November 10, 2026

Rocket Lab Gets DoD Loan for Neutron Production (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon is providing financing to Rocket Lab to scale up production of Neutron rockets. The Defense Department's Office of Strategic Capital announced Monday a $150 million conditional loan commitment to Rocket Lab intended to help Rocket Lab increase production of rocket engines and composite structures, expand its fleet of maritime recovery vessels and reduce the time needed to prepare Neutron for another launch. The commitment reflects the Pentagon's growing interest in expanding the number of companies capable of launching military satellites as demand increases and SpaceX prepares to shift more of its launch business from Falcon 9 to its larger Starship vehicle. Rocket Lab says it is seeing strong demand for Neutron, having sold eight launches in the third quarter and with a manifest that now extends into the early 2030s. (11/10)

Rocket Lab Raises Launch Prices (Source: Space News)
Strong demand is leading Rocket Lab to raise launch prices. The company said in its third-quarter financial results Monday that it has increased the base price of Neutron from $55 million to $70 million, and left the door open for further price increases. Rocket Lab said the strong demand for the rocket validated its decision not to sell initial launches at a discount. The company also expects to raise prices for Electron launches because of demand for the HASTE suborbital variant as well as from smallsat customers looking for replacements for SpaceX rideshare missions. (11/10)

Globalstar Wins Regulatory Approval for D2D (Source: Space News)
Globalstar won regulatory approval for new direct-to-device satellites. France has cleared Globalstar to launch and operate the 54 next-generation satellites the company plans to start launching next year. France has also authorized the company's proposed C-3 System network, filed with international regulators as AST-NG-C-3, to use global Mobile Satellite Services spectrum for 20 years. Globalstar's constellation has used spectrum licensed by France as well as the United States. MDA Space is building the C-3 satellites, which, like earlier Globalstar satellites, will operate at 1,414 kilometers altitude. (11/10)

NASA ESCAPADE Satellites Perform Earth Flybys En Route to Mars (Source: Space News)
Twin NASA smallsats are on their way to Mars after making flybys of the Earth. The two ESCAPADE, or Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers, spacecraft performed powered flybys of the Earth early Saturday and early Monday, putting them on a trajectory to arrive at Mars next September. The spacecraft launched nearly a year ago on a New Glenn and have loitered around the Earth-sun L-2 Lagrange point, making use of an innovative trajectory that allowed them to launch outside of normal Mars mission windows. Once at Mars, the satellites will go into orbit to study the interaction of the solar wind with the planet's magnetosphere and atmosphere. (11/10)

Firefly Sees Military Cislunar Interest (Source: Space News)
Firefly Aerospace says there is interest from the military in operating in cislunar space. Firefly CEO Jason Kim said that while NASA and commercial ventures remain the major customers for lunar services, he sees growing military interest in spacecraft capable of surveillance, maneuvering near other objects and operating in constellations between Earth and the moon. The military could eventually account for "maybe 25%" of the market, he said, particularly for monitoring activities in cislunar space. His comments come days after the Department of the Air Force requested information from companies capable of delivering up to five spacecraft for cislunar missions, with an initial launch capability targeted for late 2029. (11/10)

China's Kuaizhou Plans 2027 Rocket Debut (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch firm Kuaizhou Aerospace plans to conduct the first launches of new rockets next year. The company, previously known as Expace, started with small solid-fuel rockets but is now moving into larger liquid-propellant vehicles. Kuaizhou-12 is a vehicle with a solid-fuel first stage and boosters but a liquid-propellant second stage that can place up to 10,000 kilograms into LEO. Kuaizhou-6 is a liquid-propellant rocket with a reusable first stage that can place up to 20,000 kilograms into LEO. Both rockets are scheduled to make their debut in 2027. The company also aims to launch the existing Kuaizhou-1A and Kuaizhou-11 solid rockets more than 50 times in total over the next three years. (11/10)

