Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🔸 SpaceX’s ‘wild ride is just getting started’, reported Reuters, following its massive IPO, with the FT adding that ‘it’s been rough for anyone who jumped in on day one’:

‘In pretty much every way you can imagine, the SpaceX listing on June 12 was no ordinary initial public offering. Instead, it was held up as a bellwether of the stock market boom and investors’ appetite for valuations divorced from fundamentals. A lot is riding on its momentum, not least the expected mega-IPOs of OpenAI and Anthropic.

Elon Musk’s AI/satellites/rockets conglomerate was primed to pop in early trading. As Rob wrote last week, the unusually large allocation to retail investors, the limited float and imminent fast-track absorption into major indices all but ensured that demand would outstrip supply and squeeze the IPO price upwards. And it worked!

But the good vibes have faded somewhat. In the past two days, SpaceX shares have dropped nearly 30 per cent from their post-IPO intraday peak of $225 on June 16. We’re still well above the IPO price of $135. Still, it’s rough for anyone who jumped in on day one.

The risk is now that the jitters become a catalyst for a wider sell-off of anything related to AI.’

🔸 In SpaceNews, Kammy Brun of Belgium-based optical payload company Simera Sense explains why Europe’s next security challenge is in orbit:

‘Europe says, as it has said for some time, that it is striving for strategic autonomy. Now is the time to obtain it. Europe is the second largest contributor to the global SSA market. It is focusing on strengthening strategic autonomy in space, which points to the need to develop space-based SSA (SB-SSA) technologies and infrastructure. This is encouraging because SB-SSA should be seen as a priority across Europe, including beyond the European Union, if we wish to be autonomous. We cannot defend ourselves against what we cannot see, and we cannot hope to plan sensibly for space defence if we are unsure, exactly, of the threats we face in orbit.

In Europe and the wider West, we have some of the world’s finest universities and institutions of research and higher learning, as well as talented engineers developing the optical technology of tomorrow. These cameras can spot an object just centimetres in diameter from up to 10 kilometers away. Europe must prioritise SSA by getting sustained and generous funding to manufacturers and innovators and reforming procurement so that the best companies, not just the most familiar ones, can compete for contracts.’

🔸 EuroNews reported that SpaceX ‘quietly launched a spacecraft no one knew existed’:

‘SpaceX says Starfall could offer “access to microgravity and vacuum” for companies interested in space manufacturing and “point-to-point delivery of critical cargo through space on rapid timelines,” which could mean missiles or military hardware. …

Each Starfall capsule can carry 2,200 lbs or around 998 kilograms of payload, according to the FAA filings. They each have one extension for the payload and one for the heat shield.

“Today’s mission includes a demo of a new vehicle that will enable affordable, routine access to the microgravity environment for scientific research and in-space manufacturing,” SpaceX posted on X Tuesday.’

🔸 Airbus and Leonardo urged Brussels to approve their proposed pan-European space merger with Thales, arguing that it was essential to compete against global rivals such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The FT reported:

‘“Without co-operation, European industries will never reach the critical mass and the capability to really be worldwide champions as an alternative not only to American companies but also as an alternative to many other players that are coming from the market,” Lorenzo Mariani, Leonardo’s recently appointed chief executive, told the FT.

The deal between the European aerospace group and the French and Italian companies, codenamed Bromo and struck in October last year, would combine activities spanning satellite manufacturing to space systems and services.

It has drawn criticism from other European players, including Germany’s OHB and Spain’s Indra Space, who fear the deal could reduce competition in the European satellite market.’

🔸 SpaceNews reported that orbital defence company Shield Space and the British subsidiary of in-orbit serving company ClearSpace signed an MoU to develop sovereign space defence capabilities for Britain and its allies:

‘Founded in 2025, Shield Space is developing software designed to keep satellites operating autonomously even when communications with the ground are disrupted. Luxembourg-headquartered ClearSpace, founded in 2018 with operations also spanning Switzerland, Germany and the U.K., is developing spacecraft for in-orbit inspection, life extension and debris removal applications.

Graeme Ritchie, Shield Space’s cofounder and CEO, said their partnership brings together companies focused on different aspects of autonomous proximity operations.

“ClearSpace has built world-class proximity operations in the service of responsible space operations,” he said via email. “Shield Space was founded to address a fundamentally different problem: enabling allied operators to maintain mission continuity in denied or degraded environments.”

The companies said their agreement establishes a framework for integrating complementary capabilities, while providing a foundation for a broader industrial alliance focused on sovereign space defence.’

🔸 Dr Robert Brüll wrote in Defence Matters that if Europe is serious about gaining strategic autonomy, it must wean itself off all foreign technology:

‘Many military systems include parts that can be manipulated remotely – can be disabled, withheld, restricted, or otherwise made difficult to use. Even if the companies who have this power are from allied countries, such systems must still be said to be vulnerable. We – Europe – simply can’t call ourselves sovereign if someone else can turn off the lights whenever they want. …

Actually achieving autonomy is more complicated than it looks. Europe is hamstrung by an old-fashioned take on procurement that is taking painfully slow to reform. Startups developing the technology of tomorrow, and doing so at speed, particularly dual-use or space companies, are frequently overlooked – despite the centrality of speed and innovation in war, as our friends in Ukraine have shown. There is fragmentation and duplication on the continent, whereby major countries spend their own money on building their own technology, rather than share costs, avoid duplication, and scale production together. And there is a lack of standardisation, which undermines interoperability and makes it harder for smaller players to join the European market.’

🔸 Payload Space said NASA’s launch facilities will near capacity by 2028 or 2029, and that at least $1bn of upgrades will be needed for roads, electrical systems, gas pipelines and launch support:

'The IG found extensive problems at the agency’s main launch center at KSC that are only expected to get worse as the launch cadence rises to reach 268 in 2030—up from 109 in 2025.

• The aging infrastructure that supplies power, gas, and transportation to launch pads is not adequate to support the growing number of liftoffs;

• The system to deliver nitrogen and helium to the launch pads can’t support multiple users at once, which could force launch delays;

• The center’s roads and bridges are more than 60 years old, and are not in good-enough condition to support the additional truck trips required to haul launch hardware. The 17 launches in 2019 required 1,956 truck trips, while the 109 launches in 2025 required 8,752.

The electrical system at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia was updated in 2018, and construction began on the causeway bridge to reach the base in 2025, so it doesn’t face the same scale of issues—though the number of launches from the small facility is expected to grow by to 44 in 2030, up from 17 in 2025.’

🔸 And finally, here’s Europe’s heatwave, seen from space:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🔸 Global leaders in space technology and investment met at the headquarters of SES in Luxembourg this month for the annual meeting of NewSpace Capital, the world’s leading growth-stage space-tech private equity firm. Opening the event, Executive Chairman Felix von Schubert spoke about the importance of the space sector and the investment opportunity that awaited investors:

‘Just a few days ago, it was reported that several Russian satellites had manoeuvred close to an ICEYE radar satellite used to support Ukraine. Whatever the intent, it was the latest reminder that space is not a distant or abstract domain. It’s infrastructure, it’s intelligence, it’s security. It matters. And that’s why today matters. …

Space today is the enabling network of modern life. It supports communications, navigation, climate monitoring, disaster response, financial risk analysis, energy, agriculture, logistics, maritime security, defence, and countless other parts of the economy that depend on timely, reliable information.

Of course, we don’t see this happening. And that’s part of the point. Like all good infrastructure, space tends to be noticed least when it works best. We notice it only when it fails.

In 2026, the “case for space” is stronger than ever. Space is worth about $600 billion today. McKinsey & Co. believes it could reach $1.8 trillion in 2035.. Our own analysis suggests space could reach $3.2 trillion in the next ten years. The sector is no longer a specialist market, nor is it a domain of national prestige. It’s part of the operating system of the world economy.’

🔸 In a panel moderated by NewSpace Capital’s Daniel Biedermann, the speakers considered the industrialisation of space, which has evolved from a cottage industry into an integrated network. Biedermann compared the growth of space to the development of the car industry in the 1930s:

“In every town, there were dozens of small car companies, each building its own thing in its own corner,” he said. “For cars to become mainstream, the industry needed an industrial push: standardisation, scale, and a more disciplined approach to product design.”

Johann du Toit, CEO of Simera Sense, added: “The days of designing to a perfect requirement, building the perfect instrument, and then launching it are gone. … We need to be focused on cost efficiency and on the supply chain. … We have to sit around the table, look at what’s happening, and look at what’s needed now.”

Dr Robert Brüll, CEO of FibreCoat, spoke of the importance of materials, and the legacy approach: ‘“Everything that we talk about and have is impossible without materials,” he said. “But the legacy system is slow, high-margin, and extremely expensive. We challenged that paradigm. The shift in space is only enabled if you have corresponding technologies that are low-cost.”

🔸 ‘Next-generation SatCom’ panellists, moderated by NewSpace’s Martin Halliwell, explored the future of communications:

“We don’t have the human capacity to be able to manage our space networks,” said SES CEO Adel al-Saleh. “AI gives us an opportunity to scale it to a very different level. …. You can use AI to do a lot more – design your payload, as an example, or at least the fundamentals of the payload, and then finalise it with human engineers.”

Air Marshal Andrew Turner CB CBE said, “The world now runs on near real-time information. That should change how we think about imagery and data. When you open Google Maps, why should you be looking at an image from six or nine months ago? Why shouldn’t the image be current enough that you can see yourself in it? I do not want to see a picture of a car pretending to be a live vehicle. I want to see what is actually there.”

🔸 Speakers on an Earth Observation panel, hosted by Axiom Space astronaut Michael Lopéz-Alegría, discussed how the demand for data was now effectively 'infinite, and that the availability of radio frequency spectrum and scarcity of optical ground stations represented obstacles to making the most of the data now available.

“The appetite for data is extraordinary,” said Steve Young, President of Satellite Missions at ICEYE. “Every satellite we launch is sold within a matter of weeks. We just have to keep launching more and more, but the more we can put up there, the more get taken. There seems to be no end to this. So the bottleneck then becomes, how fast can you get the data down, how fast can you process it and turn it into valuable insights and information?”

Jean-François Morizur, CEO of Cailabs, spoke about the role of radio when spectrum is increasingly limited. “Radio is extremely valuable, especially for direct to device, but we are asking it to do everything, and it’s starting to be a lot,” he said. “It’s a bottleneck in terms of spectrum allocation, a bottleneck in terms of bandwidth – pure bandwidth in a world where we want more resolution, we want information faster, and so on … If I get a picture nine hours after the ship has left the harbour, nobody cares.”’

Fredrick Fosse, CEO of Energy Aspects, added that traders did not to make the global energy market perfectly transparent, but needed enough information to have an advantage over their competitors.'

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🔸 The U.K. launched a new space defence system to help protect its satellites. The system, Borealis, is operational six months earlier than planned. Open Access Government reported:

‘Developed as part of a £65 million investment over five years, Borealis is designed to track satellites, space debris, and potentially hostile objects moving around Earth.

The software combines and analyses information from multiple sources to give operators a clearer and faster understanding of activity in space.

Borealis will support the work of the National Space Operations Centre, helping military and government teams respond more effectively to risks that could threaten UK space assets.

Around 20% of the UK economy relies on services enabled by space technology, including GPS navigation, weather forecasting, financial transactions, telecommunications, and internet connectivity.’

🔸 In Parliament Magazine, FibreCoat’s Robert Brüll argued that Europe needs ‘the capacity to stand on its own’:

‘The problem isn’t money. European defense spending is rising and the continent includes several of the world’s largest economies. But spending doesn’t equal capability — the technology that money buys does.

Modern defense systems are built on software, satellite links, encryption and data. Many of their components are designed, owned or controlled by American firms. In some cases, they may include proprietary restrictions — so-called kill switches — or depend on external permissions to function fully.

Any system that can be limited or disabled by another actor cannot be considered sovereign. The EU has decided to accept this compromise because American technology is excellent. The alternative is often reliance on China, which is strategically and politically untenable.

But dependence has costs. Foreign policy decisions made in Washington — including delays on weapons deliveries to Ukraine — have shown that access and support are not guaranteed. Dependence turns differences of opinion into operational risks.’

🔸 POLITICO reported that the 'European Commission wants to ‘reserve most satellite frequencies for European operators when a prized spectrum band opens up next year’:

‘“Spectrum is becoming very important for us when we speak about our connectivity, also our secure connectivity, but also for the economic purposes,” the EU’s tech and security czar Henna Virkkunen told reporters after a meeting with EU commissioners in Brussels.

The decision risks angering Washington, just days after EU institutions reached an agreement on the details of a new EU-U.S. trade deal. It will limit the frequencies available to U.S. companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Amazon Leo, and curtail their fast expansion.’

🔸 The EU’s space industry expressed concerns that the EU Space Act would make the bloc less competitive. SpaceNews reported:

‘Speaking at SmallSat Europe, panelists said they did not oppose regulation itself or the idea behind a common European framework. However, the words most frequently used to describe the first and second drafts of the EU Space Act were “monopoly,” “slow,” “rigid” and “micromanaging.”

Chiara Manfletti, CEO of Neuraspace, argued the current draft misunderstands how fast-moving commercial space operates.

“The idea of having an EU Space Act is absolutely good. The problem is the proposal currently on the table,” Manfletti said during a panel. “If it takes 12 months to get a license, that is ancient history for the commercial space sector.”’

🔸 The FT reported that Elon Musk described a deal with Anthropic as merely ‘a 180-day lease’, calling into question how his rocket group SpaceX characterised the agreement in its IPO prospectus last week:

‘SpaceX in its pre-IPO filing last week said the AI start-up had “agreed to pay us $1.25 billion per month through May 2029”, making the total value of the contract as high as $45bn.

This agreement would go a long way to offsetting billions in capital spending by SpaceX’s AI unit, formerly xAI, which has been a financial drag on the wider company ahead of its ambitious listing in the coming weeks.

But on Thursday Musk posted on X that the Anthropic arrangement was merely “a 180 day lease with 90 day notice mutual cancellation”, greatly reducing the revenue promised to SpaceX under the deal.’

🔸 China has launched three astronauts aboard its Shenzhou 23 spacecraft, sending a new crew to the Tiangong space station. The BBC reported:

'After reaching orbit, Shenzhou 23 docked with the Tiangong space station, where the crew will take over from the astronauts of the Shenzhou 21 mission, who have spent more than 200 days in space.

