May 5, 2026

Interlune Wins NASA Contract for Helium-3 Extraction Payload (Source: Space News)
Interlune has secured a $6.9 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract from NASA to develop a payload designed to extract helium-3 and other gases from lunar regolith. The 18-month, firm-fixed-price contract with NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate's Game Changing Development program aims to test this technology on the Moon to support future in-situ resource utilization. (5/4)

Embry‑Riddle Team’s Lunar Energy Project Advances to NASA Challenge Finals (Source: ERAU)
A team of students from Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University has designed a system to provide multi-day energy storage on the moon without needing to transport huge battery systems from Earth. Their proposal has advanced to the competition finals of NASA’s Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) program. The system would collect solar heat during the lunar day, storing it in the lunar soil, or regolith. During the two-week lunar night, the heat would be converted into electricity. (4/20)

Lockheed Martin, Firefly and Seagate Team to Launch Satellites From the Sea (Source: Defense Blog)
Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space, and Firefly Aerospace announced a three-way strategic collaboration to develop sea-based launch capabilities for national security missions, a partnership that brings together a defense prime with decades of missile heritage, an offshore launch platform operator, and a commercial rocket company whose Alpha vehicle has been carving out a role in the responsive launch market.

Johnathon Caldwell, vice president and general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense Systems for Lockheed Martin Space, described it as an effort to blend Lockheed Martin’s legacy in missile defense, targets, and countermeasures with what he called the innovative spirit of Firefly and Seagate. The three companies will work together on mission-application concepts and flight-demonstration projects that leverage Seagate’s Gateway offshore launch platform. (5/4)

All Points Inks NASA Lease to Build 200-Foot-Tall Spacecraft Complex at KSC (Source: Florida Today)
After years of behind-the-scenes planning, All Points Logistics has secured a 64-acre lease from NASA to construct more than a half-million square feet of spacecraft pre-launch processing facilities at Kennedy Space Center. The Merritt Island aerospace-logistics company hopes to break ground for construction in fall.

If all goes smoothly, a logistics facility may open in late 2027, followed by a 200-foot-tall processing facility in early 2028. CEO Phil Monkress said demand to assemble, integrate, fuel and test satellites and spacecraft is now "even more than we even imagined." He cited NASA's new goal to construct a base on the moon's surface and President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile-defense system. (5/4)

Space-BACN Satellite Laser Link Program Shifts From DARPA to DIU (Source: Breaking Defense)
DARPA is winding down its Space-BACN project, which was developing a key underpinning technology for the sprawling Golden Dome missile defense initiative, Breaking Defense has learned. However, the program will effectively continue under new ownership, as company officials involved say it is being transitioned away from DARPA and over to the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). The idea is for DIU to open up a bid process for on-orbit demonstration of the Space-BACN terminal configuration, they explained. (5/4)

Spaceflight is Hard on the Heart, Yet Artificial Ones Grow Better in Space Than on Earth (Source: Space.com)
The human heart shrivels away in space, but researchers have found that mini-hearts grown from human stem cells sprout in space significantly faster than in labs on Earth. Weird things happen to astronauts' hearts in microgravity. Without the sense of up and down, the flow of blood in the body changes. More of the fluid gathers in the head, and there is suddenly less of it not just in the legs but also in the heart itself. Not having to push the body against the resistance of gravity, the heart shrinks, weakens and even changes its shape, becoming more circular.

Even heart muscle cells flown in petri dishes to the International Space Station (ISS) deteriorate. Their ability to contract declines and their metabolism changes. Yet, when researchers tried to grow human mini-hearts from stem cells on board the ISS, they found they could produce them more easily and in higher quantities, Arun Sharma, director of the Center for Space Medicine Research at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, told Space.com. (5/3)

NASA Welcomes Malta as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory (Source: NASA)
The Republic of Malta became the 65th signatory to the Artemis Accords on Monday during a ceremony in the town of Kalkara with NASA and U.S. Department of State officials present. Malta’s Minister for Education, Youth, Sports, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country. (5/4)

Global Smallsat Deployment Accelerates, with 16,900 Satellites Projected Through 2035 (Source: Novaspace)
Novaspace’s Prospects for the Small Satellite Market report forecasts 16,900 small satellites (under 500 kg) to be launched between 2026 and 2035. This equates to an average of 230 tons per year, or approximately 640 kg launched daily, driven by growing sovereign constellation demand.

