IN-SPACe opens ISRO's LVM3 heavy-lift rocket to private industry via technology transfer
Per GKToday: IN-SPACe invited Expressions of Interest for private companies to manufacture, operate and commercialise LVM3.
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SatSure wins Rs 24.6 crore IN-SPACe grant to build sovereign Earth observation AI models
Per Reuters: a $2.57M Technology Adoption Fund grant to develop AI models for Earth observation, one of three projects selected.
SpaceX Starbase land swap challenged in federal court by conservation groups and tribe
Per the Texas Tribune: plaintiffs sue to stop a 715-acre wildlife-refuge exchange the Fish and Wildlife Service approved June 1.
ESA and European Commission sign in-space servicing pact; Thales Alenia wins EROSS SC
An ISOS joint declaration at ILA Berlin, plus six Horizon Europe projects launched, led by a EUR 12M servicing-spacecraft award.
ESA awards Thales Alenia Space €700 million contract for Sentinel-1 NG
Thales Alenia Space will build two next-generation Sentinel-1 radar satellites, with Airbus supplying the SAR instruments.
Space42 brings Foresight-3, -4 and -5 into full operation, growing its SAR fleet to five
The UAE operator says three more ICEYE-built SAR satellites are fully operational, taking the Foresight constellation to five.
BlackSky wins NRO contract modification to accelerate AROS broad-area imaging satellites
The mod funds a path to a flight-ready broad-area mapping system in 2028; NRO puts total contract value above $150M, per Defense Daily.
NASA names Artemis III crew with ESA's Parmitano as pilot for 2027 Earth-orbit HLS test
Bresnik commands, Parmitano pilots; the reprofiled mission will demo docking with Blue Origin and SpaceX lander test versions.
Office of Space Commerce opens TraCSS to foreign governments, UK and Australia first
TraCSS begins onboarding read-only National Government Accounts; the pilot spans 52 users in 21 countries, 11,000+ spacecraft.
Redwire sets up $500 million at-the-market equity program, replacing May facility
A new ATM agreement with 10 banks allows up to $500M in share sales; the month-old May ATM was terminated the same day.
Quantum Space to go public via SPAC merger at a $1.2 billion post-deal value
The Bridenstine-led spacecraft maker merges with Inflection Point VI, with a $300M PIPE, targeting Nasdaq as QSPC in Q4.
SpaceX flies Falcon 9 booster B1067 for a record 35th time on Starlink 10-35
The fleet-leading booster launched 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral and landed at sea, per Space.com.
NewOrbit raises $18.5 million Series A to build VLEO satellites, led by Voyager Ventures
The UK startup targets 200-300 km very low Earth orbit with air-breathing ion propulsion; first flight planned for 2028.
Vast to fly Czech astronaut Ales Svoboda to ISS in NASA-awarded mission
ESA signed a deal for Vast to fly Czech astronaut Ales Svoboda to the ISS in 2027 under a NASA-awarded mission.
Planet Labs sets up $1.5 billion at-the-market equity offering program
Planet Labs can now sell up to $1.5 billion in shares over time through banks acting as sales agents.
Amazon Leo wins conditional FCC waiver of 50% deployment deadline, with spectrum cost
The FCC waived the July 2026 1,616-satellite milestone; late satellites temporarily lose processing-round spectrum priority.
Apex raises $200 million in third round in 14 months, valuation hits $2.3 billion
Apex closed a $200 million round led by Glade Brook Capital, nearly doubling its valuation to $2.3 billion.
Voyager Technologies to acquire Astrobotic in up to $300 million deal
Voyager will acquire lunar lander pioneer Astrobotic for up to $300 million in cash and stock, expected to close by early July 2026.
Blue Origin, Boeing, Umbra revealed as Space Force SB-AMTI vendors
Blue Origin, Boeing and Umbra signed SB-AMTI contracts June 2, growing the Space Force's tracking-satellite vendor pool to 12 companies.
