Slingshot Introduces AI-Powered Portal Platform
Slingshot Aerospace launched the Slingshot Portal, an AI‑driven platform that consolidates data from its Global Sensor Network, government tracking feeds, orbital object catalogs, and customers' proprietary sources. The portal delivers near‑real‑time monitoring, anomaly detection, and maneuver planning within a single interface. By fusing analytics with diverse data streams, operators can quickly identify issues and execute corrective actions. Slingshot plans to roll out advanced maneuver intelligence, predictive analytics, and complex mission planning later this year.
Taara Expands Into Video Distribution, Sizes up Data Center Opportunity
Taara, the free‑space‑optics spin‑out of Google X, is entering remote video distribution through a partnership with production‑tech firm Cintegral. The collaboration will showcase 4K and 8K wireless feeds powered by Taara’s Lightbridge platform at the NAB Show, leveraging up to...
AWS Powered the Moon Mission: Lunar Landing Next in Line
NASA’s Artemis II mission returned safely to the Pacific on April 10, marking the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit in five decades. Behind the splashdown, Amazon Web Services supplied the cloud backbone that processed telemetry, stored terabytes of video, and...
AI Satellite Constellation Startup Orbital Gets Funded by A16z to Verify Space-Based Data Center Concept
Orbital Inc., an AI satellite‑constellation startup, closed an undisclosed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z Speedrun. The capital will finance its first test mission, Orbital‑1, slated for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in April 2027. The company aims to prove...
Orbital Raises Funding and Makes Plans to Put AI Data Centers Into Space
Orbital has closed a new funding round and announced plans to launch its first AI‑focused data center satellite in April 2027. The startup argues that the biggest limitation to scaling artificial‑intelligence models is not chip supply but the massive power...
Space Investing Is Heating up as SpaceX Rockets Toward a Record-Breaking ...
Venture‑capital firm Space Capital reports a record $36 billion invested in the space economy during Q1 2026, a six‑fold increase from the same period a year earlier. The surge is led by $25.3 billion flowing into application‑focused companies leveraging space infrastructure for...
Ukraine Lawmaker Claims Rockets Crossed The Kármán Line Twice in 2025
Ukrainian MP Fedir Venislavskyi said Ukraine launched two vehicles in 2025 that crossed the Kármán Line, reaching 100 km and 204 km, to conduct purely military tasks. The flights used an air‑launch system from an Antonov An‑124 cargo plane at about 8,000 m altitude, a...
5 Space Stocks Already Climbing Ahead of the SpaceX IPO
SpaceX filed a confidential registration on April 1, seeking a $1.75 trillion valuation and roughly $75 billion in proceeds, with a June Nasdaq debut on the horizon. MarketBeat analyst Thomas Hughes argues the IPO will set a pricing benchmark that legitimizes commercial space...
This AI Prediction Model Could Help Shield Future Lunar Habitats Against Micrometeorites
NASA’s Artemis II crew observed six micrometeorite impact flashes during a 30‑minute window of its lunar flyby, indicating a higher‑than‑expected particle flux. In response, researchers from UT San Antonio and Purdue have created a deep‑learning artificial neural network that predicts penetration depths...
Lockheed Gets $68.5M Deal for Next-Gen Missile Warning Satellites
Lockheed Martin Space secured a $68.5 million contract modification for its Next‑Gen OPIR GEO missile‑warning satellite program, pushing the cumulative contract value to $8.2 billion. The work, funded by FY 2026 RDT&E, will be carried out at the Boulder, Colorado facility and is...
SpaceX Launches 1,000th Starlink Satellite of 2026 on Falcon 9 Rocket From Cape Canaveral
SpaceX lifted off its 1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026 from Cape Canaveral, sending 29 broadband‑internet units into low‑Earth orbit. The launch, designated Starlink 10‑24, was the company’s 37th dedicated Starlink mission this year, bringing the year‑to‑date total to 1,002 satellites. The...
Ukraine Has Been Secretly Launching Rockets Into Space From an 'Air Spaceport' Flying at 26,000 Feet, Lawmaker Says
Ukrainian lawmaker Fedir Venislavskyi disclosed that Kyiv secretly launched two rockets into space from a transport aircraft flying at roughly 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) during the ongoing war with Russia. One rocket reached the Kármán line at 62 miles, the...
