May 2, 2026

Space Force Wants Space-Based Missile Interceptors for Golden Dome Ready by 2028 (Source: Space.com)
The United States Space Force has created a new program to develop space-based missile interceptors, with the goal of being able to demonstrate their capability within two years. The U.S. Space Force established the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program in order to develop a constellation of spacecraft that can defend the United States against "a new generation of threats" such as hypersonic weapons, neutralizing them while in flight. The program is part of the planned Golden Dome for America defense system announced by President Trump last year. Estimates of the system's price tag range wildly, from the White House's projected $175 billion to as high as $3.6 trillion. (4/30)

Starfighters Space Announces Availability of Airborne Aerodynamic Test Platform (Source: Starfighters)
Starfighters Space announced the availability of its F-104 Starfighter platform as an airborne aerodynamic test environment for the U.S. defense and aerospace community, capable of replicating aerodynamic conditions that fixed facilities cannot fully reproduce. The F-104’s flight profile allows it to simulate the aerodynamic conditions of the first 30 seconds of a vertical rocket launch, a phase of flight that has historically been among the most difficult to test accurately in a static environment. (4/30)

First Female Space Mission Commander Greets Brevard to Promote ‘Spacewoman’ (Source: Viera Voice)
Retired Air Force Col. Eileen Collins returned to the Space Coast last month to greet hundreds of Brevard residents who viewed “Spacewoman,” a documentary based on her memoir about becoming the first woman to command and pilot a space shuttle mission. Collins’ 2021 memoir “Through the Glass Ceiling for the Stars” led to the 90-minute movie premiered in Brevard County in Melbourne. (5/1)

Artemis II Crew Gives 5-Year-Old Aspiring Astronaut Commander Jack a New Spacesuit: "It Says NASA!" (Source: CBS)
The Artemis II team gained a new member Friday, and the crew made sure their youngest teammate had the right stuff for space. Jack, a 5-year-old aspiring astronaut from Atlanta, told CBS News he's "so obsessed with space" and wore his own spacesuit for the launch. The suit bore the rank of commander, so CBS News' Rob Marciano gave Jack a nickname: Commander Jack.

Commander Jack, dressed in his white spacesuit, joined "CBS Mornings" Friday for a town hall event with the Artemis crew, and the astronauts had a surprise for him. Mission specialist Christina Koch presented Jack with an orange spacesuit matching the ones the astronauts wore during the mission. "It says commander just like yours, so you can still keep your title," Koch said. (5/1)

Janet Petro Is Retiring (Source: NASA Watch)
Janet Petro announced her retirement from NASA after almost two decades of service. From the outset of Janet’s distinguished tenure at NASA, she has served as a profoundly influential leader, guiding both the agency and Kennedy Space Center through some of the most significant transitions in our shared history. In addition to guiding the center through the critical early phases of the Artemis campaign, she played a central part in reshaping KSC entirely from a Shuttle‑era launch complex into the nation’s premier multi‑user spaceport, fundamentally expanding America’s ability to access space.

Her leadership in establishing partnerships with commercial industry and strengthening coordination with federal agencies laid the groundwork for the dynamic launch environment that we are so proud of today. In addition to her work at KSC she served as NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator and Acting Administrator, further demonstrating her unwavering commitment to this agency and the mission. (5/1)

World’s Slowest Rocket Company Suddenly Wants to Churn Out 60 Rockets a Year (Source: Gizmodo)
Blue Origin apparently has big plans for its heavy-lift launch vehicle, hoping to significantly ramp up its production rate within the next few years. The plans were revealed in a job opening posted on the company’s website, detailing the responsibilities of a prospective senior manager to oversee the production of New Glenn’s upper stage. The job posting includes a rather ambitious timeline of increasing production from the current rate of 12 second stages per year to 60 by the third quarter of 2028. By 2029, Blue Origin wants to be able to produce 100 New Glenn upper stages a year. (5/1)

NASA to Increase Value of CLPS Contract to Support Surge of Lunar Lander Missions (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has moved to raise the ceiling on its Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion, a 61% jump that signals the agency intends to buy far more robotic Moon landings than its current cadence supports. The increase, disclosed in a procurement filing on SAM.gov, is the contractual scaffolding for an ambitious new flight rate: nine landings in 2027 and ten in 2028, in service of NASA’s Moon Base initiative.

