October 1, 2026

Data Deluge Prompts Space Force Need for Laser Comms (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
The US Space Force must adopt optical communications technology to avoid data bottlenecks as it launches more satellites, according to a report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The report says the current method of using radio frequencies is insufficient for the volume of data generated by modern sensors. (9/30)
 
DIU, Space Force to Develop Monitoring Satellites (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Defense Innovation Unit and the US Space Force have partnered to accelerate the development of commercial satellites for on-orbit monitoring. The collaboration integrates DIU's Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaissance project with the Space Force's RG-XX program, which aims to replace Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellites. Northrop Grumman and True Anomaly have been selected to develop prototypes by 2028, utilizing commercial technologies to enhance resolution and mobility. (9/29)

UCF Business Incubation Program Named Florida’s Top Incubator (Source: Team Orlando)
After helping generate thousands of jobs, significant investment in companies and hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact in Central Florida, the UCF Business Incubation Program has earned national recognition as one of the country’s top business incubators. Time released its inaugural listing of America’s Best Incubators & Accelerators 2026, spotlighting programs that assist early-stage companies to grow, scale and create lasting economic impact. (8/19)

Stratolaunch Expands Hypersonic Flight Test Infrastructure with Acquisition of Boeing 777 Carrier Aircraft (Source: Stratolaunch)
Stratolaunch has acquired a Boeing 777-200ER, expanding Stratolaunch’s fleet of carrier aircraft supporting the company’s Talon-A air-launched hypersonic flight test platforms. This expands Stratolaunch’s fleet of carrier aircraft beyond the Spirit of Mojave and Roc. With three carrier aircraft, Stratolaunch intends to maintain continuous launch readiness, boosting overall flight capacity by 35%. (9/30)

Golden Dome Question Remain After Budget Brief (Source: Space News)
Congressional budget analysts have finally been briefed on the Golden Dome missile defense system, but are remaining quiet about its cost. At a Senate hearing Tuesday, David Mosher, the Congressional Budget Office's director of national security analysis, said his office had been briefed last week on an architecture being developed under Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, the officer leading Golden Dome.

He declined to discuss details of the briefing in the open hearing, but the office has neither withdrawn nor publicly revised its $1.2 trillion 20-year cost estimate it released several months ago. The Pentagon has put the cost of Golden Dome at about $185 billion over the coming decade. Senators at the hearing raised questions about what coverage Golden Dome will provide, some noting that the name suggested nationwide coverage while the system will likely initially offer only a limited-area defense.

Editor's Note: Given the current $40 trillion national debt, I expect the next Congress to look hard at ways to shrink the historically large $1.5 trillion DoD budget. Golden Dome is an easy target. (10/1)

DoD Plans Autonomous Warfare Command (Source: CNN)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a new DoD Autonomous Warfare Command, which will focus on AI robotics and autonomous weapons, will be led by a four-star general, a sign that it will have a key role in future military operations. He cited lessons learned from the war in Ukraine as motivation for the new command and said that a complementary effort known as Project Agincourt will work to clear the way for the new command and overhaul how the military acquires, tests, and fields drones and other similar weapons. (9/30)

'Clowns Out, Cowboys In,' Says Hegseth as a Fifth of Generals and Admirals are Fired (Source: BBC)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday confirmed the firing of 20% of top military leadership, while stressing a "warrior ethos".  The announcement adds to an earlier round of personnel cuts in 2025, when Hegseth assembled military leaders at Quantico and criticized the department as too "woke". He also slammed leaders, saying "fat generals and admirals" is "a bad look".

"We are no longer the woke department or the weak department," Hegseth said. "The ideological clowns are out. The patriotic cowboys are in with testosterone testing on top. Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength," he said. There are over 800 active-duty generals and admirals across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, according to the latest department tally. (9/30)

FCC Votes to Limit Environmental Reviews for Space Things (Source: Space News)
FCC commissioners voted Wednesday to exclude space activities from environmental reviews. The FCC ruled 2-1 that licensing satellites does not constitute a "major federal action" that would trigger reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. The decision codified the FCC's longstanding practice of excluding constellations from these environmental reviews. The commission also voted to make more than 1,000 megahertz of additional spectrum available for satellite services in the 12.7 and 42 gigahertz bands. (10/1)

Rocket Lab Signs for 20 More Synspective Launches (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab has signed its biggest commercial launch contract to date with a long-time customer. Rocket Lab said Wednesday it signed a contract with Synspective, a Japanese company operating a constellation of radar-imaging satellites, for 20 Electron launches from 2028 through 2031. Each launch will carry a single StriX satellite. Rocket Lab has already launched 13 StriX satellites with contracts for 14 more before this latest deal. Rocket Lab said it now has more than 100 launches under contract with various government and commercial customers. (10/1)

Honda and Redwire Team on Space Station Robotic Arm System (Source: Space News)
Honda and Redwire are partnering on a robotic arm system for future commercial space stations. Honda announced Thursday that the companies will explore combining Honda's multi-fingered robotic hand with Redwire's Staark robotic arm to assist space station research and experiments.

