July 15, 2026

NRO and USAF Nominees Support Closer Coordination Between Space Force and Intelligence Agencies (Source: Space News)
Trump administration nominees for two influential U.S. national security space posts endorsed closer coordination between the Space Force and intelligence agencies as well as acquisition improvements. Erich Hernandez-Baquero, nominated to become the Air Force's top civilian space acquisition official, and Roger Mason, the president's choice to lead the National Reconnaissance Office, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

The two nominees received only limited questions in the hearing as senators focused on other nominees, but Mason said the roles of the NRO and Space Force remained clear as the military shifts airborne and ground moving-target surveillance missions toward satellite-based systems. Hernandez-Baquero said his priorities would be acquisition reform, integration across missions and rebuilding the acquisition workforce, while calling for greater use of commercial technology and new business models. [SpaceNews]

Japan Intends to Increase Launch Cadence (Source: Space News)
The Japanese government wants to sharply increase launches. At the Spacetide conference last week, officials said the government's space policy has a goal of hosting 30 launches per year by the early 2030s. Japan has conducted just two launches so far this year, including the failed launch of the Kairos small rocket. Space One, which operates Kairos, said the company was working on the next Kairos launch despite the failures of all three launches of that rocket to date. Reaching a goal of 30 launches per year could require Japan hosting launches of foreign vehicles. [SpaceNews]

Satellite-Oriented Investments Soar in 2026 (Source: Space News)
Investment in satellite companies so far in 2026 has broken annual records. Investment in satellite companies reached $8.1 billion in the first half of 2026, according to a study by Space Capital, led by Iceye's $1.2 billion Series F round in June. That is more than the investment in satellite companies in any single year. Those companies that the report classifies as infrastructure - defined as the design, manufacture, launch and operation of space-based assets - collectively raised $20.7 billion, which is a quarterly record.

That figure included a $12 billion investment in Prometheus, an industrial artificial intelligence venture backed by Jeff Bezos that Space Capital argues is space-adjacent since it will support the design and development of launch vehicles and space assets. Lines among industry sectors are blurring, Space Capital argues, and it expects standalone launch companies to atrophy over time as more follow moves such as Rocket Lab's planned acquisition of Iridium. [SpaceNews]

Icarus Robotics Picks Kulr Batteries for ISS Joyride (Source: Space News)
Space robotics startup Icarus Robotics has selected Kulr to provide batteries for a payload going to the ISS. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, KULR One Space (K1S) battery systems will power Icarus's Joy as it navigates, maneuvers and assists astronauts on the Joyride-1 mission scheduled for early 2027. KULR batteries, designed to comply with NASA crewed vehicle safety requirements, obtained flight heritage in a cubesat flown aboard NASA's Artemis 2 lunar mission. [SpaceNews]

Frontier Airlines Adopts Starlink for In-Flight Wifi (Source: CNBC)
Discount airline Frontier is the latest to adopt SpaceX's Starlink for in-flight wifi. The airline, which does not currently offer wifi on its aircraft, said Tuesday it will start outfitting its planes with Starlink early next year. The airline has private equity firm Indigo Partners as an investor, and four other airlines Indigo owns stakes in across Asia, Europe and Latin America also announced they would adopt Starlink for in-flight wifi. (7/15)

Bonuses for Reenlisting Guardians (Source: Military Times)
The Space Force is offering big bonuses for guardians willing to enlist for an extended tour of duty. The service announced this week its Initial Enlisted Bonus Pilot program, which will provide a $25,000 bonus to enlistees who commit to serving for eight years. Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna said the longer contracts reflect the additional training needed for guardians to serve in highly technical fields. The Space Force had previously used four- and six-year enlistment terms. (7/15)

Laying the Groundwork for the First Human Mars Mission (Source: Space News)
Developing a Mars mission is not just about designing and building a spacecraft that can get there, land and get back. A successful mission must also be able to carry out science activities at Mars while also understanding, tracking and ensuring human health and performance issues so that astronauts can do what we’re asking of them and do it safely. Very different components must be developed together and integrated from the very beginning into a single mission concept and plan, before some designs have already been fixed.
NASA should begin development of the Mars human mission architecture now to enable identification and development of areas within these four disciplines that require long lead time. It should should coordinate early with the engineering/architecture, science, health and human performance and planetary protection communities so that all have input into architecture and mission planning and to ensure that there is an integrated mission concept and design.

