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• Jason Rainbow
British startup Shield Space has completed the critical design review for Broadsword, a 2027 mission intended to demonstrate in-orbit satellite inspection. The company says defense customers could deploy the capability within nine months of signing a contract, positioning rapid inspection as a near-term space-security service.
Commercial Space
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Canada is presenting a broad portfolio of strategic projects to international investors, spanning spaceports and satellite initiatives alongside data centers, critical-mineral mines, high-speed rail and an Arctic trade corridor. The pitch positions aerospace infrastructure within a wider national effort to attract capital to major economic and connectivity projects.
Maverick has booked 10 Kepler satellites on a dedicated launch operated by Portal, using available capacity as demand for orbital launch services continues to intensify. The deal highlights the value of flexible launch arrangements for satellite operators seeking access to increasingly constrained capacity.
British startup Shield Space has completed the critical design review for Broadsword, a 2027 mission intended to demonstrate in-orbit satellite inspection. The company says defense customers could deploy the capability within nine months of signing a contract, positioning rapid inspection as a near-term space-security service.
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Executives at the three European companies pursuing the Bromo space joint venture merger continue to argue that combining their space businesses is necessary. Their public defense signals that the transaction remains strategically important despite unresolved questions surrounding the proposed structure and execution.
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The first day of World Space Business Week 2026 highlighted a widening gap between abundant investment and maturing commercial models. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher is taking a crew-transport decision to Rome, while China accounts for 19 of the 40 operational launchers worldwide.
SES and Elveo Mobile plan to establish direct-to-device satellite production capabilities in Europe, creating a regional supply chain to support the expansion of Elveo Mobile’s low Earth orbit constellation. The initiative signals an effort to localize manufacturing for emerging satellite-to-device connectivity services.
HawkEye 360 is pursuing European sovereign demand through a dedicated European entity and local partnerships, highlighting the company’s international expansion strategy. CEO John Serafini discussed the approach during World Space Business Week in Paris, where he met with U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Stacey Feinberg.
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Avio’s Vega C successfully launched the Copernicus Sentinel-3C and Earth Explorer FLEX Earth-observation satellites from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The mission, conducted for the European Space Agency and European Commission, marks Vega C’s second successful flight of 2026 and adds two platforms to Europe’s climate-monitoring capabilities.
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