Honda has developed robotics technologies for decades to support automation of complex manufacturing and assembly tasks, including a multi-fingered robotic hand incorporating force and tactile sensing throughout the fingertips and palm. The companies said they plan to discuss potential applications for those robotic systems with space station developers and others at the International Astronautical Congress next week. (10/1)

Viridian Space Studying VLEO Satellite "Control Surfaces" with University of Washington (Source: Space News)
Viridian Space will work with the University of Washington to study development of control surfaces for satellites in very low Earth orbit (VLEO). The company announced Wednesday a $225,000 NASA Small Business Technology Transfer contract to study how spacecraft can use the tenuous atmosphere in VLEO to aid in maneuvering, rather than treat it solely as a source of drag. Viridian was established in 2021 to develop air-breathing electric propulsion systems that ingest atmosphere at an altitude between 200 and 300 kilometers to feed a plasma thruster, and earlier this year signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory to support that work. (10/1)

Firefly to Launch Starcloud Data Center Payload on Lunar Mission (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace will carry an orbital data center payload from Starcloud on a future lunar mission. The companies announced Wednesday that Starcloud will fly a computing payload called SC-1L on a Firefly Elytra orbital spacecraft on its third lunar landing mission in 2028. SC-1L will test the ability to carry out AI applications in lunar orbit, ingesting data from a camera system and processing it. The demonstration will test technologies that could support future orbital data center spacecraft operating around the moon. (10/1)

NASA Picks Modulate Space for $38 Million Lunar 5G Network Plans (Source: NASA)
NASA awarded a contract to develop technologies for a 5G network at its future lunar base. The $38 million contract with Modulate Space Corporation will test technologies for a "5G Network-in-a-Box" that will also include Wi-Fi to support communications between elements of a lunar base. The agency said that the work will give it insight into the system architecture and operational performance while providing the flexibility needed to evolve the technology for future lunar surface communications. (10/1)

NASA, International Partners Advance Work on Space Crops (Source: NASA)
NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and the German Aerospace Center signed a joint statement of intent to begin coordinated, preparatory work toward an Earth-based demonstrator to learn how to grow crops on the Moon, which will be essential to helping astronauts go farther and stay longer in space.

The Lunar Agriculture Module-Ground Test Demonstrator aims to develop the technologies needed to grow space crops and study how they perform under atmospheres and controlled environments similar to those expected during missions at Moon Base. Through Moon Base, NASA and its partners will build the infrastructure to support an enduring human presence near the Moon's South Pole, advancing science and technology while preparing for future human missions to Mars. (9/30)

Quantum Space Executes Launch Processing Agreement with All Points Logistics for Prime Mission (Source: Quantum Space)
Quantum Space, LLC (the “Company” or “Quantum Space”), a company developing the next generation of advanced maneuverable spacecraft for national security and commercial missions, today announced that it has executed a new spacecraft processing work order with All Points Logistics for the 2027 launch campaign for Quantum Space’s Prime mission. (9/30)

Blue Origin’s First Outside Funding Round is ‘Oversubscribed’ and Not Closed Yet, CEO Says (Source: CNBC)
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company’s first-ever outside capital raise is not closed yet and is drawing heavy investor interest, describing the funding round as “oversubscribed.” Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company had already raised $10 billion at a valuation of $140 billion. Jeff Bezos chipped in $2 billion in the current raise and has invested $30 billion since the company’s founding in 2000. (9/30)

FCC Exempts Space Activities From Some Environmental Rules and Opens 1,000 MHz of Spectrum (Source: Space News)
The FCC advanced its deregulation agenda with two decisions: exempting certain space activities from federal environmental regulations and making 1,000 megahertz of spectrum available. The actions could reduce regulatory requirements for affected space activities while expanding access to communications capacity. (9/30)

