The White House issued a sweeping executive order on space policy Dec. 18 covering topics from NASA’s exploration plans to space security.

The post Trump signs sweeping executive order to assert U.S. dominance in space appeared first on SpaceNews.

A recently issued Executive Order revises how the government implements Space Policy Directive-3, removing the longstanding expectation that basic space situational awareness (SSA) services, including conjunction warnings, would be provided without charge. This decision marks a departure not only from SPD-3, but from more than a decade of United States practice in which Congress and […]

The post What problem is charging for Space Situational Awareness supposed to solve? appeared first on SpaceNews.

New constellation would provide security for NATO’s eastern flank, German brigade in Lithuania

The post Germany awards $1.9 billion SAR satellite deal to Rheinmetall-Iceye venture appeared first on SpaceNews.

Deal backed by $150 million Series E equity and debt round

The post HawkEye 360 expands defense footprint with acquisition of Innovative Signal Analysis appeared first on SpaceNews.

At a time when space is unmistakably a contested warfighting domain, the United States risks slowing its own progress not because of a lack of technology or talent, but because Congress has failed to act on renewing authority for critical small business innovation funding. Senior Space Force acquisition officials have publicly warned that the lapse […]

The post Congress’s SBIR standoff is slowing Space Force innovation — it must act now appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss talks with Dr. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo about what he calls "almost a watershed year" for the Space Development Agency.

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Recent analysis by Reeves in the Mitchell Institute’s “Charting a Path to Space Superiority: The Cross-Domain Imperative” identifies the need for centralized command and control (C2) of counterspace capabilities under U.S. Space Command to ensure unity of effort. However, Reeves’s critique of the United States Army’s development of counterspace capabilities fundamentally misunderstands the Army’s role […]

The post The Army’s contribution to joint space operations appeared first on SpaceNews.

The space community welcomed the confirmation of Jared Isaacman as NASA’s next administrator, expressing hope he can lead the agency forward and relief that a long confirmation process is over.

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NASA is at an inflection point. 2026 will now begin with a newly-confirmed Jared Isaacman as a NASA Administrator with the White House directive to beat China back to the moon with astronauts. On the science side, we hope that NASA will continue its in-depth exploration of the Earth, solar system and universe. While the […]

The post Things to come: Important bellwethers for space exploration in 2026 appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Senate confirmed Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator Dec. 17, concluding arguably the most unusual effort to select a leader in the space agency’s history.

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Denver-based Lux Aeterna announced plans Dec. 17 to land its debut reusable satellite at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, shortly after launching on a SpaceX rideshare mission in early 2027.

The post Lux Aeterna to land first reusable satellite in Australia appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of Space Minds, host Mike Gruss moderates a timely panel discussion at the Spacepower conference on how commercial space capabilities are reshaping national security, civil space, and military decision-making.

The post Speed, risk, and the future of national security space appeared first on SpaceNews.

Max Space, a startup developing expandable module technologies, plans to build a commercial space station that could launch on a single Falcon 9 rocket.

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Germany’s first national space security strategy was unveiled last month to much fanfare. And who’s surprised? It was long overdue, and puts into plain language a simple but vital truth: space is now a theatre of power. With Russia and China long having treated orbit as contested territory, and the United States preparing daily for […]

The post What Germany got right (and wrong) in its first ever space strategy appeared first on SpaceNews.

An Ariane 6 rocket placed two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system into orbit Dec. 17.

The post Ariane 6 launches Galileo navigation satellites appeared first on SpaceNews.

Luxembourg-based OQ Technology said Dec. 17 it has connected a commercial IoT chipset directly to one of its LEO satellites, using internally developed software based on 3GPP mobile standards.

The post OQ Technology links commercial IoT chipset to LEO satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.

The STP-S30 mission will test flat, disk-shaped smallsat design for sustained operations in very low orbit

The post Rocket Lab launches Space Force and NASA ‘DiskSat’ experiment  appeared first on SpaceNews.

Digantara Industries, an Indian space situational awareness company, has raised $50 million as it expands into the United States and pursues opportunities in missile defense.

The post Digantara raises $50 million to expand from space surveillance to missile defense appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this episode of Space Minds, host Sandra Erwin sits down with former NASA astronaut and Space Force leader Brig. Gen. Nick Hague for a wide-ranging conversation on how the U.S. Space Force is shaping its culture, training Guardians, and preparing for future conflict in space.

The post How the Space Force trains Guardians for the future of warfare appeared first on SpaceNews.

The Trump administration’s new national security strategy has rightly drawn criticism for presuming to tell our European allies how to arrange their domestic affairs. Equally as baffling is its near silence on a genuine United States national security concern — bolstering our offensive and defensive capabilities in space. Amid much MAGA trollery that blames Europe […]

The post Trump’s national security strategy ignores space appeared first on SpaceNews.

Firms aim to link air and ground platforms using visual positioning technology

The post Vantor partners with Niantic Spatial on GPS-free navigation for defense market appeared first on SpaceNews.

SAN FRANCISCO – EraDrive, a Stanford University spinoff developing software and hardware for satellite autonomy, raised $5.3 million in an oversubscribed seed round, the startup announced Dec. 16. “EraDrive is very much about this idea of the self-driving spacecraft,” Justin Kruger, EraDrive chief technology officer and co-founder, told SpaceNews. EraDrive is developing a software-hardware module […]

The post EraDrive raises $5.3 million for software-hardware kits to enhance satellite autonomy appeared first on SpaceNews.

A reported close approach between a Starlink satellite and a recently launched Chinese spacecraft highlights the challenges of coordinating spacecraft operations and verifying potential close calls in orbit.

The post SpaceX claims close approach to Starlink satellite by payload from Chinese launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

China conducted a pair of launches in recent days, sending a commercial cargo spacecraft and tech demo into orbit, followed by a remote sensing satellite.

The post China launches experimental cargo spacecraft, opaque tech demo mission and remote sensing satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.