Weekly Wrap: SpaceX Opposes Satellite Spectrum Auctions
SpaceX’s satellite‑policy vice‑president David Goldman told an Australian parliamentary committee that the regulator’s plan to auction 2 GHz (S‑band) spectrum could jeopardize the company’s second‑generation direct‑to‑device (D2D) service. SpaceX already operates a 4G‑based D2D service in Australia and intends to launch a dedicated MSS service on the S‑band in November 2027. Goldman urged ACMA to continue administrative allocation, citing global harmonisation and past Australian precedent. The auction is slated for Q4 2026, and its outcome will be watched by other Asia‑Pacific regulators.
The Pentagon Wants to Kill a Missile-Warning Program Congress Already Saved
The Pentagon’s FY2027 budget request proposes terminating the Next‑Gen OPIR Polar missile‑warning satellite program even though Northrop Grumman has already delivered a flight‑ready sensor. The effort was originally designed to place two polar‑orbiting sensors over the Arctic, but the Space...
Astrobotic Uses Patented Metal 3D Printing Technology to Break Rotating Detonation Engine Records
Astrobotic’s Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine completed a hot‑fire campaign at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, logging more than 470 seconds of run time and a record‑breaking 300‑second continuous burn. The engine, built with the company’s patented PermiAM metal additive‑manufacturing...
ESA Completes Sterilisation of ExoMars Parachute
The European Space Agency has finished a 79‑hour dry‑heat microbial reduction that sterilised the 74 kg ExoMars parachute at 125 °C, a key step for the Rosalind Franklin rover’s 2028 launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. The rover will drill beneath Mars’ surface...
Satellite VHF Links Transform Oceanic Aviation Communication
Researchers funded by the EU’s ECHOES program have proved that low‑Earth‑orbit satellites can relay standard aviation VHF voice and data signals, closing the communication gap over oceans. The new satellite‑based VHF system replaces noisy, delayed high‑frequency radio, delivering continuous, clearer...
Can Satellites Detect Submerged Submarines Beneath the Ocean?
In 2024 the Nuclear Threat Initiative confirmed that open‑source tools let analysts track submarine bases, surface movements, and missile launches, but no public satellite can directly locate a deep‑water submarine. Space‑based sensors such as SAR, infrared, and altimeters excel at...
DAMPE Observes Charge-Dependent Limit of Cosmic Ray Acceleration
The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) satellite has reported a charge‑dependent ceiling on cosmic‑ray acceleration, showing that heavier nuclei reach lower maximum energies than protons. The instrument measured particles up to roughly 100 TeV per nucleon and identified a systematic cutoff...
Drone Radar on Earth Guides the Search for Water on Mars
Researchers at the University of Arizona deployed drone‑mounted ground‑penetrating radar to map buried glaciers in remote Earth regions. The high‑resolution subsurface data revealed ice thicknesses and flow patterns previously undetectable from the surface. By validating radar signatures of permafrost and...
US–Indian Space Mission Maps Extreme Subsidence in Mexico City
The NASA‑ISRO NISAR satellite has produced its first high‑resolution subsidence map of Mexico City, revealing zones sinking more than two centimeters per month between October 2025 and January 2026. The L‑band synthetic‑aperture radar captured these movements despite clouds and night...
The Biggest Space Conferences in May 2026: Full Global List for UK, USA & Worldwide
May 2026 features a packed calendar of space conferences across the UK, the United States and key global hubs. Events range from the UK’s Military Space Situational Awareness Conference on Space Domain Awareness to the US‑based ASCEND summit that drives the...
Starcloud Eyes $2.2B Valuation Amid SpaceX Interest
Starcloud in Talks for $2.2 Billion Valuation as SpaceX Stirs Interest — The Information https://t.co/x8wmuzDcmW
Space Force Taps K2 Satellites to Test Laser Communications for Missile-Defense
The U.S. Space Force has chosen K2 Space’s satellites to demonstrate laser‑based optical crosslinks for the Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) Space Modernization Initiative. The FY2027 budget allocates $180 million to the program, with $7.3 million earmarked for the crosslink tests that will...
