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Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

EQT to acquire Exolaunch as rideshare mission management scales amid surging demand

EQT Private Equity is purchasing Germany-based Exolaunch, a rideshare mission management and integration provider, in a deal estimated by dealroom.co at $339 million. Exolaunch has deployed more than 790 satellites across 47 rideshare missions for 200+ commercial and government customers, targeting a 250% revenue increase this year.

2026-06-18T09:20:38.853943-07:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX eyes $20B+ investment-grade bond to refinance $20B bridge after record IPO

2026-06-18T09:50:27.617610-07:00

European Spaceflight

CNES selects Sirius Space Services for vacant slot at Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility

2026-06-18T04:21:45.050880-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA’s Swift spacecraft reboost mission set to launch later this month after under a year of development

2026-06-18T05:17:07.837992-07:00

News Timeline

Bloomberg

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SpaceX eyes $20B+ investment-grade bond to refinance $20B bridge after record IPO SpaceX is preparing its first-ever investment-grade U.S. dollar bond offering, potentially at $20 billion or more, to refinance a roughly $20 billion bridge loan, according to multiple sources. Bankers are holding early investor discussions following the company’s record IPO as it ramps capital spending tied to an AI expansion.

2026-06-18T09:50:27.617610-07:00

SpaceX eyes $20B+ investment-grade bond to refinance $20B bridge after record IPO

Space Intel Report

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EQT to acquire Exolaunch as rideshare mission management scales amid surging demand EQT Private Equity is purchasing Germany-based Exolaunch, a rideshare mission management and integration provider, in a deal estimated by dealroom.co at $339 million. Exolaunch has deployed more than 790 satellites across 47 rideshare missions for 200+ commercial and government customers, targeting a 250% revenue increase this year.

2026-06-18T09:20:38.853943-07:00

EQT to acquire Exolaunch as rideshare mission management scales amid surging demand

SpaceNews.com

Spark Space tests engine for electric-pump-fed rocket and raises multi-round funding in drive for scale Chinese startup Spark Space says it has completed engine testing for an electric-pump-fed rocket it claims could be the largest of its kind. The company has also secured a series of funding rounds, positioning the effort to advance from propulsion validation to full development and scale-up.

2026-06-18T07:49:30.120457-07:00

Spark Space tests engine for electric-pump-fed rocket and raises multi-round funding in drive for scale

SpaceNews.com

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NASA’s Swift spacecraft reboost mission set to launch later this month after under a year of development NASA is preparing a high-risk reboost mission to raise the orbit of its Swift astrophysics spacecraft, with launch planned later this month. The mission comes after less than a year of development, indicating an accelerated effort to restore orbital conditions for continued science operations.

2026-06-18T05:17:07.837992-07:00

NASA’s Swift spacecraft reboost mission set to launch later this month after under a year of development

SpaceNews.com

Northrop Grumman to Fly Pegasus Intercept Mission to Raise NASA’s Swift Observatory from Decaying Orbit Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket is scheduled for a time-critical rescue mission in June to prevent NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from making an uncontrolled re-entry. The plan will use Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft to intercept Swift in a decaying orbit and boost it to a higher altitude.

2026-06-18T05:17:07.837992-07:00

Northrop Grumman to Fly Pegasus Intercept Mission to Raise NASA’s Swift Observatory from Decaying Orbit

European Spaceflight

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CNES selects Sirius Space Services for vacant slot at Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility CNES has chosen Sirius Space Services to fill a vacancy at the Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility, taking the last available site on the former Diamant launch pad in French Guiana after MaiaSpace exited the position. The decision highlights CNES’s continued effort to sustain European small-launch activity at Kourou.

2026-06-18T04:21:45.050880-07:00

CNES selects Sirius Space Services for vacant slot at Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility

NASA Spaceflight

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Relativity Space ships Terran R second stage to NASA Stennis as debut window targets end of 2026 Relativity Space says it has sent the Terran R heavy-lift vehicle’s second stage to NASA’s Stennis Space Center, marking a key hardware milestone ahead of a potential launch debut at the end of 2026. The move underscores continued maturation of Terran R’s propulsion and integration path for first flight readiness.

2026-06-17T15:18:08.527105-07:00

Relativity Space ships Terran R second stage to NASA Stennis as debut window targets end of 2026

Bloomberg

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SpaceX names Sequoia investor Roelof Botha independent director days after record-setting IPO SpaceX has elected Roelof Botha, a longtime Sequoia Capital investor, to its board as an independent director, filling an existing vacancy less than a week after the company’s record-setting initial public offering. Botha previously worked with Elon Musk at PayPal and spent more than two decades at Sequoia.

2026-06-17T14:34:48.739720-07:00

SpaceX names Sequoia investor Roelof Botha independent director days after record-setting IPO

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

EQT to acquire Exolaunch as rideshare mission management scales amid surging demand

SpaceX eyes $20B+ investment-grade bond to refinance $20B bridge after record IPO

CNES selects Sirius Space Services for vacant slot at Guiana Space Centre’s future multi-user commercial launch facility

NASA’s Swift spacecraft reboost mission set to launch later this month after under a year of development

News Timeline