Satellite   ATC   Airport Infrastructure & Air Traffic Management  
Unmanned Airspace • Philip Butterworth-Hayes

Iridium to acquire Aireon in $166M deal, bringing space-based ADS-B fully in-house

Iridium Communications has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Aireon LLC, which operates space-based ADS-B for aircraft surveillance. NAV Canada will sell its entire equity stake in Aireon Holdings to an Iridium subsidiary for $166 million. The move consolidates Aireon’s tracked-aircraft capability inside Iridium’s satellite network business.

Also: AeroTime, Skies Magazine, Satellite Evolution, SpaceWatch Africa, Airline Economics, Aviation Week and 5 more
2026-05-14T05:23:44.186869-07:00
Space Exploration & Science Missions   NASA  
NEW
Universe Today • Evan Gough

The Roman Space Telescope is Ahead of Schedule, and the Hubble is Giving it a Jump Start

By Universe Today: One of the core community surveys of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, the Galactic Bulge Time-Domain Survey, is expected to locate over a thousand exoplanets that orbit far away from their stars, beyond the orbital distance of Earth from the Sun.

2026-05-14T10:55:22.460646-07:00
Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Commercial Space   Space Defense & Militarization   Policy & Regulation  
Payload • Jacqueline Feldscher

Meet Blacknight Space Labs In-Orbit Infrastructure Accelerator

By Payload: Blacknight Space Labs will provide companies up to $100,000 each. In addition, accelerator companies will get startup 101 education, mentorship, assistance breaking into the defense space market—and help with everything from fundraising, to navigating the government contracting system, to finding customers.

2026-05-14T06:12:04.039248-07:00
Satellite   AI   Commercial Space   Cybersecurity (Cyber Threats & Protection)  
SpaceNews.com • Jean-Francois Morizur

Why Earth observation data is getting stuck in orbit

By SpaceNews.com: the proliferation of Earth observation satellites in orbit, the increasing sophistication of sensors and surging demand for imagery and geospatial intelligence across a growing number of sectors, it is no surprise that more data is now collected than ever before.

Also: CNA
2026-05-14T04:20:51.336205-07:00
China   Satellite   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Commercial Space   Space Debris & Traffic Management  
SpaceNews.com • Andrew Jones

Landspace launches improved Zhuque-2E, Long March 6A lofts new Qianfan satellite group

By SpaceNews.com: China has added a new batch of satellites to the Qianfan megaconstellation, while the commercial Zhuque-2E made a return-to-flight featuring numerous improvements.

2026-05-14T03:09:16.277854-07:00
Satellite   Commercial Space  
Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

AST SpaceMobile inundates investors with its legitimate achievements, but launch contracts matter most for now

By Space Intel Report: JAKARTA — With direct-to-device broadband startup AST SpaceMobile, raising cash for a multibillion-dollar network, aligning terrestrial spectrum from mobile network operators (MNOs) with future satellite spectrum and deploying each satellite’s 223-square-meter antenna in low Earth orbit — all of them legitimate.

Also: SpaceNews.com
2026-05-14T02:25:01.920192-07:00