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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

NASA advances DAPHNE twin-satellite mission to improve space-weather forecasting

NASA has selected the DAPHNE mission concept for development, using twin satellites to study how space weather couples with Earth’s atmosphere. The program aims to improve forecasting by clarifying how atmospheric dynamics and space-environment changes affect technologies such as GPS, low Earth orbit satellites, and astronauts.

2026-06-19T05:12:21.259131-07:00

Bloomberg

Jio Platforms maps sovereign LEO satellite network to challenge Starlink as it prepares India’s largest IPO

2026-06-19T04:37:10.481679-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Opinion: MEO durability “crisis” points to why today’s LEO hardware may not survive the orbital economy

2026-06-19T06:21:31.355348-07:00

Reuters

MDA Space to buy RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies for $620M to bolster U.S. space-defense manufacturing

2026-06-19T05:09:54.648542-07:00

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SpaceNews.com

Opinion: MEO durability “crisis” points to why today’s LEO hardware may not survive the orbital economy A new analysis argues that “space” is not a single operating environment: distinct orbital zones impose different stressors that shorten hardware life. It frames a looming durability gap for LEO systems as the commercial orbital economy scales, warning that designs tuned to one regime may fail in another.

2026-06-19T06:21:31.355348-07:00

Opinion: MEO durability “crisis” points to why today’s LEO hardware may not survive the orbital economy

SpaceNews.com

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NASA advances DAPHNE twin-satellite mission to improve space-weather forecasting NASA has selected the DAPHNE mission concept for development, using twin satellites to study how space weather couples with Earth’s atmosphere. The program aims to improve forecasting by clarifying how atmospheric dynamics and space-environment changes affect technologies such as GPS, low Earth orbit satellites, and astronauts.

2026-06-19T05:12:21.259131-07:00

NASA advances DAPHNE twin-satellite mission to improve space-weather forecasting

Reuters

MDA Space to buy RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies for $620M to bolster U.S. space-defense manufacturing MDA Space has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Blue Canyon Technologies (RTX’s Raytheon business) in an all-cash $620 million deal. The transaction is aimed at expanding MDA’s U.S. defense footprint and securing access to Blue Canyon’s smallsat spacecraft and satellite component capabilities, including guidance-relevant technologies.

2026-06-19T05:09:54.648542-07:00

MDA Space to buy RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies for $620M to bolster U.S. space-defense manufacturing

Bloomberg

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Jio Platforms maps sovereign LEO satellite network to challenge Starlink as it prepares India’s largest IPO Jio Platforms, under Mukesh Ambani, says it is filing draft papers for what could be India’s biggest-ever IPO while outlining plans for a sovereign low-Earth-orbit communications constellation. The company’s goal is to secure control of national connectivity as Starlink faces India launch hurdles.

2026-06-19T04:37:10.481679-07:00

Jio Platforms maps sovereign LEO satellite network to challenge Starlink as it prepares India’s largest IPO

SpaceNews.com

Gate Space lands €6.3M accelerator funding for sovereign satellite propulsion Austrian propulsion startup Gate Space has secured €6.3 million from Europe’s government-backed accelerator program, joining a broader stream of capital aimed at boosting European space “sovereignty.” The funding underscores sustained investor and state interest in enabling technologies—such as satellite propulsion—outside of non-European supply chains.

2026-06-19T00:30:12.400558-07:00

Gate Space lands €6.3M accelerator funding for sovereign satellite propulsion

Bloomberg

SpaceX criticizes EU spectrum-tender approach for Starlink expansion SpaceX has publicly criticized the European Union’s proposed framework for allocating satellite spectrum, arguing it could constrain Starlink’s growth plans following the company’s record-setting IPO. The dispute highlights how regulatory design for spectrum access is becoming a gating factor for LEO broadband operators in Europe.

2026-06-18T15:24:09.689739-07:00

SpaceX criticizes EU spectrum-tender approach for Starlink expansion

European Spaceflight

Germany breaks ground on Cologne GOVSATCOM Hub—EU secure satcom service infrastructure takes shape Germany has started construction on one of two GOVSATCOM Hub locations in Cologne, with North Rhine-Westphalia pledging up to €50 million. The DLR-led site is intended to become a central European hub for secure satellite communications following the 16 June 2026 groundbreaking ceremony.

2026-06-18T14:21:03.434061-07:00

Germany breaks ground on Cologne GOVSATCOM Hub—EU secure satcom service infrastructure takes shape

AINonline

Garmin expands global navigation coverage with added airspace data for 40 African countries Garmin is expanding its navigation database by adding airspace information and IFR procedures for 40 additional countries across Africa. The update also includes related operational data such as frequencies to support route planning and in-flight navigation for equipped aircraft operating in the region.

2026-06-18T10:20:29.590809-07:00

Garmin expands global navigation coverage with added airspace data for 40 African countries

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Satellite News

NASA advances DAPHNE twin-satellite mission to improve space-weather forecasting

Jio Platforms maps sovereign LEO satellite network to challenge Starlink as it prepares India’s largest IPO

Opinion: MEO durability “crisis” points to why today’s LEO hardware may not survive the orbital economy

MDA Space to buy RTX’s Blue Canyon Technologies for $620M to bolster U.S. space-defense manufacturing

News Timeline