Space Industrial Base Studies: How the US, UK, ESA, Canada, and Japan Are Assessing Their Competitive Position in Space
A new wave of formal assessments from the United States, United Kingdom, European Space Agency, Canada and Japan reveals common weaknesses in their space industrial bases. All five reports flag workforce shortages, fragile supply chains and a mismatch between ambitious...
Amazon Nears Deal for Globalstar in Push to Rival Musk’s Starlink
Amazon.com Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire satellite operator Globalstar Inc., a move that would accelerate its Project Kuiper satellite broadband rollout. The deal, expected to be announced as early as Tuesday, would give Amazon access to Globalstar’s low‑Earth‑orbit...
Algeria Is Offering Two Licences To Operate Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) Satellite Networks
Algeria's Regulatory Authority of Posts and Electronic Communications (ARPCE) announced the issuance of two licences for operating Non‑Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellite networks. The licences grant holders the right to both operate and provide services linked to NGSO satellites within Algerian...
Exclusive: Vast Debuts Flight Suit For Haven-1, Private Astronaut Missions
Vast announced its first flight suit designed for crew members of the upcoming Haven‑1 private space station and its ISS‑bound private astronaut missions. The modular garment can be worn as a separate jacket and pants or zipped into a traditional...
Lockheed Martin Planning Next-Generation Space Dominance Demos On Orbit
Lockheed Martin is self‑funding two next‑generation space‑dominance demonstrations—a small satellite called Vanguard and a medium‑class platform named Sentinel—targeted for launch in late 2028 and early 2029. The missions will prove rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and command‑and‑control capabilities from geosynchronous...
Regulators Challenged With Keeping Up With the Cadence of Space Development
At the Space Symposium, FCC, NOAA and FAA officials highlighted how regulators are scrambling to keep pace with the rapid commercial space boom. FCC chief Jay Schwarz stressed the need to modernize satellite licensing as launch cadence accelerates. NOAA detailed...
Global Defense Leaders Convene as Space Symposium 41 Addresses Orbital Security
The 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs shifted from exploration to orbital security, spotlighting the Pentagon’s $175 billion “Golden Dome” missile‑defense architecture. Defense leaders highlighted the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, aiming to field resilient low‑Earth‑orbit sensor layers and space‑based interceptors funded...
Let's Talk Space Toilets
Space toilet technology has evolved from primitive Apollo waste bags to the International Space Station’s sophisticated water‑recycling system, but challenges remain. Early designs relied on suction and antimicrobial powders, while the Shuttle introduced narrow‑opening fans that still produced odor issues....
Senate Commerce Targets Satellite Security in Next Executive Session
On April 13, 2026, the Senate Commerce Committee scheduled a markup session to consider nine bills, including the Secure Space Act and the Satellite Cybersecurity Act, aimed at strengthening U.S. satellite communications security. The Secure Space Act would bar the...
Citra Space Announces $15M Series A
Citra Space Corp announced a $15 million Series A financing led by Washington Harbour Partners, with participation from Industrious Ventures, Reliable Properties, Scout VC, Squadra Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and Flex Capital. The round adds to earlier backers and provides fresh capital to...
Bring Back Wonder: Why Artemis II Still Matters
Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed flight beyond low‑Earth orbit, is more than a technical rehearsal. While it will validate Orion’s life‑support and propulsion systems for a future lunar landing, the mission also seeks to rekindle the public’s sense of awe that...
April 13, 2026 Quick Space Links
Space industry observers noted several key developments on April 13. NASA engineers examined the Artemis‑2 Orion capsule, while ISRO completed landing‑engine tests for its Chandrayaan‑5 lunar mission slated for 2028, and China’s Chang’e‑7 mini‑hopper prepared for a 2024 launch to...
Hughes Readies Satellite Antenna Combo for Airlines
Hughes Network Systems announced a new electronically steerable antenna (ESA) that merges Ka‑band and Ku‑band capabilities, aiming to free airlines from reliance on a single satellite network. The solution pairs the existing HL1520 Ku‑band ESA with a newly developed Ka‑band...