Ukraine Urges U.S. Sanctions on Entities Supporting Russia’s Starlink Rival (Source: Reuters)
Ukraine is asking Washington to sanction several Russian entities it says are helping develop Rassvet, a domestic satellite network intended as an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink. The appeal underscores the network’s strategic significance and Kyiv’s effort to constrain Russia’s access to space-based communications capabilities. (9/30)

Rising Launch Cadence Increases Risk of Fatal Space-Debris Reentries (Source: Space.com)
Experts warn that continued growth in rocket launch frequency could increase the likelihood of uncontrolled space-debris reentries and, eventually, a fatality on the ground. The trend underscores the safety consequences of expanding launch activity and the need to manage debris generated by increasingly crowded orbital operations. (9/30)

What's Up with Russia's Planned New Crew Capsule? (Source: Ars Technica)
In what seems like an alternate universe in hindsight, Russia and ESA began discussing collaboration on next-generation crewed spacecraft two decades ago. Under the agreement, Europe would have provided a service module to power a crew capsule carrying up to six passengers. Europe ultimately decided not to pursue a crewed spacecraft project at the time, and Russia’s Roscosmos chose to move ahead with a crewed spacecraft on its own.

Beyond the name changes and a flood of renderings, after nearly 20 years of work, then, is anything actually happening with the Eagle spacecraft? For starters, the relatively new chief executive of Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov, appears to have jettisoned the “Eagle” name of the spacecraft in favor of PTK NP. Bakanov said tests of the spacecraft’s parachute system will begin this fall. Also planned are tests in emergency rescue modes during an emergency at the launch pad, possibly including a flight test, later this year.

It’s not clear from the report whether these tests will involve real flight hardware, boilerplate vehicles, or mockups. Vladimir Putin spoke confidently about the “Eagle” spacecraft and the resumption of Russia’s lunar program. Clearly, they have not happened. (9/30)

Z-Trak Space Raises Funding for Reusable Fission-A Rocket, Targets Late-2027 Debut (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch startup Z-Trak Space has secured a new funding round to advance its Fission-A small reusable rocket, which uses electric-pump propulsion. The company is targeting a first flight in late 2027, adding another entrant to China’s developing commercial launch sector.

CAS Space Targets Early 2027 Debut of Reusable Lihong-2 Suborbital Rocket with Pharmaceutical Payloads (Source: Space News)
Chinese commercial launch provider CAS Space is targeting early 2027 for the first flight of its reusable Lihong-2 suborbital rocket. The mission is planned to carry pharmaceutical payloads, linking the company’s vehicle development to emerging commercial demand for suborbital research and in-space processing. (9/30)

Look Up Proposes Space Radar Network at French Territories (Source: Look Up)
Look Up is presenting plans for a radar network across France’s overseas territories, with six new space surveillance radars set to be deployed. These investments will support the deployment of Look Up’s high-precision SORASYS radars, designed to detect and track satellites and debris at altitudes of up to 2,000 km, day and night and in all weather conditions. Look Up aims to deploy a network of seven radars by 2030, capable of monitoring all traffic in low Earth orbit as early as 2028. (9/30)

Florida's Lonestar Space Teams with Ecuador Space Society for Space-Based Digital Resilience (Source: Lonestar Space)
Lonestar Space and Ecuador Space Society are joining forces to advance space-based digital resilience in Ecuador. An MOU with the Ecuador Space Society (ESS) will explore how Lonestar’s StarVault network can support Ecuador’s national priorities — from government continuity and critical infrastructure to scientific research, digital heritage, and the protection of data and AI systems. Together, Lonestar and ESS will engage Ecuadorian public institutions, industry, and academia, to identify priority use cases and develop potential government pilot programs. (9/29)

Making Them Feel Good About Themselves (Source: SPACErePORT)
In the before-times of the Obama administration, NASA was heavily criticized by Republicans in Congress for the agency's outreach to Muslim nations as part of its efforts to expand international relationships. In a fateful 2010 media interview, Administrator Michael Bolden discussed this outreach, citing the Muslim world's "historic contribution to science, math, and engineering." He was immediately criticized by Republican members for trying to make Muslims "feel good about themselves," and by his predecessor, Michael Griffin, who called it a "perversion of NASA's purpose."

Contrast that 2010 knee-jerk political response with the current administration's accelerated recruitment of Artemis Accords signatories, which now includes 13 nations where Islam is the largest religion, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Turkey, Bangladesh, Senegal, Albania, the Republic of Djibouti, Malaysia, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. Important note: Multiple signatories to the Artemis Accords are at the same time signed-up to the China/Russia International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) partnership.

