy on the brink of death and helping to solve one of the biggest mysteries in modern astrophysics. (6/10)
Musk's Age of Impunity (Source: Axios)
Elon Musk is on the verge of financial immortality: The world's richest man — and potentially its first trillionaire — has built a sovereign corporate kingdom that is too systemic to fail. And yet, on the eve of SpaceX's monster IPO, its CEO was hunkered down in his digital fiefdom stoking far-right culture wars with an impunity unmatched in modern corporate history. (6/11)
House Budget Meets Space Force Request, But Without Reconciliation Bump (Source: Space News)
House appropriators unveiled a budget that provides $55.5 billion for the Space Force but without additional funding once proposed in a separate package. The draft legislation, released by the House Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee ahead of a markup Thursday, funds the Pentagon at the level requested by the administration through the regular appropriations process. However, it excludes roughly $350 billion in additional defense spending that administration officials have proposed funding through a separate budget reconciliation bill.
Senators said earlier this week another budget reconciliation bill was unlikely to pass this year. That could affect Golden Dome, for which the administration sought $17.5 billion through reconciliation in fiscal year 2027 but would get less than $400 million in the House bill. Despite excluding reconciliation spending, the House bill still represents a substantial increase for the Space Force. (6/11)
Thales Alenia and Airbus to Build Radar Imaging Satellites for ESA (Source: Space News)
Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space won contracts to build next-generation radar imaging satellites. ESA signed contracts Wednesday with the companies for the Sentinel-1 Next Generation (NG) program, a pair of radar-imaging satellites that will be part of the Copernicus Earth observation program. Thales, the prime contractor, said its contract was worth 700 million euros ($807 million) for the first tranche of the program, with Airbus serving as a subcontractor to provide the radar imaging payloads.
The satellites will build upon the existing Sentinel-1 spacecraft with new capabilities such as improved resolution. The first Sentinel-1 NG spacecraft is expected to launch in 2034. ESA separately approved for development Arrakihs, a small astrophysics mission with a cost cap of 175 million euros. Arrakihs, designed to study galactic evolution, will launch by the end of 2030. (6/11)
SpaceX IPO Shares Oversubscribed (Source: Bloomberg)
Demand for SpaceX shares in its impending initial public offering is far outstripping supply. Institutional investors seeking to buy shares in the IPO have requested more than four times the 555.6 million shares SpaceX plans to sell at $135 per share. The IPO will raise about $75 billion for SpaceX and value the company at nearly $1.8 trillion, with shares expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange on Friday. (6/11)
China Launches Classified Long March 5 Mission (Source: Space News)
China launched a classified satellite early Thursday. A Long March 5 lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan island, placing the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-25 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The spacecraft will be mainly used to carry out multi-band and high-speed communication technology validation tests, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said, although Western analysts note that line of satellites appear to be used for classified missions such as signals intelligence, early warning missions and satellite inspection activities. (6/11)
NOAA's SOLAR-1 Space Weather Satellite Online (Source: NOAA)
A NOAA space weather satellite has started regular operations. NOAA said Wednesday that its SOLAR-1 had formally started operational service. SOLAR-1, or Space weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness-1, was previously known as Space Weather Follow On-Lagrange 1 and launched last September along with two NASA missions to the Earth-sun L-1 Lagrange point. SOLAR-1 will provide early warning of space weather events, taking over for aging spacecraft at the L-1 location. (6/11)
Stoke Completes Stage 1 Testing/Qualification at Washington State Facility (Source: Stoke Space)
Over the past three weeks at our Moses Lake Test Site (MLTS), the Stoke team successfully completed Stage 1 proto-qualification testing for Nova. This campaign verified 46 structural test objectives across the vehicle, while also exercising critical fluid systems, avionics, software, ground systems, and operations procedures. This is a major step toward flight. (6/8)
Starlink Rival Qianfan Hits Satellite Milestone, But is it Too Slow and Costly? (Source: SCMP)
China’s Qianfan network has hit a national milestone by placing over 200 broadband satellites in orbit, but there are concerns its deployment could be too slow and costly. Despite the quickening pace, the Starlink challenger’s roll-out still lags behind official targets. “If the company can’t ramp up its launch schedule, the project might just fall through,” said one anonymous source.
