May 22, 2026

Building Australia’s Dual-Use Space Infrastructure for Strategic Resilience (Source: Space News)
Australia's geography, critical mineral supply and existing manufacturing supply chains make it an underutilized hub of southern hemisphere resilience for AUKUS, the trilateral security agreement among the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, independent strategic analyst Crystal Elle Arena-Turner says. Seeing Australia as a vital complement for American launch sites, Arena-Turner called on AUKUS to rapidly establish a working group that would bring together space and military organizations from the three countries to make sure Australian space infrastructure and capability is utilized as effectively as possible. (5/22)

Spain Boosts Investment in Sovereign Satcom Alongside Europe’s Iris2, Says Ukraine Dependence on Starlink is ‘Servitude’ (Source: Space Intel Report)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government is creating a fund dedicated to building a secure satellite communications network that would be compatible with Europe’s Iris2 multi-orbit constellation but focused on Spanish military requirements. Many details of the “Special Modernization Program” remain unclear, including the amount of its financing and the timing of the investment. One industry official said the program appears to be similar to what the Polish government decided in 2025. (5/21)

Lunar Outpost Has Big Plans for the Moon. The New Pegasus Lunar Rover is Just the Start (Source: Space.com)
Lunar Outpost has big plans for the moon. It's right there in their name. The Colorado-based company has already built a sleek lunar rover named Eagle and sent a robotic mini-rover to the moon on a commercial lunar lander. There's a Lego kit inspired by both of them. This month, the company announced that it has secured $30 million in funding to help it develop a new, smaller rover named Pegasus.

Concept art shared by the company reveals Pegasus to be a leaner offering than the larger, SUV-like Eagle rover, resembling NASA's "moon buggy" used during the Apollo missions. The company hopes to have the new Pegasus rover delivered by the end of 2027, with a launch to the moon in 2028, a timeline that matches NASA's latest timeline for Artemis 4. Already, Lunar Outpost has more moon rovers assigned to missions than all other commercial companies combined. But rovers aren't the only lunar technologies the company is researching and developing. (5/21)

Better Moon-Tech Tops NASA Stakeholder Wishlist (Source: Payload)
Better Moon infrastructure was the top ask of hundreds of space community members, according to a NASA ranking of space technology “shortfalls” released on Thursday. The agency said it uses this list “as one of many inputs into decision-making.” But the ranking was made public days before a big agency event announces more details about its pivot to a Moon base on Tuesday. NASA identified 40 focus areas to invest in fiscal year 2026, based in part on the rankings

Two years ago, NASA asked the space community what technical challenges are giving people the biggest headaches to help NASA prioritize its space tech investments. More than 450 stakeholders submitted feedback on 187 ideas, which were cut down to the final 32. Many of the top 10 shortfalls identified by stakeholders relate to Moon exploration, such as: Surface mobility and logistics for crew and assets; Land science payloads on planetary surfaces; and Transport and maneuver uncrewed spacecraft for missions in cislunar and deep space. (5/21)

Surf Air, SpaceX, xAI Staffers Line Up SPAC for Space Assets (Source: Bloomberg)
A group of aviation and telecommunication experts, including former staffers from Surf Air Mobility, xAI, and SpaceX, are forming a blank check company that will seek to take a space company public, as Wall Street chases the industry. Futurecorp Space Acquisition 1 is seeking to raise $200 million in an initial public offering, and expects to target businesses in space manufacturing, launch platforms, and defense investments, according to a filing Tuesday.

Special purpose acquisition companies raise funds by listing on an exchange, then find a private company to merge with and take it public. FutureCorp Space Acquisition 1 is led by CEO, CFO, and Director Joshua Marks, who is the CEO of Anuvu, a provider of satellite-based connectivity and media solutions to the aviation and maritime industries. He is joined by Chairman Sudhin Shahani, who is the co-founder of Surf Air Mobility.

The SPAC intends to target businesses in the global space economy and adjacent industries, including space manufacturing and component supply chains, launch platforms, in-orbit services and habitats, in-orbit computing and manufacturing, space-based telecommunications and Earth observation, and defense-related activities. The Los Angeles, CA-based company was founded in 2026. It plans to list on the NYSE under the symbol FTRAU. (5/20)

LatConnect 60 Announces Accelerated Growth Investment Round to Build AUKUS-Aligned Highest Resolution SWIR Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
LatConnect 60 (LC60), an Australian Earth observation and AI company, announced its growth investment round that is in-progress to accelerate development plans for a proliferated,  Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) satellite constellation with the highest resolution globally, designed for dual-use applications.

