September 11, 2026

Space Force Turns to Auria Simulation Technology to Prepare for Warfare in Orbit (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is expanding its use of simulation technology to train guardians for complex satellite operations that are difficult to practice with spacecraft performing real missions. The service awarded Auria Space two contracts for satellite communications and space warfare training systems. (9/10)

Europe Needs to Compete in Spaceflight, Says France's Macron (Source: DW)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on Europe to strengthen its space sector to close the gap with the United States and China. "Space Europe is still weak," he said during a discussion at the International Space Summit in Paris. "We want Europe to assert its ambition in crewed spaceflight," he said. "Our European space program remains fragile and we must step up our efforts."

"And in 10 years' time, I want to see the first European crewed capsule take off from Kourou with European astronauts and those from other nations on board." The French president also said Europe needs to reduce its dependence on US and Russian services. At the moment, Europe's space exploration relies on rockets and satellites from the United States and Russia for communication and surveillance. (9/10)

NASA Issues RFI on U.S. Space Academy (Source: Douglas Messier)
NASA has issued a request for information on locations for the United States Space Academy (USSA) proposed by President Donald Trump. NASA has invited each of the 50 states to submit information that: a) identifies potential locations for the permanent establishment of the USSA campus, including a groundbreaking no later than 2027; b) details solutions that may allow the USSA to begin instruction in 2028 and facilitate a smooth transition to a permanent campus by 2031; and c) explores the estimated costs of establishing the USSA and potential state, local, and other non-Federal partnerships that could support its establishment. (9/10)

This NASA Color Trick Was Meant for Mars. Now It’s Unveiling Rock Art on Earth (Source: Gizmodo)
In 2005, archaeologist Jon Harman was attending a conference on rock art when he came across an unexpected source of inspiration: images of Mars. One showed the planet’s familiar rusty-red surface; another, created using a method developed at NASA, transformed the Martian landscape into a striking mosaic of red, green, and yellow, revealing remarkable detail. Harman immediately saw how the technique could help researchers study some of the world’s oldest paintings.

The technique, known as decorrelation stretch, is used to enhance contrasts in digital imagery. It was first developed by researchers at NASA JPL in 1978 to improve the interpretation of high-correlation remote sensing and satellite imagery. The archeologist first applied it to photos he had taken of rock art in Baja California, Mexico, revealing a new yellow figure in one image that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “That convinced me of the usefulness,” he said. (9/10)

SpaceX Is a Huge Threat to Earth-Bound Rivals (Telecoms), Too (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX isn’t just about orbital data centers and off-world colonies. Down here on planet Earth, Elon Musk’s $2 trillion satellite goliath has been talking up its ambitions in mobile telecoms, and investors have started to pay attention. Concerns around Musk’s competitive threat look more likely to worsen than ease. Mobile telephony appears hard for satellite technology to disrupt. The signals don’t travel well through buildings and they’re bad at serving densely populated towns and cities. But Musk isn’t someone to shy away from an engineering challenge. (9/10)

Space Coast Argotec Engineers Help NASA Watch Dangerous Solar Storms (Source: WESH)
Engineers in Brevard County are helping NASA find a cheaper way to protect technology in space from the sun. That could have a major impact here on Earth, because dangerous solar storms can disrupt satellites, GPS, and even commercial flights. Corbett Hoenninger is the general manager for Argotec’s U.S. location. The Italian company is famous for ISSpresso, the first espresso machine made to work in space. After more than 30 years in business, Argotec recently opened its Melbourne shop this spring, complete with its own clean room.

Their next mission will be a major milestone for NASA. It could change how we watch dangerous solar storms coming from the sun, which can directly impact satellites. “Everything we use has to do with satellites,” Hoenninger said. “Your phone, your watch, your car — almost everything has an interaction with satellites somehow.” If a solar storm impacts those satellites, it could disrupt your GPS, air travel, spacecraft and communication systems. (9/10)

Space Florida Celebrates 20 Years (Source: Space Florida)
On Sep. 1, 2006, a new Florida statute created Space Florida as the state’s aerospace finance, development, and spaceport authority. As we celebrate, we’re looking back at two decades of growth for Florida aerospace, from record launch years and billions in investment to a workforce helping shape what comes next.

Editor's Note: Governor Bob Martinez signed the Spaceport Florida Authority Act into law on July 5, 1989. The legislation, still enshrined in Chapter 331, Part Two, Florida Statutes, provides the broad empowerment still used by Space Florida to finance, develop, and operate space infrastructure statewide. The Legislature split the agency into three entities in 1999: the Florida Space Authority, the Florida Aerospace Financing Corp., and the Florida Space Research Institute. Years later, a commission recommended re-combining them (on Sep. 1, 2006) into a single agency: Space Florida. (9/10)

The Data Center Backlash Comes for SpaceXAI’s Colossus (Source: SciAm)
he power plant is mostly hidden. Along the road, black privacy fabric wraps the tall chain-link fence surrounding the Southaven site. Past a thin line of trees, metal stacks rise above the fence, and exhaust shimmers in the heat. A $7-million sound wall does little to muffle the noise, which drills through the walls of nearby homes: a constant drone like a plane taking off and never leaving.

The turbines are there because SpaceXAI needs an enormous amount of electricity for Colossus 2, one of the country’s densest concentrations of computing power, where the company is training Grok, its chatbot. Across the country, AI companies are building hyperscale data centers, and power has become the constraint. Data centers now use around 4 to 5 percent of U.S. electricity, and the Electric Power Research Institute projects that share could reach 9 to 17 percent by 2030.

Low-frequency noise from the Southaven turbine plant could be four to 16 times as loud as the background noise typical of a quiet suburban neighborhood, depending on the distance from the plant, according to a March report by acoustics firm Roland, Woolworth & Associates. The noise has drawn its own lawsuit: residents, including Logsdon, filed a class action alleging lost sleep and falling property values. (9/9)

JWST Discovers That Chariklo's Invisible Rings are Changing (Source: Phys.org)
Until just over a decade ago, ring systems were thought to be exclusive to the giant planets of the solar system, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. However, in 2013, a small body barely 250 kilometers (155 miles) in diameter, located at nearly 17 times the Earth–sun distance, joined this small group. The object is Chariklo, a small body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, around which astronomers discovered two dense rings.

"By comparing JWST observations with those obtained during other stellar occultations over the last decade, we discovered opposite changes in the two rings: While the inner ring shows significantly higher opacity, the outer ring shows lower opacity," explained Pablo Santos-Sanz. This unexpected behavior indicates that Chariklo's ring system is dynamic and may be subject to more complex physical processes than previously thought. (9/9)

Earth May Not Be a Cosmic Fluke, New Simulations Suggest (Source: SciTech Daily)
Solar system simulations starting from varied initial conditions suggest that Earth-like planets can emerge naturally from planet formation. Computer simulations of planetary systems can now begin from thousands of different starting conditions, allowing researchers to explore how worlds might emerge without assuming the final outcome. Over the past three decades, these models have advanced from relatively simple approximations to far more sophisticated simulations. (9/9)

Forget Starlink? Japan’s $1 Billion BlueBird Play Makes ASTS the National Satellite OS (Source: 24/7 Wall Street)
Japan's ~$1 billion non-dilutive government award to the Rakuten-ASTS venture positions AST SpaceMobile as a replicable satellite OS for sovereign nations. SpaceX beat revenue estimates but posted a $541 million net loss while Starlink ARPU fell from $85 to $66 even as subscribers doubled. ASTS holds $3.7 billion in pro forma liquidity, 60-plus MNO partners covering 3 billion subscribers, and analyst consensus targets $79 versus a ~$62 close. (9/6)

Department of Defense Gives Update on Space Command Relocation to Huntsville (Source: AL Reporter)
The U.S. Department of Defense recently issued an update on the relocation of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. According to the announcement, more than 140 uniformed and civilian personnel assigned to the command’s headquarters are now working at the Arsenal, including personnel dedicated to “relocation support functions” and those who “directly contribute to the combatant command’s mission.”

Last month, General Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, told reporters in Huntsville that he expects the Arsenal to support 200 personnel by the end of the year and half of U.S. Space Command’s total staff by 2028. Space Command is supporting that growth by offering financial incentives to civilian employees who relocate from Colorado Springs to Huntsville while also increasing hiring efforts in north Alabama. (9/8)

US Hypersonic Firm Stratolaunch Prepares IPO to Raise Up To $500 Million (Source: The Edge)
Hypersonic flight company Stratolaunch is preparing to launch a US initial public offering (IPO) that could raise up to $500 million as soon as October, a source familiar with the matter said. Stratolaunch, backed by Elliott Investment Management and Cerberus Capital Management, is seeking a valuation of about $2 billion to $3 billion, the source said, adding that Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are leading the IPO preparations. The private US company could make its filing public as soon as this month, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to the media. (9/10)

UK to Leave Launch to “Germany and Other Allies" (Source: European Spaceflight)
In January 2025, then-Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the UK would launch “British rockets carrying British satellites from British soil.” At the time, the government had just invested £20 million in (now defunct) Orbex. With the publication of its new Space Strategy, a more precise picture of the future of the country’s “assured access to space” has emerged. “The UK is collaborating with Germany and other allies to establish responsive space launch opportunities through SaxaVord Spaceport,” the strategy states.

