August 26, 2026

BlackVe Opens Satellite Manufacturing Facility in New Mexico with $1M+ in Incentives (Source: EDNM)
BlackVe Inc., a defense and space technology company, celebrated the opening of its new satellite manufacturing facility at MaxQ with a ribbon cutting. Located at MaxQ@Kirtland, a high-tech commercial campus on Kirtland Air Force Base north of the base’s security fence, the new 30,000-square-foot facility will support BlackVe’s advanced spacecraft manufacturing operations as the company grows its Albuquerque workforce.

The State of New Mexico is investing $1 million through the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) fund, with the City of Albuquerque contributing $250,000 in local LEDA funds to support BlackVe’s expansion, which is expected to create 152 high-paying jobs over the next 10 years. The expansion is projected to generate more than $228 million in total economic impact for the state. (8/25)

NASA Considers Bulk Launch Buys (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA is considering bulk buying launches through the Commercial Access to Space program. The agency might procure five to 20 launches in a single solicitation under the program and is setting up a headquarters office to oversee agencywide launch service procurements. (8/25)

Florida's Lonestar Picks Polish Startup Ares Shield to Protect Data Center Satellites with High-Power Microwave Weapons (Source: Space.com)
The final frontier is getting more and more contested, so satellite companies are investing in some self-defense. At least one of them is, anyway. Florida-based Lonestar Data Holdings announced today (Aug. 25) that it has contracted Polish startup Ares Shield to provide protection for its off-Earth data centers, in a deal worth up to $6 million.

Ares Shield's system will be able to detect and classify potential threats, such as approaching "inspector" satellites that may have designs on stealing the client's data. And the defense module can neutralize them via electronics-frying HPM emissions, knocking satellites out without creating a cloud of space debris. (8/26)

Lockheed Martin Ventures Open to ‘Defense-Specific Investments’ (Source: Aerospace America)
Lockheed Martin’s venture capital fund is increasingly interested in technology focused on defense, its general manager said today. “A lot of our investments, I’d say 90% plus, are still kind of dual-use,” Chris Moran, who heads Lockheed Martin Ventures, told reporters. “But in the last couple years, we’ve made a few defense-specific investments, which we probably wouldn’t have contemplated before.” (8/26)

Impulse Space Ramps up GEO Rideshare Program (Source: Space News)
Impulse Space will increase the cadence of its rideshare missions to geostationary orbit, citing strong commercial demand. During a side session at the Small Satellite Conference here Aug. 25, Joshua Rea, director of commercial sales at Impulse Space, said the company has closed bookings for its first Caravan rideshare mission, scheduled for the first half of 2027, using the company’s Helios kick stage to deliver payloads to GEO. (8/26)

SpaceX Moving All Starlink Launches to Vandenberg (Source: Space News)
As part of the company's shift in focus from Falcon 9 to Starship, SpaceX has decided to launch all Falcon 9 future Starlink missions to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Starlink missions have been responsible for bringing Florida's launch cadence up to the 100+ per year level, though in 2026 the company has shifted more of them to California.

Moving all Falcon 9 Starlink missions to California will allow the company to focus on developing Starship infrastructure at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, while meeting the demand for non-Starlink missions in Florida. Future Starship missions from Florida are intended to carry Starlink satellites. (8/26)

India's OrbitAID to Launch RPO Demo in 2027 (Source: Payload)
OrbitAID Aerospace is aiming to prove it can gas up satellites in orbit as early as next year. The Indian company told Payload that it is expecting to conduct a demo life-extension mission in LEO in Q1 2027. During the demo, two satellites will launch to LEO—a chaser and a target. The mission seeks to prove out each step of the life-extension process for a target spacecraft. (8/25)

Impulse Space to Increase Cadence of Commercial GEO Rideshare Missions (Source: Space News)
Impulse Space plans to increase the cadence of rideshare missions to geostationary orbit, citing strong commercial demand. The expansion signals continued customer interest in dedicated orbital transfer and deployment services for GEO-bound payloads, while adding another demand indicator for the emerging commercial space transportation market. (8/25)

