Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News

Reuters • Tim Hepher

Thales denies deal as Airbus and Leonardo continue talks to form European satellite manufacturer

Airbus, Thales and Italy's Leonardo are still negotiating a tie‑up to create a pan‑European satellite manufacturer. Thales said on Thursday no agreement has been reached and work remains ongoing, contradicting media reports that an agreement in principle or imminent signing had been secured.

2025-10-16T03:48:09.285995-07:00

Associated Press

SpaceX completes final Version 2 Starship test — 11th flight deploys test satellites and returns largely intact

2025-10-13T17:07:45.617123-07:00

Boeing

Boeing and Virgin Atlantic to Upgrade In‑Flight Connectivity Across 787 Fleet

2025-10-15T12:04:38.084034-07:00

Ars Technica

NASA and Lockheed weigh launching Orion on commercial rockets, marking a major Artemis strategy shift

2025-10-15T13:32:47.629701-07:00

Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News Timeline

Payload

UK small‑launcher Astron Systems books flights through 2030 Astron Systems, a UK startup developing low‑cost, reusable small‑lift rockets, has booked launch flights through 2030, locking in customer missions across the remainder of the decade. The commitments signal continued commercial demand for dedicated small‑sat access and predictable ride availability.

2025-10-16T21:49:18.423609-07:00

UK small‑launcher Astron Systems books flights through 2030

Space Intel Report

Reznikov assesses Western commercial geospatial imaging satellites' role in Ukraine war Former Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov, speaking in La Plata, Maryland, assessed Western providers' commercial geospatial imaging satellites and their operational use in Ukraine's war effort, outlining the strategic and operational implications of commercial ISR on targeting, transparency and battlefield decision‑making.

2025-10-16T13:35:08.072235-07:00

Reznikov assesses Western commercial geospatial imaging satellites' role in Ukraine war

Via Satellite

SoftBank-led consortium to demo bidirectional optical LEO-to-HAPS links A Japanese consortium led by SoftBank, with ArkEdge Space, Kiyohara Optics and NICT, will demonstrate bidirectional optical communications between LEO smallsats and high‑altitude platforms in the stratosphere. The tests aim to validate high‑bandwidth, low‑latency laser links to bridge satellite and HAPS networks.

2025-10-16T12:38:37.980329-07:00

SoftBank-led consortium to demo bidirectional optical LEO-to-HAPS links

European Spaceflight

HyImpulse raises €45M to accelerate SL‑1 hybrid orbital launcher, targets 2027 maiden flight German startup HyImpulse has secured €45 million to develop its hybrid‑powered SL‑1 small orbital launcher (around 600 kg payload) and accelerate a targeted maiden flight in 2027. The financing round brings new strategic investors, including a high‑profile backer from the Schwarz Group.

2025-10-16T09:02:44.524015-07:00

HyImpulse raises €45M to accelerate SL‑1 hybrid orbital launcher, targets 2027 maiden flight

Space.com

Vast targets 2026 launch for Haven‑1, aiming to field the first standalone commercial LEO station Vast plans to launch Haven‑1 in 2026, positioning it as the first standalone commercial low‑Earth‑orbit platform and an "amazing inflection point for human spaceflight." The company says Haven‑1 will be a crew‑tended commercial LEO station if it sticks to its schedule.

2025-10-16T09:02:43.824791-07:00

Vast targets 2026 launch for Haven‑1, aiming to field the first standalone commercial LEO station

SpaceNews.com

iRocket Leverages IRX‑100 Missile Flight to Back Fully Reusable Shockwave Launcher iRocket said its first flight test of the short‑range IRX‑100 missile provides near‑term revenue and technical data to accelerate development of Shockwave, a fully reusable orbital satellite launcher. The missile program aims to finance operations and de‑risk hardware while the company advances its reusable‑launcher roadmap.

2025-10-16T08:27:43.660298-07:00

iRocket Leverages IRX‑100 Missile Flight to Back Fully Reusable Shockwave Launcher

SpaceNews.com

Satellite data services to reach $69.7B by 2034 as video revenues decline Analysts forecast the global satellite data services market will grow to $69.7 billion by 2034, driven by rising demand for analytics in agriculture, defense and energy. Traditional video revenues are weakening, forcing operators toward higher‑value data products and downstream services.

2025-10-16T07:33:21.353666-07:00

Satellite data services to reach $69.7B by 2034 as video revenues decline

Payload

Oman CAA approves fast‑track licensing for Etlaq Spaceport orbital launches Oman's Civil Aviation Authority has approved a fast‑track licensing procedure for launches from the new Etlaq Spaceport, marking a regulatory milestone that authorises orbital spadelaunch operations and removes a key administrative barrier ahead of the site's operational start. The move is billed as pioneering in the Middle East.

2025-10-16T04:07:30.340957-07:00

Oman CAA approves fast‑track licensing for Etlaq Spaceport orbital launches

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