News

SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Rocket Lab wins $90M Space Force contract for first GEO satellites supporting Space Domain Awareness (SDA)

Rocket Lab has secured its first geostationary-orbit satellite production orders: a $90 million U.S. Space Force contract to design, manufacture and operate two GEO satellites for Space Domain Awareness. The award also extends a Space Systems Command effort delivering two Heimdall prototype payloads on orbit.

2026-05-22T02:54:42.006132-07:00

SpaceNews.com

AUKUS partners’ Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability site hits early operations as Australia targets full capability by 2027

2026-05-22T06:10:08.386342-07:00

Space Intel Report

Spain pledges sovereign, secure military satcom fund tied to Europe’s Iris2, with ESA and Spain formalizing industrial cooperati

2026-05-21T08:56:36.695648-07:00

Bloomberg

Pentagon: Ukraine retook ~400 sq. km after Russia deactivated thousands of Starlink terminals

2026-05-21T15:54:27.493477-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

AUKUS partners’ Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability site hits early operations as Australia targets full capability by 2027 Australia’s Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) Site 1 in Western Australia is already delivering early tracking data for AUKUS partners, with full operational capability targeted for 2027. The deployment underscores how Australia’s southern geography is being used to build dual-use space surveillance resilience for strategic coordination.

2026-05-22T06:10:08.386342-07:00

AUKUS partners’ Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability site hits early operations as Australia targets full capability by 2027

SpaceWatch Global

DTM 2026 Berlin ISR roundtable spotlights latency, sovereignty, and procurement reform as retired-generals push for modernizatio In a closed-door ISR roundtable at DTM 2026 Berlin, participants focused on the practical bottlenecks of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance—especially data latency—and the need for greater national sovereignty over ISR capabilities. The discussion also weighed procurement reform priorities and the implications of veteran leadership advocating new approaches despite institutional inertia.

2026-05-22T04:04:47.802030-07:00

DTM 2026 Berlin ISR roundtable spotlights latency, sovereignty, and procurement reform as retired-generals push for modernizatio

SpaceNews.com

❗️

Rocket Lab wins $90M Space Force contract for first GEO satellites supporting Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Rocket Lab has secured its first geostationary-orbit satellite production orders: a $90 million U.S. Space Force contract to design, manufacture and operate two GEO satellites for Space Domain Awareness. The award also extends a Space Systems Command effort delivering two Heimdall prototype payloads on orbit.

2026-05-22T02:54:42.006132-07:00

Rocket Lab wins $90M Space Force contract for first GEO satellites supporting Space Domain Awareness (SDA)

Bloomberg

Pentagon: Ukraine retook ~400 sq. km after Russia deactivated thousands of Starlink terminals The US Defense Intelligence Agency says a Ukrainian offensive earlier this year regained about 400 square kilometers after Russian forces “deactivated” thousands of portable Starlink internet terminals. The Pentagon frames the episode as a connectivity-and-communications disruption that altered battlefield outcomes.

2026-05-21T15:54:27.493477-07:00

Pentagon: Ukraine retook ~400 sq. km after Russia deactivated thousands of Starlink terminals

Space Intel Report

Spain pledges sovereign, secure military satcom fund tied to Europe’s Iris2, with ESA and Spain formalizing industrial cooperati Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain is creating a dedicated fund to build a secure satellite communications network aligned with Europe’s Iris2 multi-orbit constellation but tailored to Spanish military requirements. ESA and Spain’s space agency then signed a Memorandum of Intent to deepen technical cooperation and expand industrial activities for sovereign connectivity.

2026-05-21T08:56:36.695648-07:00

Spain pledges sovereign, secure military satcom fund tied to Europe’s Iris2, with ESA and Spain formalizing industrial cooperati

Bloomberg

US Space Force missile-alert satellite program flagged as among lowest performers, with risk of mission-critical defects An unreleased Space Force service report says the new global missile-attack alert satellite system was “one of the lowest performing” programs last year and could develop “mission-critical defects” after being placed into orbit.

2026-05-21T03:24:22.543931-07:00

US Space Force missile-alert satellite program flagged as among lowest performers, with risk of mission-critical defects

SpaceNews.com

LatConnect 60 accelerates investment to scale AUKUS-aligned Highest Resolution SWIR satellite constellation from 2 missions to 1 LatConnect 60 (from Western Australia) is raising its growth investment plan to build a Highest Resolution SWIR dual-use Earth intelligence constellation. The program scales from two SWIRSAT missions to 18 satellites, with a stated trajectory toward a 100-satellite constellation by 2035, positioned as AUKUS-aligned.

2026-05-20T23:07:42.742429-07:00

LatConnect 60 accelerates investment to scale AUKUS-aligned Highest Resolution SWIR satellite constellation from 2 missions to 1

Wall Street Journal

❗️

SpaceX: U.S. federal agencies drive ~20% of revenue—boosting contracts while exposing revenue concentration risk Spending by U.S. federal agencies accounted for about 20% of SpaceX revenue last year, underscoring how closely the company is tied to government procurement while it continues building non-government customer bases. The revenue mix simultaneously strengthens cash-flow visibility and raises exposure if federal demand or contract terms shift.

2026-05-20T19:38:19.735080-07:00

SpaceX: U.S. federal agencies drive ~20% of revenue—boosting contracts while exposing revenue concentration risk

Menu

Space Defense & Militarization News

Rocket Lab wins $90M Space Force contract for first GEO satellites supporting Space Domain Awareness (SDA)

AUKUS partners’ Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability site hits early operations as Australia targets full capability by 2027

Spain pledges sovereign, secure military satcom fund tied to Europe’s Iris2, with ESA and Spain formalizing industrial cooperati

Pentagon: Ukraine retook ~400 sq. km after Russia deactivated thousands of Starlink terminals

News Timeline