FCC Considers Satellite Changes to Universal Service's High Cost Fund
The FCC launched a formal proceeding to reassess its $4.5 billion High‑Cost Universal Service Fund, signaling a possible shift toward low‑Earth‑orbit satellite services. SpaceX urged Chairman Brendan Carr to phase out most of the fund, arguing that satellite broadband has narrowed the access gaps the subsidies were designed to address. The inquiry will explore how LEO constellations could be integrated into universal service policies and what that means for traditional rural carriers. Stakeholders are watching for potential funding cuts and a reallocation of resources.
Alex MacDonald Urges Rapid Canadian Pivot to Lunar Surface Robotics
Former NASA Chief Economist Alex MacDonald warned Canada’s space agency to act now after NASA’s Ignition event paused the Lunar Gateway and the Canadarm3 role. He urged the CSA to shift funds and focus toward lunar surface robotics, securing Commercial Lunar...
House Committee Claims Possible NASA/China Interactions
The House Select Committee on China released a report titled “Research Security for America’s Future in Space: NASA’s Enforcement of the Wolf Amendment.” It alleges that hundreds of NASA‑funded papers involve Chinese co‑authors or institutions, potentially breaching the 2011 Wolf...
Innovative Mars Rovers “Swim” Through the Sand
A research team at the University of Würzburg has unveiled a new Mars‑exploration rover that moves through loose sand by “swimming” rather than rolling. The prototype, dubbed Sandfish, uses rapid side‑to‑side motions inspired by desert lizards to generate thrust in...
SpaceX Launches 24 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg, Pushing Constellation Past 10,500
SpaceX lifted off a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday night, deploying 24 new Starlink satellites and bringing the active constellation to roughly 10,500 units. The mission also saw booster B1103 land safely on the droneship “Of Course...
Varda Space Industries W-6 Capsule Touches Down in South Australia
On May 20, 2026 Varda Space Industries’ W‑6 capsule safely landed at South Australia’s Koonibba Test Range after a high‑velocity re‑entry. The payload, supplied by NASA and U.S. defense agencies, captured real‑time data on thermal protection system performance at roughly...
Adhesives for Satellites and Space Applications
The new Master Bond ebook highlights how advanced epoxy and adhesive systems are essential for satellite and spacecraft durability. It details performance requirements such as surviving cryogenic temperatures as low as 4 K, extreme radiation, wide thermal cycles, and high vacuum....
SpaceX’s Sunrise Starlink Launch Adds 29 Satellites to Low Earth Orbit Megaconstellation
SpaceX’s Starlink 10‑31 mission launched 29 V2 Mini Optimized satellites from Cape Canaveral at 6:04 a.m. EDT, bringing the low‑Earth‑orbit broadband constellation past the 10,000‑satellite mark. The Falcon 9 booster B1077 performed its 28th flight and landed on the drone ship ‘A...
Isaacman Predicts Chinese Crewed Lunar Flyby by 2027
Jared Isaacman, head of NASA’s commercial crew program, warned at the ASCEND conference that China is on track to launch a crewed lunar flyby by 2027. The prediction suggests the Chinese space agency could achieve the first human orbit of...
Germany Touts Pan-German Space Command Amid European Push to Supplant US Tech
Germany’s defence minister announced a €35 bn ($40.7 bn) European Space Component Command, to be co‑designed with Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg under a new “DACH+L” format. The initiative includes a multilateral space academy and aims to embed partner nations in the design...
232 - How Is 5G NTN Shaping Long-Term Strategy Across the Satellite Industry?
In this episode, industry leaders from SES, ABI Research, and Kratos discuss how 5G Non‑Terrestrial Networks (NTN) are being integrated into satellite operators’ long‑term strategies. They highlight the rapid standardization progress—from 3GPP Release 17 to the upcoming Release 19—early commercial...
Orbital Data Centers: Power and Thermal Management for Scalable Architectures
Redwire released a whitepaper detailing how power generation and thermal management will enable scalable orbital data centers. The paper leverages the company’s flight‑proven Roll‑Out Solar Array (ROSA) and deployable radiator technologies to illustrate a near‑term compute node architecture. It argues...
