October 16, 2026

NASA Accelerates Changes to Communications and Digital Systems Under Trump’s “Super Intelligence” Order (Source: Space.com)
Internal NASA documents and meeting recordings show agency officials pressing to implement President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming AI as “super intelligence.” The changes are affecting NASA communications and digital systems, while employees have raised concerns about the pace and pressure behind the effort.

Despite introducing the new name, the order retains the federal government's existing definition of artificial intelligence, which broadly covers machine-based learning systems capable of making predictions, recommendations or decisions. That means technologies already classified as AI can now be designated "super intelligence" without demonstrating any additional capabilities. (10/16)

Warnock Secures $97.1 Million for DoD Projects at 10 HBCUs, Including FAMU (Source: The Q Gentleman)
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock has announced $97.1 million in federal funding for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics programs across 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Department of Defense grants are designed to expand research infrastructure, enhance technical training, and build a pipeline for the next generation of Black scientists, engineers, and innovators. Tallahassee-based FAMU will receive $10 million.

Twenty-eight percent of all Black graduates with STEM degrees in the U.S. earn them at HBCUs. Nearly 50% of all Black engineers in the country graduate from an HBCU, and approximately 70% of Black doctors and dentists complete their undergraduate studies at one. HBCU alumni have long shaped scientific discovery, from NASA astronaut Dr. Ronald McNair, a North Carolina A&T graduate, to MIT nuclear engineering trailblazer Dr. Mareena Robinson Snowden, who attended FAMU. The federal investment builds on that legacy by directing resources to the institutions that have consistently produced the country’s leading Black scientists and engineers. (10/15)

RATLOG Wants to Cut ~90% of a Rocket Engine’s Parts (Source: Payload)
RATLOG launched this week—but not from a pad. The heavy-lift rocket startup debuted in Y Combinator as part of the Fall 2026 batch. As students in Dresden, Germany, the RATLOG founders were disappointed by the lack of ambitious job opportunities available after graduating—so they decided to build their own instead. RATLOG’s pitch diverges from the traditional approach to rocket-engine design—starting with eliminating ~90% of the engine’s parts.

RATLOG’s engine skips the turbopump and builds pressure by physically rotating the whole engine, the company says. In a rotating detonation engine, by contrast, only the flame spins. RATLOG is focused on moving quickly. The team landed its first funding—a €30k ($34k) grant from the German government—in April. With the money, it tested its first prototype in early September and joined Y Combinator a few weeks later. (10/16)

Stoke Readies Testing for Reusable Upper Stage (Source: Ars Technica)
The reusable upper stage for Stoke Space’s Nova rocket has left the company’s factory in Kent, Washington, for what would be the last time, Stoke wrote on X this week. Now at Stoke’s test facility in Moses Lake, the second stage will undergo cryo-proof testing and a hotfire campaign with its Andromeda engine. The milestone follows the completion of “proto-qualification” testing on Nova’s first stage earlier this year. Nova’s booster section is a rather conventional reusable first stage, but the upper stage is what sets the rocket apart. Stoke designed Nova for full reusability, with the upper stage protected by a regeneratively cooled heat shield and powered by a ring of 24 thrusters, an engine collectively named Andromeda.

Next stop, Cape Canaveral … The upcoming tests at Moses Lake will be a linchpin for Stoke’s ambition to launch the Nova rocket next year. If all goes according to plan, Stoke will ship the reusable rocket stage to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it will meet the other elements of the rocket for final launch preparations. The medium-lift Nova is the only fully reusable Western rocket other than SpaceX’s Starship in an advanced stage of development. (10/16)

"Orbity Deorbitface"? UK Space Agency Opens Competition to Name Active Debris Removal Mission (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The UK Space Agency has opened a public competition to name its planned 2029 active debris-removal mission. The spacecraft is intended to capture two defunct satellites in orbit, making the mission a practical demonstration of efforts to remove debris from Earth orbit. (10/16)

China Urges RF Beacons on Every LEO Satellite to Reduce Collision Risk (Source: Space Intel Report)
China’s representative to the ITU Space Sustainability Forum proposed equipping every low Earth orbit satellite with radio-frequency identification beacons, likening the approach to aviation’s ADS-B and maritime AIS. He argued that universal beacons would be the most effective measure against orbital crowding and collision risk, even more so than sharing ephemeris data among satellite operators. (10/15)

Oman’s Durri Space Orders Three Optical Ground Stations From Cailabs (Source: Via Satellite)
Omani space communications company Durri Space has contracted Cailabs to supply three optical ground stations, according to an announcement Thursday. The deal expands ground infrastructure for optical communications in Oman, though the available reports do not disclose the contract value, delivery schedule or intended customer missions. (10/15)

