Commercial Space

The launch startup Beijing Galactic Energy Aerospace Technology Co. (Galactic Energy) has raised RMB 2.4 billion ($336 million) in a Series D funding round.

Arianespace says it is moving forward to demonstrate a space debris mitigation technology under a partnership with Japanese startup Bull.

NASA is delaying plans to issue a solicitation for the next phase of a public-private partnership program to spur development of one or more new space stations in low Earth orbit (LEO) while it assesses feedback from industry.

Blue Origin is developing three new suborbital New Shepard launch systems and mulling expanding flight services beyond West Texas, the company said Sept. 28.

Ispace of Japan has signed a memorandum of understand with ElevationSpace to develop a private lunar sample return mission.

Blue Origin has delayed plans for its New Glenn rocket to return to the launchpad.

The UK Space Agency on Sept. 25 said it is setting up the Satellite Gateway Services program to foster local businesses by acting as an anchor customer.

NASA says it is “no longer obligated” to order International Space Station resupply missions from Sierra Space using the company’s Dream Chaser spaceplane.

Voyager Technologies has contracted Vivace Corp. to manufacture the primary structure of the Starlab commercial space station.

Firefly Aerospace has sold data it collected during its lunar land Blue Ghost Mission 1 to NASA for $10 million.

Launch service providers are promising higher flight cadences—again.

Space service providers are battling it out in the direct-to-device market.

As Virgin Galactic continues assembly of the first of its new Delta-class spaceplanes, the company has revealed an early research mission will be flown with an all-Purdue University payload crew.

Innospace says it has completed qualification testing for the Hanbit-Nano first-stage engine, clearing the way for the inaugural flight of the two-stage rocket.

NASA has awarded Blue Origin a task order worth up to $190 million to deliver its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover to the Moon's surface.

Voyager Technologies, which focuses on space tech and defense, has become the latest company to turn to an acquisition to bolster its optical comms credentials.

AFK Sistema subsidiary Sputnix will design the spacecraft and Roscosmos will provide launch services.

South Korean rocket provider Innospace says it has signed an agreement to conduct two satellite launches for Media Broadcast Satellite.

The Taiwan Space Agency is moving ahead with its first domestically developed communications satellite program.

Capella Space parent IonQ has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to work on developing and deploying quantum technologies in space.

True Anomaly next year aims to achieve key milestones to underpin the defense space startup’s growth strategy, including the first demonstration of its Jackal spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit.

Space access and satellite provider Rocket Lab is looking to raise $750 million gross from a share sale, according to a securities filing.

Amazon is preparing its fifth batch of Kuiper broadband satellites for launch next week.

MaiaSpace is on track for a first flight of its mini-launcher late in 2026, a first step toward creating a family of reusable rockets, its CEO says.

Astranis has contracted Impulse Space to directly inject its MicroGEO communications satellite into geostationary orbit in 2027 using the Helios kick stage.