SpaceX wins $4.16 billion Space Force airborne-tracking satellite contract
Space Systems Command awarded SpaceX $4.16 billion for the initial phase of its SB-AMTI airborne-threat-tracking satellite program.
SpaceX wins $2.29 billion Space Force contract for data network backbone
Space Systems Command awarded SpaceX $2.29 billion to build the backbone of its new military Space Data Network.
FCC approves SpaceX's spectrum purchase from EchoStar
The FCC approved SpaceX's roughly $17 billion purchase of EchoStar spectrum, with a $2.4 billion escrow condition.
NorthStar Earth & Space to go public via $300 million SPAC merger with Viking
The space situational awareness company merges with Viking Acquisition Corp. I, targeting NYSE as NSTR in Q3 2026.
Amazon agrees to acquire Globalstar in $11.6 billion cash-and-stock deal
Amazon Leo will absorb Globalstar's satellite fleet and direct-to-device spectrum rights in a deal expected to close in 2027.
Amazon agreed April 14, 2026 to acquire Globalstar for up to $90 per share in cash or Amazon stock, a deal worth roughly $11.6 billion, per Amazon's own release. Globalstar shareholders holding about 58% of voting power approved the deal by written consent. Closing is expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and Globalstar meeting satellite-deployment milestones tied to its HIBLEO-4 replacement constellation, with up to $110 million of downward price adjustment if those milestones are missed, per Amazon and IoT Business News. Amazon said it will use Globalstar's direct-to-device spectrum licenses and more than 30 years of low Earth orbit satellite operations expertise to build a next-generation Amazon Leo direct-to-device system. Globalstar CEO Paul Jacobs said the combination "will advance innovations in digital connectivity," and Apple SVP Greg Joswiak noted Apple and Amazon's existing infrastructure relationship, per Amazon's release.
Delta Air Lines picks Amazon Leo over Starlink for in-flight WiFi
Delta will equip 500 aircraft with Amazon Leo satellite WiFi starting in 2028, passing over SpaceX's Starlink for the deal.
Orbex enters UK administration after acquisition and funding talks collapse
Orbex filed for UK administration in February after Series D funding talks and an acquisition by The Exploration Company both fell through.
Orbex, developer of the UK's Prime small launch vehicle, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators on February 11, 2026, after failing to close a Series D funding round or complete a previously announced acquisition by French company The Exploration Company, per SpaceNews, Via Satellite, and European Spaceflight. Orbex, a winner of ESA's European Launcher Challenge that had received EUR34.9 million ($41.5 million) from the program, had already shut down its Danish rocket-engine subsidiary and laid off about 90 employees in January; administration puts roughly 150 further UK jobs at risk. CEO Phil Chambers said: "Disappointing doesn't come close to describing how we feel about this moment."
Hisdesat loses SpainSat NG II secure comms satellite to debris strike
A space particle strike during orbit-raising destroyed Spain's new secure military comms satellite before it entered service.
OHB opposes Airbus-Leonardo-Thales space merger in EU antitrust review
OHB CEO Marco Fuchs said OHB will raise formal concerns during the EU's antitrust review of the Airbus-Leonardo-Thales space merger.
Airbus, Leonardo and Thales agree to merge space units into single venture
Airbus, Leonardo and Thales signed an MOU to combine space units into one company with 25,000 staff and EUR 6.5bn revenue.
Airbus, Leonardo and Thales signed a memorandum of understanding on October 23, 2025 to combine their space businesses into a new, jointly controlled company, per Via Satellite. Airbus will hold 35% of the new venture and Leonardo and Thales 32.5% each; the combination pools Airbus's Space Systems and Space Digital units, Leonardo's Space Division including its stakes in Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, and Thales's own shares in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and Thales SESO (launchers are excluded). The companies project the venture will have about 25,000 employees across Europe, roughly EUR 6.5 billion in pro-forma 2024 revenue, and a backlog covering more than three years of sales, with operations expected to start in 2027 subject to regulatory approvals.