June 29, 2026

ESA to Seek Lunar Mapping Capability for Argonaut Lander (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency will rely on external lunar topographic data during the design phase of its Argonaut lunar lander, and possibly for its first mission, while working toward developing its own lunar mapping capability for later missions. Argonaut, first proposed at ESA’s Ministerial Council in Paris in 2022 and confirmed at the latest ministerial meeting in 2025, is a cargo lander designed to support NASA’s Artemis program while providing Europe with independent access to the lunar surface.

Several spacefaring countries with lunar ambitions have invested over the past two decades in high-resolution topographic mapping, which is essential for identifying safe landing areas and potential sites for future lunar infrastructure. (6/29)

ISS Risk Margin is "Alarming" as 2030 Extension Date Nears (Source: Payload)
Time is running out to keep the ISS in orbit, as the chair of a NASA advisory committee warned last week that risk margin for regular operations “is now reduced to an alarming level.” And the worry extends to parts, too: the supply chain for the decades-old spacesuits is wearing thin, according to Susan Helms, a former astronaut who chairs the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel. “It is increasingly difficult for NASA to ensure the ISS risks remain manageable for day-to-day operations, with enough contingency margins,” Helms said. (6/29)

Max Space Wins NASA Funding to Advance Expandable Lunar Habitat Technology for Permanent Lunar Presence (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Space Coast-based Max Space is among the companies picked by NASA under its Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) to mature its "soft-goods" inflatable habitat design, solving a crucial bottleneck for the Artemis program: getting maximum usable floor area onto the lunar surface without prohibitive launch costs. (6/29)

JWST Observation Surprises Experts (Source: Space.com)
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted a massive and densely packed galaxy cluster that "is so highly evolved [it] could change theories of cosmic evolution, as it seems to exist before such structures were thought to be possible. Designated XLSSC 122 and first seen in 2014, the cluster immediately stood out because, being so large and concentrated, it resembled the galactic clusters found much closer to our own galaxy. However, this cluster is seen as it was around 10.4 billion years, just around 3.4 billion years after the Big Bang, a time when such structures were theorized to have only just begun to assemble. (6/29)

The Exploration Company is Recruiting for Its Nyx Crew Team in Houston (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Exploration Company has published some of its first dedicated job openings for the development of a future crewed variant of its Nyx spacecraft. All three of these initial positions will be based in Houston, Texas. When asked why it’s recruiting for these positions in Houston, the company cited “a deep pool of human spaceflight expertise” as one of its primary motivations.

While The Exploration Company is currently working towards completing an initial demonstration mission of its Nyx Earth cargo capsule, it has announced plans for several other variants of the vehicle. These variants would be used to transport cargo to lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface, and to ferry crew to and from low Earth orbit. (6/29)

Investor Summit Planned at KSC on Nov. 4-6 (Source: UP.Summit)
UP.Summit is an invitation-only gathering of 400+ of the world’s most innovative minds rethinking the future of transportation. Investors in attendance represent over $1T worth of investable capital. These are the leaders of the most impactful companies moving people and goods with a common goal of Transforming the Moving World. The UP.Summit was founded in 2017 and is co-hosted with our partners Tom and Steuart Walton, Ross Perot Jr. and Phillip Sarofim. Click here. (6/29)

GAO: NASA Fears Gap in LEO After End of ISS (Source: Douglas Messier)
In 2017, Congress directed NASA to plan for a smooth transition from operating the International Space Station (ISS) to commercial stations on which the space agency would be one of many customers to purchase services. Here we are nine years later. So, how’s that effort going with ISS retirement looming in 2030?

Not great. A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said NASA is concerned there will be a gap between the ISS retirement and the debut of the new stations. The concerns come amid NASA’s shifting approach on how to support private stations and uncertainty about the amount of funding available to do so.

