February 18, 2026

Europe’s Space Pivot: From ESA’s Science Logic to National Security Logic (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Germany has signaled plans to invest around €35 billion through 2030 in space-related defense capabilities. The number matters not only because it is unprecedented in a European context, but because it is strategically framed: sovereignty, resilience, protection, and military readiness. This is the point: space in Europe is moving from “science-first” to “security-first.” (2/17)

DOD Eyes Commercial Satellites That Can Spy on Other Satellites (Source: Defense News)
The Pentagon is looking for cheap commercial satellites that can maintain surveillance on other satellites in orbit, including close-range inspections, according to a Defense Innovation Unit solicitation published Tuesday. The Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaissance project — also referred to as “Ghost Recon” — is intended to address a vulnerability in America’s space-monitoring capabilities.

The Pentagon is looking for commercial satellites that can be launched within two years after the contract begins. Within three years, those satellites would become government owned and operated. Within four years, they will have to demonstrate the ability to “perform at least one drive-by (Sub or Super Sync) or an inclined track design reference mission (DRM) per week through the first year of government operations,” the solicitation states. (2/17)

SatVu Raises $41 Million for Remote Sensing Constellation (Source: Space News)
Earth observation startup SatVu has raised 30 million British pounds ($41 million) in a funding round supported by a NATO fund. The funding will support the British venture's push back to orbit after its initial demonstrator failed in 2023. Two follow-on satellites are slated for launch this year as the company works toward a constellation of nine spacecraft to deliver 10-20 daily revisits. Among the investors participating in the round is the NATO Innovation Fund, or NIF, a venture capital fund backed by NATO member nations to invest in emerging technologies with defense and security applications. Investor interest in commercial thermal satellite imagery has been rising, with German startup constellr announcing a 37 million euro ($44 million) funding round last week to expand its own thermal imaging constellation. (2/18)

UK Caps Liability for Launch Operators (Source: Space News)
A long-awaited cap on liability for U.K. launch operators came into force Wednesday. The U.K. Space Industry (Indemnities) Act 2025 amends the Space Industry Act 2018, which until now exposed operators to unlimited liability for damage or loss caused by spaceflight activities from the country. The new law requires launch licenses to have a cap on liability, currently set at 60 million euros ($71 million). The U.K. was previously one of the few spacefaring nations without a statutory liability limit covering all spaceflight activities, putting companies there at a disadvantage. (2/18)

Proposed SpaceX Stargaze SSA Capability Depends on User Data Sharing (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX space situational awareness (SSA) system is attracting attention for its scale as well as requirements for operators to use it. SpaceX announced late last month Stargaze, an SSA system that collects data from star trackers on its Starlink satellites. SpaceX says it can make 30 million observations each day, making it possible to rapidly detect changes in orbits of any satellites. SpaceX has been testing a space traffic management platform using Stargaze data with a set of beta users, and plans to open it up to all satellite operators for free in the spring.

One condition for satellite operators to participate is that they will have to share their satellite ephemeris, or information on the orbits of their satellites and planned maneuvers. Satellite operators and others in the SSA field say they are impressed with the scale of Stargaze and support ephemeris sharing, but noted that having another source of SSA data and conjunction predictions could be confusing to operators, particularly if it differs from other sources. (2/18)

Belgium's Simera Sense Developing Larger Satellite Optical Payloads (Source: Space News)
After attracting cubesat customers, Belgium-based Simera Sense is developing higher-resolution optical payloads for larger satellites. Simera Sense is developing standardized optical payloads to provide imagery with a resolution of less than one meter, with first deliveries planned for 2028. Simera Sense also announced last week a memorandum of understanding with Florida-based Sidus Space, which will integrate its FeatherEdge hardware and Cielo AI software with Simera Sense hyperspectral payloads. (2/18)

