February 8, 2026

Sodern Picks Colorado for US Expansion (Source: OEDIT)
Governor Jared Polis and the Global Business Development Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), announced that Sodern America, a space equipment manufacturer and a global leader in satellite defense and communications technologies, has selected Colorado for its U.S. expansion. Sodern America is expected to create around 20 net new good-paying jobs with positions including engineers, quality, production and supply chain professionals, and business development.

The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved up to $110,094 in performance-based Job Growth Incentive Tax Credits for the company over an eight-year period. These incentives are contingent upon Sodern America, referred to as Project SAM throughout the OEDIT review process, meeting net new job creation and salary requirements. Douglas County is also providing local incentives to support the project. The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC), the Colorado Space Coalition and Denver South began working with Sodern America in early 2025, to position the Metro Denver region as a competitive U.S. location. (2/2)

Samara Raises $10 Million for Hummingbird (Source: Space Times)
Samara Aerospace raised a $10M seed round to fund the launch of their first ultra-stable Hummingbird spacecraft platform later this year. Their MSAC attitude control system is not just a brand new form of ACS, but a complete inversion of the tradeoffs involved in that design space. Their product saves mass, removes the need for reaction wheels, and provides industry leading stability at a time where that metric is becoming increasingly important. Imaging and optical communications applications will benefit hugely from Samara’s technology. (2/6)

India's Aule Space Enters Satellite Servicing Market (Source: Tolga Ors)
Aule Space, an Indian startup, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to develop low-cost autonomous spacecraft for satellite life extension. The funding will help the company deliver satellite servicing at significantly lower costs than established Western competitors by operating from India's lower-cost engineering base. (2/3)

NASA Wants a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon. What Would Happen During a Meltdown? (Source: Science Focus)
To generate more power for lunar bases, NASA has turned to small-scale fission systems. In 2018, it completed successful tests of its toilet roll-sized, uranium-powered reactor ‘Kilopower’, claiming that four of these devices could run an outpost on the Moon. While ‘nuclear reactor on the Moon’ might sound risky, these designs prioritize safety: they use passive cooling and low-enrichment uranium, making catastrophic failure extremely unlikely.

Still, its demise is a fascinating hypothetical. What if it blew up? We’ve really no idea what a nuclear meltdown on the Moon would look like – and, with current plans, there’s no indication it would even be big enough to be considered a meltdown. That’s not to say that such an event wouldn’t be dangerous for anyone manning a nearby habitat or base. They would still be exposed to a strong surge in radiation. That radiation would still be dangerous nearby, but without air or wind to carry radioactive dust, fallout would remain largely local. (2/7)

Use Of ISS For Research Not Sponsored By NASA Still Rising (Source: Aviation Week)
The ISS National Lab says fiscal 2025 was a landmark year for scientific research and technology development aboard the NASA-led orbital laboratory by commercial sector entities, academia, and other government agencies. This progress occurred despite challenges. (2/6)

We Finally Know Where Chandrayaan-4 Will Land on the Moon (Source: India Today)
India’s planned lunar sample-return mission, Chandrayaan-4, could land in a mountainous region close to the Moon’s south pole, according to a new scientific study based on high-resolution imagery from India’s lunar orbiter. Researchers from ISRO have identified the region as one of the safest and most scientifically valuable landing areas for the mission.

Four candidate landing zones within the southern pole region were studied in depth. Among them, a site identified as MM-4 emerged as the safest option. Chandrayaan-4 could touch down near Mons Mouton on the Moon. MM-4 has relatively gentle slopes averaging around five degrees, fewer large boulders and craters, and several flat patches suitable for landing operations.

The site also receives sufficient sunlight for mission activities, which is essential for powering spacecraft systems near the Moon’s South Pole, where lighting conditions can be challenging. The Mons Mouton area is of particular scientific interest because it lies near permanently shadowed craters believed to contain water-ice deposits. (2/7)

The United States Needs Permanent Space Stations (Source: ITIF)
The ISS is rapidly approaching the end of its service life. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman should accelerate the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program to ensure that new space stations replace the ISS before it’s deorbited in 2030. The need to replace the ISS is now at the point where bureaucratic delay could become a diplomatic disaster. The program must get moving again because this process isn’t just another government contracting fight; it is a prerequisite for a continuous, crewed presence in low-earth orbit (LEO), which is essential to U.S. diplomacy with allies and maintaining a competitive advantage against adversaries.

