2026 02 News

20 Feb 2026

• Aalto plots Australia base to boost planned high-altitude pseudo satellite service
• NASA targeting March 6 for Artemis 2 launch
• Boeing to boost production of missile-tracking sensors for military satellites
• NASA completes second Artemis 2 fueling test
• Moon mission fueling test concludes with no major problems
• Rocket Report: Chinese launch firm raises big money; Falcon 9 back to the Bahamas

19 Feb 2026

• Starliner investigation identifies flawed NASA decision making
• Japan’s ispace warns of delays in new lunar lander engine
• NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as “Type A” mishap, says agency made mistakes

18 Feb 2026

• Pentagon seeks commercially built GEO spy satellites
• Vantor partners with Google AI to automate intelligence reports for government agencies
• SpaceX unveils space traffic management system
• UK caps launch liability in timely boost for nascent domestic market
• Landspace targets Q2 for next Zhuque-3 orbital launch and recovery attempt

17 Feb 2026

• China’s Space Epoch raises new funding, targets 2026 launch and recovery attempt
• SatVu to expand thermal imaging constellation with NATO-backed funds
• Sateliot to launch satellites with PLD Space
• Leonardo funding development of Earth observation constellation
• NASA to attempt second full fueling test of its Space Launch System rocket
• There’s a lot of big talk about sovereign launch—who is doing something about it?

16 Feb 2026

• NASA work on several programs pending responses to White House executive order
• Low-profile Chinese launch firm conducts first stage static fire
• Portions of the Pentagon’s LEO constellation on hold as acquisition reviews proceed

15 Feb 2026

• Live coverage: SpaceX to launch predawn Starlink mission on President’s Day
• Replacement crew docks at space station, boosts crew back to seven
• Space Station returns to a full crew complement after a month

14 Feb 2026

• NASA continues SLS hydrogen leak tests
• Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 600th Falcon 9 rocket to date with Starlink flight from Vandenberg
• ‘Very lucky day’: NASA, SpaceX ace astronaut launch to the space station on Friday the 13th
• NASA has a new problem to fix before the next Artemis II countdown test

13 Feb 2026

• Senate committee advances FCC satellite licensing bill after changes
• Startup bets on new approach to space-based missile defense
• Crew-12 launches to ISS
• Vast wins ISS private astronaut mission
• China’s iSpace launch firm raises record $729 million for reusable rockets
• Rocket Report: Say cheerio to Orbex; China is getting good at booster landings
• Why is Bezos trolling Musk on X with turtle pics? Because he has a new Moon plan.

12 Feb 2026

• Space startups find more paths to liquidity as investors warm to maturing sector
• First Ariane 64 launches Amazon Leo satellites
• Axiom Space raises additional $350 million
• ThinKom gets military contract to supply portable ground stations for satellite communications
• Software startup Integrate makes push into defense market following Space Force award
• Launch companies debate how to compete against SpaceX
• ULA’s Vulcan launches Space Force mission; solid booster anomaly under investigation
• FCC Space Bureau chief shares agenda for regulatory reform
• NASA loading liquid hydrogen aboard Artemis 2 rocket in unannounced test
• Vulcan suffers solid rocket booster problem during USSF-87 launch
• ULA’s Vulcan rocket suffers another booster problem on the way to orbit

11 Feb 2026

• UK launcher Orbex files for administration after failed funding efforts
• Space companies bet on Golden Dome as questions persist over scope and funding
• Demand for sovereign systems extends to the Earth-observation stack
• How much is vertical integration squeezing the smallsat opportunity?
• Eutelsat gets nearly 1 billion euros in French-backed ECA financing
• Stoke Space adds $350 million to Series D round
• China tests crewed spacecraft abort and rocket recovery in major lunar milestone
• FCC approves thousands more Amazon Leo satellites as Gen 1 deadline looms
• Live coverage: ULA to launch geosynchronous orbit surveillance satellite for the U.S. Space Force
• SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
• ULA sets sights on ramping up launch cadence in 2026
• China showcases new Moon ship and reusable rocket in one extraordinary test
• The Feds closed air space around El Paso on Wednesday to address “cartel” drones
• Yes, Rocket Lab is blowing up engines. No, it’s not a big deal, CEO says.

