October 7, 2026

FAA Moves Ahead with Reviews for Blue Origin, Relativity (Source: WESH)
The Federal Aviation Administration has advanced environmental reviews for Blue Origin's New Glenn and Relativity Space's Terran R for launches from Cape Canaveral. Blue Origin wants to increase its annual launches from 12 to 50. The FAA has adopted a supplemental environmental assessment for Relativity's Terran R but has not yet issued a vehicle operator license. (10/5)

FAA Proposes More Launch/Reentry Licensing (Source: USDOT)
The US Dept. of Transportation announced that the FAA is proposing new rules to streamline and modernize the commercial space launch and reentry regulations. The rules were developed in concert with the recently launched the USDOT Space Policy Administration, Coordination, and Execution (SPACE) Task Force. Key changes to the Part 450 commercial space licensing process include:

1) Allowing operators to submit launch applications electronically; 2) Providing greater flexibility to demonstrate an equivalent level of safety; 3) Combining three required safety analyses into a single submission; and 4) Eliminating duplicative safety analyses when a safety requirement is already addressed through other approved methods. The proposed rules would make the Part 450 licensing process more efficient, less burdensome, and more flexible for operators while maintaining the FAA’s safety standards. (10/6)

Unions Support Senate's Proposed Defense Buyback Ban (Source: WFED)
Labor unions support a Senate provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that would bar the Pentagon from contracting with firms that conduct stock buybacks, saying the industry has shifted toward investor returns at the expense of workers, citing a decline in employment and wages. The provision, which mirrors an executive order from President Donald Trump, faces opposition from industry groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce, which argues that it would discourage private sector involvement in defense contracting. (10/6)

HawkEye 360 Proves RF Detection Satellites (Source: Space News)
HawkEye 360 says it has shown its satellites, designed to detect radio-frequency sources on Earth, can also be used to detect transmissions from other satellites. The results, released after an 18-month project funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory, revealed that HawkEye 360's satellites could collect RF emissions from spacecraft in low, medium and geosynchronous Earth orbit and associate those signals with individual satellites. RF sensing can add another layer of information for space domain awareness efforts by showing whether a spacecraft is transmitting, how it communicates and whether its activity changes over time. RF monitoring could also help satellite operators troubleshoot spacecraft that stop responding or behave unexpectedly. (10/7)

ISS Crew-12 Departs on Dragon for California Splashdown (Source: NASA)
Crew-12 has departed the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon spacecraft undocked from the station for a splashdown off the California coast on Thursday morning. Crew-12 spent nearly eight months on the ISS with astronauts from NASA, ESA and Roscosmos. Their replacements arrived on the ISS last week on Crew-13. (10/7)

South Korean KSLV-2 Rocket Launches Five Satellites (Source: Yonhap)
South Korea launched a group of smallsats overnight. The KSLV-2, or Nuri, rocket lifted off from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 400 kilometers south of Seoul. The rocket, making its fifth flight, deployed five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) microsatellites into low Earth orbit along with nine cubesats, although a tenth cubesat failed to deploy. The NEONSAT spacecraft are part of a 10-satellite constellation that will provide frequent imagery of the Korean peninsula. (10/7)

SDA Funds Deorbiter Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency is putting money behind a field of companies developing vehicles to remove satellites from orbit at the end of their missions. Deorbit-as-a-Service, a program jointly funded by SDA and the Defense Innovation Unit, is funding Firefly Aerospace, D-Orbit Space and Katalyst Space in an initial phase worth a combined $8.4 million to develop mission designs. Preliminary design reviews are expected by the end of the year. The broader goal is to put a prototype by one of the three companies in orbit by mid-2028. Separately from the partnership with DIU, SDA awarded Starfish Space a contract with a potential value of $52.5 million to deorbit as many as seven spacecraft. (10/7)

Linse Capital Plans Early-Stage Space Fund (Source: Space News)
Linse Capital is exploring another early-stage fund to place more bets on space and other deep tech startups. The VC firm said this week it had backed 14 startups through Ignition I, comprising a $75 million core fund and $75 million in co-investment vehicles to double down on some of those businesses. The investments in that fund included Varda Space Industries. A second fund would allow the company to invest in additional early-stage companies as competition for space deals heats up. (10/7)

SpaceX Reportedly Eyes $40B Debt To Buy Nvidia Chips In Apollo-Led Deal (Source: Mach 33)
The Financial Times reported on October 6 that SpaceX is looking to raise about $40 billion to buy Nvidia chips in an Apollo-led debt package, roughly $10 billion in bank loans and $30 billion in investment-grade debt. Cheaper GPU-backed debt avoids diluting equity on a sum near 40% of SpaceX's war chest; SpaceX has not confirmed. (10/6)