The UK government has also committed €144 million to ESA’s European Launcher Challenge, with a portion of that already allocated to RFA. As a result, at least in the near term, the clearest route to assured orbital access from UK soil appears to be through German-built launch vehicles operating from SaxaVord. (9/9)

ISS Astronaut Gives Out of This World Tribute to Honor Star Trek’s 60th Anniversary (Source: Space.com)
Celebrations of Star Trek's 60th anniversary made it all the way to the final frontier. Among the science and supplies delivered to the ISS for ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot's mission on orbit was a small piece of memorabilia -- A Starfleet badge -- to honor one of the most influential pop culture phenomena that has continually called for humanity to turn its gaze to the stars. Adenot carried a small Starfleet badge from one of Star Trek's newest series, Strange New Worlds, which she wore during a video posted by ESA and Star Trek. (9/9)

Can Redwire's Phased-Array Investment Drive Defense Growth? (Source: Zacks)
Jacksonville-based Redwire Corp. is expanding its focus on military communications with a strategic investment in next-generation phased-array antenna technology. In August 2026, the company announced the investment to accelerate the development and production of phased-array antenna systems designed for communications across low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO). The systems are expected to support dynamic beam steering, stronger link reliability and higher data throughput for warfighter communications. (9/8)

This 'Impossible' Black Hole Merger May be Explained by a Warp in Spacetime (Source: Space.com)
A "forbidden" merger between two massive black holes may not have been quite as impossible as previously thought. That's according to new research that suggests the black holes involved were smaller than expected. On Nov. 23, 2023, the gravitational wave detector LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) detected tiny ripples in spacetime caused by the merger of two black holes.

What was incredible about this signal, designated GW231123, was that it seemed to be the result of a black hole with 140 times the mass of the sun colliding with another that holds 100 solar masses. This raised eyebrows among researchers because usual models of stellar evolution struggle to account for such massive black holes, especially ones that seemed to be spinning as fast as these two. (9/9)

Did Venus Eat its Own Moon" (Source: Space.com)
Scientists may finally know why Venus, Earth's twin, lacks a moon, finding that the hottest planet in the solar system may have consumed its own natural satellite. Venus is often referred to as Earth's twin due to its size, mass, rocky composition, and distance from the sun, but there are some glaring differences between the two planets. (9/8)

‘Pick Up the Fire of Exploration’: NASA Pitches Moon Base Careers to Iowa State Students (Source: KCCI)
State and federal officials connected to U.S. space exploration detailed plans of eventual moon habitation Tuesday to a room packed to the brim with Iowa State University students, hoping to entice their interest in using their education to aid in the newest space race. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Moon Base Project Manager Carlos García-Galán toured the Ames National Laboratory and then held a presentation for ISU students to show the three phases of moon base development. (9/8)

Hubble and Webb Find That Far-Out Solar System Objects 'Remember' the Past (Source: Phys.org)
For the first time, scientists used the combined power of NASA's Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to study some of the most far-flung bodies in our solar system, trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Some are the smallest and faintest ever directly seen. The researchers unexpectedly found fewer small TNOs than expected and that the colors of these bodies followed the same relationships as those of their larger family members. (9/8)

Why Hasn't Amazon Launched Its Leo Satellite Internet Service Yet? (Source: PCMag)
Amazon's Starlink competitor, Leo, was supposed to launch in mid-2026, but it’s now September, and so far, the satellite internet service has been quiet. What’s up? The company tells PCMag it’s still waiting for all the satellites to reach their assigned operating orbits, so Leo will have enough network capacity and coverage when it officially launches. In July, Amazon hit a crucial milestone when it sent another 29 Leo satellites into space, bringing the total deployed in Earth’s orbit to 396. That's enough to kick off "initial service," Chris Weber, VP for Amazon Leo, said.

But even after entering space, some of the satellites still need to reach an altitude of around 600 kilometers, where they’ll orbit and beam high-speed internet data to users on the ground. For now, the Leo constellation is relatively small compared with Starlink, which operates about 10,000 satellites in orbit. Satellite industry analyst Carlos Placido also expects Leo to offer service only in certain areas or latitudes once it launches, citing the limited density of its satellite constellation. (9/4)

France Backs Dassault VORTEX Reusable Spaceplane Program (Source: AeroTime)
France will support Dassault Aviation’s VORTEX reusable spaceplane program, extending French backing beyond the VORTEX-D technology demonstrator that received €30 million in funding in 2025. Dassault said that French President Emmanuel Macron had announced the decision at the International Space Summit in Paris. An official Élysée document that lists the summit’s announcements also confirms French support for VORTEX. (9/10)

Avio Eyes Higher Vega-C Flight Cadence As Rideshare Effort Looms (Source: Aviation Week)
Avio is looking to boost the pace of Vega-C rocket flights to six missions per year, roughly double the current level, and potentially go another 50% higher, the launch maker’s CEO says. The Vega-C rocket is used heavily by institutions for launch in Europe, where demand is rising. “We will follow what they need, what they ask us, and we will try to adapt to continue providing the service,” Ranzo said. (9/9)

Aerospacelab Wins €2.4 Billion Deal to Build Majority of IRIS² Satellites (Source: Reuters)
Belgium's ​Aerospacelab said on Thursday it had won a €2.4 ‌billion ($2.8 billion) contract to build 264 satellites for the European Union's IRIS² network, which is due to offer ​secure communications for governments, security agencies and ​commercial users by 2030. (9/10)

Europe May Finally Have Found a Space Entrepreneur Who is Meeting the Moment (Source: Ars Technica)
All of a sudden, French entrepreneur Hèlene Huby is seemingly everywhere. This week she is serving as one of two envoys, alongside astronaut Thomas Pesquet, at a high-profile International Space Summit convened by French President Emmanuel Macron. Also this week, The Exploration Company, announced a significant capital raise of $450 million in Series C funding. This is the largest-ever Series C funding round by a Europe-based space company, and likely the largest funding round ever raised by a female-led company in Europe. (9/10)

Space Force, Air Force, and NRO Get New Senior Leaders (Source: Space News)
A changing of the guard across the U.S. national security space enterprise has put new leaders in place. Gen. Douglas Schiess took over as the Space Force's top general last week, while Erich Hernandez-Baquero has taken over as the Air Force's top civilian official for space acquisition and Roger Mason as director of the NRO. All three are facing new challenges externally from China and internally from efforts to overhaul procurement of space systems and greater use of commercial capabilities. Experts say the test will be whether they can turn a surge in funding into military and intelligence capabilities that lead to success. (9/10)

EU Convicts Space Navigation Company for Ties to Russia and Belarus (Source: Space News)
The EU has convicted a company and its leaders for fraudulently obtaining European Union funding to develop high-precision satellite navigation receivers. EU officials said a Lithuania-based company received EU funding to develop professional satellite navigation receivers for agricultural applications, but that company had links to defense industries in Russia and Belarus in violation of declarations required by the grant. The announcement did not disclose the name of the company, but the descriptions matches an award to NTLab valued at nearly 750,000 euros. That company was run by two Belarusian nationals. (9/10)

Besxar Tested Semiconductor Materials on Falcon 9 Booster Exterior (Source: Space News)
A startup with plans to produce semiconductors in space has completed its first flight. Besxar said Wednesday it flew two canisters as external payloads on a Falcon 9 booster during a July launch. The canisters remained attached to the booster during the suborbital flight, testing how semiconductor wafers could be protected from the forces of launch and reentry as well as from contamination. The company said those tests went well and it will fly a second pair of payloads on another Falcon 9 later this year. Besxar said last year it planned to fly payloads on a dozen Falcon 9 launches to perfect the technology for producing semiconductor materials in space before starting orbital missions. (9/10)

Relativity's Terran R Added to NASA Launch Services Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has added Relativity Space's Terran R rocket to a major contract ahead of the rocket's first flight. The agency said Wednesday that Terran R is now part of NASA Launch Services 2, an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that makes it eligible to compete for specific missions. Terran R is a medium-class rocket with a reusable first stage that Relativity has been developing for several years. While the company says it is making progress on flight hardware, it has not announced a date for the vehicle's first flight. (9/10)

Artemis 2 Astronauts Retire (Source: AP)
Two members of the Artemis 2 mission are stepping down from active duty. NASA announced Wednesday that Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, the commander and pilot, respectively, of Artemis 2, would become "emeritus astronauts," a new designation. As emeritus astronauts, they will continue to help train the agency workforce for future missions, including Artemis 3 and 4. The new designation will allow them to take on jobs elsewhere, with Glover joining Cal Poly, his alma mater, as a senior adviser to the university's president. Wiseman has not disclosed his post-NASA plans. (9/10)

US Updating National Geodetic Datum (Source: Space Daily)
Every official latitude, longitude and height published in the United States is going to change, by as much as four meters. The ground being described will not have moved at all. What is being replaced is the reference system those numbers are counted from.

The National Geodetic Survey is retiring the North American Datum of 1983 and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Those are the horizontal and vertical reference systems that currently underpin surveying, flood mapping, construction and aviation across the country. In their place will come four new terrestrial reference frames and one new geopotential datum. The agency has kept the national reference system since its predecessor, the Survey of the Coast, was founded in 1807. (9/10)

Starlink Rival Eutelsat Plans OneWeb Expansion After €1 billion Satellite Order (Source: Reuters)
Satellite operator Eutelsat (ETL.PA), opens new tab said on Thursday it will replenish and expand its OneWeb network through 2034 after the Franco-British ​operator signed a deal with Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab for 229 additional low Earth ‌orbit satellites. The new order, representing an investment of €1 billion ($1.16 billion), will be added to the 440 Airbus-built satellites ordered in 2024 and 2025. Deliveries of those previous orders ​are expected to begin in the fourth quarter. (9/10)

September 10, 2026

Preparing Spaceports for Nuclear Missions (Source:  SpaceCom)
Months before a rocket rolls to the pad, engineers define mission requirements, payloads undergo testing, facilities prepare for integration, and teams rehearse every operation. When the payload includes a nuclear power system, that preparation becomes even more deliberate. As NASA and commercial companies prepare for sustained lunar operations, nuclear technologies are expected to become increasingly common. Radioisotope systems will support scientific instruments and missions through the lunar night, while larger fission reactors are being developed to provide continuous power for future lunar infrastructure. Those systems require more than advanced engineering. They require spaceports prepared to receive, process, integrate, and launch them safely. Click here. (9/10)