China's Landspace Plans Zhuque-3 Second Launch and Recovery (Source: Space News)
Chinese company Landspace is planning a second launch and recovery attempt of its Zhuque-3 rocket in the spring. The attempt follows Landspace's successful first orbital launch of the Zhuque-3 stainless steel, methane-liquid oxygen rocket in early December 2025, although an attempt to land the booster failed. Landspace said in a presentation at a UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space meeting earlier this month that, if does successfully land the booster on its upcoming launch, it will attempt a reflight of the booster in the fourth quarter. (2/18)

Firefly Pushes California Launch to NET Feb. 27 (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace is pushing back the return to flight of its Alpha rocket. An Alpha launch was scheduled from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as soon as Wednesday on the vehicle's first flight since a failure last April. Firefly said Tuesday it was delaying the launch to no earlier than Feb. 27, citing poor weather at the launch site this week and "taking an abundance of caution for this test flight." (2/18)

Canada Declares Space Capabilities as Sovereign Interests (Source: SpaceQ)
Space is now classified as a "sovereign capability" by the Canadian military. In a new Defence Industrial Strategy released Tuesday, space was one of 10 such capabilities identified as important to the country's military, giving domestic companies in the sector priority in a new procurement system. The document states that, for space, the military is interested in launch, communications, space domain awareness and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Canadian firms with those capabilities will be given preference in future procurements. (2/18)

UAE Extends Mars Orbiter Mission (Source: Middle East Online)
The UAE Space Agency is extending the mission of its Hope Mars orbiter. The agency said it will extend the Hope spacecraft, formally known as Emirates Mars Mission, through 2028. Hope launched in 2020 and has been orbiting Mars since February 2021 for what was originally a two-year mission to study Martian weather and climate. Extending the mission will continue those science operations and gives the UAE more experience in deep-space missions ahead of an asteroid mission set to launch in 2028. (2/18)

L3Harris Selected to Supply Additional THAAD Boosters (Source: Defense Post)
L3Harris Technologies has secured a $400 million contract for solid rocket booster motors and Liquid Divert and Attitude Control Systems for the THAAD missile. L3Harris' newly awarded contract will provide crucial components that enhance THAAD interceptors' ability to engage missiles at high altitudes, reinforcing the system's role in US and allied defense strategies. (2/18)

Space Force Says it Needs to Double Personnel (Source: WFED)
Space Force Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna has told Congress that the service must double its size to meet national security demands, noting that the current force is insufficient. The service, which has consistently met recruitment goals, must also expand infrastructure to manage a growing mission, Bentivegna says. "This critical expansion is not only necessary, but entirely achievable," he says. (2/17)

UK Awards $16M Contract to Advance Hypersonic Missile Design (Source: Defense Post)
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded 12 million pounds ($16.2 million) to Amentum UK to develop a hypersonic missile system, advancing London’s push for a domestic long-range, high-speed strike capability. The program will culminate in flight testing of a demonstrator, with designs intended to evolve into prototype missiles capable of exceeding Mach 5 and withstanding extreme thermal and structural loads. Amentum UK will collaborate with subcontractors Ebeni and Synthetik Applied Technologies UK Ltd to deliver engineering design work under an integrated “Team Hypersonics (UK)” structure. (2/18)

ESA Boss Couches Lunar Plans In Security Terms (Source: Aviation Week)
The head of the European Space Agency (ESA) has framed Europe’s need to pursue lunar missions in unusually security-focused terms for the civilian organization. "The Moon is moving fast from a 'science outpost' to a strategic infrastructure," ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said. (2/16)

The Flaw That Could Prevent Humans From Becoming Deep-Space Explorers (Source: Washington Post)
Despite all we’ve learned about how space affects the body and mind, and the importance of that knowledge to long-term cosmic ambitions, surprisingly little research focuses on human biology. The vast majority of government funding in the space sector is spent on engineering hardware, including what is needed to get astronauts out there and keep them alive. Rockets and space stations are essential, but what good are they unless the people inside them are not only living but also thriving? Click here. (2/16)

Colorado’s Aerospace Economy Gets Boost From Turn-Around in NASA Funding (Source: Sentinel)
Colorado’s aerospace economy is built on long timelines. Corporate fortunes depend on multiyear spacecraft development cycles, a talent pipeline that has its hubs in university labs, and federal budgets that determine whether companies can confidently bid, hire and build. That dynamic explains why the science appropriations “minibus” package Congress enacted last month matters so much for the Centennial State.

