Satellites

Coverage of satellite programs, constellations, on-orbit operations, and orbital network infrastructure.

• Apex in Talks for $500 Million Raise at $4 Billion Valuation to Scale Satellite Bus Production

  October 26, 2026

  Satellite bus manufacturer Apex entered discussions on Thursday, October 22, 2026, to raise approximately $500 million in a new funding round valuing the company at roughly $4 billion. The capital would accelerate high-volume production of standardized orbital buses for commercial and national security constellations, marking a sharp valuation step up for the Los Angeles company. The talks follow four months after Apex secured $200 million at a $2.3 billion valuation in June. That trajectory re

• AST SpaceMobile Wins Anatel Spectrum Clearance for Brazil Direct-to-Cellular Push

  October 26, 2026

  AST SpaceMobile has secured approval from Brazilian regulator Anatel to use S-band spectrum and the 700 MHz band on a secondary basis, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for its direct-to-device satellite service in the country. The company also announced agreements with four regional operators and plans for ground infrastructure in Brazil, advancing its expansion into a major market. The authorization addresses the gating requirement for direct-to-cellular satellite service, where spectrum acces

• Musk Warns Russia Could Strike Starlink Satellites If Network Used for Offensive Operations

  October 26, 2026

  Elon Musk has warned that Russia could target Starlink satellites with anti-satellite weapons if the network is used to conduct offensive military strikes, cautioning that such attacks could scatter dangerous debris across low Earth orbit. He argued that the threat of retaliation is a central reason Starlink should remain a civilian system rather than a direct participant in offensive military operations. Musk made the comments in a post on X on October 25, responding to a discussion about Russ

• China Orbits Six Remote Sensing Satellites in Single Long March-4B Launch

  October 24, 2026

  China placed six remote sensing satellites into orbit early Saturday aboard a single Long March-4B carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The flight delivered two distinct satellite groups to their preset orbits and marked the 673rd mission of the Long March rocket family. The launch lifted off at 3:25 a.m. Beijing Time. The payload comprised satellites 07-09 of the Yaogan-53 group and satellites 19-21 of the Yaogan-56 group, all of which reached their inten

• Solstar Space Validates In-Orbit Wi-Fi During NASA Proximity Operations Demonstration

  October 23, 2026

  Solstar Space demonstrated in-space Wi-Fi technology using its Deke Space Communicator during a recent rendezvous and proximity operations mission involving a NASA cubesat and a Momentus spacecraft. The demonstration relayed mission data, including imagery and sensor readings, back to NASA Johnson Space Center through experimental use of the Iridium network. Solstar released details of the demonstration this week. The Deke Space Communicator, carried aboard the Momentus Vigoride-7 vehicle, coll

• Iceye and Nokia Sign Letter of Intent to Build Sovereign Satcom for Ukraine

  October 22, 2026

  Iceye and Nokia have signed a letter of intent with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to develop a satellite communications capability the country would own and control. The agreement, announced Thursday, marks Iceye's move into satcom and arrives as Ukraine confronts disruptions to its access to commercial satellite networks. The letter of intent follows a partnership the two companies announced earlier this month to jointly develop a sovereign satellite communications system that would give

• Russian Satellite Shadows Finnish Commercial Spacecraft Aiding Ukraine

  October 22, 2026

  A Russian satellite maneuvered dangerously close to a commercial Finnish satellite over a two-week period, raising fresh questions about the security of commercial spacecraft supporting military operations. The Finnish satellite is currently providing intelligence to the Ukrainian military, making the apparent provocation a direct concern for the ongoing conflict. The close approach began in late September and culminated in mid-October. The maneuver has drawn attention from experts who are exam

• Xona Raises $250M Series D to Scale Pulsar Commercial GPS Constellation

  October 22, 2026

  Xona Space Systems closed a $250M Series D on October 22 to accelerate production of its Pulsar commercial GPS constellation, which aims to begin service in 2027. The round valued the company at $2.45B and brings Xona's total fundraising to more than $570M since its founding in 2019. Xona's long-term plan is to build a constellation of roughly 258 satellites to offer a commercial alternative to government GPS networks. The company argues that publicly funded GPS systems are costly, complex, and

• Marble Sat-1 to Fly Laser Downlink Terminal on First Mission

  October 21, 2026

  Earth observation operator Marble Imaging, satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace, and optical communications specialist Odysseus Space announced on October 21, 2026 a joint mission to deploy space-to-ground laser communications aboard Marble Sat-1. The spacecraft, named Morgana, is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2027 and will use optical downlink technology to accelerate data delivery for European Earth observation. High-resolution Earth observation payloads generate large data v

• NASA to Evaluate Planet's Tanager Hyperspectral Data for Earth Science Use

  October 21, 2026

  Planet Labs PBC has won an evaluation task order under NASA's Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition program, placing its Tanager hyperspectral dataset under formal assessment for the agency's Earth science work. The deal, awarded to subsidiary Planet Labs Federal, will test the data's quality, reliability, and utility and could open a path to making Tanager data available to the federally funded scientific community. The award follows the launch of Tanager-2 on October 1, 2026. Within a week of

• NVIDIA Takes Minority Stake in Germany's Reflex Aerospace to Scale Satellite Production

  October 20, 2026

  NVIDIA announced a planned minority investment in German satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace, tying the chipmaker directly into European space manufacturing. The move, disclosed October 19, 2026, is intended to help Reflex scale its satellite production. The investment forms part of a broader NVIDIA push to expand Europe's technology and AI infrastructure. It marks a direct financial link between one of the world's largest chipmakers and a European builder of orbital hardware. NVIDIA descr

• U.S. Ambassador Warns EU of Retaliation Over Satellite Spectrum Reservations

  October 19, 2026

  U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder warned that Brussels will face severe American retaliation if it proceeds with proposals to restrict upcoming satellite spectrum exclusively to European operators. In an interview published Sunday, October 18, 2026, Puzder cautioned that excluding U.S. commercial constellation operators from Mobile Satellite Services allocations would trigger devastating economic consequences for European companies operating in American markets. The warning la