March 3, 2026

As Moon Interest Heats Up, Two Companies Unveil Plans for a Lunar “Harvester” (Source: Ars Technica)
Two lunar startups, Astrolab and Interlune, announced Tuesday morning they are forming a partnership. Astrolab is one of three firms vying to build rovers for NASA’s scientific activities on the surface of the Moon, as well as to provide transportation for its astronauts. But the company has been working with commercial customers as well, and one of the most important long-term ones could be a Helium-3 mining company called Interlune.

“Ultimately, we want to build a fleet of electric harvesters that will go to the Moon and excavate, extract, and separate Helium-3 from the lunar regolith,” said Interlune chief executive Rob Meyerson. “The FLEX Rover is a great platform to go do that.” Last August, Interlune announced that it would fly a multispectral camera on a smaller prototype rover being built by Astrolab. This camera will be used to estimate helium-3 quantities and concentration in Moon dirt, or regolith. This FLIP rover, about the size of a go-kart, is due to launch later this year on a lunar lander built by Astrobotic. (3/3)

Self-Repairing Spacecraft Could Change Future Missions (Source: ESA)
A new self-monitoring and self-healing carbon-fiber composite material has been developed by CompPair in collaboration with Com&Sens and CSEM as part of the European Space Agency’s ‘First!’ initiative. Project Cassandra has shown Healtech material can be heated in place to repair cracks that might form during use. The technology could be ideal for reusable space transportation elements. (3/3)

Victor Glover Will Become First Black Astronaut To Fly To The Moon (Source: Black Enterprise)
NASA has plans to diversify space. The agency has selected the first Black astronaut to voyage to the moon. The inaugural astronaut, Victor Glover, will lift off in a new mission called Artemis II. The trip will continue on the journey established by its predecessor, Artemis I. Following the successful completion of Artemis I, this latest launch brings NASA one step closer to landing on Mars. (3/2)

L3Harris Appoints New CFO as Firm Prepares to Spin Off Missile Business (Source: Breaking Defense)
L3Harris has appointed former Peraton finance chief Kenneth Sharp as its new chief financial officer, as its current CFO takes over its missile business ahead of an initial public offering later this year. Sharp will take the reins from current CFO Ken Bedingfield on March 16, as Bedingfield — who currently wears a second hat as the president of the company’s Missile Solutions segment — narrows his focus to that business ahead of its much-anticipated spin off in late 2026. (3/2)

With Artemis 3 Changed, Will China Leapfrog the US to a Landing? (Source: Sky at Night)
NASA has expanded its Artemis moon program, adding a mission to, it says, ensure the success of future long-term stays on the Moon. The update integrates a heavy-lift cargo delivery designed to land large-scale equipment at the lunar South Pole before the arrival of human crews. But the US is facing lunar-landing competition from China's space agency, the China National Space Administration. While the reasons for pushing back deadlines – including adding an extra mission to the Artemis program – are understandable, it could mean China eventually proves its spacefaring prowess even further by becoming the first nation to land humans on the Moon after Apollo. (3/3)

Austria Military’s First Satellite Will Hunt for GPS, Galileo Interference (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Austrian Ministry of Defense’s first satellite, being developed by Vienna-based startup GATE Space, will launch from a SpaceX Falcon 9 a year from now, according to MoD and company leaders. GATE Space is serving as the prime for BEACONSAT, working with Danish satellite manufacturer Space Inventor and Austrian firm IGASPIN GmbH, which builds GNSS interference detection payloads, as well as a number of Austrian subcontractors. (3/2)

RG-XX To Highlight New Space Force Acquisition Approach (Source: Defense Daily)
Last year's review of 60 programs by the Space Force may have led to the cancellation of some lower tier programs, as well as highlighting the future Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance Constellation (RG-XX) satellites as the service's new acquisition approach. The Space Force may soon award a contract for RG-XX as a commercial replacement for the service's eight Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites. (3/3)

