ESA   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Space Exploration & Science Missions  
European Spaceflight • Andrew Parsonson

ESA to reattempt full-scale Space Rider drop test no earlier than October 2026 after anomaly aborted earlier test

ESA says it will reattempt the final full-scale drop test for its reusable Space Rider spacecraft no earlier than October 2026, following an anomaly that aborted a previously unannounced test. The slip pushes ESA’s next step in validating the Space Rider drop/flight transition plan into the later 2026 window.

2026-06-19T02:38:18.735151-07:00
Satellite   Europe   M&A   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Commercial Space  
Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

EQT Private Equity purchases rideshare mission manager Exolaunch, which expects 250% revenue increase this year

By Space Intel Report: BRUSSELS — EQT Private Equity of Sweden is purchasing ride-share mission management and integration provider Exolaunch of Germany in a transaction of undisclosed value that dealroom.co estimated at $339 million, an amount that would testify to Exolaunch’s rapid growth in the last couple of years.

SpaceNews.com

EQT to acquire Exolaunch

Also: Via Satellite, CNA and douglasmmessier.substack.com
2026-06-18T09:20:38.853943-07:00
M&A   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Commercial Space  
Bloomberg • Brian W Smith, Davide Barbuscia, Gowri Gurumurthy

SpaceX Bankers Prepare for Bond Sale of at Least $20 Billion

By Bloomberg: Bankers for Elon Musk’s SpaceX are preparing to hold calls with investors as soon as next week to discuss a potential bond offering on the heels of the company’s record IPO, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Also: CNA and Seeking Alpha
2026-06-18T09:50:27.617610-07:00
Satellite   Middle East   Europe   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Space Defense & Militarization   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Cybersecurity (Cyber Threats & Protection)  
Space.com • Tereza Pultarova

'It's quite a bit more than we expected': Satellite reveals immense scale of GPS signal tampering

By Space.com: For the first time, an experimental satellite has mapped the scale of GPS jamming across Europe and the Middle East from space.

2026-06-18T06:21:52.894727-07:00