2026 05 News
26 May 2026
[edit]- Open Cosmos’ CEO on what it takes to bring IoT to space
- Starcloud orders Starlink lasers for orbital data center network
- The surge in military budgets can help Europe’s entrepreneurial space sector — if spending speeds up
- Voyager wins DARPA contract for solid rocket propellant technology
- Regulations and access to capital continue to hinder Europe’s smallsat industry
- Chinese startup Mega Engine advances reusable staged-combustion rocket engine
- Orbit Fab, Thales Alenia to study refueling for electric-propulsion satellites
- Exolaunch and SEOPS purchase Falcon 9 launches for dedicated rideshare missions
- Preview: NASA updates progress towards established a Moon Base, Artemis 3 mission
- SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
- Analyst on China’s spent rocket stages: “Things only continue to get worse”
- NASA takes steps toward building Moon Base, including discussing a “perimeter”
25 May 2026
[edit]24 May 2026
[edit]- Shenzhou-23 crew arrives at Tiangong as China maps path to 2030 lunar landing
- NASA to add missions to SpaceX commercial crew contract
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 29 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
23 May 2026
[edit]- SpaceX launches first Starship V3
- Musk praises “epic” Super Heavy-Starship launch
- SpaceX’s Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight
- Two space shuttle-era spacewalkers enter Astronaut Hall of Fame
22 May 2026
[edit]- NASA unveils sweeping reorganization
- SpaceX IPO filing casts Starlink Mobile as future wireless challenger
- Rocket Lab launches ninth Synspective satellite
- Rocket Lab wins first GEO satellite production contract from U.S. Space Force
- Before it comes down, what should be saved from the International Space Station?
- NASA undertakes major reorganization to reduce bureaucracy and move faster
- Rocket Report: Starship launch delayed, German launch company may aid Canada
21 May 2026
[edit]- Space Force on path to double active-duty force by 2030
- Starship underpins SpaceX’s growth ambitions
- SpaceX files for IPO
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch first Starship Version 3 rocket
- Uh-oh, the International Space Station is leaking again
20 May 2026
[edit]- U.S. ‘more prepared’ for next WRC
- Starfighters turns Texas facility toward microgravity flight testing
- Report finds U.S. space supply chains rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing
- Isaacman expects Chinese crewed mission around the moon in 2027
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
- SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB
- Russia’s plan to advertise on rockets and spacecraft takes off
19 May 2026
[edit]- SDA director Sandhoo takes on broader Space Force missile warning portfolio
- Startup challenging satellite industry’s multi-orbit playbook
- Portal Space taps Quindar for ground mission support of its maneuvering spacecraft
- Vast announces line of high-power satellite buses
- Lynk and Anterix get FCC nod to test satellite D2D for private utility networks
- Anderson confirmed as NASA deputy administrator
- ESA-China SMILE mission lifts off to deliver first global images of Earth’s magnetosphere
- European imaging companies step in to fill warzone gap
- In addition to space stations, Vast says it will now build high-power satellites
- “I’ll buy 10 of those”—NASA science chief yearns for mass-produced satellites
18 May 2026
[edit]- European imaging companies step in to fill warzone gap
- Four NASA payloads to fly on Astrolab’s first lunar rover
- Inside Golden Dome’s push to court commercial tech firms and investors
- Tomorrow.io adds $35 million to DeepSky funding round
- House bill restores funding for TraCSS
- Did Artemis II break through? Registrations at Space Camp double afterward.
- One Mars spacecraft, two senators, and a cloud of questions
- The US space enterprise is desperately waiting for Starship—will it finally deliver?
17 May 2026
[edit]16 May 2026
[edit]- Space Force awards Northrop Grumman $398 million satellite contract
- SpaceX launches CRS-34 cargo mission to ISS
15 May 2026
[edit]- Joint ESA-China SMILE mission set for launch to study Earth’s magnetic shield
- Virgin Galactic reaffirms plans to begin commercial service this year
- Chinese satellite maker MinoSpace seeks $736 million in IPO
- Iridium to take over Aireon to expand aviation safety business
- Live Coverage: SpaceX makes another attempt to launch space station cargo mission
- Rocket Report: Cowboy up for data centers in LEO; Russia’s new ICBM actually works
- Three’s a party: US, China, and now Russia are on the prowl in GEO
14 May 2026
[edit]- Intuitive Machines to buy ground station company
- Golden Dome chief pushes back on $1.2 trillion CBO estimate
- Iridium to take over Aireon to expand aviation safety business
- AST SpaceMobile may use ULA’s Vulcan
- House appropriators approve spending bill that keeps NASA budget flat
- Landspace launches improved Zhuque-2E, Long March 6A lofts new Qianfan satellite group
- ULA confirms successful solid rocket booster test as Vulcan anomaly investigation continues
13 May 2026
[edit]- Northrop Grumman targets lunar navigation market with Webb-derived guidance system
- SES joins Eutelsat in canceling GEO expansion satellites
- SpaceX sets date for first Starship version 3 launch
- Varda to collaborate with United Therapeutics on microgravity drug research
- A new US military wargame series began by simulating a nuclear weapon in orbit
- Blue Origin may need external funding to hit ambitious launch targets
- Could this be the moment that drug manufacturing takes off in orbit?