During their stay, the new crew will conduct dozens of experiments spanning life sciences, medicine, materials science and microgravity physics.

One of the mission’s most significant objectives is a planned year-long stay in orbit by a member of the crew.’

🔸 And finally, a Blue Origin rocket exploded during a test in Florida:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

💰 Elon Musk’s SpaceX filed documents for an initial public offering of stock, one of the most hotly anticipated in recent memory. The IPO is likely to take place on the Nasdaq exchange by the middle of June. SpaceNews reported:

‘The company filed its S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after the markets closed. That document is a step towards one of the most anticipated IPOs in recent memory, expected to take place on the Nasdaq exchange by mid-June.

The S-1 form did not include details such as the number of shares the company plans to sell or pricing, details that are frequently excluded in the initial filing of the document and updated closer to the IPO. SpaceX is seeking to raise up to $80 billion at a valuation of around $2 trillion, according to numerous reports.

The document, though, does provide financial details that the privately held company has not disclosed previously. The company reported in 2025 revenue of $18.7 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $6.6 billion, while in the first quarter of 2026 SpaceX recorded $4.7 billion in revenue and adjusted EBITDA of $1.1 billion.

SpaceX splits its financial results into three business segments: space, connectivity and AI. The space segment, which includes launch and related activities, like its Dragon spacecraft, recorded revenue of $4.1 billion in 2025 and $619 million in the first quarter of 2026, with adjusted positive EBITDA of $653 million in 2025 and adjusted negative EBITDA of $351 million in the first quarter of 2026.’

🇩🇪 Defense News reported that Germany is touting a ‘pan-German space command’:

‘Germany’s defense minister used a rare four-nation gathering of German-speaking defense chiefs this week to push forward plans for a European military space command, calling on close partners including Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, to help shape the initiative rather than simply join it.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, announced at a press conference in Berlin that Germany is developing a European Space Component Command alongside a Weltraumakademie − a multilateral space training academy − and insisted that partner nations will be “embedded in the design phase” rather than presented with finished structures.’

🧑‍🚀 Space work and travel are just ‘a decade away’, said tech leaders. Fortune reported:

‘Sam Altman is known for being CEO of OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT), but he’s also joining the growing list of billionaires who are bullish about life in space. In fact, he said he believes young people a decade from now may be leaving behind career prospects on Earth in favor of the broader solar system.

“In 2035, that graduating college student, if they still go to college at all, could very well be leaving on a mission to explore the solar system on a spaceship in some completely new, exciting, super well-paid, super interesting job,” Altman told video journalist Cleo Abram in 2025.

These jobs will not only enable Gen Alpha graduates to reel in sky-high salaries, but they’ll also be “feeling so bad for you and I that we had to do this really boring, old work and everything is just better.”’

🌍 Kayrros used its satellite data to show that Iran was stockpiling oil, the FT reported:

‘Antoine Halff, chief analyst at energy data firm Kayrros, said that Iran was attempting to “expand their runway” to avoid shutting down production.

Iran’s onshore storage has increased by roughly 10mn barrels, Kayrros data showed, pushing it to about 64 per cent full and giving Iran “a couple of weeks” of additional production time.

Iran has additional empty tankers within the US blockade that it could use for about 24mn barrels of additional floating storage, according to estimates from Kpler.’

🤖 The Wall Street Journal asked if data centers in space was ‘a pipe dream, or AI’s next big thing’:

‘Space is cold, but it is a vacuum. As such, AI satellites will need sophisticated systems to regulate temperatures to keep chips operating.

Keeping satellites cool as AI chips throw off heat is a major hurdle in making orbital data centers cost competitive with infrastructure on the ground.

“Managing heat in space is difficult, which really means expensive,” said Shanti Rao, a spacecraft consultant who formerly worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.’

👩‍🚀 The BBC told the surprising story of the first British astronaut to go to space:

'“One pleasant evening at the end of June 1989, I was driving home from the Mars factory in Slough, listening to the car radio,” she writes in her memoir. “While I sat in a traffic jam, I flicked through the radio stations trying to find something to listen to.”

It wasn’t the most auspicious of moments – but as she goes on to recount, her attention was caught by an ad on one of the channels she tuned into: “Astronaut wanted. No experience necessary.”

Sharman had stumbled upon the recruitment slogan for a project that marked the thawing of Cold War relations. The Juno mission was a commercial venture to send a Briton to Mir funded by a private consortium – with a Soviet space crew.’

🔋 Jensen Huang of NVIDIA sat down with CNBC to discuss data centres in space:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

📈 Writing for SpaceNews, NewSpace Capital’s Executive Chairman Felix von Schubert argued that space is having its ‘internet moment’, as satellites come to play an ever-greater role in ordinary life, underpinning everything from internet access to weather forecasting and payments:

‘There are now more than 14,000 active satellites in orbit, according to industry counts; and rockets launch somewhere in the world almost every day. Companies like SpaceX send up batches of satellites at once, and constellations such as Starlink provide ongoing internet service to paying customers. Space is less about standalone spacecraft and more about fleets working together.

Connectivity, Earth observation, navigation, secure communications — all of these essential services now operate unceasingly. Satellite broadband connects remote homes, aircraft and ships at sea. Earth observation companies capture, fuse, process and sell imagery and insights to insurers, energy traders and agricultural bodies who use it to track storms, crops and infrastructure. Navigation systems like the Global Positioning System guide planes, container ships and delivery fleets every day. Governments and armed forces use secure satellite links for routine communications, not special occasions. Customers pay monthly fees or sign contracts that last several years.

The opportunity is considerable. The global space economy is worth about $600 billion today, according to Space Foundation, and McKinsey & Co. believes it could reach $1.8 trillion in 2035. This isn’t hype. These numbers reflect the extent to which people and businesses already use space-based services.’

🛡️ At Space Park Leicester, Graeme Ritchie and Dan Molland of orbital defence company Shield Space made a powerful case for satellite autonomy – and why Britain can lead:

‘For defence operations, you want to get to the point where you can give your interceptor a target, with a defined set of rules of engagement, and then hand it over to engage that space-based target set and deliver the intended effect. We are not going to do all of that on this first mission, but you cannot get to that point until you have done the steps beneath it. …

‘I think we as Britain — and Europe more generally — talk ourselves down quite a lot, and I don’t think we need to. We are actually in quite a competitive position if we seize the initiative. The UK ecosystem is a great example: there is a huge amount of capability here, but it is fragmented across different areas.

We have spent the past ten years with the US learning how we want to do space control, and we now have the doctrinal understanding to take a leadership position: here is how this should be done, and here is how we can deliver the capability.’

🇮🇳 In Forbes India, Samreen Wani asked if Skyroot’s unicorn milestone is ‘Indian space tech’s coming-of-age moment’:

‘Skyroot CEO Pawan Chandana explains that the funds will be channelled into building infrastructure to scale Vikram-I operations, supporting a pipeline of future launches, and driving the development of the next-generation Vikram-II rocket.

Vikram-I is India’s first privately built multi-stage orbital vehicle. The four-stage rocket, designed to carry small satellites into space, is expected to lift off in the coming weeks. The heavier-lift Vikram-II will expand the company’s capabilities by ferrying larger payloads across multiple orbits.

“The presence of GIC, BlackRock and Ram Sriram on the cap table implies a thesis that India’s launch market is a multi-decade infrastructure story, not a speculative tech bet,” says Vipul Patel, partner for seed investing at IIMA Ventures.’

🛰️ Space asset protection must become ‘an EU strategic priority’, argued EurActiv:

‘Europe’s space surveillance and tracking system is growing, but so are the risks it is designed to manage. As the number of satellites and debris in orbit accelerates, limitations in tracking and prediction are becoming harder to ignore, raising questions about how quickly Europe can adapt.

“Millions of small objects remain untracked, some of which could pose a risk to operational satellites,” warns João Alves, who leads the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk at the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA).’

🌍 The Times reported that Europe’s space sector has ‘blasted off’ as the region looks to weaken its dependence on the U.S.:

‘Trump’s decision [to suspend US military support for Ukraine] revealed to European governments the extent of their reliance on American technology, including the use of satellites to detect Russian bomber launches and to guide precision-guided weapons.

“There was a rapid realisation that Europe and the UK don’t have anything in this area, because they’ve exclusively relied on the US. So when it switched off, it became really acute that you actually need this capability to manage the theatre of war,” [Seraphim boss Mark] Boggett said.

ICEYE, a Finnish company recently valued at $2.8 billion and Seraphim’s largest holding, has been one of the principal beneficiaries. The company operates satellites that can be used in climate monitoring and insurance as well as defence and intelligence.’

☄️ An asteroid will miss Earth by a quarter of the length from us to the moon, the New Scientist reports:

‘An asteroid with the potential to ruin a city will pass Earth next week. 2026JH2, as it has been labelled by the astronomy community, is predicted to zoom by our planet at an estimated distance of 90,917 kilometres – only a quarter of the distance between us and the moon.

“In astronomical terms, it’s as close as you can get without hitting,” says Mark Norris at the University of Lancashire, UK.’

⚔️ Finally, the Wall Street Journal describes a ‘high-stakes battle for space internet’ between Amazon and SpaceX:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🇨🇳 In The Scotsman, Shield Space CEO Graeme Ritchie argued that the first shots of the next war would be fired in space – and that Britain was underprepared:

‘One of the UK’s greatest weaknesses lies in its space architecture. A small number of systems carry a disproportionate share of the load, and many still depend on continuous control from the ground. In a contested environment, those links will be degraded or denied. When that happens, the satellites will still be there, but the system they support will break down.

Redundancy – having more spacecraft that can take over if one goes wrong – would change the picture. In air and maritime operations, we use a more dispersed system, with smaller and more numerous vehicles. This allows tasks to be shared, rather than concentrated in a few high-value assets. That usually stands up well under strain.

The same is true of space domain awareness. Knowing what is in orbit is one thing; understanding intent, and being able to act on it in time, is another. Systems that can process sensor data and respond quickly are therefore vital. In practice, that means we need systems with greater autonomy, if only because events move too fast for a human operator to address all the time.’

📸 SpaceWatch.GLOBAL reported that European company Simera Sense, the world leader in optical payload solutions, has launched a new imaging system designed to boost European space security and situational awareness:

‘Simera Sense has launched SSA Scape100 Full Motion, a next-generation imaging system designed to enable real-time space situational awareness and in-orbit security operations. Aligning with Europe’s growing emphasis on space security, resilience, and safeguarding critical space assets, the launch is at the heart of Simera Sense’s strategic investment in Europe.

Designed and manufactured in Toulouse by the company’s French subsidiary, SSA Scape100 Full Motion builds on Simera Sense’s space-proven flagship xScape100 optical camera. The xScape100 is operating in more than 35 payloads currently in orbit and has accumulated over 840,000 operational hours in space. …

“NATO and Europe are calling for resilience and autonomy in space infrastructure,” explained Kammy Brun, Managing Director, Simera Sense France. “Across Europe, demand is growing for SSA, however, there is still a gap where we do not yet have operational space-based SSA solutions, and SSA Scape100 Full Motion is a response to that. Space operators need responsive, reliable systems that can help them understand what is happening in orbit and act with confidence. That’s what we’re delivering.”’

🚫 Euractiv reported that Germany and Italy oppose harmonising space governance:

‘The industry should also make parts tougher, and we should be quicker about it. Space exposes electronics to constant radiation and electromagnetic interference, as both can disrupt signals or damage parts. We know how to reduce that risk. Engineers can use shielding, conductive coatings, and composite materials; select radiation-tolerant components; and design circuits that keep working when one element fails. …

Also needed: backup communication paths. Most satellite links still rely on radio frequencies, and their signals can be jammed or intercepted with the right equipment. Optical links provide an alternative. Laser communication between ground stations and satellites, or between satellites themselves, uses narrow beams that are harder to detect and disrupt. They also carry more data at higher speeds. If interference affects one channel, traffic can shift to another channel and service can continue. This is not duplication for its own sake – it is a thoroughly practical way to reduce vulnerability and maintain continuity under pressure.’

🍄‍🟫 The BBC reported that astronauts on the Space Station fed meteorites to a fungus, and ‘what happened next could revolutionise spaceflight’:

‘It has demonstrated, the science team say, that bacteria and fungi can ‘biomine’ platinum-group elements from asteroid material in microgravity – evidence that living systems could help astronauts harvest resources directly in space.

The microbes release metals by producing carboxylic acids, compounds that bind to minerals and dissolve them into solution.

Scientists observed that microgravity altered the microbes’ metabolism, increasing the production of these acids and boosting metal extraction compared with Earth‑gravity controls.

The implications for space exploration are significant. Transporting materials from Earth is costly and impractical for deep-space missions.’

🛡️ K2 will test laser-communications for missile defence, SpaceNews reported:

‘The U.S. Space Force plans to use satellites built by K2 Space to test a critical but unresolved piece of future missile-defense systems: how to move large volumes of data quickly between spacecraft and down to Earth.

The California-based company has been selected for the Pentagon’s “OPIR Space Modernization Initiative,” or SMI, a research-and-development program aimed at advancing technologies that could eventually underpin operational missile-detection systems. OPIR, short for overhead persistent infrared, refers to satellites that detect missile launches by tracking heat signatures from space.

“The flagship investment for SMI demonstrations in FY 2026 matures into FY 2027 as the orbital vehicles manufactured by K2 Space complete integration and are launched into MEO,” the Pentagon said in recently released budget documents.’

🦄 Skyroot has become India’s first space-tech unicorn, TNW reported:

‘Skyroot Aerospace, the Hyderabad-based private launch-vehicle developer, has crossed into unicorn territory with a fresh round backed by GIC and BlackRock-managed funds, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The deal makes Skyroot India’s first space-technology company to reach a $1bn-plus valuation, the kind of milestone the country’s still-nascent private space sector has been working toward since regulatory liberalisation in 2020.

The trajectory is striking. Skyroot’s last priced round, a $51m Series B led by GIC in 2023, valued the company at roughly $519m. Reports of an imminent unicorn round began surfacing in April, with the new round structured to roughly double that figure.’

🚀 Aviation Week reported that Russia is rekindling its launcher ambition with Soyuz-5:

‘Russia and Kazakhstan have pulled off the much-delayed inaugural launch of the Soyuz-5 medium-lift rocket, which could play a pivotal role in Moscow’s effort to gain pace in the proliferated constellation business.

