August 7, 2026

Europe to Expand IRIS² Constellation (Source: Space News)
The European Commission has finalized an agreement with an industrial consortium for the IRIS² constellation, increasing its size and cost. The commission announced Friday it completed negotiations with the SpaceRISE consortium on the constellation, allowing development of the system to proceed. The agreement adds 66 satellites to the system's high-LEO shell, bringing it to 330 satellites, along with 18 medium Earth orbit satellites. Launches of IRIS² satellites are scheduled to begin in 2029. The commission did not disclose the revised cost of the system but Hispasat, one of the members of SpaceRISE, said the constellation now costs 15.6 billion euros ($18 billion), a nearly 50% increase from earlier estimates. The European Commission and ESA, along with their member states, will provide 11.6 billion euros with SpaceRISE contributing the remainder. (8/7)

Schiess Confirmed to Lead Space Force (Source: Space News)
The Senate confirmed Douglas Schiess as the next commanding general of the Space Force. The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Scheiss as chief of space operations and promote him from lieutenant general to general. Schiess, who has served as the Space Force's deputy chief of space operations for operations since late 2025, succeeds Gen. Chance Saltzman as the service's top uniformed officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Schiess is a 34-year military veteran who began his career as an Air Force missile officer before moving into military launch, GPS and satellite communications. Saltzman, who is retiring after 35 years of military service, called Schiess "an exceptional leader" and said he had the experience needed to guide the Space Force into its next phase. (8/7)

Senate Bill Would Expand Space Wargaming (Source: Space News)
A bipartisan Senate bill would direct the Space Force to strengthen preparation for a potential conflict with China. The Space Superiority Readiness Act, introduced by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Katie Britt (R-AL), would require the Defense Department to expand the Space Force's capacity to conduct wargaming, modeling and simulation of peer conflicts in space and develop training programs focused on the tactics, techniques and procedures needed for space control operations. It also requires an unclassified report to Congress on China's commercial space capabilities and their potential military applications within 180 days of enactment. The proposal, which could be included as an amendment to the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act,  largely reinforces initiatives the Space Force says are already underway. (8/7)

Redwire to Use SpaceX Starfall Reentry Service (Source: Space News)
Redwire will fly a dedicated microgravity research flight on SpaceX's Starfall vehicle. Redwire announced Thursday it purchased a Starfall mission, scheduled for late 2028, that will carry up to 32 of Redwire's PIL-BOX experiment packages to conduct pharmaceutical research. SpaceX launched its first Starfall mission in June on a test flight, offering it for microgravity research and manufacturing. The contract illustrates both the interest in commercial microgravity research and manufacturing and the competitive threat posed by SpaceX as several other companies also work on reentry spacecraft for similar applications. (8/7)

Lunar Greenhouses Remain a NASA Focus (Source: Space News)
As NASA works on its plans for a moon base, several companies are working on an important but often overlooked technology: growing food for the people who will live there. This spring, NASA solicited SBIR proposals for plant-growth technologies and has multiple contract opportunities for similar types of innovations. Across the industry, companies and research teams are building modular plant pods and refining larger lunar greenhouse designs, preparing to cultivate difficult-to-grow flora on the lunar surface and developing monitors that can detect plant stress before it hinders growth. (8/7)

NASA Astronauts Complete ISS Spacewalk for New Solar Arrays (Source: Space.com)
NASA astronauts successfully completed work on the International Space Station's power system during a spacewalk Thursday. Jessica Meir and Anil Menon spent 6 hours and 27 minutes outside the station on a spacewalk that ended at 3 p.m. Eastern. The two installed a modification kit for one of the station's eight power channels to prepare for a new solar array that will be added later this year. The spacewalk was the first of three NASA planned for the ISS this month, with the next, to replace an antenna, scheduled for Aug. 13. (8/7)

Blue Origin Plans Large Facility Near Austin TX (Source: Austin American-Stateman)
A suburb of Austin, Texas, is advancing plans for a factory that may be used by Blue Origin. The city council of Hutto, Texas, along with its economic development corporation jointly approved Thursday performance and incentive agreements for "Project Blue Hub," which has been linked to Blue Origin. Project Blue Hub involves a factory spanning 1.3 million square feet that would create more than 2,000 jobs. City officials have not disclosed additional details about the project, and the discussion of the agreements took place in executive session. Blue Origin has not publicly stated it is involved in Project Blue Hub but a company official attended the meeting. (8/7)