LEO Constellations and Ground Infrastructure Scaling Position Optical Satcom for Multi-Billion-Dollar Surge
Novaspace's third Optical Communications Market report projects global revenues for space‑based laser communication terminals to reach $12.9 billion by 2035, driven almost entirely by low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) constellations. Closed, vertically integrated operators are expected to capture 74% of market value, leaving 26%...
Bezos Says 2-3 Year Timeline for Space Data Centers Is a 'Little Ambitious'
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told CNBC that while orbital data centers are realistic, the commonly cited two‑to‑three‑year timeline is overly optimistic. He identified high energy consumption and expensive processors as the two biggest obstacles, adding that launch costs also need...
Starfighters Turns Texas Facility Toward Microgravity Flight Testing
Starfighters Space is converting its Midland, Texas hangar into a hub for microgravity flight testing, partnering with Mu‑G Technologies to modify a Dassault Falcon 50 for parabolic missions. The move responds to NASA’s request for information on commercial parabolic capabilities and...
SpaceX Going Public Is Igniting Wall Street’s Own Race to Orbit
Elon Musk’s plan to take SpaceX public is sparking a wave of investor enthusiasm across the commercial‑space ecosystem. Since the filing was disclosed in December, the Bloomberg‑tracked BofA space‑stock basket has jumped 40% this year, while individual names such as...
Proposed Fiscal 2027 Funding Could Support Two Commercial Space Stations, Developers Say
The House Appropriations Committee’s Commerce‑Justice‑Science bill earmarks $400 million for NASA’s Commercial Low‑Earth‑Orbit Destinations (CLD) program, a $100 million increase over the White House request for fiscal 2026. Executives from Vast and Starlab Space say the expanded budget can support two separate...
Report Finds U.S. Space Supply Chains Rely Heavily on Chinese Manufacturing
Altana’s new report reveals that more than 849,000 U.S. commercial space imports since 2022 have exposure to Chinese suppliers at third‑tier or higher, with an additional 15,000 imports containing Russian‑origin components. Semiconductor‑related imports show a 26.8% reliance on Taiwanese manufacturers,...
China Conducts First Experiments for Space-Based Solar Power Plants
China’s Sun Chasing project has demonstrated its first space‑based solar power experiments, achieving wireless power transmission over 100 meters with 20.8% DC‑to‑DC efficiency and delivering up to 1,180 watts to a stationary receiver. The team also powered a moving drone at 30 km/h,...
As Starlink Gets Uganda Greenlight, some African Telcos Are Uneasy
Uganda has granted Starlink an operating licence, ending a years‑long regulatory standoff and paving the way for the satellite‑internet service to launch in the country. The move follows similar approvals in Kenya, Rwanda and other African markets, while Tanzania remains...
SpaceX Sets May 21 Launch for Starship V3, NASA’s Artemis Lander Upgrade
SpaceX announced that its upgraded Starship V3 will attempt its maiden flight on May 21, 2026, from Starbase’s new pad. The 124‑meter vehicle, powered by 33 Raptor 3 engines and capable of >100 t to LEO, is central to NASA’s Artemis lunar...
Greenlight for Next Two ESA Scout Missions
The European Space Agency has green‑lit two new Scout satellites, Hibidis and SOVA‑S, expanding its agile Earth‑observation fleet. Hibidis will carry a hyperspectral imager to separate forest canopies from understories and quantify understorey biodiversity. SOVA‑S will use a short‑wave infrared...
May 20, 1990: Hubble’s First Light
After a four‑decade development cycle, the Hubble Space Telescope launched on April 24, 1990 and achieved first light on May 20, 1990 with a 30‑second exposure of the 8.2‑magnitude star HD 96755. The engineering image, taken by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera, was roughly...
3 Space Infrastructure Stocks Gaining Momentum Ahead of the SpaceX IPO
The market buzz around a potential SpaceX IPO—rumored at a $1.75 trillion valuation—has sparked renewed investor interest in space‑infrastructure firms. Intuitive Machines (LUNR) leverages a $4.8 billion NASA Near Space Network Services contract and a new $20 million lunar camera deal, pushing its...