10 Feb 2026

• National Reconnaissance Office adds HEO, SatVu and Sierra Nevada to commercial imaging program
• Laser-linked satellite networks moving from concept to capability
• Australia Space Innovation Institute applies space technologies to address terrestrial challenges
• ULA seeks to rebuild launch cadence after CEO’s exit
• Germany funds 78 million euro human exploration control center
• Amazon Leo nets anchor maritime resellers
• Aerospace attracts partners for DiskSat demonstrations
• Non-venture space startup investment hits post-SPAC high
• Spaceium demonstrates refueling actuator in orbit
• Apolink and Galaxia team up to improve planned data relay capability

09 Feb 2026

• Weather delays NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 flight to the International Space Station
• Why would Elon Musk pivot from Mars to the Moon all of a sudden?

08 Feb 2026

• SpaceX test fires its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of midweek launch of Crew-12 to the space station

07 Feb 2026

• Falcon 9 returns to flight after upper stage engine investigation
• SpaceX IPO could drive investor interest in other space companies
• Space Force awards $54.5 million contract to Starfish Space for GEO servicing vehicle
• China launches reusable spaceplane on fourth secretive orbital mission
• SpaceX launches return to flight Falcon 9 mission following brief stand down

06 Feb 2026

• ‘We helped usher in the modern era of AI in NGA.’
• ‘Serving the country and pushing the boundaries of human existence is very purposeful.’
• ‘I loved thinking about how to make science possible for America and for the world’
• ‘You need competent people in the government to direct and make decisions.’
• ‘Now it’s time to turn the baton over to others. I hope there’s somebody else to grab that baton.’
• ‘People knew that they could come to us to figure out how to get things done.’
• ‘As far as I know, I’m still the assistant administrator of NESDIS.’
• ‘Leaders can be replaced, institutional knowledge cannot’
• Exodus: The shrinking federal space workforce
• NASA selects two Earth science missions for development
• SpaceX shifts away from Dragon launches at pad 39A as Starship looms
• ULA offloads first Vulcan rocket at Vandenberg at it preps its next Cape launch
• Lawmakers ask what it would take to “store” the International Space Station
• NASA stage show explores “outer” outer space with Henson’s Fraggles
• Rocket Report: SpaceX probes upper stage malfunction; Starship testing resumes
• To reuse or not reuse—the eternal debate of New Glenn’s second stage reignites

05 Feb 2026

• Satellite servicing startup Starfish taps Quindar for mission operations software
• Voyager Technologies and Max Space partner on lunar infrastructure
• FCC clears Logos to deploy more than 4,000 broadband satellites
• Morpheus raises $15 million in Series A+ round
• Space Force may be done with R-GPS, but Congress isn’t
• Vantor wins $5.3 million NGA contract to spot terrain changes using commercial satellite data
• NASA changes its mind, will allow Artemis astronauts to take iPhones to the Moon

04 Feb 2026

• FireSat adds orbit-visualization software to help firefighters plan around satellite passes
• Senate committee delays consideration of bill to streamline FCC satellite licensing
• SmallSat Alliance shifts focus from proliferation to coordination
• NASA finally acknowledges the elephant in the room with the SLS rocket
• Russian spy satellites have intercepted EU communications satellites
• US House takes first step toward creating “commercial” deep space program

03 Feb 2026

• SpaceX pauses Falcon 9 launches after upper stage anomaly
• Artemis 2 slips to March
• Unable to tame hydrogen leaks, NASA delays launch of Artemis II until March

02 Feb 2026

• At Blue Origin, Hegseth escalates criticism of legacy defense procurement
• UK Space Agency CEO stepping down as agency folds into government
• House NASA bill seeks details on lunar lander and spacesuit development
• Amazon buys 10 more Falcon 9 launches
• CesiumAstro to scale operations with $470 million in equity and debt financing
• Transcelestial to provide satellite laser communication terminals to Gilmour Space
• NASA gears up for one more key test before launching Artemis II to the Moon
• SpaceX acquires xAI, plans 1 million satellite constellation to power it

01 Feb 2026

• With attention on orbital data centers, the focus turns to economics