Commercial Space News

SpaceNews.com

Firefly sees business opportunities as Pentagon turns its attention to cislunar space

Firefly sees potential business opportunities as the Pentagon turns toward cislunar space. The development puts a commercial space company’s prospects alongside growing defense interest in the region between Earth and the moon, though the available report summary provides no details on specific opportunities or programs.

Universe Today

Caltech’s ASTRA robot autonomously assembles an orbital truss, while vibration-and-AI research aims to help robots clear buried

Caltech’s ASTRA robot has assembled a truss section in orbit without human assistance, advancing work on building large space structures robotically. Separately, mechanical engineering assistant professor Erik Komendera developed a vibration- and AI-based method for estimating how deeply rocks are buried, potentially helping future robotic missions clear terrain autonomously.

Space Intel Report

Satellite market spans €3.5B in Earth-observation revenue as GomSpace targets 30% annual growth and Gogo expands Galileo

The EU Agency for the Space Programme estimates the global downstream Earth-observation market generated €3.5 billion in 2024. Separately, GomSpace forecasts average annual revenue growth of 30% through 2030, while Gogo reported 297 aircraft using its Galileo connectivity service and a 95% year-over-year increase in quarterly unit shipments.

Space Intel Report

Satellite builder GomSpace: We'll post 30% annual revenue increase through 2030, with 20% EBITDA margin by then

Via Satellite

Rakuten and AST SpaceMobile form Japanese satellite-to-smartphone joint venture

Rakuten and AST SpaceMobile plan to establish Rakuten AST to procure and operate satellites that connect directly to ordinary smartphones in Japan. Announced Nov. 9, 2026, the venture gives Rakuten 51% of voting rights and AST SpaceMobile’s Japanese subsidiary the remaining 49%.

Bloomberg

High activity

SpaceX proposes $24 billion gas-fired power plant and supercomputing facility at Starbase

SpaceX plans to build, own and operate a gas-fired power plant and supercomputing facility in Starbase, Texas, according to a public hearing notice. The project would pair dedicated power generation with large-scale computing infrastructure, underscoring the company’s expanding investment at its launch-site city.

Bloomberg

SpaceX Plans $24 Billion Data Center and Gas Plant in Texas

SpaceNews.com

High activity

France clears Globalstar to deploy 54 next-generation direct-to-device satellites

France has authorized U.S.-based Globalstar to launch and operate a 54-satellite next-generation constellation designed for direct-to-device connectivity. The company aims to begin deploying the satellites next year, marking a regulatory step toward expanding its space-based service.