The launch of USSF-106 marks the Defense Department’s formal shift to flying national security payloads exclusively on domestic rockets powered by U.S.-made engines

The post ULA’s Vulcan Centaur launches first national security mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

SALT LAKE CITY – Mission Control Space Services is inviting organizations to test machine-learning models on the Canadian startup’s Persistence mission launched in June. “Whether you’re from a for-profit company, nonprofit or even a school, we think that the need for autonomy to meet the requirements of an increasingly complex space environment is here to […]

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AST SpaceMobile shares rose more than 8% after the direct-to-smartphone operator said it has secured all the funding needed to deploy 45–60 satellites, enough to provide continuous coverage in the United States and other key markets.

The post Fully funded key-market coverage plan lifts AST SpaceMobile appeared first on SpaceNews.

The facility is the first location in the Deep-Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) network

The post Deep-space radar in Australia begins tracking satellites for AUKUS partners appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Todd Master, Chief Operating Officer of Umbra, about the evolving small satellite market, supply chain challenges, and the company’s expansion from SAR data services into satellite components.

The post Todd Master on Umbra’s evolution appeared first on SpaceNews.

Japanese water propulsion startup Pale Blue is exploring jointly developing systems with Mitsubishi Electric, after the satellite maker joined the University of Tokyo spin-off’s $10 million Series C funding round.

The post Pale Blue teams up with Mitsubishi Electric to advance water propulsion appeared first on SpaceNews.

SALT LAKE CITY –The head of NASA’s science directorate said the agency remains committed to using small satellites to carry out a variety of missions, although those plans face uncertain budgets. In a keynote at the Small Satellite Conference here Aug. 11, Nicola Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, highlighted the role that smallsats were […]

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In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Tom Walkinshaw, founder and CEO of Alba Orbital, a Scotland-based manufacturer specializing in pocket-sized satellites known as PocketQubes.

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An alternative trajectory developed for a NASA Mars smallsat mission could enable other missions to go to Mars outside the constraints of conventional launch windows.

The post ESCAPADE trajectory design creates new options for Mars smallsat missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

Geost’s technology is used in U.S. national security missions, including missile warning and tracking, space surveillance, and tactical reconnaissance

The post Rocket Lab completes acquisition of U.S. satellite sensor maker Geost appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Office of Space Commerce is moving beyond the beta-test phase of its space traffic coordination system as it prepares to enter service in January.

The post TraCSS moving past beta test of space traffic coordination system appeared first on SpaceNews.

Viasat’s modular portfolio of capabilities offers space-to-ground connectivity and relay solutions for resilient and responsive data transport

The post Viasat Unveils HaloNet Capability Portfolio for Near-Earth Communications and Beyond appeared first on SpaceNews.

SALT LAKE CITY – Aerospace Corp. is refining technology to enable cubesats to share data through optical links, after demonstrating the capability early this year. Such a move would allow communication at greater distances and to work more autonomously. To boost data rates at longer ranges, the Flashlight Laser Crosslink cubesats, roughly the size of […]

The post Autonomy improves performance of Aerospace cubesat optical links appeared first on SpaceNews.

America has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to open the space frontier by initiating a sustained program of human exploration of Mars. Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship launch system may soon be operational, offering payload delivery capability comparable to a Saturn V moon rocket at about 5% the cost. President Trump has announced that he plans on sending […]

The post Crewed Mars missions will require a new ascent vehicle appeared first on SpaceNews.

Experts caution that the budget’s method of funding matters just as much as the amount.

The post Space Force 2026 budget: an $11B boon or bubble? appeared first on SpaceNews.

SALT LAKE CITY — French propulsion startup ThrustMe has high expectations for an iodine-fueled Hall-effect thruster set to launch in 2026 on a Marble Imaging satellite built by Reflex Aerospace. “We expect to revolutionize the market,” Dmytro Rafalskyi, ThrustMe chief technology officer, told SpaceNews. Since ThrustMe announced plans in July to conduct an in-orbit demonstration […]

The post ThrustMe, Marble and Reflex to test iodine-fueled Hall-effect thruster  appeared first on SpaceNews.

SALT LAKE CITY — Telespazio Germany announced plans Aug. 12 to enhance its EASE-Rise mission management platform with Digantara space situational awareness (SSA) services and Intella artificial intelligence tools. “Through these new partnerships, we are adding more capability for our users: intelligence and advanced flight dynamics and collision avoidance,” Stewart Hall, Telespazio Germany sales director, […]

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SpaceX launched a set of Project Kuiper satellites Aug. 11 as the company approaches its projected peak in launches of that vehicle.

The post Falcon 9 nearing its peak launch rate appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss speaks with Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited and a professor at the Surrey Space Institute of the University of Surrey.

The post Sir Martin Sweeting and the rise of the small satellite industry appeared first on SpaceNews.

ULA’s new rocket will fly to GEO an $250 million military experiment that could shape GPS modernization

The post ULA’s Vulcan to launch first national security mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

Belgian startup Edgx has raised seed funding to develop Sterna, an artificial intelligence computer designed to run complex algorithms onboard satellites to speed decisions and use limited bandwidth more efficiently.

The post Edgx raises seed funding to bring AI-powered computing to smallsats appeared first on SpaceNews.

Employee-owned defense technology company demonstrates mission-focused edge processing capabilities for warfighter applications.

The post SciTec Showcases Advanced Small Satellite Technologies at 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference appeared first on SpaceNews.

SALT LAKE CITY – Ascending Node Technologies has added a constellation-design tool to its Spaceline mission-planning software. “Not only is this useful for new constellations, but also for satellite operators adding instruments or increasing the size of their constellations,” John Kidd, ANT chief aerospace engineer, told SpaceNews. In addition, ANT is “testing optimization algorithms to […]

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08/11/2025, Salt Lake City, UT – The cooperation, announced during the Small Satellite Conference in Utah, addresses the growing demand for advanced onboard applications among SmallSat developers. The cooperation brings […]

The post ZAITRA and Xiphos Sign Strategic Partnership to Advance High-Performance Edge-AI Processing for SmallSats appeared first on SpaceNews.