This growth investment round builds on significant initial funding from the Australian Space Agency and the Western Australian Government,  enabling LC60 to move from its first two SWIRSAT missions to an 18-satellite constellation, before expanding toward a planned 100-satellite network by 2035. (5/21)

Ground Equipment Problem Scrubs Starship Launch Attempt (Source: Space News)
Problems with ground equipment forced SpaceX to scrub the first attempt to launch its new version of Starship on Thursday. SpaceX scrubbed the launch after holding at the T-40 second mark for the 7:30 p.m. Eastern launch. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later said that a hydraulic pin for a tower arm on the launch pad did not retract as planned. SpaceX could attempt another launch as soon as 6:30 p.m. Eastern today pending repairs to the pad. This will be the first flight of version 3 of Starship, which includes numerous improvements to the vehicle to enhance performance and reliability.

SpaceX plans to use this version of Starship for orbital launches, including deployments of Starlink satellites and for NASA's Artemis program. During the launch webcast, SpaceX announced that Chun Wang, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur who flew on the Fram2 private astronaut mission in 2025, would go on a Starship circumlunar flight and, later, a Starship Mars flyby mission. SpaceX did not reveal schedules for either mission. (5/22)

Space Force to Double in Size (Source: Space News)
The Space Force plans to nearly double the size of its active-duty force by the end of the decade. Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, told lawmakers this week that the service plans to add 2,800 active-duty personnel and 2,000 civilian employees in fiscal year 2027, putting the service on a path to grow from roughly 10,000 active-duty Guardians today to about 20,000 by 2030. Saltzman said growing mission demands are now forcing the service to expand more rapidly. Members of both House and Senate committees supported the proposed Space Force budget of $71 billion in 2027, more than double 2026 levels, and some even asked whether the Space Force could grow even faster. (5/22)

Rocket Lab to Build Two GEO Surveillance Satellites for Space Force (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab won a Space Force contract for two space surveillance satellites that will operate in geostationary orbit. The $90 million contract announced Thursday will fund the two satellites that will carry electro-optical sensor payloads previously ordered by the Space Systems Command under a separate $80.7 million contract with Geost, a payload manufacturer Rocket Lab acquired in 2025 and folded into Rocket Lab Optical Systems. The satellites will be built on Rocket Lab's Lightning spacecraft bus, a satellite platform the company is using for missile-tracking satellites it is producing for the Space Development Agency as well as for commercial constellations. The satellites will be the first GEO spacecraft built by Rocket Lab. (5/22)

Rocket Lab Launches Japanese Satellite From New Zealand (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab launched a Japanese radar imaging satellite on Friday. An Electron lifted off from the company's New Zealand launch site at 5:33 a.m. Eastern, deploying the StriX satellite into low Earth orbit nearly an hour later. This was the ninth launch Rocket Lab has performed for Synspective, a Japanese company developing a constellation of at least 30 satellites. (5/22)

Starfish Space to Dock with Australian Satellite (Source: Geekwire)
Starfish Space will attempt to dock a spacecraft to an Australian satellite. Starfish announced this week it reached an agreement with Gilmour Space to use the ElaraSat spacecraft as the docking target for Starfish's Otter Pup 2 spacecraft. Otter Pup 2 will approach ElaraSat and maneuver around it before attempting to dock using an electrostatic mechanism. The two spacecraft launched on the same rideshare mission last June, although Otter Pup 2 originally planned to dock with a D-Orbit Ion spacecraft. (5/22)

Starlab Raises Investor $$ for Commercial Space Station (Source: Starlab Space)
Commercial space station company Starlab Space has raised money from investment firm 1789 Capital. Starlab, a joint venture led by Voyager Technologies, announced on Thursday a "strategic investment" of undisclosed size from 1789 Capital to support its development of the Starlab commercial station. 1789 Capital includes Donald Trump Jr. as one of its partners. (5/22)

Space Force Advances On-Orbit Logistics (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Space Force is planning two on-orbit refueling demonstrations next year, aiming to quickly transition these capabilities to operational use. The demonstrations, part of the USSF-23 mission, involve Astroscale and Starfish Space and are intended to inform the Space Force's roadmap for on-orbit servicing and refueling, addressing feasibility and affordability. The Space Force is also closely monitoring other initiatives, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Mission Robotic Vehicle. (5/21)

European Space Officials Seek Autonomy (Source: Politico)
The European Space Agency — one of NASA’s oldest international partners — is contemplating a future where the U.S. may not be the reliable collaborator it once was. NASA announced it would stop work on Gateway, a lunar space station NASA wants to scrap to help pay for a future moon base. And it canceled a program to return Martian rock samples to Earth after years of concerns over its ballooning cost. ESA was contributing key elements to both programs. In response, one of Europe’s top space officials is talking about taking more control of the continent’s future in the heavens. (5/22)