Space is now a diplomatic arena, with countries picking between two camps—one led by the United States and the other by China and Russia. The two camps have different space stations that will compete for the benefits of sustained human presence in low-earth orbit (LEO). These benefits include scientific and engineering research that improves the lives of people on Earth, enhances space infrastructure, and helps astronauts remain healthy in orbit. If NASA doesn’t get the CLD program back on track, it could cause irreparable harm to U.S. space competitiveness. (2/8)

To Reuse or Not Reuse—the Eternal Debate of New Glenn’s Second Stage Reignites (Source: Ars Technica)
Engineers at Blue Origin have been grappling with a seemingly eternal debate that involves the New Glenn rocket and the economics of flying it. The debate goes back at least 15 years, to the early discussions around the design of the heavy lift rocket. The first stage, of course, would be fully reusable. But what about the upper stage of New Glenn, powered by two large BE-3U engines?

SpaceX had also considered reusing the second stage of its Falcon 9 rocket. Eventually Elon Musk abandoned his goal of a fully reusable Falcon 9, choosing instead to recover payload fairings and push down manufacturing costs of the upper stage as much as possible. A little more than five years ago, Blue Origin kicked off a project to develop a reusable stainless-steel upper stage known as “Project Jarvis.” This initiative was later abandoned.

CEO Dave Limp recently said they were continuing to trade the options on New Glenn’s upper stage, known as GS2. A new job posting suggests a move toward reusing GS2. The job, for a director of “Reusable Upper Stage Development,” was posted Thursday by the company. The new hire would support "the execution of a lean engineering initiative to incrementally develop a reusable upper stage.” (2/6)

Viasat Sees Orbital Data Center Partnership Opportunity (Source: Space News)
While Viasat has no plans to join the rush to deploy orbital data centers, the satellite operator sees a role providing the communications links needed to connect such systems with users on Earth and other spacecraft. (2/6)

NASA Study: Non-Biologic Processes Don’t Fully Explain Mars Organics (Source: NASA)
In March 2025, scientists reported identifying small amounts of decane, undecane, and dodecane in a rock sample analyzed in the chemistry lab aboard Curiosity. These were the largest organic compounds found on Mars, with researchers hypothesizing that they could be fragments of fatty acids preserved in the ancient mudstone in Gale Crater. On Earth, fatty acids are produced mostly by life, though they can be made through geologic processes, too.

It was not possible to determine from Curiosity’s data alone whether or not the molecules they found were made by living things, which led to a follow-on study that evaluated known non-biological sources of these organic molecules — such as delivery by meteorites smashing into the Martian surface — to see if they could account for the amounts previously found. Researchers say that as the non-biological sources they considered could not fully explain the abundance of organic compounds, it is therefore reasonable to hypothesize that living things could have formed them. (2/6)

Epstein Was Adviser Behind Funding of Starlink Rival OneWeb (Source: Bloomberg)
Jeffrey Epstein was an adviser in the creation of OneWeb Ltd, a low-Earth orbit satellite network that is the world’s largest rival of Elon Musk’s Starlink, according to emails released by the US Department of Justice. The disgraced financier acted as a confidante for OneWeb’s founder Greg Wyler as the entrepreneur raced to secure funds after launching the company in 2012, emails show. Wyler ultimately garnered investments from the likes of SoftBank Group Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. (2/6)

Army’s New Space Career Field Won’t ‘Encroach’ on Space Force (Source: Breaking Defense)
A top service official at the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command recently attempted to reassure skeptics that the service’s new space career field will not interfere with the Space Force’s missions. “It is not like we’re trying to encroach on their requirements, or their mission set,” said Col. Felix Torres, commandant of the Army’s SMDC Center of Excellence. Though the Army is looking to fill 1,000 new positions for a new space-centric military occupational specialty, he noted that services’ capabilities often overlap. (2/6)

Starlink and the Unravelling of Digital Sovereignty (Source: Space News)
In the face of governments shutting down internet access, such as in Iran last month, Starlink can play a pivotal role in providing internet access to people on the ground. But commercial firms stepping in and making these decisions raises serious questions about sovereignty and who, government, commercial or otherwise, has their hands on the flow of information.

Mustafa Bilal, at the Center for Aerospace & Security Studies in Islamabad, says the recent incident [in Iran] of privatized diplomacy raises troubling questions regarding accountability as a company responsible to shareholders, not voters, decides which beleaguered populations are to receive a digital lifeline. The world may find itself at a turning point regarding Starlink and, by extension, LEO broadband companies, Bilal argued, as companies may think twice about extending licenses for the service.