SpaceWERX Establishes East Coast Innovation Gateway at UCF (Source: UCF)
This new partnership strengthens the connection between government, academia, industry, and entrepreneurs, creating new opportunities to accelerate innovation in support of our nation's security and economic competitiveness. As a university founded to support America's space mission, UCF is proud to partner with SpaceWERX to help advance emerging technologies, develop talent, and expand the innovation ecosystem that makes Central Florida a leader in space, defense, and advanced technology. (9/10)

Aeon Industrial Triples Austin Space in Midst of Large Expansion (Source: The Real Deal)
Defense tech company Aeon Industrial Incorporated is tripling its square footage in Cedar Park after selecting the city as its new headquarters. The company is expanding its square footage at 2305 Scottsdale Drive from 48,000 square feet to 138,000 square feet. The expansion is set to be made with a splash of public cash: Aeon Industrial received $2 million in incentives from the city to move its headquarters from Austin to suburban Cedar Park. They expect to hire at least 135 new employees for their Cedar Park headquarters by 2030. (9/9)

Aerospace/Defense Suppliers Could Create 240 Austin TX Area Jobs (Source: BizJournals)
Two suppliers critical to the aerospace and defense supply chain are seeking incentives from City of Cedar Park to move into 96,000 square feet of Holt Lunsford Commercial's Cedar Tech I. Elite Metal Finishing, llc and Machine Sciences could create 240 jobs and invest more than $40 million between the two. The city has particularly emphasized the aerospace and defense industries, buoyed by the success of Firefly Aerospace Inc. and the Central Texas Spaceport Development Corp. (9/2)

Space Summit Planned in Miami for Feb. 17-18 (Source: Smallsat Alliance)
The Miami Space Summit is coming back for its third year, February 17–18 in Miami, and it will be bigger and better than ever! We are bringing together senior leaders who are actively shaping where government policy, national security, technology, and private capital intersect. If you were in the room last year, you know. If you weren't, 2027 is your year. This year's agenda centers on three themes: Autonomous Future, Data Dominance, and Layered Deterrence, along with a frank midterm assessment of the Trump administration's space agenda, from executive order to orbit. (9/8)

Arianespace Signs For 10 Ariane 6 Launches, Including Six for Amazon Leo (Source: Space News)
Arianespace has signed contracts for 10 more Ariane 6 launches, including six for Amazon Leo. Arianespace announced Wednesday it won a contract from Amazon for six launches between 2029 and 2031, adding to its original 18-launch contract. Other contracts include two launches of OneWeb replacement satellites for Eutelsat, a launch of a GEO communications satellite for KT SAT, and one for an undisclosed customer. Arianespace said the Amazon Leo contract will help the company plan for future demand for the rocket as the company, along with ESA, study a potential increase in the rocket's current maximum launch cadence of 10 per year. ESA said in June it was looking at scenarios of up to 20 Ariane 6 launches a year to determine what infrastructure and launch site upgrades are needed. An ESA official said earlier this week that the Kourou launch site can support up to 15 Ariane 6 launches a year with its current facilities. (9/8)

UK's NewOrbit Developing VLEO Satellite (Source: Space News)
A British startup plans to launch its first very low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellite in 2028.  NewOrbit announced Thursday it will launch NEO-1 on a rideshare mission arranged by French company RIDE! Space in the third quarter of 2028. NewOrbit aims to be the first European commercial firm to operate VLEO satellites and the first anywhere to offer payload developers a way to reach VLEO without designing and building their own spacecraft.  The company has brought on as advisers several engineers who worked on ESA's GOCE Earth science mission that operated in VLEO. (9/8)

Loft and Marlan to Lead Imaging Satellite Constellation Effort (Source: Space News)
A group of companies announced plans Wednesday for an AI-enabled satellite imaging constellation that may cost $1 billion. Loft Orbital and Marlan Space will lead the effort that proposes to place 50 satellites into orbit with optical, radar and other payloads. The satellites will have AI systems to enable onboard processing of images. Other companies participating in the system include French AI developer Mistral and American Earth observation company BlackSky. The satellites will be built by Orbitworks in the UAE. The companies did not disclose how the system will be financed or a schedule for deploying the constellation beyond stating the first 10 satellites are under construction for launches beginning as soon as October. (9/8)

Greek Astronaut to Visit ISS on Private Mission (Source: Space News)
The first Greek astronaut will go to the ISS on a private astronaut mission in 2027. Adrianos Golemis, an ESA flight surgeon undergoing astronaut training, will fly on a Vast private mission in mid-2027, the French and Greek governments announced Wednesday at the International Space Summit. That mission will be commanded by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet with Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda as pilot. The fourth member of the crew will be announced in the coming weeks. ESA has flown several astronauts on private missions led by American companies, but the agency is pushing its member states to support an independent human spaceflight program. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher asked ministers from member states to back proposals for human spaceflight and other exploration capabilities, estimating it would cost Europe 1 billion euros a year over a decade to develop. (9/8)

Space Force Picks Texas Site for Deep-Space Radar Network Expansion (Source: Space News)
The Space Force has selected Texas as the site for a third deep-space radar. The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, or DARC, is designed to provide continuous tracking of objects, particularly in geostationary orbit. The radar planned for Lake Kickapoo, Texas, would join radars already operational in Australia and under development in Wales. The three-site network would provide continuous monitoring of the entire GEO belt. The Texas DARC radar is slated to enter service in 2029. Editor's Note: I think this is missing another Deep Space Radar now operating at Eglin Air Force Base in Northwest Florida. (9/10)

Space Force Shifts $4B Infrastructure Portfolio To Colorado Base (Source: Business Facilities)
The U.S. Space Force’s Infrastructure Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) is relocating the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, bringing an office responsible for a $4 billion infrastructure portfolio to a region with an established concentration of military and space-related operations. Also the long-time headquarters of the Space Force Combat Forces Command, the base is now one of nine PAEs under the Pentagon.

The impetus for the new Colorado Springs PAE was the 2026 overhaul of Space Force’s acquisition system, designed to significantly reduce layers of review that have historically slowed down the process. Now, each PAE is empowered with broad authority over its mission portfolio, including responsibility for the vast majority of contracting decisions – approximately 90% to 92% of contracting authority – within its area. The Space Force’s Infrastructure PAE assumed leadership of the portfolio earlier in August 2026.

The office’s relocation from Los Angeles puts those acquisition functions closer to several Space Force installations in the Colorado Springs area, including Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station. The relocation is occurring as the Space Force expands its presence in the Colorado Springs area. In June, the Defense Department announced plans for a $250 million Space Force Operations Facility at Schriever Space Force Base. The facility is expected to support about 2,500 civilian jobs, although a construction schedule has not been announced. (8/20)

Russia Approves Agreement on Peaceful Cooperation in Space with Serbia (Source: TASS)
The Russian government has signed a draft agreement between Russia and Serbia in research and the peaceful use of outer space, according to a resolution released on the official website of legal information. Among other fields, potential cooperation includes outer space exploration, space medicine, remote Earth sensing, satellite systems, space meteorology, and manned space flights. (9/7)

Louisiana Offered SpaceX $27.5B Incentives Package (Source: Douglas Messier)
The state of Louisiana estimates that the incentives package it offered SpaceX to build the world’s largest spaceport on the Gulf Coast is worth more than $27.5 billion. The figure was included in a non-binding letter of intent from Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Secretary Susan Bonnett Bourgeois to Ben Lancaster, who is senior manager of governmental affairs at SpaceX. Click here. (9/9)

Inside the F-104 ‘Wind Tunnel in the sky’ Accelerating Hypersonic Testing (Source: Aerospace Global News)
Starfighters Space is turning its fleet of Cold War-era F-104s into flying laboratories capable of giving hypersonic hardware minutes rather than seconds in a real-world supersonic airflow. The company has developed a modular underwing test platform that can carry full-size components at speeds of up to Mach 2.2, offering aerospace and defense developers an alternative to heavily booked ground facilities.

It has already attracted potential work from Florida-based propulsion specialist Vaya Defense & Space. Under an agreement announced on September 9, the companies will evaluate flying Vaya hypersonic test articles and other payloads aboard the “Wind Tunnel in the Sky”. The alternative developed by Starfighters resembles a missile carried beneath an F-104’s wing.

Its four modular sections allow customers to install different types of experimental hardware without modifying the aircraft itself. A radio-transparent nose can house avionics, telemetry, communications equipment and cameras. Further sections can accommodate air inlets, control surfaces, wings, flaps and advanced materials, while the rear can be used to evaluate tail fins or ignition systems. (9/9)

NASA KSC Transitions 560 Contractors to Civil Service Workforce (Source: NASA)
In its move to increase civil service workforce skills and reduce contractor outlays, NASA has been recruiting contractors to join the NASA ranks. On Sep. 8 at KSC, the agency held the largest onboarding event in NASA history, swearing in 560 new employees to restore it's core competencies. (9/8)

GE Aerospace To Buy Consolidated Precision Products In $12B Deal (Source: Aviation Week)
GE Aerospace will buy key castings supplier Consolidated Precision Products for almost $12 billion in a deal that GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp said will provide both greater supply stability and allow for new airfoil developments. (9/8)

Boom Supersonic Nears Tests for In-House Engine Core (Source: Aviation Week)
Boom Supersonic has nearly completed a prototype of an in-house engine core for its supersonic aircraft and expects to start ground tests at the Watkins, Colo., facility within two months. The tests will help development of two more engine prototypes. (9/8)

Federal Waivers Cast Doubt on Starbase LA Environmental Promises (Source: Douglas Messier)
As SpaceX’s prepares to build the world’s largest spaceport on 125,000 acres of Louisiana land and marshes, Elon Musk’s company and state officials are saying all the right things about protecting the fragile coastal environment and the wildlife that live there. Louisiana’s coast is disappearing at one of the fastest rates in the country.