Image: NASA's Psyche Mission Spies Mars' Wind-Blown Craters During Close Approach
NASA's Psyche spacecraft, en route to asteroid 16 Psyche, performed a close flyby of Mars on May 15, 2026 and returned a natural‑color image of the Syrtis Major region. The picture reveals wind‑blown streaks that stretch roughly 30 miles (50 km) across impact craters about 30 miles...
ESA Boss Tires of Being Dragged Around by NASA Mood Swings
European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher publicly rebuked NASA’s erratic policy shifts, urging Europe to develop autonomous human‑spaceflight capability. He highlighted NASA’s pause on the Lunar Gateway and the cancellation of the Mars Sample Return as catalysts for Europe...
Starship Flight 12: SpaceX Debuts Redesigned Architecture
SpaceX is targeting Thursday for Starship flight 12, the first test of its next‑generation V3 architecture for both the Starship upper stage and Super Heavy booster, powered by Raptor 3 engines. The mission will launch from the newly built Pad 2, which...
The Exploration Company Completes Nyx Test Model Vibration Testing
The Exploration Company finished a four‑week vibration test campaign for its Nyx structural test model at ESA’s ESTEC, completing 69 tests on the Hydra shaker. The tests follow earlier pressure‑testing and will refine launch‑performance models for the modular capsule, which...
The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Completed 72 Flights in an Atmosphere Less than One Percent as Dense as Earth’s Before Rotor...
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, built for just five test flights, completed 72 missions over nearly three years, logging more than two hours of flight in an atmosphere less than one percent as dense as Earth’s. Weighing 1.8 kg and costing about $85 million,...
NASA to Launch LOXSAT Satellite to Test First In‑Space Cryogenic Fuel Depot
NASA announced that the LOXSAT (Liquid Oxygen Flight Demonstration) satellite will lift off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron from New Zealand after July 17, 2026. The nine‑month mission will validate 11 cryogenic‑fuel technologies, aiming to create the first orbital “gas station” for lunar...
NASA’s Plan for a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon Could Change Space Exploration Forever—If It Works
U.S. officials aim to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, a timeline that outpaces a similar China‑Russia effort slated for 2035. Proponents argue nuclear power solves the lunar south‑pole’s 14‑day night, offering reliable, year‑round energy for habitats,...
How a SoCal Native Became One of NASA's Most Valuable Assets
Victor Glover, a Southern‑California native and former test pilot, became the only astronaut to have piloted NASA’s Orion capsule during the successful Artemis II lunar flyby. The mission marks a turning point as NASA plans to accelerate Artemis launches from every...
Richard Nixon’s White House Had a Speech Prepared in Case Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Became Stranded on the Lunar...
Two days before Apollo 11 landed, Nixon speechwriter William Safire drafted a 12‑sentence address to be delivered if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were stranded on the Moon. The memo also prescribed a phone call to the astronauts’ families, a burial‑at‑sea...
SK Telink Brings Starlink to Five South Korean Shipping Firms
SK Telink has signed agreements with five major South Korean shipping firms—Hyundai Merchant Marine, Pan Ocean, H‑Line Shipping, SK Shipping and KSS Line—to equip their operational fleets with SpaceX’s Starlink low‑Earth‑orbit satellite internet. The service promises up to 250 Mbit/s download...
After NASA Contract Change, Sierra Space Seeks Path Forward for Dream Chaser
NASA has altered its contract with Sierra Space, removing the obligation to use Dream Chaser for a set number of ISS cargo flights as the station phases out. Sierra now targets a free‑flyer demonstration in late 2026, launching on a...
Britain Launches the First X-Ray Eye on Earth’s Magnetic Shield
A joint ESA‑China mission, SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), launched on a Vega‑C rocket on 19 May and became the first satellite to image Earth’s magnetic shield in real time using X‑ray technology. The UK Space Agency contributed...
Rocket Lab’s 3D Printed Engine Hits 1,000 Units
Rocket Lab announced that its Long Beach plant has produced the 1,000th Rutherford engine, the world’s first 3D‑printed, battery‑powered rocket engine. The milestone follows a decade of scaling from one unit per month to a target of roughly 200 engines annually....
