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SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

US Air Force lab awards BlackSky up to $99M for large optical satellite payload

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded BlackSky a contract worth up to $99 million to develop and deliver a large optical satellite payload. The award funds design and production of an optical sensor payload intended for forthcoming Air Force lab satellite missions.

2026-03-07T03:59:34.900039-08:00

NASA

NASA's DART mission becomes first to alter an asteroid's orbit around the Sun

2026-03-06T11:19:08.440074-08:00

SpaceNews.com

Eutelsat completes €5bn refinancing, closes €1.5bn bond to fund OneWeb refresh and back EU IRIS2

2026-03-06T09:19:10.584702-08:00

Space Intel Report

MDA Space opens La Plata factory to produce up to 400 software-defined satellites a year

2026-03-06T09:39:23.579836-08:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

US Air Force lab awards BlackSky up to $99M for large optical satellite payload The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded BlackSky a contract worth up to $99 million to develop and deliver a large optical satellite payload. The award funds design and production of an optical sensor payload intended for forthcoming Air Force lab satellite missions.

2026-03-07T03:59:34.900039-08:00

US Air Force lab awards BlackSky up to $99M for large optical satellite payload

Ars Technica

Planet Labs withholds Gulf satellite imagery for 96 hours after Iranian drone strikes Planet Labs will delay public release of newly captured satellite imagery over Gulf states for 96 hours after Iranian drone attacks, citing risk that adversaries could use near‑real‑time images for "battle‑damage assessment." The pause impacts media, commercial customers and researchers who normally receive images almost immediately.

2026-03-06T15:40:00.851912-08:00

Planet Labs withholds Gulf satellite imagery for 96 hours after Iranian drone strikes

NASA

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NASA's DART mission becomes first to alter an asteroid's orbit around the Sun Analysis of the 2022 DART impact on the binary system Didymos–Dimorphos shows the collision not only shortened Dimorphos's orbit around its larger companion but measurably changed the pair's heliocentric path — the first deliberate alteration of a celestial body's orbit around the Sun and a proof point for planetary defense.

2026-03-06T11:19:08.440074-08:00

NASA's DART mission becomes first to alter an asteroid's orbit around the Sun

Space Intel Report

MDA Space opens La Plata factory to produce up to 400 software-defined satellites a year MDA Space said it is on schedule to complete construction of a La Plata, Maryland factory capable of producing up to 400 software-defined satellites per year. The facility is aimed at supplying multiple commercial and government constellations and significantly expands MDA’s spacecraft manufacturing capacity.

2026-03-06T09:39:23.579836-08:00

MDA Space opens La Plata factory to produce up to 400 software-defined satellites a year

SpaceNews.com

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Eutelsat completes €5bn refinancing, closes €1.5bn bond to fund OneWeb refresh and back EU IRIS2 French satellite operator Eutelsat has closed the final step of a €5 billion refinancing package with a €1.5 billion ($1.7bn) bond issuance. The move refinances debt, improves liquidity for its OneWeb LEO constellation refresh and underpins investment in Europe’s IRIS2 sovereign connectivity programme.

2026-03-06T09:19:10.584702-08:00

Eutelsat completes €5bn refinancing, closes €1.5bn bond to fund OneWeb refresh and back EU IRIS2

SpaceWatch Global

EU debates a Space Act as officials map space’s defence role at Amsterdam Space Symposium At the inaugural Amsterdam Space Symposium, EU Space Envoy Marjolijn van Deelen and space‑law expert Prof. Tanja Masson‑Zwaan set out the legal and policy questions around preparing European space for defence use and whether a consolidated EU Space Act is needed to govern dual‑use activities.

2026-03-06T04:01:04.555847-08:00

EU debates a Space Act as officials map space’s defence role at Amsterdam Space Symposium

SpaceWatch Global

GMV wins UKSA award to build algorithmic launch‑monitoring for the UK NSpOC GMV has won a UK Space Agency contract to develop algorithmic launch‑monitoring capabilities that support the analytical requirements of the UK National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC). The programme will deliver automated tools to detect, characterise and track launch events to enhance national space situational awareness.

2026-03-06T02:21:20.435256-08:00

GMV wins UKSA award to build algorithmic launch‑monitoring for the UK NSpOC

Payload

Seraphim Space Investment Trust reports record results as portfolio valuations rise Seraphim Space Investment Trust reported record financial results as valuations across its portfolio of space businesses rose significantly. Management attributed gains to favorable macro trends—stronger secondary‑market pricing, increased strategic capital flows and sector‑specific demand—that lifted net asset value and delivered returns to investors.

2026-03-05T21:12:45.407945-08:00

Seraphim Space Investment Trust reports record results as portfolio valuations rise

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Space Defense & Militarization News

US Air Force lab awards BlackSky up to $99M for large optical satellite payload

NASA's DART mission becomes first to alter an asteroid's orbit around the Sun

Eutelsat completes €5bn refinancing, closes €1.5bn bond to fund OneWeb refresh and back EU IRIS2

MDA Space opens La Plata factory to produce up to 400 software-defined satellites a year

News Timeline