News

Space.com • Andrew Jones

Two firms team up for repeatable LEO debris-removal service debut in 2027

Two private companies are partnering to build a repeatable low Earth orbit debris-removal service, with a target to begin operations in 2027. The announcement positions debris capture and removal as a productized, scalable capability as LEO grows more congested and conjunction risk management becomes increasingly operational.

2026-05-05T09:24:27.780167-07:00

Breaking Defense

Jim Bridenstine becomes CEO of Quantum Space as company targets maneuverable spacecraft for U.S. military and commercial mission

2026-05-05T06:55:48.756540-07:00

Payload

ESA selects Edge Aerospace to develop orbital data-center architectures and use-case road map

2026-05-05T05:51:38.709244-07:00

Space.com

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing

2026-05-05T03:51:16.136752-07:00

News Timeline

Space.com

Two firms team up for repeatable LEO debris-removal service debut in 2027 Two private companies are partnering to build a repeatable low Earth orbit debris-removal service, with a target to begin operations in 2027. The announcement positions debris capture and removal as a productized, scalable capability as LEO grows more congested and conjunction risk management becomes increasingly operational.

2026-05-05T09:24:27.780167-07:00

Two firms team up for repeatable LEO debris-removal service debut in 2027

Breaking Defense

❗️

Jim Bridenstine becomes CEO of Quantum Space as company targets maneuverable spacecraft for U.S. military and commercial mission Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has taken over as CEO of Quantum Space, which is developing maneuverable spacecraft aimed at serving both U.S. national-security needs and commercial operators. Bridenstine said the role brings him back to defense and opens a path toward future Space Force operations in cislunar space.

2026-05-05T06:55:48.756540-07:00

Jim Bridenstine becomes CEO of Quantum Space as company targets maneuverable spacecraft for U.S. military and commercial mission

Payload

ESA selects Edge Aerospace to develop orbital data-center architectures and use-case road map The European Space Agency has selected Edge Aerospace under an agreement to develop an orbital data-center architecture and a supporting use-case roadmap. The study is aimed at clarifying how on-orbit compute/data-center concepts could be packaged into credible, deployable services.

2026-05-05T05:51:38.709244-07:00

ESA selects Edge Aerospace to develop orbital data-center architectures and use-case road map

SpaceNews.com

Hancom InSpace commissioning Sejong-3 cubesat hyperspectral payload after SpaceX Transporter rideshare South Korea’s Hancom InSpace is expanding its Earth-observation constellation with Sejong-3, a cubesat carrying a hyperspectral sensor. The spacecraft launched in March on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare and is now in commissioning, marking another step toward broader spectral imagery capability.

2026-05-05T05:38:41.848988-07:00

Hancom InSpace commissioning Sejong-3 cubesat hyperspectral payload after SpaceX Transporter rideshare

Space.com

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing Blue Origin says its Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander cleared major environmental testing inside NASA’s Thermal Vacuum Chamber A in Houston. With Artemis II completed, NASA is leaning on two still-unproven commercial landers—timelines and readiness for an astronaut landing targeted for 2028 remain the critical constraint.

2026-05-05T03:51:16.136752-07:00

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing

SpaceWatch Global

Opinion: Germany’s microgravity ecosystem is already fueling an emerging LEO commercial economy A new #SpaceWatchGl opinion argues Germany has built a comprehensive, operational microgravity research and commercialization ecosystem rather than a long-term ambition. The piece positions Germany as a distinctive enabler for low-Earth-orbit (LEO) market development by connecting microgravity capabilities to growing on-orbit economic activity.

2026-05-05T02:28:21.240624-07:00

Opinion: Germany’s microgravity ecosystem is already fueling an emerging LEO commercial economy

SpaceNews.com

❗️

Firefly readies first Alpha Block 2 debut late this summer as SciTec wins US space-based missile defense OTA Firefly Aerospace says it plans to debut the upgraded Alpha Block 2 rocket late this summer amid strong demand. Separately, SciTec, a Firefly unit, received an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement from U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command for the Golden Dome space-based interceptor program—backed by a cited $3.2 billion Space-Based Interceptor total.

2026-05-04T18:30:33.232070-07:00

Firefly readies first Alpha Block 2 debut late this summer as SciTec wins US space-based missile defense OTA

Via Satellite

NRO expands SCE commercial Earth-observation pipeline with EarthDaily, ICEYE and Pixxel; explores vetting for airborne target tr The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) awarded new Strategic Commercial Enhancements (SCE) contracts to EarthDaily, ICEYE and Pixxel to broaden its commercial Earth-sensing data pipeline. NRO commercial-program head Pete Muend said the agency may vet commercial firms’ ability to track airborne targets for the U.S. Space Force, extending GEOINT use beyond terrestrial imaging.

2026-05-04T16:10:27.183632-07:00

NRO expands SCE commercial Earth-observation pipeline with EarthDaily, ICEYE and Pixxel; explores vetting for airborne target tr

Menu

Commercial Space News

Two firms team up for repeatable LEO debris-removal service debut in 2027

Jim Bridenstine becomes CEO of Quantum Space as company targets maneuverable spacecraft for U.S. military and commercial mission

ESA selects Edge Aerospace to develop orbital data-center architectures and use-case road map

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing

News Timeline