Airbase Emerges From Stealth With $5M to Automate Spectrum Allocation
Airbase announced its emergence from stealth with a $5 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz, joined by Squadra Ventures and Founders You Should Know. The startup aims to automate the Federal Communications Commission’s outdated, manual spectrum‑allocation workflow that relies on legacy databases and PDFs. By providing software that deconflicts RF usage and modernizes licensing, Airbase hopes to streamline spectrum management for the growing number of orbital missions. The company already secured its first undisclosed federal contract to field‑test the technology.
Amazon Leo Prepares To Boost Satellite Production And Launch
Amazon Leo announced a plan to double its launch cadence, targeting 20 missions in the second year after completing 11 launches in the first year. The company already operates more than 200 satellites and has hundreds of flight‑ready units stored...
NASA Revives Next-Generation Flagship Earth-Observing Missions
NASA has revived its next‑generation flagship Earth‑observing program, renaming the Atmosphere Observing System to Falcon and the Surface Biology and Geology study to Eagle. The two‑satellite Eagle mission will include a high‑resolution spectrometer costing up to $310 million and a thermal...
It’s Go Time: Historic Moon Mission Set for Lift-Off
Artemis II is set to launch around April 1, 2026, using NASA’s new Space Launch System for a ten‑day lunar flyby. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—will be the first woman, person of colour and non‑American to...
Cornwall Space Station to Support NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Mission Since Apollo
Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall will track NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby using its 32‑metre GHY‑6 antenna, marking the first human deep‑space mission since Apollo 17. The commercial facility previously supported the uncrewed Artemis I flight and historically relayed the 1969 Apollo 11...
Moog Taps Redwire to Provide Solar Arrays for Meteor
Redwire secured a $12.8 million contract from Moog to supply its Extensible Low‑Profile Solar Array (ELSA) for the Meteor satellite bus. ELSA delivers roughly 50 % more power per unit volume than conventional arrays, targeting mass‑manufactured satellites. The arrays will be designed,...
FCC Looks to Win ‘Space Race 2.0’ with Satellite Infrastructure Buildout
The Federal Communications Commission announced a strategic push to dominate the emerging "Space Race 2.0" by accelerating satellite licensing and allocating over 20,000 MHz of new spectrum. FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz outlined a "licensing assembly line" to speed approvals and...
Laser Communications and the Rise of Orbital Data Centers
The space sector faces a data‑transport bottleneck as satellite constellations generate more information than RF links can downlink. Industry leaders are transitioning from isolated spacecraft to distributed orbital data centers, where satellites act as networked nodes processing and sharing data...
SES Targets New Operational MEO Constellation by 2030
SES announced its next‑generation medium Earth orbit constellation, meoSphere, slated for operational service by 2030. The network will initially comprise 28 high‑power satellites built by K2 Space in Luxembourg, with pathfinder launches planned over the next three years to validate...
CSA Announces $3.6M Opportunity for Life Sciences Research on the ISS
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has launched a $3.6 million CAD (≈ $2.6 million USD) Announcement of Opportunity to fund health and life‑sciences research on the International Space Station. Up to $900,000 CAD (≈ $660,000 USD) per project will be awarded to Canadian teams...
Hughes Offers Multi-Orbit, Beam Satellite Modem
Hughes Network Systems, an EchoStar subsidiary, introduced the HM400, a software‑defined satellite modem that can operate on both medium‑Earth‑orbit (MEO) and geosynchronous‑Earth‑orbit (GEO) constellations. The modem leverages artificial‑intelligence to automatically switch between satellite beams, delivering continuous connectivity for manned and...
One-On-One With SDA’s GP Sandhoo
The Space Development Agency’s first operational satellite tranche is running three months behind schedule, as Acting Director Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo explained. A “strategic pause” was imposed to address a collection of minor technical glitches and a 45‑day government shutdown that...
Russia Launches the First 16 Satellites in Its Own Internet Satellite Constellation
Russia quietly placed the first 16 satellites of its Rassvet broadband constellation into a polar orbit using a Soyuz‑2 launch from the Plesetsk spaceport. The satellites, built by the state‑linked Bureau‑1440, are the initial step toward a planned 700‑plus satellite...