U.S. Trustee Seeks Investigation Into EchoStar’s $1.5 Billion Hughes Transactions (Source: Bloomberg)
The U.S. Trustee is urging a bankruptcy court to appoint an examiner to investigate $1.5 billion in alleged “unusual transactions” between EchoStar Corp. and its bankrupt subsidiary, Hughes Satellite Systems Corp. The request places EchoStar’s intercompany dealings and governance under heightened legal scrutiny. (8/25)

China Advances Orbital Data Centers as Europe Debates Its Space-Compute Strategy (Source: Spacewatch Global)
China is moving rapidly to develop orbital data centers, while the European Space Policy Institute warns Europe risks falling behind in space-based computing. The debate highlights the emerging strategic value of processing data in orbit and the policy, industrial and infrastructure choices needed to compete. (8/25)

MaiaSpace Adds RIDE! to Launch Ecosystem for Secondary Payloads Ahead of Maiden Flight (Source: Spacewatch Global)
MaiaSpace is partnering with RIDE! to offer compatible secondary payload opportunities alongside the company’s primary missions. The agreement expands MaiaSpace’s commercial launch ecosystem ahead of its launcher’s maiden mission, giving satellite customers another potential route to orbit while the new vehicle moves toward initial operations. (8/25)

TrustPoint Tests C-Band Navigation Signals on Hexagon’s NovAtel Receiver (Source: Space News)
TrustPoint has tested its C-band navigation signals on a receiver developed by Hexagon’s NovAtel, an early step toward compatibility with commercial navigation hardware. The demonstration advances the startup’s effort to develop an alternative to GPS using existing receiver technology. (8/25)

Rideshare Providers Get Creative to Meet Growing Demand (Source: Space News)
Companies who built their business arranging launches of smallsats on SpaceX’s rockets are now buying entire launches for themselves, a symbol of how tight the market for getting to orbit has become. Exolaunch and SEOPS, two companies that arrange rides to space for small-satellite operators, have each booked dedicated Falcon 9 launches as they seek more control over when and where their customers fly. Other launch-service companies are reshuffling missions and looking for additional capacity as the need to get to space outpaces the supply of available rides. “Demand is growing much faster than capacity,” Robert Sproles, chief executive of Exolaunch, said. (8/25)

Addressing the Space Industry’s Hiring Crunch (Source: Space News)
The space economy’s stellar growth is outstripping its workforce pipeline, even as advances in AI and automation boost productivity. Businesses and government agencies are struggling to find the engineers, cleared workers and mid-career managers needed to turn surging investment and demand into spacecraft and services. “The biggest need is clearable workforce,” said Heather Pringle, CEO of the non-profit Space Foundation. “That’s first and foremost — and that’s the hardest to get.”

“We know that there’s 25% of the workforce [that] is nearing retirement age and only 7% of the space workforce is under 25,” Pringle told SpaceNews. “That is not a sustainable path.” “It’s not just getting people in the pipeline,” Pringle said, “it’s keeping them,” with mid-management one of the critical layers that has become difficult to maintain. The industry has long bemoaned the struggle to attract enough engineering talent, but Pringle said the issue has become even more acute in recent years.

Meanwhile, China continues to far outpace the United States in the number of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates. “If we don’t fill the workforce, we’re going to stop innovating,” Pringle warned, and “then we’re going to have to depend on others,” reducing options for economic growth and national security. (8/25)

Three Wires, Three Zeros: Three Failed Space-Tech Investments and the Warning Signs I Paid To Ignore (Source: Space Review)
Millions of dollars flow into space startups with the hope those companies will some day be worth billions. Florian Gutzwiller offers cautionary tales from his investments into three space companies that he had to write off. Click here. (8/25)
 
The Smoldering Dead End: A History of Solid Rocket Motors and Their Economic Scaling Limits (Source: Space Review)
Launch vehicles have used solid rocket motors for decades, although many new vehicles eschew them. Michael Puckett discusses the factors that led to adoption of solid motors on many early launch vehicles and why economics is pushing solids out of the market. Click here. (8/25)
 
