Policy

Space industry coverage tagged Policy from OuterspaceToday.

• Amazon Files for 5,105-Satellite Direct-to-Phone Constellation, Targeting 2028 Launch

  July 27, 2026

  Amazon submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday to launch a new low Earth orbit constellation of 5,105 satellites designed to provide direct-to-device service including voice, messaging, data, and emergency services. If approved, Amazon says it will begin deploying the constellation in 2028, marking a significant expansion of its satellite ambitions. The filing builds on Amazon's move earlier this year to acquire Globalstar's satellite network, along with Gl

• Saltzman Warns No Nation Can "Steer Clear" of a War in Space

  July 23, 2026

  The outgoing head of the U.S. Space Force used his final public speech to warn international partners that a conflict extending into orbit would leave no military or nation untouched. Speaking on July 15 at the 2026 Global Air and Space Chiefs Conference, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said orbital mechanics would place every spacefaring nation inside the combat zone whether it wanted to be there or not. The warning drew on the physical reality of Earth orbit, which is not unlim

• Poland Backs Europe's IRIS2 With $749 Million, Will Build 12 Satellites

  July 22, 2026

  Poland has committed 656 million euros, roughly $749 million, to IRIS2, Europe's sovereign broadband satellite constellation. Under an agreement signed in Warsaw, Poland will fund nearly 10 percent of the constellation, build 12 of its satellites, and construct a ground station in Warsaw. IRIS2 is framed as Europe's answer to Starlink, a sovereign broadband network intended to reduce European reliance on foreign-owned commercial satellite systems, including SpaceX. Poland's commitment carries w

• Space Force Commander Declares Return to Spectrum Dominance After Middle East Operations

  July 21, 2026

  The commander of U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command declared on July 17, 2026, that recent multi-domain joint deployments in the Middle East mark a decisive return to American electromagnetic spectrum dominance. Speaking at a virtual event, military leadership said orbital assets have shifted from passive tactical support to active catalysts inside the joint combat formation. The declaration was made at an event hosted by the Air and Space Forces Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospa

• UK Space Agency Misses Deadline on £75.6 Million Debris Removal Contract

  July 20, 2026

  The UK Space Agency has missed a deadline to award a £75.6 million contract for the country's first mission to capture and remove dead satellites from low Earth orbit. The agency, which had been expected to award the contract by 30 March 2026, is now targeting summer 2026 without explaining the delay or providing a precise timetable. A call for Phase 3 of the mission's development was published in July 2025, with the contract initially expected by the end of March 2026. In its final annual repo

• NASA Watchdog Warns Artemis Crews Could Be Stranded on the Moon With No Rescue Option

  July 20, 2026

  NASA's Office of Inspector General has identified a fundamental flaw in the agency's plan for the first crewed lunar landing in 2028, warning that astronauts who suffer a life-threatening emergency on the Moon's South Pole could not be rescued under the current architecture. The independent watchdog, established by Congress to oversee the space agency, states that NASA has no capability to retrieve a stranded crew. The warning centers on NASA's plan to land astronauts on the cratered, boulder-s

• Taiwan Moves to Exempt Starlink From Ownership Rules to Shore Up Wartime Connectivity

  July 19, 2026

  Taiwan's parliament is set to amend its telecommunications law to clear a legal path for Elon Musk's Starlink to operate on the island, part of an effort to strengthen communications resilience against the threat of a Chinese blockade or invasion. The self-ruled island has no low Earth orbit satellites of its own and depends on subsea telecoms cables to connect to the rest of the world. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and has ramped up military pressure in recent years. Taiwan's Chunghwa

• UK Loses 340 Million Pounds on Eutelsat OneWeb Starlink Bet

  July 18, 2026

  British taxpayers have lost 340 million pounds on Eutelsat OneWeb, the government-backed venture positioned as a rival to SpaceX's Starlink. The company has slumped in value after struggling against competitors in the low Earth orbit broadband market. The UK government backed OneWeb as a strategic national asset and a hedge against dependence on Starlink. That bet is now visibly failing in financial terms, arriving in the same week that other governments moved to clear paths for Starlink to ope

• Space Force Chief Nominee Warns of China's "Breathtakingly Fast" Space Advances

  July 17, 2026

  Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, nominated to become the third chief of the U.S. Space Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that China's rapidly advancing space capabilities are a primary justification for the service's budget. His confirmation hearing was short and nonconfrontational, and he is expected to succeed Gen. Chance Saltzman as chief of space operations. Schiess described the pace of China's development in space as "breathtakingly fast," using that assessment to frame the

• Arianespace Chief Urges EU or Germany to Order Ariane 6 in Blocks of 10 to 20

  July 17, 2026

  Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès has called on either the European Commission or the German government to place block orders for 10 to 20 Ariane 6 launches. He argues that such a commitment would transform how the company plans and manages its supply chain, and warned that the necessary political decisions must come quickly. Cavaillolès made the comments to German defence publication Hartpunkt during a broader discussion of rising demand for military satellite launches. He pointed to a Septemb

• Starlink Satellites Now Dodging Collisions Almost Weekly as Maneuvers Triple in a Year

  July 15, 2026

  SpaceX's Starlink satellites performed more than 355,000 collision avoidance maneuvers over the past year, meaning each spacecraft now dodges debris and other satellites on an almost weekly basis. The figure, drawn from SpaceX's latest semiannual disclosure to the Federal Communications Commission, marks more than three times the number the constellation carried out in 2024. Experts warn that the pace of maneuvering, while a sign the system is working, cannot continue rising indefinitely without

• FCC Clears Reflect Orbital's First Space Mirror, Leaves Impact Questions Unanswered

  July 13, 2026

  The Federal Communications Commission granted Reflect Orbital a license to launch its first in-space demonstration satellite, named Eärendil-1, clearing the way for a debut flight scheduled this year. The Hawthorne California startup aims to validate technology that beams sunlight to Earth using orbiting mirrors, while the Commission explicitly declined to weigh concerns about the mission's effects on astronomy and the environment. Reflect Orbital is attempting to provide on-demand sunlight usi