July 17, 2026

Katalyst Raises $12 Million for Satellite Servicing (Source: Space News)
Satellite servicing startup Katalyst Space Technologies has raised $12 million. The company said Tuesday it closed a funding round led by Geodesic Capital with participation from Fortitude Ventures and other investors. The funds will support work on a satellite servicing demonstration mission called Nexus-1 set to launch next year to geostationary orbit. The company is also preparing to launch Link, a mission that will attempt to raise the orbit of NASA's Swift astrophysics satellite in low Earth orbit. (6/17)

France's Skynopy and Look Up Developing LEO Collision Avoidance Service (Source: Space News)
Two French companies are joining forces on a LEO collision avoidance service. Space surveillance venture Look Up plans to use Skynopy's ground station network to help automate that service. Skynopy will demonstrate integration of ground sites with ATLAS², a service Europe is co-funding to enable satellites to respond in near real time after Look Up's terrestrial radars detect a collision threat. The partnership focuses on the command-and-control link needed to move satellites after Look Up detects a threat with its SORASYS radars. (6/17)

Switzerland Bows Out of Copernicus (Source: Space News)
Switzerland's decision not to contribute to Europe's Copernicus Earth observation system raises questions about that system's free imagery model. The Swiss Federal Council said earlier this month it would not provide funding for Copernicus in the European Union's 2028–2034 funding cycle, citing financial strains as a factor in the decision. Most Copernicus data is freely available to users worldwide, although some services are limited to EU members and other participating countries. Some argue that, for countries outside the EU, the free data is sufficient, giving them little reason to provide funding, especially when there are limited opportunities for outside countries to win contracts to develop satellites for the system. (6/17)

PiLogic Developing AI for Satellite Fault Prediction (Source: Space News)
PiLogic, a startup developing artificial intelligence software to identify faults and predict failures in satellites, will work with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) on its technology. PiLogic said it signed a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, focused on spacecraft electrical and power systems. Engineers will use an AFRL cubesat experiment launched in 2022 through the Defense Department's Space Test Program as a platform to evaluate PiLogic's software. The company's software is designed to analyze onboard sensor data, detect anomalies, predict potential failure modes and recommend corrective actions as an alternative to traditional monitoring systems. (6/17)

China Launches Three Rockets From Three Spaceports on Tuesday (Source: Space News)
China conducted three launches on Tuesday, but one may have been unsuccessful. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off at 5:45 a.m. Eastern from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, placing into orbit the Shijian-31 satellite. Chinese media said the satellite will be used for "space environment detection" but the Shijian series of satellites have been used for technology demonstrations and military applications. In addition, a Long March 12 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport at 10:44 p.m. Eastern, putting into orbit nine satellites for the Guowang constellation. Finally, a Kuaizhou-11 lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 11:40 p.m. Eastern, but there have been no updates on the mission since the launch. That has prompted concerns that the launch of the small solid-fueled rocket may have failed. (6/17)

SpaceX Launches AST BlueBird From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX launched three satellites for AST SpaceMobile early Wednesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida. The rocket deployed into low Earth orbit AST's BlueBird 8, 9 and 10 satellites, which provide broadband direct-to-device (D2D) services. AST is relying on SpaceX, a competitor in D2D services, to launch its satellites because Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is out of service until at least the end of this year. (6/17)

Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth From ISS (Source: NASA)
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station. The CRS-34 Dragon spacecraft undocked from the station at 12:24 p.m. Eastern Tuesday after a short delay linked to a navigation sensor issue. The spacecraft reentered and splashed down off the California coast at about 8:10 a.m. Eastern this morning. The spacecraft, which spent about a month at the ISS, returned with scientific equipment and station hardware. (6/17)

Canada's NordSpace Opens Ontario Rocket Factory (Source: SpaceQ)
Canadian launch Startup NordSpace opened a new factory. The 60,000-square-foot facility in the Toronto suburb of Markham, Ontario, will be devoted to production of the company's planned small launch vehicles and space systems. The company says the factory will be able to produce two of its planned Tundra rockets at once, or one larger Tundra+ rocket. NordSpace has yet to attempt an orbital launch but is planning to launch its Taiga sounding rocket later this year. (6/17)

