May 12, 2026

SpaceX Will Reuse Cargo Dragon a Sixth Time on Upcoming Launch to ISS (Source: Aerospace America)
A SpaceX Cargo Dragon carrying about 3,000 kilograms of cargo is slated to launch to the International Space Station on Tuesday. The CRS-34 mission will be the sixth flight for this particular capsule, a record for the design and ISS cargo resupply as a whole since the space shuttle days. (5/12)

OHB Joins Dassault Aviation’s VORTEX Spaceplane Initiative (Source: European Spaceflight)
German space technology company OHB has agreed to develop the service module for Dassault Aviation’s VORTEX-S spaceplane, which the companies plan to pitch to the European Space Agency (ESA). During the Paris Air Show in June 2025, Dassault Aviation revealed plans for its VORTEX spaceplane, short for Véhicule Orbital Réutilisable de Transport et d’Exploration (Reusable Orbital Transport and Exploration Vehicle). (5/12)

AICRAFT Expands Beyond Edge Computing with Advanced SAR Radar Electronics (Source: SatNews)
Adelaide-based artificial intelligence firm AICRAFT has secured backing through the Manufacturing Growth Accelerator (MGA) Program to develop next-generation electronics for spaceborne radar. In collaboration with Flinders University, the project aims to integrate an advanced front-end electronics system with a low-power analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) designed specifically for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads. (5/11)

China's Tianzhou 10 Freighter Delivers 7 Tons of Cargo to TSS (Source: Space.com)
A freighter carrying nearly seven tons of supplies has made its way to China's Tiangong space station. The robotic Tianzhou 10 cargo ship lifted off atop a Long March 7 rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site, on China's Hainan Island. (5/11)

After Gateway: the Case for a Middle Power Lunar Consortium (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s decision to effectively cancel the lunar Gateway has forced international partners who had been working on its components to reconsider their plans. Phil McCrory argues that this presents an opportunity for those countries to work together on their own lunar plans exclusive of NASA. Click here. (5/12)
 
Exquisitely Unnecessary: Very High Resolution Satellite Reconnaissance (Source: Space Review)
There was a push in the 1960s and early 1970s within the US intelligence community for images with increasingly sharper resolution. Dwayne Day examines the debate within the community about the value of very high resolution images versus other requirements for satellite imagery. Click here. (5/12)
 
Flagships on a Budget (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s next astrophysics flagship mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is under budget and ahead of schedule for a launch later this year. Jeff Foust reports on how, despite that achievement, astronomers are looking at ways to achieve their science goals without relying as heavily on such large missions. Click here. (5/12)
 
Strategy is Easy, But Logistics is Hard. Golden Dome Proves It (Source: Space Review)
The Golden Dome missile defense system will require major space-based capabilities, from sensors to interceptors. Bharath Gopalaswamy and Daniel Dant discuss why it requires the government to reconsider its support for the companies charged with producing those systems. Click here. (5/12)
 
Three Steps Forward But One Step Back (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s revisions to its Artemis lunar exploration architecture have won widespread support in the space industry. Dale Skran, though, notes that the proposed changes to NASA’s support for commercial space stations are a mistake. Click here. (5/12)

Star Catcher Raises $65 Million for Power Beaming (Source: Space News)
Jacksonville-based Star Catcher, a startup developing a space power grid for satellites, has raised $65 million. The funding will allow the Florida company to perform in-space tests of its technology that uses spacecraft to focus sunlight on the solar panels of other satellites, enabling them to generate more power. The company has performed ground tests of the technology and also secured $60 million in commercial and government contracts. Several people are joining the company's board, including retired Space Force Gen. Jay Raymond, the first chief of space operations. (5/12)

NASA to Maintain Six-Month ISS Crew Rotation (Source: Space News)
NASA plans to keep rotating crews on the ISS about every six months after considering longer missions. NASA said earlier this month it moved up the Crew-13 mission, which was to launch in November, to mid-September. At a briefing Monday, agency officials said that schedule adjustment means it plans to exchange crews every six months or so after weighing eight-month rotations last year, enabling it to "get the most out of station as we can" in its final years. Officials also said Monday they had no updates on the status of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which was to make an uncrewed test flight to the station at some point this year. That mission, though, is not on the agency's manifest of ISS missions for 2026. (5/12)

SOCOM Evaluating System for Handheld Imagery Delivery (Source: Space News)
U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is evaluating a mobile software platform to give operators in the field access to commercial satellite imagery on handheld devices. The platform, developed by Austin-based geospatial data company SkyFi, integrates with ATAK devices, ruggedized smartphones and tablets running the Android operating system. The project responds to a growing push by operators who want direct access to satellite data on mobile devices during missions, rather than relying solely on imagery processed and distributed through centralized analysis centers. SkyFi received a contract of undisclosed value to develop the software and an ATAK plugin, as well as conduct exploratory field tests with SOCOM operators. (5/12)