Populations worldwide aspire to participate in space exploration, and spacefaring leaders like the US, China, Europe, and Russia have effectively used space-related collaboration as a diplomatic tool for trade and global alliance-building. During its first term, the Trump administration shunned alliances with third-world countries, while China successfully used space cooperation in its aggressive pursuit of long-term global economic partnerships. Now we're once again playing catch-up. (9/30)

DIU, Space Force Team Up to Kick-Start Buys of Commercial Sats for Monitoring GEO (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Space Force have joined forces to more rapidly develop and field next-generation, commercially developed satellites to monitor geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), according to the service. Under the joint effort, DIU’s Geosynchronous High-Resolution Optical Space-Based Tactical Reconnaissance (GHOST-R) project is now going to serve as a feeder for the Space Force’s nascent RG-XX program to replace the venerable Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites.

According to a Sep. 18 Space Systems Command (SSC) announcement, by “collaborating” with DIU the Space Force is “leveraging rapid prototyping” for RG-XX. Two companies have been chosen to develop and fly those prototypes by 2028, the release said: Northrop Grumman and True Anomaly. (9/29)

Starlab, Elethron Partner for Autonomous In-Space Semiconductor Processing (Source: SatNews)
Addressing the growing demand for high-performance semiconductor components, Elethron has secured a payload reservation aboard the commercial space station Starlab to test and refine advanced substrate manufacturing in microgravity. Under the agreement, Elethron will deploy its ĀTAR platform—an autonomous, modular in-space materials-processing laboratory—to Starlab for a six-month pilot program. Operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) eliminates gravity-driven convection and buoyancy, allowing materials to form with fewer crystal defects and improved compositional uniformity. (9/29)

Starship Spurring a Crisis (Source: CNN)
As Starship flights ramp up, SpaceX has made clear that the company will phase out the use of two of its most iconic creations: the Dragon spacecraft, which ferries astronauts and cargo to and from the ISS, and the Falcon 9 rocket, which for a decade has dominated the global launch market. These vehicles not only revolutionized the space industry in their own way, they’re also still very much essential to ongoing work in Earth orbit, without clear backup options in place.

The prospect of this loss is already spurring panic among some satellite operators, said Caleb Henry, director of research at analytics firm Quilty Space. “For small satellite operators, which tend to be more entrepreneurial, this crisis has been percolating for about six months at least,” Henry said. “In order to raise money, startups need to show they have a viable path to orbit. They have to move quickly.” (9/30)

Sugar From Space Became One of the Backbones of Life on Earth (Source: The Conversation)
Is there life elsewhere, or is Earth unique in the universe? This is one of humanity’s great unanswered questions. One way to approach this mystery is to investigate how life began here on Earth. Our research explores the conditions where a mixture of molecules somehow transformed from chemistry into biology.

In a new study published in Scientific Reports, we shed new light on one possible step in this process: how a fragile sugar from outer space may have helped create the conditions for its own survival on Earth, where it eventually became the backbone of one of life’s most important molecules. (9/29)

A Cold War Spy Satellite Named After Farrah Fawcett Just Blew Apart in Orbit (Source: Gizmodo)
An American spy satellite unexpectedly shattered into pieces, creating a cloud of debris in low-Earth orbit. The U.S. Space Force’s satellite tracking system confirmed the satellite, officially designated as USA-32, broke apart on September 13 at 5:13 p.m. ET. It was labeled as a fragmentation event, which means the satellite suddenly exploded into smaller pieces, but the cause of its unplanned breakup has yet to be identified. (9/30)

Starship Engine Issues Could Impact NASA's Moon Mission Objectives (Source: Reuters)
The Starship engine failure that nearly foiled the orbital debut of SpaceX's next-generation spacecraft on its 14th uncrewed test flight may complicate NASA's ability to meet its time frame for astronaut missions to the moon. Starship is one of two vehicles ‌vying to become the first craft that NASA will use as early as 2028 to land humans on the Moon. Determining what caused the engine glitch remains critical to SpaceX's bottom line. But the stakes are potentially higher for NASA, as a Starship moon-landing vehicle would rely ⁠on the same engine system.

"Any engine fix that holds up the next flights, including the planned attempt to catch the ship with the launch tower's arms (after re-entry), eats into that schedule," Dean Sladen said. "The real pressure is the moon. NASA needs Starship for Artemis III," an Earth-orbit test mission targeted as soon as next summer as a rehearsal flight for the program's actual ‌first crewed lunar ⁠landing, Sladen said. (9/29)