March 29, 2026

Pentagon Eyes Canceling ‘Troubled’ GPS Ground System (Source: Air and Space Forces)
Amid persistent development and testing delays, the Space Force is considering canceling a program to develop a ground system to manage its newest GPS satellites. Developed by RTX, the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment, GPS OCX, began a government-led testing phase last July, seemingly entering the home stretch after more than 15 years of effort to deliver a modernized GPS ground system. But a Space Force spokesperson said those tests revealed software defects that will require “substantially more time than planned to resolve.” (3/27)

SDA Hopes to Bring Satellite Laser Lnks Into Use Within Next 6 Months (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Development Agency is at least three months behind schedule for demonstrating that its first set of data relay and missile tracking satellites can “talk” to each other via laser links — a requirement at the heart of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) mesh network in low Earth orbit (LEO). Laser links between satellites, formally known as optical intersatellite links (OISLs), also will be a foundational need for the Space Force’s emerging Space Data Network and its Resilient Missile Warning Tracking constellation in medium Earth orbit. (3/26)

Sentinel ICBM Silo Prototype Planned in Utah (Source: USAF)
The LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program is rapidly moving from digital design to tangible reality. The U.S. Air Force, Northrop Grumman and industry partner Bechtel recently broke ground on the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile launch silo prototype in Promontory, Utah. This prototype is critical for validating the modular, cost-effective construction approach for 450 future silos. (3/27)

Getting it Backwards - Europe's Small Launcher Bubble (Source: Donato Maria)
Europe and ESA are building a microlauncher bubble and calling it strategy. Isar Aerospace was chasing €250M at a €2B valuation without having reached orbit. I believe this was a mispricing risk. Across Europe the same pattern repeats. Raise big. Talk sovereignty. Talk autonomy. Talk urgency. Then slip milestones and go back to the capital markets.

Now look at reality. SpaceX reached orbit with a fraction of the capital being burned by Isar Aerospace today. Rocket Lab did the same. They proved it first. Then they scaled. Then they earned the right to talk valuation. Europe flipped the order. Europe and ESA fund the narrative first and hope the launch follows later. (3/28)

Starfish Space Finds a New Partner for Docking Demonstration Mission (Source: Space News)
Starfish Space is pivoting its Otter Pup 2 docking demonstration mission after an unnamed partner—originally identified as D-Orbit—abruptly ceased collaboration in late 2025. Despite this setback, the satellite, launched in June 2025, remains healthy and is maneuvering toward a new, undisclosed partner to continue its mission.

Starfish Space is advancing its servicing vehicles for future missions, including contracted deorbit services for the U.S. Space Force and life-extension services for Intelsat in 2026. The Otter Pup 2 mission aims to validate Starfish's approach to rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD). (3/28)

Ukraine's Zelenskyy: Russian Satellite Images of U.S. Air Base Preceded Iranian Attack (Source: NBC)
Russia took satellite images of a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia three times in the days before Iran attacked the site and wounded American troops, according to a summary of Ukrainian intelligence shared with NBC News by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said he was “100%” confident Russia was sharing such intelligence with Iran to help target U.S. forces across the Middle East. (3/28)

Oman’s MB Group Booked Astranis Satellite as Omani Government Struggles to Secure its Own (Source: Space Intel Report)
Oman, a nation that has never owned a telecommunications satellite, ordered two geostationary-orbit spacecraft in the space of eight weeks following ostensibly separate negotiations with two manufacturers. The Omani government in November announced a contract with Airbus Defence and Space in November. In January, Oman’s MB Group announced a contract with small-GEO manufacturer Astranis, using Astranis’s leasing arrangement wherein Astranis keeps ownership of the asset. (3/27)

India’s Bellatrix Raises $20 Million Following Overseas Expansion Drive (Source: Space News)
India-based Bellatrix Aerospace announced March 27 it has raised $20 million to ramp up production of its satellite propulsion systems after securing its first large commercial customer outside the country. Bellatrix said the funds would be used to expand manufacturing capacity to meet rising demand from satellite constellations in India and abroad. (3/27)