April 18, 2026

Put Science Back in the Driver’s Seat (Source: Space News)
Lately, dedicated science missions have been made to take a back seat at NASA, where they're left to "hitchhike" on the back of commercial missions, wrote Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society. "If this is to be a true golden age of science and discovery, NASA can’t rely on serendipity; the agency must make active investments in dedicated science projects that address the highest priority questions facing humanity," Dreier wrote.

"Without a dedicated science program, without intentionality, without actively attempting to answer the big questions, future breakthroughs in space science are a function of serendipity," Dreier wrote. "Hitchhiking, after all, rarely takes you exactly where you need to go." (4/18)

The Space Sector Prepares to Blast Off (Source: Kiplinger)
There are plenty of reasons to think that future business prospects, new technology and geopolitical shifts will propel the industry to new heights. The renewed optimism of satellite CEOs was clear when I attended SatShow 2026 in Washington, D.C. The mood was in stark contrast to the last few years, when SpaceX’s disruptive force and other business woes were driving the conversations. SpaceX is still disrupting things as a de facto monopoly, but the entire industry is growing fast and there’s more room for other players to benefit. (4/18)

Lockheed Martin Nabs $105M Ground System Contract to Support Next-Gen GPS (Source: Breaking Defense)
Lockheed Martin’s new contract worth up to $105 million for modernizing the ground control system for GPS satellites covers not just the birds on orbit today, but also early operations for the future GPS IIIF variants. Under the agreement, the company will support launch, early orbit, and disposal operations for GPS IIIF space vehicles,” the announcement elaborated. (4/17)

Rocket Lab Defeats Investor Lawsuit Over Delayed Neutron Launch (Source: Bloomberg)
Rocket Lab USA and top executives routed allegations they misled investors about the testing and debut timeline for its reusable Neutron rocket before a 2025 short-seller report. The court again found the lawsuit’s theory of securities fraud by Rocket Lab CEO Sir Peter Beck and Chief Financial Officer Adam Spice “simply does not make much sense.” Judge George H. Wu finalized an earlier tentative ruling, tossing the proposed class action with prejudice Thursday. (4/17)

America’s Next Moon Mission Depends on Elon Musk, for Better or Worse (Source: Mother Jones)
Elon Musk has long been in an on-again, off-again relationship with the moon. Though just last year he called it “a distraction”—saying his focus was shifting exclusively to Mars—he now seems to be rekindling things with our natural satellite. And regardless of his own feelings about the moon, NASA is paying him to get us there again.

NASA has always relied on partnerships with private companies, but the number of unique contractors has dropped by 38 percent between 2021 and 2024 as contracts with SpaceX ballooned. According to a Washington Post investigation, Musk’s company has received nearly $15 billion from the agency all told, with contract values doubling at the inception of Artemis. (4/17)

Antitrust Authority Approves Creation of Rheinmetall-OHB Satellite Joint Venture (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt), Germany’s independent competition authority, has approved a new joint venture between Rheinmetall and OHB. In a 16 April announcement, the Bundeskartellamt explained that the new subsidiary will be used to bid for a German armed forces public procurement contract.

In September 2025, the German government announced that it had committed €35 billion in spending for space-related defence projects by 2030. At the time, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius explained that, as part of the package, the country planned to “build new satellite constellations for early warning, reconnaissance, and communications.” (4/18)

Artemis 2's Heat Shield Seems to Have Aced its Trial by Fire (Source: Space.com)
Artemis 2's return to Earth went a lot more smoothly than some folks had feared. The heat shield on Artemis 2's Orion capsule, which the crew named "Integrity," was the topic of considerable discussion in the lead-up to the mission's April 10 splashdown — for several years before that, in fact.

After a great deal of analysis and discussion, NASA decided to stick with the same heat shield design for Artemis 2, a decision that drew objections from some in the spaceflight community. The agency did tweak the mission's reentry trajectory, however, bringing Integrity into the atmosphere at a steeper angle so that it spent less time in the extreme temperature regimes that scarred Artemis 1's Orion so markedly.

This adjustment apparently did the trick, for Integrity's heat shield survived its trial by fire in good shape, according to Artemis 2 commander Reid Wiseman. He and his crewmates — NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen — inspected Integrity shortly after the capsule's April 10 splashdown. And the vehicle passed that eye test, according to Wiseman. (4/17)

Rocket Lab Unveils New Electric Propulsion Satellite Thruster to Meet Constellation Demand (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab  introduced a new electric satellite thruster designed for high-volume production to meet the growing demand for reliable satellite propulsion across commercial and national security constellations. Rocket Lab’s in-house designed and manufactured electric propulsion system, named Gauss, features a Hall Thruster, Power Processing Unit and a Propellant Management Assembly. (4/14)

NorthStar to Go Public with SPAC Viking Acquisition Corp. (Source: Space Intel Report)
Space-based space situational awareness company NorthStar Earth & Space of Canada will be going public via a merger with special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Viking Acquisition Corp. 1, which in October began trading on the New York Stock Exchange after an IPO generating gross proceeds $230 million. As of April 16, Viking’s market capitalization was $314.2 million. In an April 17 statement, NorthStar said the transaction has secured $30 million in commitments from investors. (4/17)