Smallsats are expected to account for 33% of all satellites launched over the period, but only 6% of total mass, underscoring the continued dominance of larger systems in overall launch weight. While large-scale constellations such as Starlink continue to influence demand, market expansion is increasingly supported by a broader base of national and regional programs. (5/4)

Booz Allen Hamilton Wins Contract to Develop Space-Based Interceptor Prototype (Source: Defense Industry Europe)
Booz Allen Hamilton has been awarded an agreement by the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to develop a prototype system for the Space-Based Interceptor program. The award supports the Golden Dome for America initiative focused on space-based missile defense. (5/4)

Pixxel Pushes Into Orbital Data Centers for Faster Geospatial Intelligence (Source: Space News)
Indian hyperspectral imaging startup Pixxel has partnered with AI firm Sarvam AI to develop and launch "Pathfinder," India’s first orbital data center satellite, with a target launch as early as Q4 2026. The 200 kg-class satellite is designed to test in-orbit AI processing and high-performance computing to deliver immediate geospatial intelligence, bypassing the need to first transmit large amounts of raw data to Earth. (5/4)

OroraTech Deploys Wildfire Constellation for Greece (Source: Space News)
On May 3, OroraTech successfully deployed four thermal-imaging satellites for the Hellenic Fire System to provide near real-time, high-resolution wildfire monitoring for Greece. The satellites, launched via a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, form the world’s first national dedicated wildfire surveillance constellation. (5/4)

SpaceX’s AI Pivot Promises the Stars. Could it Cost NASA the Moon? (Source: Scientific American)
SpaceX announced a deal in April with Cursor, an AI-code-writing start-up, signaling the rocket firm’s intention to acquire it for $60 billion. That’s more than twice NASA’s current annual budget—and also about how much capital SpaceX could raise from its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) in June. The plan to snap up Cursor is part of a huge shift at SpaceX toward AI, as it pursues creating a vast network of data centers in space. Meanwhile Musk’s other trillion-dollar-plus company, Tesla, is expanding its own investments in AI and robotics.

“Is space going to be the place where AI is used, or is AI going to be the means for us to do more in space?” Jason Bimm asks. Meanwhile, the company’s lofty talk of space exploration beyond the moon, especially of Mars, has notably lessened.

SpaceX’s supporters, partners and critics alike now seek to understand its AI pivot. “This speaks to the—optimistically, the nimbleness—but also the idiosyncrasies and fickleness of having a space company led by a single person, rather than a space program run by and for the public,” says Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the nonprofit Planetary Society. (5/4)

Spaceflux Raises £9 Million To Expand Space Intelligence Globally (Source: Spaceflux)
London-based space intelligence company Spaceflux has raised £3.5 million in an extension to its seed round, bringing total funding to £9 million which will accelerate global expansion. The new capital will supercharge growth of the company’s AI-powered space intelligence products including Pattern of Life analytics, on top of Spaceflux’s Cortex platform, to scale sovereign and operational deployments for allied governments. (4/27)

Welcome to the Great American Satellite Age (Source: WIRED)
Basalt Space is part of a generation of startups aiming to broaden reliable and secure access to satellite imaging, navigation, and communication services. As they envision it, more of the world will be continually photographed, more items will be tracked, and customers won’t have to fear gatekeepers like Starlink cutting off their transmissions.

