Germany's Minister of Defence announced on 25 September that the country would invest €35 billion in space-related defence projects by 2030. europeanspaceflight.com/germany-comm...

Austria’s R-Space has selected an Isar Aerospace Spectrum rocket to carry its first two GreenBox satellites to orbit in the second quarter of 2026. europeanspaceflight.com/r-space-sele...

Airbus has awarded Arianespace a contract to launch two communications satellites aboard an Ariane 6 rocket for the German Armed Forces as part of the €2.1 billion SATCOMBw-3 programme. europeanspaceflight.com/ariane-6-sel...

Avio has signed a launch deal with US-based SpaceLaunch for a 2027 Vega C mission carrying an Earth observation satellite for an undisclosed “extra-European” customer. europeanspaceflight.com/avio-signs-d...

Thales Alenia Space Italia has completed Phase A development of Italy's LAORIE lunar lander mission, which forms part of the country's broader Earth-Moon-Mars programme. europeanspaceflight.com/italy-comple...

CNES has confirmed that the first flight of its FROG-H reusable rocket demonstrator has been pushed to early 2026. europeanspaceflight.com/cnes-pushes-...

ArianeGroup has completed the integration of the first Themis reusable rocket prototype, kicking off its combined test phase. europeanspaceflight.com/arianegroup-...

Avio's stock extended its remarkable rally this week, climbing 12.28%. The latest surge follows last week’s €400 million capital-increase announcement and this week's signing of a new launch-services agreement with an as-yet unidentified “extra-European” institutional customer.

On 19 Sept. 2025, ArianeGroup confirmed the start of Themis combined tests on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center. As a result of this update, it has become clear that my source for this article appears to have been wrong or deliberately misleading. europeanspaceflight.com/first-themis...

Space Cargo Unlimited has secured €27.5 million in Series A funding to continue the development of its BentoBox return capsule, which is expected to launch for the first time in late 2025. europeanspaceflight.com/space-cargo-...

CNES has officially begun construction of its new multi-user launch facility in French Guiana, marked by a “laying of the first stone” ceremony. europeanspaceflight.com/construction...

Poland has committed 2 billion PLN (€470 million) to build six secure communications satellites as an added contribution to the European Union's IRIS2 constellation. europeanspaceflight.com/poland-to-co...

During a session at WSBW this morning, Isar Aerospace CCO Stella Guillen explained that over the last nine months, the company has seen a shift in demand from commercial rideshare missions to dedicated defence missions.

PLD Space has completed a burst test of its MIURA 5 first stage booster, a key milestone in its preparation for the rocket's 2026 debut. europeanspaceflight.com/pld-space-co...

A CNES call for proposals has revealed that the inaugural test flight of the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator has been pushed to 2027. europeanspaceflight.com/cnes-call-re...

UK-based Messium has secured £3.3 million in funding to accelerate the rollout of its hyperspectral data analytics platform, designed to assist farmers in more efficiently fertilising crops. europeanspaceflight.com/uk-based-hyp...

During a WSBW panel, CEO of Arianespace David Cavaillolès explained that the company would launch two more Ariane 6 flights in 2025. That would make a total of four for the year, two fewer than the company initially projected.

Cailabs has raised €57 million in new funding to ramp up production of its optical ground stations to up to 50 units per year by 2027. europeanspaceflight.com/cailabs-rais...

Avio has approved a €400 million capital increase to expand its rocket and defence production, with the proposal set for a shareholder vote during an Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting on 23 October. europeanspaceflight.com/avio-approve...

ispace-Europe has completed the Mission Definition Review for ESA’s MAGPIE lunar lander, which will be tasked with prospecting for water ice at the Moon’s south pole. europeanspaceflight.com/ispace-europ...

Italian startup Astradyne has secured €2 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of its Solar-Z lightweight solar array for small satellites. europeanspaceflight.com/satellite-so...

Genesis SFL has brought the launch of its GEN-1 and GEN-2 return capsule demonstration missions forward from 2027 to 2026. europeanspaceflight.com/genesis-sfl-...

Finland's ReOrbit has closed a €45 million all-equity Series A to expand its satellite manufacturing capacity to meet increasing demand. europeanspaceflight.com/finnish-sate...

ICEYE has secured a €158 million contract to provide the Finnish Defence Forces with an undisclosed number of SAR satellites. europeanspaceflight.com/finnish-defe...

Small update to this story to include the total contract value of PLN 1.95 million (€458,000). europeanspaceflight.com/polish-conso...