At the Corner of No and Where: The Cold Cold War Mystery of Aspidnoye Airfield (Source: Space Review)
During the Cold War, US reconnaissance satellites monitored a Soviet airfield in the far north of the country. Harry Stranger and Dwayne Day examine the mystery of that airfield that even the best images from space could not unravel. Click here. (8/25)
 
Capability Before Prestige: A Realistic Astronomy and Space-Science Strategy for Bangladesh (Source: Space Review)
While space science programs are usually associated with major space powers, there are roles for emerging players as well. Shaikh Afnan Birahim discusses what Bangladesh can do in the field with only a limited investment. Click here. (8/25)

Goodbye, Falcon 9: SpaceX Planning to Retire Workhorse Launcher (Source: Space.com)
The rumors are true. SpaceX plans to retire its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket once the company's giant next-generation Starship begins regular operational flights. SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 for the first time in 2010, and the rocket soon chiseled itself a place in spaceflight history. The Falcon 9 has lifted off nearly 700 times to date, and it's the first orbital rocket ever to land and refly its first-stage booster. Russia's Soyuz rocket, which has been in operation since 1957, is the only launch vehicle with more missions under its belt, but the Falcon 9 is on track to pass it next year.

Editor's Note: It makes no sense for SpaceX to simply shut down the Falcon 9 program. If they're so confident that Starship will render Falcon 9 obsolete, why not sell the program or license production to ULA or Blue Origin? Or maybe sell the rockets to other 'spaceline' operators, like Boeing sells 737s to Delta Airlines. (8/24)

Policy Calls for Improved Integration of Space Transportation with Air Traffic Management (Source: Defense One)
To facilitate more space launches in U.S. airspace, the memo directs the Transportation Department—with the Pentagon and NASA—to “implement a plan to integrate space launch and reentry management into airspace and traffic control modernization efforts” and “designate priority airspace for critical space launch corridors” within 180 days of the policy’s release. Under Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration has been driving the administration’s effort to overhaul the nation’s outdated air traffic control systems.

It remains to be seen what steps will be needed to integrate the administration’s strategy with the air traffic control modernization effort, and whether or not this will have any impact on the project’s timeline. The FAA announced in December that it awarded Peraton a $1.5-billion contract to serve as the project’s prime integrator, although Politico reported on Thursday that officials within the agency were growing frustrated by the company’s management of the massive systems overhaul. (8/24)

Redwire to Manufacture Edge Aerospace Data Processors and Network Switches in U.S. Licensing Deal (Source: Via Satellite)
Redwire will manufacture data processing units and network switches for Luxembourg-based Edge Aerospace under a licensing agreement announced Aug. 25 at the Small Satellite Conference. The pact expands Edge Aerospace’s U.S. manufacturing footprint while adding space electronics production capacity through Redwire. (8/25)

ESA’s Draco Reentry Mission Passes Critical Design Review Ahead of 2027 Launch (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency’s Draco reentry mission has completed its Critical Design Review, a major program milestone that authorizes the transition to manufacturing and testing. The mission remains scheduled for launch in 2027, advancing ESA’s work on controlled atmospheric reentry and spacecraft recovery technologies. (8/25)

NASA Satellites Prove GPS-Free Navigation in First “Lost-in-Space” Experiment (Source: Space.com)
A team of NASA satellites successfully demonstrated navigation without GPS in what NASA describes as the world’s first “lost-in-space” experiment. The result is enabling the satellites to extend their mission in orbit and validates alternative navigation methods for spacecraft operating beyond conventional GPS coverage. (8/25)

Space Policy's "Priority Airspace" Could Become an Inland Spaceport Range (Source: SPACErePORT)
The new policy calling for expansion of US orbital launch and reentry sites seeks input on potential "priority airspace" for such operations. This spells opportunity for proposed inland spaceports, especially in relation to ongoing FAA rulemaking for supersonic flight in the National Airspace System.

