SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-04-15.
Week ending
Apr 21 — SpaceX will launch **GPS III SV-10** satellite for the U.S. Space Force early Tuesday morning, continuing the company's role in modernizing the military's navigation constellation.
Apr 20 — SpaceX won a contract for a **Mars mission** that may face cancellation, according to reports analyzing potential shifts in NASA's planetary exploration priorities.
Apr 19 — The U.S. Space Force is evaluating **Vulcan rocket flights without solid rocket boosters** for certain missions, potentially expanding mission flexibility and reducing launch costs for national security payloads.
Apr 17 — NASA shut off an instrument on **Voyager 1** to extend the spacecraft's interstellar mission lifespan, prioritizing power conservation for the 47-year-old probe now operating beyond the solar system.
Apr 16 — NASA approved the **Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation (ROSA)** project to support ESA's Mars rover mission, strengthening U.S.-European cooperation on planetary exploration after prior delays.
Apr 20 — The Space Force established a new **cislunar coordination office** to focus on operations beyond Earth orbit, addressing the growing need for space domain awareness and coordination in the Moon's orbital region.
Apr 20 — Vast partnered with **Cedars-Sinai** medical center on microgravity science and crew health research aboard the upcoming **Haven-1** commercial space station mission.
Apr 20 — ESA and Canada signed a **General Security of Information Agreement** enabling the exchange of classified information around strategic space domains, deepening bilateral cooperation on defense-related space activities.
Apr 20 — Rheinmetall signed an **MoU with the Norwegian Municipality of Andøy** to establish a satellite test center in Andøya, expanding European satellite testing infrastructure.
Apr 19 — The Korean Aerospace Agency (KASA) and the **Canadian Space Agency signed an MoU** on space cooperation to boost bilateral collaboration in the space sector.
Apr 19 — Blue Origin's **New Glenn third flight** successfully reused and landed its first-stage booster for the second time, but the upper stage delivered AST SpaceMobile's **BlueBird 7 satellite** (insured for **$30M**) to the wrong orbit. The satellite is a total loss, and the FAA grounded New Glenn pending investigation.
Apr 16 — Blue Origin unveiled **Project Quartz**, a global ground station network to support satellite communications and operations.
Apr 19 — AST SpaceMobile's **BlueBird 7** direct-to-cellphone satellite was declared a total loss after Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket delivered it to an incorrect orbit. The spacecraft was insured for **$30 million**.
Apr 20 — China is ramping up **satellite production capacity** amid ambitious constellation plans, with multiple manufacturing facilities coming online to support large-scale LEO broadband networks.
Apr 20 — Latvia joined the **Artemis Accords**, becoming the latest nation to sign on to the U.S.-led framework for responsible civil space exploration.