Cowboy Space
May 12 — Cowboy Space (formerly another name) raised **$275 million** in Series B funding to develop and operate AI data centers in orbit, which will be launched on a proprietary rocket the company is developing in-house.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-05-13
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-05-13.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Star Catcher
May 12 — Star Catcher, led by former Made in Space and Redwire executive Andrew Rush, raised **$65 million** in Series A funding to build an in-orbit power grid infrastructure.
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
TrustPoint
May 12 — Space Force awarded TrustPoint **$4 million** in Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) contract via SpaceWERX to fund buildout of four satellites and four ground stations for a full end-to-end demonstration of its C-band LEO navigation system as a GPS alternative.
SpaceX
May 12 — The FCC approved SpaceX's acquisition of EchoStar spectrum to improve direct-to-device services in the United States, subject to a **$2.4 billion** escrow condition tied to disputes over the seller's abandoned terrestrial 5G network buildout.
National Reconnaissance Office
May 13 — The NRO launched its thirteenth Proliferated Architecture mission, NROL-172, continuing expansion of its distributed satellite architecture.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
Varda Space Industries
May 13 — Varda signed its first major pharmaceutical partnership with United Therapeutics to develop improved drugs in microgravity, marking a significant commercial milestone for the in-space manufacturing company.
Exobiosphere
May 13 — Exobiosphere partnered with Voyager Space on an ISS mission to advance space-based research and technology demonstration capabilities.
May 12 — Google is reportedly in talks with SpaceX to build data centers in orbit, exploring space as a future home for AI compute infrastructure despite current costs being far higher than ground-based facilities.
Sateliot
May 13 — Sateliot and Turkcell demonstrated standard 5G NTN (non-terrestrial network) IoT connectivity by satellite for the first time in Türkiye, advancing satellite-cellular convergence.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
SpaceX
May 13 — SpaceX set **May 19** as the target date for the debut launch of Starship Version 3 from Launch Pad 2, a critical milestone for the company's ambitions and NASA's Artemis 3 lunar mission planned for 2027. The mission will test significant vehicle and infrastructure upgrades.
May 12 — SpaceX's Dragon CRS-34 resupply mission to the ISS, carrying **6,500 pounds** of cargo, was delayed 24 hours with launch now targeted for May 13.
LEAP
May 13 — LEAP successfully conducted the first launch of its rocket, marking a debut milestone for the emerging launch provider.
NASA
May 12 — NASA's Psyche asteroid probe is scheduled to fly within **3,000 miles** of Mars on May 15 for a gravity assist maneuver to boost its trajectory toward the metal-rich asteroid.
Industry Context
U.S. Government / Golden Dome Program
May 12 — The Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense system at **$1.2 trillion** over 20 years, with space-based interceptors accounting for the majority of costs.
SES
May 13 — SES canceled two GEO expansion satellites originally ordered by Intelsat before its acquisition, joining Eutelsat in pulling back from GEO expansion plans in favor of network business growth. The company also reported struggles with O3b mPower insurance claims.
Eutelsat
May 13 — Eutelsat reported revenue from OneWeb up **65%** in Q1, with government business growing **11.8%** driven by both GEO and LEO capacity. Negotiations on the Iris2 constellation cost, schedule, and performance require 'a few more weeks,' according to SES and Eutelsat.
AST SpaceMobile
May 12 — CEO Abel Avellan confirmed AST SpaceMobile still expects to have **45 BlueBird satellites** in orbit by year-end despite a recent Blue Origin launch failure affecting deployment schedule.
FCC
May 12 — On May 1, 2026, the FCC approved landmark spectrum sharing and direct-to-device regulatory frameworks, enabling expanded satellite-cellular integration and spectrum efficiency across the industry.
Additional Updates
Quantum Space
May 12 — Quantum Space announced it will build its highly maneuverable spacecraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma, home to the company's new chief executive.