February 11, 2026

Non-Venture Investment Surges for Space Startups (Source: Space News)
Non-venture investment in space startups surged last year to its highest level since the SPAC era. An analysis by BryceTech found that more than $2 billion went into space startups last year through IPOs, acquisitions and debt financing. The increase in non-venture funding is a sign of a maturing industry, BryceTech concludes. Overall investment in space startups in 2025 was about $10 billion, with venture capital accounting for more than three-quarters of that total. (2/11)

Aerospace Corp. Licenses DiskSat Tech (Source: Space News)
The Aerospace Corporation is sharing DiskSat technology with industry partners. Aerospace said Orbotic Systems, a startup focused on space debris remediation, and edge computing startup Satlyt have signed the first DiskSat commercial licensing agreements. Aerospace is likely to announce additional partnerships as the first DiskSats, launched in December on a Rocket Lab Electron for the U.S. Space Force Space Test Program, complete commissioning and begin operations. (2/11)

Smallsat Manufacturers Focus on Mini-Constellations (Source: Space News)
Smallsat manufacturers unable to compete to produce megaconstellations are instead seeing opportunities for smaller "mini-constellations." At a SmallSat Symposium panel Tuesday, officials with several manufacturers say they are seeing demand for constellations of dozens to a few hundred satellites. The interest is coming from both governments and companies who are wary of relying entirely on commercial megaconstellations for services. (2/11)

Laser Comms Needs Validation (Source: Space News)
Companies building an "internet for space" based on laser-linked satellites need to move beyond technical promise and demonstrate concrete use cases. At a SmallSat Symposium panel, executives said terms such as "space data layer" have become fashionable shorthand for modernization, even as end users remain focused on outcomes rather than architecture. While there are emerging opportunities for satellite systems that offer low-latency, high-bandwidth communications, customers are less interested in whether data moves by radio or laser than in how it is organized, shared and exploited once it is available. (2/11)

Spaceium Demos In-Space Refueling/Repair Tech in Space (Source: Space News)
Spaceium, a startup planning to establish a network of in-space refueling and repair stations, says it demonstrated a key technology in orbit. The company said it tested the actuator for a robotic arm on a spacecraft launched on the Transporter-15 rideshare mission in November. The tests confirmed the performance of the actuator, enabling high-precision motion needed for future refueling and servicing spacecraft. (2/11)

ASII Aims to Use Space Services for Australian National Needs (Source: Space News)
A new Australian organization plans to use space-related products and services to address national and regional challenges. The Australian Space Innovation Institute (ASII) started operations in January and builds on the work of the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre, a consortium established in 2019 to bolster research and development of space technologies. With SmartSat set to end in June, ASII will take SmartSat intellectual property with promising commercial or research applications and seek to apply it to areas from agriculture to disaster management. (2/11)

Galaxia and Apolink Partner for In-Orbit Data Relay (Source: Space News)
Two startups are partnering on ways to improve in-orbit data relay services. A satellite to be built by Canadian startup Galaxia for launch in 2027 will be used by Apolink to test intersatellite data links in either S- or X-band spectrum. Apolink is developing a low Earth orbit relay network to fill connectivity gaps when other LEO satellites are out of view of terrestrial ground stations, and the collaboration with Galaxia will allow the companies to test customized configurations to achieve higher data rates. (2/11)

Rep. Haridopolos on NASA Authorization (Source: Payload)
Payload interviewed Space Coast Congressman Mike Haridopolos. Here's what he had to say about passing a NASA Authorization Bill:  "What we’re really looking to do is continue the partnerships between public and private. The reason we didn’t pass [the NASA authorization bill] until last week is we wanted to make sure language is clear on commercial space. We don’t have the budgetary ability to do everything and now—unlike 10 years ago—there is a business case to be made.

"[Space] was once exclusively a government operation, and there was no business sense to it. That has changed dramatically. We have two huge companies [SpaceX and Blue Origin] and two billionaires [their founders, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos] who are investing. That’s not just exploration, but they realize there’s a business case to be made. ... One thing that’s always helpful is the comparative situation. Now that we have these great public-private partnerships, that allows NASA to see how the private sector is innovative, and what they can learn from those private sector companies.