SpaceX Confirms Starmind Formation Flying With ~10-Sat Clusters At ~10 Tbps (Source: Mach 33)
On October 6 SpaceX VP Michael Nicolls said Starmind needs clusters of about 10 satellites in tight formation with about 10 Tbps between them, toward up to 1 million sats. That is SpaceX’s first formation-flying talk, framed as a hybrid of larger ~250 kW satellites and close-formation 10-sat clusters, with Mach33 math at sub-750 m proximity. (10/6)

FCC Grants SpaceX 15,000-Satellite Direct-to-Device Constellation License (Source: Mach 33)
On October 6 the FCC granted-in-part SpaceX’s application for a new 15,000-satellite direct-to-device constellation at 326–335 km, with U.S. SCS/MSS on EchoStar spectrum and direct-to-cell abroad. U.S. operational authority waits until Step Two of the EchoStar deal closes; half the sats are due by October 7, 2032. (10/6)

California to Use Iceye Data for Disaster Response (Source: Space News)
California will use Iceye data to support disaster response efforts. California's Office of Emergency Services began working with Iceye synthetic aperture radar data earlier this year, and is now using it for near-real-time flood and wildfire monitoring. The data is useful, state officials said, as they prepare for a strong El Niño climate event this winter that could bring heavy rains and winds to the state. (10/7)

Nebex Signs LOI With UNOOSA for Supplier Linkages (Source: Space News)
A startup with plans to help connect space industry suppliers with space projects around the world has signed an agreement with the U.N.'s space office. Nebex signed a letter of intent with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs to see how the company can help U.N. efforts to support emerging space programs. Nebex is a fintech startup that serves as an exchange linking government space projects around the world with suppliers. The company, which raised $30 million in a seed round this summer, says it can help suppliers, many of which are in the U.S., win business in other countries. (10/7)

Artemis 1 and 2 Helped Accelerate Artemis 3 (Source: Space News)
NASA says the experience from the first two Artemis missions is helping work on Artemis 3 go faster. NASA's Artemis program manager, Jeremy Parsons, said SLS and Orion work was going much faster for Artemis 3 than for the previous two missions. Part of that is based on experience, he said, but the organization is also making greater use of in-house expertise versus contractors for that work.

He cited a case where an internal NASA team was able to redesign a hydrogen fitting that leaked during tests ahead of Artemis 2 in a fraction of the time and cost that a vendor quoted. NASA is targeting a mid-2027 launch for Artemis 3 although agency leadership has acknowledged they are behind schedule. An ESA presentation at the conference listed a late 2027 launch date for the mission. (10/7)

Axiom Moving Forward With Simplified Artemis Space Suit (Source: Space News)
Axiom Space is moving ahead with work on a simplified version of its spacesuit for the first Artemis landings. The company said last month that NASA has asked Axiom to study a "Sortie" version of the suit for the first landings in a bid to ensure suit development does not delay those missions. The company said at a briefing during IAC this week that it is working with NASA on revised requirements for the Sortie suit, which will primarily involve reducing the number of some components. Axiom is working on its full-fledged AxEMU suit in parallel to the Sortie design, with plans to deliver a qualification suit to NASA before the end of the year and testing that suit on an International Space Station spacewalk next year. (10/7)

Colorado Springs, Huntsville Make Nice (Source: Space News)
After a bruising fight about who will host the headquarters of U.S. Space Command, Colorado Springs and Huntsville are making up. More than 90 business executives, elected officials and civic leaders from Colorado Springs traveled to Huntsville this week for meetings with local officials and defense companies, working to build partnerships between the cities and their space companies. It comes after a back-and-forth fight between the cities to host the command, eventually won by Huntsville. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of Space Command, said the nation's needs in military space are "too big for one single city's resources alone." (10/7)

NorthStar Earth and Space 'On Track' with Space Domain Awareness Network, Despite SPAC Disappointment (Source: Space News)
NorthStar Earth and Space says development of a space domain awareness network remains on track despite a disappointing SPAC deal. The company closed a SPAC merger last week, turning the company into a publicly traded firm. However, shareholders in the SPAC redeemed 96% of $230 million it held. NorthStar was able to raise $30 million in a separate transaction, known as a PIPE, which provides the company with funding needed for its  sensors that will fly as hosted payloads on Kepler Communications satellites in 2028. (10/7)