Hardware is No Longer the Problem Holding Back Space-Based Data Centers — the Supply Chain Is (Source: SpaceNews)
Orbital and lunar data centers are often framed as engineering challenges or launch economics problems. Those matter, but they are not the limiting factor. The real bottleneck is the absence of a procurement and logistics architecture capable of sourcing, qualifying, transporting, assembling and sustaining the technologies these systems require. If companies are going to realize their goals of building and operating space-based data centers, they must commit to building the procurement, logistics and qualification infrastructure that makes sustained deployments possible. (3/3)

Former NASA Chief Turned ULA Lobbyist Seeks Law to Limit SpaceX Funding (Source: Ars Technica)
A former NASA administrator says he is “encouraged” that the US Congress is considering legislation to prevent NASA from spending more than 50 percent of its launch funding on any single provider. “America succeeds in space when American companies compete, innovate, and grow,” former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on LinkedIn. “I’m encouraged to see Congress taking meaningful steps to strengthen the industrial base that underpins both our civil and national security space missions.” (3/3)

JAXA To Test Vertical-Landing Reusable Vehicle Demonstrator (Source: Aviation Week)
First flight of a small experimental version of a reusable launch vehicle has been scheduled for March 6 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The 24-ft.-tall vertical-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (VTVL) RV-X is planned to make a short hop at the agency’s Noshiro Rocket Testing Center on the Sea of Japan coast. (3/3)

Austria Military’s First Satellite Will Hunt for GPS, Galileo Interference (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Austrian Ministry of Defense’s first satellite, being developed by Vienna-based startup GATE Space, will launch from a SpaceX Falcon 9 a year from now, according to MoD and company leaders. “With BEACONSAT, jammers that intentionally or unintentionally disrupt signals are to be detected and data collected. Through jamming methods, troops face the risk of disorientation in the worst case when they rely on satellite-based navigation (GNSS) for movement on land, water, or in the air and this is disrupted,” Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said. (3/3)

Accelerating Artemis (Source: Space Review)
On Friday, NASA shook up its Artemis lunar exploration plans with changes to planned missions and to the Space Launch System rocket. Jeff Foust reports on the changes and the many unanswered questions about those plans. Click here. (3/3)
 
The Ghost in the Orbit: How Hybrid Surveillance Reshapes Risks (Source: Space Review)
The US military recently announced plans to commercially procure satellites to monitor other spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. Zohaib Altaf warns that this approach, with a hybrid of commercial and government roles, creates new risks to space security. Click here. (3/3)
 
All’s Well That’s Roswell (Source: Space Review)
President Trump said last month he was directing the government to release files related to UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena. Dwayne Day examines similar efforts in the 1990s to declassify information about the so-called “Roswell Incident” and other Cold War aerospace programs. Click here. (3/3)
 
Gala Time! The Chinese New Year Narratives of the Space Program (Source: Space Review)
China marked the Lunar New Year last month with a televised gala. Krzysztof Karwowski discusses how space played a role in this year’s event as well as previous shows as an exercise in soft power. Click here. (3/3)

Fire Arrow Boosts Malaysia's Spaceport Mission (Source: Fire Arrow)
International spaceport advisory and development company, Fire Arrow, has announced an agreement in principle to undertake a structured feasibility and concept development program to prepare Malaysia's first spaceport for launch. The proposed horizontal launch spaceport in Kuantan is in Malaysia’s Pahang Aerospace City (PAC) where Fire Arrow’s work will help prepare for  site planning, operational concepts, regulatory pathways and phased delivery strategy. The work will assess the commercial, technical and compliance requirements necessary to establish launch. (3/3)

PwC Projects $127 Billion Moon Economy – But Energy Infrastructure May Be the Real Bottleneck (Source: Deepspace Energy)
The latest PwC Lunar Market Assessment highlights the growing economic importance of the Moon economy, projecting total revenues of $127.3 billion by 2050, and identifies solar energy systems as one of the priority technologies. However, according to Mihails Ščepanskis, CEO of Deep Space Energy, it is crucial to understand that solar power will not be an ultimate solution for lunar surface operations, and alternatives must be explored before any long-term mission begins to unlock that economic potential.

