Archangel Lightworks
Apr 13 — Archangel Lightworks secured **£10M** in Series A funding to scale its optical ground infrastructure for satellite communications.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-04-14
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-04-14.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
Spaceflux
Apr 14 — Spaceflux was selected by MDA Space to deliver optical systems for the Canadian Space Surveillance Program.
Axiom Space
Apr 14 — Axiom Space plans a **2027** flight test of its AxEMU spacesuit as part of its NASA contract for lunar surface EVA suits.
L3Harris
Apr 14 — L3Harris is investing upfront in its bid for Golden Dome work, a classified space surveillance program, demonstrating strategic positioning for government contracts.
Lockheed Martin
Apr 14 — Lockheed Martin is self-funding two next-generation space dominance efforts for rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and command capabilities to meet Defense Department orbital warfare requirements.
Aerospace Corporation
Apr 13 — The Aerospace Corporation announced it will support industry with government-furnished talent, expanding its role as a federally funded research and development center.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
Ecliptic Enterprises
Apr 14 — Ecliptic Enterprises announced a strategic agreement with The Extraterrestrial Investment Company for collaboration in space infrastructure development.
Phantom Space
Apr 13 — Phantom Space secured a thermal imaging partnership deal to enhance its Phantom Cloud constellation's Earth observation capabilities in the orbital data race.
Rheinmetall
Apr 14 — Rheinmetall and Destinus announced plans to form a joint venture for the development of advanced missile systems, combining aerospace and defense capabilities.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
SpaceX
Apr 14 — SpaceX launched the **1,000th Starlink satellite of 2026** on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral (Starlink 10-24 mission), deploying **29 satellites** to LEO at 5:33 AM EDT.
Northrop Grumman
Apr 13 — The Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft (S.S. Steven R. Nagel) arrived at the ISS on April 13 at 12:19 PM CT, carrying approximately **11,000 pounds** of supplies after launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 on April 11.
CAS Space
Apr 14 — China's Jielong-3 rocket launched an internet test satellite while Kinetica-1 lofted **8 remote sensing satellites** (Jilin-1 constellation) in dual launches.
NASA
Apr 13 — NASA's Artemis II crew successfully returned to Earth after a **9-day** mission that took them farther from Earth than any humans in history, completing the first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years.
Egypt/Kenya/Uganda Space Collaboration
Apr 14 — Egypt, Kenya, and Uganda successfully launched ClimCam, an AI-enabled Earth-observation instrument, to the International Space Station for climate monitoring.
Industry Context
Industry-Wide
Apr 14 — AI and geopolitics are spurring a surge in space investment, with infrastructure investment reaching new highs driven by dual-use applications and national security concerns.
Apr 14 — President Trump signed legislation reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, providing continued funding pathways for space startups and emerging technology companies.
Apr 13 — Washington agrees on space urgency but remains divided on acquisition and procurement approaches, with tensions between traditional and commercial space acquisition models.
Apr 14 — The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) may be at a turning point as it addresses governing space in the new commercial era with increased constellation deployments.
Apr 14 — Regulators face challenges keeping pace with the cadence of commercial space development as launch rates and constellation sizes increase exponentially.
Apr 13 — NASA science faces 'very serious threat' from new White House budget proposal, with experts calling it the least transparent NASA budget request since 1960.
HawkEye 360
Apr 13 — Satellite signals-intelligence provider HawkEye 360, preparing for an IPO, reported **$117.7M in 2025 revenue** and **$24.8M EBITDA**, demonstrating commercial viability in the RF geolocation market.
SpaceX
Apr 13 — Market speculation continues around SpaceX and what could become the biggest IPO in history, though no official announcement has been made by the company.
Additional Updates
Tendeg
Apr 14 — Tendeg delivered its first antenna from a new industrial production facility, targeting **100+ deployable apertures annually** for satellite communications applications.
Eutelsat
Apr 14 — Eutelsat's U.S. arm is pitching hosted payload deals on OneWeb satellites, offering government and commercial customers rideshare opportunities on its LEO constellation.
Slingshot Aerospace
Apr 14 — Slingshot Aerospace introduced an AI-powered Portal Platform for space domain awareness and satellite operations management.
ICON
Apr 14 — ICON Prime launched, led by a former Texas Representative, focusing on advancing 3D-printed construction technology for space and lunar applications.
Vast Space
Apr 14 — Vast Space debuted its flight suit for Haven-1 and private astronaut missions, designed for comfort and functionality on commercial space station visits.
ThinKom
Apr 13 — ThinKom rolled out the new ThinAir Nexus multi-orbit, multi-system electronically steered antenna (ESA) for airlines, designed for GEO, MEO, and LEO connectivity.
MDA Space
Apr 13 — MDA Space announced MDA Midnight, an on-orbit servicing platform designed for rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) to detect, identify, counter, and service satellites.
Rohde & Schwarz
Apr 13 — Rohde & Schwarz introduced Pulsar signal simulation capabilities to advance next-generation positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) testing for space applications.
Deloitte
Apr 14 — Deloitte's space business reached new heights as two more 'Project Constellation' satellites reached orbit, expanding the firm's Earth observation capabilities.
Astroscale
Apr 13 — Astroscale unveiled client satellites and concept of operations for its ISSA-J1 orbital debris removal mission, scheduled to launch in **2027**.
Safran DSI
Apr 13 — Safran DSI's Parker, Colorado facility is on track to complete production of its first PPS®X00 **1kW class** electric propulsion thruster by the end of 2026 for smaller satellite platforms.