The rocket took off at 2 p.m. EDT on April 30 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The first stage burned for almost 3 min. before separation and second-stage ignition. The fairing opened about 6 sec. later, and the dummy payload deployed around 9 min. 32 sec. after liftoff. The payload then flew along a suborbital trajectory and splashed into the Pacific Ocean, Roscosmos said, noting that all stages performed nominally.

The mission marked the first launch of the new Russian-made rocket since the Angara-A5 in 2014. Russia has fallen far behind the U.S. and China in its annual launch cadence; it lofted a mere 17 missions last year compared with more than 90 for China and double that for the U.S.’

🧱 Finally, the New York Times sat down with the Artemis II crew to find out how they lived together in space:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🇨🇳 In the Wall Street Journal, Stephen Buono argued that ‘Artemis II masked an uneasy truth: Washington is trailing Beijing’:

‘By many measures, Artemis II was a triumph. The mission demonstrated the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems and its powerful Space Launch System rocket. It enabled the first manned deep-space optical communications test. The images it beamed back to Earth were breathtaking.

Yet these achievements hid serious problems. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had intended to launch Artemis II in 2023. Then technical issues repeatedly postponed the mission: hydrogen leaks, failures in helium flow, unexpected erosion of the heat shield. Beset by delays and pivot fatigue, NASA has downgraded its next Artemis flight from a manned lunar landing to an Earth-orbit docking test in 2027. It now seems that U.S. astronauts won’t walk on the moon until 2028 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, China grinds away. In February its space agency conducted a successful in-flight abort test from Hainan. Early in the ascent, mission controllers deliberately triggered an escape system that pulled an unmanned Mengzhou capsule away from the rocket. The capsule parachuted safely to sea while the rocket continued its flight. After re-entry the booster reignited its engines and performed a controlled, propulsive splashdown. NASA’s moon rocket can’t do that.’

🛡️ In Military Embedded Systems, FibreCoat’s Robert Brüll and Jean-François Morizur of Cailabs made the case for much greater space resilience:

‘The industry should also make parts tougher, and we should be quicker about it. Space exposes electronics to constant radiation and electromagnetic interference, as both can disrupt signals or damage parts. We know how to reduce that risk. Engineers can use shielding, conductive coatings, and composite materials; select radiation-tolerant components; and design circuits that keep working when one element fails. …

Also needed: backup communication paths. Most satellite links still rely on radio frequencies, and their signals can be jammed or intercepted with the right equipment. Optical links provide an alternative. Laser communication between ground stations and satellites, or between satellites themselves, uses narrow beams that are harder to detect and disrupt. They also carry more data at higher speeds. If interference affects one channel, traffic can shift to another channel and service can continue. This is not duplication for its own sake – it is a thoroughly practical way to reduce vulnerability and maintain continuity under pressure.’

🪐 The Financial Times reported that a new ‘golden age’ of space exploration has arrived:

‘The European Space Agency’s Plato satellite is due to launch early next year, armed with an array of 26 high-specification cameras. They will scan the thousands of so-called exoplanets — worlds beyond our solar system.

The programme is a sign of how rapidly knowledge of the cosmos is advancing. The first planet orbiting another star was discovered only in 1992. Plato is part of a historic effort to identify distant Earthlike worlds that hold lessons for our planet’s future and may even be capable of hosting life.

“The main goal is to understand to what extent our solar system is different from other systems or not,” says Ana Heras Pastor, project scientist for the Plato mission.

Plato is part of what Reid Wiseman, commander of Nasa’s Artemis II mission, has hailed as a “golden age” of space travel. Last month the Artemis crew rounded the far side of the Moon, just as their predecessors in the Apollo programme did more than half a century ago in a previous era of extraterrestrial ambition.’

🌟 In the Wall Street Journal, Louise Perry wrote about how astronauts often experience profound spiritual and psychological disorientation:

‘There is something both transcendent and disturbing about this sight, an effect that apparently can’t be replicated through photographs. It leaves a person with a sense of oneness with all of humanity, and a profound sense of connection with the rest of the universe, or what Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell described as an “ecstasy of unity.” Many astronauts come to understand the experience in Christian terms.

That may have been what Artemis II astronaut Reid Wiseman was describing last week when he spoke to reporters of the “otherworldly” sensation of viewing Earth from space:

“I’m not really a religious person, but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute. And when that man walked in, I’d never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar, and I just I broke down in tears. It’s very hard to fully grasp what we just went through.”’

🌙 Michelle Buckner, a former NASA Information System Security Officer, argued in SpaceNews that Artemis 2 was ‘the easy part’, and that the question is whether ‘America’s industrial base can keep pace with what comes next'‘:

‘Artemis 3 is not simply the next flight. It is a financial and technical inflection point.

The aha moment is this: Artemis 2 proved the United States can send astronauts around the moon again. Artemis 3 has to prove the U.S. can do something much harder: integrate a public-private lunar architecture at scale, sustain the contractor base beneath it and land before the entire model buckles under cost, schedule, or supply-chain weakness.

Artemis 3 will demand more from the contractor base than any mission since Apollo, and it will demand it faster. The south pole landing will generate science, data and operational requirements that drive follow-on work across propulsion, life support, surface mobility, communications and in-situ resource utilization. That work flows to suppliers who are right now either preparing for the compliance environment ahead or falling behind it.’

🇪🇺 The EU stepped up its space security with congestion and interference rising, EurActiv reported:

‘From navigation and energy systems to disaster response and defence coordination, critical services across the European economy increasingly depend on space-based data. As that dependence deepens, so too does exposure to disruption – whether from space debris, malicious interference or the failure of terrestrial infrastructure during crises.

Recent analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) highlights how protecting critical infrastructure – both physical and digital – is becoming central to Europe’s resilience strategy, with space systems increasingly part of that equation.

Against this backdrop, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is advancing a layered approach to space security, structured around three pillars: protecting assets, securing signals and ensuring resilient services.’

🚀 At the third annual London Space Finance conference, hosted by Mark Wheatley’s DWC, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders came together to discuss how to make space more investable. Capgemini’s Lucy Mason reflected:

Very much enjoyed speaking on the Commercial Space panel at London Space Finance yesterday, an excellent event with a fantastic audience … My takeaways:

1. Commercial space and defence space are indivisible: defence relies on commercial space, and commercial space form part of our wider defence ecosystem (whether we want it to or not, there are dependencies which can be weaponised)

2. Focusing on dual use technologies is a good investment strategy - cybersecurity and crypto, AI, autonomy, robotics, advanced materials, sensors and photonics are fundamental technologies underpinning the future of many sectors

3. Much talk about risk - commercial, legal, insurance, financial - and managing risks at the cutting edge of technologies where things are uncertain: better data and testing will help, but we need the right mechanisms and understanding to move forward - ultimately that is about good communications, which is where events like this are so useful!

🧱 Finally, a Lego version of the ‘Project Hail Mary’ spaceship soared 114,790 feet into the stratosphere:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🇺🇦 Fresh from a visit to Ukraine, Dr Robert Brüll, CEO and founder of advanced materials company FibreCoat, argued in EuroNews that Europe risks falling behind its adversaries if it fails to learn from its ally’s drone-driven approach to defence innovation:

‘Against a much larger, more experienced, highly industrialised Russian military, one with more active personnel, aircraft, ships, tanks, artillery, and armored fighting units, the Ukrainians had little to draw on but their ingenuity, fuelled financially by the West.

Thanks in large part to drones, they put a stop to an invasion that was supposed to take days, and continue to fight tooth and nail for the defence of their homeland and Europe. Four years on, they are the unquestioned world leaders in the creation and development of UAVs, and the rest of Europe should be learning from their example. …

Europe might not have the sense of urgency that exists in Ukraine. But it has vast reservoirs of human talent, world-class research institutions, some of the largest economies in the world, and – more and more – the recognition that it must stand on its own two feet and cease to rely so heavily on its friends in the United States. And yet we are not putting all of these advantages to use by learning humbly from the experience of the Ukrainians and developing a defence infrastructure capable of withstanding or deterring anyone who might do us harm.’

📣 In SpaceNews, Sonder co-founder and Director Harry Readhead argues that the proliferation of satellites in space necessitates a change both in the management and and coordination of spacecraft and in communications:

‘Consider this: satellites now move around one another every day. Starlink satellites alone carried out an eye-watering 300,000 avoidance manoeuvres last year, according to one report filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission; and if all satellites were to cease undertaking such maneuvers, we could expect to see a serious collision in about 3.8 days. Moreover, the effects of any crash would likely not be restricted to the spacecraft involved: according to the much-discussed Kessler effect (or, if you prefer, the equally assonant ‘ablation cascade’,) a collision could scatter debris which could then strike other spacecraft, creating more debris, which could then strike other spacecraft, and so on until, in the gloomiest possible course of events, parts of orbit would become unusable and we would be trapped on Earth.

…

The answer to the problem posed by the proliferation of satellites in orbit is not to stop sending them there. Even if that were possible, it would be both impractical and self-defeating. Space, as it is often said, is the backbone of the world economy. It underpins financial transactions, logistics, communication, defence. It is critical infrastructure. But it is precisely because of this — because space is the backbone of the world economy — that the stakes are so high, and it is why we must make the system tougher. Practically, that means improving traffic coordination, gathering and sharing better data on the positions of satellites and putting in place shared rules for maneuvers and close approaches. Engineers are already doing their bit, developing thrusters and systems that allow spacecraft to move, and move autonomously.

But the other side of this has to do with communication. We cannot rule out a collision taking place in space. Given this, satellite operators and their partners — the companies developing cameras, sensors or propulsion systems, among others — must, first, loudly make the case for space and, secondly, explain how they handle risk. But they would also be wise to prepare for the mild outrage of those who do not quite grasp what they do or why it matters, and tend to notice space only when things go wrong: for with the maturation of space, and its evolution from a field of spectacle and speculation to one of services, networks and — as Orbion’s Brad King has rather beautifully put it — “unglamorous competence” — comes a change in how we have to talk about it. Put simply, crisis communications has become key.’'

💰 Neil Rae, UK Space Lead for KPMG, made the case that Britain could become a ‘global space financial centre’:

‘With world‑leading financial services, deep capital markets and strong regulatory foundations, the UK is uniquely placed to become the world’s space finance centre — a hub where capital meets innovation, companies scale and list, and global investors deploy capital with confidence.

Realising this vision, however, will require coordinated action across government, investors and the wider financial ecosystem, alongside new approaches to regulation, risk and capital tailored specifically to the needs of the space economy.

By addressing current structural gaps and aligning capabilities across the ecosystem, the UK can play a defining role in shaping how the global space economy is financed, scaled and sustained.’

🛰️ Bloomberg reported on the role of satellite imagery in Iran, and the relationship between commercial space companies and governments:

‘Other companies that use Planet data say they’ve found workarounds but worry about the long-term implications of the restrictions. Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com Inc., a maritime intelligence company that monitors global oil tanker movements using satellite imagery, says it’s “turned to alternatives” but declined to say what they are. Even if Planet restores access to imagery when the war ends—which the company says it expects to do—Madani says the restrictions will push satellite imagery users away from US providers, which will “face more competitors in the coming months and years as a result of government intervention.”

Antoine Halff, co-founder of the energy analytics provider Kayrros SAS, which uses satellite imagery to measure oil storage levels and track cargo movements in the Gulf for commodity traders, says Planet’s restrictions mean his company can’t monitor the same locations as frequently as before. “In the energy markets, timely data has a stabilizing effect,” he says. “It allows traders and operators to spot disruptions early, reroute flows and help rebalance supply. At a time of heightened geopolitical tension, that transparency increases energy security.” Halff says he worries that restricting access to data could destabilize markets.’

🦢 Japanese researchers developed an origami-inspired reflectarray antenna that weighs just 64kg and unfolds once in orbit. The Engineer reports:

‘The membrane is folded using a flasher (often circular) origami pattern. Once in orbit, the antenna deploys using shape-memory booms, expanding to approximately 2.6 times its stowed size, achieving a storage ratio of 265 per cent.

The system incorporates a beam-tilting primary radiator, which reduces signal obstruction caused by the satellite structure. In addition, the reflectarray converts linearly polarised waves into circularly polarised waves suitable for satellite communication.’

‘“Our results show that even ultra-small spacecraft can carry large-aperture, high-performance antennas, greatly enhancing their communication capabilities,” said [chief researcher Associate Professor Takashi] Tomura.’

🦢 Japanese researchers have developed an origami-inspired reflectarray antenna that weighs just 64kg and unfolds once in orbit. The Engineer reports:

‘The membrane is folded using a flasher (often circular) origami pattern. Once in orbit, the antenna deploys using shape-memory booms, expanding to approximately 2.6 times its stowed size, achieving a storage ratio of 265 per cent.

The system incorporates a beam-tilting primary radiator, which reduces signal obstruction caused by the satellite structure. In addition, the reflectarray converts linearly polarised waves into circularly polarised waves suitable for satellite communication.’

‘“Our results show that even ultra-small spacecraft can carry large-aperture, high-performance antennas, greatly enhancing their communication capabilities,” said [chief researcher Associate Professor Takashi] Tomura.’

🪖 Gizmodo reports that the Trump administration is investigating the disappearances and deaths of 11 American scientists, most of whom were associated with federal nuclear or space research programmes:

‘Authorities have maintained that there is no confirmed connection between the 11 scientists, but the fact that they were all involved in highly valued, strategically sensitive fields has drawn concern from federal officials. Those fields include nuclear weapons security and defense systems, NASA space missions and asteroid tracking, fusion energy and plasma physics, advanced aerospace and military technologies, and biomedical research.

“We’re very concerned about this. This is a national security concern. This would suggest that something sinister may be happening,” House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) said during a Sunday appearance on Fox News’s Fox & Friends.’

🇨🇳 China has denied that Iran secretly purchased a Chinese satellite then used it to target U.S. bases during the war, Forbes reports:

‘The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the FT, saying: “Recently, certain forces have been keen to fabricate rumours and maliciously link them to China. China firmly opposes this kind of ill-intentioned conduct.”

On Wednesday, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo he asked China not to supply Iran with weapons. “I wrote him a letter asking him ​not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying ⁠that, essentially, he’s not doing that,” Trump said.