That target is not primarily a budget story or a policy story. It is an industrial story. Going from two lunar landings a year to ten in thirty-six months is a manufacturing problem, and the contract ceiling raise is meaningful only to the extent that CLPS providers can transform themselves from bespoke spacecraft shops into build-to-print production lines. Everything else — the funding, the politics, the science manifest — is downstream of whether that industrial transition actually happens. (5/2)

Scientists Uncover “Astonishing” Hidden Property of Light (Source: SciTech Daily)
A newly uncovered property of light suggests it may be far more self-sufficient than previously believed. Researchers have identified a previously unknown property of light that allows it to twist, spin, and behave in unusual ways – without the need for mirrors, materials, or specialized lenses. They demonstrated that light can be “programmed” by taking advantage of its inherent geometry. This result challenges long-standing assumptions, showing that light can develop chiral behavior – meaning it can act like a left or right hand – while moving freely through space. (5/1)

Cape Canaveral Snaps Record by Launching 5 Different Rockets in One Month (Source: USSF)
Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD 45) and the Eastern Range set a new record in April by supporting five different types of launch vehicles with orbital missions. This achievement surpasses the previous mark of four unique space launch vehicles established more than 60 years ago. The feat underscores the rapid evolution of space operations at America’s busiest spaceport and the diversity of the defense industrial base supporting space launch operations.

Teams at SLD 45 managed an intense schedule throughout the month. They coordinated range safety, weather support and mission assurance for launches involving five distinct vehicles. Historical records from the SLD 45 Historical Services Office confirm the prior high-water mark stood at four unique orbital launch vehicles in a single calendar month. That record occurred twice: February 1965 and July 1966.

The Eastern Range already attracts more partners than ever before. SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, Stoke, Relativity, and NASA continue to expand operations. Additional companies are working to establish future pads. Projections show launch demand could reach hundreds per year by the mid-2030s. (4/29)

Space Is Critical Infrastructure—It Needs an Alliance To Guard It (Source: Newsweek)
Picture this. A rescue team moves through whiteout conditions in the mountains, racing to reach a stranded hiker before nightfall. Somewhere ahead, a distress beacon is transmitting a set of coordinates to satellites overhead. Those coordinates guide rescuers through the storm. The same invisible, space-based infrastructure supports emergency calls, financial systems, global logistics and more.

That invisibility is a paradox of space: it underpins modern life so completely that we rarely notice it at all until it is disrupted. But space systems are increasingly vulnerable to collisions and interference that can shut down critical systems such as navigation and communications in an instant. Robust policy and international coordination should support the advancement of space infrastructure and protection of the capabilities that already exist. What is needed is a military-backed alliance in space: an Artemis Alliance. (5/1)

L3Harris Lands Classified Space Program (Source: Aviation Week)
L3Harris Technologies has secured a sole-source classified space program that CEO Chris Kubasik indicated could grow into a multi-billion-dollar business, with a baseline contract value around $600 million. This contract strengthens the firm's position in classified space, with more specialized mission aircraft deals expected to follow. (4/30)

Parts of First Rocket Launched from Unst Expected to Splash Down East of Iceland (Source: ShetNews)
Parts of the first rocket due to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport later this year are expected to splash down into waters to the east of Iceland. However maritime activity in the launch warning zone is said to be “extremely low” compared to its size. Launch operator Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is hoping to take off from the spaceport in Unst some time after 1 July. It would be the first vertical rocket launch in the UK.

Marine license documents submitted by RFA give an insight into what impact there could be in the seas north of Shetland. Two sections of the rocket are expected to fall back to earth into the sea – the “first stage” and the “fairing”. The first stage is a part of the rocket that will be discarded to shed weight once its fuel has been used up. (4/29)

ISRO Acquires Russian 3D Printer (Source: NDTV)
India's all-weather friend Russia has won a global competitive bid and has supplied a high-end 3D printer that can print everything except currency notes, but India hopes to use it to make quality parts for its upcoming human space flights and moon missions. India's ambitious human spaceflight and lunar exploration programs could soon fly with critical components made using advanced Russian 3D printing technology.