Basalt wants to provide any client with their own set of five to 15 satellites in a similar fashion to how cloud computing firms give companies access to data centers full of sophisticated servers. Faster satellite data could help farmers stop pests and diseases before they spread widely. Operating the satellites using AI in place of people is an essential but unproven part of Basalt’s business plans. But the startup already has been aided by the rapid decrease in costs of manufacturing and launching satellites over the past five years.

The Trump administration’s recent decision to relax some regulatory hurdles has also helped, according to Bhatti. “A lot of the hoops that you would jump through are gone, and that's welcomed by everyone in the industry,” he says, declining to get into specifics. The war in Iran has also provided a golden opportunity to pitch the technology. (5/4)

Astronomers Detect First Pluto Cousin With Thin Atmosphere (Source: Gizmodo)
Astronomers have confirmed, for the first time, a trans-Neptunian object with a thin atmosphere—something previously thought exclusive to Pluto among similar objects. Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) are small icy bodies orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune. (5/4)

Ohio Native John Glenn Was Hero of American Aeronautics (Source: Columbus Dispatch)
"Zero G and I feel fine," U.S. astronaut John Glenn said during his historic voyage to the stars in 1962. Glenn, a small-town boy who later became one of Ohio's longest-serving U.S. senator, is remembered as the first American to orbit Earth in one of the opening legs of the space race that spanned the 1950s and '60s. Glenn resigned as an astronaut on Jan. 16, 1964. He was promoted to colonel in October 1964 and retired from the Marine Corps on Jan. 1, 1965.

As a US senator, Glenn focused on nuclear non-proliferation and pushed for more funding for space exploration, education and scientific research. In 1998, Glenn returned to space, flying on the Discovery shuttle flight, a 9-day mission where he became the oldest person in space. (5/4)

US to Bolster Missile Defense with New Contract for Space-Based, Combat-Proven Interceptors (Source: Interesting Engineering)
The United States is making efforts to bolster layered missile defense. The Space Force Systems Command has selected Lockheed Martin to develop capabilities supporting the Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) program. These agreements mark progress toward fielding core elements of an integrated, layered homeland defense solution. (5/3)

Astronomers Explore the Surface Composition of a Nearby Super-Earth (Source: Phys.org)
Using MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of researchers analyzed the surface composition of the rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b. Beyond characterizing exoplanetary atmospheres, this kind of deciphering the geological properties of planets orbiting distant stars is the next step in unveiling their nature. (5/4)

Small Near-Earth Asteroids Show Distinct Composition From Larger Objects (Source: Space Daily)
An international team of planetary scientists has found that the smallest near-Earth asteroids differ markedly in composition from kilometer-scale objects, a size-dependent trend with direct implications for meteorite origin studies, asteroid-family evolution, and planetary defense modeling.

The study, led by Dr. Nick Moskovitz of Lowell Observatory, analyzed 189 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and identified a clear compositional shift as object size decreases. S-complex asteroids - the type most closely linked to ordinary chondrites, the most common class of meteorites - account for roughly 65 percent of kilometer-scale NEAs but fall to about one-third of objects smaller than 50 meters. (5/4)

NASA’s STORIE Mission to Tell Tale of Earth’s Ring Current (Source: NASA)
NASA is preparing to launch a mission designed to provide a unique, inside-out view of the ring current. Called STORIE (Storm Time O+ Ring current Imaging Evolution), it is scheduled to launch in May aboard the 34th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The mission is flying as part of the Space Test Program – Houston 11 (STP-H11) payload, a partnership between the U.S. Space Force and NASA. Once it is robotically installed on the exterior of the space station (expected a few days after its arrival), STORIE will look outward at the ring current, helping scientists answer longstanding questions about how it grows and shrinks and what kind of particles it’s made of. (5/1)