In a later post on Truth Social, Trump insisted Xi would give him a “big, fat, hug” at his next meeting with the Chinese leader for his actions to secure the Strait of Hormuz.’

🌍 Finally, watch this ‘earthset’ video, captured by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman on his iPhone:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🛰️ Jeff Bezos, through Amazon, paid $11 billion to acquire formerly satellite company Globalstar, ‘presumably in the hope of closing the gap with fellow corporate stargazer Elon Musk’, the FT reports:

‘Globalstar has spent decades trying to create a viable business model. By 2025 it generated just under $300mn in revenue, but still no net profit.

Musk’s SpaceX has changed the game and upped the rivalry, if not the profitability. The rocket company is set to go public this year at a near-$2tn valuation, much of that attributable to Starlink, a satellite-based broadband data service. SpaceX dominates the so-called low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) marketplace with thousands of objects already in flight. 

Amazon launched its own initiative, Project Kuiper, in 2019, renaming it Amazon Leo last November. The idea is that by 2028 it will offer a “direct to device” service where data is transmitted without the need for a traditional mobile phone service. 

Starlink is galaxies ahead. But Globalstar does give Amazon a cache of valuable spectrum for delivering satellite-based phone and broadband. Moreover, it has an existing partnership with Apple, whereby the iPhone maker’s devices rely on Globalstar to transmit data when ordinary mobile service is not in range. Amazon said on Tuesday that supported Apple products would now connect to Leo satellites instead.’

🚀 Artemis II represents a chance ‘to revolutionise consumer tech in space’, argues James Czerniawski in National Interest:

‘Millions of Americans remain cut off from reliable broadband, including rural families, young workers in smaller towns competing in a remote work economy, and patients seeking telehealth services in areas where a specialist’s office is hours away. Connectivity matters, and Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite services, such as Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, represent the most credible path to closing that gap.

Unlike ground-based cable infrastructure, LEO satellites don’t require laying fiber through thousands of miles of terrain that private companies have never found worth the investment. They just require a government willing to get out of the way.’

☢️ Russia plans to cause a ‘space Pearl Harbor’, a US General warned The Times:

‘General Stephen Whiting, the head of US Space Command, told The Times that America was “very concerned” about the Kremlin’s plan.

It is part of a pattern of increased Russian aggression in space since the start of the Ukraine war, the four-star general also revealed. That has included “sustained satellite communication and GPS jamming” which is so large scale that it is “putting civilian airliners at risk”.

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Alongside his stark warnings, Whiting called on Sir Keir Starmer’s government to significantly increase its very thin space-defence budget to tackle the growing threat from Moscow, as well as China.’

🪖 Former NATO chief Lord Robertson and lead author of the Strategic Defence Review says the UK's security is ‘in peril’ and Sir Keir Starmer's government has shown ‘corrosive complacency’ towards defence, reports the BBC:

‘Lord George Robertson, the ex-Labour defence secretary who wrote the government’s Strategic Defence Review, accused “non-military experts in the Treasury” of “vandalism”, in a speech on Tuesday.

The SDR was delivered in June last year but the 10-year investment plan to fund it has been repeatedly delayed and Lord Robertson earlier told the Financial Times, external the prime minister was “not willing to make the necessary investment”.

Defence minister Luke Pollard denied the claims, saying the government was “working flat out” to publish the plan.

He said “we already have extra money in our budget this year” for defence, and ministers were continuing to announce contracts which give “our fighting forces the kit and equipment they need to deter aggression”.

In a directly political intervention, Lord Robertson - who is now a key government adviser - warned in his speech: “We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget.”

Speaking in Salisbury, he said: “We are under-prepared. We are under-insured. We are under attack. We are not safe... Britain’s national security and safety is in peril.”’

🇨🇳 China has denied that Iran secretly purchased a Chinese satellite then used it to target U.S. bases during the war, Forbes reports:

‘The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the FT, saying: “Recently, certain forces have been keen to fabricate rumours and maliciously link them to China. China firmly opposes this kind of ill-intentioned conduct.”

On Wednesday, Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo he asked China not to supply Iran with weapons. “I wrote him a letter asking him ​not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying ⁠that, essentially, he’s not doing that,” Trump said.

In a later post on Truth Social, Trump insisted Xi would give him a “big, fat, hug” at his next meeting with the Chinese leader for his actions to secure the Strait of Hormuz.’

🤝 Contec opened a second satellite optical ground station in South Korea with Cailabs, reports DCD:

‘Space service company Contec has announced the establishment of its second optical ground station for downstreaming satellite data by laser in South Korea.

The new ground station is located at the Asian Space Park in Sangdae-Ri on the island of Jeju, south of the country, and was deployed with the assistance of French group Cailabs, which specializes in laser communications.

“By working with Cailabs, we are strengthening our technological capabilities and positioning ourselves to meet the increasing demand for faster and more reliable satellite communications,” said Dr. Seong-hee Lee, CEO of Contec, in a statement.’

📽️ Finally, take a look at this gorgeous supercut of the Artemis II mission:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🧑‍🚀 The crew of Artemis II said they hoped their mission would inspire the next generation and hailed ‘the golden age of space travel’, the Guardian reports:

‘Speaking from on board the Artemis II on Thursday evening, the crew fielded questions from members of Congress as they prepared for their return to Earth.

The mood of Thursday’s press conference was jubilant as politicians from both sides of the aisle congratulated the astronauts on their trip while asking questions about their experiences and its ability to inspire others.

The record-breaking nature of the mission was also on the minds of several crew members. “It is unbelievable to think that we could build an international team led by the United States of America and set our sights out on a sustained presence on the moon and onto Mars and then we can go and achieve it,” said Commander Reid Wiseman, calling the mission “incredible”. “There is nothing this nation cannot do when it has a vision.” …

Artemis II crew members have already begun repacking for their re-entry to Earth following their lunar expedition. Earlier on Thursday, Nasa leaders described the precise logistics needed to get the crew home.

The return will see the Orion capsule traveling at nearly 24,000mph before making a final splashdown several miles off the coast of San Diego. The operation requires multiple teams and careful coordination to safely extract the crew from the spacecraft.

Speaking at a press conference, Nasa’s associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said: “To every engineer, every technician that’s touched this machine, tomorrow belongs to you. The crew has done their part. Now we have to do ours.”’

🤝 SpaceNews reports that defence-tech company Shield Space and satellite manufacturer EnduroSat have teamed up to deploy space systems in orbit rapidly for NATO and its allies, particularly to counter mounting threats:

‘The companies announced a partnership April 8 that they say will initially enable defense customers to move from contract signature to in-orbit operations in as little as nine months, compared with several years for traditional programs, by bundling software, spacecraft and services.

The partnership combines EnduroSat’s standardized satellite platform architecture with Shield Space’s autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) software, which was originally developed for drones used in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Cheap autonomous drones have changed the tempo of warfare in Ukraine,” said Shield Space cofounder and CEO Graeme Ritchie, a former defense technology specialist for the U.K.’s Royal Air Force who has also founded a consultancy focused on drone operations.

“Space will experience the same acceleration, where machines must sense, decide and maneuver faster than human command chains allow,” Ritchie continued. “Our partnership brings together the spacecraft, autonomy and mission architecture needed to make that possible.”’

🛰️ Banks have been using satellite data to get a better understanding of how the production and shipment of energy commodities are being affected by the Iran war. The Banker spoke to Antoine Halff of Kayrros and Florian Thaler of Energy Aspects, which recently agreed to acquire Kayrros:

‘Satellites are not a “crystal ball”, but the imagery and analytics they provide can punch through the “proverbial fog of war” to provide “as much clarity as we can get”, says Antoine Halff, co-founder of Kayrros, which uses AI and machine learning to transform raw data from more than 20 satellite constellations into insights for firms working in energy markets and other sectors.

Halff says the war with Iran has sparked even greater interest from banks and hedge funds in satellite images to help test economic and pricing assumptions with a “reality check from the sky”.

Using earth observation satellites and remote sensing, overlaid with data analytics, firms like Kayrros and market intelligence provider Energy Aspects, which recently agreed to acquire Halff’s company, have built a “digital twin” of global oil supply chains. They say this gives banks and oil traders an “unbiased view” of what is happening from “well to wheel” — from inland oil wells, to what gets transported to a port and refinery, then exported out into the market to meet global demand.

From day one of the war with Iran, Florian Thaler, head of the OilX satellite data business at Energy Aspects, says banks used such models to assess the damage on the ground to vital oil and gas production facilities across the Gulf. “If something gets hit or a refinery gets attacked, they want to know what’s the impact of the disruption, and what has changed versus yesterday,” he explains.’

🇪🇺 In Defense Opinion, FibreCoat’s Robert Brüll warned that Europe is still too dependent on U.S. technology, and that alliances ‘are strongest when they rest on joint ability’:

‘For many decades, Europe has been able to rely on its muscular American ally for support. American power and American political backing have formed the backbone of European defense. …

But the problem is twofold.

First, the transatlantic alliance rested on the assumption that broadly speaking, the U.S. and Europe would be aligned politically. At the very least, they would share a similar outlook about geopolitics. That isn’t the case any longer. NATO spending, the Ukraine war, the Greenland crisis, Iran – all revealed fault lines between the current U.S. administration and its counterparts in Europe.

The second problem, related to the first, is that if the U.S. disagrees with European action, and European technology is full of American components, then in theory, that technology could be rendered unusable. This is not paranoid thinking, but a basic principle that underpins modern technology supply chains.’

📈 Global conflict has sent demand for satellite data ‘stratospheric’, reports The Observer.

‘Satellite data businesses say the demand from customers ranges from modelling physical risks, such as floods and wildfires, for sectors including insurance and banking, to tracking flows of ship-borne commodities for traders and government clients. …

The capacity to process satellite data is also projected to expand owing to the adoption of generative AI.

Antoine Rostand, chief executive of Kayrros, a French company providing satellite analytics, says: “Two years ago, if you had a question like ‘Can you track a rice crop?’, you would need a couple of months to calibrate the algorithm.

“Now, when you have created the foundational model that has understood the world by itself, you can ask these questions and answering them is several orders of magnitude faster and cheaper.”’

🚀 As SpaceX gears up for for an IPO, America should avoid becoming over-reliant on Elon Musk’s company, argue the editorial board at the FT:

‘If SpaceX’s breathtaking IPO goes off as planned, Musk will have the resources to entrench his company deeper into markets it already dominates. That includes seeing its giant Starship rocket through to full commercial operations, further increasing its launch cost advantage over rivals, and overlaying the Starlink communications network with a third generation of more powerful satellites.

A heavy reliance on SpaceX already makes the US — and some other governments — queasy. Musk himself underlined the danger during his falling out with US President Donald Trump last year by threatening to decommission his company’s Dragon spacecraft, which the US relies on to get astronauts to the International Space Station. In a sign of Starlink’s national security clout, in 2022 he denied Ukrainian forces access to the network where they sought to push into Russian-controlled territory.

Competition in the launch market should soon be at hand, in the form of a new generation of powerful rockets from companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Rocket Lab and Relativity Space. Nasa and the Pentagon need to actively support newer competitors, even if they cannot match SpaceX’s cost advantage in their early years.’

📽️ And you can watch the latest Artemis II presser here:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🗓️ It’s launch day for Artemis II. Some 400,000 people are packed on beaches and causeways in Florida to witness ‘a fiery spectacle not seen in almost 54 years: a fully crewed Nasa rocket heading back to the moon’, the Guardian reports:

‘The launch of Artemis II, scheduled for 6.24pm ET if weather and any late technical gremlins grant their consent, marks the first time since the Apollo 17 mission of December 1972 that humans will have left lower Earth orbit.

“The nation, and the world, has been waiting a long time to do this again,” Reid Wiseman, a veteran Nasa astronaut and the Artemis II commander, told reporters at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday as the crew of three Americans and one Canadian arrived to enter quarantine ahead of launch.

Their 10-day test flight, which will not land on the moon, is a mission packed with milestones. Two of the crew, Nasa’s Christina Koch and Victor Glover, will become respectively the first woman and first person of color to fly into cislunar space, the area between Earth’s orbit and the moon.’

💰 Changes to NASA’s Artemis mission have left Europe ‘holding the bag’, reports Payload Space:

‘NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman this week proposed widespread changes to the Artemis program—at the expense of years of hard work, and millions of euros invested by the European space sector into the lunar Gateway station, which is now no longer part of the US lunar return plan.

While several international partners contributed hardware to Gateway, ESA and European space primes were developing many of the key components of the planned lunar orbiting station, including: Lunar I-Hab, one of two habitation modules designed to house future Artemis crew members; the Lunar View module, which would provide refueling for the station’s power and propulsion element, cargo logistics, and viewing ports for future crew members; the Lunar Link telecommunications element of the Gateway, to enable comms links between the Gateway station and lunar surface hardware and personnel.

Additional contributions as subcontractors for elements of the HALO module, as well as countless subcomponents and capabilities. (ESA is also contributing a European Service Module for the Orion spacecraft designed to fly Artemis astronauts to and from lunar orbit.)

Collectively, these projects cost Europe hundreds of millions of euros—with big contracts going to Thales Alenia Space, Airbus, Redwire, and Beyond Gravity. Now, international partners are thinking about how their investments can contribute to NASA’s lunar base plans.’

🇪🇺 The European Union is boosting funding and redirecting its space program towards military and security uses in what could make Brussels the central driver of European space policy, according SpaceNews:

‘The report, titled “A Geopolitical Awakening: The European Union and Space,” argues that a potential doubling or tripling of EU space spending — alongside rising national and European Space Agency budgets — could accelerate Europe’s long-standing push for “strategic autonomy” in space.

The European Union, a bloc of 27 countries with its own budget and regulatory authority, already funds and oversees a growing portfolio of satellite systems used across the continent. In July, the European Commission proposed a 2028–2034 budget that would increase defense and space spending fivefold to roughly $150 billion over seven years.

Gleason describes Europe’s space ecosystem as divided among three centers of power: the EU, intergovernmental organizations such as the European Space Agency and EUMETSAT, and national space programs.

He says that balance is expected to shift.

The EU is evolving into “the central political and financial driver of European space,” while ESA remains the technical backbone and individual countries retain control over military capabilities, the report says.”’

