SpaceNews.com
• Jason Rainbow
Space Capital forecasts annual investment in the space economy will exceed $100 billion for the first time in 2026, citing SpaceX’s expected blockbuster IPO, defense spending and space infrastructure. Separate coverage of SpaceX’s spectrum ambitions and an $8 billion spectrum deal examines how its expansion could challenge U.S. wireless carriers.
Space Defense & Militarization
Latest source-backed stories
Proposals to move data centers into orbit seek access to abundant solar energy and room to expand, including for military operations. But concentrating computing infrastructure in space could expose it to missile attacks, jamming and cyberattacks, raising questions about the security and resilience of the concept.
Pasha Kravtsov says he wanted to join True Anomaly after a former colleague told him the company was working to counter a recently launched Russian military satellite. The account points to the company’s involvement in space-security operations, though the report provides no further details on the effort.
High activity
Space Capital forecasts annual investment in the space economy will exceed $100 billion for the first time in 2026, citing SpaceX’s expected blockbuster IPO, defense spending and space infrastructure. Separate coverage of SpaceX’s spectrum ambitions and an $8 billion spectrum deal examines how its expansion could challenge U.S. wireless carriers.
The U.S. Army stress-tested Amazon’s nascent proliferated satellite communications network to assess its ability to deliver high-speed connectivity to soldiers in the field. The demonstration marks a step in Amazon Leo’s push into military communications as it develops a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Proposals for orbital data centers promise access to abundant solar power and room to scale, but could also put valuable computing infrastructure in a contested domain. The concern grows as militaries embrace artificial intelligence and treat computing facilities as critical infrastructure, raising the stakes of conflict in space.
High activity
Day-one discussions in Riyadh offered five lessons for Europe, drawing on perspectives from France’s ANFR, the UK’s Ofcom, Ookla, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and Foradori. The issues included the IRIS² satellite program, direct-to-device connectivity, spectrum negotiations ahead of the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference and space security.
Ukraine says it neutralized at least 48,000 tactical uncrewed aircraft and destroyed more than 4,700 drones and missiles aimed at strategic targets in September. Reports also describe a Ukrainian strike drone ramming a Russian UAV, while NATO’s Innovation Fund is prioritizing counter-drone and space-based surveillance technologies.
The Luxembourg-based ispace-EUROPE and Italian space engineering firm ALTEC have signed an MoU to examine collaboration on lunar rover testing, mission simulations and operator training. The work is intended to prepare for future Moon missions; the agreement outlines areas to explore rather than a confirmed program or schedule.
Create a free account to see more recent Space Defense & Militarization stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