Space Radiation Doesn’t Sleep: Why Its Effects on the Human Body Are Never “Almost Zero” (Source: SpaceInfo Club)
Space radiation does not pause, slow down, or become harmless just because we are asleep. It interacts continuously with our bodies — with our cells, our DNA, and our biological systems — regardless of whether we are active or resting. And here’s the irony: sleep is one of the most biologically active phases of our day. It’s when the body carries out critical processes such as tissue repair, immune regulation, and hormone release — including growth hormone. Suggesting that radiation effects vanish during this phase is not only incorrect, but it also reveals a deeper misunderstanding of both physics and human biology. (4/16)

DAMPE Space Telescope Narrows Field on Cosmic Ray Origins (Source: Space Daily)
The DAMPE space telescope has identified a universal feature in the energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei -- from protons to iron -- that strongly favors rigidity-dependent models of cosmic ray acceleration and transport over competing alternatives, according to a new study published in Nature.

DAMPE, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer, was launched in December 2015 and has been accumulating high-precision measurements of cosmic ray particle fluxes from orbit. The international mission includes a major contribution from the astrophysics group at the Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), which helped develop one of the instrument's key sub-detectors and led parts of the data analysis. (5/4)

Loft Orbital to Deploy Six EarthDaily Satellites in Single Launch as Fleet Expansion Accelerates (Source: Space Daily)
Loft Orbital and EarthDaily Analytics announced a mission planned for the current quarter that will deploy six EarthDaily satellites on a single launch. The mission represents a significant step in completing the EarthDaily Constellation and will double the size of Loft Orbital's on-orbit fleet. The six-satellite launch is part of a broader Loft campaign to deploy more than 20 satellites, including two full constellations, within an 18-month period. The effort effectively doubles Loft's on-orbit presence. (5/4)

Vantor Wins $70 Million NGA Contract for Imagery System (Source: Space News)
Vantor won a $70 million contract to operate and enhance a web-based imagery system for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Under the one-year contract option announced Monday, Vantor will continue to upgrade the latest version of the platform, Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery (GEGD) Pro, which provides secure access to commercial and government-furnished imagery and data for U.S. national security and civilian agency users. GEGD Pro provides access to Vantor's extensive archive of high-resolution electro-optical imagery along with imagery and data from other electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar satellite operators. While GEGD Pro was built for NGA, the underlying software platform could serve international customers seeking sovereign capabilities. (5/4)

NGA Pushes for Access and Innovation for Satellite Intel (Source: Space News)
NGA is opening more of its programs to commercial vendors to gain faster access to satellite data and analysis. NGA's deputy director, Brett Markham, said NGA is looking to expand programs such as Luno, in which companies deliver AI-enabled geospatial intelligence products derived from satellite imagery and other sources. Unlike traditional procurement of raw imagery, Luno is designed to buy finished intelligence products such as change detection, facility monitoring and activity analysis produced using AI and other analytics tools. Markham said NGA established a Rapid Capabilities Office to streamline acquisition and move emerging technologies from companies into operational use more quickly.

NGA is also pushing to make greater use of AI tools. Markham said at the conference that NGA is using AI to reduce latency and narrow uncertainty for intelligence analysts. Those tools are needed to deal with a growing amount of geospatial data from satellites and other sensors. The rapid adoption of AI-driven analytics has raised expectations that geospatial intelligence can deliver near-constant awareness, but he cautioned that perception is outpacing reality. (5/4)

Orbital Data Center Skeptic Won Over (Source: Space News)
A skeptic of orbital data centers is now more bullish about their prospects. In an interview during a SpaceNews event last week, Delian Asparouhov, a partner at venture capital firm Founders Fund and co-founder of Varda Space Industries, said he was initially skeptical of orbital data centers because of the scale of the infrastructure and costs involved. However, lower launch costs and technology maturity projected over the next decade have made the business case more compelling to him, along with growing challenges facing terrestrial data centers. (5/4)

Taylor Geospatial Releases Open Source Agricultural Imagery Dataset (Source: Space News)
Taylor Geospatial has released the first global dataset showing the boundaries of agricultural fields. The nonprofit organization worked with the Microsoft AI for Good Lab to develop the open and publicly available dataset with applications for food security, carbon accounting, precision agriculture and water-quality analysis. The Fields of the World project also revealed the challenges of applying machine learning and computer vision to satellite data. (5/4)