BAE Systems to Develop RF Terminals for Space Force (Source: SatNews)
BAE Systems secured a contract with the US Space Force's Space Systems Command for the development of space-based data layer compact RF terminals. The agreement focuses on engineering flight-qualified terminals that will support resilient communications between satellites and ground stations, forming a key component of the military's expanding data relay architecture. The contract aligns with the Department of War's push for interconnected, jam-resistant communication. (10/15)

Leonardo Keeps Spot on NASA Enterprise Procurement List (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
Leonardo DRS has been awarded a 10-year prime contract under NASA's Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement VI, maintaining its role as a SEWP prime contractor since 2015. The contract allows Leonardo DRS to provide a range of technologies directly to federal agencies. (10/16)

Blue Origin Outlines New Glenn Launch Infrastructure Upgrades at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin has outlined plans for additional launch pads and other facilities to support a much higher rate of New Glenn launches. In a statement Friday, a Blue Origin executive said the company is planning two pads at locations to be announced at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in addition to the rebuilt LC-36A pad and new LC-36B pad the company announced earlier this year. Blue Origin is also working on two more ships that will serve as landing platforms for New Glenn boosters. It is building additional facilities in and around the Space Coast, including one that will be able to produce as much as 150 New Glenn upper stages annually. Blue Origin said the infrastructure will enable multiple New Glenn launches each week by the end of the decade. (10/16)

SpaceX Aims for Environmental Approval to Launch Up to 100 Starships Annually, 200 Landings (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is seeking environmental approval for a sharp increase in Starship launches from Texas. The FAA announced this week it is starting an environmental impact statement for a two-phased increase in Starship launches from Starbase, Texas. The first phase would increase launches from the current limit of 25 per year to 100, along with as many as 200 landings of Super Heavy boosters and Starship upper stages. The second phase would further increase that launch limit to 456 per year, but restrict launches to weekdays. The efforts by SpaceX and Blue Origin to increase launches come as the FAA is taking steps to streamline launch licensing procedures. (10/16)

More Chinese Launch Startups Plan Reusable Rockets (Source: Space News)
Three more Chinese launch startups are pursuing reusable rockets, using a variety of design approaches. Juneng Tianqing (Beijing) Space Technology Co. Ltd., which brands itself as Nexus in English, unveiled its Skyhold family of three reusable methalox rockets last week. The QT-1, QT-1M and QT-2 would all use a single in-house 160-ton-class oxygen-rich staged-combustion engine but for different applications, one involving a spaceplane.

Shanghai Jianqi Technology, also known as Rocket Nova, announced it had raised a cumulative $29.9 million (200 million yuan) since its founding in January that will fund initial work on Hujian-1, a "second-generation" reusable rocket that would reuse both stages. Shanghai Xuanwu Interstellar Aerospace, or Xuanwu Space, unveiled its Luduan-9 concept, a Falcon 9-like two-stage methalox launcher with nine engines on a recoverable first stage. The company presents itself primarily as a space computing provider. (10/16)

LEAP Plans Bighorn Small Launcher (Source: Space News)
An American startup is targeting a 2028 first flight of a small launch vehicle. LEAP is developing Bighorn, a launch vehicle the company plans to introduce with a payload capacity as much as 145 kilograms to low Earth orbit before increasing its performance in later versions. LEAP, founded in 2022 and legally incorporated as Pivotal Space Inc., has been financed largely with private capital, with ONE Bow River National Defense Fund, a private equity fund, as its primary backer. LEAP believes that demand for rapid satellite replacement, military missions and dedicated launches has strengthened the business case for smaller vehicles. (10/16)

Axiom Official Pleased with Adjustments to Space Station RFP (Source: Space News)
The CEO of commercial space station developer Axiom Space says he is largely satisfied with NASA's call for proposals for supporting such stations. Jonathan Cirtain said that the final RFP released last Friday for NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program is something "that we can live with." He and others in the industry had raised concerns about an earlier draft RFP, including how it handles crew transportation and the number of requirements it levies on companies. Cirtain said he was still concerned in general that NASA and other government agencies were placing too many prescriptive requirements on companies, limiting innovation. He added that Axiom expects to have its station ready by the current ISS retirement date of 2030. (10/16)

SpaceX Launches California Classified Falcon 9 Mission on Thursday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched another classified Space Force mission Thursday. a Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:01 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on a mission designated USSF-481. The Space Force did not reveal details about the payload, which appeared headed for a high-inclination orbit. The mission was also designated as "TH-2" in public notices; another Falcon 9 launched TH-1, or USSF-259, a month ago. (10/16)

Dragon Capsule Docks with ISS Cargo (Source: Space.com)
A Dragon cargo spacecraft docked with the ISS Thursday morning. The Dragon docked with zenith port on the station's Harmony module at 10:27 a.m. Eastern, about 52 hours after its launch from Cape Canaveral. The Dragon, flying the CRS-35 or SpX-35 mission, carries more than 2,800 kilograms of cargo for the station, including a new pair of solar arrays that will be installed on upcoming spacewalks. (10/16)

