June 14, 2026

Mars's Missing Water and Atmosphere Finally Tracked Down (Source: BBC)
A pair of studies suggest both Mars's water and its atmosphere retreated to an unlikely place: deep beneath its surface. Most intriguingly, this means both the water and the carbon are still on Mars. Initially, the leading theory for their loss was they were simply lost to space. Mars has no plate tectonics and only a very weak magnetic field. There’s no volcanism replenishing the gases, and the solar wind is free to strip away the planet’s atmosphere and any water vapor along with it.

On Earth, tectonic activity and our magnetic field keep the atmosphere in check. Tectonic activity helps regulate our atmosphere, as shifting plates and volcanic activity bring new rocks to the surface which can interact and absorb water and the atmosphere, or drag old rocks back into the mantel. The magnetic field, meanwhile, helps guide the Sun’s solar wind around our planet.

When researchers ran simulations to examine how the planet’s climate evolved over time, it quickly became apparent that atmospheric loss couldn’t be the only thing at play. It could only account for a fraction of Mars’s missing water, and didn’t explain why the carbon levels specifically had fallen so dramatically. NASA's InSight lander provided seismic data that, once analyzed, revealed enough water to flood Mars’s surface to a depth between 1 and 2 km( about 1 mile). The water was around 11.5 to 20km (7 to 13 miles) underground, trapped between tiny cracks and pores in the rock. (6/12)

Breathable Oxygen Has Now Been Produced on the Surface of Mars (Source: Space Daily)
Sometime around midday on April 20, 2021, a microwave-sized device on Mars finished its first hour of work and reported back to its operators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It had produced 5.4 grams of breathable oxygen, enough for an astronaut to breathe for about ten minutes. The machine, called MOXIE, was the first device ever to manufacture air on the surface of another planet. By the time it shut down for the final time on August 7, 2023, it had run sixteen times and produced a cumulative 122 grams of oxygen — roughly what a small dog breathes in ten hours. (6/12)

Naval Research Laboratory Receives Space Force Antenna, Expanding Joint Space Capabilities (Source: DoD)
Earlier this year, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory received a transportable satellite tracking antenna system from Space Systems Command's System Delta 81 to expand joint space testing, training and operational support capabilities at the laboratory's Blossom Point Tracking Facility in Welcome, Maryland. The antenna system enhances the facility's ability to support tracking, telemetry and command operations for emerging space technologies and future operational concepts. The capability will provide additional flexibility for experimentation, system evaluation and long-duration performance monitoring, supporting both naval and joint space missions. (6/12)

Cape Canaveral Could Get New Launch Site Only 2 Miles From the Port (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
An environmental study is underway for a potential new launch pad at the at Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Launch Complex 51 would be about 2 miles from Port Canaveral to give the U.S. Army and Navy a place to test launch missiles instead of relying on nearby LC-46, which falls too close to Blue Origin’s launch site, LC-36. LC-51 would be constructed about 2.5 miles south of LC-46 just south of Pier Road and include “the complete construction of new infrastructure, utilities and structures” across 50 acres.

A public notice detailed the “the proposed infrastructure improvements could potentially impact wetlands, if present within the project area, and would occur within the floodplain. A wetland survey has been initiated; however, field investigations and impact determinations are not yet complete, and the presence, extent, and magnitude of potential wetland impacts have not been fully defined.” LC-51 would be located about 2 miles from Port Canaveral's federal channel and harbor entrance. (6/13)

Lawsuit Seeks to Stop SpaceX Land Deal From Destroying Texas Wildlife Refuge (Source: Center for Biological Diversity)
Tribal and conservation groups today sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop a land trade that would hand 715 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in south Texas to SpaceX. In exchange for these lands, SpaceX is giving 683 acres to the Service. Under the law, any exchanges of wildlife refuge lands must result in net conservation benefits to both the individual refuge where land will be exchanged and the wildlife refuge system as a whole.

The wildlife habitat that SpaceX has sought to take ownership of has been degraded by SpaceX’s expanding operations and failed rocket launches. In its decision last week, the Fish and Wildlife Service chose to give those lands to SpaceX in exchange for fewer acres of private lands, the majority of which will be added to a separate wildlife refuge. This land deal resulting in the loss of more than 700 acres of a national wildlife refuge is one of the largest exchanges of land in the refuge system’s history outside the state of Alaska. (6/10)

The EU’s Bid to Nationalize Space (Source: Truth on the Market)
Europe’s latest space policy has a simple theory: To build a champion, you must first clear the field. The European Commission’s newly adopted proposal to reallocate the 2 GHz mobile-satellite-service (MSS) band—a slice of radio spectrum used for satellite communications—would reserve most of that spectrum for European operators. The same proposal would limit non-EU militaries and startups, including both EU and non-EU firms, to just one-third of the available and highly desirable band.