According to the state: “The project will go through all applicable environmental, wetlands, natural resource and launch-related reviews…From regulated activities related to site development to voluntary restoration plans across the entire property, the company has sought the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) input and guidance at every stage.”

That all sounds great. However, the phrase “all applicable environmental, wetlands, natural resource and launch-related reviews” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that statement. The fact is, there are about to be a lot fewer reviews. The Trump Administration plans to waive all or parts of 13 federal laws “applicable to licenses to operate a launch site, licenses to operate a reentry site, experimental permits, and licenses to operate launch and reentry vehicles.” (9/9)

Blue Origin Pursues Space-Based Airborne Moving Target Indicator (SB-AMTI) Opportunity (Source: Aviation Week)
To compliment traditional airborne sensing, the requirement for a layered, highly resilient tracking architecture is evident. SB-AMTI aims to enhance the Space Force’s capabilities to the Joint Force through the establishment of a persistent, global capability to sense and track airborne targets from space. Previously, SpaceX won a $4.16B contract. RocketLab, STR LLC, and an unnamed company won a combined $615M contract. (9/7)

The Missing Piece of America’s Supersonic Comeback Could Also Enable Inland Spaceports (Source: Space News)
Two recent FAA actions could reshape how the United States approaches high-speed aviation and spaceflight. In July, the FAA announced a rulemaking effort to allow supersonic overland flight, implementing Executive Order 14304. Then, in August, the FAA issued a request for information toward implementing Executive Order 14369, which calls for the development of new U.S. spaceports, including “priority airspace” for launch and reentry operations.

When the FAA opened low-altitude airspace to routine drone operations, it didn't do so by rule alone — it built a network of UAS test sites where operators, regulators, and controllers spent years building the operational data and procedures that later rules could be written around. A well-placed supersonic/hypersonic flight test corridor, straddling multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers and extending in altitude to above the Karman Line, would provide the same environment: a place to convert a paper compliance framework into an operating environment that regulators, operators, flight controllers, and the public can observe.

The corridor could serve civilian and military requirements for supersonic, hypersonic, launch, and reentry operations, and would give the multiple planned inland spaceports a usable path to orbit that doesn’t depend on a coastline. Supersonic advocates have proposed versions of this corridor before, and inland spaceport proponents have long sought FAA approval for access to orbit. What these efforts have thus far lacked the kind of momentum that these new FAA projects can provide. Click here. (9/9)

Out of Stealth Mode, Lunar Forge Progresses on Regolith Construction Opportunities (Source: Lunar Forge)
Two months out of stealth. Five signed LOIs. Estimated infrastructure value: $800M–$1.65B. Two cover fission reactor shielding. One covers a 60-meter structures that cannot be launched from Earth. One covers protective infrastructure around sensor nodes and power systems. One covers lunar habitats. These LOIs exist because the economics of lunar infrastructure point to one unavoidable conclusion: if you cannot launch it, you have to build it there.

We also prepared two proposals covering berms and landing pads. Both reached NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson, who “visited the site recently and is supportive of your work happening there.” (9/8)

Eutelsat Taps Infinite Orbits for GEO Life Extension Mission (Source: Payload)
Eutelsat and Infinite Orbits announced an agreement today—on the sidelines of the International Space Summit in Paris—paving a pathway for the French satellite-servicing company to increase the life span of at least one of Eutelsat’s GEO satellites. The mission is yet another example of the increasing demand from satellite-servicing missions from GEO operators. It is the third order for a life-extension mission for Infinite Orbits, following last year’s agreement with SES, and a similar agreement with Hispasat in 2024. (9/9)

Russia Undocks Cargo Craft From ISS (Source: NASA)
A Progress cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station amid rumored delays about the launch of its replacement. The Progress MS-33 spacecraft undocked from the station Monday and destructively reentered several hours later. A new cargo spacecraft, Progress MS-35, was scheduled for launch Wednesday, but there were reports the launch would be delayed because of an issue with the Soyuz rocket's third stage. A NASA website says only that the launch is "under review." (9/9)

India Approves Spectrum Plan to Allow Broadband Constellation Service (Source: India Today)
India is a step closer to allowing services like Starlink to operate in the country. The country's Digital Communications Commission has approved recommendations on allocation of satellite spectrum, allowing regulators to proceed with spectrum assignments to companies. Starlink and other foreign services seeking permission to operate in India will still need security clearances from the government. (9/9)

Pentagon Doubles NatSec Launch Plans (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon has more than doubled the number of national security launch services it expects to procure. A new Pentagon assessment of the National Security Space Launch, or NSSL, program revealed that the Space Force expects to procure 337 launches over the course of the contract, up from 151 in its 2022 baseline estimate. The numbers highlight a challenge for the Space Force as demand for launches is expanding faster than the pool of rocket companies currently able to compete for much of that business. While seven companies are in Lane 1 of the current NSSL Phase 3 contract, 38 of the 39 missions awarded to date have gone to SpaceX. (9/9)

Paris Space Summit Attracts 2,000 From 120 Nations (Source: Space News)
A two-day space summit kicks off today in Paris featuring global and European space issues. The International Space Summit, organized by the French government, is expected to attract 2,000 delegates from as many as 120 nations. The French government plans to release several declarations at the summit on topics such as space sustainability, frequency coordination and sharing of space data, but the contents of the declarations remain under wraps.

While billed as an international event, the summit will have a strong European focus as countries discuss what Europe should do to enhance its space capabilities. ESA plans to use the summit to gain support from member states for proposals to be debated at a December meeting that could include starting work on a future reusable launch vehicle and a European human spaceflight program. (9/9)

Missile Interceptor Constellation Could Cost Hundreds of Billions (Source: Space News)
A proposed constellation of U.S. space-based missile interceptors could cost tens to hundreds of billions of dollars. A study released Tuesday by the Foreign Policy Research Institute raised doubts about the effectiveness of space-based interceptors for Golden Dome, arguing that even relatively limited missile threats could require thousands of interceptors in orbit. The system could also be vulnerable to relatively inexpensive countermeasures.

Their conclusions add to a longstanding debate over whether weapons stationed in orbit can provide an affordable and strategically stable defense against long-range missiles. Pentagon officials say advances in commercial launch, satellite manufacturing, automation and other technologies have changed the economics that doomed earlier efforts. (9/9)

Space Command Completes Satellite Maneuvers Exercise (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Command says it has completed its first live exercise focused on how military satellites could move more dynamically in orbit. The exercise was part of a program called Apollo Maneuvers 2026 and was conducted during the first week of September, Space Command said Tuesday. The "live-fly" space exercise involved real spacecraft conducting operations in orbit, with spacecraft in low, medium and geosynchronous orbit coordinating maneuvers. Space Command said data from Apollo Maneuvers will be used to inform doctrine, operational plans and future logistics and servicing requirements. (9/9)

The 1962 Iowa Summer Study (Source: Space Review)
In the summer of 1962, scientists gathered at the University of Iowa to discuss the future of space research. Danny Robb examines the far-reaching impacts of that little-known event. Click here. (9/9)
 
Mission Impossible: How Star Trek Used the Aerospace Community to Try and Win an Emmy (Source: Space Review)
Like many TV producers, Gene Roddenberry lobbied 60 years to win awards for his new series, Star Trek. Glen Swanson examines the unusual approach he took to seek television’s highest honor. Click here. (9/9)
 
Space Academy (No, the Other One) (Source: Space Review)
The success of Star Wars triggered the development of imitators, including a short-lived TV series aimed at children. Dwayne Day discusses the good premise of Space Academy, albeit one undercut by low budgets. Click here. (9/9)
 
Backfire to Space: The Backfire Bomber and Skif Rocket System (Source: Space Review)
In the early 2000s, Russian engineers proposed converting the Backfire bomber into an air-launch platform. Dwayne Day examines the details of that concept. Click here. (9/9)
 
ISRO’s Comeback with the Successful Launch of EOS-05 (Source: Space Review)
What was a small building in a forgotten corner of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station used for decades ago? James Behling uncovers the mystery of facility number 49941 at the Cape. Click here. (9/9)

Starfighters Space and Vaya to Collaborate on Air-Launch and Hypersonic Projects (Source: Starfighters Space)
Starfighters Space and Vaya Defense & Space will collaborate on supersonic captive-carry flight testing and air-launch propulsion. The MOU includes two collaboration tracks: 1) evaluate flying Vaya hypersonic test articles and other payloads on Starfighters’ F-104-based Wind Tunnel in the Sky service; and 2) assess Vaya’s hybrid propulsion technology for STARLAUNCH air-launch capability, beginning with suborbital missions. (9/9)

NASA Prepares Demo of Dual-Mode Satellite Propulsion with Green Propellant (Source: Aerospace America)
Among the payloads scheduled for the next SpaceX rideshare mission is a shoebox-sized spacecraft for NASA’s latest flight demonstration of a low-toxicity propellant the agency has been studying for at least a decade. This spacecraft, dubbed GPDM for Green Propulsion Dual Mode, is to spend nine months in low-Earth orbit testing a new dual-mode propulsion system with ASCENT propellant. (9/9)

Space City™ Makes Its Case: Inside the IAC 2029 Houston Bid Site Visit (Source: AIAA)
There are many reasons Houston is known around the world as Space City™. During the official site visit for AIAA’s bid to host the 80th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Houston in 2029, we had the opportunity to demonstrate exactly why. IAF Executive Director Christian Feichtinger visited Houston before providing his assessment to the IAF Congress and Symposia Advisory Committee. IAF members will decide the host city at the General Assembly during IAC 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, on 9 October. (9/9)

Space Force Expects to Spend $17B More on Launch as Demand Soars (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The Space Force expects the scope of its main launch program to grow by 91 missions and nearly $17 billion by fiscal 2032 as demand for national security space capabilities soars. Those increases are revealed in the latest version of the National Security Space Launch program’s selected acquisition report, drafted in April and published in September. The update brings NSSL’s total expected procurement to $76 billion for 337 launches between fiscal 2004 and 2032. (9/8)

Eutelsat Taps Infinite Orbits for GEO Life Extension Mission (Source: Payload)
Eutelsat and Infinite Orbits announced an agreement today—on the sidelines of the International Space Summit in Paris—paving a pathway for the French satellite-servicing company to increase the life span of at least one of Eutelsat’s GEO satellites. (9/9)

Stoke's New Nova Block-2 Rocket Would Expand LC-14 for 2027 Debut Launch (Source: Space.com)
Stoke is expanding its operations at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The company was selected by the U.S. Space Force in 2023 to manage Launch Complex-14, where it’s now building a new payload processing facility sized to accommodate both Nova Pathfinder and Block-2 vehicles. And to complete its full reusability system, the company is also developing an offshore recovery platform.

