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Week 105 marks two years of tracking the orbital economy, the militarization above it, and the science underneath it all. Thank you all for sticking around.
Space Science and Commerce come packed with updates this week.
Hope you enjoy this Space!
IMAGES
The Origins Of A Planetary System : Very Large Telescope
ESO released a new sequence of Very Large Telescope images showing a rotating disc of gas and dust around the young star AB Aurigae, in the Auriga constellation, offering a four‑year view of a planetary system forming 520 light‑years away. SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch instrument) observations reveal twists in the disc that mark potential planet‑forming sites, along with radial shadows cast by dense clumps orbiting the star. By blocking the star’s glare, the instrument captures detailed structures shaped by interactions between newborn planets and surrounding material, providing data essential to understanding how planets assemble within the AB Aurigae system. (Credit: ESO/A. Boccaletti et al.)
Stars Across All Stages Of Formation : James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope released new observations of Orion Molecular Clouds - 2 or OMC‑2 (OMC is divided into four parts, OMC-1 through OMC-4), a dense star‑forming filament located 1,280 light‑years away, behind the Orion Nebula, capturing every stage of stellar evolution within a 150‑light‑year span. Webb’s NIRCam data reveal protostars embedded in cold dust, protoplanetary discs, and newly emerged pre‑main‑sequence stars, along with extensive jets and shockwaves produced as young stars accrete material and eject high‑velocity outflows. The region’s dense molecular gas creates dark globules, warm dust emission, and PAH‑rich structures visible only in infrared wavelengths.
The darkest browns and blacks mark the coldest, densest dust, so thick it blocks nearly all light and hides the youngest protostars entirely. Warmer dust appears in oranges, browns and deep reds, glowing faintly in the infrared as it absorbs and re‑emits energy. The yellow‑to‑green structures come from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons excited by ultraviolet radiation from nearby young stars. Blue and cyan regions show starlight scattered by fine dust grains in less‑obscured areas. The bright red ridges highlight gas heated by high‑velocity protostellar outflows, tracing where jets slam into surrounding material. (Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, T. Megeath, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb))
Wind’s Found Blowing From The Milky Way’s Black Hole, Sagitarius A* : ALMA
Astronomers reported the first clear evidence of winds blowing from Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, after five decades of searches. Using five years of ALMA observations, researchers identified a three‑light‑year cone‑shaped cavity in cold molecular gas near Sgr A, consistent with hot outflows carving through the region. Chandra X‑ray data aligned with the structure, confirming the feature. The team also detected molecular gas feeding the black hole, indicating Sgr A* behaves like other low‑activity supermassive black holes. The wind is estimated to have persisted for roughly 20,000 years.
This composite image shows evidence for a wind blowing away from our galaxy. The white dot in the center of the image shows Sgr A*. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ./M. Gorski; Radio: ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/ALMA; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand and P. Edmonds)
In blue is X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. A large cone-shaped cavity, visible as an absence of cold gas in the ALMA data, is filled by hot X-ray-emitting gas in the Chandra data. Researchers think a hot, energetic wind blowing from Sgr A* created this structure by sweeping the cold gas away or heating it up. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ./M. Gorski; Radio: ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/ALMA; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand and P. Edmonds)
In orange is data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescopes in Chile, mapping the location of cold gas composed of carbon monoxide in the image. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Northwestern Univ./M. Gorski; Radio: ESO/NAOJ/NRAO/ALMA; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand and P. Edmonds)
Image of the Milky Way center from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescopes in Chile. (Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Longmore et al. Background: ESO/D. Minniti et al.)
Image of the Milky Way center from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. (Credit: NASA/UMass/D.Wang et al.)
Composite image of the Milky Way center, combining radio data from ALMA and X-ray data from Chandra. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/UMass/D. Wang et al.; radio: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Longmore et al. Background: ESO/D. Minniti et al.)
‘Gap’ In An Ancient Star Cluster : Euclid, Hubble Telescope
Scientists at the the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, US (STScI) using ESA’s Euclid telescope and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope identified a thin gap of missing low‑mass red dwarfs in the globular cluster NGC 6397, stars that should be there but aren’t, marking the first detection of the feature in such an environment. The gap, previously seen only in ESA’s Gaia Observatory data from nearby stars, reflects structural changes occurring in red dwarfs between 0.34 and 0.36 solar masses.
