Quantum Space, a Rockville, Maryland-based company, has won a Pentagon contract to develop an orbital refueling spacecraft using its Ranger platform. The contract, funded by the Department of Defense's Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund, aims to establish a broader in-space logistics infrastructure to support long-duration military operations. The spacecraft, expected to be delivered by 2028, will be compatible with military client spacecraft and feature a multimode propulsion system combining chemical and electric propulsion. Quantum Space has repositioned [...]

Blue Origin has begun rebuilding its launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36, which was severely damaged in a New Glenn explosion on May 28. The company aims to resume launches by the end of the year. Despite the damage, Blue Origin has been able to preserve some long-lead items, including a propellant tank farm and a New Glenn booster. The company is working to return to flight, with a focus on making changes to the [...]

Kelly Hammett, the former head of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, has been appointed executive director of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. This move comes as the Space Rapid Capabilities Office is set to be eliminated as a standalone organization under the Space Force's acquisition overhaul. Hammett led the Space RCO since 2022 and departs as the Space Force implements a new acquisition structure centered on Portfolio Acquisition Executives. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center oversees [...]

SpaceX's recent deal with Cursor is expected to significantly boost the company's market capitalization, potentially reaching over $3 trillion, according to an analyst. The deal adds a fast-growing AI software layer and a large user base, creating a "data flywheel" that is difficult to replicate. The acquisition is projected to increase SpaceX's annual recurring revenue, lifting AI revenue and margins. The market is treating SpaceX as an AI infrastructure play, and the integration benefits are expected to [...]

Private equity firm EQT is acquiring Exolaunch, a company that handles rideshare launches of satellites, to meet growing launch demand. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. Exolaunch has arranged launches of over 790 satellites on 47 missions, including those with SpaceX. The company will use EQT's backing to acquire additional launch capacity, addressing the industry's launch-constrained moment. Exolaunch's management team and staff will remain unchanged. The company plans to actively pull [...]

NASA's Link spacecraft, developed by Katalyst Space Technologies, is set to launch on June 27 to raise the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a gamma-ray observatory in low Earth orbit. The mission, which has been developed in under a year, aims to prevent the Swift Observatory from reentering Earth's atmosphere by late 2024. NASA selected Katalyst in September 2023 to develop Link under a $30 million contract, with the agency emphasizing the need for a [...]

An experimental satellite, Pulsar-0, has mapped the scale of GPS jamming across Europe and the Middle East from space for the first time. The data revealed that satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) suffer from GPS signal disruption, contradicting previous assumptions that they were immune to jamming. The findings indicate that LEO satellites may not always be able to rely on GPS signals for navigation and timing, posing a challenge for their operations. The data was collected [...]