Planet Labs PBC has shipped its Tanager-2 hyperspectral satellite and 18 SuperDoves to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for a scheduled launch aboard a SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare mission, according to company announcements. According to Planet CEO Will Marshall, the deployment marks the company’s third launch of the year and doubles its hyperspectral capacity while … Read more
Katalyst Space continues to operate its Link spacecraft in orbit to gather critical flight experience for future satellite servicing missions, despite abandoning plans to reboost a NASA gamma-ray observatory due to attitude control issues, according to company chief executive Ghonhee Lee. Reaction Wheel Failures Force Mission Redesign The Link spacecraft, launched in July, lost two … Read more
SpaceX is building a $100 billion Starbase Louisiana spaceport in Vermilion Parish, according to company and state announcements on Aug. 25, 2026, as the aerospace manufacturer begins scaling down its Falcon 9 rocket operations. The massive Gulf Coast facility will span roughly 125,000 acres on former Exxon property near Pecan Island, housing five separate launch … Read more
Portal Space Systems is partnering with Rebel Space to place spectrum monitoring payloads directly onto maneuverable spacecraft, bringing radio-frequency tracking from ground stations into orbit, according to executives from both startups. The initiative addresses growing concerns over electromagnetic interference and electronic warfare in congested space environments, where satellite communications are increasingly vulnerable to disruption and … Read more
The U.S. Space Force has awarded $60 million to five commercial companies to prototype and demonstrate how satellite systems from multiple vendors can connect to its Space Data Network, according to the Space Systems Command. The military communications architecture relies on a core backbone built by SpaceX, which secured a $2.29 billion contract in May … Read more
Katalyst Space Technologies is working to stabilize its Link spacecraft following a post-launch “multi-axis spin” that threatened the mission’s ability to service the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. According to the company, controllers successfully reduced the satellite’s body rate from 9 degrees per second to 1.47 degrees per second using electric thrusters, preserving fuel for the … Read more
Northrop Grumman and the Canadian Space Agency are shifting hardware originally designed for NASA’s lunar Gateway into new applications for a planned lunar base, according to official announcements released in August. Northrop Grumman announced Aug. 4 it will reuse technologies developed for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module for a series of lander missions, … Read more
Blue Origin traced the cause of a New Glenn rocket explosion during a May static-fire test to a main oxygen valve on a BE-4 engine, according to a statement released Aug. 5 by Chief Executive Dave Limp. The hardware issue on the first-stage engine could also impact United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, which uses … Read more
Converting an engineering model of a Mars rover into a lunar rover could cost NASA between $723 million and $1.33 billion, according to an analysis published July 30 by The Planetary Society. The proposal, designated PROMISE or Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping and In-Situ Exploration, was announced June 30 by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman as … Read more
MDA Space is aggressively expanding its global footprint, announcing the acquisition of French Earth data analytics firm Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS) for 567 million euros ($648 million) in cash. This follows the company’s June 19 agreement to purchase smallsat manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies for $620 million, signaling a broader industry trend toward vertical integration in … Read more