That gap appears when some red dwarfs hit a specific mass range and briefly become unstable inside, changing their brightness and temperature. Because only a few stars are in that phase, they show up as a gap on the diagram astronomers use to study stellar evolution. Finding this gap in a globular cluster for the first time confirms the process happens even in very old, distant star populations. (Credit: ESA, NASA, Euclid Consortium)
Updates On The Santa Rosa Wildfire : Landsat 9
The wildfire discovered May 15 on the southeastern side of Santa Rosa Island in California’s Channel Islands National Park, burned 18,379 acres, that is about one‑third of the island, before growth stabilized on May 24 and containment reached 97 percent by May 26. False‑color Landsat imagery and NASA FIRMS data show the fire spreading north and east through grassland, coastal sage scrub and island chaparral. (Credit: NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin)
This false‑color Landsat 9 view from May 16, 2026, shows the 5,690‑acre / 2,300-hectares burn scar as dark brown, with the active fire front glowing orange through the smoke.
The blaze raised concerns for the island’s rare Torrey pines, though initial surveys indicate the stand remained largely intact, with only pockets of higher‑intensity damage. Fire crews also worked to protect nearby cloud‑forest habitat. Local reports indicate it is the largest fire recorded on California’s Channel Islands. (Credit: NASA Earth Observatory / Lauren Dauphin)
Typhoon Jangmi : NOAA-20, Suomi NPP Satellites
Typhoon Jangmi has moved north‑northwest over the Philippine Sea in late May and early June, delivering heavy rain across southern Japan as its outer bands reached land while the eye remained south of Okinawa. A May 30 image showed sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour, strengthening to 130 kilometers per hour in a NOAA‑20 image on May 31. Forecasts called for a close approach to Okinawa before the storm turned northeast toward the Amami region, with significant rainfall expected along Japan’s Pacific coast. (Credit: NASA Earth Observatory / Michala Garrison)
Typhoon Jangmi moved north‑northwest over the Philippine Sea in late May and early June, delivering torrential rain across southern Japan and prompting flooding concerns. A Suomi NPP satellite’s VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) nighttime image from May 30 showed a well‑defined eye and eyewall, with sustained winds near 120 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a category 1 storm. (Credit: NASA Earth Observatory / Michala Garrison)
A Meteor And The Orion Molecular Clouds : Petr Horálek
A meteor was captured above US National Science Foundation’s Kitt Peak National Observatory (Arizona), appearing between the domes of the WIYN 0.9‑meter and 3.5‑meter telescopes, part of a partnership among several U.S. universities, NOIRLab and NASA. Meteors typically become visible 75–120 kilometers above Earth and burn up between 50–95 kilometers. The image also shows Orion, the Hunter on the right and Canis Major on the left, along with the three red emission nebulae of the Orion Molecular Cloud complex, Orion Nebula below Orion’s belt, Barnard’s Loop around Orion’s lower half, and the Lambda Orionis Ring close to the head. (Credit: Petr Horálek, NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador, Institute of Physics in Opava / KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)
SCIENCE
Lunar Quarantine Lab Proposed To Protect Earth From Potential Alien Contaminants
Infographic illustrating a phased approach to Moon Base development near the lunar South Pole, showing the progression from early exploration and infrastructure deployment to sustained human presence on the Moon. (Credit: NASA/Edmy S. Cruz Reyes)
1 June, 2026
Scientists are proposing that future samples from Mars and other worlds be quarantined in a secure facility on the moon first, arguing that its isolation makes it the safest place to screen for any potentially harmful organisms before material is brought back to Earth.
A new study is urging the establishment of a lunar biocontainment facility to serve as the first quarantine point for extraterrestrial samples, arguing that the moon’s isolated, naturally sterile environment could serve as a protective buffer for Earth and offers a safer alternative to Earth‑based laboratories. The proposal, published in Ambio by Frederick Moxley of STAR Laboratories and Anthony Ricciardi of McGill University, warns that returning material from Mars, Enceladus, a moon of Saturn or other worlds could introduce organisms with unpredictable ecological effects. The authors cite invasive‑species research and documented microbial mutation aboard the International Space Station as evidence that “sequential forward and back contamination” is plausible.
Sequential forward and back contamination is when microbes from Earth hitchhike to another world, evolve into something new there, and then return to Earth as a genetically altered organism we’ve never encountered before.
