Commercial Space News

SpaceWatch Global

WSBW 2026: SWISSto12 on Profitable Growth and 3D-Printed Satellite Payloads

Fredrik Gustavsson of SWISSto12 discusses the company’s approach to profitable growth and the use of 3D-printed payloads in the space industry at WSBW 2026. The conversation highlights the intersection of commercial performance and advanced manufacturing in space hardware.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

Planet opens Berlin factory to build Pelican satellites, putting European Earth-observation sovereignty in focus

Planet Labs has opened a Berlin manufacturing facility to expand production of its Pelican Earth-observation satellites, with the first spacecraft built there expected to launch in 2027. The investment strengthens European imaging capacity while highlighting questions around data sovereignty, security and the control of satellite shutters.

European Spaceflight

SaxaVord drops shared suborbital rail, requiring HyImpulse to provide its own for second SR75 launch

SaxaVord has abandoned plans for a shared suborbital launch rail, leaving HyImpulse to bring and operate its own launch system for the second flight of its SR75 rocket. The change adds infrastructure responsibility to HyImpulse’s launch campaign and alters the planned operating model at the spaceport.

Wall Street Journal

High activity

Rocket Supply Crunch Tightens Access to Space as SpaceX Winds Down Flagship Vehicle

Demand for launch capacity is intensifying as SpaceX begins winding down its flagship rocket, while competitors work to increase their own flight cadence. The resulting supply crunch is making it more difficult for customers to secure rides to orbit and could sharpen competition among launch providers.

Via Satellite

Katalyst to demonstrate orbital power-beaming system under Pentagon’s ASGARD program

Katalyst will develop and launch a robotic spacecraft under the Pentagon’s Advanced Scalable Growth Architecture for Robotic Deployment program. The spacecraft is intended to assemble a large-format power-beaming system in orbit and transmit energy back to Earth, testing a defense-backed approach to space-based power delivery.

SpaceNews.com

HEO raises $25 million to expand satellite imaging capabilities to GEO

HEO has raised $25 million to expand its satellite imaging capabilities into geostationary orbit, increasing the company’s ability to collect and deliver imagery from a strategically important orbital regime.

Space Intel Report

Aerospacelab Reaches Profitability Ahead of $2.75 Billion Iris2 Contract

Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab returned to profitability early this year after reporting a €17.75 million loss on €14.6 million in 2025 sales. CEO Benoit Deper attributed the improvement to diverse component contracts and limited production of complete satellites, ahead of its potential role in the €2.5 billion Iris2 program.

SpaceNews.com

High activity

Satellite industry grapples with SpaceX’s planned end of commercial Falcon 9 launches

SpaceX plans to wind down commercial Falcon 9 launches in the next few years, forcing satellite operators and launch customers to reassess access to orbit. The shift could reshape launch procurement, scheduling and competitive dynamics across the commercial space market.