Historic Vandenberg Launch Complex Readied for SpaceX (Source: USSF)
Tuesday marked the end of an era for a historic Vandenberg launch site. The Space Force performed a controlled demolition of several large structures at Space Launch Complex 6, including its Mobile Service Tower and Fixed Umbilical Tower. Some of the facilities dated back to the 1960s and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program that was canceled, as well as plans in the 1980s to launch the Space Shuttle from the site. United Launch Alliance later used the site for the Delta 4. The demolition will allow SpaceX to convert the site for use by Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. (6/17)

Air Force, Space Force Justify Historic Budget Request (Source: GovCon Wire)
The Department of the Air Force is seeking a historic budget increase for fiscal year 2027, with a $338.8 billion request, including $267.7 billion for the Air Force and $71.1 billion for the Space Force. Leaders cite decades of underinvestment and growing threats as reasons for the boost. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman highlights the necessity for a larger Space Force to counter expanding threats. However, Congress has indicated potential challenges, particularly regarding reconciliation funding and the Golden Dome missile defense initiative. (6/17)

Trump Administration's Proposed NDA Requirement Could Have Negative Impacts (Source: FNN)
The Trump administration’s proposed non-disclosure agreement for federal employees is drawing criticism, as some warn of a potential “chilling effect” across the federal workforce. The Office of Personnel Management’s draft NDA released last month could pressure federal employees into staying silent instead of reporting important disclosures.

Editor's Note: NASA and DoD have previously worked hard to foster a "see something say something" culture, including for whistleblowers, to prevent dangerous and costly failures, waste, fraud, and abuse. (6/16)

UK's All.Space Moves HQ to Alabama Amid York Space Acquisition Process (Source: Via Satellite)
Satellite terminal developer All.Space has relocated from the U.K. to Alabama, emphasizing its commitment to U.S. defense priorities amid an acquisition by York Space Systems. All.Space was founded in the U.K. and has been headquartered in Reading, Berkshire. The company announced Tuesday it has formally redomiciled to the U.S., selecting Florence-Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for a new technical and manufacturing hub. All.Space already had an office in Baltimore, Maryland, and existing production capability in the U.S.

The company is currently in the process of being acquired by Colorado-based York Space Systems under a $355 million deal announced in late April. AE Industrial Partners, which holds a majority stake in York Space Systems, is developing an aerospace and defense center in that area of Alabama, with Hadrian as an anchor tenant. (6/16)

Space Force Looking Into Architecture For Epoch 3 And Epoch 4 (Source: Defense Daily)
U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command (SSC) wants companies to provide insights on the future Epoch 3 and Epoch 4 constellations of the service's coming Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) resilient missile warning and tracking system. "SSC requests industry feedback on a resilient missile warning and tracking (MWT) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) layer Epochs 3 & 4 (E3&4) production feasibility that will support MWT Full Warfighting Capabilities." (6/16)

China Points to SpaceX Role in Satellite Arms Race (Source: SCMP)
China’s official military newspaper has warned of an arms race over low-Earth satellites, citing developments such as SpaceX’s latest contract with the US Space Force. Low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations typically operate at 300km to 1,500km (185-930 miles) above the Earth and are becoming increasingly important in areas such as communications and satellite navigation.

PLA Daily warned: “The era of the militarized application of low-orbit constellations arriving at an accelerated pace. It said the “strategic value of space” was becoming “unprecedentedly prominent”, covering areas such as satellite networks, orbital competition and spectrum seizure. (6/15)

Russia Deploys $1.5 Million Mobile Jammer Targeting Starlink Satellites (Source: United 24)
Russia has deployed a specialized electronic warfare system designed to jam Starlink satellite communications on the battlefield, according to Ukrainian military expert and advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov on June 16. The Russian military first attempted to suppress Starlink in 2024 during operations in the Kharkiv direction, but Ukrainian forces quickly neutralized the equipment, Serhii “Flash” noted.

Mass deployment of this technology was not observed again until 2026, following successful Ukrainian mid-range strikes on Russian logistics networks. In response to the renewed electronic warfare threat, Ukraine’s 422nd Separate UAV Battalion recently located and destroyed one of these specialized jamming complexes, the expert stated. The system, designated as Volna Kupol Garant, is manufactured by the Simferopol-based company Russian Kupol.

