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 ...
Latest Stories
When AWS Grew Wings: The “Boring” Genius of Amazon Leo
SatNews Editorial Analysis, Edited by Simon Payne, Abbey White Executive Brief The Rebrand & Rollout: Formerly Project Kuiper, the newly christened Amazon Leo launches in Q1 2026 with a three-tier hardware strategy targeting the US, UK, and Germany first. The ...
NASA Identifies 26 Resilient Bacterial Species Capable of Evading Cleanroom Sterilization
The discovery, detailed in a study published in the journal Microbiome, raises significant concerns for planetary protection protocols ...
Starlink initiates orbital lowering of 4,400 satellites to mitigate debris risks
In a statement released via X, Michael Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering, announced a significant reconfiguration of the Starlink constellation, confirming plans to lower approximately 4,400 satellites from 550 km to 480 km throughout 2026. The maneuver, which affects ...
NASA to Outline Future Flagship Mission Timelines at 247th AAS Meeting
The Habitable Worlds Observatory, a future flagship mission concept responding to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey, will have a dedicated special session on Tuesday, January 6 ...
AT&T, AST SpaceMobile Advance Satellite-to-Cell Expansion Following BlueBird 6 Deployment
The satellite features a phased array antenna measuring approximately 2,400 square feet, making it 3.5 times larger than the five BlueBird Block 1 satellites launched in September 2024 ...
Satellite Data Confirms Rapid Expansion of Sudan Displacement Camps Amid North Darfur Conflict
Al Jazeera’s “Sanad” digital investigations unit, tracks the humanitarian fallout following the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in late October 2025 ...
Globalstar Briefs FCC on $1B C-3 Network, Readies Legal Challenge to SpaceX
Globalstar executives met with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) leadership on Monday to advocate for the approval of its third-generation "C-3" mobile satellite service (MSS) system and to urge the regulator to protect the Big LEO spectrum band from competing proposals ...
USSOCOM Explores Starlink and Starshield Integration for AC-130J Gunships
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has initiated market research to assess the feasibility of integrating SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite communications terminals onto the AC-130J Ghostrider fleet. In a Request for Information (RFI) released Dec. 30, the command outlined requirements ...
ESA Confirms Proba-3 Autonomous Formation Flying Milestone
The European Space Agency (ESA) released footage December 18 confirming its Proba-3 mission successfully achieved autonomous formation flying with millimeter-level precision, marking a critical validation for the agency’s "virtual giant satellite" architecture. The milestone demonstrates the capability of the two ...
Space Forge Ignites Orbital Furnace, Hits 1,000°C Milestone on ForgeStar-1
Space Forge has successfully activated the manufacturing furnace aboard its ForgeStar-1 satellite, generating plasma and reaching a temperature of 1,000°C in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Confirmed by the company on Wednesday, the milestone marks a critical step toward the commercial ...
The Pentagon’s Real Estate Play to Break the West Coast Launch Monopoly
In a move that signals a shift in the Pentagon's long-term orbital logistics strategy, Space Launch Delta 30 (SLD 30) released a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting industry interest in Space Launch Complex 14 (SLC-14) at Vandenberg Space Force Base ...
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 ...