"The government has different recommendations and regulations than the private sector because our No. 1 concern is safety. The standards are different. But in general, I think both can learn from the other. The public [companies] can incorporate NASA safety standards, and the folks at NASA can learn the efficiencies being put in place by companies like Blue Origin or SpaceX. I think it’s a win-win scenario. ... As people retire, we need to ask ourselves if this can be done more efficiently. NASA is very open to new ideas." (2/10)

Latvia's Deep Space Energy Raises €930K to Generate Electricity on the Moon and Strengthen Satellite Infrastructure (Source: Deep Space Energy)
Latvian startup Deep Space Energy has closed its pre-seed round by raising €350K and then an additional €580K in public contracts and grants by the European Space Agency (ESA), NATO DIANA, and the Latvian government. The funding will primarily be used to further develop a novel radioisotopic generator toward commercialization, in a bid to strengthen the European sovereign space and defense industry and power Moon surface exploration. (2/11)

Orbex Acquisition by Exploration Company Fails, Restructuring Planned (Source: Orbex)
The UK home-grown orbital launch services company and space rocket manufacturer, Orbex, is in the process of appointing administrators after fundraising, merger and acquisition opportunities all concluded unsuccessfully. Orbex has filed a notice of intention to appointment Administrators and will continue trading while all options for the future of the company are explored, including potential sale of all or parts of its business or assets.

The notice provides short-term protection and allows the business time to secure as positive an outcome as possible for its creditors, employees and wider stakeholders. The funding required for Orbex to remain a viable business was sought from a variety of public and private investors. Several merger and acquisition opportunities have also been explored, with none resulting in a favorable outcome. Orbex was one of five "preselected challengers" in ESA's European Launcher Challenge. Orbex was pledged roughly €21.7 million of the UK’s total contribution.

Editor's Note: Orbex initially had a collaboration with Lockheed Martin to share access to the proposed Sutherland spaceport. Lockheed Martin was awarded £13.5M to bring a U.S. launch vehicle (initially planned with ABL Space Systems) while Orbex received £5.5M to develop its own UK-built rocket, Prime. After the Sutherland spaceport effort fizzled, Orbex's launch plans shifted to SaxaVord, with spaceports in the Azores and Norway considered as backups to accommodate a higher launch cadence. (2/11)

NASA Needs A New Vomit Comet (Source: TWZ)
For NASA astronauts, experiencing zero-gravity conditions prior to mission launch is a necessary, if absurdly fun and enviable, part of training and familiarization. The ability to provide a microgravity environment here on Earth is also important for a number of scientific research reasons, and especially for spaceflight applications. For the better part of a century, access into this environment has been provided by specialized fixed-wing aircraft. While a single private company (Zero-G Corp) has handled these zero-G flights for NASA for years, a new contract solicitation shows the agency is once again inviting competitors to bid for the work, with the possibility of providing new solutions for a decades-old requirement. (2/10)

Can This Map of 1 Million Routes Around Our Planet Help Prevent Satellite Collisions? (Source: Space.com)
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have developed a new method for modeling orbits in cislunar space, which refers to the space between and around Earth and the moon. The researchers modeled what a million orbits would look like over six years using an open-access database, or code that's publicly available, and a ton of processing power from the lab's supercomputers.

The researchers found that about half of the orbits they modeled remained stable for at least one year, and just under 10% remained stable for the full six years of the simulation. "If you want to know where a satellite is in a week, there's no equation that can actually tell you where it's going to be," LLNL scientist Travis Yeager said in the release. "You have to step forward a little bit at a time." (2/10)
 
Sidus Space Forms New EO Partnership with Simera Sense (Source: Via Satellite)
Sidus Space is teaming up with Simera Sense to develop next‑generation hyperspectral imaging solutions incorporating onboard data processing and analytics. The aim is to enable commercially deployable, intelligence‑driven Earth Observation (EO) missions for government and commercial customers. The two companies announced the partnership, Feb. 10. (2/10)

China Succeeds with Mengzhou Capsule Test (Source: Space News)
China successfully conducted an in-flight abort test of a new crewed spacecraft and a rocket recovery demonstration. A Long March 10 low-altitude flight demonstration vehicle topped with an uncrewed Mengzhou spacecraft lifted off at 10 p.m. Eastern Tuesday from the Wenchang spaceport. The Mengzhou spacecraft activated its abort system in flight to demonstrate the ability to safely escape its launch vehicle at maximum aerodynamic pressure. The capsule splashed down in the ocean as planned.