Mechanically, the system targets the 14 to 14.5 gigahertz reception band, dividing the interference across eight distinct channels to blind the satellite. One complete complex is capable of disrupting communications across an area of approximately 20 square kilometers, according to the advisor. (6/16)

Aerospace Corp. Accelerates Tactically Responsive Missions (Source: Aerospace Corp.)
Space solutions need to move fast. As threats evolve and commercial capabilities expand at unprecedented rates, the ability to rapidly integrate and deliver space capabilities on tactically responsive timelines is essential. Aerospace’s support to the U.S. Space Force’s Space Safari team demonstrates the kind of work Aerospace is uniquely positioned to do by drawing on 65-plus years of corporate memory and technical depth across every aspect of space systems.

That institutional knowledge, combined with world-class laboratory facilities and embedded relationships with both government customers and commercial partners, creates what Aerospace calls "The Convergence Effect"—attributes that cannot be replicated elsewhere and are essential to accelerating capability development in ways that benefit the entire space industrial base. (6/15)

One Texas Town Hopes for Crumbs From the SpaceX Feast (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk built a huge complex outside the city of Bastrop, population 14,000. Its residents now wonder what the historic SpaceX initial public offering might mean for them. The town’s population has boomed since Elon Musk built a complex of his companies nearby.

Many of the tech bros who swing by Found Fine Art in Bastrop, Texas, are smitten with “Schoolgirl Witchblade,” a bronze statuette of a manga-style character with pigtails (price: $3,200). The preference seems on brand. These bros work for SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, who created a sexy, pigtailed, manga-style digital girlfriend for premium users of his Grok chatbot. (6/16)

SpaceX Surges 20% in Second Day to Add $412 Billion in Value (Source: LA Times)
SpaceX shares jumped in their second day of trading, adding to gains following a blockbuster debut that instantly vaulted it into the ranks of the world’s most valuable public companies. The stock climbed 20%, extending Friday’s 19% rally, to add $412 billion in market value. Shares closed at $192.46 on Monday, more than 42% above their $135 IPO price. The move boosts the company’s market value to more than $2.5 trillion, putting it among the top six largest companies in the world. (6/15)

Pathogens Survive Conditions on Extraterrestrial Locations (Source: Radboud University)
Micro organisms from our planet could survive on celestial bodies where water is present, such as Mars. That is the conclusion of PhD candidate Tommaso Zaccaria after experiments with simulated space conditions. Our immune system reacts less effectively to pathogens that have undergone such a simulated space journey. According to his supervisors, his dissertation provides extraterrestrial insights that are also useful on Earth. (6/15)

Before the Aliens, the Amino Acids (Source: Weizmann Institute)
Before any wrinkled, wide-eyed creature from a distant civilization asks to be taken home, the first success in the search for life beyond Earth might be more prosaic. A clue could emerge from a handful of molecules in a Martian rock, a grain of ice from a moon of Jupiter or Saturn or a plume rising from an ocean sealed beneath a frozen shell. An Israeli-US team led by researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science has now defined a new kind of life’s signature. It could offer a relatively simple way to address the age-old question: Are we alone?

Amino acids and other compounds can form through entirely nonbiological chemistry. “The key value of our approach is that it offers an easy way to identify organic material that is biological, as opposed to just organic gunk that formed in the early solar system,” says Prof. Itay Halevy. The new approach sidesteps these limitations by relying less on complicated chemistry and more on statistical patterns. It draws on a method that was originally developed by ecologists to characterize the diversity of animal species within habitats. (6/10)

Cleveland Clinic is Tackling Space Travel Health with New Center: Mission Possible (Source: WKYC)
New developments in commercial human spaceflight have inspired Dr. Kenneth Mayuga to launch the Cleveland Clinic Space Health Center. "Why not tap into that depth and breadth of our clinical knowledge and experience, and use that to tackle the challenges of space travel?” Dr. Mayuga said. As missions grow longer, researchers expect more health complications linked to microgravity. The center's initial focus: cardiovascular health.