A gap would leave NASA and private companies without a way to conduct microgravity science and technology research in low Earth orbit (LEO). The U.S. risks ceding leadership in the commercial LEO space economy to China, which is planning to double the size of its Tiangong space station. (6/29)

Amazon Leo to launch 29 Satellites on Atlas V's Last Flight (Source: Advanced Television)
Amazon Leo is set to launch 29 satellites July 2 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, marking the final Atlas V flight for Amazon. Future Amazon Leo launches will use ULA's Vulcan Centaur, SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Glenn. Amazon Leo has more than 350 satellites in orbit. (6/29)

Rocket Lab to Acquire Iridium in $8 Billion Deal (Source: Aerospace Global News
Rocket Lab has agreed to acquire Iridium Communications in an $8 billion deal that would transform the launch and space systems company into a vertically integrated satellite communications operator.

The two companies announced on 29 June that Rocket Lab will purchase all outstanding shares of Iridium common stock for $54 per share in a cash and stock transaction. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2027, subject to Iridium shareholder approval and regulatory clearances.

If completed, the deal would combine Rocket Lab’s launch, satellite manufacturing and space systems capabilities with Iridium’s global low Earth orbit communications network, L-band spectrum and established customer base across government, maritime, aviation, emergency response and industrial markets. (6/29)

SpaceX Launches 15,000-Pound SiriusXM Satellite to Orbit From Florida (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX launched a big SiriusXM radio satellite to orbit from Florida's Space Coast on Sunday night (June 28). A Falcon 9 rocket topped with the 15,400-pound SXM-11 spacecraft lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and its first stage came back to Earth for a landing about 8.5 minutes after launch as planned, touching down in the Atlantic Ocean on the SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas." (6/29)

AiRanaculus to Advance Networking Technologies for NASA Lunar and Space Communications Networks (Source: Via Satellite)
Networking technology company AiRanaculus has received a $5 million award from NASA for its technologies to be used to support NASA lunar and space communications networks. Under a $5 million Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP) contract from NASA announced June 25, AiRanaculus will enhance two products — CLAIRE and INSPiRE — to support lunar and space networks. AiRanaculus will work with Nokia, which is under contract with NASA to deploy the first cellular network on the Moon. (6/26)

UK's SatVu Begins Service with HotSat-2 (Source: Space News)
British thermal imaging startup SatVu has resumed commercial services with a new satellite. The company said Monday its HotSat-2 satellite, launched in March, was now in commercial service, routinely delivering mid-wave infrared imagery to government and commercial customers such as Norwegian defense and aerospace giant Kongsberg's geospatial intelligence services. The company's first satellite, HotSat-1, failed in orbit in 2023 just six months after launch. SatVu is planning a constellation of at least 10 satellites to provide thermal imagery. (6/29)

China Focuses on VLEO with Industry Alliance (Source: Space News)
China has established a national very low Earth orbit (VLEO) industry alliance. The VLEO Technology Innovation and Industry Development Alliance, co-founded by 34 organizations including leading universities, research institutes and commercial space companies, was announced at a conference Saturday. VLEO offers potential significant advantages for Earth observation and communications, such as higher resolution imagery, lower signal latency and reduced power requirements, but satellites operating in orbits below 300 kilometers must also contend with increased atmospheric drag. Orbital data reveal that China currently has two experimental satellites operating in VLEO, while funding activity indicates a demand and backing for related technologies. (6/29)

Spain's FOSSA Raises $10.5 Million for Constellation Expansion (Source: Space News)
Spanish startup FOSSA Systems has raised about $10.5 million to expand its connectivity constellation. Spanish private investment firm Kibo Ventures led FOSSA's funding round announced last week, bringing its total raised to date to nearly 20 million euros. The round included participation from the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation, a technology investment vehicle backed by Spain's government. The proceeds will help fuel FOSSA's push beyond the tiny picosatellites it once used to connect low-power monitoring devices toward larger cubesats in low Earth orbit, enabling additional sovereign communications and space-based intelligence capabilities. (6/29)

India's First Gaganyaan Flight Might Slip to 2027 (Source: Express News)
The first test flight of India's Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft might slip to 2027. In a presentation Saturday, the chairman of ISRO, V. Narayanan, said the uncrewed flight was on track to launch by the end of this year, but his slides said the launch would instead take place in the third quarter of 2027. Asked about the discrepancy, Narayanan said that the Gaganyaan program is "undergoing constant review" and did not say whether his comments or his slides were correct. (6/29)