Acquisition Reform ‘Necessary’ But ‘Not Sufficient,’ U.S. Space Force Official Says (Source: Aerospace America)
The Pentagon’s push to accelerate acquisition is “an absolute necessary condition,” Space Force Brig. Gen. Nick Hague said here today, but that effort alone is “not sufficient.” Hague, assistant deputy chief of space operations for operations, told attendees that acquisition reform “doesn’t get at requirements reform and capability delivery reform.” (5/21)

White House ‘Making Good Progress’ on Revising Space Transportation Policy (Source: Aerospace America)
A White House official involved in revising the U.S. National Space Transportation Policy said the document is behind schedule but “mature.” “We’re actually a month or so behind on that, but we’re still making good progress,” Charlie Powell, the assistant director for space policy in the White House’s Office for Science and Technology Policy, said here during a Tuesday panel organized by the Commercial Space Federation. (5/21)

Proposed Fiscal 2027 Funding Could Support Two Commercial Space Stations, Developers Say (Source: Aerospace America)
Executives from two companies developing commercial space stations expressed confidence Tuesday that NASA will be able to fund two concepts, based on the funding included in the bill the House Appropriations Committee advanced last week. (5/21)
   
Stellerian, Readying for First Demo, Seeks to Cut Out Ground Stations with Space Domain Awareness Software (Source: Aerospace America)
What if satellites didn’t need ground stations to make sense of their surroundings? That’s what a Los Angeles-based startup is asking in its effort to move the detection, tracking and identification of space objects entirely into orbit. (5/21)

Pushing the Envelope: Licensing Process for Space Launches Catching Up to Demand but More Resources, Flexibility Needed (Source: AIAA)
The FAA’s approval process for regulating space launches is steadily improving due to recent streamlining efforts, but it must continue to evolve to sustain the dynamic ramp-up in activity in the coming years, government and industry leaders told ASCEND 2026. (5/21)

Space Force Seeks More Innovations to Characterize Space Threats, General Says (Source: AIAA)
The Space Force, which is anticipating its biggest budget ever, must improve its “space domain awareness” as low Earth orbit becomes more crowded and adversaries pursue greater means to attack satellites and other assets, a top Space Force general told the ASCEND 2026 audience. (5/21)

Experts Warn: Without Nuclear Power and National Will, America’s Lunar Future at Risk (Source: AIAA)
Policy and research experts from the University of Central Florida joined Arizona’s first space commissioner in a lively debate on America’s drive to the moon. The session explored what needs to happen from policy and technical perspectives to bring America’s lunar ambitions to fruition. (5/21)

Redwire Taps Voyager for Subcontract for DARPA Otter Mission (Source: Via Satellite)
Redwire has awarded Voyager Technologies a subcontract for the Otter mission for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to supply its high-precision Acceleration Measurement System (AMS). (5/21)

SpaceX Aims for 10,000 Annual Launches Within Five Years, FAA Says (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX aims to reach 10,000 launches annually within five years, but government officials will ​need to see improved reliability before approving such an expansion, the head of the ‌FAA said on Wednesday. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said he met with SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, who told him about the company's ambitious goal. SpaceX conducted 170 launches in 2025 deploying about 2,500 satellites. (5/21)

Space Debris is Forcing Satellites to Dodge More Often — Costing Us Vital Science (Source: Space.com)
Satellites forced to avoid space debris appear to have lost some of their data due to the movement. They've also lost precious fuel. Scientists are starting to find surprising gaps in that data. Logs maintained by NASA show multiple occasions where fire-tracking datasets reported errors. Why? Incoming space debris. 'Things will get worse before they get better,' say NASA scientists. (5/21)

NASA's Employee Retention Driven by Culture, Leadership (Source: Human Resources Director)
NASA's Glenn Research Center has an employee turnover rate of 2% to 5%, most of which is due to retirements, says Jerry Traster, the center's director of human capital. Employees stay because of a culture that prioritizes mission and people, he says, and NASA invests in leadership development and knowledge transfer to maintain this environment. (5/19)

Astronauts to Train on Blue Origin Lunar Lander Mockup (Source: USA Today)
NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston has received a full-scale replica of Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander crew cabin. Standing over 15 feet tall, the mockup features realistic details like an exterior ladder and is designed to help astronauts train for upcoming lunar missions. The replica allows both NASA and Blue Origin teams to conduct simulations, provide design feedback and become familiar with mission workflows before the lander is sent to the moon for the Artemis program. (5/20)

SpaceX Pre-IPO Prospectus Gives Financial Details (Source: Space News)
SpaceX officially filed plans to go public Wednesday, offering details about its finances and long-term ambitions. The company filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission to go public on the Nasdaq exchange, but did not disclose how many shares it plans to sell or at what price. The filing did provide details about the company's finances, showing it generated $18.7 billion in revenue in 2025 and adjusted EBITDA of $6.6 billion, but a net loss of $4.9 billion.