Webb Discovers One of the Universe's First Galaxies
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected an ultra‑faint galaxy, LAP1‑B, that existed just 800 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy was magnified 100‑fold by gravitational lensing from a foreground cluster, allowing JWST to capture its spectrum....
The Mars Rovers Carry No Clocks Set to Earth Time, so the Engineers Driving Them Shifted Their Entire Lives to...
NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers operate on a 24‑hour‑39‑minute Martian sol, forcing JPL engineers to adopt the same schedule for the first 90 sols of each mission. The shift pushes alarms later each day, leading staff to sleep in California...
Satellite Services for Biodiversity Monitoring
Satellite biodiversity monitoring has shifted from selling raw imagery to providing repeatable, policy‑grade outputs such as alerts, change‑detection layers, and auditable reports. Public missions like Landsat, Copernicus, and NISAR supply the free data foundation, while commercial firms add higher‑resolution or...
SpaceX Launches 24 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 Launch From California
SpaceX launched 24 additional Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 19, 2026, bringing the operational constellation to just under 10,500 units. The Falcon 9 booster B1103 completed its second flight, landing safely on the droneship “Of Course I...
GalaxySpace Unveils Deployable Umbrella Antenna For LEO Satellites
On May 18, 2026 GalaxySpace announced a deployable umbrella antenna designed for low‑Earth‑orbit satellites. The antenna claims up to ten‑fold stronger connectivity than conventional Q/V‑band steerable dishes and occupies less than 12% of the satellite’s stowage volume. Its integrated mesh‑forming...
Isaacman: Chinese Taikonauts Likely to Fly Around Moon in 2027
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told the AIAA ASCEND conference that Chinese taikonauts are likely to fly around the Moon in 2027, ending the United States’ sole record of crewed lunar circumvention. He framed the development as a modern space race,...
48 Hours Until Starship Flight 12 Results Reveal
The countdown is on! In 48 hours, we will hopefully know the full result of the epic Starship Flight 12. Love this @InfographicTony masterpiece.
China’s BeiDou Leads GPS, Other Rivals Across Belt and Road Network: Report
China’s home‑grown BeiDou navigation system now commands 58% of the positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) market in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, according to a new industry white paper. The broader Chinese PNT ecosystem generated roughly ¥1.33 trillion (about $196 billion)...
FCC OKs Anterix, Lynk Global Testing of Satellite D2D at 900 MHz
Anterix and Lynk Global have received an FCC experimental license to test satellite‑direct‑to‑device (D2D) communications on the 900 MHz band that Anterix licenses to utilities. The trials will use off‑the‑shelf devices—including smartphones, LMR radios, Toughbooks and routers—in both wooded and island...
Northrop Grumman’s First MRV Readies for Summer Launch to Expand the Space Servicing Toolkit
Northrop Grumman’s SpaceLogistics will launch its Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) this summer on a dedicated SpaceX ride, marking the first commercial robotic in‑space servicing mission. The MRV, equipped with dual robotic arms, a standardized refueling interface and advanced docking sensors,...
"I'll Buy 10 of Those"—NASA Science Chief Yearns for Mass-Produced Satellites
NASA’s science budget remains at roughly $7.25 billion—essentially flat since 2000—while Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasizes faster, cheaper missions. Science leaders like Nicky Fox argue for a fleet of $100 million “off‑the‑shelf” spacecraft rather than a few billion‑dollar flagships. The agency is exploring...
U.S. Space Force Awards Northrop Grumman $398 Million Contract for Jam‑resistant SATCOM Prototype
The U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million contract to develop an Enhanced Protected Tactical SATCOM‑Prototype (Enhanced PTS‑P). The prototype will feature advanced anti‑jamming antennas and on‑orbit data processing, with a launch window set for fiscal year 2030. The...
SpaceX Punts Starship V3 Launch to May 21 as Investigation Opens Into Starbase Worker’s Death
SpaceX has pushed the inaugural flight of its Starship V3 megarocket to the evening of May 21, with a launch window opening at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The delay follows a fatal fall of a contractor at the Starbase facility, prompting an OSHA...