August 17, 2026

Southern Launch Expands National Presence with Canberra Office Opening (Source: Southern Launch)
Southern Launch, has officially opened a Canberra office, reinforcing the company’s vital role in advancing Australia’s sovereign space and national security capabilities. The new office reflects the company’s continued growth following a $25 million capital raise backed by the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation. The Canberra office will support Southern Launch’s contribution to national priorities including sovereign capability, advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies, defense and continued growth of Australia’s space sector. (8/10)

South Korea Sends Lunar Radiation Detector on NASA Commercial Lander (Source: Chosun)
The lunar surface space radiation detector (LVRAD), developed with domestic technology, will head to the lunar south pole aboard a NASA commercial lunar lander. Korea AeroSpace Administration said on the 17th that it signed an implementation agreement with NASA on the 14th for cooperation on LVRAD's payload integration and operation. Korea AeroSpace Administration plans to complete development of a flight model that will perform an actual mission in space by 2027 and then ship the equipment to the United States according to NASA's launch schedule.

NASA will launch the detector aboard a commercial lander and support instrument operations and transmission of observational data after arrival on the lunar surface. The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, under which NASA purchases lunar landing and payload delivery services from U.S. private companies. (8/17)

Monument Near Johnson Space Center Honors Black Trailblazers of NASA (Source: ABC13)
Blocks away from NASA's Johnson Space Center, a new monument is bringing some of Space City's hidden heroes into the light. Black astronauts, scientists, engineers, and civil rights leaders are being recognized for their work helping change the course of America's space efforts. Organizers said there are no other monuments like this in Houston.

The installation honors eight people and groups that shaped NASA and spaceflight. The monument is called Earth Rise, and it's located on the grounds of St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church in Nassau Bay, just four blocks from Johnson Space Center. The monument was unveiled during a ceremony on Sunday. (8/16)

University of Chicago Study Suggests Space Missions Don't Affect Astronauts' Heart Health (Source: CBS News)
Researchers from the University of Chicago have uncovered some information on how space travel affects — or actually doesn't affect — the heart. Muscle mass and strength in general are a major concern on space missions, since astronauts end up seeing atrophy as a result of not needing to push, pull or lift anything in zero gravity. Thus, it is commonplace to see astronauts on the International Space Station using specially designed treadmills and exercise bikes.

But it seems that the most important muscle is not affected by this issue. Joint research by the University of Chicago and the University of Nebraska found signs that heart muscle cells are not negatively affected by space travel at all. (8/16)

Space Angel Wins Australian Spaceport Establishment Grant (Source: Space & Defense)
Western Australia has confirmed Perth-based Space Angel Pty Ltd as the recipient of the State’s Spaceport Establishment Support Grant, as the Cook Government continues planning for a potential spaceport in WA. The company will receive $1.75 million, which it will match, to carry out site assessments needed for planning and regulatory approvals and to develop a business case for proposed spaceport sites in Western Australia. The funding was awarded through what the government described as an open and competitive process. (8/17)

October Summit at KSC to Focus on Florida Space Research (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Astraeus Space Institute at the University of Florida is organizing an Oct. 20-21 Florida Space Summit at the KSC Visitor Complex (in the Center for Space Education), in collaboration with the Florida Space Research Consortium. The event will feature a lineup of industry pioneers, leading mission architects, and distinguished scientists. Attendees will hear groundbreaking insights into deep space exploration, the expanding cis-lunar economy, and the future of human habitation beyond Earth. Click here. (8/17)

Anduril’s First Satellite On Orbit With Imaging Payloads (Source: Defense Daily)
Anduril Industries last Thursday evening said its first satellite launched and reached orbit in July carrying three imaging payloads, and featured another first for the company, the use of its Lattice command and control to commission and task a spacecraft on orbit. ANDURIL-216’s payloads include a long-wave infrared sensor and two electro-optical sensors. (8/17)

Analysis: Military Moves Toward Commercial Satellites (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
The US military is transitioning from relying on a small number of highly specialized satellites to deploying large, resilient constellations in low Earth orbit to enhance survivability against emerging threats. The shift is driven by near-peer competition and the need for faster satellite development. Commercial innovations like rapid manufacturing and software-defined systems are becoming the baseline for military space programs. (8/17)

'Houston, We Have a Homicide!': Meet the Detectives Preparing to Solve Murders in Space (Source: BBC)
As cosmonaut Valery Ryumin chillingly wrote in his personal diary during a stint in space in 1980: “All the necessary conditions to perpetrate a murder are met by locking two men in a cabin of 5 x 6m [18 x 20ft] for two months.” With civilian space travel on the horizon, some experts are calling for investment in the emerging field of astroforensics – and the first research in this area has already landed.

