February 2, 2026

First Launch of Ariane 6 with Four Boosters (Source: ESA)
Set for 12 February, Europe’s most powerful rocket is preparing for liftoff – now with even more power. Flight VA267 will see Ariane 6 take 32 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation to low-Earth orbit. This will be the sixth flight for Ariane 6, and the first with four boosters to propel the rocket off the launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. (2/2)

Starlink to Launch Free Space Situational Awareness Platform (Source: Via Satellite)
SpaceX is moving into yet another application in the satellite industry, announcing a new space traffic management platform called Stargaze, where it plans to offer conjunction data to other satellite operators free of charge. Stargaze uses data collected from star trackers onboard Starlink satellites. In a Jan. 29 announcement, the company shared it has been running a closed beta with more than a dozen satellite operators sharing ephemeris data and screening for conjunctions. SpaceX said the platform is designed to provide conjunction screening results within minutes. (1/30)

Gladys West, GPS Pioneer and One of NASA's Famed 'Hidden Figures,' Dies at 95 (Source: Space.com)
A "hidden figure" of GPS development has passed away. Gladys West, 95, died Saturday of natural causes. West, a Black woman, went from a childhood in the Jim Crow era of segregation to an adulthood formulating pioneering models for the shape of the Earth—which helps inform the technology of global positioning systems (GPS) for navigation. (2/1)

Space Force Surveys Industry for Space-to-Air Optical Communications Between Aircraft and Satellites (Source: Military and Aerospace Electronics)
U.S. Space Force communications experts are surveying industry for mature free-space optical communications terminals for aircraft to enable secure, high-bandwidth space-to-air optical communications to link aircraft with the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). Officials of the Space Force's Space Development Agency issued a request for information last week for the Future Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture Space-To-Air Optical Communications Terminal project. (2/2)

Transcelestial Providing Laser Terminals to Gilmour Space (Source: Space News)
Optical communications startup Transcelestial will provide laser terminals to Gilmour Space. The companies announced an agreement Monday where Gilmour will incorporate a Transcelestial terminal in a satellite it is launching later this year to test the effectiveness of space-to-ground laser communications.  Such communications offer much higher data rates than traditional radio-frequency communications and are also not susceptible to jamming, but can be hindered by weather. Transcelestial says it has developed technology to compensate for some weather conditions and plans a large network of optical ground stations to ensure at least some stations are available to a spacecraft at any time. (2/2)

Feasibility and Cost Questions on AI Data Centers (Source: Space News)
The new interest in orbital data centers by SpaceX and others has led many to scrutinize the business case for such satellites. Orbital data centers promise to avoid the power and environmental permitting challenges of terrestrial data centers that are in high demand because of AI. However, some analyses show that orbital data centers would still be several times more expensive than terrestrial systems. There is also a concern that the overall AI industry may be in a bubble that could soon burst, diminishing demand for data centers on Earth or in space. (2/2)

CesiumAstro Raises $470 Million for Phased Array Antennas (Source: Space News)
CesiumAstro has raised $470 million to advance production of phased-array antennas. The company announced Monday it raised $270 million in a Series C investment round led by Trousdale Ventures with participation from several other funds. The company also recently secured $200 million in debt financing from the U.S. Export-Import Bank's Make More in America initiative and JPMorgan. With the capital, CesiumAstro is establishing a 25,000-square-meter headquarters and manufacturing facility in the suburbs of Austin, Texas, where the company will mass-manufacture phased-array antennas for space and terrestrial applications. (2/2)

Amazon Buys 10 Falcon 9 Launches for Leo Constellation (Source: Space News)
Amazon has purchased 10 more Falcon 9 launches for its broadband constellation. Amazon revealed the purchase in an FCC filing Friday seeking a two-year extension or waiver of a July deadline to deploy half of its 3,232-satellite Amazon Leo constellation. Amazon has so far launched 180 satellites, including 72 launched on three Falcon 9 flights last year under a contract announced in late 2023. Amazon plans to rely primarily on Ariane 6, New Glenn, and Vulcan Centaur for most of the constellation, but delays with those vehicles, among other factors, have slowed deployment of Amazon Leo. Amazon says it expects to have 700 satellites in orbit by July and still expects to meet the original July 2029 deadline for deploying the entire constellation. (2/2)

L3Harris to Spin-Off Missile Business with IPO (Source: Space News)
L3Harris says it is committed to its space business as its work on missiles grows. The Defense Department announced last month it will invest $1 billion into L3Harris as part of efforts to increase missile production. That includes spinning off the company's Missile Solutions business into a standalone entity that will go public in the second half of the year. In an earnings call last week, L3Harris CEO Christopher Kubasik pushed back on the notion that the missile push signals a retreat from space, saying the company is committed to work such as production of satellites for the Space Development Agency. (2/2)

Apolink Partners with RBC for In-Orbit Data Relay (Source: Space News)
Apolink has partnered with ground segment provider RBC Signals to resell the startup's proposed in-orbit relay services. Apolink is planning a constellation of satellites that will serve as data relays for other spacecraft. Besides having RBC Signals serve as a reseller, Apolink also plans to use RBC Signals' network of nearly 100 antennas across more than 60 sites as part of the end-mile teleport for its relay architecture. The companies did not disclose terms of the agreement. (2/2)

FAA Warns Airlines About Safety Risks From Rocket Launches, Urges “Extreme Caution” (Source: Pro Publica)
SpaceX and other companies have ramped up launches in recent years. Starship, a version of which is supposed to one day land on the moon, has followed a flight path that soars over well-trafficked commercial airways in the Caribbean. The FAA previously told ProPublica that it “limits the number of aircraft exposed to the hazards, making the likelihood of a catastrophic event extremely improbable.” It also said it takes steps to keep pilots informed and planes safe during launches, such as creating the emergency no-fly zones, known as debris response areas.

The January alert also pointed to those procedures. “Past events have shown that when a mishap does occur, debris has fallen within or near the DRA, and pilots should exercise extreme caution near these areas,” the notice said. But it warned that debris can fall in places where the FAA doesn’t enact no-fly zones, such as international airspace over oceans without radar coverage, saying pilots need to have “additional situational awareness” to avoid debris fields there. Neither SpaceX nor the FAA has released data showing where debris fell after the Starship explosions last year. (2/2)

Singapore to Launch Space Agency in Response to Global Investment Surge (Source: Reuters)
Singapore will launch its own space agency on April 1 as it bids to "fully harness the value and opportunities of the growing global space economy", the country's trade ministry announced on Monday. The National Space Agency of Singapore will develop and operate the nation's space capabilities and develop legislation and regulations which support innovation and businesses, among other functions, the ministry said. Singapore currently hosts 70 space companies, employing around 2,000 professionals in diverse roles and activities across the value chain, the ministry said. (2/2)