🌿 Kayrros announced the launch of its biodiversity platform, reports ESG Today:

‘According to Kayrros, the new platform aims to address the finance sector’s biodiversity “blind spot” typified by fragmented and incomplete data that limits investors’ ability to assess nature-related risks and meet evolving regulatory requirements. As biodiversity regulation accelerates, including TNFD, SFDR, CSRD and France’s Article 29, financial institutions are facing growing pressure to integrate measurable biodiversity metrics into investment decision-making.

The company said that its platform is designed to address this gap by utilizing machine learning, satellite imagery and geospatial data to deliver nature impact insights at the individual asset level. The platform provides up-to-date metrics, enabling investors to integrate biodiversity risks into due diligence, portfolio construction and reporting.’

🚀 PayloadSpace reports that SpaceX’s Transporter-16 sent 119 payloads, including from ICEYE, K2 and Unseenlabs, to orbit:

‘SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base this morning, bringing 119 payloads to orbit on the company’s first rideshare mission of 2026. Many of the satellites and payloads on board T-16 are joining growing EO constellations. …

The future isn’t all visual, however, and T-16 is also bringing up a pool of sats focused on RF sensing, with many payloads aiming to provide better situational awareness over the oceans. Communications technologies on orbit are rapidly advancing, and the launch brought a handful of payloads pushing the technological envelope on comms.

And as with past Transporter rideshares, many of the payloads onboard are catching a secondary ride through the growing pool of orbital transfer vehicles and reentry spacecraft.’

💰 The FT reports that venture capitalists are ‘pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into start-ups planning to launch AI systems into space’, after Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang poured rocket fuel on the idea in recent weeks.

‘Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’s Blue Origin are both working on projects to launch AI data centres made up of thousands of satellites into orbit, while Nvidia this month unveiled new AI chips designed to work in space.

That has helped drive investor interest in US start-ups Starcloud and Aetherflux, which are also developing solar-powered orbital AI data centres.

The companies’ planned systems would handle requests sent from terrestrial users to AI apps such as ChatGPT or Claude Code, beaming the responses back to Earth. In the coming years, advocates believe AI computers in space could operate more cheaply than comparable systems on Earth.’

⏳ And you can watch the Artemis II launch countdown here:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🌙 In SpaceNews, FibreCoat CEO Dr Robert Brüll sets out the challenges that anyone who seeks to build on the moon will encounter – namely, the cost. But there is a solution:

‘Materials mean mass; mass means cost. It’s simply too expensive, by any estimate, to treat space rockets and lunar modules as glorified ships and trucks. The materials must therefore already be on the moon. If we can find a way to make moon materials reliable enough to build with, then one huge obstacle to colonising our nearest celestial body can be overcome.

Some work on this front is already being done, such as the European Space Agency’s initiative to develop in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU), which means using materials already available on the moon rather than transporting everything from Earth. Although this fine lunar dust is weak and unsuitable for building in its raw form, it can be processed in several ways to transform its mechanical properties.

If processed into a fibre, for example, lunar regolith becomes more than 20 times stronger than the next-strongest sintered or melted regolith product. In fibre form, it combines high tensile strength with flexibility and large surface area. That means it could reinforce load-bearing structures for landing pads, roads and shelters, while also functioning as a textile for dust mitigation, filtration and insulation. The same material can contribute to micrometeorite shielding and even serve as a growth substrate for food production. This points to a versatile structural and functional material platform for sustained lunar infrastructure.’

🛰️ In Global Reinsurance, AXA Digital Commercial Platform CEO Pierre du Rostu and Planet’s Berend de Jong argued that ‘space is transforming insurance’ by giving insurers the kinds of near-realtime insights that allow them to respond more quickly and intelligently in the event of a natural disaster:

‘Claims from natural disasters are rising in frequency and cost. This has created a protection gap: in many places, expected losses now exceed what insurers can affordably price.

Some insurers may feel powerless. Those that follow the traditional model, which involves using historical data to predict the future, are finding that this no longer works. Yesterday has become a poor guide to tomorrow. But Earth Observation changes things. Satellites in rapidly growing numbers circle our world every day, capturing terabytes of imagery that can then be crunched and turned into usable insights. …

Armed with precise information about an unfolding flood, for example, insurers can respond at a speed and with a level of understanding that is unprecedented. Aided by AI analysis, Earth Observation and ground data can allow insurers to identify patterns to address a catastrophic event before it takes place.’

🤝 Satellite operator SES has ordered 28 satellites from K2 Space, SpaceNews reports:

‘The Luxembourg-based operator said the satellites would deliver high-speed broadband, support optical intersatellite links for data relay and enable hosted payloads across commercial and government missions.

The network would support up to 1 gigabit per second Ka-band broadband for flat-panel antennas as small as 25 by 25 centimeters and up to 4 Gbps using parabolic antennas for high-capacity connections, alongside optical links of up to 100 Gbps to relay traffic between satellites and emerging infrastructure such as space stations and orbital data centers.

“Space is the invisible backbone of the global data economy and national security,” SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said in a March 24 news release that was light on finer details.

“Together with K2 Space and other space partners, we’re building meoSphere as essential infrastructure — constructed faster, designed to handle massive data demands globally, and built to support the secure, resilient sovereign networks that our global government allies depend on.”

🍷 A Bordeaux estate has turned to space technology to monitor vines and, ultimately, produce better wine, reports The Drinks Business:

‘Kuva Space, founded in 2016, is among the companies developing this technology. Château Puybarbe is now serving as the first operational pilot site, with the current growing season focused on gathering data, identifying anomalies, and analysing how satellite imagery correlates with vine health.

The project centres on hyperspectral imaging, which captures hundreds of spectral bands to reveal subtle biochemical and structural changes in plants. Unlike standard monitoring methods, this data can identify early signs of vine stress linked to fungal pressure, insect activity, moisture shifts, or nutrient imbalances.

The long-term aim is to translate this data into practical tools for vineyard teams. For the estate, the technology aligns with organic principles and the need to adapt to increasingly unpredictable growing conditions.’

🩸 The Guardian reports that UK defence firms are ‘bleeding cash’:

‘Defence manufacturers are going bust while others have been left in “paralysis” and “bleeding cash” as they wait for a long-delayed UK military spending plan for the next decade, MPs have heard.

Industry groups said a more than six-month delay to the defence investment plan (DIP) had also left the UK behind Germany and the US in attracting cash from global investors.

“The ecosystem is not in a great place, it’s what I would call paralysis,” said Samira Braund, the defence director of the ADS Group trade body, speaking to the defence select committee on Tuesday. “I don’t think that [the government] have put effective mitigation plans in place at all.”’

🇦🇹 Austria is developing a ‘small but mighty’ space ecosystem, Payload Space reports:

‘Austria has a lot going for it: choice educational institutions, an amazing quality of life, and a socioeconomic landscape that supports early-stage ventures.

“It’s a small country, yes, but it has quite a strong public funding ecosystem—I think one of the best in Europe,” said Maya Pindeus, cofounder of Another Earth, a Vienna-based startup building a simulated Earth model based on EO data. “It’s definitely one of the best with non-dilutive funding.”

For early-stage space companies in Austria, there’s no shortage of publicly funded assistance and facilities to get off the ground. Companies have an abundance of resources to grow and demonstrate early technological wins through Phi-Lab, accelerators like accent Inkubator, and research facilities at academic institutions..

Lilly Eichinger, CEO of Satellives—a startup aiming to become Austria’s first satellite manufacturer—told Payload that these programs have opened access to low-cost testing facilities. She added that CNC machining capabilities even helped the company develop its first prototype, expected to be completed in 2027.’

📸 And the ISS has captured footage of Russian missiles striking Kyiv:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🛰️ In The Telegraph, James Warrington argues that the strategic and political significance of satellites has sparked searching questions about who ‘holds the keys to these antennas in the sky’ and that concern is ‘starting to take hold among European executives and government officials as they discuss sovereignty more broadly’:

‘Space technology has been developing rapidly as rivals race to fill coverage gaps in remote rural areas. Meanwhile, conflicts in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran, have underscored how satellites can provide a critical emergency lifeline when conventional networks are taken offline.

In a rare display of innovation, Britain has been at the forefront of this celestial revolution, with O2 launching Europe’s first satellite mobile service earlier this month.

Yet beneath the excitement over shiny new technology, concerns are mounting about how much of it is developed by American companies. Critics warn that control of critical infrastructure risks being monopolised by a handful of US billionaires.

Today, Elon Musk’s Starlink has a network of 10,000 satellites, putting it well ahead of rivals in space-based internet infrastructure. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has also been starting to invest heavily in the technology.

Bigwigs across the EU are starting to take note. Recently, they have been pushing for a “sovereign” satellite solution that will bring the technology close to home.

However, the move could have serious consequences. In doing so, the bloc risks provoking the ire of the Trump administration, potentially opening up a major geopolitical rift in an escalating space race.’

🗣️ Our MD, Victoria Pearson, argues in Satellite Evolution that the way we talk about space in Europe risks putting off investors:

‘Across the Atlantic, they do things differently. Yes, it’s a generalization; but by and large space communication tends to stress scale, speed, and open competition. We hear about launch cadence, falling costs, private demand, and export markets. Public agencies, likewise, frame space as an industry that can grow, sell services, and attract capital, and isn’t just a tool for national defense. Of course, security matters, but so does growth, trade, and return. The language of space in the United States suggests a real breadth of opportunity, not just control. There is a general climate of sector optimism.

That tells investors two main things. First, that the sector can expand beyond a single state customer. Second, that there will likely be several exit routes over time, whether through trade sales, public markets or secondary deals. In finance, credible exit options reduce perceived risk and lower required returns. The message is clear: security matters, but capital can enter, scale, and leave.’

📡 Satellite operator SES said a missile had struck its teleport in Israel, reports SpaceNews:

‘The Luxembourg-based company said a small portion of the geostationary antenna field was damaged, adding that no injuries were reported and the impact did not affect the main facility at Emek Ha’ela.

“Power, internet connectivity, and all services not dependent on the impacted antennas continue to operate normally,” SES said March 11 via email.

“We activated our business continuity plan and are working closely with customers. Restoration paths are in place, with recovery activities already underway.”

The site is one of 45 teleports worldwide that SES operates to provide gateway connectivity and control for its broadband and TV broadcast satellites in geostationary orbit. It also has nine teleports dedicated to broadband satellites in medium Earth orbit.

SES pointed to “significant back-up and redundancy capabilities” but declined to provide more details about them or the site, which it said is a commercial facility, although it also serves government customers.’

🌍 Culture, not cash, is the biggest obstacle to European rearmament, argues NewSpace Capital Partner Daniel Biedermann in Defense Opinion:

‘The European Space Agency has been behind some outstanding work, but the present geographical return system entails awarding industrial contracts to countries of the same value as that which those countries have paid in. In other words, pay in €100, get €100 back in contracts.

National defense budgets work in the same way, and the rules did not appear by accident. Governments use them to support domestic industry and protect jobs. But incentives drive behavior. So, when money is tied to national return, companies think nationally, lobby nationally and build nationally.

The result is duplication.

Countries across Europe are building similar systems in parallel instead of pooling effort. The Leopard tank is a good example of this. On paper, it’s one platform. In practice, there are many different versions. Why? Because each country modifies it to suit their own requirements and their own industries.’

🇪🇺 Europe must wean itself off American technology, FibreCoat CEO Robert Brüll writes in European Interest:

‘Europe is not poor. With few exceptions, we enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world. But the threat posed to Europe by Russia, the twelfth-largest economy in the world, is clear proof that having a lot of cash, or even being willing to spend a lot, is not the same as being safe and able to deter hostile actors. Here lies Europe’s difficulty. Not only is it dependent on the United States in the abstract, but practically, its systems – systems that are now the backbone of defence – are full of American technology. It’s a commonplace in cybersecurity and software engineering that whoever owns the code, the keys, or the architecture is the ultimate controller of the technology. This means that much European equipment and technology is in fact controlled by the U.S. The U.S. could, on paper, restrict European access to that same technology or withhold the updates it needs to run well. In theory, Europe could instead turn to China for that technology, but that would bring about the same problems and a different kind of dependence.

It would be easy to say that this is so unlikely as not to be worth thinking about. I hope that’s true. But recent years have surely made it clear that the future remains as impossible to foresee as ever. In 2002, the Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan said that arguing against globalisation was like ‘arguing against the law of gravity’; yet the story turned out to be more complicated. After the financial crisis, trade growth stalled, protectionism rose, there was strategic decoupling, and, more recently, a turning-inwards by certain countries. Very little is inevitable in geopolitics, and that’s why Europe mustn’t be complacent.’

🪞 British astronomers are ‘alarmed’ by plans to use space mirrors to light Earth at night, reports ITV:

‘Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director at the RAS, said: “These proposals would not only have a disastrous impact on the science of astronomy, they would also hinder the right of everybody on Earth to enjoy the night sky. That is unacceptable.

“The stars above us are a valued part of human heritage – deploying more than one million exceptionally bright satellites would utterly destroy this and permanently scar the natural landscape.”

According to Reflect Orbital’s website, the company plans to launch 50,000 satellites by 2035, with the first two expected to be launched by the end of the year.’

🚀 And SpaceX will reach 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit after its Falcon 9 launch from California:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🇮🇷 In The Conversation, Anna Marie Brennan argues that commercial space technology is playing an outsized role in the conflict in Iran, and that the law has not caught up with the trend:

‘Images from US companies Planet Labs and Vantor captured smoke billowing over central Tehran and ships burning at the coastal city of Konarak – evidence of strikes on naval bases, airfields and missile sites that global media confirmed within hours.

But space-based technology was not just observing the conflict, it was also a target. US officials said early strikes hit “Iran’s equivalent of Space Command”, undermining Tehran’s ability to coordinate via satellite.

Iran has also used extensive “spoofing” to create false GPS signals to mislead receivers about their true location.

Simultaneously, US Space Command and Cyber Command launched operations to jam, hack and disrupt Iranian software systems, known as “non-kinetic” attacks in the jargon of modern warfare.

Such operations are a kind of “silent sabotage”, disabling communications or corrupting GPS signals without blowing anything up with conventional “kinetic” attacks.

This combination of advanced battlefield tactics and the rapid commercialisation of space technology, as well as the erosion of the old rules-based order in general, means international law is now falling well behind.’