Hu Haiying, chief commander of the Qianfan satellite system, said the goals of the project had been adjusted and it now aimed to have 324 satellites up and running by July. Each satellite costs over 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) to manufacture, according to Hu, who also heads the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ microsatellite academy in Shanghai. That price tag makes Qianfan a luxury compared to its US rival. For roughly the same weight, SpaceX built its first-generation Starlink satellites for just $250,000 each. (6/10)
NASA Picks First European Astronaut for Artemis Mission (Source: DW)
NASA has tapped Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano to pilot the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to be a part of the US space agency's key human spaceflight campaign. Parmitano will be the second non-US member involved in the Artemis program after the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen flew on Artemis II. The 49-year-old was selected as an astronaut by the ESA in 2009. His track record includes two completed missions on board the ISS. Parmitano, who trained at the Italian Air Force Academy and worked as a test pilot, also completed complex spacewalks. (6/10)
NASA Webb Finds Strongest Evidence Yet for ‘Black Hole Stars’ (Source: NASA)
The complex puzzle known as little red dots has become more complete since their initial discovery by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in 2022. Now a particular little red dot’s spectrum is helping connect many of the pieces. By carefully analyzing the dot’s spectrum captured by Webb — the deepest spectrum to date of a little red dot — the research team has identified multiple lines of evidence, all of which support the interpretation that GLIMPSE-17775 is a supermassive black hole enveloped in a dense cocoon of partially ionized gas, a model referred to as the BH* (black hole star) scenario.
“I think part of the scientific community is converging on a singular picture — that little red dots can be explained by black hole star models. But none of the previous little red dots have all of the pieces of evidence in the same place,” said Kokorev, lead author of the study. “With GLIMPSE-17775 we can test these models because of how deep and amazing this source’s spectrum is.” (6/10)
UK Startup Applied Atomics to Enter US Market with Focus on Military Space Mobility (Source: Space News)
Applied Atomics has raised $4 million in pre-seed funding led by Oxford Science Enterprises. The startup is developing a multimode satellite propulsion system and expanding into the U.S. defense sector, with its initial software payload preparing to launch in 2026. Applied Atomics builds technology that combines chemical and electric propulsion using a single propellant. This allows satellites to perform quick, high-thrust maneuvers while maintaining high fuel efficiency. (6/10)
Thruster Breakthrough? New 2-in-1 Propulsion System is About to Get an In-Space Test (Source: Space.com)
It's hard to fit everything on a small satellite, especially the fuel, but a new propulsion system could make it easier. Instead of having separate fuel for chemical thrusters and electrical thrusters, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study suggests that a single propellant can power both kinds of systems. And this idea will get an in-space test soon, if all goes according to plan. (6/10)
Symphony Space Unveils Adagio-XL ODC Sat (Source: Payload)
Symphony Space is getting into the orbital data center (ODC) game. The startup, which unveiled its hosted payload satellite in March, announced a more powerful concept today—called Adagio-XL—targeting the ODC market. Symphony is aiming to launch Adagio-XL in late 2029. While the sat has the same 1,200 kg payload capacity as Adagio, its main upgrade is generating 100 kW of power—200 kW on later iterations—a dramatic increase from Adagio’s 12 kW. The platform also includes increased radiative technology to help dissipate heat from power hungry GPU payloads. (6/10)
Italy Bets on Space as a Pillar of Industrial Policy (Source: Decode 39)
Italy is launching a nationwide initiative to showcase its aerospace sector as the government seeks to strengthen the country’s position in the rapidly expanding space economy, backed by rising revenues, exports and public investment. The launch of the Stati Generali dello Spazio (Space General Assembly), presented Tuesday at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, comes as Rome increasingly frames space as a strategic sector tied to industrial competitiveness, technological sovereignty and security.
Italy is positioning space as a core component of its industrial policy. The government sees the sector as a driver of growth, innovation and high-skilled employment. Rome is seeking a larger role in both European and international space initiatives. Public investments are being paired with efforts to expand the country’s industrial ecosystem, from large companies to startups. The initiative, promoted by the Parliamentary Intergroup on Space, will bring together industry, universities, research centers, startups and local institutions through 20 events across 16 Italian regions that host aerospace industrial districts. (6/9)
Swiss Space Companies Want to Liftoff - But There's a Big Problem (Source: BlueWin)
Switzerland has a long tradition in space travel. It was one of the founding countries of the European Space Agency ESA in 1975. The best-known representative is the former Ruag Space, which now operates under the name Beyond Gravity. Among other things, the company manufactures the tips of the European Ariane launch vehicles. There are also numerous suppliers. These include the propulsion specialist Maxon, which has a significant space business, and the French-speaking Swiss supplier Apco. These companies tend to belong to the established space industry.