The recommendation comes as the United States and China advance competing lunar base plans. NASA leaders recently outlined a multi‑phase Artemis surface infrastructure spanning hundreds of square miles, while China and Russia have signed a memorandum to build a nuclear‑powered International Lunar Research Station by 2035.
Moxley and Ricciardi argue that neither program has detailed planetary‑protection strategies and call for all extraterrestrial samples to be routed robotically through a secure lunar facility. They contend that no Earth‑based site can guarantee containment in the event of a spacecraft failure or accidental exposure, and that the moon’s natural isolation provides a strategic quarantine barrier for future sample‑return missions.
Meteor Blast Over Northeastern US Releases Energy Equal To 300 Tons Of TNT
Credit: CIRA/NOAA/R. Schott/American Meteor Society
1 June, 2026
A meteor generated a sonic boom across the northeastern United States on May 30, with NASA confirming the source after reviewing eyewitness reports and NOAA GOES‑19 satellite imagery. The fireball, recorded at 2:06 p.m. EDT, fragmented about 40 miles above northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire, releasing energy equivalent to roughly 300 tons of TNT. The GOES‑19 lightning mapper captured the flash, while NBC News video and submissions to the American Meteor Society showed the daytime streak and accompanying boom.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported widespread accounts of an audible blast and shaking in eastern parts of the state. NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science division said all meteorites fell into Cape Cod Bay, in water about 34 meters deep, with radar signatures detected from stations in Boston, Long Island, Albany and possibly Portland, Maine. Officials noted the event was unrelated to any meteor shower and involved a naturally occurring meteoroid entering Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA Drops Core Module Proposal Following Pushback From Commercial Station Firms
1 June, 2026
NASA has withdrawn a proposal to develop a government‑owned “core module” for the International Space Station as part of its transition to commercial stations, reversing a strategy unveiled at its March Ignition event. In a June 1 statement, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said industry feedback made the case for a sustainable commercial market without a government‑built module, and that the agency will proceed with its original plan to support stations through funded agreements and service contracts.
Companies developing commercial outposts, including Axiom Space, Vast and Starlab Space, had sharply opposed the core‑module concept in responses to NASA’s request for information. Executives argued the market is large enough to support multiple stations, citing demand from NASA, ISS partners, sovereign governments and commercial users. They also questioned whether a government module could be built quickly, warning it would extend ISS operations into the 2030s.
NASA now plans to refine requirements with industry and release a draft request for proposals later this month.
China’s Partially Reusable Long March 12B Makes Unannounced Debut Launching Qianfan Satellites To Orbit
The Long March 12B rocket under a full moon. (Credit: Ren Changsheng)
1 June, 2026
China conducted its maiden launch of its partially reusable Long March 12B rocket on June 1, sending two Qianfan internet‑constellation satellites to low Earth orbit from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Zone at Jiuquan. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said the payloads from the tenth Qianfan batch reached their intended orbits. China issued no airspace closure notices ahead of liftoff, and no first‑stage recovery attempt was made; officials said booster landing tests will occur later.
China’s partially reusable Long March 12B rocket conducted its first launch on June 1, 2026, with no attempt made to recover the vehicle’s first stage on this mission. (Credit: CCTV)
The Long March 12B rocket ignites and lifts off. (Credit: Ren Changsheng)
The 72‑meter‑tall, two‑stage vehicle uses nine YF‑102R kerosene‑liquid oxygen engines on its first stage and one YF‑102RV engine on its second, providing roughly 20‑ton LEO capacity. The mission also marked the first use of a self‑built commercial launch pad designed for 1,000‑ton‑thrust rockets.
The flight follows recent Chinese efforts to field reusable systems, including CASC’s Long March 12A and private vehicles such as Landspace’s Zhuque‑3 and Space Pioneer’s Tianlong‑3. The launch was the 647th in the Long March series.
MAVEN Orbiter Declared Dead After Loss Of Signal Behind Mars, Concluding Eleven Years Of Mars Atmospheric Research
Artist’s illustration of NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft at Mars. (Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Colorado/Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics)
3 June, 2026
NASA has formally ended the MAVEN mission after determining the Mars‑orbiting spacecraft is no longer recoverable, concluding an 11‑year campaign that transformed scientific understanding of the planet’s atmospheric loss. MAVEN last contacted Earth on Dec. 6, when it passed behind Mars and emerged rotating at an abnormally high rate, draining its batteries and shutting down communications. An anomaly review board convened in February found the spacecraft in an unrecoverable state, though the root cause remains under investigation. NASA has begun decommissioning procedures and will archive the full mission dataset.
