Swedish Space Agency Signs Agreement with FAA on Launch Licensing
The Swedish National Space Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration signed an agreement on April 15, 2026 to coordinate licensing for American rockets launching from Sweden’s Esrange Space Centre. The pact builds on a 2025 technology safeguards accord and gives Sweden access to FAA data while preserving its own permit authority. Sweden also earmarked roughly $1.4 million in new funding to expand launch‑permit capacity from two to as many as 20 per year. Currently, Firefly Aerospace is the only U.S. provider committed to using Esrange, with SSC Space securing contracts worth about $21 million for a Swedish military satellite launch capability.
ESA Publishes New Details on Crew Launch Abort Demonstrator
The European Space Agency (ESA) has opened a call for proposals to develop a Crew Launch Abort Demonstrator, allocating roughly $1.1 million for the System Level Definition phase that will run up to 12 months. The project will use an Ariane 6...
ESA Spent €82 Million to Launch Sentinel-1D Satellite on Ariane 6
The European Space Agency disclosed that the Sentinel‑1D Earth‑observation satellite launched on an Ariane 62 rocket in November 2025 cost €82,070,773, roughly $89 million. The mission was originally slated for a Vega‑C launch, but the rocket’s two‑year grounding forced a switch to...
PLD Space Secures €30 Million European Investment Bank Loan
Spanish launch services firm PLD Space secured a €30 million ($32.5 million) venture‑debt loan from the European Investment Bank to finish development of its two‑stage MIURA 5 rocket. The financing follows a €180 million ($195 million) Series C round and brings total private capital to roughly...
The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Pressure Tests
The Exploration Company announced on 31 March that it has completed pressure testing of the Nyx Structural Test Model’s pressurised compartment, confirming the structure behaves as expected. The test article, built by France’s CNIM Systèmes Industriels and delivered in mid‑February,...
Avio Delays SMILE Launch After Component Production Issue Identified
Avio has postponed the European Space Agency’s SMILE mission, originally slated for 9 May, after a supplier flagged a technical issue on a subsystem component during production. The launch would have been the first Vega C flight managed directly by Avio...
Italy Signs Agreement with NASA to Cooperate on Moon Base
Italy and NASA have signed a Statement of Intent to jointly develop the U.S.-led lunar surface base, extending a 2022 cooperation that tasked Italy with designing a multi‑purpose habitation module. The agreement covers habitation, communications and scientific payloads, and guarantees...
Spain Approves €325 Million ESCA+ Expansion of Atlantic Constellation
Spain’s Council of Ministers approved a €325 million (≈$354 million) investment to add three Earth‑observation satellites to the Atlantic Constellation, expanding the joint Spain‑Portugal network to 19 spacecraft. The funding will flow through the European Space Agency as part of a broader...
Sweden’s 2026 Spring Budget to Include €36.5 Million More for Space
Sweden's government proposes a SEK 400 million ($40 million) addition to its 2026 spring budget to develop sovereign launch capability at the Esrange Space Centre, with a focus on military space operations. SEK 14 million ($1.4 million) will strengthen the Swedish Space Agency’s licensing...
ESA Seeks Commercial Provider to Transport Payload to the Moon
The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a call for a commercial provider to deliver its follow‑on NILS2 instrument to the Moon, building on the original NILS payload that gathered 346 minutes of data aboard China’s Chang’e 6 lander. NILS2 is...
ESA Member States Call for Cancellation of Earth Return Orbiter
European Space Agency member states have voted to cancel the Earth Return Orbiter, a €491 million ($535 million) contract awarded to Airbus Defence and Space for NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission. The cancellation follows a US Senate decision in January 2026 to...
CNES Publishes Call for Drone Swarm to Monitor Launch Operations
CNES has launched a call for proposals to create an autonomous drone swarm that will monitor perimeter security and support launch‑operation activities at the Guiana Space Centre. The initiative is funded under the Flexible, Digital and Sustainable (FDS) programme, a...
Norway and Iceland to Join the EU’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 Programmes
Norway and Iceland have signed agreements to join the European Union’s GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 secure communications programmes. GOVSATCOM, launched in January, provides interim secure satellite capacity, while the €10.6 billion IRIS2 project will deploy about 290 satellites by 2030. Iceland will...
Switzerland’s PAVE Space Closes $40 Million Seed Funding Round
Swiss startup PAVE Space announced a $40 million seed round led by Visionaries Club and Creandum, accelerating its LYOBA heavy‑lift kick stage development. The company, a 2024 spin‑off from the Gruyère Space Programme, targets rapid satellite transport between orbits and plans...
US-Based Katalyst Selects Ariane 6 to Launch Satellite Servicing Spacecraft
Arizona‑based Katalyst Space Technologies has signed a launch contract with Arianespace to send its NEXUS‑1 satellite‑servicing spacecraft to geostationary orbit on an Ariane 6 rocket in the second half of 2027. NEXUS‑1 will dock with GEO satellites to install new hardware,...