Italy's ASI Dissolves Board Allow Short-Term Leadership Move (Source: European Spaceflight)
The board of directors of Italy's space agency, ASI, has dissolved as part of the response to the death of the agency's president. ASI announced this week that three members of the board stepped down so that the board could be dissolved and an extraordinary commissioner appointed to lead the agency temporarily. ASI's president, Teodoro Valente, died unexpectedly last month, and board members said Italian law did not include provisions to select a replacement in such a scenario. An extraordinary commissioner can run the agency for up to a year while a new president and board are selected. (8/7)

Terafab is SpaceX's Next Giant Project in Texas (Source: Houston Chronicle)
SpaceX's next giant project will be a terrestrial chip factory. SpaceX announced Thursday it was proceeding with plans to develop Terafab, a giant chip fabrication facility to be built in Grimes County, Texas, northwest of Houston. Terafab will cover 100 million square feet and cost $16.8 billion to develop. SpaceX announced earlier this year its intent to develop Terafab, which will product chips for AI applications at both SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX in the near term, though, will continue to rely on other chip producers, announcing an exclusive agreement with Nvidia earlier this week to use that company's chips on its orbital data center spacecraft. (8/7)

Can an Alaskan Spaceport Ease Pentagon’s Launch Bottleneck? (Source: Defense One)
Rocket Lab’s announcement that it would launch suborbital rockets from Alaska could ultimately give the Pentagon a much-needed new option for national-security launches. These missile-defense missions will be handled by the company’s HASTE rocket, a suborbital variant of its Electron. Both rockets “use the same launch infrastructure so yes, operating out of Alaska naturally opens the door to a broader range of possibilities including orbital launch,” a Rocket Lab spokesperson said. “It’s important to remember too that the core systems, infrastructure, and expertise we build and refine in Alaska aren’t tied to just one location.”

Top Space Force officials and lawmakers are concerned that the Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg bases will be unable to handle the projected increase in military-satellite launches. The Space Force expects to launch more than 100 rockets a year within five years and potentially thousands a year by 2036. An Arctic national-security launch site would reduce the bottleneck and help the military reach polar orbits, said Clayton Swope, the deputy director of CSIS’ Aerospace Security Project. (8/6)

Musk Reveals SpaceX Plans to Build Satellite Factories on the Moon (Source: Scientific American)
Elon Musk laid out a sweeping plan for SpaceX to reach profitability during an investor call on Tuesday—including robotic satellite factories on the moon. Musk, who is known for making ambitious timeline predictions that don’t always hold up to reality, told investors this will come to fruition “faster than you think.” Building factories largely staffed by robotic workers “sounds like super sci-fi right now,” he acknowledged, “but it’s going to happen.” (8/5)

NASA’s Future In Low Earth Orbit Is Riding On Commercial Stations (Source: Aviation Week)
Twenty years ago, in the wake of the Columbia accident and retirement of the space shuttles, NASA embarked on a bold experiment to turn over transportation services to and from the International Space Station to private companies, seeding SpaceX and other ventures. Now, with the ISS approaching the end of its operational life, NASA is preparing for a pivotal moment in the history of human spaceflight: the handoff of permanent U.S. human presence in low Earth orbit (LEO) to commercially owned destinations.

Under the agency’s draft Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) Phase 2 solicitation, released July 6, NASA is calling for bidders to be ready to support a crewed flight test in 2029 as part of certification requirements to host agency astronauts. NASA intends to award firm-fixed-price, multi-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts supporting the development, certification and services of a CLD.

