Commercial Space News

Bloomberg

Europe’s largest mobile operators explore satellite-to-mobile consortium to challenge Starlink

Europe’s biggest mobile carriers are in early discussions about forming a consortium to bid for satellite spectrum and deliver direct-to-mobile connectivity. The initiative could create a regionally coordinated competitor to Starlink’s satellite-to-phone service, linking terrestrial telecom networks with space-based capacity.

Air Data News

Stratolaunch’s Giant Unmanned Rocket-Launch Aircraft Reappears at Long Beach Airport

Stratolaunch’s massive unmanned carrier aircraft has returned to Long Beach Airport nearly six years after its public unveiling. The aircraft was originally designed to carry rockets aloft and support small-satellite launches, offering an alternative air-launch platform for commercial space missions.

SpaceNews.com

U.S. Space Force commits $50 million to startup developing in-orbit satellite deployment technology

The U.S. Space Force is investing $50 million in a startup developing a new method to dispatch small spacecraft from a larger vehicle in orbit. The effort could introduce another approach to moving and deploying satellites after launch, with potential implications for future military space operations.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

Project-S Emerges from Stealth to Build a European Space Safety Layer

Project-S has emerged from stealth with plans to develop a European space safety layer. The initiative adds a new entrant to efforts focused on improving safety in the increasingly complex space environment, with its ambitions spanning technical and potentially political dimensions of Europe’s space sector.

SpaceNews.com

Pixxel raises $100 million to expand hyperspectral satellite production in India and the U.S.

Indian hyperspectral imaging startup Pixxel has secured $100 million in a funding round co-led by Temasek and Seraphim, bringing its total capital raised to $195 million. The company plans to scale satellite production in India and the United States as it pursues additional government business.

NASA Spaceflight

High activity

SpaceX advances Starbase infrastructure as Flight 14 hardware moves toward the pad

SpaceX continues expanding assembly, test and launch infrastructure at Starbase as hardware for the company’s 14th flight moves toward the launch pad. The activity signals ongoing preparation for the next vehicle test while construction and operational capabilities develop in parallel.

NASA Spaceflight

Stoke Space and Relativity Space advance Cape Canaveral launch complexes toward first flights

Stoke Space and Relativity Space are moving launch infrastructure at Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14 and Launch Complex 16 toward their first flights. The progress marks a key step in bringing both companies’ launch sites closer to operational readiness and expanding commercial launch capacity from Florida’s Space Coast.

SpaceNews.com

High activity

Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum reaches orbit from Norway, marking Europe’s first successful commercial orbital launch

German startup Isar Aerospace reached orbit with its Spectrum rocket from Andøya, Norway, deploying satellites on the vehicle’s second flight. The mission makes Isar the first commercial European company to deliver payloads to orbit from continental Europe, advancing the region’s effort to reduce reliance on American launch providers.