Pathfinder has a much shorter timeline to the launch pad. Stoke is targeting early 2027 for Pathfinder’s debut launch, which the company plans to send to orbit with a customer payload. If that’s successful, Stoke hopes to fly multiple Pathfinder missions throughout 2027 and 2028 while Block 2 development and testing continue in parallel. (9/9)

BESXAR Completes First Suborbital Semiconductor-Manufacturing Demonstration (Source: Space News)
BESXAR has flown its first mission, demonstrating that its semiconductor-manufacturing technology can operate above the Kármán line. The suborbital flight marks an initial in-space validation of a manufacturing concept aimed at using the space environment for semiconductor production. (9/9)

AvL Technologies Awarded $31 Million Contract for WGS-Certified Satellite Terminals to Support Polish Armed Forces (Source: SatNews)
On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, satellite communications terminal manufacturer AvL Technologies, Inc. announced the signing of a $31 million contract with Polish defense supplier GISS Sp. z o.o. Under the terms of the agreement, Asheville-based AvL will deliver 2.4-meter trailer-mounted driveaway satellite terminals to support tactical communications for Poland’s Ministry of National Defense. (9/8)

Eclipse Space Unveils Three Satellite Platforms and Gama Power Partnership (Source: Space News)
Manufacturing startup Eclipse Space has unveiled its CitraSat, SliceSat, and SurgeSat product lines. These flat-panel and high-power satellite architectures provide sovereign and commercial buyers with turnkey infrastructure to own and operate their own customized orbital constellations. (9/9)

Hermeus Unveils Air-Launched Ramjet-X Test Vehicle (Source: Aviation Week)
High-speed aircraft maker Hermeus has revealed a ramjet-powered test vehicle that can be launched from under the wing of its supersonic Quarterhorse aircraft. The unveiling of the Ramjet-X concept reveals a low-cost, expendable vehicle capable of high-speed flight to complement the reusable, Pratt & Whitney F100-229-powered Quarterhorse.

Hermeus launched operations in 2018 with the goal of delivering a hypersonic aircraft powered by the Chimera, a turbine-based, combined-cycle (TBCC) propulsion system featuring a high-mach turbine engine that transitions to a ramjet. The turbine-powered Quarterhorse and the ramjet-powered Ramjet-X repackages that TBCC into separately powered aircraft, while still building the company’s experience with both forms of propulsion. (9/9)

ICEYE, Arianespace Explore Ariane 6 Launches for European Missions (Source: AeroTime)
Finnish synthetic aperture radar (SAR) operator ICEYE and launch services provider Arianespace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the use of Ariane 6 for future missions carrying ICEYE satellites. The arrangement targets European governmental and institutional missions. ICEYE said the two companies are discussing booking launch services in the coming years.

The MoU could address a gap in ICEYE’s sovereignty proposition. The company sells constellations that governments own and operate, and says its systems carry no ITAR restrictions, but its satellites have reached orbit almost entirely on US vehicles. (9/9)

Loft and Marlan Plan 50-Satellite Constellation for Earth Observation with $1 Billion From Abu Dhabi (Source: LeMonde)
Loft Orbital and Marlan Space will develop a 50-satellite constellation combining optical and radar imaging with AI-enabled Earth observation products for Europe and the United Arab Emirates. The investment comes from Abu Dhabi’s Royal Group, while International Holding Company is preparing to acquire 80% of Marlan Space. (9/9)

BepiColombo Separates From Propulsion Stage Ahead of Mercury Orbital Insertion (Source: Universe Today)
After an eight-year journey to the innermost planet, the BepiColombo spacecraft has separated from its propulsion stage and entered the final phase of its mission. The European-Japanese probe will now prepare for orbital insertion at Mercury, a critical milestone in its long-delayed arrival sequence. (9/9)

National Security Launch Forecast Surges as New Rockets Struggle to Break SpaceX's Grip (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon now expects to procure 337 national-security launch services, up from 151 in its 2022 baseline, as the U.S. military and intelligence community expand satellite deployments. The increase underscores rising demand for launch capacity while newer providers struggle to displace SpaceX’s dominant position. (9/8)

AFRL Seeks Payload-Agnostic, Affordable Hypersonic Cruise Missile (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The Air Force Research Laboratory has signaled to industry it wants to develop a low-cost hypersonic cruise missile to deliver a wide range of payloads at a range up to 500 nautical miles. In a brief one-page notice released Sep. 1, posted on Sam.gov, AFRL gave the broad outlines of its new project, which falls under the broader Pioneering Aerospace Capabilities, Engineering & Research program. (9/2)

Hypersonix and Gilmour Team Up on Hypersonic Flight-Test Options (Source: Australian Aviation)
Queensland-based aerospace companies Gilmour Space Technologies and Hypersonix have signed an agreement to develop hypersonic flight-test options for defence and commercial programs in Australia and overseas. The partnership brings together Gilmour Space’s rocket propulsion, launch, mission integration and flight-test capabilities with Hypersonix’s scramjet propulsion and hypersonic vehicle technology.

Hypersonic flight generally refers to speeds of Mach 5 and above, or at least five times the speed of sound. Growing demand for hypersonic testing is being driven by the development of systems and enabling technologies including advanced sensors, communications, guidance systems and high-temperature materials.
(9/8)

Trump Administration’s 1,000-Launches-a-Year Ambition Faces Infrastructure and Funding Constraints (Source: Breaking Defense)
The space industry welcomed a new Trump administration policy targeting 1,000 launches annually, but experts questioned whether current launch infrastructure can support that pace. Expanding capacity would require substantial investment, with unresolved questions over who would pay for the facilities and systems needed to reach the goal.

“Show me the money,” quipped Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Aerospace Security Project, echoing seven other expert, industry, and government sources. The FAA asks for input on criteria, including investment requirements and safety considerations, for new sites. It also asks for insights on three specific potential locations in Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico that previously were proposed by outside organizations, as well as the option of using either repurposed oil rigs or new offshore platforms as is being considered by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Oceans Management. (9/8)

Satellogic Names Former NGA Director Frank Whitworth as President (Source: Space News)
Earth observation company Satellogic appointed Frank “Trey” Whitworth, the former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as its president on Sept. 8. The leadership change brings a former senior U.S. geospatial-intelligence official into a top executive role at the satellite operator. (9/8)

September 9, 2026

SpaceX Sinks 5% as $47.2B Insider Share Unlock Hits the Tape, AST SpaceMobile Drops 4%, Rocket Lab Slips 2% (Source: 24/7 Wall Street)
SpaceX stock is down 5% to $146.35 in midday trading Wednesday as the company’s 90-calendar-day insider share unlock milestone comes due. The tranche of early-release-eligible shares now becoming sellable represents up to $47.2 billion in potential insider selling pressure, per SpaceX’s own IPO prospectus. It’s a heavy overhang for a stock that floated only a small slice of itself in June and has traded with elevated volatility ever since.

Meanwhile, AST SpaceMobile stock is down 4% to $63.18, giving back part of a sharp run earlier this month that followed a fresh sell-side buy call. Shares are up 55% over the past year even after today’s slide. The move looks like sympathy selling rather than a company-specific development, since AST SpaceMobile hasn’t put out a release into today’s session.

Rocket Lab stock is down 3% to $63.92, matching the sector-wide drift. Still, shares of RKLB are up 34% over the past year on the strength of a record backlog and pending acquisitions in satellite communications. Both names sit inside the Procure Space ETF, which is why a scheduled event at the sector’s flagship listed name drags them along on the session. (9/9)

Trump Claims the US Owns the Moon (Source: Geekspin)
President Trump recently posted a photo of the moon on Truth Social with the text "The Moon is Ours," reviving a once-held claim that the United States owns the celestial body. Unwittingly or not, the assertion violates the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which the U.S. helped draft and which was signed by more than 100 other countries. The treaty in question explicitly states that outer space and celestial bodies are not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, use, occupation, or any other means.