SpaceX Launches NRO Mission From California on Monday (Source: Noozhawk)
SpaceX launched another mission for the National Reconnaissance Office Monday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off on the NROL-172 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The NRO said after liftoff this was the 13th launch for its proliferated constellation of "multi-phenomenology" reconnaissance satellites. (5/12)

Transcelestial Tests Space-to-Ground Laser Comms (Source: Space News)
Transcelestial has taken a step forward in its efforts to develop space-to-ground laser communications technologies. The company said Tuesday it recently performed a test where ground stations in Singapore and Spain were able to detect and track a laser from a satellite in orbit. That test allows the company to proceed with attempts to transmit data through that laser system. Transcelestial says it sees strong demand for both intersatellite optical links as well as space-to-ground systems that can provide far higher bandwidth than traditional radio communications. (5/12)

Scientists Just Discovered How the Universe Builds Monster Black Holes (Source: SciTech Daily)
The largest black holes ever detected through gravitational waves may not have formed directly from collapsing stars, according to new research. Instead, scientists say these enormous objects were likely built through repeated black hole collisions inside extremely crowded star clusters. The findings suggest the most massive black holes seen through gravitational waves belong to a distinct population shaped by repeated mergers rather than ordinary stellar collapse. (5/11)

What's The Plan for Cowboy Space Corporation? (Source: Cowboy Space)
Our constellation of satellites, Stampede, will harness abundant solar power to run on-orbit GPU data centers. With each launch, Stampede grows the power and compute capacity for humanity. Traditional architecture treats the rocket as a workhorse and the satellite as freight. In our system, the rocket's upper stage is the satellite itself.

It's a 1-megawatt data center with active thermal management and integrated compute, designed as one unified vehicle from the ground up. We trim the fat on redundant structure and avionics, dedicating every possible kilogram of compute to Low Earth Orbit. Furthermore, by owning our manufacturing and dedicated launch sites, we vertically integrate core technologies that enable deploying compute at scale.

Later this year, we are scheduled to launch our first satellite into orbit to demonstrate space-to-Earth power beaming. Our second mission, targeted for early 2027, will operate a cluster of GPUs for high-performance compute and demonstrate end-to-end optical data transmission from space to Earth. This will pave the way for the launch of our rocket, scheduled for the end of 2028. (5/11)

Bill Posey, Longtime Congressman for the Space Coast, Dies (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Former U.S. House member Bill Posey, who represented the Space Coast for 16 years in Congress, died Saturday at the age of 78. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1947, Posey’s family moved to Florida where he graduated from Cocoa High School in 1966, according to his congressional biography. He earned an associates degree from what was then Brevard Community College in 1969.

He then was elected as a Republican to the Florida House from 1992-2000, the Florida Senate from 2000-2008 and was elected to the U.S. House to represent the 15th district in 2008, succeeding Dave Weldon. This district included most of Brevard County, including Kennedy Space Center. Posey was reelected to the U.S. House for his final two-year term in 2022, opting to retire ahead of the 2024 election.

Editor's Note: Before going to Congress, Rep. Posey was instrumental in Tallahassee sponsoring and passing state legislation to empower Florida's space agency and fund various space initiatives. He provided political advice to me at the Spaceport Authority and the Florida Space Research Institute, and later added me to his space advisory council during his terms in Congress.  (5/11)

Hughes Posts Decline in Broadband Subscribers and Service Revenue (Source: Via Satellite)
Hughes Network Systems continues to report lower satellite broadband subscribers, citing competition from satellite competitors and other technologies. Hughes reported broadband subscribers on Monday as part of EchoStar’s first quarter financials, reporting 681,000 broadband subscribers at the quarter end. This was a 20% decline year-over-year and a decline of 58 million subscribers sequentially. Hughes enterprise backlog also dipped compared to last year. A year ago, the enterprise backlog was $1.6 billion, and it is now at $1.4 billion. (5/11)

NASA's Artemis 3 Rocket is Taking Shape for 2027 Launch to Test Lunar Landers (Source: Space.com)
It's only been a month since NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean to wrap up their 10-mission around the moon, and the space agency is already readying the rocket for the next Artemis program test flight. The first stage of the Artemis 3 SLS rocket is now vertical inside NASA's cavernous VAB at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, where it awaits integration with its engine section, NASA announced in an X post on Sunday. (5/11)

Poland's Creotech Plans $118 Million Capital Raise, Investment in New Satellite Factory (Source: Space News)
Polish space technology company Creotech Instruments has announced plans for a $118 million fundraise that will allow the company to open a new satellite production facility in Poland by 2029 as part of a new long term development strategy. Creotech Instruments hopes to quadruple its manufacturing capacities to around 40 satellites annually by then. (5/11)