Russian state-owned nuclear and technology giant Rosatom has successfully supplied and commissioned a heavy-duty industrial 3D printer in India, a machine that ISRO says will significantly enhance its ability to rapidly manufacture large and complex metal components for missions such as Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan, and the proposed Bharatiya Antariksh Space Station. (4/30)

SpaceX Aims for Mid-May Starship Flight 12 Launch with Revised Trajectory (Source: NSF)
The return of Starship launches may be just weeks away, with notices for the upcoming Flight 12 launch attempt publishing notification for windows opening as early as May 12. The move signals accelerating preparations for the first orbital test flight of the upgraded Version 3 Starship and Super Heavy vehicles, although engineers will have several milestones to complete with the new vehicle and pad.

According to the notices, launch windows run from May 12 through May 18, with daily opportunities in the afternoon. Each window opens at approximately 5:30 p.m. Central Time and extends for about two hours, including margin. The target vehicle stack—Booster 19 and Ship 39—will lift off from Orbital Launch Pad 2 at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. (5/1)

Drone Radar Could Help Spacecraft Pinpoint Where to Drill for Water on Mars (Source: Space.com)
A new study suggests the search for usable water on Mars may soon rely on an unexpected tool: drones equipped with radar, flying just above the surface to peer underground in ways orbiters cannot. Researchers led by the University of Arizona have shown that drone-mounted ground-penetrating radar can map buried glaciers on Earth in remarkable detail, offering a blueprint for how similar techniques could be used on Mars. The work focuses on glaciers in Alaska and Wyoming that closely resemble debris-covered ice deposits identified on the Red Planet, according to a statement from the university. (5/1)

The Opportunity Beyond Orbital Data Centers (Source: Space News)
Investor attention is starting to shift toward ventures that could be enabled by orbital data centers, even as the massive computing networks proposed by SpaceX and others remain years from reality. (5/1)

As EU Raises its Military Space Profile, EU Satellite Center Prepares to Move to Center Stage (Source: Space Intel Report)
The European Union Satellite Center (SatCen), which for more than two decades has been producing satellite imagery-based security and military reports for EU nations, is on the threshold of a major increase in responsibility as the EU prepares to manage a constellation of high-revisit, high-resolution spacecraft. The exact form of the future European Observation Governmental Service (EOGS) remains to be decided. The key marker will be the 2028-2034 EU space budget and whether it will fund a full EU government-owned constellation. (5/1)

Loft to Build 10 EO Satellites for French Constellation With Magellium Artal Group (Source: Via Satellite)
Loft is to play a key role in an ambitious next-generation Earth Observation (EO) constellation project in France. It is to partner with Magellium Artal Group after winning a multi-year contract worth up to tens of millions of euros from the French Space Agency (CNES) for the deployment of this constellation. Loft announced the contract award, April 30.

The program’s aim is to deploy a constellation of 10 satellites built around a multi-sensor architecture. Each satellite integrates a range of complementary sensors, including optical, thermal infrared, hyperspectral, and radio frequency for simultaneous observation across multiple data layers. The system will also be designed for advanced onboard computing capabilities with powerful processors and software applications to process data directly in orbit. (5/1)

Thinner Than a Hair and Stretchy Like Rubber: New Material Could Shield Against Radiation in Next-Gen Space Tech (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have developed a new material that could shield humans and critical technology from harmful radiation, and it's thinner than a human hair and stretches like rubber. Researchers have developed a new, stretchy and lightweight material that could shield spacebound tech from electromagnetic and neutron radiation. The researchers aim for this material to be a lighter weight option for protecting equipment and humans involved in spaceflight.

"This material represents a completely new concept in shielding technology — it is as thin as tape and as flexible as rubber, yet simultaneously blocks both electromagnetic waves and radiation," lead author Joo yong-ho at the Extreme Environment Shielding Materials Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology said. (5/1)