Astrobotic and Andøya Space have signed an initial term sheet to conduct Xodiac lander test campaigns in Norway starting in 2026. europeanspaceflight.com/astrobotic-p...

Orbital Paradigm has announced that it has secured three customers for its KID reentry capsule demonstration mission, set to launch in late 2025. europeanspaceflight.com/orbital-para...

CNES has signed a €31 million contract with UNIVITY and TDF for the demonstration of satellite-enabled global 5G connectivity. europeanspaceflight.com/cnes-signs-e...

The European Commission has launched a €1.95 million call for studies examining mobile responsive launch systems capable of rapidly deploying satellites into orbit. europeanspaceflight.com/eu-to-commis...

Avio has signed a new agreement with the US Armed Forces to supply solid rocket motors for tactical missiles. europeanspaceflight.com/avio-signs-n...

MaiaSpace has completed a six-month burst test campaign that pushed multiple subscale propellant tank prototypes to failure. europeanspaceflight.com/maiaspace-co...

Slight update to this article to include clarity regarding Avio's inclusion in the Flight Ticket Initiative. Put simply, when the Italian rocket builder split with Arianespace, the responsibility for Vega C's inclusion in the initiative was transferred. europeanspaceflight.com/avio-and-isa...

The European Space Agency has awarded the first Flight Ticket Initiative launch contracts to Avio and Isar Aerospace. europeanspaceflight.com/avio-and-isa...

The Exploration Company’s reusable Nyx spacecraft has passed Phase 1 of the ISS Safety Review, confirming its initial design meets all safety requirements for visiting vehicles. europeanspaceflight.com/the-explorat...

Earth observation data provider ICEYE has secured €9.38 million in new funding from Poland’s National Development Bank. europeanspaceflight.com/iceye-secure...

The UK Space Agency has hired Frazer-Nash Consultancy to review Britain’s in-situ resource utilisation capabilities, raising questions over why the agency cannot conduct its own market analysis. europeanspaceflight.com/uk-space-age...

France has granted Avio a ten-year licence to launch Vega rockets from the Guiana Space Centre, marking another step on the company’s road to full independence from Arianespace. europeanspaceflight.com/france-grant...

The UK Space Agency will lose its executive agency status in April 2026 as it is absorbed into DSIT, a move aimed at removing duplication and reducing bureaucracy. europeanspaceflight.com/uk-space-age...

Poland’s Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation and SpaceForest have selected four payloads for a Polish Space Agency–funded suborbital rocket launch scheduled for October 2025. europeanspaceflight.com/polish-conso...

ESA’s new Business Incubation Centre in Andalusia, southern Spain, has opened its first call for proposals, offering up to €60,000 to space startups in the region. europeanspaceflight.com/new-esa-busi...

Spartan Space and Airbus have completed a CNES-commissioned feasibility study for a lunar habitat airlock. A full-scale prototype of the airlock was tested at the DLR-ESA LUNA facility. europeanspaceflight.com/spartan-spac...

The Exploration Company has contracted US-based Agile Space to supply hypergolic thrusters for its Nyx Earth spacecraft. europeanspaceflight.com/the-explorat...

Some more footage of the Ariane 6 booster separation from this. morning's launch. Credit: ESA/ArianeGroup/Arianespace/CNES

Portugal has granted the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium a five-year licence to build and operate a launch site on the island of Santa Maria. europeanspaceflight.com/portugals-as...

We also got a small view of booster separation during this morning's Ariane 6 launch, thanks to some clear skies. Credit: ESA

Belgium’s EDGX has raised €2.3M to develop an AI-powered on-board computer for satellites, with three demonstration missions planned for 2026. europeanspaceflight.com/edgx-secures...

The second Ariane 6 mission of 2025 was succesfully launched at 00:37 UTC this morning. The rocket carried the Metop-SG-A1/Copernicus Sentinel-5A satellite into low Earth orbit. Credit: ESA

Ariane 6 is stacked and ready for launch. The launch is expected at 02:37 CEST tomorrow morning. It will carry the Metop-SG-A1 and Copernicus Sentinel-5 satellites to orbit. Credit: ESA

The French government has awarded Infinite Orbits a €50 million contract to develop PALADIN, a geostationary satellite-inspection service for the nation’s Space Command. europeanspaceflight.com/dga-selects-...

ESA has issued a call to tender for the development of a flapping-wing propulsion system for a future flying Mars explorer. europeanspaceflight.com/esa-to-devel...