The same posting run also included a map of New Mexico with "Mexico" crossed out in red and replaced with "America." Whether that's a real proposal is unclear. While such social media posts serve as potent political messaging, they lack the legal authority to actually alter state names or status. On Aug. 27, Trump announced from the Oval Office that he had formally submitted paperwork to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America," amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada. (9/7)

Pivotal Research Rates SpaceX a Buy, Betting Starship Reusability Can Unlock Launch Economics and Starlink Growth (Source: CNBC)
Pivotal Research initiated coverage of SpaceX with a buy rating, arguing the company can overcome Starship’s reusability bottleneck. The firm sees a successful solution potentially supporting Starlink’s expansion into part of the $1.7 trillion terrestrial and wireless communications market, while failure could leave SpaceX smaller than expected. (9/8)

FCC Poised to Reaffirm Environmental-Review Exemption for Satellite Constellations, Including Orbital Data Centers (Source: Space News)
The FCC is expected to formalize its longstanding practice of excluding satellite constellations from environmental reviews as developers advance proposals for more than 1 million orbital data centers. The decision could establish a clearer regulatory baseline for large-scale commercial space infrastructure. (9/8)

ESA Seeks European Plant to Produce Americium-241 Heaters for Future Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency has opened a call to establish a pilot plant producing European-manufactured americium-241 radioisotope heater units. The devices convert radioactive decay into heat, enabling spacecraft components to remain operational in cold environments during future exploration missions. (9/8)

Pixxel Raises $100 Million to Fund U.S. Growth and New Sensing Technologies (Source: Via Satellite)
Hyperspectral imaging startup Pixxel has completed a $100 million funding round to support its expansion in the United States and develop additional sensing technologies. The raise accelerates the company’s growth plans as it builds a larger commercial position in satellite-based Earth observation. (9/8)

Brownsville Shrimper Suspects SpaceX Debris Ruined $12K in Fishing Gear (Source: KRGV)
A Brownsville shrimp boat captain says something underwater damaged his fishing equipment and forced his crew off the water. Shrimp boat captain Juan Pablo Sandoval Perez and his crew are docked at the shrimp basin in Brownsville after their equipment got caught on what they describe as a large, thick piece of metal in the water. "When I felt a hit, then another hit—the third hit sent my boat veering all the way to the right," Sandoval Perez said. It happened last Wednesday about eight miles off Boca Chica Beach. (9/7)

New UK Space Strategy Prioritizes Domestic Launch Capacity (Source: Aviation Week)
The UK government is to invest £30 million in SaxaVord Spaceport as it makes assured access to orbit a priority of its new Space Strategy. The funding will support development of two additional launchpads at the Shetland Islands site as it moves toward regular commercial launch operations, with a first orbital launch expected in the coming months. Alongside access to space, the strategy—announced ahead of the International Space Summit in Paris—will prioritize satellite communications, in-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, and space domain awareness. The strategy is backed by £7.8 billion ($10.5) through 2030 to support national security and defense capabilities, space science, and research and development. (9/7)

Funding Boost Worth £60m for SaxaVord Spaceport (Source: Shetland News)
The UK Government has committed £30 million in funding for the SaxaVord Spaceport in Unst as part of a wider £60 million public-private investment program. The government investment, which is subject to due diligence, is being announced as part of the UK’s updated space strategy published today (Tuesday), and will be complemented by £30 million of planned private investment.

The spaceport said the funding will support completion of key infrastructure as it moves towards regular commercial launch operations. It is targeted towards all three launchpads, mission management infrastructure and second integration hangar required by international launch companies keen to bring their business to the UK. (9/8)

Five Cities Want The Space Academy (Source: Washington Examiner)
President Donald Trump wants America to establish something it has never had: a national academy dedicated to preparing Americans for the space age. The decision should not simply come down to which governor offers the most land or which congressional delegation has the most influence. The country should consider existing its military infrastructure, NASA expertise, aerospace engineering, commercial spaceflight, and the kind of identity it wants the new institution to develop. Now comes another consequential question: Where should we put it? Click here.

Editor's Note: One interesting proposal is for this academy to avoid brick-and-mortar classrooms, labs, dorms and other facilities altogether. Instead, the academy could focus on scholarships and curriculum development that would put students through a distributed program at existing universities nationwide. Florida might be an underdog to attract a brick-and-mortar academy, but the state's public and private universities would surely win a lot of students and their funding under a distributed model. (9/8)

Trump Reveals New Space Force Uniforms Inspired by Nazi-Esthetic Film (Sources: New York Post, Telegraph)
President Trump unveiled new uniforms for the United States Space Force Sunday, inspired by the sci-fi film “Starship Troopers.” The commander-in-chief shared a mock-up of the black and grey fits on Truth Social, which also detailed how they were “inspired by the discipline of the Starship Trooper uniform” but “modernized for the guardians of the space domain.” People on social media were quick to quip that the uniforms were also reminiscent of the Imperial officers in Star Wars. The movie's uniforms were modeled after those worn by Nazi SS officers. (9/7)

NASA Revamps Challenge Linking Community College Studies to Aerospace Careers (Source: NASA)
Community college students across the U.S. now have another opportunity to discover how their education can lead to fulfilling roles at the forefront of aerospace, science, engineering, and technology. The updated NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) student challenge invites students to learn about the agency and its missions, engage with NASA experts, and explore aerospace jobs while competing for monetary awards. The applications period is currently open. The deadline to register is Monday, Sep. 28. (9/2)

US Aircraft Engine Supplier to Build Next-Gen Testbed for Hypersonic Systems (Source: Interesting Engineering)
US aircraft engine supplier GE Aerospace has received a new contract from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to advance development of a liquid-fueled hypersonic test platform under the Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities, or HyCAT, program. The project is aimed at making hypersonic flight testing faster and more repeatable. (9/6)

NASA Funds Effort to Chart Multiple Planets and Moons (Source: Space.com)
Nearby Earth, an iconic series of orbiting U.S. government satellites called Landsat have collectively been charting minerals and climate change for more than 50 years. What if we can do the same thing in space? A new NASA early-stage project, whimsically named "Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys", aims to bring "Landsat-style mineral intelligence" to other worlds, including the moon.

The newly funded concept  isn't meant to address that big task all at once, but to be a Phase 1 study for a far-future Discovery-class (large) mission. The spacecraft could fly from world to world, scanning destinations such as the moon, an asteroid near Earth, or a target like the Mars moon Phobos, said principal investigator Pablo Sobron. (9/5)

Astronomers Have Completed the Largest Map of Space (Source: Wired)
The new map boasts an overwhelming amount of information: 5.6 trillion pixels containing approximately 4 billion celestial objects, including stars, galaxies, black holes, and asteroids. It covers approximately 75 percent of the entire sky, recording both visible light and near-infrared wavelengths. Missing pieces include the deeper parts of space blocked by the stars, space dust, and other matter in our own galaxy, which is a major challenge for astronomy surveys.

Earlier this year, DESI researchers released another map, which projected the distances of 47 million galaxies and quasars. This reconstructed 11 billion years of cosmic history, bringing the effects of dark energy into focus. Dark energy is thought to be responsible for the expansion of our universe, and while the force itself remains elusive, astronomers can track it by analyzing the rates at which other celestial objects appear to be moving away from us. (9/7)

Indian River Lagoon is Making a Comeback (Source: Hometown News)
Today’s Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County is in far better health than just 10 years ago. What was a dead sea, with frequent algae blooms that killed fish and other marine life, has begun bouncing back. Water quality is improving, sea grass has returned to thousands of acres, progress is being made to stop sewage and old-style septic systems from leaking into the lagoon. Dolphins and manatee populations are improving. There haven’t been any widespread fish kills in more than five years.

All of this goes back to a decision Brevard voters overwhelmingly made in 2016 to enact a half cent sales tax to clean up the lagoon. That referendum is up for renewal on the 2026 election ballot. Passing the referendum does not mean a tax increase…It simply renews the half-cent tax originally approved by voters ten year ago. Editor's Note: Along with the Mosquito Lagoon, this is among the estuaries impacted by space industry growth at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, so it's good news that conditions are improving. I'm also sure that environmental concerns persist from plans for a big increase in heavy-lift launch activity. (9/7)

BAE Says Golden Dome Role Includes $1.2 Billion Missile-Warning Project, U.S. Space Business Grows 30% (Source: Defense Industry Europe)
BAE Systems expects its U.S. space business to play a significant role in the Golden Dome missile-defense architecture, including through the $1.2 billion Epoch 2 missile-warning and tracking program. Tom Arseneault, President and CEO of BAE Systems Inc., said the company supports several of the mission solutions underpinning the initiative. (9/6)

New UK Space Strategy Released (Source: Gov.UK)
The UK Space Strategy sets out the UK’s enhanced intentions for the space sector, focusing on defense, national security and economic growth, backed by £7.8 billion of investment to 2030. Our vision is for the UK to be a competitive space power; assertive in protecting our interests and driving our growth. Click here. (9/8)

SpaceX Petitions FCC to Block ViaSat-3 F2 Satellite, Citing Interference Concerns (Source: DCD)
SpaceX has submitted a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), citing fears of interference from an upcoming ViaSat satellite. Elon Musk's space company is seeking either a blockage or strict operational restrictions on Viasat’s ViaSat-3 F2 satellite, poised to enter service in September, claiming the F2’s radio frequency allocation and orbital configuration could create electromagnetic interference with SpaceX's Starlink constellation. (9/7)

60-Foot Moon Crater After SpaceX Rocket Stage Hits at 5,400 mph (Source: TCD)
A spent SpaceX rocket stage left a fresh scar on the moon when it slammed into the lunar surface on Aug. 5, and NASA images taken on Aug. 11 and 12 showed exactly where it struck. The newly photographed crater was a stark reminder that when space missions do not go as planned, the debris they leave behind does not simply vanish. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter identified it after a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the lunar surface on Aug. 5 at roughly 5,400 miles per hour, with the orbiter taking the images from about 60 miles above the Moon. (9/6)

Historic Engines Take Their Place on Artemis III (Source: NASA)
On Aug. 24, technicians at KSC in Florida began installing the four RS‑25 engines in the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will carry the Artemis III crew into low Earth orbit in 2027.

