NASA reserves science payload space for Mars telecommunications mission NASA is reserving a small amount of space on a Mars telecommunications spacecraft for science, which could be one or more cubesats.

Space Force faces surge in demand for heavy-lift launches An additional 25 ‘high-energy’ missions are being forecast for 2027-2029

Space Force awards up to $3.2 billion for Golden Dome interceptor prototypes Contracts with 12 companies aim to test competing designs for boost-phase missile intercept from space

The governance gap: Why orbital data centers need certification before they scale For more than two decades in sourcing and supply-chain architecture, we’ve watched industries scale only when their supply chains become predictable, certifiable and repeatable.

Astrobotic tests advanced rocket engine Astrobotic, a developer of lunar landers and suborbital rockets, has successfully tested an advanced rocket engine that could power those vehicles.

FCC throws out satellite spectrum challenges as D2D dealmaking heats up The Federal Communications Commission has moved to lock down incumbent rights to Mobile Satellite Service spectrum, dismissing bids by SpaceX and others to access frequencies increasingly prized for direct-to-device…

SpaceX wins $57 million U.S. military contract for satellite crosslink demo The contract is to demonstrate space-based data links using the Link-182 standard that will support Golden Dome

Jordan signs the Artemis Accords Jordan is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords as NASA works to attract more countries to its lunar exploration efforts.

Optical links in contested space In this episode of Space Minds, we head back to Space Symposium where SpaceNews’ Sandra Erwin moderated a panel on how optical communication links can provide warfighters and operators with the data throughput, resilience and security they need in contested and…

Pentagon seeks $2.3 billion for Maven AI battlefield system  The Pentagon’s 2027 budget proposal includes an estimated $58.5 billion tied to artificial intelligence.

House Science Committee pans NASA budget request Members of the House Science Committee rejected a proposed fiscal year 2027 budget for NASA because of sweeping cuts as the agency’s administrator argued it could do more with less.

Pentagon closes $1 billion investment in L3Harris missile unit Deal gives government future ownership in Missile Solutions business

Electron launches Japanese cubesats A Rocket Lab Electron launched a set of cubesats sponsored by the Japanese space agency JAXA April 22 on the company’s second dedicated mission for the agency.

Univity funds VLEO 5G demonstrators with $32 million Series A French startup Univity has raised around $32 million to deploy a pair of 5G demonstrators into very low Earth orbit next year, ahead of plans for at least 1,600 VLEO satellites to help telecom operators extend 5G coverage from space.

Atmos Space Cargo raises $30 million for reentry missions Atmos Space Cargo has raised 25.7 million euros ($30.1 million) to fly a series of reentry vehicle missions and work on a larger spacecraft.

Trump picks industry executive Roger Mason to lead National Reconnaissance Office Nominee would succeed Christopher Scolese as head of the nation’s spy satellite agency

FCC clears AST SpaceMobile constellation as launch setback clouds ramp-up AST SpaceMobile received permission to provide direct-to-smartphone broadband services in the United States with up to 248 satellites, days after a botched launch complicated plans to ramp up deployments this year.

Space Force awards contracts to Leidos, MapLarge for ‘battle planning’ software The contracts are part of the ‘Kronos’ program that aims to replace legacy tools with commercial software

Kigali to Host IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change 2026 – A First for Africa Organized by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and hosted by the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), the 2nd IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC 2026) will take place from 2-4 June 2026 in…

NASA sets early September launch date for Roman Space Telescope NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now scheduled for launch in early September as agency officials hail its early completion despite ongoing budget uncertainty for its science programs.

Hybridizing nuclear command, control and communications systems puts space infrastructure at risk Space based nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) systems were developed as highly classified and sovereign systems, insulated from external influence and designed to survive in the most…

Commerce Department budget proposal would halt work on TraCSS The Commerce Department is proposing to halt work on its space traffic coordination system while it develops a “new operating and financial structure” that may include user fees.

China backs orbital data center startup with $8.4 billion in credit lines A Beijing-based space startup has secured early-stage funding and extensive credit backing as part of a broader Chinese push toward space-based computing infrastructure.

Northrop Grumman takes $71 million charge on Vulcan booster issue Northrop Grumman said April 21 it took a $71 million charge in its fiscal first quarter linked to an anomaly with a solid rocket booster that has grounded ULA's Vulcan.