 Zack Kowalske, a forensic detective is preparing his PhD research, on how environmental factors influence forensic bloodstain analysis. This led him to a rather unusual question: how would blood spatter patterns change in low or zero gravity? Bloodstain pattern analysis is a crucial forensic tool that uses fluid dynamics, physics and mathematics to calculate the trajectory of blood droplets to understand how they hit a surface. On Earth, gravity influences that pattern. In space, however…

To conduct the first-ever investigation of blood stains in microgravity, Kowalske collaborated with Dr George Pantalos, a researcher specializing in space medicine at the University of Louisville. They performed the experiment on a parabolic flight research plane. (6/24)

China Launches Long March 12 and Long March 2C Missions (Source: Space News)
China performed two launches over the weekend, the first since a Long March 7A launch failure last Monday. A Long March 12 lifted off Sunday from the commercial spaceport on Hainan. It placed into orbit a set of satellites for the Guowang constellation. A Long March 2C lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, putting into orbit the Satellite for Earth Observation, a spacecraft developed by the UAE. The launches were the first since the Long March 7A failure. The Long March 12 uses engines from the same family as the Long March 7A, suggesting that failure was not related to the vehicle's engines. (8/17)

L3Harris Abruptly Replaces CEO (Source: Space News)
L3Harris has abruptly replaced its CEO. The company announced Monday that its board of directors named Sam Mehta as president and CEO, replacing Christopher Kubasik, a move that the company said is effective immediately. L3Harris said in its statement that it "became aware of certain conduct by Kubasik that was not consistent" with its values, adding that it was not linked to company finances or customer relationships. Kubasik was also removed from the company's board. Mehta joined L3Harris in 2023 as president of its communications systems segment and was most recently president of its Space & Mission Systems and Communications & Spectrum Dominance segments, overseeing its work on military space programs. (8/17)

Lynk Global Completes Omnispace Merger (Source: Space News)
Lynk Global has completed its merger with Omnispace to provide direct-to-device (D2D) services under a new name. The two companies announced Monday they completed a merger announced last October, renaming the combined company Elveo Mobile. The merged company combines Omnispace's 60 megahertz of S-band spectrum with Lynk's D2D platform, which has been providing intermittent messaging and alert services across a small group of island nations after deploying seven small satellites. Omnispace had planned to provide D2D services using a constellation of more than 600 satellites, but those efforts stalled after reporting interference with SpaceX's D2D operations in the United States. Lynk had been using cellular frequencies from mobile network operator partners, but dedicated satellite spectrum could help support more bandwidth-heavy data applications. (8/17)

More Awards Anticipated for NASA CLPS (Source: Space News)
Companies in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program are anticipating several more awards this year, including one for an orbiter. In earnings calls last week, executives with Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines said they expect three more CLPS task orders to be awarded this year. While most CLPS missions have been landers, the companies said one of the task orders will be for an orbiter that will replace the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting the moon since 2009 providing high-resolution imagery and other data. The companies are also gearing up for CLPS 2.0, a new contract for future lunar missions. That includes development of larger landers needed to support NASA's proposed lunar base. (8/17)

Japan Launches Navsat with Hosted US Space Force Sensor (Source: Space News)
A Japanese navigation satellite launched last week included a U.S. Space Force surveillance sensor. The Michibiki-7, or QZS-7, satellite features a hosted payload from the Space Force that will monitor objects in geostationary orbit. A similar sensor was on Japan's QZS-6 satellite launched in 2025.  Data from the sensors will be fed in near real time into the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, the collection of sensors used by the military to detect, track and characterize satellites and other objects in orbit. (8/17)

SEOPS Organizing Waymaker Rideshare Mission for Falcon 9 Launch (Source: Space News)
Launch services provider SEOPS has added a second dedicated rideshare mission. The company announced Monday it will fly a mid-inclination Waymaker rideshare mission on a Falcon 9 in early 2028, joining its original Waymaker mission to sun-synchronous orbit planned for late 2028. SEOPS announced that first Waymaker mission in late May and the company says it is more than 90% sold out. For the mid-inclination mission, SEOPS will use a Falcon 9 originally purchased for a geostationary transfer orbit rideshare mission, stating that demand for low Earth orbit rideshare is much stronger now than for GTO. SEOPS plans a series of Waymaker missions and is in talks with other launch vehicle developers for later missions. (8/17)

Launch Commitments are Now Valuable Marketing Points (Source: Space News)
Satellite operators are increasingly emphasizing they have secured launches, in some cases years in advance, amid a constrained launch market. Several companies used earnings calls last week to assure investors that they are able to launch satellites as planned despite difficulties finding rides. AST SpaceMobile says it has 10 launches under contract with Blue Origin and SpaceX, enough to launch its initial constellation of about 45 satellites by early 2027. The company, though, said it is not counting on Blue Origin's New Glenn to resume launches by the end of the year. HawkEye 360 and Spire, two companies that regularly use SpaceX rideshare launches, said they have secured launches for future satellites through 2028 despite industry concerns SpaceX may soon wind down its rideshare offerings. HawkEye 360 said it is looking into other launch providers to assure access to space after 2028. (8/17)