Each RS‑25 engine has a unique serial number that records its detailed flight history. The four engines assigned to Artemis III — E2054, E2057, E2048, and E2052 — previously powered multiple space shuttle missions. Engine 2048 helped launch NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik’s earlier mission aboard space shuttle Atlantis during STS‑129. It also flew on Space Shuttle Discovery during STS‑95 in 1998, the mission that returned 77-year‑old space pioneer U.S. Sen. John Glenn to orbit, making him the oldest person to fly in space at that time. (9/1)

Nearly 17,000 Satellites Now Orbiting Earth (Source: Look Up)
Look Up, a European company specializing in space situational awareness, is publishing the fourth edition of its quarterly Look Up x Le Point Space Barometer, in partnership with French weekly Le Point. Based on data collected and processed by Look Up's SYNAPSE digital platform, this new edition highlights a further acceleration in orbital activity and an increasingly dense, dynamic and complex space environment. In one year, the number of active satellites orbiting the Earth has risen from 13,005 to 16,819, an increase of 29%.

More than 34,000 objects are now tracked in Earth orbit, including satellites, rocket stages and catalogued space debris. With 4,737 satellites launched over the past twelve months, the deployment of new orbital infrastructure continues at an unprecedented pace, nearly 13 per day on average. (9/8)

At Northwest Florida's Eglin AFB, NASA is Concluding its Study on Impacts of Methane Rocket Explosions (Source: Aerospace America)
NASA is targeting the middle of this month to wrap up a test campaign that is simulating explosions of rockets fueled by liquid methane, a common propellant for the new generation of launch vehicles. The goal is to inform efforts to update launch safety protocols and launch pad keep-out zones, the agency said. Tests began in January at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

As of Aug. 26, engineers had conducted 16 detonations of test articles filled with pressurized liquid natural gas — which is mostly methane — and liquid oxygen, Jason Hopper said. The largest detonation used 9,000 kilograms of propellant, and three more explosions at that size are planned. The tests are scheduled to conclude Sept. 16, he added.

Hopper said NASA’s testing includes two failure scenarios. One is a “bulkhead failure,” in which there is some breakdown of the barrier between the liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas tanks in the test article. Another configuration is failure of the “transfer tube” that feeds one of the propellants through the tank containing the other propellant. To measure the resulting explosions, NASA placed instruments on the test articles themselves and out to roughly 240 meters, including optical cameras designed to capture high-speed movement of debris and sensors to measure noise, heat and pressure. (9/4)

How to Advance the S7’s Recommendations on Large Satellite Constellations (Source: Aerospace America)
In May, the science academies of the G7 countries — also known as the S7 — provided French President Emmanuel Macron its statement on large satellite constellations to carry into the G7 Summit. The S7’s working group, of which I was a member, concluded that “the rapid expansion of large satellite constellations, particularly in low Earth orbits (LEO), marks a turning point in humanity’s relationship with near-Earth space.”

But the political moment the S7 recommendations were engineered for came and went without a leaders’ declaration. The load-bearing venue is now a French-hosted summit focused on the space economy, sovereignty, security and responsible use of space. Instead, discussion of satellite constellations would be “directly addressed” during the International Space Summit on Sept. 9-10, the Élysée Palace, Macron’s official residence, said in a statement. (9/4)

SpaceX and Other Rocket Companies May Soon Be Exempt From Key Environmental Rules (Source: NBC)
When companies like SpaceX want to launch rockets or build spaceports, they are required by law to assess how that could affect local ecosystems, wildlife, air, water and even nearby residents. The Federal Aviation Administration factors all of this in when deciding whether to grant licenses and permits. Soon, however, Elon Musk’s rocket company and others like it may get to bypass much of that. (9/6)

Trump Threatens to Ban Bombardier Jet Sales Unless Production Moves From Canada to US (Source: AeroTime)
President Donald Trump has declared that Bombardier will no longer be permitted to sell aircraft in the United States unless it manufactures them there, in a post published on his Truth Social account on September 7, 2026. “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” Trump wrote, adding that the company’s products “aren’t good enough,” and that “if they want our Market, they must build here.” No executive order, tariff schedule or regulatory action accompanied the statement. (9/8)

HyImpulse Could Attempt Second SR75 Flight as Early as 5 October (Source: European Spaceflight)
Maritime and aviation notices indicate that HyImpulse could attempt the second flight of its SR75 suborbital rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland as early as 5 October. On 2 September, Norwegian air navigation service provider Avinor published a notice outlining temporary danger areas for a HyImpulse rocket launch from SaxaVord Spaceport between 5 and 18 October. (9/8)

September 8, 2026

New Hypersonic Aircraft Concept Could Take Off From Airships near the Edge of Space (Source: Interesting Engineering)
JP Aerospace has released images of its proposed Hazel vehicle, giving a new look at an unusual idea for reaching orbit without using a traditional rocket. The company president, John Powell, shared images showing Hazel being released from a high-altitude airship called SuperTandem. JP Aerospace describes itself as “America’s Other Space Program” and has operated as an all-volunteer nonprofit for more than 40 years under Powell’s leadership. (9/7)

US Breakthrough Could Build Hypersonic Shields, Rocket Parts in a Fraction of the Time (Source: Interesting Engineering)
John Hopkins APL researchers have found a way to dramatically speed up the way that carbon-carbon composites can be created. The new approach, the research team explains, could replace the current slow, labor-intensive process, ultimately slashing the cost of production. Carbon–carbon is basically carbon fiber embedded in a solid carbon matrix. Imagine carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, except instead of the fibers being surrounded by epoxy/resin, they’re surrounded by more carbon.

That gives you something that is simultaneously very light, mechanically strong and astonishingly tolerant of heat. It’s why you see it in things like rocket nozzles, re-entry systems, missile nose cones, aircraft brakes and hypersonic thermal protection.

Traditionally, you start with a porous carbon-fiber structure. You then need to fill all the tiny gaps between the fibers with additional carbon. There are two main ways of doing that: repeatedly force carbon-rich gas through the material and deposit carbon inside it, or soak it with a resin and heat the resin until almost everything except the carbon burns/pyrolyses away. With the new approach, similar materials that take months to produce can be created in just days. (9/6)

European Gateway to Commercial Space Is Established in Dübendorf (Source: UZH Space Hub)
For many years, we have developed and flown experiments from Dübendorf and supported missions in low Earth orbit. We are now connecting these capabilities into an integrated access system. The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein🇨🇭🇱🇮 (CSA) is establishing a fully integrated pathway at the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich, spanning laboratory preparation, parabolic flight testing and qualification, and ultimately access to low Earth orbit, building on nearly two decades of mission experience.
 
Starting today, with the launch of the five-day 8th Swiss Parabolic Flight Campaign of Swiss SkyLab Foundation, CSA is bringing two complementary levels of access to microgravity into a single operational framework: parabolic flight and orbital research aboard the ISS.

CSA and Starlab are launching this Zurich-to-orbit pathway by offering the first three competitively selected experiments free access to the International Space Station National Laboratory, with the possibility of subsequently continuing their research aboard Starlab using payload capacity already reserved by CSA. A special very warm welcome to the teams from the University of Florida and The Ohio State University as they join us for the 8th Swiss Parabolic Flight Campaign! (9/8)

NASA's Quiet Supersonic Plane Builds Momentum Through 25th Flight (Source: NASA)
After 25 test flights, NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic experimental aircraft steadily continues to pass performance marks set by its team. This successful run of tests has the aircraft on a path toward a new phase later this year, where NASA will evaluate the sonic thumps the X-59 is designed to make when flying faster than the speed of sound.

The X-59's 25th flight took off from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. It lasted a total of 72 minutes with the aircraft reaching Mach 1.2 at a height of approximately 49,000 feet. Like all of its test flights so far, the X-59 was accompanied by a chase plane to monitor it. That chase aircraft's sonic booms masked any noise from the X-59. (9/7)

Moody: Put US Space Academy in Florida (Source: Florida Today)
Florida Sen. Ashley Moody believes the newly proposed U.S. Space Academy should set up shop amid the Sunshine State's thriving space-industry ecosystem, rather than making taxpayers spend to build such infrastructure elsewhere. "Choose Florida. The rockets are already launching here. The scientists, engineers, students and skilled workers are already here," Moody said Tuesday, Sep. 8, during a news conference at Space Florida's offices at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (9/8)

Space Florida Board Considers Budget and Project Approvals (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida's board meeting on Sep. 10 includes a review of their budget for FY-2026 (ending Sep. 30) and FY-2027. The state entity operated under a $19 million budget in FY-2026 and is planning for a $20.7 million budget for FY-2027. They anticipate $16.5 million will be from state appropriations while $4.2 million would come from project revenues (financing fees, leases, etc.). The FY-2027 increase includes a $1.04 million upward adjustment for salaries. Personnel numbers were not shared, but the agency employed over 50 people in 2024.

The agency is considering ~$313M in projects for FY-2027 (mixing direct and conduit financing), including $230M for Project Horseshoe (space infrastructure); $26M for Project Forge (Relativity); $2.5M for Blue Origin payload processing; $1.5M for Cecil Spaceport payload processing; $10.8M for ULA wastewater treatment; $7.7M for NASA Causeway wastewater conveyance; and $1.2M for Israel and UK grant partnerships; $100K for FSGC research grants. (9/8)

Northrop Grumman Gets $508M MDA Missile Test Contract (Source: GovCon Wire)
Northrop Grumman has secured a $508.5 million follow-on contract from the Missile Defense Agency to provide flight test support for Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile targets. The contract, which runs through August 2035, includes integrated logistics support and will be executed in Arizona, Utah, and Maryland. (9/8)

Russia Launches 32 Rassvet Satellites (Source: UkrinForm)
Russia has placed 32 Rassvet satellites into orbit, but this is not enough to ensure stable communications. This was reported by Oleh Ivashchenko, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), in an interview with Ukrinform.