IonQ to Offer Radar Imagery Through Capella (Source: Space News)
IonQ said it will begin offering a satellite data product based on radar imagery from its subsidiary, Capella Space. The service detects subtle changes in the Earth's surface using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, or InSAR, with millimeter-level precision. The company says the service has applications from civil engineering to disaster preparedness and response. IonQ acquired Capella in May 2025 and operates eight Capella Acadia radar imaging spacecraft in mid-inclination and sun-synchronous orbits. (5/4)

ESA Spells Out Satellite Benefits – and Risks (Source: SatNews)
A major study on April 30 from the European Space Agency (ESA) reminds us of the aids provided by satellites in zones of interest outside our individual specialties. And the benefits are not just considerable but in most cases they are growing in influence and revenues. But so are the risks associated with the failure of a sector. The ESA study admits that its risk forecasts are hypothetical – and its numbers are very much focused on its European members – and Canada. (5/4)

ESA Considers Shifting Harmony from Vega C to Ariane 6 (Source: European Spaceflight)
The ESA has published a RFI that suggests it is considering shifting the launch of its Harmony satellites from Vega C to Ariane 6. In October 2024, ESA awarded OHB a €280 million contract to develop and build a pair of satellites for its Harmony mission, which will monitor shifts in the shape of Earth’s land surface caused by earthquakes and volcanic activity. While neither ESA nor OHB identified a proposed launch vehicle at the time, a Thales Alenia Space release from the same day announcing its subcontract for the mission’s Synthetic Aperture Radar instruments identified Vega C as the planned launch vehicle. (5/4)

The Preference for Fixed-Price Contracts Receives Accountability Boost (Source: FNN)
President Trump’s latest acquisition-focused executive order, released April 30, is mandating the use of firm fixed price contracts, with limited exceptions, or a justification by agency leaders as to why other contract types, like labor hours or cost reimbursement, are necessary.

The EO is defining fixed price contracts based on Part 16 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations: “A firm-fixed-price contract provides for a price that is not subject to any adjustment on the basis of the contractor’s cost experience in performing the contract. This contract type places upon the contractor maximum risk and full responsibility for all costs and resulting profit or loss.” (5/1)

BlackSky Lands 30 Million Dollar Assured ISR Contract With International Defense Customer (Source: Space Daily)
BlackSky Technology Inc. has secured a nearly $30 million, one-year Assured subscription contract from an international defense customer seeking guaranteed access to real-time space-based tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

The customer moved from an initial six-figure Early Access pilot program to the full subscription deal in under six months, a timeline that BlackSky attributed to incremental validation of mission value and ease of integration into the customer's existing operations. The award also follows BlackSky's commissioning of its fourth next-generation Gen-3 satellite and the general availability opening of Gen-3 very high-resolution imagery services. (5/4)

RO-21 Expands Unseenlabs’ Satellites Constellation for Radio Frequency Detection (Source: Unseen Labs)
Unseenlabs announces the successful launch of BRO-21, the latest satellite in its constellation dedicated to maritime surveillance. BRO-21 is a GEN 1 satellite that expands Unseenlabs’ radio frequency (RF) detection for maritime surveillance.  (5/4)

GomSpace Joins Innovation Fund Denmark–Supported SATSOL Project to Strengthen European Space Solar Supply Chain (Source: GomSpace)
GomSpace has joined SATSOL, a three‑year Grand Solution project sponsored by Innovation Fund Denmark, with a total funding of MSEK 21.9 from which MSEK 3.3 for GomSpace contribution. The project is led by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and includes METR and Nice Visions as consortium partners. SATSOL aims to address the supply constraints in space‑qualified solar cells by establishing a Danish‑centered production of low‑cost, high‑efficiency silicon photovoltaic modules for space applications. (3/28)