Launched in 2013, MAVEN, short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution was the first mission dedicated to studying Mars’ upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the Sun. Its findings linked atmospheric escape to solar storms. Mars’ atmosphere today is only about 1% as dense as Earth’s, and MAVEN’s measurements showed that this thinning was driven by the solar wind between roughly 4.2 billion and 3.7 billion years ago, during the same era when life was emerging on Earth. It also identified multiple types of Martian auroras, measured atmospheric sputtering for the first time at any planet, and documented how global dust storms accelerate water loss to space. MAVEN also supported comet 3I/ATLAS observations and set a record for the most data relayed from another planet in a single day.
Declared dead on June 3, MAVEN now joins a growing “graveyard” of inactive Mars orbiters, which typically remain aloft for decades before atmospheric drag pulls them down.
Lost Protoplanet Evidence Found In Meteorite From The Sahara Desert
Under cross‑polarized light, the angrite meteorite NWA 12774 displays vivid, rainbow‑like colors. A new study finds that this 2019 Sahara discovery may be a fragment of a long‑lost protoplanet from the early solar system. (Credit: CU Boulder/John Kashuba)
5 June, 2026
Scientists have identified the first definitive evidence of a long‑lost protoplanet, using a rare angrite meteorite recovered from the Sahara Desert to reconstruct the size and internal conditions of an early world that no longer exists. The meteorite, Northwest Africa 12774, contains aluminum‑rich clinopyroxene that could only have formed under pressures of at least 17.5 kilobars, which is far beyond what a small asteroid could generate. Modeling indicates the parent body must have been at least 1,000 kilometers in radius and possibly exceeded 1,800 kilometers, placing it in the size range of the moon and approaching Mars.
An X-ray image of NWA 12774. (Credit: Aaron Bell/CU Boulder)
A view of the angrite meteorite NWA 12774. (Credit: CU Boulder/John Kashuba)
The mineral textures preserved in the sample suggest the crystals formed at relatively shallow depths, implying an even larger body was required to produce such pressures near its surface. Angrites are among the oldest volcanic rocks in the solar system, and only 68 have ever been found.
The study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, concludes that this protoplanet followed a distinct evolutionary path before being destroyed in an early solar system collision, with fragments later incorporated into other rocky worlds, including Earth.
A slice of NWA 12774.The green circle is an olivine crystal, a magnesium-rich mineral. (Credit: John Kashuba)
ISS Air Leak Increase Forces Crew Into SpaceX Dragon Shelter
The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around in 2021. A Progress supply spacecraft is seen here at the center bottom of the image, attached to the PrK transfer tunnel, which in turn is connected to the Zvezda module. (Credit: NASA)
5 June, 2026
NASA directed five International Space Station crew members to shelter in the SpaceX Crew‑12 Dragon spacecraft on June 1 after Roscosmos reported an increased air‑leak rate in the PrK transfer tunnel leading to the Zvezda service module. The leak, caused by cracks first identified in 2019, rose to roughly two pounds of atmosphere per day during Progress 95 cargo operations, and Russian engineers identified new suspect areas requiring inspection. Roscosmos initially prepared to cut a structural bracket to access a potential leak source, a procedure NASA assessed as carrying elevated structural risk, prompting the temporary safe‑haven posture.
Roscosmos paused the repair effort later that morning to collect additional measurements and reassess previously sealed areas. NASA supported the decision, and Crew‑12 astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, Andrey Fedyaev, and NASA astronaut Chris Williams returned to normal station operations.
The PrK leak is a sign of the aging hardware on the ISS, whose Zvezda module has been in orbit since 2000. NASA and Roscosmos continue joint analysis to determine next steps.
GOVERNANCE
Researchers Warn Of Rising Atmospheric Risks From Spacecraft Re‑Entry Materials
Reentry into Earth’s stratosphere leaves particles in the atmosphere, such as silver, iron, lead, magnesium, titanium, beryllium, chromium, nickel, zinc and lithium. (Credit: Chelsea Thompson/NOAA)
2 June, 2026
Researchers at the 2026 European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna warned that rising volumes of exotic materials from satellite and rocket re‑entries are entering Earth’s atmosphere without sufficient monitoring or regulation. Panelists highlighted growing uncertainty around the atmospheric effects of megaconstellation‑driven launch and re‑entry activity and called for improved data on spacecraft materials, which commercial firms often withhold for competitive reasons.