A NASA chartered community group that includes representation from each of these communities should be commissioned to stand up quarterly or semi-annual workshops as follow-ons to our workshop. The goals of these workshops would be to continue to drive toward an actual integrated mission concept and to develop specific landing-site criteria and recommendations. (7/15)

Honeywell Aerospace Leads Consortium for ESA-Funded Compact Quantum Space Magnetometer (Source: Via Satellite)
Honeywell Aerospace will lead a consortium including Quantum Brilliance and Jagiellonian University to develop, test and deliver a compact quantum space magnetometer for the European Space Agency. The project is structured around an ESA-funded contract, with delivery targeted for 2027 to support research into Earth’s magnetic field. (7/14)

New Russian-American Crew Launched to ISS From Russia (Source: Space Policy Online)
Russia launched a new crew to the ISS on Tuesday from the Baikonur spaceport on a Soyuz rocket.  Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina, and NASA astronaut Anil Menon, docked at the ISS about three hours later for an 8-month mission. (7/14)

Japan's Axelspace Reports 38% Revenue Decline (Source: Space Intel Report)
Small satellite manufacturer and operator Axelspace of Japan reported a 39% decline in revenue and a wider operating loss for the six months ending May 31 compared to the same period a year ago, citing higher costs for construction of a satellite test model, increased personnel charges and a change in revenue recognition for government projects. Elevent months after its introduction onto the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Axelspace reported revenue of 564 million yen for the period, down from 921 million yen a year ago. (7/14)

Regulators Again Rebuff Italy's Request for Extension of Deadline to Operate Sicral 3A, 3B Military Satellites (Source: Space Intel Report)
In its second attempt in four months, Italy was unable to secure regulatory approval of a deadline extension for its Sicral 3A and 3B military telecommunications satellites, both expected to be used by the NATO alliance as well as by the European Union’s GovSatCom program. Sacral 3A, with an SHF/EHF payload; and Sacral 3B with a UHF-band payload are scheduled for launch on separate SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets between mid-2027 and early 2028. (7/13)

Strasbourg Group Plans Revival of ISU France (Source: Douglas Messier)
A group of faculty and staff members are attempting to revive International Space University’s (ISU) operations in France in the wake of a court order liquidating the bankrupt ISU France organization and closing the school’s Central Campus in Strasbourg.

The French effort sets up a potential legal clash over use of the university’s name and intellectual property with a group led by ISU Co-founders Bob Richards and Peter Diamandis. The U.S.-based co-founders went public last week with ISU Global, an organization that aims to develop a virtual global campus system under the university’s original and still active incorporation in Massachusetts. (7/12)

ESA Awards €10M Contract to EMXYS for Don Quijote Asteroid Lander (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency has awarded Spanish satellite manufacturer EMXYS a contract to build a small lander that will attempt to touch down on the surface of an asteroid ahead of its close encounter with Earth. Apophis, the asteroid in question, will pass within 32,000 kilometres of Earth’s surface, closer than the geostationary satellites orbiting the planet, in April 2029. The Don Quijote lander is aptly named for an ambitious Spanish-led attempt to land on an asteroid.

While not tilting at windmills, the little spacecraft has the odds stacked against it. It will attempt to land on an asteroid that is “likely to be tumbling chaotically,” according to Francesca Ingiosi, the ESA engineer overseeing the mission. Due to the asteroid’s ultra-low gravity, the lander may bounce along its surface before coming to rest. As no one knows what it will encounter on the asteroid’s surface, there is even “a small possibility that Don Quijote sinks into the ground, which,” Ingiosi noted, “would not be good!” (7/11)

NASA Considers Nuclear-Powered Rover for a Lunar Mission (Source: The Hill)
Jared Isaacman has suggested the possibility of sending a spare nuclear-powered Mars rover — an engineering model of the Mars Perseverance rover — to the moon. Such a proposal represents outside-the-box thinking for NASA, which is becoming more common under Isaacman’s leadership. Had someone proposed sending a car-sized nuclear rover to the moon in times past, NASA would have gone through its usual years-long, multibillion dollar process to make it happen. By one estimate, Mars Perseverance cost $2.7 billion, including launch costs and initial operations. (7/12)

Europe’s Space Sovereignty is an Execution Problem (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Europe can set policy routes toward “space sovereignty” but still struggles to build the industrial capabilities to match. European policy and spending can fail to produce the industrial outcomes required for autonomy in space services. The opening of Reflex Aerospace's Berlin facility is a focal point in the debate over Europe's space sovereignty.

Reflex Aerospace has been pushing to shorten lead times and vertically integrate key components, moving away from reliance on non-European supply chains. Whether companies like Reflex can bridge the gap remains a critical test. (7/10)

Parabilis Tests Propulsion System for Maneuverable Cubesats (Source: Space News)
Small satellites have become a staple of military space programs because they are relatively inexpensive and quick to build. Many, however, have little or no ability to maneuver after reaching orbit. The Space Force is working with propulsion startup Parabilis Space Technologies on a system intended to expand the missions those spacecraft can perform. (7/11) 

Atoms for Space: Past US Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Programs (Source: Space Review)
Throughout the Space Age the United States worked on space nuclear power and propulsion systems, although very few actually made it to space. Dwayne Day examines those programs and what went wrong. Click here. (7/14)