🤝 Energy Aspects, the market data and intelligence provider, has acquired Kayrros, the world leader in energy and environmental intelligence. Kayrros President Antoine Rostand says joining forces with EA marks the start of a ‘decisive new chapter’ for the company:

‘This acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, supports Energy Aspects’ growth strategy and will expand its data and analytics capabilities. It follows the strategic integrations of OilX, INAS and TankWatch, among others. By combining Energy Aspects’ market expertise and analysis with Kayrros’ capabilities in satellite-based monitoring and advanced analytics, the combined group will strengthen its position as a leading source of energy market data and analytics.

Kayrros’ strengths in geospatial proprietary data and machine learning will enhance Energy Aspects’ offering, enabling clients to benefit from more timely, actionable intelligence across the energy value chain. Such earth observation capabilities have proven particularly valuable during periods of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, including recent events in the Middle East, where rapid and unbiased geospatial data is critical for accurate market analysis.’

📡 Satellite operator SES said a missile had struck its teleport in Israel, reports SpaceNews:

‘The Luxembourg-based company said a small portion of the geostationary antenna field was damaged, adding that no injuries were reported and the impact did not affect the main facility at Emek Ha’ela.

“Power, internet connectivity, and all services not dependent on the impacted antennas continue to operate normally,” SES said March 11 via email.

“We activated our business continuity plan and are working closely with customers. Restoration paths are in place, with recovery activities already underway.”

The site is one of 45 teleports worldwide that SES operates to provide gateway connectivity and control for its broadband and TV broadcast satellites in geostationary orbit. It also has nine teleports dedicated to broadband satellites in medium Earth orbit.

SES pointed to “significant back-up and redundancy capabilities” but declined to provide more details about them or the site, which it said is a commercial facility, although it also serves government customers.’

🚀 The EU has ‘a rocket problem’, argues Parliament Magazine:

‘The European Union risks falling further behind in the 21st century space race unless it can rapidly scale up a new generation of low-cost rockets built and launched by the bloc to deliver satellites into orbit.

While Europe remains a global leader in satellite technologies like GPS and environmental monitoring, its rocket launch capacity has been stunted. Between 2023 and 2024, Europe had no independent access to space and was forced to rely on the United States.

Even when available, European rockets account for a sliver of the global market, and the cost of sending objects into space is far higher than with competing, largely U.S., providers.

The gap carries growing strategic and economic risk. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated satellites’ importance for battlefield intelligence and internet connectivity. At the same time, the rapidly expanding space economy is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2034.’

🧾 York Space Systems has acquired satellite propulsion manufacturer Orbion space. SpaceNews reports:

‘The Denver-based satellite manufacturer announced the deal March 12 but did not disclose financial terms. York said the acquisition supports its strategy of building what it called an “integrated space ecosystem” and expanding domestic production capability for spacecraft components.

Orbion, founded about a decade ago and based in Houghton, Michigan, develops electric propulsion systems for small satellites. Its Aurora Hall-effect thruster uses electricity generated by a satellite’s solar panels to accelerate charged particles and produce thrust, allowing spacecraft to maneuver in orbit and maintain position.

With the acquisition, York is bringing that capability in-house as part of a broader effort to control more of its satellite supply chain. The move follows York’s earlier purchase of Atlas Space Operations, a Michigan-based provider of satellite ground network services.

York has emerged as a significant supplier to U.S. national security space programs, particularly the Pentagon’s proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit managed by the Space Development Agency. The company focuses on standardized satellite platforms designed to be produced in larger batches and at lower cost than traditional custom-built spacecraft.’

⛓️‍💥 The Airbus-Leonardo-Thales mega-merger has hit a snag, the Wall Street Journal reports.

‘The merger is facing pushback from some rivals that fear the deal could curtail competition in the European satellite market.

Marco Fuchs, chief executive of German satellite maker OHB OHB -1.53%decrease; red down pointing triangle, said he is concerned about the deal’s potential impact on European consortia formed to bid for European Union and European Space Agency contracts.

Indra Space, a subsidiary of Spain’s Indra Sistemas IDR -1.89%decrease; red down pointing triangle, also opposes the merger, two people familiar with the matter said.’

🚀 And Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket reached orbit on its first launch after a series of explosive setbacks:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space. This week, we’re at Space-Comm Expo in London.

🛰️ Payload reports that space played a critical role in the early stages of Operation Epic Fury, according to the Pentagon’s top general:

‘Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said Monday that US Space Command used “non-kinetic effects” to disrupt Iran’s infrastructure in space, hindering their ability to operate in the first hours of the conflict, which began on Feb. 28.

“The first movers were USCYBERCOM and USSPACECOM,” Caine said at a press conference. “Coordinated space and cyber operations effectively disrupted communications and sensor networks across the area of responsibility, leaving the adversary without the ability to see, coordinate, or respond effectively.”

The remarks prove that space is no longer a nice-to-have capability in conflict, as everything from comms to intel collection to navigation can be disabled if adversaries target space assets. While this isn’t the first military conflict to extend to (or begin) in space, it is a real-world demonstration showing why maintaining eyes in orbit during conflict is critical to military success.

While Iran may have been blinded in orbit, commercial space assets are giving the public a view of the conflict from the ultimate high ground. Imagery from companies, including Vantor and Planet Labs, has shown the result of the US and Israeli strikes. ‘

⚠️ Washington will retaliate if Europe imposes measures that favour its own satellite companies over American ones, the head of the United States’ communications regulator has said. POLITICO reports:

‘The U.S. will not hesitate to push European satellite firms out of the American market if it finds that Europe is doing the same, the Federal Communications Commission chairman warned EU officials.

“We just want to make sure that every satellite operator gets a fair shake in Europe,” Carr said in an interview on Tuesday at a major telecom conference in Barcelona. “If Europe wants to go in a different direction, there are European satellite operators that do business in America and we’ll mirror the regulatory approach that Europe wants to take.

“Europe really needs growth, Europe needs security. I think for Europe to achieve its goals on growth and security, it’s important to be a good partner of U.S.-based businesses,” he said.’

🤖 AI fakes are turning satellite images into war misinformation, reports the FT:

‘Satellite imagery that appears to have been either generated or modified with AI was shared widely on social media at the weekend, highlighting the dangers of the technology as a potential vehicle for misinformation in wartime.

An image circulated on X — including in a post from the official account of the Iranian newspaper the Tehran Times — shows a satellite image claiming to depict damage to an American radar system in Qatar following an Iranian drone strike.

FT analysis reveals it to be an AI-altered image of an area in Bahrain. Videos verified by the FT show several strikes near the radar system, and satellite imagery captured by Planet Labs on March 1 confirms that the site has been damaged.

But the image of the destroyed radar features signs of manipulation: vehicles that appeared in the “before” photo taken more than a year ago remain in the same position, the shadows fall at exactly the same angle as in the earlier image, and parts of the building’s structure have been altered. Historical satellite imagery shows no structural changes to the site in many years..’

⚡️ Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, is preparing to enter one of the most hotly contested arenas in the space industry: global broadband from low Earth orbit. SpaceNews reports:

‘In a regulatory filing that caught many in the industry off guard, Blue Origin set forth plans for a network called TeraWave comprising more than 5,000 LEO satellites, paired with a medium Earth orbit (MEO) layer to deliver up to 6 terabits per second in point-to-point ground links.

The plan marks a sharp expansion for Blue Origin, which has until now focused on developing rockets, lunar landers and an in-space mobility vehicle platform called Blue Ring.

It’s an ambitious program that raises immediate questions about whether launch capacity and the required technology will be ready at scale on Blue Origin’s timeline.

The LEO satellites would use higher-frequency spectrum than rivals, making those links more susceptible to atmospheric interference, while the blistering speeds being promised from MEO hinge on emerging optical space-to-ground technology.’

🚀 Putting data centres in space, recently derided by OpenAI’s Sam Altman as ‘ridiculous’, are ‘less crazy than you think’, says the Economist:

‘If SpaceX’s new Starship rocket starts working, launch costs could fall fast. Because Starship is designed to be fully reusable, the price of sending a kilogram into orbit could drop to $100-200, says Mr Johnston. (The actual cost to SpaceX would be much less; possibly as low as $20/kg.) Put a launch price of $200/kg into Mr McCalip’s calculator, and the cost of the 1GW orbital data centre drops to $12.1bn—less than the terrestrial one. The idea, in short, may not be quite as crazy as it looks.

Another unknown is cooling. Starcloud’s initial satellite could not run its GPU around the clock because (as expected) it got too hot. The firm plans to launch a second test satellite, Starcloud-2, this year to evaluate its design for an unfolding radiator, to provide cooling. Mr Johnston says it will be “the largest commercial deployable radiator in space”, second in size only to the radiator on the International Space Station, but providing ten times as much heat dissipation per kilogram. Starcloud’s cost estimates assume that this radiator will work as planned.

Other assumptions may be too pessimistic. For one, Mr McCalip’s calculator assumes that as many as 9% of GPUs launched into orbit will fail every year. But one lesson from Starcloud-1, says Mr Johnston, is that “GPUs work better in space than we had expected”. He is reluctant to share the exact figures. But if only 5% of GPUs fail each year, fewer satellites would be needed, and the cost of the orbital data centre would drop to $11.1bn.’

📈 NewSpace Capital’s Bogdan Gogulan, CEO of the world’s first private equity firm focused exclusively on growth-stage space companies, sat down with Calibre Defence to explain how his team approach investment, and why in space there lies a vast opportunity for investors:

‘Space is a vast market. In 2024, the global space economy hit a record $613 billion, according to the Space Report. McKinsey estimates that by 2035, it will reach $1.8 trillion. So its current period of growth doesn’t look like it’s slowing down any time soon. “Space has been growing at 10 to 15% per year,” Bogdan says, adding that the engine for that growth has been the private sector. This is a real change: space used to be for the military; governments were the ones with budgets for rockets and satellites. (Incidentally, one of the global hubs for commercial space is Luxembourg, where NewSpace Capital was founded.)

In the beginning, the biggest challenge for private players related to launch. … Now, there are thousands of operational satellites in orbit, and space is a ubiquitous feature of modern life. Most of us don’t realise quite how fundamental space infrastructure is to the way we live and work. Bogdan uses the financial system as an example. “The timing of all modern financial trades happens based on the atomic clock that is orbiting in space,” he says. “Every trade relies on knowing this time and the communications have to be timed and then reconciled. That happens using the space-based clock. The modern financial system wouldn’t work without space.” Nor would apps like Uber, he adds.’

🛢️ The Gulf’s biggest oil producers are facing a race against time to resume exports before their storage tanks fill up, reports the FT, citing data from energy and environmental intelligence company Kayrros:

‘Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has the most extensive storage in the region, but satellite imagery suggests that some facilities are becoming stretched. Antoine Halff, co-founder of satellite imaging company Kayrros, said Saudi Arabia’s Juaymah terminal, one of the largest storage complexes in the Gulf, was “quickly running out of spare capacity”.

He added: “Storage at the Ras Tanura refinery which was hit by drones was filling up too: four crude tanks out of six were already full.”

Richard Bronze, head of geopolitical analysis at consultancy Energy Aspects, said Saudi Arabia’s buffer was likely to last longer than those of its neighbours. In addition to domestic storage, the kingdom can divert several million barrels a day through its east-west pipeline to a Red Sea terminal, bypassing Hormuz. That could give Riyadh three to four weeks before it needs to trim production, he said.’

😔 And lastly, Japanese start-up Space One has failed to put a satellite in orbit for the third time:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🌙 Nasa has said that the 6th March launch day for its long-awaited Artemis II mission to the moon is now ‘out of consideration’. The BBC reports:

‘Four astronauts are preparing to be sent on the 10-day trip to the far side of the Moon and back, marking humanity’s furthest ever journey into space.

Isaacman said he understood “that people are disappointed by this development”, after almost 50-hours of checks on Thursday revealed no faults.

The agency felt almost certain that its “wet rehearsal” had been a success, leading the team to announce that the launch could take place as soon as 6 March.

But overnight on Friday, engineers observed an interruption in the flow of helium required for launch operations.

Disruption to helium, which is used to pressurise fuel tanks and cool rocket systems, is treated as a serious technical issue, according to Nasa.

The test was the scientists’ second attempt at a practice run at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, having fixed earlier issues with filters and seals that had led to hydrogen leaks..’

☀️ Could Britain harness the sun’s energy from space? asks the FT:

‘.. The quest continues for non-intermittent sources of low-carbon power — and one idea gaining traction is to launch solar panels into space, where they can harvest almost constant sunlight and beam electricity back to Earth (as microwave radiation).

As with many emerging technologies, there is a debate between those who think space-based solar power is humanity’s great hope and those who believe we’d be better off pouring resources into developing traditional wind, solar and batteries for storage.

But interest has gathered pace in recent years thanks to reductions in the costs of both making and launching satellites to host the solar panels. Companies such as Space Solar, based in Oxford, England, are working on the technology as well as governments.  

The latest contribution to the debate comes via a report from Frazer-Nash Consultancy, in partnership with Space Solar and Imperial College London, looking at whether it would be more viable to launch smaller projects, given the costs and technical prowess required.’

🛰️ Forbes wonders why satellites are ‘suddenly everywhere’:

‘In the United States, satellite connectivity has now featured in Super Bowl advertising for two consecutive years, which is notable, given that 30-second spots can cost upwards of $8 million and reach more than 100 million viewers. Last year, major telecom providers highlighted direct-to-device messaging designed to extend coverage beyond the traditional footprint of cellular networks, from rural highways to backcountry trails. This year, the focus shifted to everyday connectivity: broadband at home and Wi-Fi on commercial flights.

At the same time, new constellations continue to be announced, so-called “legacy” operators are expanding capacity and governments outside the U.S. are backing satellite networks designed to compete on a global scale. Headlines about adjacent space developments — from in-orbit services to more ambitious infrastructure concepts like space-based data processing — only deepen the sense that connectivity will be central to whatever comes next.

What appears sudden is largely the result of trends unfolding for years. Launch costs have dropped. Satellites are cheaper and faster to manufacture. Growing capacity in orbit gives operators more flexibility in how they structure and sell service, including leasing access rather than owning the entire value chain.