Stakeholders supporting supersonic flight have called for the FAA to create a supersonic/hypersonic flight test corridor somewhere over sparsely populated lands with uncrowded airspace. Extend this proposed test corridor above the Karman Line and you have a ready-made inland range for orbital launch and reentry.

Not coincidentally, some of the same vehicles being developed for supersonic and hypersonic flight are targeting air-launch operations, orbital access, and point-to-point spaceflight, so it doesn't take much imagination to combine the two concepts into one. (8/25)

NASA to Fly No Nubesat Secondary Payloads on Artemis 3 (Source: Space News)
NASA will omit cubesat secondary payloads from Artemis 3 after carrying small satellites on the first two Space Launch System missions. The change reduces the mission’s rideshare activity and underscores the evolving payload priorities for the next Artemis flight to the Moon. (8/25)

Arkisys Extends Agreement to Fly Odin Space’s Debris-Tracking Black Box on Cutter Spacecraft (Source: SatNews)
British startup Odin Space will continue flying its Black Box payload on Arkisys’ Cutter spacecraft under an extended agreement. The system is designed to address lethal, non-trackable space debris, adding another commercial effort focused on improving awareness of orbital hazards. (8/25)

Louisiana to Host SpaceX's High-Cadence Heavy-Lift Spaceport (Source: Louisiana Economic Development Department)
SpaceX has announced it will invest $100 billion to build its largest launch facility in Vermilion Parish, a spaceport designed to support thousands of launches annually and unlock spaceflight on an unprecedented scale. The historic project will establish Louisiana as a global hub for next-generation aerospace, with the capacity and infrastructure needed to dramatically increase launch frequency and expand access to space.

The company is expected to create 3,000 direct new jobs over the next 10 years, paying an average annual salary of $92,600, 192% above the Vermilion Parish average wage. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will generate more than 8,100 indirect new jobs for more than 11,100 new job opportunities in Acadiana. (8/25)

Billion-Dollar Hypersonic Testing Facility Breaks Ground in Minnesota (Source: Bring Me The News)
A $1 billion aerospace and hypersonic research and testing facility, billed as one of the most advanced in the nation, broke ground in Dakota County, Minnesota. Virginia-based North Wind said that over $1 billion will be invested in the complex now under construction. The facility “will provide the tools and test data needed to identify risks earlier, accelerate learning and advance technologies critical to U.S. national security.” (8/24)

Zelensky: Allowing Starlink Over Russia Could Shorten War (Source: Benzinga)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Elon Musk could reconsider his opposition to allowing Ukraine to use SpaceX's Starlink over Russian territory, even though the billionaire views the move as an escalation. "So far, (Elon Musk) has said that this constitutes an escalation," Zelensky told reporters. "However, he may change his mind once he sees further arguments." Zelensky said expanded coverage could weaken "precisely those capabilities that Russia is relying on to drag out the war." Kyiv wants Starlink-enabled drones to maintain reliable links during strikes against Russian military sites. (8/25)

Russian ‘Starlink’ Constellation Satellites Falling From Orbit (Source: Defence Blog)
Two satellites from Russia’s second Rassvet launch batch are heading toward reentry after never performing orbit-raising maneuvers, according to tracking data. The pair had fallen below 300 km in altitude as of late August and appeared to be on a decay path, the report said. It is the second time satellites from the Rassvet constellation have failed to reach a stable orbit. The Defence Blog reported in June that the first Rassvet satellite lost, designated Object 4, reentered the atmosphere on June 6 after never performing a single maneuver following its March 23 launch, the first confirmed casualty of the program. (8/25)

Utah School is Working with NASA to Train Aerospace Talent (Source: Deseret News)
Southern Utah University was one of seven institutions awarded a combined $10.5 million from NASA to support skilled training that prepares students for the aerospace workforce. Each state’s hub works with NASA to create a pathway for students to pursue highly skilled jobs in the aerospace industry. Using the awarded money, SUU will work with high school and college students to prepare them for an aerospace career. (8/25)