The move reflects a broader push for “tech sovereignty,” the idea that Europe should reduce dependence on foreign technology providers in strategically important sectors. That concern now spans data centers, payments processing, telecommunications, and, increasingly, space. But the EU’s 2 GHz plan is industrial policy dressed up as tech sovereignty. It assumes Europe can create a globally competitive satellite champion by reserving critical inputs for favored firms and denying them to more efficient rivals.

That is bad economic policy for what is inherently a global communications system. For anyone who remembers the first wave of digital-sovereignty fights two decades ago, it is also eerily familiar. Although framed as a security measure, the proposal effectively allocates market share by nationality. The defense set-aside may be defensible on its own terms. Reserving a third of the commercial band for “EU operators entering the market” is not. (6/8)

Xona Joins GPS Innovation Alliance (Source: GPS Innovation Alliance)
The GPS Innovation Alliance (GPSIA), the leading association for companies developing and deploying GPS and other space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies, announced Xona as its newest member. A pioneer in developing navigation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Xona’s L-band commercial satellite navigation system will deliver stronger signals, higher accuracy, and greater resilience against interference and spoofing to complement and enhance existing GPS infrastructure. (6/9)

ESA Signs an Agreement with Vast on Behalf of the Czech Republic (Source: ESA)
The European Space Agency (ESA) will implement an astronaut mission to the International Space Station for the Czech Republic. The flight will be part of the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station NASA awarded to Vast. Subject to Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) review and approval, Aleš Svoboda, one of the 12 members of the astronaut reserve selected by ESA in November 2022, will serve as the mission’s pilot. (6/8)

How Innovative Is China’s Space Industry? (Source: ITIF)
China seeks to develop its space capabilities and surpass the United States in innovation. China has built a large, vertically integrated manufacturing base for spacecraft and launch vehicles, which enables rapid scaling and development of advanced technologies. The nation is a leader in innovation for positioning, navigation, and timing satellites, and Earth observation satellites, but its space companies still lack key technologies such as fully operational reusable rockets and large, modern satellite Internet constellations.

Data from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) shows that China has a high rating for technology monopoly risk (TMR) in several technologies categorized as “defense, space, robotics, and transportation.” This designation means that China is publishing “more than three times as much high-impact research as its nearest competitor” and is “home to eight or more of the top 10 institutions” in space technology. China has maintained consistent growth in the number of annual top-cited publications since 2020 and surpassed the USA in 2022. China produced 597 aerospace engineering publications in 2024.

China has significantly more space technology patents than the rest of the world does. According to the World IP Organization (WIPO), from 2000 through 2023, China increased its annual number of patent family publications related to space from 15 to about 6,600. Among the top five countries with the most space patents, China has more patent family publications than do the other countries combined. WIPO data also shows that 11 of the top 25 space technology patent owners are from China. Click here. (6/8)

HawkEye 360 Announces Over $100 Million in New International Contract Awards (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 announced over $100 million in new international contract awards and contract option value secured this year to date. The total represents a combination of immediate bookings, multi-year contracts, and award options across eight international customers and programs. The awards span defense, intelligence, and national security organizations across allied and partner nations seeking enhanced domain awareness, electronic warfare support, and operational decision advantage. (6/8)

AAC Clyde Space Signs ESA Contract for INFLECION (Source: BeQuoted)
AAC Clyde Space has signed a EUR 10.9 million contract with ESA to advance the development and demonstration of a VDES satellite constellation and future maritime services within the INFLECION program. The contract follows the previously completed definition phase (phase 1). The INFLECION program now advances into separate workstreams covering different capabilities of the system. This contract covers Workstream 1, which consists of the development and in-orbit demonstration of a twelve-satellite constellation. (6/9)

ICEYE Leads a New Era of Sovereign Intelligence From Space with €1B Funding Round (Source: Iceye)
ICEYE has raised EUR 450 million (USD 520 million) in a primary Series F funding round led by General Atlantic, at a valuation of over EUR 10 billion (USD 12 billion). Additional investors include Solidium, Tesi, Varma, Ilmarinen, Lifeline Ventures, as well as Nokia, from Finland, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and TCV. Together with a secondary placement, the total Series F funding round exceeds EUR 1 billion. (6/9)

UK Funding Boosts Breakthrough Space Technologies (Source: Gov.UK)
Britain’s space ambitions received a major boost today (10 June), with Space Minister Liz Lloyd announcing more than £19 million for cutting-edge technologies that could transform manufacturing in orbit and help keep space safe. Speaking at London Tech Week, Minister Lloyd announced a package of more than £19 million to back British space innovation. The package will support companies developing technologies that could change how materials are made in space, make it easier to bring them back to Earth, and help keep the space environment safe and sustainable.