“We know that the Russians are trying to launch satellites into orbit. But so far, there are not enough of them, and their effectiveness is low. We are aware of this problem. Let me give you some figures. Today, the Russian Federation has launched 32 satellites. We will not go into detail about the orbits they are in, how frequently they operate, or which regions of Ukraine they cover,” Ivashchenko said. (9/7)

Data Centers in Space: Four Big Obstacles (Source: CNBC)
Blaine Curcio, the founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting, says the 2030s timeline [for in-space data center deployment] is a “fair assessment.” Here are some of the issues that need to be overcome: 1) Terrestrial data centers can rely on liquid cooling to manage heat, but cooling works very differently in the vacuum of space. “It also needs to be tolerant to radiation.” 2) The rate of technological advancement: “GPUs are evolving so quickly that if you launch a state-of-the-art data center into space, at an enormous cost, it might be obsolete in a couple of years.”

3) High-volume data transfer: “Anyone can build data centers, but if you can’t talk to these AI systems, then those data centers are useless.” And 4) Orbital data centers could take another five to seven years to reach hyperscale, a level that would likely require nuclear power. (9/6)

$10K Invested in SpaceX 2 Months Ago is Now Worth $9.1K (Source: Finbold)
Investors who bought SpaceX stock during the August recovery rally have yet to fully recover their losses despite a strong rebound over the past month. This is evident in the performance of a $10,000 investment made on July 6, 2026. With SpaceX shares trading at $160 at the time, the investment would have purchased 62.5 shares. At the current price of about $147, that stake is worth approximately $9,188, representing a loss of roughly 8%. (9/5)

Musk Moves Up SpaceX (SPCX)’s Orbital Data Center Timeline, Again (Source: Insider Monkey)
Elon Musk said SpaceX's first AI satellites, powered exclusively by NVIDIA chips, will launch in the fourth quarter of 2027 and reach "significant scale" in 2028. Musk wrote "SpaceX, in partnership with Nvidia, has designed a space-optimized Vera Rubin NVL72 system for launch to orbit in Q4 next year," describing the satellite data center as "significantly simpler, lower cost, denser, and lighter than a traditional rack." (9/6)

Case for Life on Mars Just Got Stronger (Source: BBC)
Scientists have confirmed one of the most extensive detections yet of complex organic carbon on Mars, found in mudstones in an ancient dried‑up river channel in Jezero Crater. The findings are based on hundreds of detections of macromolecular carbon (MMC) – large, tangled networks of carbon atoms – within two rocks sampled by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The rocks are part of the Bright Angel formation in Neretva Vallis, a channel that once fed a lake inside Jezero. (9/5)

How Many Spaceports Does the U.S. Need? (Source: Scientific American)
Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, says an update to the NSTP was overdue, necessitated by associated sweeping technological and political changes. One area where he’d like to see “a little bit more clarity,” however, is the matter “of shifting away from government-operating space facilities to private sector,” he says. Outside of threats to national security or public safety, he adds, the standard of U.S. space policy has been and remains that commercial space activities will not be precluded or deterred.

Pace argues that NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida chiefly exists to support the space agency’s Space Launch System megarocket for its Artemis missions returning astronauts to the moon—just as it previously supported the space shuttle program. Meanwhile, he says, most actual demand for KSC’s launchpads is commercial, largely because of the clamor for megaconstellations. “If megaconstellations prove not to be commercially viable in the longer term, then a lot of this goes away,” he adds.

As for reentry sites, the new presidential memorandum directs the identification of an additional designated reentry zone on federal lands, as well as consideration of key associated safety criteria. Much like launches, reentries can drop hazardous debris on the ground below, and for safety’s sake require large stand-off zones kept clear of people and sensitive infrastructure.  (9/7)

Stoke Space Raises $1 Billion for Larger Launch Vehicle (Source: Space News)
Stoke Space Technologies has raised $1 billion that will help the company develop a larger reusable launch vehicle. The company announced Tuesday the initial close of a Series E round led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital with participation from several other investors. Stoke Space has raised $2.3 billion to date, with more than $1.8 billion of that coming in the last year. The company said it will use the funding to accelerate work on Nova Block 2, an upgraded version of its original Nova vehicle now called Nova Pathfinder. Nova Block 2 will be able to place up to 15 tons into orbit with reusable lower and upper stages, with a first launch planned for 2029. The first Nova Pathfinder launch is scheduled for early 2027. (9/8)

Aerospace Project at KSC Runway Could Bring More Space Coast Growth (Source: Florida Today)
A large-scale commercial aerospace facility is planned for construction at NASA's Kennedy Space Center off the northeast end of the former space shuttle landing strip, St. Johns River Water Management District permitting records show. On Aug. 28, Space Florida applied for stormwater permitting to accommodate future buildings, parking lots, driveways and entry roads, a stormwater management system, and associated infrastructure across 217 undeveloped acres. Editor's Note: Is this the site where Relativity builds their factory? Or it might be a Stoke Space rocket factory. (9/3)

Exploration Company Raises $450 Million (Source: Space News)
The Exploration Company (TEC) has raised $450 million to complete a cargo spacecraft and advance planning for its own launch vehicle. It is the largest Series C for a European space company, and brings the total raised by TEC to $680 million. The company will use the funding to complete work on its Nyx cargo spacecraft, with a first flight to the International Space Station planned for 2028. The funds will also support development of Storm, a large rocket engine intended for use on a future reusable European launcher. The funding round came a day before the start of the International Space Summit in Paris, an event that is expected to include contract announcements by French and European companies. (9/8)

India's Pixxel Raises $100 Million (Source: Space News)
Indian hyperspectral imaging startup Pixxel announced a $100 million funding round Sunday. The company said the funding round will allow it to ramp up satellite production in both India and the United States. A Gigapixxel factory is set to open in the coming months in India that will allow the company to expand production from 25 to 100 satellites annually. Pixxel also aims to expand annual production capacity in Los Angeles, including the upgraded Honeybee imaging platform slated to debut early next year. The company launched its first six Firefly hyperspectral imaging satellites last year with another six planned for next year before shifting to Honeybee, which will extend coverage into shortwave infrared wavelengths across around 250 spectral bands. (9/8)

China Picking Tianwen-3 Mars Landing Site for Sample Return (Source: Space News)
China will select a final landing site for its Tianwen-3 Mars sample return before the end of the year. The mission's chief scientist said at a conference last week that teams have identified candidates at eight sites, which he did not identify, based on scientific characteristics such as the potential to host evidence of past Martian life.

The Tianwen-3 mission is scheduled to launch in late 2028 using two Long March 5 rockets. These will separately carry a lander and ascent vehicle stack, and the Mars orbiter and Earth return spacecraft combination. After landing and collecting at least 500 grams of samples on the surface, the ascent vehicle will launch them into Mars orbit for rendezvous with the orbiter before returning to Earth in 2031. With the cancellation of NASA's Mars Sample Return program, Tianwen-3 is set to be the first to attempt to return samples from Mars. (9/8)

India's Push to Commercialize Questioned Among ISRO Workers (Source: The Hindu)
Indian government officials said their push to commercialize space activities in the country is not meant to privatize the national space agency. A letter from nine employee groups at ISRO asked for clarification about plans to transfer launch vehicle and satellite manufacturing work from the agency to the private sector, including impacts on the agency's workforce. In a response, Pawan Kumar Goenka, head of the IN-SPACe, the organization responsible for commercializing space activities in India, said that while the private sector would take on more satellite and launch vehicle manufacturing, ISRO would still work on advanced programs, including the Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft and a planned space station, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station. (9/8)

Space Force Moving Beyond OCX for GPS Ground Architecture (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is starting work on a new ground control architecture for its future GPS constellation after the cancellation of the OCX program. Space Systems Command is preparing a prototype competition for GPS Gen4 Ground, the command-and-control segment of a broader next-generation GPS architecture now being defined by the service, according to a "coming soon" notice posted last week.

The envisioned architecture would include a software application framework that could run on government hardware, cloud services or a combination of the two. The Pentagon canceled the OCX program in April after concluding that the remaining problems could not be resolved quickly enough without creating unacceptable risk for GPS operations. OCX had cost approximately $6.27 billion. (9/8)

SpaceX Launches Sunday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites on Sunday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and placed 27 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 80th Starlink mission this year. (9/7)

Katalyst Wrapping Up Link Grappler Mission (Source: Space News)
Katalyst Space is wrapping up operations of a spacecraft intended to reboost a NASA space telescope. The company said Friday that its Link spacecraft came within 12 to 15 kilometers of NASA's Swift gamma-ray observatory during recent operations that also tested the spacecraft's thrusters and robotic arms. Katalyst Space launched Link in July to grapple Swift and raise its orbit, but attitude-control issues with Link caused the company, in collaboration with NASA, to cancel the reboost effort last month. Katalyst Space plans to continue to operate Link for two to three more weeks before the spacecraft deorbits. Swift's orbit continues to decay, and NASA said it expects to get one or two more months of science operations from Swift before its atmospheric drag makes it too difficult to operate the spacecraft. (9/8)

Space Force Provides $50 Million for Space Kinetic's Whirlwind (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is putting $50 million behind a startup developing an unusual way to dispatch small spacecraft from a larger vehicle in orbit. California-based Space Kinetic is developing Whirlwind, an electromechanical system designed to release small spacecraft from a host vehicle at high velocity. The company recently announced that it received a $50 million Other Transaction Authority agreement from the Space Force to develop the technology. The company is not building a maneuverable satellite bus or space tug but is focusing on the machinery needed to release smaller payloads from a host platform, which could potentially allow the deployed vehicles to be simpler and cheaper. (9/8)

Lawrence Livermore Lab Supports Space Force LEO Satellite Chase (Source: Space News)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) provided the optical telescope used in a Space Force "cat-and-mouse" exercise involving two spacecraft. LLNL developed the telescope incorporated into a Rocket Lab spacecraft for the Victus Haze mission, where Rocket Lab's Puma and True Anomaly's Jackal spacecraft pursued each other in low Earth orbit. LLNL says its payload helped Puma acquire and track the target spacecraft. The Space Force has described the mission as a test of its ability to respond rapidly to potentially threatening behavior in orbit. (9/8)