NASA’s Juno Delivers New Science While Its Future Remains Uncertain
NASA’s Juno spacecraft, originally slated for a five‑year Jupiter science campaign, received a two‑year extension that allowed it to record unprecedented lightning data in 2021‑2022. Researchers analyzing the data found Jovian storms produce lightning flashes at least 100 times more...
Telcos Pick Satellite Sides in Mobile Broadband Space Race
Mobile network operators are rapidly aligning with low‑Earth‑orbit satellite providers to launch direct‑to‑device broadband services. The majority are partnering with SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile or AST SpaceMobile, with Starlink already serving 10 million monthly active users and targeting 25 million by year‑end, while...
SFL Missions Selected to Build Eight Node Spacecraft for NASA HelioSwarm
SFL Missions Inc. won a competitive contract to build eight 150‑kg Node spacecraft for NASA’s HelioSwarm mission, a MIDEX‑class solar‑wind science observatory. The Nodes will be launched aboard a larger Hub spacecraft and deployed into a lunar‑resonant orbit to capture...
Nasa to Spend US$20 Billion on Moon Base, Cancel Orbiting Lunar Station
NASA announced it will cancel the Lunar Gateway orbital station and redirect its resources to build a $20 billion lunar surface base over the next seven years. The decision was made by new NASA chief Jared Isaacman, who said the agency...
NASA Adds Moon Base and Nuclear-Powered Mars Spacecraft to Road Map
NASA announced that a lunar outpost is now a formal element of its upcoming roadmap, moving the Artemis program toward a twice‑annual launch cadence. The agency also unveiled plans to field a nuclear‑propelled spacecraft for a Mars mission by the...
NASA’s Water-Hunting Tool Will Help Scout Moon’s South Pole
NASA is contributing its Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS) to the JAXA‑ISRO Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission, which plans to land a rover at the Moon’s South Pole no earlier than 2028. The NSS detects hydrogen signatures up to three feet...
Optical Surfaces Ltd Targets Aerospace Surveillance with Ritchey-Chrétien Optics
On March 10, 2026 Optical Surfaces Ltd announced its Ritchey‑Chrétien (RC) telescope optics as a high‑precision solution for military and aerospace surveillance. The company manufactures hyperbolic mirrors up to 700 mm diameter with surface accuracy of λ/20 P‑V and sub‑nanometer microroughness,...
The Exploration Company Licenses LEAP 71's Noyron RP Technology for Rocket Engine Design
The Exploration Company (TEC) has signed a five‑year renewable agreement to license LEAP 71’s Noyron RP Large Computation Model for its next‑generation rocket engine development. Noyron RP encodes physics, engineering logic, and production constraints to autonomously generate engine component geometries from...
Symphony Space Unveils Adagio Hosted Payload Platform
Symphony Space introduced Adagio, a reusable hosted‑payload satellite that lets customers swap payloads in orbit via robotic arms and orbital transfer vehicles. The platform targets a $10,000 per kilogram price point—significantly lower than the traditional two‑to‑five‑times higher rates. Symphony aims...
Global Invacom and SatWave Arrays Inc. Sign MoU for Commercial Production of Next-Gen FPA
Global Invacom Group and Satwave Arrays have signed an MoU to co‑develop a motorised, pan‑and‑tilt flat‑panel antenna capable of operating across Ka/Ku‑band LEO, MEO and GEO satellites. The antenna will be compact, lightweight and ruggedised for defense and commercial use,...
Airtel Tests Starlink to Connect 4G Phones Even Without Network Signal
Airtel Africa successfully tested Starlink Mobile, allowing standard 4G phones to connect directly to SpaceX’s satellite constellation in areas without terrestrial signal. The trial demonstrated messaging, WhatsApp calls, and financial transactions over satellite links. Airtel plans to roll out the...
Ramon.Space, Ingrasys Aim To Fly Prototype Orbital Data Center In 2027
Ramon.Space and Taiwan‑based Ingrasys announced plans to launch a prototype orbital data‑center in 2027, with additional flights slated for 2028. The partnership builds on a 2023 agreement to produce radiation‑hardened electronics in high volume, aiming to create scalable computing infrastructure...