Germany's RFA Pushes Debut Launch to 2027 (Source: European Spaceflight)
The first launch of Rocket Factory Augsburg's rocket has slipped to 2027. The RFA ONE rocket was expected to launch this year from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, but the company halted launch preparations this summer during vehicle testing. RFA said in a social media post it recently hosted the head of Germany's space agency, who offered a "clear expectation" that RFA ONE will make a successful flight in 2027. The company has not disclosed when in 2027 it now expects to attempt the vehicle's first launch. (11/10)

Enpulsion and Orbion Collaborate on Electric Satellite Propulsion (Source: Space News)
European satellite propulsion company Enpulsion is partnering with an American firm on electric propulsion systems. Enpulsion announced Tuesday that it is working with Orbion Space Technology, a subsidiary of York Space Systems, to offer Orbion's Hall-effect thrusters along with Enpulsion's low-power electric thrusters for satellite customers. The effort is part of Enpulsion's "Spacecraft Mobility Backbone" product that includes propulsion along with attitude control and navigation systems for smallsat customers, particularly in Europe. Orbion said that it is considering opening a new production line for its thrusters in Europe to serve those customers. (11/10)

Martian Volcanoes May Only be Dormant (Source: Space.com)
Volcanoes on Mars may merely be dormant, not extinct. Observations from ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter mission detected hydrogen chloride gas being emitted from fissures in a region of Mars home to volcanoes like Olympus Mons, which scientists believed went extinct long ago. The observations add to evidence from imagery and seismic data that suggest Mars had active volcanoes as recently as a few million years ago. Those regions could also be hotspots that support microbial life, scientists added. (11/10)

Landing is Only the Beginning (Source: Space Review)
Much of the focus on NASA’s plans to return to the Moon involve being able to safely and routinely land on the lunar surface. Robert Kelso argues that broader engineering and operational issues must also be considered for the effort to be a long-term success. Click here. (11/10)
 
Relearning Movement Beyond Earth: What Neurorehabilitation Can Teach Us About Human Adaptation in Space (Source: Space Review)
Astronauts on long-duration missions spend months in physical therapy once they return to Earth and normal gravity. Esha Ejaz examines what lessons rehabilitation science can offer to help people recover from spaceflight. Click here. (11/10)
 
Is There In Truth No Beauty? Remastering Apollo with Andy Saunders (Source: Space Review)
There were millions of photos taken during the early Space Age, a small fraction of which has been published. Dwayne Day visits a new exhibit that shows what happens when you take a fresh look at old photographs from the era. Click here. (11/10)

Kratos and Seagate Space Partner to Advance Mobile Offshore Launch Capabilities for National Security Missions (Source: Space News)
Kratos announced a long-term agreement with Seagate Space for use of the company’s first Gateway offshore launch platform. The agreement supports Kratos’ planned first mission from the platform in 2027, with multiple additional launches anticipated in each subsequent year. The announcement coincides with Seagate Space’s execution of its first Gateway platform construction contract, advancing into physical construction and toward future operational readiness.

Seagate Space’s Gateway platform is being developed as a modular and mobile offshore system to support government and commercial launch, testing, and recovery missions. Its maritime mobility can provide mission planners with added flexibility in launch geometry, range access, and scheduling while reducing dependence on fixed terrestrial infrastructure.

Kratos plans to use the Gateway platform initially in support of defense-related launch and target missions. The companies expect their collaboration to establish a foundation for expanded offshore mission operations as demand grows for hypersonic testing, ballistic-missile targets, responsive launch capabilities, and other national security relevant missions. (11/10)

A Common Food Emulsifier Could Solve One of Rocketry’s Oldest Fuel Problems (Source: Universe Today)
While sitting in a tank, gels act like a dense solid, but can also act like a liquid when forced into a combustion chamber. However, they suffer from their own challenges, such as shelf life and temperature dependent phase changes. A new type of fuel uses lecithin (commonly used as an emulsifier in food) combined with a trace amount of calcium chloride salt. These form an invisible 3D mesh that can trap and hold kerosene molecules in place. Lecithin has the added advantage of being an organic compound made up of carbon and hydrogen, so it will burn right alongside the kerosene rather than acting as simply dead-weight like may other non-combustible thickening agents previously used to create gel fuels. (11/9)

FAA Issues Reentry License for Sierra Space Dream Chaser (Source: FAA)
The FAA issued Sierra Space a Part 450 vehicle operator license for its Dream Chaser reusable reentry vehicle to land at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This new reentry vehicle license is another step forward in creating a competitive commercial space sector with a variety of U.S. operators to keep America ahead in the space race.

