SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
Spanish launch company PLD Space now plans to conduct the Miura 5 rocket’s first orbital launch in the first half of 2027, pushing back the debut from its earlier schedule. The change shifts the timeline for the company’s entry into the orbital launch market.
Commercial Space
Latest source-backed stories
Spanish launch company PLD Space now plans to conduct the Miura 5 rocket’s first orbital launch in the first half of 2027, pushing back the debut from its earlier schedule. The change shifts the timeline for the company’s entry into the orbital launch market.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise plans to send its Spaceborne Computer-4 AI-compute module to the Moon aboard Astrolab’s FLIP rover. The mission is scheduled to launch this year, putting onboard computing technology on a lunar surface mission.
Solstar Space says its Wi-Fi technology connected NASA’s R5-S10 CubeSat with Momentus’ Vigoride-7 orbital service vehicle during proximity operations, relaying data to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The Oct. 20 announcement documents an in-orbit connectivity demonstration involving a spacecraft and an orbital servicing vehicle.
Chinese startup Sinxbot has raised tens of millions of dollars from investors including Alibaba and China Mobile to develop robotic arms for on-orbit satellite refueling and deorbit services. The funding brings major Chinese technology and telecom investors into a venture targeting emerging in-space servicing capabilities.
High activity
At ESPI AC 2026, Étienne Schneider said Luxembourg’s space resources law helped unlock investment and argued that Europe needs a framework of its own. He identified stability as Europe’s strongest card in the space race, making the legal environment a strategic factor in competing for space-sector activity.
High activity
The Italian geospatial intelligence company says the funding will support development of its agentic Earth observation and Physical AI capabilities, alongside international growth. The announcement signals continued investment in applying AI to Earth-observation data, though the company did not disclose further details in the available report.
Spaceport Cornwall and Dawn Aerospace are exploring DASH UK, a proposed program that would establish a UK base for Aurora spaceplane flights. The concept centers on repeatable suborbital research testing, though the available details do not specify a schedule, investment or commitment to proceed.
High activity
The Canadian Space Agency has awarded Obruta Space contracts totaling C$1.5 million to tackle two pressing issues in Earth observation through in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM). The announcement identifies the funding and focus, but does not specify the bottlenecks or contract milestones.
Create a free account to see more recent Commercial Space stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