According to Ščepanskis, the importance of mobility on the Moon should not be overlooked when discussing future energy systems. While large fission reactors may eventually power stationary lunar bases, they are localized solutions and do not address the operational needs of mobile platforms. “There is no grid on the Moon,” he said. “A reactor can support infrastructure at a base, but lunar rovers, scouting vehicles, and prospecting missions operating far from fixed installations must carry their own reliable power source.” (3/3)

Space Assets Were "First Movers" in Iran Strike (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon said both space and cyber forces had "first mover" roles during strikes on Iran over the weekend. At a briefing Monday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, highlighted work by U.S. Space Command and U.S. Cyber Command. He characterized both as "the first movers" that provided "non-kinetic effects disrupting and degrading and blinding Iran's ability to see, communicate and respond." Space Command's duties include ensuring resilient U.S. satellite communications and positioning, navigation and timing, while potentially disrupting an adversary's access to space-enabled capabilities such as satellite communications or reconnaissance. (3/3)

Spectrum Battle Brewing Between Wideband Constellations and Weather Satellites (Source: Space News)
Constellations like Starlink are in a spectrum battle with other systems that use nearby spectrum for weather observations. At a recent meteorology conference, speakers warned that broadband communications constellations threaten to prevent microwave sounders on weather satellites from observing the natural emissions from atmospheric water vapor and precipitation. Scientists analyzing data from Earth science satellites say they are seeing increased radio-frequency interference, as they work to both educate regulators about the importance of preserving certain spectrum bands while also making future instruments more resilient to interference. (3/3)

Redwire to Produce New Solar Array Product for Satellites (Source: Space News)
Redwire announced a new solar array product designed for mass-produced satellites. The company announced Tuesday the Extensible Low-Profile Solar Array, or ELSA, which is based on technology the company developed for the Roll-Out Solar Array, or ROSA, used on the International Space Station and other spacecraft. ELSA is intended for mass-produced satellites with limited mass and volume. The announcement comes amid increasing demand for satellite power systems, driven by the growing number of satellites and interest in high-power applications such as edge computing and orbital data centers. Redwire announced its 2025 financial results last week, reporting a 10% increase in revenue but a steeper net loss. (3/3)

Roscosmos Completes Baikonur Launch Pad Repairs (Source: Reuters)
The Russian space agency Roscosmos says it has completed repairs to a launch pad damaged last November. Roscosmos said the pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome has been repaired and is ready to support a launch later this month of a Progress cargo mission to the International Space Station. A key platform at the pad was severely damaged during a launch last November, raising concerns that the pad, the only one available for Soyuz and Progress missions to the station, would be out of service for an extended period. (3/3)

Japan's HTV-X1 Cargo Craft to Depart ISS (Source: NASA)
A Japanese cargo spacecraft will leave the ISS this week. The HTV-X1 spacecraft will be unberthed from the station Thursday and released by the station's robotic arm on Friday. The spacecraft, the first in the new HTV-X series of cargo spacecraft, launched to the station in October. Once it departs from the station, HTV-X1 will remain in orbit for three months to perform additional technology demonstrations before reentering. (3/3)

Alaska's (and Virginia's) Spaceport Gets Federal Funding for Upgrades (Source: KMXT)
An Alaska spaceport is planning upgrades after securing federal funding. A defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026 includes about $22 million for Pacific Spaceport Complex - Alaska on Kodiak Island. That facility hosts missile tests and launches of small rockets. The funds will go toward upgrading a payload processing facility at the spaceport. The bill also included $4 million in upgrades for Poker Flat Research Range, a sounding rocket launch site near Fairbanks, Alaska, that is seeking to attract new customers, which may include operators of small orbital launch vehicles. (3/3)

Another $6 million is provided for Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex (JPARC) investments, including a modern threat simulator. JPARC is a 77,000 square mile restricted airspace in Alaska where the U.S. military conducts training and testing for land, air, sea, space and cyberspace. The Air Force is planning to expand the range complex into other areas of the state which could include the Gulf of Alaska and Kodiak Island.