T‑Mobile and Starlink Launch SuperBroadband, a 5G‑Satellite Hybrid for U.S. Enterprises
T‑Mobile announced a partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink to launch SuperBroadband, an enterprise internet service that fuses the carrier’s 5G network with the satellite constellation’s low‑earth‑orbit coverage. The dual‑path architecture promises continuous connectivity for U.S. businesses, even during local outages.
Amazon CFO Olsavsky Flags $1 B Cost Rise From LEO Satellite Program in Q1 2026
Amazon posted $181.5 billion in first‑quarter revenue, a 17% year‑over‑year gain, while CFO Brian T. Olsavsky warned that the company expects a $1 billion cost increase linked to its low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) satellite program. The CFO also highlighted higher transportation costs, a new...
NASA Lifts CLPS Contract Ceiling to $4.2 Billion, Adding $1.6 Billion for Lunar Deliveries
NASA announced a $1.6 billion increase to its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract ceiling, raising the total to $4.2 billion. The boost is aimed at accelerating robotic precursor missions for Artemis and widening opportunities for the 13 firms already cleared for...
SpaceComputer to Conduct On-Orbit Test of Secure Computing Infrastructure
SpaceComputer, a Singapore‑based startup, will test its Space Fabric hardware‑software stack in orbit on an undisclosed satellite in October. The system links ground stations with satellites using physically isolated, cryptographically secured computing elements, and includes a dual‑secure‑element redundancy scheme. A...
Ireland Joins Artemis Accords, Raising Signatories to 65
Ireland will be the next Artemis Accords signatory -- on Monday, May 4, at 3:00 pm ET at NASA HQ. That'll make 65: https://t.co/PmkqAT1O4V
FAA Releases Final Commercial Human Spaceflight Safety Recommendations
ICYMI (like I did), earlier this month the FAA issued the final recommendation report from the Commercial Human Space Flight Occupant Safety Rulemaking Committee. https://t.co/vH9MUlBPDL https://t.co/ENyo2lvVbn
DAMPE Satellite Reveals Cosmic Rays Share Spectral Break Near 15 Teravolts
The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) satellite has identified a universal spectral softening in the energy spectra of primary cosmic‑ray nuclei—including protons, helium, carbon, oxygen and iron—around a rigidity of 15 teravolts. Published in Nature, the finding shows the particle count...
Space Data Centers Soon Normal, Google Joins Elon
Sundar Pichai just said data centers in space will be "the new normal" within a decade. @elonmusk has been saying this for years. When the CEO of Google starts agreeing with Elon, pay attention. The orbital compute era is closer...
Super Heavy Oxygen Tank Tested in Repurposed Nosecone
Super Heavy Oxygen header tank in the old nosecone jail. Interesting test going on there. 🤔
Russia's New Homegrown Soyuz 5 Rocket Aces Debut Launch
Russia successfully launched the domestically‑developed Soyuz 5 rocket from Baikonur on April 30, marking the vehicle’s first flight. The sub‑orbital test confirmed that both the first and second stages performed as designed, delivering a mock payload on a calculated trajectory before re‑entry...
Russia Cloaks Launch Schedule After Spaceport Falls in Ukraine's Sights
Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome has faced multiple drone attack attempts as it accelerates launches for the $1.2 bn Rassvet satellite constellation, a bid to rival Starlink. The threats have led Russian authorities to issue unusually long and vague NOTAMs, obscuring exact launch...
Artemis 3 Has Been Pushed to Late 2027. Can NASA Still Land Astronauts on the Moon in 2028?
NASA has moved Artemis 3’s launch window to late 2027, pushing the first crewed lunar landing to 2028. The agency earmarked $2.8 billion for Human Landing System contracts with SpaceX and Blue Origin, but both Starship and Blue Moon still lack critical uncrewed...
