Commercial Space

SpaceX launched the 16th Transporter rideshare mission on March 30, carrying 119 small satellite payloads to orbit for government and commercial customers.

SpaceX has lost communication with a Starlink satellite on orbit following a March 29 anomaly, the company disclosed on social media March 30.

With the proliferation of low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations, the commercial air transport industry is accelerating its move to offer free onboard Wi-Fi.

The agency wants commercial companies to take on a larger role in its Artemis lunar exploration initiative.

An industry advocacy organization told Congress its members were “concerned and confused” by the latest pivot in NASA’s post-ISS plans.

Trump administration proposes streamlined OSC payload certification for novel space activities like debris removal and asteroid mining to boost commercial innovation.

Space42 is looking to get the go-ahead for a new generation of Earth-observation systems, while finalizing with Viasat an expansion of Equatys.

United Airlines is now outfitting the mainline fleet with SpaceX Starlink, expecting to have roughly half those airframes done by the end of 2026.

Russia is likely going to boost its military space launches in remote sensing to close an emerging capability gap, a U.S. Space Force official says.

Singapore's DSTA has signed a contract with AST SpaceMobile to provide government agencies with space-based cellular broadband connectivity.

Airbus Helicopters and Spanish telecoms provider Telefonica will jointly demonstrate the potential use of 5G communications in military helicopters and UAS.

The company, which has 33 satellites in space, aims to deploy 107 more through this year and next.

Two space startups want to make on-orbit debris removal as seamless as street sweeping.

Firefly’s rocket is flying again as the company aims to ease launch constraints while validating systems for a more capable configuration.

SpaceX has bought Maryland-based Hexagon Masterworks Inc.

Nvidia is deepening its efforts to secure a share of the space economy, with the launch of a new GPU to deliver more edge computing horsepower on spacecraft.

Mantis Space, a startup working on a proposed constellation of satellites that beam solar power around in orbit, said March 12 it raised a $10 million seed round of venture capital.

Voyager Technologies has opened a new 140,000-ft.² facility in Long Beach, California, becoming the latest space-centric company to set up shop in “Space Beach.”

National ambitions may hinder consolidation in the LEO constellation communications market.

Anduril is expanding its space domain awareness portfolio with plans to acquire commercial provider ExoAnalytic Solutions.

Denver-based Lux Aeterna reports a "$10 million oversubscribed seed round" intended to accelerate the development of the company's flagship spacecraft, Delphi.

Denver-based Voyager Technologies has announced a “multimillion dollar” investment in Max Space to further the development of future expandable space habitats.

Airbus Defense and Space and Orbit Fab are teaming up to explore future refuelable satellites in geostationary orbit under a European Space Agency program.

Spanish launch startup PLD Space’s latest funding round underscored how countries are trying to ensure access to space.

South Korean launch newcomer Innospace is exploring a planned spaceport in Nova Scotia, Canada, as a potential facility to expand operations to North America.