Satellite technology has advanced as well. Higher-capacity payloads and denser constellations have reduced latency and increased throughput, allowing satellite networks to compete more directly with terrestrial systems in mainstream use cases. At the same time, improvements in antenna design, beam steering and network architecture have expanded coverage and reliability in places that were previously difficult or uneconomical to serve. What was once a niche solution for areas with no alternative can now support applications ranging from home broadband to enterprise resilience.’

🤖 Martin Halliwell, Partner at NewSpace Capital, explores the role that artificial intelligence is playing in the new space race. He writes for EU-Startups:

‘The global zeal for artificial intelligence has been so wildly out of proportion with the reality of what it can actually do that a theorised AI bubble has spawned its own Wikipedia page. But AI does, of course, have its uses, and it has already made a difference in a large number of sectors. Space is one of them.

Satellites need to detect patterns, update plans in close to real time, and adjust behaviour within an environment that is partly structured. This has all the hallmarks of a classic AI use case. Applied to capacity management, AI could decide who gets bandwidth, when, and for how long. In contested settings, this matters a great deal. It can also improve resilience, since automated systems can keep networks running even when links are degraded or operators are overloaded.’

🤣 Sam Altman has called Elon Musk’s plan to install data centres in space ‘ridiculous’, reports the India News Network:

‘During the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Altman expressed his thoughts on the feasibility of launching data centres into orbit. “Putting data centres in space with the current landscape is ridiculous,” he stated in an interview with the Indian Express. He elaborated that the current economic and technical challenges posed by launch costs and the difficulty of addressing issues with components, such as graphic processing units (GPUs), make such initiatives unrealistic within the decade.

Nevertheless, Altman acknowledged a future potential for orbital data centres, noting, “We’re not there yet.”

These remarks come as Musk has been advocating for the establishment of data centres in space. At the World Economic Forum in Davos this January, Musk claimed, “The lowest-cost place to put AI will be in space, and that will be true within two years, maybe three at the latest.” His ambitions regarding this initiative were highlighted at an all-hands meeting of xAI in December, where he foresees the involvement of Tesla’s Optimus robot in managing orbital data centres.’

⚠️ With satellites proliferating, Earth’s orbit is on track for a ‘catastrophe’ claim Gregory Radisic and Samantha Lawler in The Conversation:

‘At this scale of growth, the night sky will change permanently and globally for generations to come.

Satellites in low Earth orbit reflect sunlight for about two hours after sunset and before sunrise. Despite engineering efforts to make them less bright, truck-sized satellites from many megaconstellations look like moving points in the night sky. Projections show future satellites will significantly increase this light pollution.

In 2021, astronomers estimated that in less than a decade, 1 in every 15 points of light in the night sky would be a moving satellite. That estimate only included the 65,000 megaconstellation satellites proposed at the time.

Once deployed at a scale of millions, the impacts on the night sky may not be easily reversed.

While the average satellite only lasts about five years, companies design these megaconstellations for nearly continuous replacement and expansion. This locks in a continuous, industrialised presence in the night sky..’

🛜 Jeff Huggins, President of Cailabs, US, warns that GPS is under attack – but that powerful alternatives exist. He writes for Photonics Spectra:

‘Lasercoms’ credibility stems from its resilience to jamming, spoofing, and interference, which is intrinsic to the technology. Plainly, lasing bypasses the transmission of data as radio waves. And, because of the way light propagates — as a narrow, focused beam — anyone who wanted to jam it would need to be positioned exactly in its path. For all intents and purposes this is extremely difficult to achieve. Spoofing is even more difficult to achieve: The physics of laser propagation make mimicking a coherent optical signal in real time nearly impossible.

The advantages go beyond security. Optical satellite links, as readers of this column will know, have already demonstrated data rates many times higher than those of conventional radio systems. An optical ground station can move gigabits of data per second.

In short, lasercoms could provide a robust, interference-resistant communication method that is also ultra high-speed.

The additional benefit of lasercoms is its alignment with the overall purpose of GPS: accurate position, navigation, and timing (PNT). The physics of laser beams means they can precisely confirm the position of a given satellite. Simple geometry that makes use of the known position of the optical ground station, the tight laser beam a few meters in circumference, and the angle and altitude of the satellite each offer assurance that the location of the broadcasting GPS satellite is accurate.’

👩‍💼 Via Satellite have released their annual list of the women making a different in the satellite industry:

‘2026 marks the fifth anniversary of Celebrating Women in Satellite, which has now commemorated more than 175 women in the space and satellite industry. This year’s feature honors women in roles that span across the space and satellite industry — from propulsion technology, user terminal development, satellite licensing, satellite data exploitation, to workforce development, project management, and marketing. We are also honored this feature has reached readers around the world, and highlights women from five continents.

🇨🇳 China is building the high-tech backbone of African space. The South China Morning Post reports:

‘Bulelani Jili, an assistant professor at Georgetown University in Washington, said Beijing’s strategy was about “strategic presence and technical lock-in”, as ground stations, data-receiving facilities and navigation infrastructure – often compatible with China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system – created technical dependence.

Consequently, he said, China could “become the default partner for maintenance, upgrades, training and bandwidth, making alternatives operationally and financially costly”.

He noted that “gifting” space infrastructure was a form of soft power.

“By delivering visible symbols of partnership, such projects generate political capital while embedding long-term ties with defence, telecommunications and science ministries,” Jili said.’

👽 And finally, United States Secretary of War was asked if aliens exist. He equivocated.

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

❄️ The US and EU are ‘still in the same boat’ with respect to the ‘Cold Space War’, argues EuroNews.

‘Although the EU and the US might certainly seem as being oceans apart politically, having reached a point of no return, space and satellite connectivity show that the continents are still very much interdependent, while the traditional geopolitical adversaries are slowly but surely moving forward.

SpaceX / Starlink relies on EU Member States’ spectrum licences, as well as on regulatory requirements for satellite activity in (and above) Europe.

The incoming EU Space Act’s new requirements could be very costly for SpaceX, as could the Digital Networks Act’s provision for EU-wide satellite licensing, if it’s later weaponised against non-European companies. With 9 million users globally, SpaceX certainly sees Europe as a lucrative market, but a very difficult one.

As far as Europeans are concerned, in the event of any major security force majeure, Europe may still need to rely on Starlink. While Europe keeps investing in its own satellite communications capabilities, it would still take many years, and major investment, to reach efficiency and commercial success comparable to Starlink. Ukraine’s example shows that connectivity is needed fast and at scale, for both civil and military purposes.’

⛓️‍💥 Scottish rocket maker Orbex has collapsed after takeover talks with European space start-up The Exploration Company ended in failure. The FT reports:

‘The takeover talks with TEC collapsed after the European group failed to win UK government funding for its high-thrust rocket engine programme, according to two people close to the situation. 

Orbex’s demise with debts of £49mn deals a blow to the UK’s ambitions to see a British rocket launch from a domestic spaceport. 

The company, valued at $220mn in a 2022 fundraising, was one of just two rocket makers that had been backed by the UK government in recent years as part of its aim to be the first country to launch a commercial satellite into orbit from western Europe.  

However, years of delays in the development of its launcher left a growing gap in Orbex’s finances, despite two injections totalling £26mn by the UK last year.’

🤔 Launch companies are debating how to compete with SpaceX in a market where demand outstrips supply, yet customers remain price sensitive. SpaceNews reports:

‘During a panel at the SmallSat Symposium on Feb. 11, executives from several launch companies acknowledged the challenge of competing with SpaceX, which accounted for about half of all orbital launches globally in 2025, despite strong customer demand for launch services.

The issue is particularly acute for small launch vehicle developers, who have struggled to compete on price with SpaceX’s rideshare program.

“If your idea is to go into the market competing with SpaceX on price, you’re probably not in a good competitive position,” said Brian Rogers, vice president of global launch services at Rocket Lab, one of the few small launch vehicle developers to thrive despite competition from SpaceX.

“You have to have a different market entry strategy,” he said, competing on factors other than price. “You have to be able to differentiate yourself.”

Daniele Dallari, sales manager at PLD Space, a Spanish small launch vehicle developer, agreed. He said the company believed its prices were “very competitive” but acknowledged it could not compete on price alone.

“It’s the services that we provide, not just the price. That’s dedicated launch and quick response to customer needs,” he said.’

🛡️ Europe’s IRIS² must prioritise resilience, writes Dr Robert Brüll, CEO of FibreCoat, and Martin Halliwell, Partner at NewSpace Capital, for Aerospace Global News:

‘The brutal reality is that any system developer or operator who assumes space is the benign environment it once was is already on the way to making their work obsolete.

So we’re forced to wonder why so much of the public conversation around IRIS² still centres on coverage maps, industrial return, and institutional ownership. Of course, these matter; but do they address the central question? Will the system still work when someone is actively attempting to bring it down?

We know how satellites can be attacked. Hostile actors can jam radio frequencies and overwhelm signals; they can hack into and corrupt control systems on the ground; they can mislead users through spoofing; and – the brute force option – they can directly damage or destroy spacecraft.

Hence, a constellation designed primarily with coverage and sending a political signal in mind risks failing to succeed on its own terms.’

🤝 AXA Digital Commercial Platform and Planet have formed a partnership to track and predict natural disasters like never before. Via Satellite reports:

‘AXA Digital Commercial Platform (AXA DCP), a new arm of AXA, will use Planet’s high- and medium-resolution satellites and its high-frequency basemaps, refreshed almost daily, to inform its clients about catastrophes like floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. The companies announced the deal on Feb. 12.

“At a time like this, we are looking to strike deals with those companies that can provide us the high-quality climate intelligence we need to better understand and respond rapidly to such events and, to the degree that it is possible, foresee them and enable our clients to take preventative or evasive measures,” AXA DCP CEO Pierre du Rostu said in a release.

Planet said its data is essential for insurance companies to build predictive models and analyze risk more efficiently.

As climate change intensifies, damages from natural disasters are on the rise. There were 28 and 27 natural disasters in the United States with damages exceeding $1 billion in 2023 and 2024 respectively, up from an average of 9 disasters for all years from 1980 to 2024, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.’

🔋 The Washington Post reports that wireless power transmission from space, ‘once science fiction’, could soon be a reality.

‘First proposed in the late 1960s by aerospace engineer Peter E. Glaser but dismissed as science fiction, the concept of space-based solar power is now being tested in the real world. Wireless power transmission has been demonstrated experimentally for decades, and related technologies have been used safely in satellite communications for even longer. What has changed is precision: Modern systems can steer, shape and monitor beams continuously, with safeguards that reduce or shut down transmission if they stray outside defined limits.

The primary appeal of space-based solar power lies in what it could offer Earth. Operating above the atmosphere, it can deliver continuous electricity unaffected by night, weather or seasonal variation, a rare attribute as power grids become increasingly dependent on intermittent renewable sources. Because it is not tied to geography or fuel supply chains, it could provide reliable energy to regions that struggle to generate or transport power locally, including disaster areas that would otherwise face power outages. And by moving large-scale energy collection off-planet, it offers the possibility of meeting growing energy demand while easing pressure on land and ecosystems at home.’

👽 Barack Obama believes aliens are real – but insists he hasn’t seen any. The Times reports:

‘In an interview with the progressive podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked whether he believed extraterrestrial life existed.

“They’re real,” he said. “But I haven’t seen them. They’re not being kept at Area 51. There’s no underground facility — unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

Area 51 refers to a classified US air force facility at Groom Lake in southern Nevada. The secrecy surrounding its use has made it a favourite target of conspiracy theorists speculating on the existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life.

Obama was not asked a follow-up question on the issue by Cohen, an omission widely criticised given the striking nature of the former president’s claim. Instead, Cohen asked what the first question Obama wanted answered was when he entered the White House. “Where are the aliens?” Obama joked in response.’

🧑‍🚀 Four new astronauts arrived via a SpaceX rocket at the International Space Station, writes The Guardian:

‘SpaceX delivered the US, French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.

Last month’s medical evacuation was Nasa’s first in 65 years of human spaceflight. One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their hasty return. That left only three crew members to keep the place running – one American and two Russians – prompting Nasa to pause spacewalks and trim research.

Moving in for eight to nine months are Nasa’s Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot, and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev. Meir, a marine biologist, and Fedyaev, a former military pilot, have visited the ISS before. During her first space station visit in 2019, Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk..’

📸 Simera Sense is building higher-resolution cameras for bigger satellites, as SpaceNews reports:

‘After attracting cubesat customers, Belgium-based Simera Sense is developing higher-resolution optical payloads for larger satellites.

To date, Simera Sense customers have sent more than 50 xScape100 and xScape200 cameras into orbit. Most have flown on cubesats ranging in size from 6u to 16u.

For larger satellites, Simera Sense is developing standardized optical payloads to provide imagery with a ground sample distance of less than one meter. The first deliveries of the new payloads are expected in 2028.

“Demand for sub one-meter imagery is growing,” Thys Cronje, Simera Sense chief commercial officer, told SpaceNews at the SmallSat Symposium. “People want to see more detail on the ground.”’

🇪🇺 And the BBC has published a report that looks inside Europe’s space race:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🛰️ Elon Musk, the man who said he would take humanity to Mars (among other things), is now looking closer to home. The Times reports that the SpaceX founder now aims to build a ‘self-growing city’ on the Moon:

‘The founder of the SpaceX company said in 2018 that humans must create a “self-sustaining base on Mars” in case an apocalyptic war broke out on our own planet. He told the SXSW festival eight years ago that the red planet was “far enough away from Earth that it’s more likely to survive than a moon base”.

Musk, the world’s richest man, has now reset his plans, looking not at Mars, which sits 140 million miles from Earth on average, but at the moon, about a quarter of a million miles away.

He posted on X that SpaceX has “shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than ten years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years”.

He added: “The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars.”

The billionaire said that he had not entirely abandoned his hopes of creating a Martian settlement, explaining: “It is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months (six-month trip time), whereas we can launch to the Moon every 10 days (2-day trip time). This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city.’

🛰️ MoneyWeek has made the commercial boom in space its cover story for this month. Companies in the sector ‘now find themselves in the midst of a gold rush, with everyone from defence agencies to some of the largest private firms in the world beating at their door’:

‘The main reason for the boom in the private space industry is that it is now easier to get into space due to the rise of private firms that make frequent flights using reusable technology and at lower cost, says Heather Pringle, former commander of the US Air Force Research Laboratory, and current CEO of Space Foundation.