Presentations included new laser‑based observations from the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics detecting multiple metals in the upper atmosphere; proposals for in‑orbit mass spectrometers to track fine particles as indicators of larger debris; and ESA’s CAIRT (changing-atmosphere infrared tomography) limb‑imaging mission concept, which would provide the first global, vertically resolved measurements of aluminum oxide aerosols from re‑entries.
Daniel Baker and Jack Burns of the Colorado Space Policy Center said the absence of international regulation leaves countries and commercial actors free to operate without constraints, creating what they described as a global, not national, environmental challenge.
China Establishes Industrial Framework To Drive Space‑Based Computing Build‑Out
The Space Computing Working Committee held its unveiling ceremony in Beijing on the June 3. (Credit: China News Service)
4 June, 2026
China formalized new coordination mechanisms for space‑based computing with the June 3 inaugural meeting of the Space Computing Working Committee under the China Computer Industry Association, guided by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) Electronic Information Department. Wang Jianyu of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was elected chairman, and the group says more than 100 organizations have applied to participate across radiation‑hardened chips, computing hardware, power and thermal systems, data transmission, constellation infrastructure and launch services. It is the second body created this year, following April’s Space Computing Power Professional Committee, which focuses on standards, applications and terrestrial‑space integration.
Both committees align with China’s 15th Five‑year Plan, which calls for an integrated sky‑Earth-ground communication‑navigation‑sensing‑computing system. CASC similarly targets gigawatt‑scale orbital computing infrastructure for 2026‑2030.
Commercial efforts continue in parallel. Orbital Chenguang, a space-based AI data center startup, raised Pre‑A1 funding and secured $8.4 billion in credit lines. Shanghai Bailing Aerospace obtained early funding for a 100 kW‑class platform. ADA Space and Zhejiang Lab launched 12 Three‑Body satellites enabling 11 AI models across six spacecraft. Oriental Tiansuan and Guangbenwei are developing an optical computing satellite. China is also expanding manufacturing capacity, launch options and spaceports to support large‑scale infrastructure.
COMMERCIAL
Vast Lines Up French And British Astronaut Flights For Haven‑1 Missions
Vast expanded its international partnerships this week as France and the United Kingdom moved to secure astronaut flights on the company’s upcoming missions, including the first crewed visit to the Haven‑1 commercial space station.
ESA Astronaut Thomas Pesquet and ESA Reserve Astronaut Arnaud Prost. (Credit: ESA / N. Fischer and A. Conigli)
1 June, 2026
Vast announced an agreement with the French government to fly two European astronauts in 2027: veteran ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will command the company’s private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, and ESA reserve astronaut Arnaud Prost will fly on Haven‑1’s inaugural crewed mission. Both two‑week flights will use SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicles. Vast said additional crew members will come from countries with diplomatic ties to France, and the missions will support French science, technology demonstrations and outreach. The company also confirmed it will establish a European headquarters in Paris.
Back row, from left: Blair McDougall, U.K. Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation; Harshbir Sangha, Missions and Capabilities Delivery Director for Earth Observation and Low Earth Orbit Assets, UK Space Agency. Front row, from left: Max Haot, CEO of Vast; Sir Christian Turner, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States. (Credit: Vast)
2 June, 2026
A day later, the U.K. Space Agency announced an agreement to support sponsorship for a potential Haven‑1 mission for British ESA reserve astronaut John McFall, who could become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit. McFall’s planned 14‑day mission would focus on human physiology, musculoskeletal adaptation and prosthetic performance in microgravity. Haven‑1 is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 next year and remain in orbit for three years as a precursor to the multi‑module Haven‑2 station.
Acquisition For Voyager, Funding Boosts For Impulse, Axiom, Apex Space Across In-Space Transportation And Lunar Mobility
Voyager to acquire Astrobotic, Impulse raises $500M, Axiom adds $175M, and Apex secures $200M as commercial lunar, mobility, station, and defense-commercial satellite‑bus programs scale rapidly.
