Starfish Space
Apr 7 — Starfish Space raised **more than $100 million** in Series B funding to advance its orbital servicing and life extension vehicles for satellites in GEO and other orbits.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-04-06
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-04-06.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
PLD Space
Apr 7 — The European Investment Bank signed a **€30 million** (**$34.6M**) loan facility with PLD Space, bringing the launcher startup's total funding to **$438 million** as it develops its Miura small satellite launch vehicle.
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
Anduril / Impulse Space
Apr 6 — Anduril and Impulse Space are developing prototype orbital interceptors for the classified **Golden Dome** missile defense program under new government contracts.
Exolaunch
Apr 6 — Exolaunch was selected by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) to provide satellite deployers for an upcoming small satellite mission.
NASA
Apr 6 — The Trump administration's FY 2027 budget proposes a **23% reduction** in overall NASA funding and a **47% cut** to science programs, repeating substantial cuts previously rejected by Congress in 2026.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
Azercosmos
Apr 6 — Azercosmos signed a partnership agreement with Viasat to provide in-flight connectivity services to airlines using satellite broadband.
Firefly Aerospace
Apr 7 — Firefly Aerospace partnered with Seagate Space to develop offshore sea-based launches for its Alpha rocket, including construction of a purpose-built **Gateway sea platform**.
Delta Air Lines
Apr 7 — Delta Air Lines signed a deal with Amazon's Project Kuiper (Amazon Leo) to bring satellite-based Wi-Fi to over **500 aircraft** starting in **2028**.
Korean Air
Apr 7 — Korean Air partnered with Exotrail to jointly develop Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) solutions for satellite servicing and in-space transportation.
Open Lunar Foundation
Apr 7 — Open Lunar Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) on the **Lunar Ledger** and information sharing for lunar coordination activities.
L3Harris / Comtech
Mar 31 — L3Harris and Comtech released a new multi-orbit tactical satcom embeddable **C2 modem** compatible with certain L3Harris terminals, announced March 31.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
NASA Artemis II
Apr 6 — Artemis II astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen) successfully completed a historic lunar flyby, passing as close as **4,067 miles** from the Moon and setting a new human distance record of **252,757 miles** from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 record. The crew witnessed a rare solar eclipse from deep space and named lunar features including a crater after mission commander's late wife. The mission is on track for splashdown off California on Friday.
Industry Context
Earth Observation Industry
Apr 7 — Earth observation satellite operators are racing to deliver satellite imagery within **minutes** of capture, down from hours or days, driven by demand for real-time intelligence in defense and commercial applications.
NIGCOMSAT
Apr 7 — Nigeria announced plans to launch **two new NIGCOMSAT communications satellites** by **2029** to expand the nation's space-based communications infrastructure.
Additional Updates
The Exploration Company
Apr 7 — The Exploration Company completed initial pressure testing of the pressurized structure for its **Nyx Structural Test Model (STM)**, manufactured by CNIM Systèmes Industriels. The Nyx capsule is being developed for cargo and crew transport missions.
Moog
Apr 6 — Moog showcased its growing satellite bus capabilities with a full-scale reveal of the **METEOR** satellite platform at the Space Symposium, highlighting expansion into complete satellite systems.
FOSSA Systems
Apr 6 — FOSSA Systems is targeting Japan's defense market with larger smallsats as the company expands its satellite capabilities beyond traditional cubesats.
Iceye
Apr 6 — Iceye's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites are being used to track Russian naval vessels and illegal shipping activity in the Arctic, demonstrating advanced maritime surveillance capabilities.
University of Leicester
Apr 6 — UK scientists at Space Park Leicester developed a **robotic laboratory** to safely store and analyze Moon and Mars samples without contamination risks, preparing for future sample return missions.
ESA
Apr 7 — ESA researchers demonstrated that **graphene aerogel** can be steered by lasers in microgravity, potentially enabling laser-based propulsion systems for solar sails and satellite position adjustments in space.