Cardiff-based Space Forge will receive £10 million to develop its reusable fold-out heat shield, Pridwen, making it simpler and cheaper to return materials manufactured in space. A further £9.25 million will support more early-stage UK space companies, helping them grow and bring in private investment. The package includes new backing for companies developing technologies that strengthen space infrastructure, improve navigation and help track satellites and debris in orbit. (6/10)

Japan's Astroscale Leads New Industry Initiative on Spacecraft Reentry and Atmospheric Impact (Source: Astroscale)
Astroscale announced the launch of the Atmospheric Impact of Reentered Spacecraft (AIRS) initiative, an industry–academia collaboration convened by Astroscale to improve scientific understanding of the effects of spacecraft reentry on Earth’s atmosphere. Planet Labs PBC and the University of Southampton join Astroscale as founding participants in the initiative.

As activity in low Earth orbit accelerates, the number of satellites reentering Earth’s atmosphere is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. While space sustainability efforts have historically focused on in-orbit operations and debris removal, the atmospheric effects of spacecraft reentry remain an underexplored area of research. (6/9)

Rafael and Reflex Aerospace Announce Strategic Partnership (Source: Reflex Aerospace)
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Reflex Aerospace announced today a strategic co-development partnership and introduced a new class of Very High Resolution and Very High Revisit satellite constellation (VHR²C). The satellite system is designed for rapid production at large constellation scale, directly addressing the growing operational demands for persistent, actionable intelligence from space. (6/13)

Why is the US Space Force Researching 'Orbital Warehouses'? (Source: Space.com)
The U.S. military is looking into putting "orbital warehouses" into orbit around Earth where fuel and other materials could be stored for easy pickup by future spacecraft on satellite servicing missions. A new U.S. military challenge aims to "accelerate operational logistics" for to help the U.S. Space Force keep its satellites active and respond in a timely fashion to threats. The challenge was created amid repeated warnings that China and Russia are actively maneuvering their own satellites close to U.S. spacecraft in orbit and launching new types of orbital weaponry.

"An orbital warehouse will have the same functionality as a terrestrial warehouse: to receive, store, inspect, and cross-load supplies, while offering protection of those supplies from the environment," a SSC spokesperson told Space.com via email. "The orbital transfer vehicles would transport the supplies to and from the orbital warehouse, or other location of interest." (6/12)

China Successfully Debuts Tallest Rocket, LandSpace Prepares for Second Landing Attempt (Source: NSF)
China kicked off a busy month with three missions for a single internet constellation in the span of nearly four days. Another maiden launch saw the nation’s tallest rocket successfully reach orbit, though the debut raised eyebrows with the absence of airspace notices ahead of the mission. Similarly, its first asteroid-sampling mission appears to have quietly reached a major milestone without official fanfare.

Meanwhile, Chinese commercial launch providers continue making progress towards propulsively landing and recovering reusable first stages. Beyond targeting landings on concrete pads and offshore barges, recovery methods range from tensioned steel nets to a more familiar tower-catch approach, with one now considering a horizontal landing dubbed the “bellyflop.” (6/12)

ESA and EU to Collaborate on In-Space Servicing (Source: ESA)
ESA and the European Commission signed a joint declaration on In-Space Operations and Services (ISOS), signaling a shared ambition to build European leadership in in-orbit servicing. The agreement formalizes their intent to cooperate closely on the development and maturation of key technologies and mission concepts. The joint ISOS activities will ensure the future competitiveness and resilience of the European space sector, providing Europe with strategic autonomy.

In-space operations and services will extend the entire space sector beyond the present frontiers. Rather than relying on ‘disposable’ satellites, the future is also introducing orbital infrastructure elements that can achieve refilling, assembly, manufacturing, removal, repositioning, inspection, refurbishment and recycling in space. This approach supports the transition towards a circular economy in space, allowing new operations and transportation paradigms. The improved sustainability and efficiency will go hand in hand with new commercial opportunities for Europe. (6/13)