The new law funds NASA for FY-2026 and also carries funding for other science agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, that help supply the research base and skilled workforce feeding the state’s space and other technology industries. The Trump administration had originally proposed extraordinary cuts to NASA.

“The aerospace industry is one of the core pillars of Colorado’s economy,” said Parker White, vice president of government affairs for the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, who noted the state has “over 2,000 companies” in aerospace or related supply-chain work. That estimate squares with one provided by the state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, which also said recently that the sector accounted for nearly $23 billion in federal contracting during 2024 and employs more than 55,000 people. (2/16)

700-Plus Space Command Personnel in Alabama by End of 2028 (Source: AL.com)
Half of U.S. Space Command headquarters’ workforce will be in Alabama by the end of 2028, U.S. Senator Katie Britt said Friday. Britt said that commitment came through conversations she had with Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and U.S. Space Command Commanding General Stephen Whiting. (2/15)

China's "Departure Gate" for Crewed Lunar Missions Completes Debut Launch (Source: Xinhua)
At the future "departure gate" for China's crewed lunar journeys at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, personnel in blue uniforms bustle around a newly constructed tower, meticulously inspecting and maintaining tens of thousands of components as part of post-launch operations.

This new launch pad, constructed specifically for China's crewed lunar missions, saw its first launch on Feb. 11 with the successful low-altitude demonstration and verification of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, along with the maximum dynamic pressure abort flight test of the new-generation crewed spacecraft Mengzhou.

Construction on the crewed lunar mission project at Wenchang began in April 2024. In less than two years, a white launch tower standing approximately 120 meters tall, equivalent to a 40-story building, has risen on the site, making it the tallest launch tower in China currently. Unlike the launch pad used for China's current crewed spacecraft, Shenzhou, this new tower dedicated to crewed lunar missions features no rotating service structure. (2/15)

China Hands Over Satellite Ground Station to Namibia (Source: Reuters)
Chinese officials on Thursday handed over a satellite ground station to Namibia outside the southern African nation's capital Windhoek, Chinese state media reported, marking another step forward in China's expanding space program overseas. The Chinese-built ground data receiving station will "significantly enhance Namibia's ability to receive and process remote-sensing data from satellites," the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Friday. (2/13)

Astronomers Discover Chemicals That Could Seed Life in the Core of a Developing Star (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers recently searched the gas cloud of a yet-unborn star for a chemical that may seed future planets with the basic ingredients for life. They found an organic molecule called methanimine scattered throughout a dense clump of gas and dust 554 light-years away. The cloud, called L1544 and found within the Taurus Molecular Cloud, will eventually become a star with a system of planets, and those exoplanets may form with a "starter kit" of organic molecules like methanimine — courtesy of chemical reactions that are going on right now in the cold, dormant molecular cloud. (2/16)

Indian Rocket Washes Ashore in Maldives (Source: CNBC)
Curiosity has hit the shores like a rocket after a large piece of rocket waste/debris, bearing the logo and identification markers of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), washed up on Maldivian shores. Images posted by the Kunahandhoo Council, the Maldives' local elected government body for L. Kunahandhoo island, and articles in the local press show the Indian national insignia and the ISRO name in blue, with text stating that the rocket was built in 2025. (2/15)

SpaceX Launch From Cape Canaveral to Target Bahamas Booster Landing (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX is set to do something different with its next Starlink mission: this rocket launch from Florida will head off on a rare flight path, a sort of tropical getaway to the Bahamas. The planned Feb. 18 liftoff follows a 2025 agreement and the first offshore landing in Bahamian waters a year ago, SpaceX will again send a booster toward the islands for a droneship landing. These landings allow for efficient southeastern trajectories from Florida. (2/17)

NASA Scientist Warns There’s No Way to Stop Thousands of City-Killing Asteroids From Striking Earth (Source: New York Post)
She’s worried about the a-rock-alypse. A planetary defense expert is warning that humanity is defenseless against up to 15,000 undetected near-Earth asteroids that have the potential to take out a city. “What keeps me up at night is the asteroids we don’t know about,” warned Kelly Fast, a planetary defense officer at NASA.