Watch: SpaceX Launches Cygnus XL Cargo Ship to Resupply ISS Crew
SpaceX's Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 7:41 a.m. EDT on Saturday, carrying Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft. The Cygnus XL is bound for the International Space Station to deliver scientific experiments, food, and equipment for the crew....
The Best Moments From the Artemis II Mission
NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on 1 April 2026, sending a four‑astronaut crew on a ten‑day deep‑space flight around the Moon—the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit in 50 years. The flight validated the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, confirming critical systems...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Chris Quilty, Quilty Space
Chris Quilty, co‑CEO of Quilty Space, has become a pivotal voice in satellite market intelligence, most notably after his September 2025 projection that Starlink would generate $15.9 billion in revenue and $11 billion in EBITDA for 2026. His forecasts have been baked into...
The Moon Just Got a New Scar
In late spring 2024 a meteoroid struck the Moon, creating a 225‑meter‑wide, 43‑meter‑deep crater—the largest impact captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to date. Researchers compared meter‑scale images taken before and after the event, revealing bright ejecta rays, a...
Subaru Telescope Sheds Light on the "Color Mystery" Of Jupiter Trojan Asteroids
The Subaru Telescope’s Hyper Suprime‑Cam surveyed over 500 Jupiter Trojan asteroids, revealing a bimodal color distribution that resolves a long‑standing “color mystery.” The study shows that the red and less‑red groups correspond to distinct surface compositions and likely different formation...
Indian Spacetech Startups Shift Gears From R&D to Scalable Manufacturing
Indian spacetech startups are moving from pure research to large‑scale manufacturing as demand for low‑Earth‑orbit constellations accelerates. Bellatrix Aerospace, Agnikul Cosmos and Red Balloon Aerospace have each built regulated, additive‑manufacturing and assembly‑line processes to shrink build cycles from months to...
Between Eternal Night and Day, the Faces of Two Cousins of Earth
An international team using the James Webb Space Telescope has produced the first climate maps of two Earth‑sized exoplanets, TRAPPIST‑1b and TRAPPIST‑1c. Thermal phase‑curve data reveal day‑night temperature differences exceeding 500 °C, indicating the planets lack substantial atmospheres. The study, published...
Mission Control Taps Magellan Aerospace for Lunar Utility Rover Systems
Mission Control announced that Magellan Aerospace will develop core subsystems for Canada’s Lunar Utility Rover, a semi‑autonomous, minibus‑sized vehicle. The Canadian Space Agency has earmarked about $985 million USD in total, with $876 million USD allocated over 13 years for design and...
NASA and Contractors Accelerate Mobile Launcher Refurbishment, Artemis III Hardware to Meet New Schedule
NASA is accelerating the Artemis program to enable a mid‑2027 Artemis III launch, moving solid‑rocket booster deliveries forward and fast‑tracking mobile‑launcher refurbishment. The 112‑meter‑tall mobile launcher will be inspected, power‑washed, and welded to remove corrosive booster residue and repair heat‑warped structure...
MDA Announces Orbital Servicing Platform
MDA Space unveiled MDA Midnight, an on‑orbit servicing platform, at the Space Symposium. The satellite is built for rendezvous and proximity operations to detect, identify, counter and deter threats to space assets. Its inaugural mission will showcase inspection, electronic‑countermeasure mitigation,...
With Renewed Interest in Going to the Moon, How Will Future Trash Be Dealt With?
Renewed lunar activity has revived concerns over the 400,000 lb (181 t) of Apollo-era trash now classified as human heritage under the 2020 One Small Step Act. While the Artemis Accords and UN bodies stress debris mitigation, concrete plans for surface waste...
Artemis 2: Our Favorite Photos From NASA's Historic Moon Mission
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission concluded on April 10 with a splashdown in the Pacific after a 10‑day flight around the Moon’s far side. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—set several historic milestones, including the first woman and the...
Citra Space Raises $15 Million Series A to Expand Platform for Identifying Objects in Orbit
Citra Space announced a $15 million Series A round led by Washington Harbour Partners to scale its space‑domain‑awareness platform. The Colorado startup, founded by former U.S. Space Force officers, aggregates data from ground and space sensors to create persistent fingerprints of orbital...