The license was issued well in advance of Sierra Space’s targeted spring 2027 mission date and within the statutory 180-day timeframe for the FAA to make a license determination. The license is good for five years and authorizes up to four reentries per year provided the vehicle configuration and mission profile remain the same. (11/9)

NASA Awards Lunar Power Contracts (Source: Douglas Messier)
Astronauts on a lunar base will need power for life support systems and scientific instruments. NASA plans to purchase commercial solar arrays, batteries, and wireless power-transfer hardware for a Mini-Communications and Solar Tower (miniCAST).

NASA has awarded contracts to: Honeybee Robotics for energy storage capability, Redwire Space of Jacksonville, Fla., for power generation, and Yank Technologies for wireless power transfer in support of miniCAST. Honeybee Robotics is a Blue Origin company. Redwire Space is owned by AE Industrial Partners. The miniCAST will combine power and communications capabilities to support future Moon Base activities. Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center will assemble and test the systems before they are delivered to the lunar surface. (11/9)

Perseverance Dust Experiment Examines Spacesuit Materials for Future Mars Missions (Source: Universe Today)
Researchers at Washington University studied how Martian dust interacts with spacesuit-material swatches carried by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The work highlights a planning challenge for future crewed missions: accounting for dust exposure and its effects on both astronauts and the materials they rely on. (11/9)

Trump Vows US Air Show Bigger Than Paris (Source: Asianet News)
President Trump has laid out a blueprint for a sprawling aerospace exhibition venue situated at Florida’s former space shuttle landing facility, pledging an event capable of overshadowing the Paris Air Show within roughly two years. Trump detailed that the proposed 1,900-acre venue is designed to integrate commercial aircraft, private aviation and space technology, thereby equipping domestic manufacturers with an expanded stage to debut products and secure deals onshore.

"We're going to have a show the likes of which has never been done before," Trump asserted. Drawing comparisons to major aerospace exhibitions held in Paris, Britain and Dubai, the president contended that the United States ought to anchor the pre-eminent global showcase, given the dominant market share held by American firms. “We dominate and we should have the biggest show,” he remarked.

Estimates provided by the administration forecast hundreds of thousands of annual attendees, multi-billion-dollar economic boosts and astronomical commercial deals. Highlighting logistical benefits, Trump underscored that the local runway and surrounding land offer ideal capacity for handling heavy aircraft displays, space demonstrations and new exhibition buildings, with phased expansions scheduled over the coming years. (11/7)

SpaceX Plans $24 Billion Data Center and Gas Plant in Texas (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX plans to construct, own and operate a gas-fired power plant and super-compute (data center) facility at its company town in Starbase, Texas, according to a notice of a public hearing on the city’s website. The estimated investment for the initial phase of the project is $24 billion. The city commission will consider the approval of a tax abatement and development agreement at a Dec. 9 meeting. (11/9)

Canada’s Budget Backs Medium-Lift Rockets and Sovereign Launch Capability (Source: Payload)
Canada will upgrade its rockets under the Launch the North initiative, which aims to support sovereign launch vehicles operating from at least two new spaceports. The budget confirmation sets out a national effort spanning launch-vehicle development and the infrastructure needed to reach orbit from Canadian sites. (11/9)

AST SpaceMobile Forms Joint Venture With Rakuten in Japan for J-LEO Project (Source: Via Satellite)
AST SpaceMobile and Rakuten have formed a new joint venture to provide direct-to-device (D2D) services in Japan. This comes as the Japanese government selected a Rakuten proposal for the J-LEO project, Japan Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Communications Project, to establish a non-terrestrial network (NTN) managed and operated in Japan. (11/9)