SmallSat
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 ...
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 ...
D2D’s Hype Hangover: The Physics Finally Bite Back
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The free drinks at SmallSat Symposium usually signal a celebration, but this year they feel more like a necessity. If 2024 was the year of the press release, early 2026 is the year of the hangover ...
Silicon Valley to Aerospace: Code is the New Steel
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Rockets still make a lot of noise, but the revolution visible at the SmallSat Symposium moves silently, digitally, and at the speed of code. For decades “metal benders”—those massive aerospace conglomerates that first weld titanium and ...
From Sandbox to Shield: The SmallSat Industry Grows Up
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. If the mood at past SmallSat Symposiums was defined by exuberant experimentation, this year feels different. The energy has not vanished, but it has matured. During the session Engineering the Future Spacecraft, a clear signal emerged ...
The Space Data Layer is Coming, Just Not as Fast or as Small as You Think
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Attendees at the SmallSat Symposium might have envisioned a future Space Data Layer as a seamless optical-mesh network capable of near-instant data transmission. During the symposium’s Edge of Orbit session, however, participants scrutinized the mechanics available ...
SDA Acting Chief Sovereign over the Supply Chain
Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The age of PowerPoint architecture has passed. For five years, the Space Development Agency operated as the Pentagon’s rebellious startup, promising to deliver a Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture faster than the establishment could draft a requirements ...
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 ...
Momentus to Demonstrate Multispectral Sensor for Space Force, With NASA Support
On February 9, 2026, Momentus Inc. announced it has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA to execute a groundbreaking in-orbit servicing and rendezvous demonstration mission. Scheduled for launch no earlier than March 2026 aboard a SpaceX Transporter mission, ...
Muon Space ramps up multi-mission satellite constellations
On February 4, 2026, Muon Space announced a major transition from executing discrete satellite missions to the sustained deployment of multi-mission constellations. This strategic shift follows a period of rapid growth for the Silicon Valley startup, which reported a 100 ...
Midnight and Spacecoin Partner to Secure Global Communications via Decentralized Satellite Network
Targeting the growing gap between encrypted application layers and vulnerable terrestrial infrastructure, Spacecoin and the Midnight Foundation announced a partnership on January 29, 2026, to develop a private peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging platform. Screenshot The collaboration aims to bypass traditional internet ...
York Space Systems Raises $629M in Upsized IPO to Scale Defense Production
On January 29, 2026, York Space Systems (NYSE: YSS) made its trading debut on the New York Stock Exchange, successfully raising $629 million in an upsized initial public offering. Dirk Wallinger, York founder & CEO, ringing the Opening Bell Pricing ...
SSTL and Oxford Space Systems Achieve Successful In-Orbit Deployment of CarbSAR Antenna
On January 29, 2026, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and Oxford Space Systems (OSS) confirmed the successful in-orbit deployment of the Wrapped Rib Antenna aboard the CarbSAR In-Orbit Demonstration mission. This milestone marks the first flight heritage for the OSS ...
Astroscale France and Exotrail Join Forces to Build Deorbiting Capability for LEO
On January 28, 2026, Astroscale France and Exotrail announced a strategic partnership to develop and demonstrate controlled deorbiting capabilities for satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The collaboration aims to address increasing orbital congestion by providing a repeatable, sovereign European ...
GAO Report Warns of Technological and Schedule Risks in SDA Missile Tracking Program
On January 28, 2026, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a critical report titled "Missile Warning Satellites: Space Development Agency Should Be More Realistic and Transparent About Risks to Capability Delivery" (GAO-26-107085). The congressional watchdog warned that the Space Development ...
Silicon Sensing Expands into South Korea with Exclusive Bizmile Distribution Agreement
On January 28, 2026, Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd announced the appointment of Bizmile Co. Ltd as its exclusive distributor in South Korea, marking the company's first official entry into the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market. The agreement expands Silicon Sensing’s global footprint ...
Starlink vs AST SpaceMobile: Will the winner take it all?
Chris Forrester — CE Noticias Financieras (CENF), a well-regarded university-backed financial publication which focuses on Latino and Iberian financial news, suggests in a Jan 19 feature story that “Elon Musk has lost the space mobile race before it has even ...
Russian “Starlink” Launch Pushed to 2026 Amid Production Shortfalls
In a report released on Friday, January 23, 2026, the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 announced the postponement of its initial deployment of 16 high-speed internet satellites. Originally scheduled for late 2025, the launch of the first batch for the ...
France Commissions Loft Orbital to Develop First Sovereign SAR Satellite
The contract, announced on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, marks a significant shift in European defense procurement, prioritizing a sovereign-commercial hybrid model to ensure independent orbital reconnaissance capabilities ...
Eutelsat prepares for its next expansion
Chris Forrester — The news that Eutelsat has ordered 340 new OneWeb satellites, additional to its existing contract for 100 extra craft, secures the company’s future and can only benefit revenues once the fleet is in operation. The 340 will ...