- NASA provides some details about Artemis III, but hard decisions remain
12 May 2026
[edit]- Quantum Space to build spacecraft in Tulsa
- Space Force awards TrustPoint $4 million for LEO navigation demonstration
- Star Catcher raises $65 million for space power grid
- Transcelestial tests space-to-ground laser communications technologies
- Poor weather causes NASA, SpaceX to scrub launch attempt of 34th Cargo Dragon mission to the space station
- Once again, SpaceX has set a new record for the tallest rocket ever built
11 May 2026
[edit]- NASA retaining six-month ISS missions
- Creotech plans $118 million capital raise, investment in new satellite factory
- Special Operations Forces test mobile platform for direct satellite imagery access
- Cowboy raises $275 million to build rockets with orbital data center upper stages
- Former NASA chief of staff returns to lead agency launch operations
- Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft arrives at Tiangong space station
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch intelligence-gathering satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office
- A promising Indian launch startup nears its first orbital test flight
10 May 2026
[edit]09 May 2026
[edit]08 May 2026
[edit]- Swift reboost mission completes environmental tests
- Paraguay signs the Artemis Accords
- Rocket Lab announces large launch contract and plans to acquire space robotics company
- SatVu zooms in on energy facilities in Cuba, India and Australia
- Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab make a breakthrough in rotor technology
- Rocket Report: Alpha Block 2 coming this summer; Falcon sets booster landing mark
- The US military just released a bunch of UAP files, but there’s no there there
07 May 2026
[edit]- Redwire pursues opportunities in landers and power systems for NASA’s moon base plans
- Odin Space opens U.S. office in Los Angeles
- Anthropic to consider using SpaceX orbital data center satellites
- Starfighters hires Blue Origin veterans to accelerate air-launch platform
- Skyroot raises $60 million ahead of first orbital launch attempt
- Speed tops price in national security contracting decisions
- As satellite imagery evolves, its role in operations comes into view
- Former NASA chief takes helm of national security space firm
06 May 2026
[edit]- NGA Rapid Capabilities Office to embrace speed and risk-taking
- Scolese puts talent at center of NRO transition as he prepares to step down
- Bringing imagery and communications under one roof
- Eutelsat and Station Satcom sign agreement to scale LEO services for maritime fleet
- China’s Nayuta Space raises fresh funding for aerodynamic-recovery rocket
- Astranis secures $450 million in equity, debt to expand small GEO satellite production
- Overview Energy wins Air Force contract to study space-based solar power for military bases
- Ground station operators grapple with military targeting
- Scout Space raises $18 million to expand orbital tracking technology
- Here’s what has to happen if NASA wants to land on the Moon every month
- The animated version of the iconic “Hello, world” image reveals striking new details
05 May 2026
[edit]- Voyager ‘very optimistic’ about Starlab amid potential NASA changes
- Ukrainian forces test direct-to-device satellite imagery for frontline troops
- New NGA head makes industry debut at GEOINT Symposium 2026
- Startup develops software to help military tap commercial imaging satellites
- Exiting NRO director Chris Scolese’s legacy: commercial partnerships; public engagement
- Loft Orbital expands into full-service constellation deals
- Polish space company Eycore launches first SAR Earth observation satellite
- Extending space-enabled intelligence below the ocean surface
- Anduril teams with commercial space firms, Sandia lab on Golden Dome interceptor program
- Quantum Space hires Bridenstine as CEO
- Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
04 May 2026
[edit]- Tech firms partner up to push intelligence processing closer to the battlefield
- Pixxel pushes into orbital data centers for faster geospatial intelligence
- Interlune wins NASA contract for helium-3 extraction payload
- DARPA chief says agency must harness commercial space boom
- Lawsuit claims Starship launches damage homes
- IonQ to offer ground-movement monitoring via Capella radar satellites
- Taylor Geospatial unveils global field dataset
- Vantor wins $70 million award to enhance NGA data-delivery platform
- OroraTech deploys wildfire constellation for Greece
03 May 2026
[edit]- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to open programs to more vendors
- NGA pushes AI adoption as demand grows for ‘always-on’ intelligence
02 May 2026
[edit]01 May 2026
[edit]- The opportunity beyond orbital data centers
- Starcloud seeks more orbital data center funding shortly after unicorn status
- Trump nominates Schiess as next Space Force chief
- Amazon Leo passes 300 satellites with Atlas and Ariane launches
- DARPA selects three companies for lunar orbiter studies
- Northrop Grumman delivers sensor for missile-warning satellite as Pentagon cancels program
- SpaceX marks May Day, National Space Day with Starlink mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
- Rocket Report: Falcon Heavy is back; Russia’s Soyuz-5 finally debuts
- Virgin Galactic reveals new ship, but it’s running out of time and cash