Astrolab’s FLIP rover stands inside the company’s Hawthorne, California facility. The rover will deliver four NASA payloads to the Moon’s south polar region aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin‑1 lander under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Launch is targeted for late 2026. (Credit: Astrolab)
2 June, 2026
Voyager Technologies moved to expand its lunar infrastructure portfolio with an agreement to acquire Astrobotic in a deal valued at up to $300 million, the latest in a series of major capital flows into commercial space infrastructure. Voyager will pay $162 million in cash and stock and assume $9 million in debt, with up to $129 million in earnout payments tied to performance milestones. The transaction, expected to close in July pending regulatory review, will fold Astrobotic’s Pittsburgh operations into Voyager’s broader “strategic lunar initiative,” which expects to support NASA’s accelerated Artemis timelines and long‑term lunar base development.
Astrobotic is completing work on its Griffin lunar lander, scheduled to launch later this year carrying Astrolab’s FLIP rover on a mission NASA now designates “Moon Base 2.” The company also develops the LunaGrid lunar power system, advanced engines, and reusable suborbital vehicles derived from Masten Space Systems technologies. Voyager said it intends to scale these programs after the acquisition.
In-space transportation startup, Impulse Space raised $500 million in a Series D round to scale production of its in‑space mobility vehicles, bringing total funding to more than $1 billion. The round, co‑led by 137 Ventures and Banner VC, will support hiring, manufacturing expansion and development of the company’s Mira orbital transfer vehicle and Helios high‑energy kick stage. Founder and chief executive Tom Mueller said the funding reflects growing demand for precise, low‑cost orbital maneuvering as activity in Earth orbit accelerates.
Impulse’s Mira spacecraft, powered by Saiph thrusters, has flown three times on SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare missions since 2023 and can deliver payloads across low Earth orbit and to higher‑energy destinations. The larger Helios stage, equipped with the Deneb engine, is designed to move payloads of up to 4,000 kilograms from LEO to geostationary orbit and beyond. Its first mission, already fully booked, is scheduled for 2027, with a company‑built lunar lander planned to follow.
Mueller said in‑space mobility will be critical for national security missions, satellite servicing and emerging off‑Earth manufacturing concepts. Impulse is vertically integrating its propulsion and spacecraft systems, drawing on engineering practices Mueller helped establish at SpaceX.
5 June, 2026
Axiom Space separately added more than $175 million to its latest funding round, bringing the total to over $525 million. The extension included new investment from MUFG Bank, Japan’s largest bank, and will support development of Axiom’s commercial space station modules, NASA‑contracted Artemis lunar spacesuits, and broader infrastructure roadmap.
The funding announcement followed NASA’s decision to abandon a proposed government‑owned ISS “core module” concept after receiving 1,500 pages of industry objections. NASA will continue supporting commercial station developers under the existing Commercial LEO Destinations framework, a move Axiom publicly welcomed.
An animation of Apex Space’s Nova, an ESPA-Grande LEO satellite designed for proliferated constellations. (Credit: Apex Space)
U.S. defense contractor and standardized satellite bus developer, Apex Space raised more than $200 million in new funding to expand in‑house satellite manufacturing, nearly doubling the company’s valuation to $2.3 billion. The round, announced June 5 and led by Glade Brook Capital Partners and Washington Harbour Partners, brings Apex’s total fundraising to more than $718 million. Chief executive Ian Cinnamon said the company was not driven by immediate capital needs but opted to accept additional investment amid rapid demand growth and investor interest.
The funds will support expansion of Apex’s Factory One facility in Los Angeles, where staff has grown to more than 350, and accelerate vertical integration across its Aries, Nova and Comet satellite bus lines. Nova, more than 70% built in‑house, is scheduled to fly for the first time in about a month. Apex is also evaluating further acquisitions after purchasing Phase Four’s propulsion assets last year.
Two‑thirds of Apex’s current business comes from defense and intelligence customers, and Cinnamon said nearly every major defense prime is now a client. The company is self‑funding its $15 million Project Shadow interceptor demonstration using Nova, intended to de‑risk concepts for future space‑based missile defense architectures, including Northrop Grumman’s Golden Dome interceptor.