Pulsar Appoints Enzo Brizzi to Grow Enterprise Connectivity in Africa
Pulsar International has named Enzo Brizzi as Director of Enterprise Market Expansion & Partnerships to spearhead the company’s growth in Africa. Brizzi, a veteran with more than 25 years in satellite and telecom, will drive strategic alliances and scalable operating...
NASA Plans to Send a Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft to Mars in 2028
NASA announced plans to launch the Space Reactor‑1 (SR‑1) Freedom, a nuclear‑powered spacecraft, to Mars in December 2028. The 20‑kilowatt fission reactor, originally built for the Lunar Gateway, will generate electricity for propulsion and will carry three small helicopters that will...
Beyond the Rocket: The Digital Infrastructure of the Artemis II Mission
Artemis II will showcase not only NASA’s most powerful launch vehicle but also a modernized digital backbone built by Booz Allen. The contractor is delivering upgraded communications, cloud‑based ground systems, edge‑computing capabilities, and AI tools that let spacecraft operate with limited Earth...
History of the Iranian Space Program
Iran’s space program has evolved from modest satellite‑communication experiments in the 1960s to a dual‑track effort that now fields both civilian and military launch capabilities. In 2009 the country became the ninth nation to place a satellite, Omid, into orbit...
Xplore Asks for Pause on Decision for SpaceX Use of E-Band
Rural broadband provider Xplore has asked Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development department (ISED) to pause approval of SpaceX’s request to use the 71‑76 GHz and 81‑86 GHz E‑band for satellite backhaul. Xplore argues that the World Radiocommunication Conference has not yet...
Space Force Opens $981M Competition for Test and Training Infrastructure
Space Force issued the final solicitation for the $981 million NITE STAR contract to modernize its test and training infrastructure. Proposals are due April 17, with awards expected by July 1, and the contract spans a five‑year base period plus a five‑year option....
EnduroSat and MetaSensing Partner to Accelerate SAR Satellite Access
EnduroSat and MetaSensing have formed a partnership to deliver a fully European "constellation‑as‑a‑service" synthetic aperture radar (SAR) solution. The collaboration couples MetaSensing’s X‑band PhoeniX and StarSAR‑X radar payloads with EnduroSat’s FRAME‑15 and FRAME‑24 satellites, offering 0.125‑to‑0.5 m resolution. By standardizing integration...
Scrubbing Away Lunar Dust
Researchers at Orbital Mining and Space Dust Research & Technologies are concluding tests of Lunar SCRUB, an electrostatic cleaning device that uses an electron beam to lift moon dust from surfaces. The prototype, about one‑third the size of a loaf of...
CubeSpace Challenges Vertical Integration with Record ADCS Production Milestone
On March 23, 2026 CubeSpace announced a production surge, shipping 2,118 standalone ADCS units and 71 mission‑tailored systems in January‑February. The South African firm claims its modular ADCS can cut costs by 50% compared with in‑house solutions, while maintaining an 8‑12‑week lead...
The ISS Is Retiring: Is Axiom Station a Perfect Bridge to Commercial Space?
NASA plans to retire the International Space Station by 2030, ending more than 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit. Rather than building a government‑owned replacement, the agency will buy services from private platforms to cut costs and sustain...
Space Tech: SpinLaunch – The Disruptors
SpinLaunch is developing a kinetic‑launch system that uses a 100‑meter vacuum chamber to spin payloads, potentially cutting rocket fuel and structural mass by up to 70 %. The company raised $30 million in a Series C round, bringing total funding to $203 million, and...
NASA’s Hubble, Webb Telescopes Survey Pinwheel Galaxy
NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes captured a high‑resolution view of the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) on March 16, 2026. The combined ultraviolet, visible and near‑infrared data focus on the galaxy’s core, which lies about 25 million light‑years away and presents a rare face‑on...
Russian Rocket en Route to ISS Suffers Major Antenna Glitch, Triggering Remote-Control Astronaut 'Backup Plan'
Russia’s Progress 94 cargo freighter suffered an antenna deployment failure shortly after liftoff, preventing its planned autonomous docking with the International Space Station. NASA announced that cosmonaut Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov will pilot the vehicle manually using an undisclosed backup system. The spacecraft...