NASA Invites Media to Ireland Artemis Accords Signing
NASA will host a signing ceremony on May 4 at 3 p.m. EDT for Ireland to become a party to the Artemis Accords, the multilateral framework governing civil lunar and Mars activities. Administrator Jared Isaacman will welcome Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason,...
Iridium to Launch Low-Cost, Lightweight Certus 100 Satcom
Iridium will soon introduce a lightweight Certus 100 'safety' satcom solution. "We have tasked our partners to come up with a very low price point that can be done in the aftermarket on an overnight." https://t.co/i3S2kTwVLW #avgeek https://t.co/ZoZcLCAx2A
FCC to Vote on Revising EPFD Limits, Aiming to Boost NGSO Satellite Services
The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote this week on loosening equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits for non‑geostationary satellite (NGSO) constellations. Proponents argue the change will unlock spectrum for faster broadband rollout, while geostationary (GSO) operators warn of...
The Wonderful World of Artemis II Photos
Hank Green unveiled the Artemis II Photo Timeline, an interactive web tool that aligns NASA’s crewed cislunar mission photos with the agency’s official schedule. The majority of images come from NASA’s Flickr archive, preserving full‑resolution EXIF metadata, while a public API...
Nigeria’s NAICOM Teams with NASRDA and UNDP to Deploy Satellite‑Based Flood Insurance Model
Nigeria’s National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has signed a three‑way partnership with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to roll out a geospatial flood‑risk insurance model for Lagos. The initiative leverages satellite...
U.S. Space Force Sets Record with Five Different Rocket Launches in April
Space Launch Delta 45 and the Eastern Range supported five separate launch vehicles in April, breaking a 60‑year record. The milestone highlights the U.S. military’s accelerating launch cadence and growing reliance on commercial partners.
True Anomaly Lands $650 Million Series D, Valuation Hits $2.2 Billion
True Anomaly announced a $650 million Series D round led by Eclipse and Riot Ventures, pushing its valuation to $2.2 billion. The capital will fund production of its Jackal maneuverable satellites and a four‑year expansion of manufacturing capacity.
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Koen Willems, ST Engineering iDirect Europe
Koen Willems, VP of EU/NATO Programs at ST Engineering iDirect Europe, heads the European Protected Waveform (EPW) project, a €65 million (~$71 million) European Defence Fund initiative. The consortium of 22 organisations from 12 EU states completed over‑air testing in November 2025,...
Space & Satellite Futures: Why I Serve, Episode 1: With Daniel Gizinski
In the inaugural "Why I Serve" episode of SSPI's Space & Satellite Futures series, Daniel Kaczynski, President of Satellite and Space Communications at Comtech, shares his career journey from engineering to corporate strategy and discusses Comtech’s role in mission‑critical communications...
Artemis II Crew Visits the White House
On April 29 2026, the Artemis II crew and NASA chief Jared Isaacman were welcomed in the Oval Office by President Donald Trump. The meeting centered on the upcoming crewed lunar flyby, mission milestones, and the broader vision for America’s return to the Moon....
Blue Origin Certainly Has Ambitious Launch Targets for New Glenn
Blue Origin is planning a more powerful New Glenn variant, dubbed 9×4, with four BE‑3U upper‑stage engines. A senior‑manager job posting reveals a production ramp from 12 to 60 tanks per year by late 2028 and 100 tanks annually by 2029,...
FCC Boosts Satellite Broadband Capacity Sevenfold
✅ PASSED ✅ The FCC voted today to increase the capacity of high-speed satellite broadband by 7X. America leads the way again. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/8zHRUVhnLx
Space Power Is the Next U.S. Strategic Vulnerability. Here’s Why.
Power generation in space is emerging as the United States' next strategic vulnerability, as the ability to produce, deploy, and replenish energy for proliferated satellite constellations becomes a core deterrence factor. Declining launch costs have shifted focus from ultra‑efficient, low‑mass...
