Astroscale
May 19 — Sky Perfect JSAT invested in Astroscale as part of a strategic partnership to collaborate on on-orbit servicing initiatives. The companies will work together on satellite life extension and debris removal capabilities.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-05-20
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-05-20.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
Northrop Grumman
May 19 — Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a **$398 million** contract to build a communications satellite prototype with advanced anti-jam and data processing capabilities.
Intuitive Machines
May 19 — Intuitive Machines secured prime contracts to operate key NASA and KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) lunar imaging instruments, expanding its role in lunar exploration operations.
Astrolab
May 20 — Astrolab's FLIP rover will deliver **four NASA research instruments** to the lunar south pole aboard Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander in late 2026 as part of the Artemis program.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
York Space Systems
May 19 — York Space Systems announced acquisition of Solestial to verticalize the space solar supply chain. The deal will give York in-house solar panel production capabilities for satellite manufacturing.
Portal Space
May 19 — Portal Space selected Quindar for ground mission support of its maneuvering spacecraft, expanding operational capabilities for on-orbit servicing missions.
Eutelsat Network Solutions
May 19 — Eutelsat Network Solutions added the Get SAT Aero Blade terminal to its lineup, providing multi-orbit connectivity options for U.S. government and defense customers.
Korean Air
May 20 — Korean Air announced preparations to offer Starlink Wi-Fi services in-flight to passengers starting July 2026, expanding SpaceX's airline customer base.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
SpaceX
May 19 — SpaceX launched **24 Starlink satellites** on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:46 p.m. PDT, marking the company's **45th Starlink mission** of 2026.
May 21 — SpaceX's new **Starship V3** megarocket is scheduled for its first-ever flight on May 21, representing a significant upgrade to the company's next-generation launch system.
ESA/SMILE Mission
May 19 — The joint European-Chinese SMILE mission successfully launched to map Earth's magnetic shield using X-ray imaging. The mission aims to study solar storm impacts, with **£9 billion** in potential storm damage driving urgency.
Industry Context
NASA
May 20 — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that China will **likely send taikonauts around the Moon in 2027**, marking intensifying competition in crewed lunar exploration and ending U.S. exclusivity in crewed missions beyond Earth orbit.
May 19 — NASA's science chief expressed interest in mass-produced satellites, asking "How in the hell do I get more science into space?" The statement signals NASA's push toward more affordable, standardized science satellite platforms.
Space Development Agency
May 19 — Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo, who served as acting director since September, was officially named SDA director effective May 11. He also assumed broader Space Force missile warning and tracking responsibilities.
Commercial Space Foundation
May 19 — Commercial Space Foundation forecasts launch supply running low, indicating potential capacity constraints as satellite constellation demand continues to accelerate globally.
Additional Updates
Vast
May 19 — Vast, known for developing Haven commercial space stations, announced expansion into high-power satellite buses for communications, Earth observation, national security, and orbital computing applications.
Northrop Grumman SpaceLogistics
May 19 — Northrop Grumman's SpaceLogistics division announced its first Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) is scheduled for summer 2026 launch, offering next-generation on-orbit refueling and satellite life extension capabilities.
ESA
May 20 — ESA selected **two new Earth observation Scout missions**: Hibidis and SOVA-S, chosen from four competing concepts to address biodiversity monitoring below forest canopies and other pressing scientific questions.
iDirect Government
May 19 — iDirect Government launched WCore to virtualize military satellite modems, offering enhanced flexibility for defense communications infrastructure.
ICEYE
May 20 — ICEYE launched natural catastrophe monitoring solutions targeting the banking sector to address credit risk from disasters, expanding SAR satellite applications beyond traditional markets.
GalaxySpace
May 20 — Chinese satellite manufacturer GalaxySpace unveiled a deployable umbrella antenna for LEO satellites, advancing communication capabilities for broadband constellation applications.
GomSpace
May 19 — Small satellite builder GomSpace reported Q1 revenue up **43%** and EBITDA up **22%** year-over-year, though an unnamed non-paying customer remains delinquent on obligations.
May 19 — Ukraine's UASAT 'Starlink-lite' constellation, being built by GomSpace and Stetman LLC, will require EU funding to move forward with deployment plans.
SpaceX
May 19 — A worker died at SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on May 15 during preparations for the Starship V3 megarocket launch, highlighting ongoing safety concerns at the facility.
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Casimir
May 20 — Casimir launched out of stealth with a $12M oversubscribed seed round (original target $8M) to commercialize its MicroSparc chip — a 5mm × 5mm semiconductor that harvests energy from quantum vacuum fields via the Casimir effect, producing 1.5V at 25µA continuously with no degradation. Founded by former NASA advanced-propulsion researcher Dr. Harold 'Sonny' White and incubated at Kam Ghaffarian's Limitless Space Institute, the round was led by Scout Ventures with participation from Lavrock Ventures, Cottonwood Technology, Capital Factory, American Deep Tech, and Tim Draper. Initial markets target ultra-low-power IoT (tire-pressure sensors, wearables, embedded sensors), with a longer-term roadmap into consumer electronics, EVs, and grid-scale power.