SpaceX divides its business into three segments, called space, connectivity and AI; space includes launch and related services while connectivity includes its Starlink system. Starlink accounted for the majority of its 2025 revenue. SpaceX projected a total addressable market for its services of a whopping $28.5 trillion, a figure dominated by AI, which in turn relies on orbital data centers. (5/21)

Starship is Key to SpaceX Growth Plans (Source: Space News)
SpaceX's growth plans depend on Starship. The company stated in its prospectus that it requires Starship to launch its next-generation Starlink broadband and direct-to-device satellites, which are too launch to launch on Falcon 9. Starship is also required for its proposed orbital data center constellation. Successfully flying Starship, and being able to do so at a high cadence, is a key risk factor, the company stated. SpaceX is gearing up for its next Starship test flight, the first of the upgraded version 3 of the vehicle, on Thursday afternoon from Texas. (5/21)

Chinese Dependence a Stubborn Problem for US Space Supply Chain (Source: Space News)
The U.S. commercial space industry remains dependent on components from Chinese suppliers. A study released Wednesday by supply-chain intelligence firm Altana found that since 2022 more than 849,000 commercial space imports had exposure to Chinese suppliers at the third tier of the supply chain or further upstream.

The report said the vulnerabilities are concentrated in specialized components that are difficult to replace, including radiation-hardened semiconductors used in satellites and spacecraft, space-grade rubber seals and coatings, and structural metal components such as aluminum ducts, fasteners and rivets. The report also found that companies rely on Taiwanese suppliers for radiation-hardened chips, a supply chain that could be disrupted in any future conflict involving Taiwan. (5/21)

White House Practicing Diplomacy for WRC-27 (Source: Space News)
White House officials say the United States will be better prepared than ever for the next World Radiocommunication Conference. Officials said they are working to finalize positions on agenda items well ahead of WRC-27, which will take place in Shanghai in the fall of 2027. Doing that early will give the U.S. time to "share and champion" those positions with allies ahead of the conference.

The space industry considers WRC-27 critical because about 80% of the agenda items for the international conference involve space applications of spectrum, from extending spectrum access for new services to protecting existing spectrum allocations from terrestrial uses. (5/21)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission on Thursday From Florida (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites this morning from Florida. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:04 a.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral, deploying 29 satellites into orbit. The early morning launch provided dramatic views of the rocket's plume along the East Coast. (5/21)

German Companies are Joining Forces to Sell Submarines and Rockets to Canada (Source: European Spaceflight)
German launch company Isar Aerospace announced this week a partnership with TKMS, a German submarine company. The companies said they will join forces as part of TKMS's bid to sell up to 12 submarines to the Canadian military in an ongoing competition. As part of its bid, the companies said they would also make a "significant investment" in a Canadian launch complex, with Isar creating a Canadian entity to offer a sovereign Canadian launch capability. The Canadian government is expected to award the submarine contract later this year. (5/21)

Bezos Skeptical of Orbital Data Centers (Source: CNBC)
Jeff Bezos is skeptical that orbital data centers will be viable in the near term. In a television interview Wednesday, Bezos called plans to start operating data centers in orbit in the next two to three years "a little ambitious," citing the need to reduce costs of both launch and AI chips. SpaceX, in its IPO filing released later in the day, said it expected to start launching orbital data center spacecraft as soon as 2028. Bezos' Blue Origin has also filed plans for an orbital data center constellation. (5/21)

Exploration Company Raising $200 Million (Source: The National)
The Exploration Company is looking to raise at least $200 million. The European company, developing the Nyx spacecraft for cargo and crew transportation, is meeting with investors in the Middle East for a Series C round. The company raised $160 million in 2024 and, while targeting $200 million in this round, expects it will be oversubscribed. The new funding would support work on a large rocket engine the company is developing in addition to Nyx. (5/21)

NASA Advisory Council Members Fear It Doesn't Exist (Source: El Paso Matters)
Former members of the NASA Advisory Council say they are concerned that the agency has effectively disbanded the committee. Members of the council received letters in March informing them they had been removed from the committee, with no replacements named. Those members, which include former astronauts and agency leaders, say they believe current NASA leadership is displaying "a level of ignorance or arrogance" by removing them. NASA noted in a statement that the charter for the NASA Advisory Council remains active and that future membership of the committee "is under discussion." (5/21)