Blue Origin Plans New Glenn Return By Year-End As NASA Seeks New Lander Launcher, AST SpaceMobile Expects Delays
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket was destroyed in a May 28 static‑fire test anomaly at Launch Complex 36, days before a planned June 4 mission. (Credit: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now)
3 June, 2026
Blue Origin says its New Glenn rocket could return to flight by year’s end after a May 28 static‑fire explosion destroyed the vehicle and heavily damaged Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral. CEO Dave Limp said propellant tanks, the water tower and nearby integration facilities remained intact, while the main support tower, though structurally bent, can be repaired in place. The blast, described by Space Launch Delta 45 (the US Space Force unit headquartered at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida) as the largest explosion ever seen at Cape Canaveral, caused no injuries but destroyed the transporter‑erector and a lightning tower. The transporter‑erector will be replaced by an alternative vertical integration approach apparently in development.
Limp said another New Glenn booster and three upper stages stored nearby were unharmed. The company wants to complete repairs and the ongoing mishap investigation within seven months, a significantly faster turnaround than past pad‑rebuild efforts.
Meanwhile, NASA is seeking an alternative launch vehicle for Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers. Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency is “de‑coupling the lander from the launch vehicle and the pad,” to keep Blue Moon Mark 1 on track for its 2026 Moon Base 1 cargo mission, the crew‑capable Mark 2 available for Artemis 3 in 2027 and a potential lunar landing in 2028. NASA officials said few heavy‑lift alternatives exist for the hydrogen‑fueled Blue Moon landers, which were optimized for New Glenn’s seven‑meter fairing.
Separately, AST SpaceMobile expects a three‑ to six‑month delay to its direct‑to‑smartphone constellation following Blue Origin’s explosion, according to comments from chief strategy officer Scott Wisniewski cited in a William Blair research note. The setback pushes initial commercial service into early 2027, beyond the company’s previous late‑2026 target requiring at least 45 satellites in orbit.
The operator had already lost its BlueBird‑7 satellite on an April New Glenn launch, when it was placed on the wrong orbit, but said none of its near‑term missions rely on Blue Origin. Wisniewski reaffirmed that AST has “a handful of launches” this year with other providers, including SpaceX and “SpaceX‑equivalent” options such as ULA’s Vulcan. Earlier BlueBirds have flown on Falcon 9 and India’s LVM3. AST said its satellites are launcher‑agnostic and that it maintains agreements with multiple providers.
Intelsat IS-40e Mission. (Credit: SpaceX)
3 June, 2026
SpaceX detailed the scale of its upcoming initial public offering, confirming plans to raise at least $75 billion by selling 555.6 million Class A shares at $135 each, according to an updated prospectus filed June 3. Underwriters may purchase an additional 83.3 million shares, potentially lifting proceeds to $85.7 billion and valuing the company at $1.77 trillion, the largest IPO ever recorded. The shares represent less than 5% of the company, and founder Elon Musk will retain 82.4% voting control through Class B stock. SpaceX said proceeds will support expansion of AI compute infrastructure, Starship development, Starlink growth and long‑term plans for up to one million orbital data‑center spacecraft. The company reported $4.7 billion in Q1 2026 revenue and a $4.3 billion net loss, driven largely by AI‑related capital expenditures.
The prospectus also cites a long‑term total addressable market of $28.5 trillion, with nearly $23 trillion attributed to enterprise AI applications. SpaceX currently launches 85% of global satellites, with Starlink comprising more than three‑quarters of active spacecraft in orbit.
Japan’s Murata To Evaluate Xona's Pulsar PNT Service As GPS Alternative For Telecom And Data Networks
3 June, 2026
Murata Manufacturing, the Japanese electronics company, signed a memorandum of understanding with the California-based Xona Space Systems to evaluate the startup’s low‑Earth‑orbit positioning, navigation and timing service (PNT) for telecommunications, data centers, financial networks and other sectors that require highly precise synchronization. The agreement follows a growing interest in alternatives to GPS, whose medium‑Earth‑orbit signals can be weakened in urban environments or disrupted by jamming and spoofing.
Xona is developing its Pulsar PNT constellation, designed to provide stronger, more resilient signals from low orbit. Murata will assess applications for 5G and 6G network timing, financial‑transaction synchronization and industrial uses, as well as off‑road sectors such as construction and agriculture.