The center is already contributing to research that could shape future missions. One area of focus: blood clots. NASA researchers have found astronauts can experience stagnant and even reversed blood flow in space. Advances made in space medicine could also improve care on Earth. Dr. Mayuga says that's one of the center's primary goals. The Space Health Center is part of Cleveland Clinic's Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute. Though still new, the program is already expanding into lung health, digestive health, emergency medicine and other specialties. (6/15)

Russia Appears Set to Finally Address Long-Term, Serious Space Station Cracks (Source: Ars Technica)
The problem has been ongoing since 2019, and Russian astronauts have been attempting various fixes, often using a sealant called Germetall-1. These efforts finally appeared to bear fruit early this year, when Roscosmos reported that the leaks had stabilized. They resumed in May, though, and then increased in early June. That prompted Roscosmos to begin work toward a more extensive inspection and structural repair effort on the morning of Friday, June 5.

A bland statement from Roscosmos offered no additional information. But the solution Russian officials proposed on June 5 spooked NASA officials, prompting them to take the extreme step of securing their astronauts inside Dragon in case of a depressurization event on the space station. Later, Russia backed off, citing the need to conduct additional measurements and inspections of areas where leaks were occurring.

In the days since, there has been some additional back-and-forth, but Russia has now told NASA it will decommission the PrK module. Effectively, this means cosmonauts will no longer enter the PrK module or attempt to pressurize it. Progress vehicles will still be able to use the docking port to transfer fluids or perform other functions, but Russia will need to use other ports to move supplies on board the space station. (6/15)

Good News—We Have Extra Time Before the Sun Ends Life on Earth (Source: Ars Technica)
We understand the Sun will brighten as it eventually matures into a red giant that swallows the Earth in a solar furnace. So, where along that 5 billion-year path will life on Earth, in fact, be cooked? This far-future puzzle has been the focus of many model simulations over the past few decades. With a steadily brightening Sun, when does the Earth either get too hot or too CO2-starved for the base of the food chain to survive?

With weak weathering, the world is around 21° C (38° F) warmer 1.5 billion years from now, and it jumps an additional 40° C (72° F) between then and 2 billion years. Even with CO2 remaining at 400 parts per million, those temperatures would wipe out land plants on Earth. Specifically, the physiological limits of most land plants are crossed by 1.68 billion years, and the rest are toast at 1.87 billion. (Boiling off the oceans and losing our water to space wouldn’t be far behind.) (6/15)

New Zealand's Dawn Aerospace Raises Another $25 Million (Source: Payload)
Dawn Aerospace has closed a $25M Series B at a $195M post-money valuation, the company announced Tuesday. The New Zealand-Dutch space transportation company will use the new funds to accelerate development of its Aurora spaceplane, and to conduct an in-space refueling demo. With the new funding, Dawn will attempt to make Aurora the first vehicle to fly above the Kármán line twice in one day. The goal is to begin operations with this Mach 3.7 capability in 2027, as part of Dawn’s $17M partnership with Oklahoma. (6/16)

Alarm Grows Over Vought Plan to Put Cronies in Control of Federal Grant Funding (Source: Common Dreams)
A Trump White House plan to give political appointees more power over federal grant money has sparked alarm among scientists, public health organizations, environmental groups, and others who fear that the proposal amounts to an attempt to subordinate critical funds to the whims of the president and his far-right allies.

More than 300 organizations signed a joint letter on Friday calling on White House budget director Russell Vought, the proposed rule’s architect, to extend the public comment period that’s set to end on July 13, warning that the “scope and impact of [the Office of Management and Budget’s] rule is vast.”

“The test will be a simple one: Are you sufficiently loyal to the president? If the answer is no, it will result in the denial of lifesaving disaster relief, funding for research into cures, the closure of Head Start offices, and more.” (6/13)

Monetizing the Airwaves: EchoStar’s Massive Spectrum Offloads to SpaceX and AT&T Fuel Satellite Sector Rally (Source: SatNews)
The global satellite and telecommunications sectors experienced a major wave of market momentum as EchoStar Corporation finalized a massive structural shift. Long constrained by heavy capital expenditures and impending debt walls, the company has pivoted from building out its own physical wireless infrastructure to aggressively monetizing its prized radiofrequency airwaves.