ThinKom Showcases Modular MILSATCOM Architecture for Contested Environments
At the 2026 Satellite Show in Washington, D.C., ThinKom Solutions unveiled a modular, high‑mobility ground architecture designed to replace static satellite command centers. The system, built around the Variable Inclination Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) phased‑array antenna, can connect to GEO,...
In a Rare Event, the Moon Got a Massive New Crater
A fresh lunar crater 225 meters wide was identified by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, forming in April‑May 2024. Researchers estimate an impact of this size should occur only once every 139 years, making it a once‑in‑a‑century event. The crater sits on...
OHB SE Exceeds Profitability Targets with Record €3.2 Billion Backlog
OHB SE reported FY 2025 results that beat its profitability guidance, with revenue climbing 21% to €1.25 bn (≈ $1.36 bn) and adjusted EBIT rising 17% to €84 m (≈ $92 m). The company’s order backlog reached a record €3.19 bn (≈ $3.48 bn), driven by a €248 m (≈ $270 m) ESA...
NASA to Provide Update on Implementation of National Space Policy
NASA will host a public event on March 24, 2026 at its Washington headquarters to detail how the agency is executing President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy. The agenda includes remarks by Administrator Jared Isaacman and high‑level panels on Artemis II, the goal of...
NASA’s Van Allen Probe A Burns up over the Pacific After 14 Years in Space
NASA’s Van Allen Probe A burned up over the eastern Pacific on March 11, 2026, ending a seven‑year mission that far outlasted its planned two‑year lifespan. The 1,300‑pound (600 kg) spacecraft, launched in 2012, spent nearly a decade studying Earth’s radiation belts and delivering...
Kymeta™ Unveils a Paradigm Shift With a KuKa Multi Band Terminal
Kymeta Corporation announced the KuKa 8 Series, a single‑aperture antenna that operates on both Ku and Ka bands and across GEO, MEO, LEO and HEO constellations. The flat‑panel terminal delivers roughly 44 percent less footprint and a low‑SWaP profile of 41 lb (18.6 kg)....
Contrivian Launches New Product Bundling Amazon Leo & Starlink
Contrivian, a California‑based managed connectivity provider, unveiled Contrivian Constellation, a bundled service that merges Amazon Leo and Starlink satellite networks under a single data plan, contract, and IP address. The system leverages the company’s Lighthouse technology to continuously evaluate both...
CML Micro Debuts Satellite RF and mmWave Semiconductor Portfolio to US Market at SATShow 2026
CML Micro debuted its satellite communications semiconductor portfolio at SATShow 2026 in Washington, D.C., showcasing GaAs and GaN RF and mmWave devices for Ku, K, and Ka‑band applications. The exhibit, held with distribution partner RFMW at Booth 1658, featured power amplifiers...
NASA Sets 'Impossible' Ground Rules for Relocation of 'Flown Space Vehicle'
NASA has issued a draft Request for Proposals to move a flown space vehicle, a step lawmakers see as progress toward relocating the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian to Houston. The agency’s RFP stresses that any shuttle must be...
A Unique NASA Satellite Is Falling Out of Orbit—This Team Is Trying to Rescue It
The 21‑year‑old Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is spiraling toward re‑entry, and NASA has awarded Katalyst Space Technologies a $30 million contract to build and launch a robotic servicing vehicle, Link, to reboost the satellite. Katalyst must design, test, and launch the mission within...
Watch Live: First Celeste Launch
On 25 March 2026, ESA’s Celeste low‑Earth‑orbit positioning, navigation and timing (LEO‑PNT) mission will lift off aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron from New Zealand, deploying its first two demonstration satellites. The launch marks the inaugural step of an 11‑satellite constellation designed to test...
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In 2005 the MESSENGER spacecraft captured a time‑lapse of Earth as it drifted away on its trajectory toward Mercury. The video shows the planet’s bright, sun‑lit side dominating the frame, rendering background stars invisible. After the flyby, MESSENGER continued to...