The Iranian Use of Space Operations During Epic Fury (Source: Space Review)
While the United States has made extensive use of space capabilities in its ongoing conflict with Iran, that country has also made use of space. Three experts examine Iran’s access to satellite imagery and its efforts to jam satellite signals. Click here. (7/14)
 
The Whole World Looking Up: Inspiration From the Moon (Source: Space Review)
Humanity has long been inspired by the night sky. Richard Logue offers a new way to provide that inspiration through a series of spacecraft that would be visible from the ground while also testing solar sail technologies. Click here. (7/14)
 
The Mystery of Mission Zero (Source: Space Review)
A payload processing facility at the Kennedy Space Center has been used for dozens of missions over the years, but one of them was not publicly documented. James Behling discusses the secrecy behind the very first mission to use that facility. Click here. (7/14)

Lunar Outpost Europe to Support NUVIEW’s Moonraker Lunar LiDAR Mapping Mission (Source: Payload)
Lunar Outpost Europe—the Luxembourg-based subsidiary of the US lunar terrain vehicle manufacturer—was selected to contribute to ESA’s Moonraker mission launching in 2030. The mission is being led by NUVIEW GmbH, and will feature a lunar orbiting satellite that uses LiDAR to map the lunar surface in 3D, with the goal of gathering more information about potential landing sites at the lunar South Pole.

As part of the consortium, Lunar Outpost Europe will develop thermal management solutions to help Moonraker withstand the wide temperature swings in lunar orbit. Ahead of the Moonraker flight in 2030, Lunar Outpost plans to fly an in-orbit demonstration mission in LEO, funded by the European Commission, to gain flight heritage on thermal components it will use on Moonraker. (7/14)

Tiny Meteorite Hints at Now-Gone Moon-Sized Body (Source: Space Daily)
A small stone from Northwest Africa has become evidence for a much larger absence. In a 2026 paper, researchers argue that the meteorite known as Northwest Africa 12774 may preserve material from a vanished planetary embryo, a body perhaps comparable in size to the Moon and possibly larger, that once orbited the young Sun. The study found clinopyroxene, a crystal common in planetary rocks. The clinopyroxene is unusually rich in aluminum, suggesting it formed under very high pressure. (7/13)

Bezos Doubles Down on Blue Origin with $2 Billion (Source: The Street)
Blue Origin is raising about $10 billion in its first outside funding round, a deal valuing the company at $130 billion, with Bezos personally writing a $2 billion check. Money has been a pressure point inside the company. Blue Origin’s ambitions would “take a lot of capital,” CEO Dave Limp told employees. (7/9)

New Iridium Chip Offers Protection From GPS/GNSS Threats (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Communications announced the commercial availability of the Iridium PNT ASIC, a first-to-market chip designed to help protect GPS- and GNSS-dependent devices from jamming, spoofing, and other growing threats. Iridium has received unprecedented demand from more than 150 organizations worldwide, spanning maritime, unmanned and autonomous systems (UXV), aviation, telecommunications, and other critical infrastructure sectors. (7/14)

SpaceX Plans Contingency Landings for Starship Under New FAA Environmental Assessment (Source: FAA)
The FAA announced a new Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for SpaceX Starship reentry contingency operations. It is proposed that the FAA would modify SpaceX’s vehicle operator license to authorize the expansion of a previously evaluated Hawaii and Central Pacific Landing Area and Southeast Pacific Region Landing Area. Also, a new Northern Pacific Contingency Landing Area in the Northeast Pacific would be established for Florida launches on a trajectory toward intended landings at Starbase in Texas. Also authorized would be temporary airspace closures associated with landings at Starbase. Click here. (7/13)

Most Common Exoplanet Type Doesn't Exist in Our Solar System (Source: Space Daily)
The Solar System gives us a familiar catalogue of planets: small rocky worlds close to the Sun, then gas and ice giants farther out. For a long time, that local inventory shaped the imagination. A planet could be Earth-like, Mars-like, Jupiter-like, Neptune-like. Then exoplanet surveys began finding something that sits awkwardly between those categories.

These worlds are often called sub-Neptunes, or sometimes grouped with super-Earths depending on their size and mass. They are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. They appear again and again in data from missions such as Kepler, yet there is no example of one orbiting the Sun. Planets between Earth and Neptune are among the most common types revealed by exoplanet surveys, but the Solar System gives astronomers no nearby specimen to inspect.

That absence is part of the difficulty. We can measure some of these planets’ sizes and, for a smaller set, their masses. But a radius between Earth and Neptune does not by itself tell us whether the planet is a rocky core with a thin hydrogen envelope, a water-rich world under high pressure, a mini-Neptune with a deep atmosphere, or something more complicated. The category is observationally common and physically unresolved. (7/13)