Driven by an approved $19.6 billion spectrum transaction with SpaceX and a pending $23 billion asset sale to AT&T, EchoStar has set up more than $42 billion in total spectrum monetization. The sheer scale of these deals has ignited a broad risk-on rally across speculative, high-beta space and satellite equities. (6/16)

Among the Large New Rockets Amazon Was Counting On, Only Europe Has Delivered (Source: Ars Technica)
Amazon now has hundreds of flight-ready satellites standing idle in Florida, waiting to join the company’s low-Earth orbit Internet constellation, an Amazon official said Tuesday. “They’re built, and sitting in a payload processing facility waiting for trips to orbit,” said Steve Metayer, vice president of Amazon Leo Production Operations, during a teleconference with reporters. “And we’re currently manufacturing several satellites a day.”

France-based Arianespace has emerged as a critical partner for Amazon, which, to date, has had the majority of its 331 satellites launched on Atlas V rockets. However, Amazon has just one more mission booked on this rocket, which is operated by United Launch Alliance, as the vehicle is slated for retirement.

To launch the majority of its Leo constellation, Amazon booked rides on three large, new rockets four years ago: 18 launches on the Ariane 6 rocket, 12 launches on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, with options for 15 additional launches; and 38 launches of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. (6/16)

Workforce Strike at Kourou Spaceport Won't Affect Ariane 6 Launch (Source: European Spaceflight)
A strike that saw entrances to the Guiana Space Center barricaded has ended, with Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès saying the labor dispute has not affected tomorrow’s planned Ariane 6 launch from the site. Workers blocked the entrances to the Guiana Space Center, with banners reading, “No to the lack of respect and condescension shown by the prime contractors towards workers and their representatives.”

Following the subsequent meeting, the strike action ended at approximately 09:00 local time on 16 June. According to local media reporting, the union secured a 1.6% increase in social minimums, as well as fuel allowances ranging from €100 to €300. (6/16)

French Government, Industry Uneasy About Germany’s Decision to Throttle Up Space Investment (Sources: Space Intel Report, Payload)
The steep and sudden increase in German space spending, especially military space, was always going to be complicated for France. After so many years leading the European pack and urging that its neighbors do more, the fact that Germany is now Europe’s biggest space spender sits uneasily among French officials, even if they know the new German policy is good for all of Europe.

Germany has committed a staggering €35 billion to space security by 2030. In contrast, France has earmarked €10.2 billion for space defense over the same period, putting the German spending scale nearly three times higher than the French budget.Industrial Competition: The sheer size of the German expenditure is altering the traditional Franco-German defense-industrial relationship.

While Germany is heavily investing, French space budgets at agencies like CNES have faced cuts due to strict domestic fiscal austerity and mounting budget deficits. France must rethink how they interact with Germany in orbit, weighing how to achieve interoperability without seeing French autonomy and influence permanently diminished. (6/16)

JetZero Begins Construction of Huge North Carolina Aerospace Plant (Source: Aviation Week)
One year after announcing its aircraft production site selection, blended wing body developer JetZero has broken ground on its new Z4 manufacturing and assembly facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. The 8 million-ft.2 factory is being built on a 600-acre site that was selected after an exhaustive nationwide competition among 24 locations in 13 states.

The site, announced by JetZero in 2025, forms part of a North Carolina-backed $4.7 billion investment plan designed to create 14,500 aerospace jobs over the next 10 years. North Carolina is supporting the project with a potential $1.57 billion incentive package, making it the largest state-level incentive deal for a startup in U.S. history. (6/16)

Did Rocket Lab Accidentally Launch a Rocket to Orbit? (Source: Gizmodo)
Rocket Lab’s latest mission, named Curveball, has earned its title. The company launched a mysterious payload on its suborbital rocket, and it somehow ended up in orbit. Was this an accident or a flex? On June 11, Rocket Lab’s HASTE vehicle lifted off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on a government mission. A few days after its latest launch, however, the U.S. Space Force spotted the rocket in orbit. It’s not clear how HASTE ended up there, or what happened to its payload.