Space Command  HQ in Alabama to Cost $4 Billion (Source: Space News)
The new headquarters for U.S. Space Command in Alabama will cost $4 billion. The Air Force Civil Engineer Center is seeking a design-build contractor to deliver the headquarters and supporting data center at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, according to a notice to industry published this week. The facility is intended to accommodate approximately 1,800 military and civilian personnel and be ready for operational use by December 2031. The $4 billion price tag is higher than earlier estimates for the headquarters project. The newer estimate covers not only design and construction but also outfitting the complex with communications and computing systems, installing equipment, testing the completed facility and obtaining the security accreditations required for classified operations. (10/16)

BlackSky Contracted to Provide Imagery of Satellites in Orbit (Source: Space News)
BlackSky has extended a contract to provide non-Earth imaging of other satellites and space objects for Australian company HEO. The seven-figure contract extension, announced Thursday, will enable HEO to acquire "fully automated, low-latency" information on space objects by combining data from BlackSky's Gen-2 and Gen-3 satellites with HEO software and analysis. HEO uses satellites from BlackSky and other companies to observe satellites and debris to identify and better characterize them. (10/16)

Space Coast Facility to Expand CesiumAstro’s Engineering and Manufacturing Capabilities (Source: EDC of Florida's Space Coast)
The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast (EDC) announced that CesiumAstro has selected Melbourne for a new engineering and manufacturing facility. The company will invest $25 million in capital improvements and create 100 new, high-paying jobs over the next 12 months. CesiumAstro develops and produces space and defense systems, from satellites and communications payloads to terminals and advanced computing systems. By bringing hardware, software, manufacturing, and testing together in-house, the company delivers integrated systems for commercial, government, and national security missions. (10/15)

Space Launch Delta 45 Hosts Spaceport of the Future Forum (Source: USSF)
Space Launch Delta 45 hosted a Spaceport of the Future forum Oct. 15, 2026, at the base auditorium, bringing together government, industry and utility partners to discuss the infrastructure, policies and operational coordination needed to support the growing launch demand on the Eastern Range. The forum featured question-and-answer sessions among SLD 45 leaders, launch service providers and regional utility partners, including Florida Power & Light.

Discussions focused on shared challenges and opportunities associated with increasing launch cadence, expanding infrastructure capacity and ensuring the long-term resilience of the nation’s busiest spaceport. Spaceport of the Future is an initiative designed to prepare USSF spaceport operations for increased capacity through enhanced capabilities, policies and processes. (10/15)

U.S. Space Industry Leaders Gather in Vienna, Launch $5 Million U.S. “Project Constellation” Space Initiative (Source: USDOC Office of Space Commerce)
The U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna is hosting the second annual U.S. Space Forum at the Vienna International Center, where the United States announced the launch of Project Constellation – a new $5 million initiative to foster partnerships with countries in space-related activities, advancing U.S. commercial and policy leadership in outer space. Project Constellation will connect American companies, researchers, and space experts with international partners through commercial diplomacy, fellowships, pitch competitions, study tours, and cooperation on the safe exploration and use of space. (10/15)

Venezuela's Conatel Authorizes Starlink Nationwide With Seven Ku-Band Concessions (Source: Mach 33)
Venezuela's telecom regulator Conatel said on October 9 that it had approved a general license and seven Ku-band concessions for SpaceX's local unit, authorizing Starlink satellite internet service nationwide. The release credited the policies of President Delcy Rodríguez and said Starlink would operate formally, with a domicile and oversight in the country. (10/9)

ANATEL Grants Starlink 15+15 MHz Of 2 GHz S-Band Spectrum For Direct To Cell In Brazil (Source: Mach 33)
Brazil's telecom regulator ANATEL voted on October 9 to grant Starlink 15+15 MHz of 2 GHz S-band spectrum for direct-to-cell service, half of the 30+30 MHz it first sought. The 4-1 decision covers 10+10 MHz through 2038 and an extra 5+5 MHz until June 2029, when EchoStar's rights in that block expire. (10/9)

EU Nations Back Military Space Project Worth up to $27 Billion, Propose Shared Tracking Data (Source: Space News)
European governments are preparing to invest up to 24 billion euros ($27 billion) in SPACE, a joint military space project spanning satellite communications, surveillance and missile warning. The initiative is part of a broader EU effort to expand its defense capabilities in orbit. SPACE will involve participation from 20 countries, including 18 EU member states, Norway and Ukraine. The project covers space-based early warning, satellite communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, positioning, navigation and timing, navigation warfare and responsive space systems.