Since the mid-2010s, the number of start-ups in the space sector has increased significantly. While five to ten companies were founded each year in the 1990s and 2000s, the number is now just under 20 per year, according to the "Swiss Space Ecosystem Report 2024". Switzerland is particularly strong in the hardware sector. One example is the company DPhi Space, which is working on data centers in space. Clearspace, which develops technologies for the removal of space debris, has also recently achieved greater prominence.
What the Swiss space industry still lacks most is visibility among the wider public, Nanja Strecker, head of the start-up incubator ESA BIC Switzerland, told the news agency AWP. SpaceX's IPO could change this, as it "should increase the visibility and attractiveness of the entire space sector and thus also give the Swiss industry a tailwind", said Raiffeisen chief economist Fredy Hasenmaile. According to Strecker, a certain spirit of optimism can already be felt in the space sector itself. However, she does not yet see it spilling over into the public discourse. (6/9)
Mitsubishi Electric Awarded Subsidy to Develop Flexible Space Mobility Technology under JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund (Source: Business Wire)
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has been awarded a subsidy for the Development of Inter-Orbit Transportation Vehicles (OTVs) under the Technology for Realizing Flexible Mobility in Space program, which is being financed by the 2nd Phase of the Space Strategy Fund managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The company was previously selected as a representative organization for the project and will develop OTVs in that capacity. (6/9)
India to Transfer LVM3 Rocket to Private Sector (Source: India Today)
India’s heaviest rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3), which powered the historic Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing mission, is set to enter a new phase as the government initiates the process of transferring the rocket’s technology and operations to the private sector. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the government’s nodal agency for promoting private participation in the space sector, has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting Indian companies to take over the end-to-end realization, operation and commercialization of the LVM3 launch vehicle. (6/10)
NRO Awards BlackSky Multi-Million Dollar Modification To Accelerate Development Of AROS Satellite (Source: Defense Daily)
BlackSky Technology on Tuesday said the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) awarded the company a contract modification to speed development of its AROS multi-spectral, broad area Earth observation satellites that will be a commercial alternative to current foundation imagery suppliers. (6/10)
Space Force Contracts Viasat, Intelsat for First of New Anti-Jam Communication Sats (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force today announced contracts to Viasat and Intelsat for production of the first two operational satellites under its “Protected Tactical SATCOM – Global (PTS-G)” program aimed at developing a jam-resistant satellite communications fleet. The two awards, collectively worth $437.7 million, cover manufacturing, integration, and test, launch, and on-orbit checkout of the two satellites collectively dubbed “Swarm-1,” according to Space Systems Command (SSC). (6/10)
How an E-Scooter Founder Raised $5 Million to Build Space Data Centers (Source: Tech Crunch)
SpaceX has changed the venture industry’s perspective on long-term, capital-intensive space so much that a talented founder with no space experience can fund a space data center company. Orbital founder and CEO Euwyn Poon previously founded e-scooter company Spin in 2017 and sold it to Ford a year later. When he was ready to start a new company, a16z’s Speedrun was eager to get on board, according to partner Andrew Chen, who told TechCrunch that Poon worked through several ideas before landing on space data centers.
Orbital, like many of it competitors, is betting on SpaceX figuring out its Starship rocket and offering it to commercial customers. “We will get to full scale when Starship comes online,” Poon explained. The price of the Falcon 9, the current state of the art, “makes this not economically feasible.”
For now, Poon and company — which includes about a dozen folks in Los Angeles, with experience at Amazon LEO, SpaceX, and Northrop Grumman — are working toward a demo flight that will see the company fly an Nvidia Blackwell chip on a partner’s satellite to test Orbital’s radiation shielding and thermal management tech. Orbital’s goal is to deploy 10,000 satellites that provide a distributed gigawatt of computing power. (6/9)
Biotech Startup Turns to Space to Manufacture Artificial Retinas (Source: CASIS)
LambdaVision’s artificial retinas could one day help restore vision in people with blindness from macular degeneration. However, manufacturing these delicate films on Earth presents challenges. The artificial retinas are made of hundreds of ultra-thin layers of a light-sensitive protein, and gravity-driven forces can cause uneven layering that leads to material waste and limits scalability.