HASTE, short for Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron, is a modified version of the company’s Electron rocket that’s designed to fly at hypersonic speeds up to five times the speed of sound. Another important distinction is that HASTE is a suborbital launch vehicle that has flown seven times without reaching low-Earth orbit. For Curveball, Rocket Lab did not disclose the payload on the mission. Gizmodo reached out to Rocket Lab for clarification but did not receive a response before publication. (6/16)

Artemis 3 Takes Shape (Source: Space Review)
NASA announced last week the astronauts who will fly the Artemis 3 mission next year. Jeff Foust reports the event also provided more details about that mission to test lunar landers in Earth orbit. Click here. (6/16)
 
Hello, Madison! A Top-Secret Cold War Mission Over Wisconsin’s Capitol (Source: Space Review)
During the Cold War, the NRO tested new imaging capabilities for its spy satellites in novel ways. Dwayne Day and Harry Stranger describe how that included stereo imaging of locations in the United States. Click here. (6/16)
 
The Budapest Maneuver: Why Small Nations Need Their Own “Little NASA” (Source: Space Review)
More countries are establishing space agencies, even though they will never be more than a small fraction of the size of major agencies like NASA. Mihail Istvanovics Várdai explains how such agencies can help countries move from a consumer of space services to a partner. Click here. (6/16)
 
Sovereign Capability and Assured Access: a Tension in Europe’s Space Strategy (Source: Space Review)
Europe is working to increase its autonomy in space, including developing additional launch capability. Nicholas Borroz discusses why this means the EU will need to learn to work better with countries outside the union but closely allied with it. Click here. (6/16)
 
Space Race or Space Divide: Orbital AI and the Global South’s Exclusion Crisis (Source: Space Review)
American and Chinese companies are planning large constellations of orbital data center satellites. Maheen Butt argues that such proposals risk denying access to critical low Earth orbits to emerging nations. Click here. (6/16)

Emboldened by SpaceX, Investors Are Piling Into All Things Space (Source: Wall Street Journal)
It isn’t just SpaceX. Encouraged by the Elon Musk-led company’s successes—and steadily climbing valuation—venture capitalists and private-market investors are stepping up bets on space startups, hoping to find the next breakout stars. (6/14)

Pittsburgh’s Second Moonshot Faces One More Test Before Launch (Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pittsburgh is in the space race. Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One lander is almost ready for its shot at the moon — and if Pittsburgh can land on the moon, Pittsburgh can do anything. Those were Astrobotic CEO John Thornton’s declarations Monday as the space community gathered to send off Griffin for final testing before it hurtles toward the lunar surface later this year. (6/15)

The Extraordinary Physiological Challenges Facing Amputee John McFall in Space (Source: Phys.org)
McFall, who lost his right leg above the knee in a motorcycle accident at 19 and uses a prosthesis, is a former Paralympic sprinter, a practicing NHS surgeon and a qualified European Space Agency (ESA) reserve astronaut. ESA selected him in 2022, and in 2025 he became the first person with such a disability to be medically certified for a long-duration mission. The media have largely framed this as a story about inclusion, but there is more to the story than that. For a physiologist, it raises a different question: what happens to a body that already moves, balances and functions differently under gravity if you remove gravity altogether?

For the first time, we can test a prediction about the effects of weightlessness on a different kind of body. The question of how a differently adapted body copes with the demands of space is one I, as a physiotherapist and physiologist working in spaceflight, would very much like to see resolved. And there is only one way to resolve it: someone like McFall must fly into space.

On the ground, our legs anchor us so our hands are free to work. In orbit, however, the lower limbs do far less and are useful mainly for exercise. Meanwhile, the fluid that gravity normally draws into the legs shifts upward in microgravity, which is thought to contribute to a condition called Sans (spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome), in which fluid pressure builds behind the eyes and can affect vision. McFall has less lower-limb tissue for that fluid to occupy, so it is possible his fluid shift—and any associated effect on his vision—will differ from that of his crewmates. (6/14)

Geospatial Industry Launches Maritime Initiative (Source: Space News)
The race to monitor the world’s oceans from space is driving a wave of investment in maritime surveillance technologies and prompting new industry coordination efforts. A new working group focused on maritime intelligence is seeking participation from satellite operators, analytics firms, government agencies and academic institutions.