Trump taps Raytheon executive for top military space acquisition post Erich Hernandez-Baquero is currently vice president for space intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at Raytheon

Pentagon details funding strategy behind Trump’s proposed $1.45 trillion defense budget Officials confirm $71 billion request for U.S. Space Force

The U.S. must defend the final frontier against cyberattacks As recent American military operations show, space underpins American forces’ ability to operate globally with unmatched precision. Its strategic importance is reflected in the President’s Cyber Strategy for America and the Joint Staff’s…

NordSpace nets Canadian defense funding for VLEO satellite development NordSpace has secured early defense funding to develop a very low Earth orbit satellite, further broadening the Canadian startup’s push to build sovereign space capabilities beyond launch.

Falcon 9 launches final GPS 3 satellite into orbit for U.S. Space Force SV-10 caps Lockheed Martin-built series as SpaceX continues to absorb missions shifted from ULA

Artemis spacesuit development risks further delays New spacesuits for Artemis lunar missions and the International Space Station may not be ready until after the end of the decade, a report by NASA’s inspector general warns.

Pentagon officially ends OCX program, citing risk and delays The decision to terminate RTX's contract for the next-generation GPS ground system follows testing failures and years of cost growth

Latvia joins the Artemis Accords Latvia is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords as part of a new push to use the Accords to foster cooperation on NASA’s lunar exploration ambitions.

Space Force sets up ‘cislunar coordination’ office to focus beyond Earth orbit Officials say civil-military overlap with NASA grows as lunar activity accelerates

In the wake of Artemis 2, America needs to consider the ‘why’ of its government space program The moon itself does not wax and wane as frequently as American public opinion on its space program. The Artemis 2 astronauts barely gulped their first taste of fresh Pacific air before a chorus of voices…

China ramps up satellite production capacity amid constellation ambitions China is rapidly building a broad, diverse satellite manufacturing base capable of producing thousands of spacecraft annually, but faces bottlenecks in launch and uncertain demand.

Space Force weighs Vulcan flights without solid boosters  Vulcan would be allowed to fly lower-energy missions as investigation of solid rocket motors anomaly continues

Third New Glenn launch suffers upper stage malfunction Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffered a malfunction of its second stage on the rocket’s third flight April 19, stranding its payload in an “off-nominal” orbit.

Rhea Space Activity raises $6 million to develop GPS-free spacecraft navigation Technology traces roots to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

The Space Force’s ‘commercial first’ strategy in action with Col. Tim Trimailo In this episode of Space Minds, Mike Gruss talks with Col. Tim Trimailo on how the Space Force is working with industry. They discuss what the service wants to see from new companies, how they’re casting a wider net and…

NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch ESA Mars rover mission despite budget threat NASA has selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to launch a European Mars rover, support for which the agency is once again proposing to cancel.

NorthStar to go public via SPAC to expand space-based SSA network NorthStar Earth and Space plans to raise funds to expand the space-based sensor network behind its space situational awareness business by merging with Viking Acquisition Corp. I, a publicly listed shell company.

Shenzhou-21 astronauts complete third spacewalk, mission extended by a month China’s Shenzhou-21 astronauts conducted an extravehicular activity outside the Tiangong space station Thursday, installing debris-protection hardware and inspecting the orbital outpost.

Artemis 2 astronauts praise performance of Orion The astronauts who flew around the moon on Artemis 2 said they were confident the Orion spacecraft is ready to support future missions.

New EU Space Act draft seen as a step backward A revised draft of a proposed European Union space regulation is a step backward, creating uncertainty about how the law would be applied outside the EU, critics argue.

D2D services are at risk of becoming too complicated and siloed At the recent Mobile World Conference 2026 in Barcelona, the strong presence of Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services and the avalanche of press releases related to contracts signed between D2D satellite service providers and…

Qingzhou prototype cargo spacecraft completes rendezvous tests in orbit  China has conducted rendezvous and proximity operations tests involving a prototype cargo spacecraft and a satellite in a step towards low-cost orbital infrastructure.

India’s TakeMe2Space sets sights on 50-kilowatt data center COLORADO SPRINGS – After announcing a $5 million seed round in January, Indian startup TakeMe2Space seeks to raise $55 million to establish a 50-kilowatt orbital data center. “What is key for us is to demonstrate that we can play the…

Countering missile threats ‘left of launch’ COLORADO SPRINGS – U.S. government agencies are working with industry to develop tools to disrupt missiles before they take flight, a timespan called ‘left of launch.’ “We're looking at different aspects of the threat as it evolves,” Erich…

Taiwan floats shared satcom constellation amid calls for more space collaboration Taiwan’s space agency chief has called on other countries to band together on a shared communications constellation to match the scale and growing strategic importance of networks like Starlink.

Companies make the case for commercial space station markets Companies proposing to develop commercial space stations are pushing back against claims by NASA that a market for such stations has yet to develop.