SDA Awards $1.6 Billion in Tranche 3 Tracking Layer Contracts to Rocket Lab and Northrop Grumman
As previously reported on SatNews, the Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded $3.5 Billion in contracts for a Tranche 3 Missile Tracking Constellation. On December 19, 2025 two of those agreements totaling $1.6 Billion to build and operate 36 satellites for ...
MDA Taps Sidus, Ursa Space for $151 Billion ‘Golden Dome’ SHIELD Contract
WASHINGTON — The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) selected 1,086 additional companies, including Sidus Space and Ursa Space Systems, to compete for task orders under the $151 billion Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract on Thursday, Dec. 18. The massive indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) vehicle ...
The Operational Pivot: Why Silicon Valley 2026 is the War Room for the Next Cycle
As the industry prepares for the SmallSat Symposium 2026, held February 10–12 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, the sector is moving beyond experimental R&D into a period of industrial maturity. The immediate deadline for attendees is ...
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Samsung Expands Satellite Connectivity with Standalone Exynos 5410 Modem
The Exynos 5410 is manufactured on a 4-nanometer (nm) FinFET process and integrates LTE Direct-to-Cell (DTC), NB-IoT NTN, and NR-NTN functionalities ...
GomSpace Awarded 50 Million SEK Microsatellite Contract for European Defense R&D
The agreement, confirmed in a company statement, tasks GomSpace with the design, integration, and delivery of a configured microsatellite platform ...
Kratos EPOCH C2 Software Completes Factory Acceptance Testing for Airbus OneSat Platform
The testing process involved engineers from both organizations validating that EPOCH hardware and software could communicate with a simulated OneSat vehicle ...
NASA Shutters ‘The Earth Observer’ Publication; EOS Flagships Face 2026 Retirement
NASA announced on Monday, Dec. 29, that it will cease publication of The Earth Observer, the agency's long-running Earth Science newsletter, effective Dec. 31, 2025. The closure of the 36-year-old publication marks a symbolic transition for the agency, which also ...
Brian Cox Addresses Interstellar Comet Signal Claims Amid MAVEN Silence
The communication lapse coincides with clarification by Professor Brian Cox regarding the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS non-natural radio emissions ...
LIG Nex1 Weighs ‘Defense & Aerospace’ Rebrand Ahead of 50th Anniversary
The change reflects a strategic pivot from its traditional guided missiles and avionics toward orbital infrastructure and satellite integration ...
SpaceRISE Consortium Initiates IRIS² Procurement Phase
SES, Eutelsat, and Hispasat, transitioned the European Union's IRIS² program into its active industrial procurement phase ...
BlueBird 6 Orbital Deployment Validates Direct-to-Device Capacity
The spacecraft was carried by an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) LVM3-M6 heavy-lift vehicle ...
EchoStar Liquidity Injections Shift 2026 Debt Outlook
Over $40 billion effectively addresses the company’s looming 2026 debt maturity wall ...
U.S. Space Force and SpaceX Partner to Develop 480-Satellite MILNET Constellation
A significant expansion of the U.S. government's reliance on commercial megaconstellation technology for national security ...
Successful Signal Reception for Iranian Satellite Trio Following Soyuz Launch
On Sunday, December 28, 2024, the Iranian Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) confirmed the successful reception of the first signals from three domestically developed satellites: Zafar-2, Paya, and Kowsar. The confirmation marks the official commencement of the operational ...
Japan Ministry of Defense Taps Synspective-Mitsubishi Electric Consortium for Satellite Constellation
The core objective of the constellation is to provide the MoD with persistent imagery intelligence to strengthen Japan’s defense posture ...
U.S. Fiber-to-the-Home Market Nears 100 Million Passings Following Record 2025 Growth
The U.S. fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) market reached a record 11.8 million new homes passed in 2025, bringing the national total to 98.3 million passings. According to the annual Fiber Deployment Survey released December 16, 2025, fiber now reaches over 60 percent ...
Missile Defense Agency Framework Signals Shift Toward Multi-Vendor IDIQ Framework
On December 22, 2025, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) advanced a structural transition in Pentagon procurement with the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract. This $151 billion Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) framework establishes a decentralized "hunting license" ...
SpaceRISE Consortium Initiates Procurement for IRIS² Satellite and Launch Services
December 25, 2025, Operational signals from the SpaceRISE consortium—comprising SES, Eutelsat, and Hispasat—indicated the multi-orbit IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) program has transitioned into the active procurement phase. The consortium has begun the preparation of Request ...
FCC Modernizes Space Policy with Higher Power Limits for Direct-to-Cell Services
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr confirmed on Tuesday, December 23, the adoption of new regulatory frameworks allowing satellite operators to use higher power levels for direct-to-cell (D2C) services. The policy adjustment, part of a 2025 year-end review, is ...
Nigerian Communications Commission Unveils Five-Year Spectrum Roadmap Prioritizing Direct-to-Device Connectivity
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) released its draft National Spectrum Roadmap for 2025–2030 on Friday, December 26, 2025, outlining a strategic shift toward satellite-integrated mobile services. The five-year plan prioritizes the commercialization of Direct-to-Device (D2D) technology and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) ...
DoD Report: China’s ISR Fleet Swells to 510+ Satellites, ‘Informatized’ Warfare Accelerates
The Department of Defense (DoD) released its mandated "2025 Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" report on Tuesday, confirming that Beijing’s operational satellite fleet has expanded to more than 1,189 spacecraft, with a specific emphasis on ...
The Pentagon’s Faustian Bargain: Buying Speed, Building a Monopoly
The integration of xAI serves as a proof-of-concept for the DoW’s aggressive push to modernize its regulatory framework. By treating a foundational large language model (LLM) as a modular insertion rather than a monolithic program of record, the DoW has ...
Second Reusable Rocket Failure in One Month Leaves China Chasing U.S. Lead
BEIJING — China’s ambition to operationalize reusable launch vehicles encountered another setback on Tuesday, Dec. 23, as the state-owned Long March 12A successfully delivered its payload to orbit but failed to recover its first-stage booster. The incident marks the nation's ...