Participating countries will examine the development of a multi-mission constellation, with a focus on the common procurement of defense products and supporting infrastructure. Less than a day after SPACE was approved, 15 European Union countries agreed to establish a separate initiative to jointly access and share data used to track and characterize objects in orbit. (10/14)

Sidus Space Secures More Than $3 Million in Space and Defense Manufacturing Awards in Third Quarter (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced that it secured more than $3 million in space and defense hardware manufacturing contracts and purchase orders during the third quarter of 2026. The awards add to the Company's growing portfolio of space and defense hardware manufacturing contracts supporting government, defense, intelligence, and commercial customers. (10/14)

Spaceport Nova Scotia First Orbital Launch Target has Slipped From 2023 to 2028 (Source: Beyond LEO)
Maritime Launch has commissioned an onboard flight safety system for a spaceport that has not yet seen a launch. On Oct 7, 2026, at DEFSEC Atlantic in Halifax, Galaxia and Maritime Launch Services announced that Galaxia will develop and supply an Autonomous Flight Safety System, or AFSS, for launches from the site near Canso. The release gives no flight date, no vehicle, no contract value and no certification timeline. Isar Aerospace, which signed in July for a dedicated launch complex at the spaceport, is targeting first orbital launches there in 2028, five years after the first date Maritime Launch put on the event. (10/15)

What is China Doing With its Secret Spaceplane? (Source: Supercluster)
In June, it released a small satellite and captured it, probably with a robotic arm (although experts are not sure) three weeks later. In August, Shenlong again deployed a small satellite, retreated a few thousand miles into the void, only to return a few weeks later to chase the small-sat again, according to astronomer and space sustainability expert Jonathan McDowell. Many Western experts perceived the act as China’s demonstration of formidable technological prowess that could be used to take out other nations’ satellites. The technology, however, is also a key enabler for in-orbit servicing, space debris removal and in-space manufacturing.

What unsettles the Western security experts is the fact that no other nation has achieved such advanced levels of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) — that kind of close-range orbital maneuvering needed to inspect, dock with, and move other spacecraft. America’s own secretive spaceplane X-37B has released a series of satellites during its eight missions, some of them classified, but has never rendezvoused with another space object, as far as publicly available information goes. (10/6)

Space Sector Faced More Than One Cyberattack Per Day in 2025 (Source: Via Satellite)
By crawling through hundreds of Telegram channels, cybercriminal forums, and other open sources, 407 cyber operations against the space sector were identified in 2025, accounting for more than one attack per day.

The pattern was not random. Cyber activity surged alongside geopolitical crises, with notable spikes during tensions between Ukraine and the United States, the India-Pakistan crisis, and the Israel-Iran war. Out of 407 identified operations, 183 distinct space-related entities in 46 countries were identified as targets, many of which were targeted repeatedly. (10/14)

JAXA Taps ArkEdge for Two Lunar Navigation Demos (Source: Payload)
Today’s Moon explorers won’t have the luxury of GPS-like tech for navigation. But JAXA is trying to change that for future lunar visitors. The space agency tapped Japanese space startup ArkEdge Space for two projects designed to improve navigation on the Moon. These awards build on work the startup is already doing with the Japanese space agency, including designing a constellation of small satellites around the Moon to enable navigation. (10/15)

In Orbit Aerospace Pivots From Re-entry Vehicles to Spacecraft Autonomy (Source: Payload)
In Orbit Aerospace has swapped reentry vehicles for autonomy software, and NASA and the Space Force are funding the shift. The Torrance, CA-based startup has won new government contracts for its onboard AI system, which the company says can run a spacecraft’s operations without waiting on ground control. (10/14)

Solar Foods Joins Deep Space Food Consortium (Source: Solar Foods)
Solar Foods has joined the Deep Space Food Consortium as a foundational member. The consortium, established by the administrators and partners of the Deep Space Food Challenge organized by NASA and CSA, aims for the development and deployment of sustainable, evolvable space food systems that enable human exploration and habitation beyond Earth, while advancing resilient, efficient, and equitable food systems for life on Earth.

Solar Foods' Solein production technology offers an attractive value add to space habitat operators through substantial reduction in resupply needs of food and especially water, in addition to providing a fresh source of nutritious protein onboard. The company’s aim is to integrate the Solein fermentation technology with the onboard life support systems of future commercial space stations as well as future surface habitats on the Moon and eventually on Mars.

The Deep Space Food Consortium’s (DSFC) mission is to unify global space food research and development. The independent, technology-agnostic organization coordinates the emerging space food ecosystem, bringing together researchers, space agencies, food companies, technology developers, private space station companies, funders, and public sector partners to define shared priorities, identify implementation gaps, prioritize research and support the validation of food system technologies for both future low earth orbit and long-duration exploration missions. (10/15)