U.S. Investors Dominate Europe’s Private-Led Space Scale-Up Rounds
European space startups saw venture capital rise 13% YoY to €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) in 2025, but private‑led growth rounds remain dominated by U.S. investors. Of nine scale‑up rounds tracked, four were led by U.S. firms while five were backed by European...
France and Spain Want Space Reserved for EU Firms in Satellite Frequencies
France and Spain have urged the European Union to set aside mobile‑satellite spectrum for European operators ahead of a 2027 auction that could replace existing U.S. licences held by Viasat and EchoStar. The proposal aligns with a wider EU push...
Sleek Design, but Unlikely to Fly by 2026
Vehicle looks great, but I have a hard time seeing this plane taking flight in 2026.
Near-Relativistic Swarm Could Image Proxima B at 20-Meter Resolution and Scan for Biosignatures, Paper Says
Researchers propose a near‑relativistic swarm of gram‑scale picospacecraft, called Coracles, propelled by Earth‑based lasers, to fly past Proxima b. By coordinating hundreds of probes, the mission could capture gigapixel images with roughly 20‑meter resolution and perform transmission spectroscopy for biosignatures. Onboard...
The FCC Approves Plans to Speed Up Internet From Space
The FCC voted to replace its decades‑old spectrum‑sharing rules with a performance‑based framework that eases power‑flux limits for non‑geostationary (NGSO) satellites. The new regime lets NGSO constellations use adaptive coding, potentially boosting space‑based broadband capacity up to seven times and...
Soyuz‑5 Launches From Baikonur on Debut Flight
The first Soyuz-5 rocket, designed to replace Zenit, reported lifting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on its inaugural test mission. FLIGHT DETAILS, UPDATES: https://t.co/roiCzko73d https://t.co/WKcx7PubdF
The Present State of India’s Space Program
India’s space agency ISRO released its 2025‑26 annual report, highlighting achievements while glossing over critical setbacks. The report claims successful static tests of the PSLV’s HPS3 upper‑stage motor, yet the rocket suffered a second launch failure in January 2026, contradicting...
Artemis III Moon Rocket Core Stage on the Move
NASA moved the massive SLS core stage into the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on April 27, 2026. The 900‑mile journey was completed on the Pegasus barge from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The core stage...
NASA Welcomes Morocco as 64th Artemis Accords Signatory
On April 29, 2026, Morocco signed the Artemis Accords in Rabat, becoming the 64th nation to join the framework for responsible lunar and deep‑space exploration. The ceremony was attended by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher...
ISS Spacewalk to Install Sun‑Watching Teragerts Telescope May 27
TASS now confirms that the installation of the Teragerts experiment is planned during a spacewalk aboard the International Space Station on May 27. The Sun-watching telescope was delivered to the outpost with Progress MS-33: https://t.co/OewEuTieGZ https://t.co/P7IADBZ8L2
SpaceX Details Starship V3 Changes and Hardware Bottlenecks Ahead of Flight 12
SpaceX unveiled its Version 3 Starship and Super Heavy, highlighting major redesigns aimed at boosting payload capacity and reliability. The new 3D‑printed Raptor V3 engines shed external plumbing, heat shields and weight, while the booster’s taller propellant section raises payload from...
Viasat Completes ViaSat-3 Constellation with Successful Flight 3 Launch
Viasat announced the successful launch of its ViaSat-3 Flight 3 satellite on April 29, using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center. The launch completes the company’s three‑satellite global constellation, each capable of delivering more than 1 Tbps of throughput to the...
Falcon 9 Upper Stage to Hit the Moon in August
The upper stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 that launched Firefly’s Blue Ghost and Ispace’s Hakuto‑R2 lunar landers in January 2025 is projected to hit the Moon on August 5 2026 at 2:44 a.m. Eastern Time, traveling roughly 5,400 mph (1.5 mi/s). Astronomer Bill Gray used publicly available U.S....