To overcome this, the company leveraged the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, where sustained microgravity allows the thin films to form more evenly. Over multiple missions, LambdaVision worked with Commercial Service Provider Space Tango to develop an automated system for manufacturing artificial retinas in space. The result: thin films with improved uniformity, stability, and performance—while using fewer raw materials. (6/10)
Intelsat, Viasat Secure $437M Space Force Satellite Contract (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The US Space Force has awarded $437 million in contracts to Intelsat and Viasat to build the first two Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global satellites, part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM Family of Systems. The satellites, expected to launch in 2028, will provide secure communications for tactical warfighters, bridging the gap between military and commercial satellite communication needs. (6/9)
Proba-3 Formation Flying Solar Mission Back on Track (Source: ESA)
ESA's Proba-3 mission is back in service. ESA announced Tuesday that the two-spacecraft mission is ready to resume formation flying, using one spacecraft to block the disk of the sun as seen by the other spacecraft. One of the spacecraft malfunctioned in February, failing to respond to ground commands. Controllers restored contact a month later, using images from the other Proba-3 spacecraft to help diagnose the problem. Proba-3 is a mission to demonstrate precision formation flying, while also monitoring the sun's corona. (6/10)
LeoLabs Deploys Indo-Pacific Satellite Monitoring Radar (Source: Space News)
LeoLabs has deployed a mobile space-tracking radar in the Indo-Pacific region that is being used to monitor Chinese satellites and other spacecraft. The Scout-S system is tracking maneuvering spacecraft in low Earth orbit, including Chinese surveillance satellites and China’s reusable spaceplane, LeoLabs announced Wednesday. Scout-S is the first operational system in a planned family of transportable sensors that LeoLabs says can be rapidly deployed to locations where military operators need additional coverage, supplementing its network of fixed radars. (6/10)
Spaceport Congestion, Target Risks, Drive Interest in Offshore Platforms (Source:
Congested spaceports are driving new interest in sea-based launch. Long viewed as a technically difficult niche with a history of commercial failure, companies and defense officials are giving offshore launch a second look as they search for ways to expand United States launch capacity given strains at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg. National security concerns are also at play as officials warn that space launch sites could become targets in an armed conflict. Among the companies working on sea-based launch is Seagate Space, which has agreements with Firefly Aerospace and Lockheed Martin to examine launches from platforms Seagate is developing. (6/10)
China's Landspace Launches Two Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese commercial rocket launched two satellites Tuesday. Landspace's Zhuque-2E rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan spaceport, placing into orbit the Spacesail DTC 01 and China Mobile 02. Both satellites are technology demonstrators for direct-to-device communications. (6/10)
India Delays Starlink Approval (Source: The Print)
SpaceX has hit a speed bump in its efforts to win approval to provide Starlink services in India. The Indian government reportedly has delayed final clearances for Starlink at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs, based on reports that Starlink was used in the ongoing Middle East conflict despite not having a license to operate in Iran. That has raised concerns in India about SpaceX's ability to comply with Indian government security requirements. A SpaceX official dismissed the report as "unsubstantiated claims from anonymous sources" and said the company remains in "active and productive" talks with the Indian government. (6/10)
Concern Over Amazon Leo Astronomy Interference (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Amazon Leo satellites could interfere with astronomical observations. A study of the brightness of the more than 300 Amazon Leo satellites launched to date found they have an average magnitude of 6.3, well above the limit of 7.2 recommended by the International Astronomical Union to avoid interference with astronomy. In one quarter of the observations, the satellites were brighter than magnitude 6, which meant they could be seen by the naked eye in skies not affected by terrestrial light pollution. (6/10)
Has Sentient Plasma Life Visited Earth? (Source: Douglas Messier)
UAP whistleblower David Grusch was asked by Congress about what types of beings are operating unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs, aka UFOs) that have been sighted in our skies and oceans. “It’s a continuum from corporeal bipedal type life to what I would consider sentient plasma life. But, there are several [species] that the U.S. government is aware of,” Grusch replied.
Grusch didn’t elaborate, and there were no follow-up questions on the subject. That sums up the whole problem with UAPs and aliens in a nutshell. There are lots of claims, but no irrefutable evidence or an admission from the government that these things really do exist. (6/10)
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