Commercial Space News

Bloomberg

SpaceX seeks access to 80,000 US cell sites for wireless network

SpaceX is aiming to secure access to at least 80,000 cell sites across the United States and is in talks with at least one major cellular infrastructure company, according to people familiar with the matter. The effort would give the company a substantial footprint for its planned wireless network.

Via Satellite

Planet Labs to withhold Iran conflict-zone imagery indefinitely, raising Gulf buyers’ questions about access

Planet Labs told customers on April 4 that it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the surrounding conflict zone, retroactive to March 9. The decision puts commercial satellite data access in focus as Gulf buyers assess who can control or interrupt imagery availability during a conflict.

Via Satellite

PlanetiQ expands weather-data collection with back-to-back October rideshare launches

PlanetiQ is expanding its collection of GNSS radio-occultation data through back-to-back rideshare launches in October. CEO Ira Scharf says demand for the weather data is growing among both government and commercial users, underscoring the company’s effort to scale a satellite-based source of atmospheric observations.

SpaceNews.com

Aalyria CEO Brian Barritt discusses scaling space networks and software interoperability

In a SpaceNews interview, Aalyria CEO Brian Barritt discusses how networks in space are evolving, what scaling the company entails and why software interoperability matters. The conversation focuses on the software and network changes shaping how space systems connect.

SpaceNews.com

High activity

Space Force seeks to widen commercial access to classified work

The U.S. Space Force is creating routes for commercial space companies to obtain security clearances and compete for classified military programs, addressing an established barrier for startups. The effort sits alongside the service’s selection of six space-domain-awareness firms for its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve; a separate UK strategy emphasizes space-based defense capabilities.

Universe Today

High activity

European space programs pair ambitious constellation plans with servicing deals and a Space Rider test setback

Europe’s €15.6 billion Iris2 constellation depends on shared public-private delivery, while ESA’s Space Rider prototype failed to deploy its parachute in a drop test. In parallel, ClearSpace won the UK’s first national active-debris-removal mission and agreed to work with Eutelsat on GEO life extension; Aerospacelab and KAI signed an MoU for South Korea’s K-LEO constellation.

European Spaceflight

High activity

ESA sees possible Ariane 6 launcher shortfall late this decade as turbopump issue delays a 2026 launch

ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher says demand estimates are not yet firm enough for action on a potential late-decade Ariane 6 launcher shortage; decisions are expected early next year. Separately, ESA describes a turbopump issue delaying a planned 2026 launch into 2027 as transitory, not a lasting problem.

FlightGlobal

High activity

Trump asks Musk to lift Starlink restrictions in Ukraine as officials spotlight SpaceX’s control over wartime service

President Donald Trump called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and asked him to remove restrictions on Starlink services in Ukraine, including limits on the military-grade Starshield system, according to reports citing U.S. officials. Administration officials have pointed to Musk for slowing service, raising questions about private control of critical wartime communications.