“No fewer than three major companies – SpaceX, Blue Origin and Rocket Lab – have established their own capabilities to launch, deliver payloads, have their launch vehicles re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, be recovered and be reused to launch again.”

The existence of reusable rockets in particular has been a “game changer” for the industry in terms of cost savings, says Pringle. “What the US space shuttle used to carry for $30,000 per pound in weight (or more) can now be put into low Earth orbit for $3,000 a pound (if not less).”

The development of cheap, reusable rockets has also had a “dramatic impact” in terms of launch speed and frequency. In 2024, a rocket was launched somewhere in the world every 34 hours. That rate was up to every 27 hours in 2025. These trends show no signs of slowing down, says Pringle. Indeed, they will accelerate in the years ahead.’

🇨🇳 Universe Today explores China’s ‘space philosophy’ following the government’s release of its fifteenth five-year plan:

‘Perhaps the most culturally significant part of the announcement is the country’s plans for Tiangong Kaiwu, its space mining project. Named after a foundational 17th century Ming Dynasty Encyclopedia, and roughly translated as “The Exploitation of the Works for Nature,” this project is focused on mining water ice from resources in space.

Most western space mining firms are concentrating on bringing back rare materials, such as platinum and palladium, to Earth as part of their space mining efforts. China, on the other hand, sees the potential for harvesting water, both as a source of biological necessity, but also as a way to split it into rocket fuel. The current plan is focused on feasibility studies, with the next 5 years focused on tech demos of things like robot drills and in-orbit processing, with the intention to scale up to full industrial mining at some point in the not-too-distant future.’

🪖 In Foreign Policy, Azriel Bermant questions the idea that missile defence systems really are purely defensive:

‘As the United States deploys anti-missile batteries to the Middle East as part of its force buildup in the region, the idea that these systems are a purely defensive means to shield against attacks—and thereby deter an adversary from attacking in the first place—is looking increasingly unconvincing.

‘Instead, the current round of conflict in the Middle East suggests the opposite: A reliable anti-missile shield could just as well create an incentive for escalation. If policymakers believe that their state is secure behind the shield, they may calculate that their own offensive military actions carry significantly lower risk.’

😕 A year in, Trump’s golden dome is ‘struggling to take shape’, reports POLITICO:

‘President Donald Trump promised the country a stunning missile defense shield that the military would build in record speed.

One year and billions of dollars later, his “Golden Dome” dream is no closer to reality.

The Pentagon hasn’t started rolling out the vast network of sensors and interceptors because — partly due to the project’s complexity — the White House has yet to release the billions Congress appropriated to build the architecture. And that means the defense industry hasn’t been able to start working in earnest, according to two industry insiders and two former defense officials.

“The whole thing is at risk,” a former senior Pentagon official said.

The people warned that Trump’s desire to create such a Herculean feat in three years has been further hampered by inconsistent communication to industry. And they noted some of the technological and logistical hurdles facing the program are likely insurmountable.

Space-based interceptors, for example, are a centerpiece of Trump’s original plan. The complex equipment is intended to destroy missiles just a few minutes after launch, but that narrow time frame is very difficult to hit. And even if the U.S. could build a reliable launch detection and interceptor network, ground-based missiles are much cheaper to manufacture. So an adversary could flood the skies with relatively low-cost missiles and easily overwhelm them.’

📉 In Monocle, Alexis Self describes Europe as beginning ‘a century of humiliation’:

‘While European countries have woken up to the need to wield more military influence in a volatile world, they still appear sheepish about flexing their economic muscle. Such blinkeredness is reflected in the bloc’s inability to see through structural weaknesses in order to rekindle its economic dynamism. As European living standards and GDP per capita continue to decline, a new co-ordinated industrial policy is needed in order to, for example, increase labour market flexibility across the continent. …

The continent should also take better advantage of its trustworthiness to form deeper bonds with those countries still committed to a rules-based order. In a world of sharks, in which a deal is worth no more than the paper it is written on, a commitment to process need not be a disadvantage. We recently saw with the signing of the massive EU-India trade deal that rising powers, who have staked their futures on better integration into the global economic system, are looking for dependable partners. China has recognised this and is busy selling itself as a squeaky-clean follower of trade rules but its opaque political and economic structure means that it can never be fully trusted when it comes to doing business.’

📱 TechRound considers the significance of NASA’s decision to let astronauts take smartphones into space:

‘But there’s more happening here than just fun visuals or a publicity moment.

What NASA is actually doing reflects a broader shift in how space agencies are thinking about cost, technology and what tools are considered good enough for real missions.

Starting with the Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station and extending to the Artemis II lunar flyby mission, NASA will allow astronauts to bring modern smartphones – both iPhone and Android devices to allow the biggest feud of the digital age to extend into space – on missions previously reserved for highly specialised hardware.

According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, this decision gives crews better tools for capturing moments and sharing them with the world, but it also represents a qualified shift in how consumer technology can be incorporated into spaceflight systems.’

🛰️ In SpaceNews, Jeff Foust explores the emerging market for ‘mini-constellations’:

‘During a panel at the SmallSat Symposium here Feb. 10, executives from several smallsat manufacturers described demand for “mini-constellations” of dozens to a few hundred satellites for governments and companies that do not want to rely exclusively on megaconstellations such as Starlink.

“There’s definitely a market in large constellations, and a couple of companies are working hard to achieve that, but there’s a lot of value also in what we call mini-constellations with five, 10 or 20 satellites,” said Jan Smolders, chief commercial officer at Space Inventor, a Danish small-satellite manufacturer.

Those constellations could provide specialized services for customers that are not available from existing systems or that could be delivered more effectively through customized designs. “That’s something that we see and are working on,” he said.

Rusty Thomas, chief executive of Endurosat USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Bulgarian small-satellite manufacturer EnduroSat, said he expects interest from companies and governments that may not want to rely on another company’s large constellation for critical communications or other services.’

🚀 And Ariane 64, Europe’s most powerful rocket, is preparing for blast-off:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🛰️ The BBC reports that Elon Musk, everyone’s favourite genius engineer, pantomime villain or both, wants to put a million satellites in space in order to meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence:

‘The application claims “orbital data centres” are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.

Traditionally, such centres are large warehouses full of powerful computers that process and store data. Musk’s aerospace firm claims processing needs due to the expanding use of AI are already outpacing “terrestrial capabilities”.

It would increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit drastically. Its existing Starlink network of nearly 10,000 satellites has already been accused of creating congestion in space, which Musk denies.

The new network could comprise up to one million solar-powered satellites, according to the application filed on Friday with the US Federal Communications Commission - which does not specify a timeline for the plan.’

💰 CesiumAstro has raised $270 million in a Series C investment round led by Trousdale Ventures, and including NewSpace Capital, Toyota growth fund Woven Capital, Janus Henderson Group, Airbus Ventures, the Development Bank of Japan, and MESH Ventures. SpaceNews reports:

‘CesiumAstro was founded in 2017 to produce and sell CesiumAstro software-defined phased-array communications components. In recent years, the company has extended its product line to include integrated phased-array communications payloads as well as Element, a multi-beam active phased-array satellite. With the latest financing, CesiumAstro will begin full-rate production of components and subsystems.

“Engineering is easy. Mass-manufacturing is way harder,” said Phillip Sarofim, Trousdale Ventures founder. “With this round, CesiumAstro goes from a low-rate innovator to a high-capacity industrial powerhouse.”’

⚠ Readers of this newsletter will know what ‘space junk’ is. Still, this piece from The Telegraph, which warns of the dangers of debris, is worth a read:

‘For much of Friday, it was feared the 7.5-tonne upper stage of a Zhuque-3 reusable rocket could land on northern England or Scotland after making an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

On Friday afternoon, the rocket was reported to have landed without incident in the Pacific, splashing down around 1,200 miles south-east of New Zealand.

However, on Thursday night, the UK Government was concerned enough to make sure mobile networks were primed to send out emergency messages warning residents of incoming danger. It would have been the first time such an alarm was issued …

Usually, space debris is too small or fragile to survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and burns up, while larger, hardier fragments often splash down in watery or uninhabited areas.

However, Zhuque-3’s trajectory – 57 degrees relative to the Earth’s equatorial plane – meant it flew over densely populated areas.’

🇸🇬 With global investment in space surging, Singapore has established a national space agency. TechRepublic reports:

‘The government will set its national space agency in motion on Apr. 1, as it looks to ride a wave of investment pouring into the rapidly expanding global space economy.

The announcement was made yesterday (Feb. 2) at the inaugural Space Summit at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, and officials said the new agency is meant to give the city-state a more coordinated approach to what is becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing technology sectors.

The National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) will sit under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which said the agency will oversee the development and operation of Singapore’s space capabilities while also establishing legislation and regulations to support innovation, safety, and commercial growth in the sector. …

For Singapore, this could be an opportunity to fill a niche by building on its existing strengths. After all, its strengths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace engineering, microelectronics, precision engineering, and AI give it a good chance of competing in high-value parts of the space economy, even without domestic launch facilities.’

🤝 More Elon. SpaceX and xAI will merge to make world’s most valuable private company. Reuters reports:

‘Elon Musk said on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial-intelligence startup xAI in a record-setting deal that unifies Musk’s AI and space ambitions by combining the rocket-and-satellite company with the maker of the Grok chatbot.

The deal, first reported by Reuters last week, represents one of the most ambitious tie-ups in the technology sector yet, combining a space-and-defense contractor with a fast-growing AI developer whose costs are largely driven by chips, data centers and energy.

It could also bolster SpaceX’s data-center ambitions as Musk competes with rivals like Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, Meta (META.O), opens new tab, Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab-backed Anthropic and OpenAI in the AI sector.’

✅ NASA concluded a wet dress rehearsal for the agency’s Artemis II test flight early Tuesday morning, loading cryogenic propellant into the Space Launch System tanks, sending a team out to the launch pad, and safely draining the rocket. In their own words:

‘Engineers pushed through several challenges during the two-day test and met many of the planned objectives. To allow teams to review data and conduct a second wet dress rehearsal, NASA now will target March as the earliest possible launch opportunity for the flight test.

Moving off a February launch window also means the Artemis II astronauts will be released from quarantine, which they entered in Houston on Jan. 21. As a result, they will not travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday as tentatively planned. Crew will enter quarantine again about two weeks out from the next targeted launch opportunity.

NASA began the approximately 49-hour countdown at 8:13 p.m. EST on Jan. 31. Leading up to, and throughout tanking operations on Feb. 2, engineers monitored how cold weather at Kennedy impacted systems and put procedures in place to keep hardware safe. Cold temperatures caused a late start to tanking operations, as it took time to bring some interfaces to acceptable temperatures before propellant loading operations began.’  

🚀 And here is NASA fuelling its SLS rocket:

Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of The View from Space.

🛰️ Donald Trump’s threats to western allies are fuelling concern in parts of the UK government about London’s reliance on Washington for defence, with a multibillion-pound contract to build the next-generation military satellites set to become a key flashpoint.. The FT reports:

‘‘Questions are growing in Whitehall about the wisdom of awarding the SkyNet 6 programme to American defence giant Lockheed Martin at a time when the US administration is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Trump’s threats over Greenland and rhetoric undermining Nato troops’ efforts in Afghanistan have intensified the debate. Lockheed Martin is vying for the satellite contract in competition with European aerospace and defence group Airbus, which has overseen the UK’s existing space programme for more than 25 years.

Some UK officials are now questioning whether Britain should rely on a US-headquartered company for such a crucial military capability, according to people familiar with the matter.’

🚀 It has been 40 years since the Challenger disaster. The Washington Post considers what we can learn from the tragedy:

‘The belief that there are still lessons to learn from the disaster is what led Russell last year to take an extraordinary step that, until now, has received no public notice. He visited NASA centers across the country, telling the Challenger story in hopes that similar mistakes will not occur as the space agency prepares to launch four astronauts on Artemis II, which is scheduled to fly by the moon as soon as February.

The lesson of Challenger is not just about the O-rings that failed. For Russell and colleagues who accompanied him on the NASA tour, understanding the human causes behind the Challenger disaster provides still-crucial lessons about managers who fail to heed the warnings of their own experts. Russell made his tour to make sure NASA officials “heard it from us, and heard the emotional impact that we felt.’

🪵 Wood has entered the space age, reports The Economist:

‘Wood has several advantages over metal alloys as a satellite material. One is to reduce the amount of metal vaporising when satellites burn up on re-entry. In 2023 some 290 tonnes of space junk fell into the atmosphere. A study published that year found a tenth of the stratospheric sulphuric-acid particles it sampled contained such metal.

How much that matters, if at all, is unclear. But some people fear a build-up of metals at altitude will trigger chemical reactions which might, for instance, destroy ozone, a form of oxygen that absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation. And build up they surely will. One forecast suggests that, by 2035, more than 2,800 tonnes of space junk a year will fall from orbit….

Wood has another advantage. Regulators are tightening the “design for demise” rules, intended to stop chunks of falling spacecraft reaching the ground. Satellites weighing more than about 300kg usually need special guidance systems to comply with these rules by ensuring controlled re-entry into a deserted part of the ocean. Dr Sakraker’s team think incorporating wood, which would burn up in the atmosphere, might permit spacecraft weighing up to a tonne to duck that additional cost and re-enter uncontrolled.’

📡 The next space race will be won on the ground, argues NewSpace Capital Partner Martin Halliwell in Satellite Today:

‘For most of the history of the industry, satellites were designed to endure. They were capital assets, built to sit in orbit for decades, and updated only when fuel ran low or the next generation of hardware finally justified the expense. But that world has gone; and today, the marriage of market pressures and furious advances in technology have compressed commercial life spans to around eight years or ten at the most. Starlink, racing from Gen1 to Gen4 in short order, has set the pace and the standard. Now, if a system cannot evolve and cannot evolve quickly, it risks obsolescence.

What’s driving this trend isn’t just the satellite hardware itself but what is demanded of them. Modern spacecraft can steer thousands of beams in milliseconds, carving up coverage dynamically to meet user demand. The bottleneck, curiously enough, isn’t the hardware, but the human beings trying to choreograph this complex dance with tools built for a different age. This is the problem of orchestration, which at its heart is a traffic-light problem. It’s about deciding who gets capacity, where they get it, and then they get it.’

🤢 It turns out train-loving TikToker Francis Bourgeois also loves space. He is in a new documentary, in which he, um, ‘blows chunks in zero-G.’