Launch

Transporter-17 Sends the First Commercial Nuclear Sat to Orbit

SpaceX’s ($SPCX) Transporter-17 rideshare mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:12am, carrying 81 payloads to LEO.

Startups

Exclusive: Ravee Optics Raises $6M Seed to Build Compact Laser Terminals

Ravee Optics’ solution is designed to bring laser comms to the masses, with terminals that are lighter, smaller, and easier to manufacture at scale.

Europe • International

Inside the Deepening Ties Between Europe and the Middle East

While European sovereignty may be driven by a response to the deterioration of geopolitical ties to the US, it’s opened the door for Middle Eastern space companies.

Europe • Military • Satcom

Exclusive: Austria Taps R-Space for Its Second Military Sat

Aurora is one of three missions in a series of planned government-backed demos to validate new technologies in orbit

Lunar • Moon • Startups

Exclusive: Lunar Forge Unveils Plans to Build Lunar Infrastructure Out of Dust

Lunar Forge’s idea is to drastically reduce the cost required to set up fission reactors, by using regolith to build the majority of the support structure to house and shield the reactor core. 

Business • EO • Technology

Exclusive: Satellogic Expands AI Apps with SpaceKnow Partnership

Satellogic partnered with SpaceKnow, the AI-powered geospatial intelligence analysis company, to build AI applications on top of Satellogic’s growing stock of satellite imagery.

Business • Satcom

Rocket Lab Enters the Satcom Market With $8B Iridium Deal

Rocket Lab ($RKLB) has been teasing its entrance into the “space applications” market for years. Yesterday, it pulled the trigger.

Europe • Launch

Firefly Targets Swedish Launch in 2028 Under New Franchise Model

Firefly Aerospace ($FLY) announced today that it aims to launch its Alpha rocket from SSC Space’s Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden as early as 2028.

Military

US Army Establishes a Space Operations Branch

Modern warfare relies heavily on space-based technologies, and the US Army is making moves to tightly integrate those capabilities  with the rest of its military might.

Analysis • Business

SpaceX Alum Have Raised $9.2B, New Data Shows

As an organization that’s employed thousands of engineers in its 24-year history, SpaceX has acted as both a breeding ground for high-level engineering talent, and as a launch pad for new ideas.

Europe • Launch

Europe Expands its Launch Opportunities to New Companies

European launch demand just got a boost.

International • Startups • Technology

Exclusive: SpaceComputer and Spacemanic Partner on Security Demo Mission

Space Fabric is SpaceComputer’s solution not only for the growing hacking threats on-orbit, but also for the increasing number of shared-compute modules operating on rideshare sats.

Business • ISAM • Startups

SpaceX Starfall Demo Provides Validation for Reentry Startups

SpaceX ($SPCX) launched a demo mission of its Starfall reentry capsule yesterday, kicking off a new era of competition in the budding reentry sector.