The rocket stage continued its flight to simulate a full first stage orbital flight profile. The rocket then made a successful reentry burn, performing a propulsive splashdown close to a ship fitted with a wire recovery system for the Long March 10. The demonstration is a crucial step in China's plans to attempt to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, as well as to advance efforts to recover and reuse rocket boosters. (2/11)

Stoke Raises $350 Million to Accelerate Reusable Launcher Plans (Source: Space News)
Launch vehicle developer Stoke Space has raised an additional $350 million. The company announced an extension Tuesday to a $510 million Series D round from last October, bringing the size of the round to $860 million and the overall amount raised by Stoke to $1.34 billion. Stoke is developing Nova, a launch vehicle whose first and second stages are both designed for reuse. Stoke said the additional funding will "accelerate future elements of its product roadmap" but did not disclose details. (2/11)

FCC Approves Additional Satellites for Amazon Leo (Source: Space News)
The FCC approved additional satellites Tuesday for Amazon's broadband constellation. The FCC authorized Amazon to deploy and operate 3,212 Gen 2 satellites between 590 and 630 kilometers above Earth, alongside 1,292 Polar spacecraft between 600 and 650 kilometers. The two systems are in addition to the 3,232-satellite Gen 1 network operating at similar altitudes to Gen 2, enlarging the company's total constellation to 7,736 satellites. The FCC also authorized Gen 1 satellites to use higher-frequency V-band spectrum in addition to Ka-band. The authorization comes as Amazon seeks approval for an extension to deployment deadlines for its Gen 1 satellites. Amazon separately announced Tuesday its first Amazon Leo maritime broadband reseller agreements, partnering with U.S.-based MTN and ELCOME of the United Arab Emirates. (2/11)

ULA Sees Vulcan's Ascent in 2026 (Source: Space News)
New leadership at United Launch Alliance says this will be the year the company ramps up the Vulcan launch rate. In a call with reporters Tuesday, executives said they are projecting 18 to 22 launches this year, including two to four Atlas 5 launches and 16 to 18 Vulcan Centaur launches. Executives said they have "high confidence" in those projections, despite falling short of similar forecasts last year, as they build out infrastructure to support more launches. The first ULA launch of the year, a Vulcan launch of the USSF-87 mission for the Space Force, is scheduled for early Thursday. (2/11)

Germany Funds Development of Human Exploration Control Center (Source: Space News)
Germany is funding construction of a human exploration control center. The government of Bavaria said it will provide 58 million euros ($69 million) for the Human Exploration Control Center to be built at a German Aerospace Center (DLR) facility near Munich. DLR will provide 20 million euros to complete the center. The center will support European operations for the Gateway program, similar to existing support of work on the Columbus module of the ISS that DLR provides for ESA. Funding the new center aligns with the priorities Germany laid out at the most recent ESA ministerial, where the country was the largest contributor to the agency's human and robotic exploration program, pledging 885 million euros for the next three years. (2/11)

Isaacman: American Exceptionalism at Risk with Failure to Beat China to Moon (Source: Aerospace America)
NASA's leader says a failure to return humans to the moon before China could "call into question American exceptionalism" more broadly. Speaking at a conference Tuesday, Administrator Jared Isaacman said he expects that if the Artemis program does not land astronauts on the moon before China's anticipated 2030 landing, "it calls almost everything we are pursuing across all these emerging and important technological domains into question." NASA has a goal of landing astronauts on the moon by 2028, but there remain questions about the status of landers needed to carry that out. (2/11)

NRO Adds HEU, SatVu, Sierra Nevada to Imaging Stable (Source: Space News)
The NRO has added more commercial imaging firms to a growing roster of vendors it is testing for future intelligence missions. The agency said Tuesday it signed Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) agreements with HEO, SatVu and Sierra Nevada Corp. The SCE program is designed to let the NRO evaluate commercially generated data and determine how it could be integrated into intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. HEO will provide non-Earth imagery focused on objects in orbit, SatVu will deliver medium-wave infrared imagery and Sierra Nevada will support radio-frequency, or RF, sensing. (2/11)

