April 23, 2026

House Appropriators Omit Civilian Federal Pay Raise From 2027 Spending Bill (Source: FNN)
The prospects of a civilian federal pay raise next year are continuing to diminish, after House appropriators made no mention of a pay increase in their 2027 spending legislation. The House Appropriations Committee’s financial services and general government (FSGG) bill for fiscal 2027, which advanced along party lines Wednesday evening, says nothing on funding for a civilian pay raise. Although not yet final, that increases the chances federal employees will miss out on a salary increase next year. (4/22)

Sidus Space Advances its Fortis Next-Generation Command and Data Handling (C&DH) System (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced continued advancements to its Fortis Command and Data Handling (C&DH) platform, a modular 3U OpenVPX system designed to support rapid development, configuration flexibility, and long-term scalability across next-generation space and defense missions. (4/23)

DoD Completes $1 Billion Investment in L3Harris Missile Business (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon has completed a $1 billion investment in L3Harris Technologies' missile business. L3Harris said Thursday that the Defense Department had closed the deal, announced in January. The capital will be directed to L3Harris's Missile Solutions unit, a newly consolidated division focused on missile propulsion and related systems, to expand production there. The investment will turn into common equity if L3Harris proceeds with plans to spin off Mission Solutions as a standalone, publicly traded entity in the second half of this year. L3Harris said it will retain roughly 80% ownership of the business. (4/23)

Mason Nominated to Lead NRO (Source: Space News)
The White House has nominated an industry executive to be the next director of the National Reconnaissance Office. The president on Wednesday nominated Roger Mason, chief growth officer at V2X, a publicly traded firm based in Reston, Virginia, that provides logistics and technical services to the Pentagon and intelligence community. Mason previously held senior executive roles at Parsons Corporation and Peraton, both of which have deep ties to national security and intelligence programs. Mason, if confirmed, would succeed Chris Scolese, who has been director of the NRO since 2019. (4/23)

Rocket Lab Electron Launches Japanese Payloads From New Zealand (Source: Space News)
An Electron rocket launched a set of Japanese cubesats Wednesday night. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:09 p.m. Eastern, deploying eight cubesats sponsored by the Japanese space agency JAXA into sun-synchronous orbits. The cubesats, developed by Japanese companies and universities, are designed to test advanced technologies. The launch was the second of two ordered by JAXA last fall for launching tech demo smallsats prompted by problems with Japan's Epsilon small launcher. The launch came a little more than 24 hours after the suborbital version of Electron, HASTE, launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, on a classified mission. (4/23)

Atmos Space Cargo Raises ~$30 Million for Reentry Missions (Source: Space News)
Atmos Space Cargo raised about $30 million to fly a series of reentry missions. The German-French startup announced its Series A round Wednesday led by European funds Balnord and Expansion Ventures. The funding will go toward three flights of its Phoenix 2 spacecraft, which can carry 100 kilograms of payload for microgravity research and manufacturing, returning it to Earth with an inflatable heat shield. The first mission is planned for the second half of this year. Atmos plans to develop a larger spacecraft, Phoenix 3, with 10 times the payload capacity as Phoenix. 2. The company also announced Atmos Works, a dedicated business unit focused on European government and defense customers. (4/23)

Pakistani Astronauts Train for Mission to China's TSS (Source: Xinhua)
Two Pakistani astronauts will begin training for a flight to China's Tiangong space station. The China Manned Space Agency announced Wednesday that Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud will come to China soon to begin training, with one of them to fly a short-duration mission to Tiangong. That person will be the first foreign astronaut to go to Tiangong. (4/23)

ESA and EDA Launch Joint Study to Strengthen Europe’s Earth Observation Capabilities (Source: ESA)
Signaling Europe and the European Space Agency’s increasing investment in defense, ESA and the European Defense Agency launch a joint study to identify strategic and technological gaps in Europe’s Earth observation capabilities. According to the agency, the 18-month study will identify critical capability gaps and define technology development priorities up to 2040 to ensure the continent is secure and prepared. (4/22)

Voyager Expands Global Footprint with South Korean Agreement (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Technologies signed an agreement with Yonsei University in South Korea. The strategic cooperation will advance the Voyager Institute for Space, Technology and Advancement (VISTA) science park ecosystem. Voyager and Yonsei University will develop research programs and applications for public and private sector use. This includes reserved research resources, tenant opportunities and cross-border collaboration within the VISTA ecosystem. (4/21)

Leidos, MapLarge Secure Space Force Software Contracts (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force awarded contracts to data analytics firms Leidos and MapLarge to support what the military calls battle management and command and control. The awards this week are the first under a new program called Kronos that develops software tools used by military and intelligence units. The prototype awards are valued at about $1.4 million for Leidos and $500,000 for MapLarge, and will allow the companies to develop software that can process intelligence data and integrate it into operational workflows. (4/23)

