SpaceWatch Global
• Joshua Faleti
Sweden’s SSC Space and Japan’s ElevationSpace will assess potential cooperation spanning launch services, microgravity research and spacecraft recovery in Europe and Japan. The memorandum of understanding sets out areas to explore rather than a confirmed service or mission, extending SSC Space’s presence in the Japanese market.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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SpaceX and Tesla are due to report third-quarter results on consecutive days, offering investors a rare side-by-side view as questions about Musk’s AI spending and speculation about combining the companies gather momentum. SpaceX reportedly accounted for about 80% of global mass to orbit in 2026; Musk has called the company an anomaly.
Sweden’s SSC Space and Japan’s ElevationSpace will assess potential cooperation spanning launch services, microgravity research and spacecraft recovery in Europe and Japan. The memorandum of understanding sets out areas to explore rather than a confirmed service or mission, extending SSC Space’s presence in the Japanese market.
Polish satellite maker Creotech Instruments plans to increase production capacity by up to tenfold by 2029, CEO Grzegorz Brona said. Poland is also developing domestic capabilities to launch small satellites, but Europe is expected to depend on U.S. rockets to reach orbit for years.
High activity
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 32 rideshare payloads on its Bandwagon-5 mission from Florida on Monday, Oct. 19. The flight follows the Transporter 18 mission earlier in the month, extending the company’s cadence of dedicated rideshare launches.
High activity
SpaceX is advancing toward two Starship missions to close out 2026. Flight 15 is targeted for November, with the company aiming to catch both the Super Heavy booster and Starship; Flight 16 is aimed for December and could be the first Starship launch from Launch Complex 39A.
Dragon launched Oct. 13 and docked with the International Space Station on Oct. 15, delivering more than 6,300 pounds of cargo for the Expedition 75 crew. The payload includes supplies, solar arrays and experiments involving brain models, 3D heart tissue and artificial-retina technology, with potential applications for medical research on Earth.
RATLOG, a heavy-lift rocket startup, debuted this week as part of Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch. The company says it wants to cut the number of parts in a rocket engine by about 90%, though the available report does not detail its design, funding or development timeline.
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