Eutelsat Gets Nearly 1 Billion Euros in French-Backed ECA Financing (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat has signed a 975 million euro ($1.2 billion) France-backed export credit agency financing package to help fund 440 replacement satellites for its OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband constellation. (2/11)

The Radical Propulsion Needed to Catch the Solar Gravitational Lens (Source: Universe Today)
Sending a mission to the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) is the most effective way of actually directly imaging a potentially habitable planet, as well as its atmosphere, and even possibly some of its cities. But, the SGL is somewhere around 650-900 AU away, making it almost 4 times farther than even Voyager 1 has traveled - and that’s the farthest anything human has made it so far. It will take Voyager 1 another 130+ years to reach the SGL, so obviously traditional propulsion methods won’t work to get any reasonably sized craft there in any reasonable timeframe.

A new paper by an SGL mission’s most vocal proponent, Dr. Slava Turyshev of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, walks through the different types of propulsion methods that might eventually get us there - and it looks like we would have a lot of work to do if we plan to do it anytime soon. One of the technologies Dr. Turyshev looked at was solar sails - giant reflective surfaces that use the Sun’s light to push itself. But perhaps more importantly, solar sails could combine both the Sun’s light and the Sun’s gravitational pull using a gravity assist at the same time they are accelerated with maximum force close to the Sun. By Dr. Turyshev’s calculations, that could accelerate a craft to be capable of speeds that would allow for a 30 year transit, or potentially even a 20 year transit. (2/11)

Return to Launch Documents Florida's Second Space Age (Source: University of Florida Press)
Return to Launch is the story of how one state reshaped the trajectory of the US space program and helped usher in a new era of spaceflight. Stephen Smith takes readers behind the scenes of Florida’s Space Coast, revealing how local leaders, federal policymakers, and entrepreneurs transformed a region once bracing for economic collapse into the center of the NewSpace revolution. Click here. (2/11)

SpaceX’s Next-Gen Super Heavy Booster Aces Four Days of “Cryoproof” Testing (Source: Ars Technica)
The upgraded Super Heavy booster slated to launch SpaceX’s next Starship flight has completed cryogenic proof testing, clearing a hurdle that resulted in the destruction of the company’s previous booster. SpaceX announced the milestone Tuesday: “Cryoproof operations complete for the first time with a Super Heavy V3 booster. This multi-day campaign tested the booster’s redesigned propellant systems and its structural strength.”

The Super Heavy booster originally assigned to the first Starship V3 test flight failed during a pressure test in November. The rocket’s liquid oxygen tank ruptured under pressure, and SpaceX scrapped the booster and moved on to the next in line—Booster 19. This Super Heavy vehicle appears have sailed through stress testing, and SpaceX returned the booster to the factory early Monday. (2/10)

Musk’s Starlink in Crosshairs of Iran, Russia at UN Space Confab (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite constellation violates international law while blurring the line between commercial and military technologies, Iranian and Russian diplomats said at a United Nations meeting. The “illegal operation” of Starlink in Iran violates the nation’s sovereignty and amounts to “unauthorized military use of a commercial satellite mega-constellation,” read a statement delivered by the Islamic Republic late Monday at a UN scientific meeting in Vienna. (2/10)

Starlink Expansion Approval Prompts DirecTV Interference Concerns (Source: Aviation Week)
DirecTV is objecting to elements of the U.S. Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) decision late last year to allow SpaceX to expand its Starlink broadband constellation. DirecTV argues some of what the FCC is green lighting could lead to interference with geostationary (GEO) satellites. (2/11)

Jupiter is Smaller and More Squashed Than We Thought, Says NASA (Source: BBC)
NASA says Juno data has revealed that Jupiter is slightly smaller and flatter – or more 'squashed' – than previously thought. Scientists looked at data captured during 13 of Juno's flybys of Jupiter and determined the gas giant is 8km (5 miles) narrower at the equator and 24km (15 miles) flatter at the poles. (2/11)