SETI Institute Launches Lab to Study Human Dimensions of Finding Life Beyond Earth (Source: Space Daily)
The SETI Institute has announced the launch of the Discovery and Futures Lab, a new interdisciplinary initiative dedicated to understanding the global scientific, philosophical, and societal dimensions of discovering life beyond Earth. The lab's mission is to anticipate and explore humanity's responses to the discovery of life beyond Earth by connecting science with other kinds of research. It unites experts in astrobiology, SETI, social science, ethics, law, communication research, and futures studies to examine implications and guide preparedness. (4/23)

SpaceX and Tesla are on an Inevitable Collision Course (Source: Financial Times)
If rocketmaker SpaceX indeed goes public in June, Elon Musk could be conducting quarterly earnings calls for two companies. But how long until that reverts to one? On Wednesday afternoon, the world’s richest man hosted the first-quarter call for Tesla, his electric-vehicle maker. Sales of automobiles, which grew 16 percent year on year, were hardly discussed. Instead, the company is focused on energy storage, robotaxis and Optimus, its bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot.

If Tesla increasingly feels like a science project, all the more reason to think its natural home is under one roof with SpaceX, which last year merged with Musk’s social network and AI company xAI. SpaceX is set to list at what could be a near-$2tn valuation. The possibly sidelined electric-vehicle business still generates serious cash flow, even if sales have moderated from historic levels and factories are being retrofitted for robot production. (4/22)

Univity Funds VLEO 5G Demonstrators with $32 Million Raised (Source: Space News)
French startup Univity has raised around $32 million to deploy a pair of 5G demonstrators into very low Earth orbit next year, ahead of plans for at least 1,600 VLEO satellites to help telecom operators extend 5G coverage from space. (4/23)

Ohio is Built for Space (Source: Jobs Ohio)
Whether your space company needs robust education and training, strong R&D, or access to mission-critical partners like the NASA Glenn Research Center, the National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC), and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Ohio has it all. Our military and federal presence make Ohio a proving ground for space missions, while our world-class workforce, shovel-ready sites, and business-friendly policies ensure you can grow bigger and succeed faster. It’s no wonder space businesses soar in Ohio. (4/22)

Lawmakers Promise to Reject Proposed NASA Cuts—Again (Source: Payload)
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said they were committed to boosting NASA’s FY2027 budget, during a hearing on Wednesday. The Trump administration proposed an $18.8B NASA budget—a $5.6B cut from the funding level approved by Congress for FY2026. The topline funding level—and the proposed cuts—largely mirror the administration’s budget request last year for the space agency, which was overwhelmingly rejected by Congress. It sounds like history may repeat itself—at least, if it’s up to bipartisan members of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. (4/22)

Space Force Awards Contracts to Leidos, MapLarge for ‘Battle Planning’ Software (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force awarded contracts to data analytics firms Leidos and MapLarge to support what the military calls battle management and command and control — the process of understanding what is happening in orbit, deciding what it means and directing a response. (4/22)

Mars or the Moon or AI Musk's Changing Goals for SpaceX (Source: New York Times)
For years, SpaceX’s mission was clear: get humans to Mars. “The most powerful thing we could do is establish a second, self-sustaining civilization outside of Earth,” Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, told Forbes in 2003, a year after founding the company. “And the only place that’s really feasible is Mars.”

But over the last six months, Mr. Musk has shifted SpaceX’s priorities. Though the tech mogul once forecast that humans would take off for Mars as early as 2024, he has de-emphasized reaching the planet. Instead, SpaceX on Tuesday said it had struck a deal with the artificial intelligence start-up Cursor that could result in its acquiring the young company for $60 billion. And Mr. Musk, 54, has proposed other moonshots that could drive more attention and investment to SpaceX as it prepares for one of the largest-ever initial public offerings.

Among his pronouncements are A.I. data centers that could orbit Earth, moon-based factories and an A.I. chip manufacturing plant. The changing goals have caused whiplash. “It’s a hallucinogenic business plan,” said Ross Gerber, the chief executive of Gerber Kawasaki, an investment firm that owns SpaceX shares. He added that Mr. Musk “has lost his mind” as he tries to drum up excitement for the public offering. (4/22)

Eutelsat Signs New Broadcast Deals in Mexico and Caribbean (Source: Via Satellite)
Eutelsat has announced three new broadcast deals this week in Mexico and the Caribbean. The satellite operator is to partner with Co-op Cable, introducing an expanded direct-to-home (DTH) and connectivity offering across the Caribbean using the Eutelsat 65 West A (E65WA) satellite. Co-op Cable aims to enhance its service portfolio to deliver bundled television and internet services, combining high-quality satellite TV distribution with advanced GEO-based connectivity. (4/22)

SpaceX Launches 24 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched its 40th Starlink mission of the year when its Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base Wednesday night. The Starlink 17-14 mission will add another 24 broadband internet satellites to the company’s low Earth orbit constellation, which consists of more than 10,200 spacecraft. (4/23)