Ursa Major Plans SPAC Deal to Go Public (Source: Space News)
Ursa Major, a company that develops rocket engines and hypersonic missiles, is going public through a SPAC deal. The company announced Tuesday it will merge with Bleichroeder Acquisition Corp. III, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), that would value the merged company at $2.3 billion. The deal includes at least $350 million in committed financing for Ursa Major to expand production of missile propulsion systems, hypersonic missiles and spacecraft propulsion technology. Ursa Major originally built its business around supplying liquid-propellant rocket engines to launch companies, but has since moved deeper into defense as Pentagon demand for hypersonic systems and solid rocket motors has grown. Ursa Major said it expected the merger to close in the first quarter of 2027. (8/25)

SDA to Resume Tranche 1 Transport Layer Launches (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency (SDA) expects to soon resume launches of a military communications satellite system. After a months-long pause, SDA is filling out the Tranche 1 Transport Layer, the communications backbone of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). Two planes of York Space Systems satellites and one plane of Lockheed Martin spacecraft are currently in Tranche 1. Speaking at the Small Satellite Conference on Monday, SDA director GP Sandhoo said the first set of Northrop Grumman satellites for Tranche 1 could launch in the next couple of weeks. He said despite progress in deploying PWSA satellites, the agency is still seeing problems such as supply chain constraints that are hindering the overall effort. (8/25)

Kepler to Start In-Orbit Laser Links (Source: Space News)
Kepler Communications announced Monday the start of commercial in-orbit optical data relay services. The Canadian company said it had wrapped up commissioning for the first tranche of 10 satellites, weighing about 300 kilograms each, that SpaceX launched in January. The network uses intersatellite laser links to relay data between spacecraft, reducing the need for customers to wait for passes over ground stations to communicate with Earth. Kepler said it has a diverse mix of customers across commercial and government markets for its data relay network, including OroraTech, which operates satellites for wildfire monitoring. (8/25)

Lux Aeterna Pitches Reusable Spacecraft to Space Force (Source: Space News)
Lux Aeterna, a startup developing reusable spacecraft, is pitching such spacecraft to the Space Force. The company is working to convince the military that it is possible to treat some spacecraft more like aircraft: assets that can be deployed for a mission, brought back for maintenance or upgrades and returned to service. The argument is as much about lowering the cost of a satellite as it is about changing how the Space Force manages spacecraft over their lifetimes. Lux Aeterna is building its first satellite, Delphi-1, a roughly 200-kilogram vehicle designed to carry about 30 kilograms of payload. It is scheduled to launch early next year. (8/25)

Germany's Constellr Developing Thermal Imaging Constellation (Source: Space News)
Constellr, a German company developing a constellation of thermal-imaging satellites, has ordered two spacecraft from Danish smallsat manufacturer Space Inventor. The satellites, slated for launch in 2028, will provide thermal imagery at higher resolution than its current satellites, working toward a goal of sub-five-meter resolution. Constellr operates two SkyBee satellites, built by Kongsberg NanoAvionics, that provide thermal imagery at a resolution of 30 meters. A third SkyBee satellite is scheduled to launch next February. (8/25)

SpaceX Offers Free Use of Space Safety Platform (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is offering a free space safety platform for other satellite operators. The company discussed its space-safety.com system at the Small Satellite Conference on Monday. It uses data from its Stargaze SSA system announced earlier this year along with other data, such as ephemerides from satellite operators. SpaceX officials said its system can screen for potential conjunctions far more rapidly than other services, such as the Space Force's Space-Track system. SpaceX acknowledges it is motivated to improve space safety given it is by far the largest satellite operator, with more than 11,000 Starlink satellites in orbit. (8/25)