Separately, Alaska Aerospace Corporation was awarded a $28 million contract with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army last month on Jan. 9 to operate missile system facilities in Alaska. Alaska Aerospace Corporation will be conducting test range services for the federal government, primarily out at the Kodiak Island spaceport. (2/25)

Intuitive Machines Selected by L3Harris to Support SDA Tranche 3 Tracking Layer (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Intuitive Machines announced that Lanteris Space Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary, was selected by L3Harris to support the development and production of spacecraft platforms for the Space Development Agency Tranche 3 Tracking Layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Under this selection, Intuitive Machines will design, build and deliver 18 advanced spacecraft platforms. (3/3)

Starlink Lessons Learned for DoD (Source: Gemo Yesil)
Recent Starlink controversies in the Russia-Ukraine war expose a hard truth for modern defense ecosystems: outsourcing critical capability does not outsource responsibility. When commercially owned systems underpin military operations, questions of command, escalation, and sovereignty inevitably surface -- often mid-crisis. The next generation of defense partnerships will be judged as much on who controls the switch as on how well the system works. In future competitions, some solutions won’t be rejected for lack of capability. They will be rejected for lack of controllability.

Beyond Starlink, DoD will likely seek company/partners who offer clear governance models, not just performance metrics; demonstrate alignment with government decision frameworks; build contractual and technical mechanisms for assured access; and reduce single-point-of-failure dependence in critical domains. (3/3)

House Select Committee Investigation Uncovers China’s Space Operations in Latin America (Source: China Select Committee)
The Select Committee on China released an investigation uncovering how China is using infrastructure in Latin America to advance its space capabilities and intelligence collection. The investigation, Pulling Latin America into China's Orbit, uncovered that China has developed an extensive network of dual-use space ground stations and telescopes across Latin America and uses this network to collect intelligence and boost the PLA's warfighting capacity. The investigation found at least eleven China-linked space facilities established across Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, and Brazil.

The investigation also made several critical policy recommendations, including: 1) NASA should review cooperation with host countries to ensure there are and have been no violations of the Wolf Amendment’s prohibition on bilateral cooperation with China and Chinese-owned companies; 2) Congress should consider updating the Wolf Amendment to close a growing loophole that allows prohibited bilateral cooperation with the PRC to continue under the guise of nominally multilateral arrangements; 3) U.S. agencies should re-evaluate space, defense, and advanced technology cooperation with countries that host PRC-linked space infrastructure; and 4) The U.S. Government should establish the explicit goal of halting the expansion of PRC space infrastructure in Latin America, and ultimately seek to roll back and eliminate PRC space capabilities in the Western Hemisphere that threaten U.S. interests. (2/26)

Dominican Republic to Build Commercial Spaceport in Pedernales (Source: Dominican Today)
The Dominican Republic has announced plans to build a commercial spaceport in the province of Pedernales after reaching an agreement with U.S.-based company Launch on Demand, marking a major step toward the country’s entry into the global space economy. President Luis Abinader revealed the project during his State of the Nation address before the National Assembly, stating that the spaceport will involve an investment exceeding US$600 million. He said the initiative aims to enable the launch of a satellite or rocket from Dominican territory before May 2028, following three years of negotiations with Launch on Demand and U.S. investment funds.

The investment group is led by Burton Catledge, a former operations director at NASA. Catledge and Florida-based Launch on Demand entered into a feasibility-study agreement with the Dominican Republic's National Intelligence Directorate in May 2024. The spaceport project forms part of a broader government strategy to diversify the economy through high-level technological partnerships. The spaceport is also expected to support the transformation of Pedernales into a tourism and logistics hub, serving as a symbol of innovation alongside infrastructure development.

Editor's Note: I'm curious how this squares with restrictions under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which normally would limit US companies from providing space launch know-how to non-signatory nations. The Dominican Republic is not a signatory to the MTCR. Is a TSA, TCA, or some other safeguarding process established? Is MTCR enforcement being relaxed under the Trump administration? (3/2)