“Software-Defined” AI Compression Startup Secures $3.4M to Unblock the Space-to-Ground Bottleneck
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO – Addressing the critical "2% problem" in Earth observation, The Compression Company has closed a $3.4 million pre-seed round led by Long Journey Ventures. The funding, announced on Feb. 12, 2026, aims to commercialize an AI-driven, ...
AST SpaceMobile Shares Rally Following Successful Deployment of Massive BlueBird 6 Array
MIDLAND, Texas – Shares of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTS) climbed as much as 6.9% in premarket trading on Wednesday, Feb. 11, following the company’s announcement of the successful unfolding of its BlueBird 6 satellite antenna. The event marks a ...
KSAT Launches Hyperion Demonstration for In-Orbit Data Relay
At the SmallSat Symposium in Silicon Valley on February 10, 2026, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) unveiled the Hyperion mission, a pivotal demonstration intended to move its HYPER in-orbit relay constellation from concept to operational reality. By transposing its world-leading terrestrial ...
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Viasat Report Signals Industrial “Rush” Toward Direct-to-Device (D2D) Connectivity
CARLSBAD, California – A major new report from Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) reveals a rapidly closing window for industrial IoT (Internet of Things) transformation, as 91% of decision-makers now plan to adopt Direct-to-Device (D2D) technology within the next 18 months ...
The Hybrid Architecture Is No Longer Theoretical
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. If there was any doubt that the center of gravity in the commercial space sector has shifted from venture capital speculation to kinetic necessity, that doubt was shattered by the final session, Smallsats at the Tactical ...
The Thruster Reality Check: Why Boring is the New Stealth
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The military doctrine of Dynamic Space Operations envisions satellites dodging interceptors, inspecting unresponsive objects, and performing orbital acrobatics. Yet inside the SmallSat Symposium’s session on Smart Mobility: Propulsion and Maneuverability for Agile Smallsats, the vibe waxed ...
Balance Sheets Now Matter More Than Rockets
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The visionaries pitching Mars colonies have largely left the building. In their place sit investment bankers, project finance lawyers, and strategic investors who are currently rewiring the architecture of the $613 billion space economy. At this ...
70,000 Satellites, One Big Bottleneck: The Industry Wakes Up to the Data Trap
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Novaspace Partner Nathan De Ruiter presented staggering figures. Opening the floor with an exclusive forecast, he predicted that 70,000 small satellites launching over the next decade will represent an investment of roughly $134 billion. Yet the ...
Software Defines the New Front Lines of Space Defense
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. For decades the space industry measured ground segment power in rack units and heavy copper cabling. That model was effectively retired here at the SmallSat Symposium. Instead of bigger antennas or faster rockets, discussion on the ...
SES Executive Confirms End of the 15-Year Satellite Era
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Taking the stage, Dr. Bryan Benedict, Senior Director of Innovation at SES Space & Defense, dismantled rather than defended the legacy model. He described the merger between satellite giants SES and Intelsat that created a fleet ...
Space as a Sanctions Workaround: Financial Engineering & Shadow Procurement Networks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A strategic examination of Iran’s aerospace trajectory in early 2026 reveals a sophisticated convergence between the nation’s nascent space program and its global sanctions-evasion architecture. Following the reimposition of UN "snapback" sanctions in October 2025, Tehran has ...
Integrate Secures $17M Series A to Scale Classified Collaboration Software for Space Force
SEATTLE, Washington – Integrate, a software startup specializing in secure project management for the defense-industrial base, has closed a $17 million Series A funding round led by FPV Ventures. Announced on Feb. 11, 2026, the capital injection will accelerate the ...
High-Revisit CubeSats Drive Shift from Raw Imagery to Actionable Insights in 2026
SAN FRANCISCO, California – As the Earth Observation (EO) market enters a hyper-operational phase in 2026, the reliance on massive, multibillion-dollar satellites is rapidly giving way to agile "tiny" satellite constellations. A new industry report released on Feb. 12, 2026, ...
EU Activates GOVSATCOM Operations; GMV-Led Hub Secures European Strategic Autonomy
MADRID, Spain – The European Union has officially entered the operational phase of its Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) program, marking a critical milestone in Europe’s push for strategic autonomy. Announced on Thursday, Feb. 12, the activation provides EU Member States ...
Compliance Becomes the New Gatekeeper for Space Startups
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The SmallSat Symposium traditionally showcases hardware and orbital mechanics, but this year a different theme emerged. As the commercial space sector deepens ties with the Department of Defense, the focus is shifting from pure innovation to ...
The FCC Is Converting Space Regulation Into an Assembly Line
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Dr. Jay Schwarz, Chief of the FCC Space Bureau, delivered a direct message to the industry during the Navigating Global Space Regulations session this afternoon. The Bureau is pivoting its operational philosophy from adjudication to mass ...
SmallSat Launch Prices Rise as Competitors Stall on the Pad
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The era of cheap, plentiful, and diverse access to space was supposed to be here by now. Instead, the industry arrived at the 2026 SmallSat Symposium only to find itself trapped in a bottleneck of its ...
The Dumb Pipe Is Dead: Why Physics Is Forcing AI Into Orbit
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The concept of the satellite as a simple relay, serving as little more than a shiny mirror reflecting data to control rooms in Houston or Darmstadt, is extinct. At the Computer History Museum, the panel on ...
FCC Proposes Assembly Line Licensing to Replace Decades-Old Space Rules
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Speaking at the SmallSat Symposium, Sheppard Mullin partner Drew Svor outlined the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to retire legacy Part 25 rules in favor of a modular system under Part 100. This proposal seeks to modernize ...
The End of the Open Range: LEO’s Spectrum Crunch Hits Home
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. With over 14,000 satellites in orbit and filings for hundreds of thousands more flooding the International Telecommunication Union [ITU], the industry has hit a wall. Success is no longer determined by who can launch the fastest ...
The Space Tourist Is Dead. Long Live the Orbital Industrialist.
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. For the Space Industry Investment and Exit Strategies panel, a clear consensus emerged that the space sector has graduated from a science fair to a serious asset class. No one’s funding technology for technology's sake anymore ...
The End of the Passive Satellite
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. For years, the SmallSat Symposium acted as a showcase for cheaper data relays and internet-from-the-sky optimism. But inside the Grand Hall today, the mask slipped during the session on Building the Physical Layer of Autonomy. The ...
The Benign Era is Over: Why the Commercial Space Sector Just Woke Up on the Front Lines
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. For the past decade the SmallSat industry operated under a comforting delusion that low Earth orbit was a sanctuary where commercial operators could move fast, break things, and prioritize automotive-grade electronics over military-grade hardening. Dr. Paul ...




