NASA Selects Voyager for Seventh Private Mission to Space Station (Source: NASA)
NASA and Voyager Technologies have signed an order for the seventh private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028 from Florida. This is the company’s first selection for a private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, underscoring NASA’s ongoing investment in fostering a commercial space economy and expanding opportunities for private industry in low Earth orbit. (4/15)

Blue Origin is Set for its Next New Glenn Launch Sunday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Blue Origin announced Thursday it scheduled the NG-3 mission for Sunday at 6:45 a.m. Eastern, at the opening of a two-hour window. That announcement came several hours after a static-fire test of the New Glenn booster, which previously flew in November. The payload for NG-3 is a BlueBird direct-to-device communications satellite for AST SpaceMobile. (4/17)

ESA and Canada Sign Agreement on the Exchange of Classified Information (Source: ESA)
The European Space Agency (ESA) and Canada have signed a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA), which will establish a legally binding framework for the exchange of classified information. The GSOIA will ensure that both parties uphold the highest standards of security while enabling the secure exchange of sensitive information entrusted to authorized institutions and industrial partners. It provides a robust foundation for cooperation in areas where the protection of classified information is essential. (4/16)

Colorado Springs Still Vital to Military Space Industry, Leaders Say, Even After Space Command Move (Source; KRCC)
When talking about the future of the space industry in Colorado Springs, a group of defense contractors and a retired four-star general did not take long to mention the upcoming move of the U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama. “It is the elephant in the room,” said retired Air Force Gen. and former Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Hyten.

Nevertheless, the group speaking to reporters at this week’s Space Symposium at the Broadmoor sought to reassure residents: Colorado Springs remains the country’s central hub for military space operations. “U.S. SpaceCom may be leaving Colorado to Huntsville, but what is not leaving is all of the operational units that support U.S. Space Command,” said Art Louriero, Chair of the Colorado Aerospace and Defense Council and Director of Space Defense Solutions at military tech firm L3Harris. (4/6)

Sens. Warren and Blumenthal Investigate NLRB Decision to Drop Charges Against SpaceX for Retaliatory Firings (Source: CNBC)
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, and Richard Blumenthal, D-CT., initiated an investigation into the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday concerning the agency’s decision to drop charges against Elon Musk’s SpaceX over retaliatory firings. SpaceX is reportedly seeking to go public in June and eyeing a $2 trillion valuation.

Under the Biden administration, the NLRB had charged the aerospace and defense firm with illegally firing employees in retaliation for criticism of Musk in an open letter in which they alleged sexist conduct on his part, and a wider culture of sexual harassment at SpaceX. The NLRB dismissed those charges citing jurisdictional issues in February.

Warren and Blumenthal have demanded information and records from the NLRB according to correspondence first obtained by CNBC, seeking to determine if the agency dropped the charges based on “political considerations rather than the facts at hand,” effectively bowing to the wishes of Musk, who spent around $300 million to propel President Trump back to the White House. (4/16)

Our Nation’s Space Nuclear Policy Needs All Three Of Its Legs (Source: Forbes)
Combined with NASA’s recently announced plan to send the nuclear electric-propelled SR-1 Freedom mission to Mars by December 2028, the new policy guidance - which follows on the heels of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order ("Ensuring American Space Superiority," December 2025) - represents a genuine inflection point for space nuclear capability.

It also contains a significant strategic omission. The thing that’s missing is nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP). Unlike electric propulsion, which features high efficiency but very low thrust levels (thus very long journeys to destinations such as the Moon or Mars), NTP is high-thrust and high efficiency - or more accurately, high "specific impulse," in rocket terms. (4/16)

Potential Space Florida Deal for 'Project Jaguar' Could be First to Use New Spaceport PABs (Source: Bond Buyer)
A planned Space Florida conduit financing for an obligor code-named "Project Jaguar" appears to be the first deal in the works that would use a financing tool authorized by last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Tax-exempt private activity bonds for spaceport projects.

Oklahoma Aerospace Enters New Era with Spaceport Rebrand (Source: OSIDA)
Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority outlines a major step forward for aerospace development in Western Oklahoma, highlighted by a dual rebranding effort and state-level merger. OSIDA announced a refreshed identity alongside the renaming of the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark. The facility in Burns Flat will now be known as Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport.

According to OSIDA, the changes are part of a strategic merger with the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics, designed to strengthen Oklahoma’s position in the global aerospace market. (4/16)

India Catalogs Rocket Part Reentries for Debris Mitigation (Source: The Tribune)
By the end of December 2025, 36 rocket bodies have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, Indian Space Situational Awareness Report (ISSAR) 2025 released by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said. No small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) rocket bodies remained in orbit by the end of last year. This proves that ISRO manages spent rocket debris to avert any mishap. (4/16)