PaxEx.Aero
• Seth Miller
Bluebox Aviation Systems and SkyFive are partnering to demonstrate how inflight connectivity and entertainment can improve passenger experience and create ancillary revenue opportunities for airlines. Separately, Blue Origin has selected RBC Signals to support its Quartz global ground-station network, which will reach nine sites by year-end.
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Bluebox Aviation Systems and SkyFive are partnering to demonstrate how inflight connectivity and entertainment can improve passenger experience and create ancillary revenue opportunities for airlines. Separately, Blue Origin has selected RBC Signals to support its Quartz global ground-station network, which will reach nine sites by year-end.
Firefly Aerospace expects $435 million in revenue in 2026, with rocket launches accounting for roughly 10% of the total. The company, whose business is heavily weighted toward satellite systems for U.S. civil and government customers, plans two more Alpha launches this year and has five lunar missions in development.
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Stoke Space Technologies is raising $1 billion to advance development and production of Nova, a fully reusable rocket designed to compete with SpaceX, according to people familiar with the matter. The financing would support Stoke’s effort to scale a launch vehicle positioned against SpaceX’s established market presence.
The maritime satellite communications market is entering a new growth phase, with service revenues forecast to reach $3.79 billion by 2035. Next-generation non-geostationary satellite networks are expected to reshape how vessels and maritime operators access connectivity at sea.
Telesat’s latest financial results point to near-term pressure through the first half of 2026, while debt maturities over the next 18 months raise financing concerns. The Canadian satellite operator nonetheless remains optimistic about Lightspeed, its planned satellite connectivity initiative.
High activity
SpaceX shares rebounded toward $150 after the Aug. 6 expiration of its first IPO lockup, with the company’s market value reaching roughly $500 billion. At the same time, SpaceX is pursuing a $60 billion all-stock acquisition of AI coding platform Cursor, adding a major strategic and financial test.
Virgin Galactic says it will postpone the start of commercial flights on its new suborbital spaceplane until early 2027, extending the development timeline by several months. The delay pushes back the company’s planned return to revenue-generating passenger operations.
The U.S. Space Force awarded Impulse Space a $28 million SBIR Phase III contract extension for VICTUS SALO 2 and 3. The two missions will expand demonstrations of tactically responsive space operations, in-space maneuvering and space-domain awareness for military operators.
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