The partnership builds on Murata’s earlier investment in Xona through its venture arm and follows similar agreements Xona has signed with receiver makers including Furuno and Hexagon. Murata could integrate Pulsar into communications modules, timing devices and industrial electronics used across smartphones, vehicles, medical systems and AI data centers. Xona expects early commercial adoption from timing‑dependent industries, which can be supported with a limited number of satellites before the full planned 258‑spacecraft constellation is deployed.
Muon Space Unveils Starship-Class Satellite Bus For Orbital Data Center Missions
A render of Muon Space’s Condor-Ultra, a new Starship-class 20kW spacecraft platform. (Credit: Muon Space)
3 June, 2026
Muon Space unveiled Condor‑Ultra, a Starship‑class satellite platform designed for emerging orbital data‑center and high‑power communications missions, with a first launch planned for 2028 under contracts with undisclosed customers. The platform debuts at 20 kilowatts of baseline power and more than 18 square meters of nadir payload area, using Starlink Mini Lasers for inter‑satellite data relay. At roughly three times the mass and five times the power of Muon’s XL bus, Condor‑Ultra is designed to scale to 100 kilowatts and support “native Starship stackability” for deployments of hundreds or thousands of spacecraft.
Muon will open a new San Jose production facility this month, expanding manufacturing capacity tenfold to 500 satellites per year. The company says 95% of spacecraft production is vertically integrated, bolstered by its acquisition of Starlight Engines for propulsion.
Condor‑Ultra is being built to host next‑generation compute hardware, including NVIDIA’s Space‑1 Vera Rubin Module for on‑orbit AI inferencing. Muon plans to launch its first XL satellite in 2027 for Hubble Network and will separately test Starlink Mini Lasers that year. The 2028 Condor‑Ultra pathfinder will fly as a full production‑configuration spacecraft, not a technology demonstrator, with Muon stating it is meeting “real mission requirements” for customers across data‑center and communications markets.
AstroForge Completes DeepSpace‑2 Spacecraft For Late‑Year Asteroid Flyby
AstroForge’s DeepSpace-2 spacecraft with its solar arrays deployed. (Credit: AstroForge)
3 June, 2026
AstroForge has completed assembly of its DeepSpace‑2 spacecraft, preparing the asteroid‑mining startup for a late‑2026 rideshare launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 alongside Intuitive Machines’ IM‑3 lunar lander. The spacecraft will conduct a flyby of a yet‑to‑be‑selected near‑Earth asteroid, with the target chosen only days before launch. The mission is designed to validate AstroForge’s new modular platform and demonstrate operations in interplanetary space after last year’s Odin spacecraft failed when its solar arrays did not properly deploy.
DeepSpace‑2 incorporates redesigned power systems, added contingencies and expanded pre‑flight testing. The platform can ultimately carry 50 kilograms of payload, with the spacecraft costing “just under” $5 million and the full mission less than $10.5 million.
AstroForge expects to build low‑cost spacecraft for future metallic‑asteroid prospecting. The company’s long‑term ambitions align with broader industry interest: SpaceX’s IPO prospectus disclosed plans to pursue asteroid‑mining operations to supply raw materials for space‑based industries.
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Shockwaves Generate Spoke‑Like Filaments In Star‑Forming Clouds
The left panel shows a hub-filament system observed in an actual star-forming region; the right shows the structure produced by this study's 3D simulation. Both show multiple elongated filaments of gas radiating toward a dense central hub. The study shows that this characteristic pattern can emerge when a fast interstellar shockwave strikes a molecular cloud with a curved magnetic field.
Shockwaves from massive stars and supernova remnants can generate the spoke‑like gas structures seen in some of the Milky Way’s most active stellar nurseries, according to new 3D simulations from Kyushu University and Nagoya University. The study, published in March in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, models how external shocks striking a magnetized molecular cloud can produce hub‑filament systems—radial networks of dense filaments feeding material into a central star‑forming hub.
Using the ATERUI III supercomputer, researchers simulated a cloud threaded by a vertical magnetic field bent into an hourglass shape by gravity. When a shockwave passed through, it encountered the curved field at varying angles, creating oblique shocks that strengthened portions of the field and carved channels guiding gas into elongated filaments. Dense gas accelerated inward along these filaments, while lower‑density material between them remained largely static, aligning with observations that only a small fraction of cloud mass forms stars.
Future simulations will vary shock strength, direction, cloud structure and magnetic geometry to explain the diversity of hub‑filament systems across the galaxy.
Despatch Out. 👽🛸