Aerospace Corp.'s DiskSat Tests Going Well (Source: Space News)
The Aerospace Corporation says tests of its first DiskSat satellites have gone well. Aerospace launched in December the first four DiskSat spacecraft, so named because of their disk-shaped form factor that is a departure from cubesats and other smallsats. Tests of the spacecraft show they are performing well despite a few issues, such as stray light affecting star trackers that had been modified to fit within the thin spacecraft. Several companies have expressed interest in licensing the DiskSat design for their own spacecraft. (8/25)

CesiumAstro Plans to Launch its First Element Spacecraft Later This Year (Source: Space News)
In a presentation at the Small Satellite Conference on Sunday, a company official said the Element-1 spacecraft is being shipped later this week for launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission in October. Element-1 is a 500-kilogram satellite that will test the company's L- and Ka-band phased-array antennas. The company has filed plans for a constellation of more than 700 satellites based on Element-1 but has said little about the services that constellation will provide. (8/25)

China Launches Long March 6C with Seven Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese Long March 6C rocket launched seven satellites Monday night. The rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 11:21 p.m. Eastern. The rocket's payload included two radar-imaging satellites for Chinese company GalaxySpace. That company also built GISTDA Cube Sat 1, which will provide Earth science data for Thailand's space agency. (8/25)

Russia Launches Soyuz Rocket From Plesetsk, After Earlier Drone Threats (Source: Russian Space Web)
Russia launched a military satellite from Plesetsk despite worries of an Ukrainian drone attack. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the spaceport in northern Russia at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Sunday, placing into orbit a classified Russian military satellite. The launch took place after reports of Ukrainian drone sightings in the region earlier Sunday, interpreted by some at an attempted attack on the spaceport. (8/25)

SpaceX Launches Tuesday Starlink Mission From Florida (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Tuesday morning. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 5:33 a.m. Eastern, putting 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. The early morning launch created a "jellyfish" effect as the plume was backlit by the rising sun, making it visible across parts of the Eastern Seaboard. The booster used for the launch made its record-setting 37th flight. (8/25)

Finland's Kuva Space to Offer Daily Arctic Hyperspectral Imagery (Source: Space News)
Finnish hyperspectral startup Kuva Space expects to provide daily coverage of the Arctic by 2028. The company, which has two satellites in orbit today, is working on the six-satellite Hyperfield-2 constellation that will join them. Kuva Space expects that the full eight-satellite system will be able to provide daily hyperspectral coverage of the Arctic, from detecting stealth vessels to monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. (8/25)

Hyperspectral Imagery Market Picking Up (Source: Space News)
After years of effort, demand for hyperspectral imagery is finally emerging. Constellations of small satellites with hyperspectral imagers have promised global insights that are impossible to obtain with other systems, but have grappled with the complexity of calibrating hyperspectral sensors and turning the raw data into information customers value. However, industry officials say advances in AI are making it easier to process hyperspectral imagery and extract key insights. Governments are early customers for that data, using it to see through camouflage and detect decoys, but there is also commercial interest in agriculture and mining. (8/25)

Portal Space and Rebel Space to Fly Spectrum Monitors (Source: Space News)
Spacecraft developer Portal Space is working with Rebel Space to place spectrum monitoring technology aboard its vehicles. The companies are exploring several approaches that would allow Portal spacecraft to detect and characterize interference and other electronic threats in their immediate surroundings. The effort comes as government agencies and commercial satellite operators pay closer attention to the increasingly congested electromagnetic environment in space, where communications links can be disrupted by unintentional interference or deliberate jamming. (8/25)

Shield AI's Hivemind Flies on NOVI Satellite (Source: Space News)
Shield AI has flown its Hivemind autonomy software aboard a satellite for the first time. Shield AI, Sedaro and NOVI Space said Monday that Hivemind ran aboard a NOVI satellite in low Earth orbit during a series of experiments that combined artificial intelligence with onboard simulation software designed to check commands before they were carried out. The experiment went beyond using artificial intelligence for onboard data processing, testing whether software could make decisions across several mission demands. Shield AI is a San Diego-based defense technology company known for its AI autonomy software for aircraft. (8/25)