SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-04-16.
Week ending
Apr 20 — Space Force established a new **cislunar coordination office** to focus on operations beyond Earth orbit, signaling expanded focus on lunar and deep space domain awareness.
Apr 19 — Space Force is evaluating **Vulcan flights without solid rocket boosters** as a configuration option for future national security launches, potentially expanding mission flexibility.
Apr 21 — SpaceX scheduled to launch **GPS III SV-10** satellite for U.S. Space Force early April 21, continuing deployment of the military's advanced navigation constellation.
Apr 20 — SpaceX awarded contract for a **Mars mission** that faces potential cancellation amid shifting NASA priorities and budget uncertainty.
Apr 16 — NASA formally approved the **Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation (ROSA) Project**, strengthening partnership with ESA to launch the Mars rover, following 2024 MoU for cooperation.
Apr 20 — Latvia signed the **Artemis Accords**, joining the international framework for peaceful lunar exploration and cooperation in space.
Apr 20 — Rheinmetall signed **MoU with Norwegian Municipality of Andøy** to establish a satellite test center in Andøya, Norway, expanding European space testing infrastructure.
Apr 20 — Vast partnered with **Cedars-Sinai** on microgravity science and crew health research aboard the upcoming **Haven-1** commercial space station mission.
Apr 20 — ESA and Canada signed **General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA)** enabling exchange of classified information around strategic space domains.
Apr 19 — Korean Aerospace Agency (KASA) and Canadian Space Agency signed **MoU on space cooperation** to boost bilateral collaboration in the space sector.
Apr 19 — Blue Origin achieved first **New Glenn booster reuse** on third flight, successfully landing the first stage, but the upper stage delivered AST SpaceMobile's **BlueBird 7 satellite** to wrong orbit. The **$30M insured** satellite is declared a total loss. 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 communications satellite, insured for **$30M**, declared a total loss after Blue Origin's New Glenn upper stage delivered it to an incorrect orbit.
Apr 17 — NASA shut off an instrument on **Voyager 1** to extend the interstellar mission's operational lifespan as power resources continue to decline on the 47-year-old spacecraft.
Apr 20 — China ramping up satellite production capacity significantly amid ambitious **megaconstellation** deployment plans, signaling intensified competition in LEO communications.
Apr 20 — ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher highlighted Europe's challenges with bureaucratic speed, noting Copernicus generates **350TB of data daily** and emphasizing need for faster decision-making to compete globally. European space leaders discussed **€35B investment avalanche** needed to double market size.