"The Starlink phenomenon thus poses technical and philosophical dilemmas," he wrote. "Does it democratize the right to resist or corporatize digital sovereignty? On one hand, it gives citizens the power to challenge a state's monopoly on information flows, and is a powerful counterbalance to authoritarianism. On the other hand, it concentrates power in the hands of the private sector that creates dependency and leads to opaque lines of influence beyond sovereign control." (2/6)

Space Force Awards $54.5 Million to Starfish Space for GEO Servicing Vehicle (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force awarded a $54.5 million contract to Starfish Space to build, launch, and operate its Otter spacecraft for supporting military satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), with services planned to begin in late 2026. This initiative aims to provide on-orbit servicing, including inspection, station-keeping, and maneuvering for national security assets. (2/7)

Starbase’s Launch Site Lays Groundwork to Double in Size (Source: NSF)
While pushing for Flight 12, SpaceX has received approval to nearly double the launch site’s size at Starbase. With this approval, SpaceX will be able to complete the redesign of Pad 1 and add additional capabilities to the Starbase launch site. With this extra room, SpaceX will be able to add in Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) liquefaction plants to be able to turn natural gas into LNG for Starship. SpaceX will also have additional areas for ground support equipment storage and possibly more water storage. (2/7)

China Launches Reusable Spacecraft for Fourth Time Since 2020 (Source: Reuters)
China successfully launched into orbit a reusable experimental spacecraft aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported. The mission will carry out technological verification for reusable spacecraft, providing technical support for the peaceful use of space, Xinhua said, without disclosing how long the craft will remain in orbit. (2/7)

Falcon 9 Returns to Flight After Brief Standdown, With Saturday California Starlink Mission (Source: Spaceflight Now)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Feb. 7. This mission marked a return to flight for the Falcon 9 rocket following a brief stand down as a result of an upper-stage mishap during the Starlink 17-32 mission on Feb. 2, 2026. On Friday evening, the FAA announced the closure of the SpaceX-led mishap investigation, allowing SpaceX to resume FAA-licensed flights. (2/7)

NASA Seeks to Bolster Workforce, Reduce Reliance on Contractors (Source: Space News)
Following a 20% reduction in its civil servant workforce over the past year—roughly 4,000 employees—NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a new directive to bring core engineering and operations expertise in-house. Citing excessive management layers, high costs, and program delays, the agency aims to reduce reliance on contractors who currently make up about 75% of the workforce.

Rebuilding Technical Competency: Isaacman noted that the agency has lost or outsourced essential technical capabilities, prompting a need to bring those skills back to the civil servant workforce. Contractor Reduction: The move aims to directly address the current, high-cost reliance on "multiple primes [and] hundreds of subcontractors," which is believed to cause inefficiencies and roughly $1.4 billion in annual, unnecessary expenses.

About 4,000 of NASA’s 17,500 person workforce took the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) or early retirement options that were offered. JPL laid off another 550 workers on top of two layoffs in 2024.  Three key NASA offices were closed with the loss of the agency’s Chief Scientist, Chief Economist, and Chief Technologist. (2/6)

Blue Origin’s TeraWave Constellation: Analysts Size Up Competitive Positioning (Source: Via Satellite)
Reusable rockets need significant demand to amortize their costs. Only SpaceX has demonstrated effective reusability, and that was only because Starlink provided sufficient internal demand. It’s not surprising that Blue chose the same route, only that it took so long. We’ve already seen how SpaceX’s business has been transformed by Starlink through deep vertical integration across launch, satellite manufacturing, and network operations. With Bezos fully owning and controlling Blue Origin (as opposed to Amazon’s separate corporate structure), it’s not unreasonable to imagine a similar strategic ambition emerging over time.

The description Blue Origin put forward of TeraWave makes it clear they are striving to differentiate themselves from existing constellations. That said, broadband constellations take five to 10 years to operationalize, so TeraWave will be competing with the constellations of tomorrow, not today. By the time TeraWave is launched in appreciable numbers (and no, it won’t be 2027 or 2028, but the 2030s at best) they may very well compete with the constellations they hoped to outperform. (2/6)

Lawmakers Ask What it Would Take to “Store” the International Space Station (Source: Ars Technica)
Members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee voted to approve a NASA authorization bill this week, advancing legislation chock full of policy guidelines meant to give lawmakers a voice in the space agency’s strategic direction. The committee met to “mark up” the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, adding more than 40 amendments to the bill before a unanimous vote to refer the legislation to the full House of Representatives.

One add-on to the authorization bill would require NASA to reassess whether to guide the International Space Station (ISS) toward a destructive atmospheric reentry after it is decommissioned in 2030. The space agency’s current plan is to deorbit the space station in 2031 over the Pacific Ocean, where debris that survives the scorching reentry will fall into a remote, unpopulated part of the sea. (2/6)