The U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) and maritime intelligence firm SynMax are spearheading a working group to coordinate efforts across satellite operators, analytics firms, government agencies, and academia. This collaborative initiative addresses the rapid growth of space-based technologies used to track commercial shipping, naval activity, illegal fishing, and sanctions evasion. (6/16)

Comtech Announces Definitive Agreement to Sell Most of Its Satellite and Space Communications Business to Gilat (Source: Comtech)
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell most of its Satellite and Space Communications  segment to Gilat Satellite Networks, and become a focused public safety technology company. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both Comtech and Gilat. Gilat will acquire most of the S&S segment for $157.5 million. (6/15)

Rocket Lab To Join The Nasdaq-100 Index on the Back of More than 80 Successful Rocket Launches (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Rocket Lab has announced its inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 Index, placing the company among the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Rocket Lab’s addition to the index will become effective prior to market open on Monday, 22 June, 2026. (6/16)

Maryland Gets Intuitive Machines Expansion with $1M Incentive (Source: WBAL)
Maryland’s growing role in the space industry is getting another boost. Gov. Wes Moore announced a major expansion by a company helping lead America’s return to the moon. A space technology company that’s already played a key role in lunar missions is expanding in Anne Arundel County.

If it moves on the moon, it may soon be coming from Linthicum. Intuitive Machines is expanding into a new 69,000-square-foot facility at BWI Tech Park, growing its Maryland operations and planning to nearly double its workforce to about 100 employees. The company built robotics used on its recent moon missions and is now developing technology for future lunar exploration and communications networks. The state has awarded the company a $1 million grant to help with the expansion. (6/15)

NASA’s Quantum Lab Aboard Space Station Gets Chilly Upgrade (Source: NASA)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have switched on NASA’s newly upgraded Cold Atom Lab, a one-of-a-kind facility designed to improve how scientists explore the fundamental workings of matter and develop new quantum technologies. By leveraging the unique environment of microgravity in space, the lab can accomplish cutting-edge science impossible to do anywhere else. (6/16)

Friends in High Places: SpaceX Gets DOJ Assist to Toss Air Pollution Lawsuit (Source: CNBC)
Elon Musk’s company is getting an assist from the Department of Justice, which asked a federal court in Mississippi to toss a case against the company brought by the NAACP. The suit was filed in April and claimed that xAI, SpaceX’s artificial intelligence lab, violated the federal Clean Air Act by using dozens of methane gas-burning turbines to power its AI data centers without proper permits or pollution controls. The turbines emit smog-forming pollutants and particulate matter that can lead to increased health risks and an unpleasant odor.

The NAACP more recently asked the court to issue an injunction stopping xAI from using the turbines until a judge can make a decision. SpaceX’s Colossus 1 and 2 data centers in and around Memphis, Tennessee, along with the power plants linked to those facilities, have faced protests for more than a year over issues including air pollution, electricity and water consumption and noise around the facilities.

In a motion filed by the DOJ on June 15, attorneys for the department accused the NAACP of threatening “American national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial-intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War’s military operations.” (6/16)

New Cape Canaveral Townhomes to Offer Rocket Launch Views (Source: Florida Today)
A Miami-based homebuilder announced plans to build a 94-unit townhome community in Cape Canaveral due to Brevard County's booming aerospace and technology economy. EverHome Living announced plans for a three-story townhouse development off Astronaut Boulevard on the Banana River in Cape Canaveral. Each home will feature a private rooftop terrace with views of rocket launches from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

Housing market analysts have reported that aerospace, manufacturing, biotechnology, and healthcare sectors are all combining to drive home sales in the area, according to Homes.com analytics. The county remains relatively affordable compared to other Florida coastal markets. The median home price in Brevard was $350,000 in March, and townhouses dropped 8.7% year-over-year to $301,000. (6/16)

Union Leader at Spaceport Dies in Airboat Crash (Source: USA Today)
The well-known leader of a union which includes a number of workers at the Kennedy Space Center was killed in an airboat crash in Brevard County on Saturday, June 13, family members confirmed. The man was identified by his wife, Angela Knost, as 63-year-old Bobby Knost, business manager of Union Ironworkers Local 808. The deadly single-vessel incident happened at about 5 p.m. June 13, prompting a response from Brevard County Fire Rescue and Florida Fish and Wildlife crews. (6/15)

Rogue Planet Caught Devouring Dust (Source: Space Daily)
Somewhere in the Chamaeleon constellation, six hundred and twenty years ago, a small dark planet about the size of Jupiter began to do something planets are not supposed to be able to do. It started eating. The material — gas and dust from a disc surrounding it, the same kind of debris field that ordinarily surrounds young stars rather than young planets — began falling onto the planet’s surface at increasingly extreme rates. By the time light from the event reached the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile in mid-2025, the planet was consuming approximately six billion tonnes of gas and dust per second. (6/16)