The agency intends to select two or more contractors through early development, followed by a competitive task order for final design, test, evaluation, certification and flight services from one or more provider. The final request for proposals is expected in late August, and NASA plans to make its selection next spring. (8/5)

UCF Grad Helps Shape Humanity’s Next Giant Leap (Source: UCF)
When Alex Williams says, “these are exciting times,” just consider where he’s been and where he believes humanity is going. Williams recently traveled between Virgin Galactic’s headquarters in Tustin, California, and its spaceship factory in Mesa, Arizona, 350 miles from Spaceport America near Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Today, fewer than 800 people have traveled to space. But Virgin Galactic projects that soon 750 or more people — “astronauts” — will ride its spaceships annually. As the company’s senior manager of program design, Williams is among those responsible for producing a full “experience” around each pinnacle moment. "My wheelhouse, [going] back to Disney and UCF, is designing experiences that are different, larger than ourselves,” Williams says. “Here, I get to be part of opening space as the next layer of humanity.” (8/5)

First Rocket Launch from SaxaVord Delayed Further (Source: Shetland News)
A planned first orbital rocket launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport has been cancelled with no new date announced. Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) had planned a first launch into orbit from UK soil during a five-week window starting later this month, but this is now not happening. The spaceport said last night (Wednesday) that any launch related road restrictions in the vicinity of the launch site in Unst “have been put on hold until further notice”.

The company had its RFA One rocket standing on the launch site ahead of a hot fire test when engineers encountered the issue. RFA has given no further details and has so far made no other announcement regarding the latest delay in their launch efforts. (8/6)

NASA Proposes Major Beach Restoration Project at Wallops Island (Source: WBOC)
NASA is seeking federal approval for a major shoreline restoration project aimed at protecting critical facilities on Wallops Island from storms and rising sea levels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District says NASA's Wallops Flight Facility has applied for a Department of the Army permit for the project, which would restore approximately 15,000 feet of shoreline in Accomack County. According to the Army Corps, the project is intended to reduce the risk of damage or loss to facilities belonging to NASA, the U.S. Navy, and the Virginia Spaceport Authority's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. (8/5)

Canada's Defense Investment Agency Awards Telesat and MDA Space an Arctic Security Connectivity Contract Valued at $2.3 Billion (Source: SpaceQ)
The Defense Investment Agency awarded a $2.3-billion initial contract to Telesat on Tuesday to deliver the first phase of the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project-Polar (ESCP-P). Telesat isn’t the only beneficiary as MDA Space also received a follow-on manufacturing contract worth $474-million. ESCP-P is designed to provide wideband and narrowband connectivity in the Arctic and aims to strengthen Arctic security. The government also said the project “demonstrates Canada’s commitment to modernizing military capabilities, supporting NATO and NORAD priorities.” (8/4)

NASA Seeks Info From Space Nuclear Tech Providers (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA has issued a request for information (RFI) for a Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) contract to develop nuclear systems for use in space and on the Moon. Responses are due by Aug 17. The SPARC contract may include the delivery of technology development hardware and software. (8/5)

Canadian Space Agency Opens $2.4 Million CUBICS 2026 Opportunity for University CubeSat Projects (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has opted again to fund the CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM (CUBICS) program, this time allocating a $2.4 million to support university-led satellite missions. The goal of the CUBICS program is to provide students with hands-on space science and technology experience. The CSA expects the initiative to help develop a domestic talent pipeline and position graduates as highly sought-after candidates or entrepreneurs within the Canadian space sector. The program also focuses on increasing scientific knowledge and developing new technologies that align with the 2019 Space Strategy for Canada. (8/5)

ISRO Carried Out 29 Collision Avoidance Maneuvers To Protect Indian Satellites in Last 18 Months (Sources: Deccan Herald, The Federal)
With the majority of Indian satellites in the low earth orbit, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has carried out 29 "collision avoidance maneuvers" in the last one and half years for securing the space assets. Twenty of the 22 active Indian satellites in low earth orbit are at a higher risk of colliding with space objects. (8/5)

A Nuclear Powered Spacesuit to Keep Astronauts Warm (Source: Douglas Messier)
A.C. Charania of Zeno Power Systems believes nuclear energy integrated into spacesuits can be used to keep astronauts warm. NASA awarded Charania a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) research grant of up to $175,000 for his Extended Astronaut Radioisotope-EVA in Nighttime and Deep-space Icy Landscapes (EARENDIL) project. (8/6)