DoD Picks Kymeta for Satellite Comms Terminal (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon is working with satellite antenna manufacturer Kymeta to add new capabilities for a communications terminal. Kymeta said Tuesday that it received a Department of Defense contract to develop an enhanced cartridge for its Osprey u8 terminal that integrates computing, software-defined radio and networking capabilities. The value of the contract was not disclosed. The effort is intended to turn the Osprey from a communications terminal into a multi-mission platform capable of processing and analyzing RF data where military forces are operating. One of the applications Kymeta is targeting is RF space domain awareness. (10/7)

From Debris Mitigation to Orbital Sustainability: The Next Stage of Space Governance (Source: Space Review)
Concerns about the growth of orbital debris have led to the development of best practices to mitigate that growth. Graham Turnock explains why those approaches alone are insufficient when considering orbital sustainability. Click here. (10/6)
 
Beyond the Spacecraft: How Space Exploration Became a Design Language (Source: Space Review)
Space has long been associated with the cutting edge, and technologies developed for engineering purposes find their way into the designs of consumer products. Syed Hasan discusses the connection based on his experience as both an engineer and designer. Click here. (10/6)
 
Military Space Museum, Quo Vadis? (Source: Space Review)
The National Museum of the United States Air Force opened a military space gallery a decade ago, raising hopes that the museum will pay more attention to space. Dwayne Day argues those hopes may be fading. Click here. (10/6)
 
US Space Dominance: Big Changes are Ahead (Source: Space Review)
Over the summer, the White House released a new space transportation policy while other agencies released other, related RFIs and documents. A group of lawyers examine those developments and their implications for the US space industry. Click here. (10/6)

NASA Eyes Bulk Rocket Buy for Moon Base Amid SpaceX Phaseout (Source: Bloomberg)
NASA is close to announcing a bulk purchase of rocket launches to fuel its $30 billion drive to build a permanent base on the moon for humans to live and work. It’s a new strategy that comes as the space industry is grappling with a shortage of rockets amid booming demand. But the agency is hoping to get ahead of this bottleneck now, by buying a variety of rockets to provide options for getting cargo to the lunar surface. “We are evaluating things like NASA doing bulk buys of launchers that could service all the moon base needs,” said Carlos García-Galán. “In the near future, we’ll probably announce the first set of these bulk buys,” he said. (10/6)

ESA to Pursue Crew Transport and Space Stations as European Launchers Come Online (Source: NSF)
The European Space Agency (ESA) recently started investigating options for a European-led space station. The announcement follows “A Call to Boost European Space Exploration,” which ESA’s member states recently endorsed. The Call asks ESA to strengthen its position in human and robotic exploration of low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars through developing competitive capabilities, including crew transport.

Meanwhile, Europe’s next generation of launch vehicles has started coming online under ESA’s European Launcher Challenge (ELC). The program booked its first success with Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum reaching orbit on its second flight on Sept. 5. The new rockets complement Europe’s current launch vehicles, Ariane 6 and Vega C, which are ramping up flight cadence to meet an expected peak in demand around 2030. (10/3)

Second HyImpulse Suborbital SR75 Flight Slips to 2027 (Source: European Spaceflight)
German launch startup HyImpulse has pushed the second flight of its SR75 suborbital rocket into spring 2027. On 1 October, HyImpulse announced that it had secured a launch operator license from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to operate its SR75 rocket from SaxaVord in Scotland. With the announcement, the company said the rocket’s first flight from the UK is now planned for spring 2027. Just a month earlier, on 2 September, the company had said the flight would occur at the “end of 2026.”

HyImpulse said the new target was based on its assessment of the remaining activities required under the license framework and the seasonal weather conditions at SaxaVord, rather than on the vehicle’s readiness. (10/5)

One Size Does Not Fit All: Where Does LEO PNT Fit in the Future PNT Ecosystem? (Source: Inside GNSS)
The unprecedented surge of satellites in LEO has created opportunities that simply did not exist before. The central question is no longer whether LEO PNT works. Demonstrations are multiplying. Satellites are launching. Governments, investors, researchers, and industry are all paying attention. The harder question has become: What must happen before users trust LEO PNT?

When that challenge is overcome, we are left with what may be the most consequential question yet: Where does LEO PNT fit in the future PNT ecosystem? Is LEO ultimately a successor to GNSS? Will it complement GNSS? Will it provide a resilience layer? Or will it be part of something bigger: a component of a broader system-of-systems architecture that also includes terrestrial PNT, corrections services, communications networks, inertial sensors, and autonomy stacks?

Technology alone will not determine the answer. Receiver architectures, standards, spectrum allocations, software-defined upgrades, direct-to-device capabilities, service-level commitments, business models, and long-term commercial viability may shape the future of LEO PNT as much as satellites and signals. (9/28)