Fast clarified that she’s not worried about the “large ones” as they know “where they are,” or the small stuff that’s “hitting us all the time.” Rather, it’s the space rocks that measure around 500 feet that concern her because they’re small enough to avoid detection but large enough to make an impact. (2/17)

SpaceX Veteran Says He’s Figured Out How to Make Rocket Fuel From Water (Source: Futurism)
Former SpaceX engineer Halen Mattison and his startup, General Galactic, are looking to put the concept to the test once and for all. The company is planning to launch a 1,100-pound satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket in October as part of an audacious proof of concept. The goal is to test water as the fuel for both electrical and chemical propulsion, processes that involve shooting out a stream of plasma with the use of a magnetic field and burning fuel at high temperature and pressure to generate thrust, respectively.

In the case of chemical propulsion, General Galactic is planning to split hydrogen and oxygen in the water via electrolysis, and then burn the hydrogen gas with oxygen as the oxidizer, as Wired explains. In a separate experiment, the company will turn oxygen generated by electrolysis into plasma by applying a strong electrical current. (2/15)

Blue Origin in Race Against SpaceX to the Moon (Source: Bloomberg)
Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin “will move heaven and Earth” to get to the moon before rival SpaceX, said Chief Executive Officer Dave Limp. The US needs “two launch companies that are competing vigorously against each other to try to give us the most capabilities,” he said in an interview at the Defense Tech Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida. (2/17)

The Space Nuclear Power Bottleneck (Source: Space News)
No technology holds more transformative potential for America’s space aspirations than nuclear power. Radioisotopes can safely produce heat that will enable deep space exploration and survival of the frigid lunar night while fission reactors are capable of producing kilowatts of electricity on the moon or in orbit. Fission is also the key to advanced nuclear propulsion systems that can expedite transit times to Mars and increase payload capacity throughout the solar system. Recognizing this, NASA has pledged to test a nuclear propulsion system by the end of 2028, and the White House has challenged the industry with landing a surface fission reactor on the moon in 2030.

Reactor technology is no longer the bottleneck. But the US does lack the testing, demonstration, and integration facilities necessary to turn advanced reactor concepts into flight-ready systems. We lack a nuclear compatible, vacuum-capable facility large enough to test a full fission-lander system, to replicate the Moon's thermal cycling, launch vibration, space vacuum conditions, and operational loads. It must blend space system engineering with the rigor associated with nuclear safety, essentially creating a new class of hybrid test complex.

Editor's Note: NASA has been kind of silent on how they will meet the requirement for spaceport-based nuclear payload processing. Existing facilities appear to be insufficient for microreactor pre-launch processing and encapsulation, let alone a full end-to-end testing. Maybe the microreactor(s) can be shaked and baked (and vacuumed) sufficiently at other facilities around the country. And maybe they can be launched without fuel, with the nuclear material launched separately and installed on the Moon? And rather than launch a single 100 kilowatt microreactor by 2030 (per the current Executive Order), would it be less risky to launch two 50 kilowatt units? (2/16)

SpaceX to Compete in Pentagon Contest for Autonomous Drone Tech (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and wholly owned subsidiary xAI are competing in a secretive new Pentagon contest to produce voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, according to people familiar with the matter. The entry of the two Musk companies — which he announced in early February would merge – into a new frontier of AI-enabled weapons development marks a new and potentially controversial departure for Musk. While SpaceX is a well-established defense contractor and Musk is enthusiastic about advancing AI, he is among those who have also previously argued against making “new tools for killing people.” (2/17)