Atomic-6 Launches Orbital Data Center Marketplace
Atomic-6 unveiled ODC.Space, a marketplace that lets customers order orbital data center hardware as easily as an online purchase. The platform aggregates space‑industry suppliers, offering configurations from 1U shared units to sovereign 42U racks, with the latter priced at roughly...
Sophia Space and Kepler Sign Agreement to Demo ODC Tech
Orbital data‑center startup Sophia Space has signed an agreement with satellite operator Kepler Communications to demo its operating system, SOOS, on Kepler’s distributed in‑orbit compute network. The partnership will see Sophia upload SOOS to the network by year‑end for an...
Atomic-6 Unveils Online Marketplace for Orbital Data Centers
Atomic-6 announced ODC.space, an online marketplace that lets customers procure complete satellites for on‑orbit data‑center capacity. The platform offers both dedicated satellites and shared compute rentals, handling everything from component sourcing to launch and mission operations. Target customers include AI...
Orbit Is Filling up Fast. Now Comes the Awkward Bit: Pre-Empting and Handling a Crisis.
Earth’s orbital environment is nearing a tipping point as tens of thousands of new satellites are slated for launch, pushing low‑Earth orbit toward congestion. In 2023 Starlink alone performed roughly 300,000 collision‑avoidance maneuvers, and analysts warn that as many as...
The Price of European Military Space Autonomy
European nations are committing roughly $109 billion to military space programs by 2030, but the IISS warns that this level of funding falls short of true autonomy from U.S. capabilities. An extra $10 billion would close the most critical gaps for limited...
Rohde & Schwarz Enables Pulsar Signal Simulation to Support Next-Generation Navigation Devices
Rohde & Schwarz announced that its SMBV100B and SMW200A vector signal generators will support simulation of Xona’s Pulsar, a low‑Earth‑orbit navigation service designed to complement GPS. The new software option lets device makers test Pulsar compatibility in production environments, accelerating validation and...
Artemis 2, Apollo 8, and the Problem with History
Artemis 2’s lunar flyby mirrors Apollo 8’s historic 1968 mission, but its justification is largely technical rather than geopolitical. Recent declassified CIA memos reveal that intelligence on Soviet circumlunar plans was shared with NASA, yet historians argue the primary driver for Apollo 8...
ThinKom Unveils Space-Optimized ThinAir Nexus Aircraft Antenna
ThinKom introduced the ThinAir Nexus, a space‑optimized aircraft antenna that delivers multi‑orbit, multi‑constellation inflight connectivity in a footprint comparable to single‑orbit electronically steered antennas. The Nexus supports gigabit‑class throughput for GEO, MEO and LEO satellites and can be upgraded via a...
Strategic Celestography and Lunar Competition: Artemis, CLEP, and the Struggle for Positional Advantage
The United States' Artemis program and China’s Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) are racing to secure strategic footholds on the Moon and in cislunar space. Both powers target the lunar south‑pole for its water‑ice deposits and favorable solar illumination, while leveraging...
The U.K. Just Spelled Out What a Carrington-Class Solar Storm Would Cost — and the Numbers Should Change Policy
The UK’s National Risk Register now quantifies a Carrington‑class solar storm as a trillion‑dollar threat, estimating $0.6‑$2.6 trillion in first‑year global damages and tens of billions of pounds in domestic losses. The country’s electricity sector alone underpins roughly $112 billion of GDP,...
Key Senate Appropriator Rejects Proposed NASA Budget Cuts
Sen. Jerry Moran, chair of the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittee, announced he will fight the administration’s proposed 23% cut to NASA’s FY2027 budget, aiming to keep funding near last year’s $24.4 billion level. He emphasized a balanced budget...
Volta Space Technologies Leverages Government Partnerships and Funding to Develop Laser-Enabled Lunar PV Power Network
Volta Space Technologies is developing LEPTON, a laser‑enabled power‑transmission network that will beam electricity from low‑lunar‑orbit satellites to surface assets. The company secured a slot on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2, targeting a 2028 demonstration that will power a lander‑mounted...
