Aspect Aerospace
Apr 1 — Aspect Aerospace secured early-stage funding to advance its swarm-deployable Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) satellite technology. Funding amount not disclosed.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-04-02
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-04-02.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Starcloud
Apr 1 — Starcloud raised **$170M** to scale orbital data centers and advance AI computing infrastructure in space.
Anvil Robotics
Apr 2 — Anvil Robotics, an eight-month-old startup building a 'Legos for robots' platform for physical AI teams, raised **$5.5M** in seed funding.
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
Spire Global
Apr 1 — Spire Global successfully deployed a satellite for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) MagQuest geomagnetic challenge, demonstrating capabilities in geomagnetic data collection from orbit.
ThrustMe
Apr 2 — ThrustMe will equip **40 Japanese Earth observation satellites** with its propulsion systems, announced during French President Macron's visit to Japan. The partnership marks a significant expansion into the Asian market.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
Phantom Space
Apr 2 — Phantom Space acquired a thermal management technologies specialist to support its push into orbital data center operations. The acquisition strengthens Phantom's capabilities in thermal control systems critical for space-based computing infrastructure.
SpaceData
Apr 2 — SpaceData partnered with Look Up to build a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data platform in Japan, expanding joint capabilities in tracking and monitoring objects in orbit.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
NASA
Apr 1 — NASA successfully launched Artemis 2 at **6:35 PM EDT** on April 1, 2026, sending **four astronauts** on the first crewed mission to the Moon in over **50 years**. The mission will conduct a **10-day** lunar flyby to test Orion spacecraft systems and ESA's European Service Module. A minor toilet malfunction was reported but crews are troubleshooting.
ESA (Juice Mission)
Apr 2 — ESA's Juice spacecraft captured new observations of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing five key scientific findings about its composition and behavior. The mission characterized the comet as 'extreme but not exotic' based on initial data from the JANUS science camera.
Industry Context
SpaceX
Apr 1 — SpaceX has confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC, according to Bloomberg and CNBC reports. The offering, internally codenamed 'Project Apex,' is potentially valued at **$1.75 trillion** and has lined up **21 banks** to manage what could be the largest IPO in history. Under SEC rules, the S-1 prospectus must be made public within 15 days of the offering.
European Union (Iris2)
Apr 1 — Europe's Iris2 constellation program appears ready to pass go-ahead review after adopting compromises and securing approval from SES. The sovereign secure communications constellation represents a major EU space infrastructure initiative.
FCC
Mar 31 — The FCC issued a notice seeking public comment on expanding spectrum access for non-traditional space applications, colloquially referred to as 'weird space stuff,' signaling potential regulatory changes for novel orbital operations.
Additional Updates
Fortastra
Apr 2 — Fortastra added executives from Relativity Space, Hermeus, Astrion, and Divergent to its C-suite, signaling aggressive team expansion and growth plans.
Teledyne
Apr 1 — Teledyne formed a dedicated space business unit to capture rising demand across the space sector, consolidating its space-related operations and signaling increased focus on the commercial space market.
Measat Global
Apr 1 — Measat Global appointed John Loke as Chief Technology Officer to oversee digital evolution and regional strategy, strengthening technical leadership.
Arianespace
Apr 1 — Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès previewed Ariane 6 ramp-up plans amid the ongoing Amazon Leo launch campaign. The next mission for Amazon is planned for April following the first launch in February.
CanarySat Satellite Services
Apr 1 — CanarySat CEO Antonio Abad outlined the sovereign, secure approach behind the Magec Ka-band LEO constellation unveiled at SATShow Week. The Arquimea-backed operator is emerging from Spain's Canary Islands.