NASA Picks 41 Projects for ACO Collaborations (Source: NASA)
NASA will support the development of dozens of space technologies with potential to assist its Artemis lunar exploration program. NASA announced Friday it selected 41 technologies from 37 companies for the latest round of its Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) program. ACO gives companies access to NASA expertise and facilities on a no exchange of funds basis. The selected technologies range from power generation and in-space logistics to dust mitigation techniques. (6/29)

China Leads in GPS-Style, Reconnaissance and Anti-Satellite Abilities (Source: SCMP)
China has leapfrogged the United States in a few mighty important sectors of space technologies: GPS-style navigation, spy-in-the-sky reconnaissance and even the ability to knock satellites out of orbit, according to a report from a US think tank.

The report from the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said China had rapidly built a powerful commercial space sector under strong state backing and was narrowing the innovation gap with the US.

“If the United States does not take decisive action soon, China will claim the top spot in the global space economy,” the report, released on June 8, said. The warning comes as analysts project the global space economy could exceed US$1 trillion within the next decade. According to the report, China has already surpassed Russia as America’s main competitor in space. (6/28)

Could Future Astronauts Use Oysters as Water Filters? (Source: Space.com)
Engineers looking for safe water and recycled air for astronauts should look no further than nature, according to one team of researchers. Oysters and other forms of "biogenerative" life support systems, which use living beings for food, water recycling and air regeneration, are under study at Pennsylvania's Harrisburg University with Monolith Space, a small company featured on the This Week in Space weekly podcast with Space.com's Tariq Malik and author Rod Pyle in March.

The shelled creatures aren't the only ones Harrisburg researchers are looking at: students and researchers are also examining algae, mollusks and even finfish. Hydroponics, or growing plants in water, is another approach. Monolith founder Jacob Scoccimerra, who is based in D.C., said the research is not only crucial for future astronaut living, but also unique among food projects in space. (6/28)

A First Look at NASA’s Newest Space Camp Facility (Source: Fodor's Travel)
The same VR simulator that astronauts and pilots use to practice parachute skills will now train the next generation of space enthusiasts attending Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. The new parachute simulators are part of a 47,079-square-foot expansion that also includes a 90-foot zip line, an indoor drone launch, a night-vision lab, and more. The new facility, which opened in May 2026, is called the Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex.

Training in the facility will focus on lessons in robotics and space-related problem-solving. The opening comes on the heels of the Artemis II mission’s success, in which four NASA astronauts made an unprecedented orbit of the moon’s far side. Registrations for Space Camp doubled since the completion of the Artemis II mission in April. To meet that demand, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center have added this new facility, with plans to launch more later, including a new Space Camp dormitory. (6/27)

China Is About To Land On Earth’s ‘Mini-Moon’ (Source: Forbes)
China is about to begin one of the most unusual asteroid exploration missions ever attempted. In early July, the Tianwen-2 spacecraft is expected to arrive at a Statue of Liberty-sized near-Earth asteroid often described as Earth’s “mini-moon.” If it arrives safely, it will take a sample and send it back to Earth in a capsule.

Discovered in 2016 and also known as 2016 HO3, 469219 Kamoʻoalewa is one of only a handful of known quasi-satellites. Measuring just 130 to 330 feet (40 to 100 meters) across — roughly the size of the Statue of Liberty — it could become the smallest asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft. (6/28)

Potential Habitable Planet Just 18 Light-Years Away (Source: Space Daily)
The search for life beyond the Solar System often sounds impossibly remote. Many promising planets orbit stars so far away, or so close to their stars in the sky, that even knowing they exist is a technical achievement. GJ 251 c is different in one important respect. It is nearby.

Researchers report the discovery of GJ 251 c, a candidate super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star about 5.5 parsecs away. That is roughly 18 light-years, close enough that the planet may become one of the best northern-sky targets for future direct imaging of a potentially rocky world in a temperate orbit. (6/27)