SpaceX
Apr 20 — SpaceX awarded contract for a Mars mission that may face cancellation. The company is scheduled to launch GPS III SV-10 satellite for the U.S. Space Force early on **April 21**.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-04-20
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-04-20.
Week ending
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
U.S. Space Force
Apr 20 — Space Force established a new **cislunar coordination office** to focus operations beyond Earth orbit. The service is also evaluating Vulcan rocket flights without solid boosters for future missions.
NASA
Apr 17 — NASA shut off an instrument on **Voyager 1** to extend the interstellar mission's lifespan, conserving power for the aging spacecraft. NASA also approved the **ROSA project** to support ESA's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover mission, strengthening the partnership announced in a 2024 MoU.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
Vast Space
Apr 20 — Vast Space partnered with **Cedars-Sinai** on microgravity science and crew health research for an upcoming mission aboard the **Haven-1** commercial space station.
Rheinmetall
Apr 20 — Rheinmetall signed an MoU with the Norwegian Municipality of **Andøy** to establish a satellite test center in **Andøya**, expanding European space infrastructure capabilities.
ESA
Apr 20 — ESA and the Canadian Space Agency signed a General Security of Information Agreement enabling the exchange of classified information around strategic space domains.
KASA
Apr 19 — The Korean Aerospace Agency (KASA) and the Canadian Space Agency signed an MoU to boost cooperation in the space sector.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
Blue Origin
Apr 19 — Blue Origin successfully launched and recovered a **reused New Glenn first stage** on its third flight, but the upper stage failed to deliver AST SpaceMobile's **BlueBird 7** satellite to the correct orbit. The satellite, insured for **$30M**, is a total loss. The FAA has **grounded** the New Glenn rocket pending investigation. Blue Origin also announced **Project Quartz**, a global ground station network.
AST SpaceMobile
Apr 19 — AST SpaceMobile's **BlueBird 7** direct-to-cellphone communications satellite was declared a total loss after Blue Origin's New Glenn upper stage delivered it to the wrong orbit. The satellite was insured for **$30M**.
Industry Context
Industry-Wide
Apr 20 — **Latvia** is set to join the Artemis Accords, expanding international participation in lunar exploration frameworks. China is ramping up satellite production capacity amid ambitious constellation plans. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher discussed Europe's speed challenges, with Copernicus generating **350TB of data per day**. Space Symposium 2026 featured discussions on a **€35B** European space investment wave and the need to reduce bureaucracy.
Additional Updates
Hubble Space Telescope
Apr 20 — The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its **36th anniversary** with a new portrait of the Trifid Nebula, revisiting a scene it first captured in 1997. The star-forming region is located about **5,000 light-years** away in Sagittarius.