Tag: United States
-
EU Still Reliant on U.S. for Space Security as IRIS² Years Away, Commissioner Says
The European Union remains dependent on the United States for critical defence and space services and cannot yet replace U.S. capabilities, despite ambitions to build its own satellite infrastructure, EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euronews. Kubilius said the EU’s Governmental Satellite Communications programme, known as GOVSATCOM, is intended as an interim solution…
-
SpaceX Launches Jam-Resistant GPS III Satellite for U.S. Space Force
SpaceX on Tuesday night launched an advanced, jam-resistant GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force, marking the company’s fastest turnaround to date for a national security mission. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the GPS III-SV09 spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:53 p.m. EST (0453 GMT on Jan. 28), following a…
-
FAA Warns Airlines to Plan for Rising Risks From Space Launch Debris
Commercial airlines should plan for an increased risk from space launch and reentry activity, including rare but potentially serious debris events, the Federal Aviation Administration said in guidance issued earlier this month, as the pace of spaceflight accelerates. In a Safety Alert for Operators, SAFO 26001, the FAA advised carriers and flight crews to prepare…
-
SpaceX Weighs Mid-2026 IPO at Valuation of About $1.5 Trillion, FT Reports
SpaceX, the rocket and satellite company founded by Elon Musk, is weighing a possible initial public offering as early as mid-June 2026 that could raise up to $50 billion and value the company at around $1.5 trillion, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. If completed at that scale, the…
-
NASA Review Finds PlanetiQ Satellite Weather Data Exceeds Benchmarks
U.S. space agency NASA has completed a one-year independent evaluation of commercial radio occultation data from satellite weather company PlanetiQ, concluding that the firm’s products meet or exceed key performance claims and deliver capabilities not matched by other providers, the company said on Wednesday. The assessment was conducted under NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA)…
-
U.S. Space Force Nears Contractor Decisions for RG-XX GEO Surveillance Satellites
The U.S. Space Force expects to select contractors by March 2026 for its Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance (RG-XX) program, a new generation of satellites aimed at improving monitoring of objects and potential threats in geostationary orbit, program officials said. The RG-XX effort is designed as a “proliferated” constellation, relying on a larger number of commercially…
-
Northwood Space Raises $100 Million in Series B to Scale Ground Systems for Growing Orbital Missions
Northwood Space has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round to expand its ground-based space infrastructure, positioning the company to support a growing number of complex missions in orbit, it said on Wednesday. The round was co-led by Washington Harbour Partners and Andreessen Horowitz, commonly known as a16z, with participation from Alpine Space…
-
Pentagon Awards Hypersonics Test Contracts to Varda and Stratolaunch
The U.S. Department of Defense is turning to commercial space companies to support hypersonic weapons testing, awarding new contracts to Varda Space Industries and Stratolaunch under a Pentagon testing initiative. The Department of Defense said last week it had selected the two companies as providers for Task Area 3 of the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic…
-
SpaceX Targets Mid-March for Next Starship Test Flight, Musk Says
SpaceX is aiming to conduct its next Starship test flight in mid-March, Chief Executive Elon Musk said, as the company continues development of its heavy-lift launch system. Musk said in a post on social media platform X that a “Starship launch [is] in 6 weeks,” indicating a tentative timeline for the next test. The flight…
-
Startup Space Beyond Plans CubeSat Mission to Carry Cremated Remains Into Orbit
Space Beyond, a startup founded by former aerospace engineer Ryan Mitchell, plans to launch a CubeSat mission that will carry small portions of cremated remains into low-Earth orbit, leveraging lower launch costs and rideshare services to offer what it says is a lower-priced alternative in a niche space memorial market. Mitchell, who previously worked on…