Space Markets
May 28 — Space Markets emerged from stealth with investment from Coinbase Ventures. The company is developing blockchain-based infrastructure for space commerce.
SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Space Industry Weekly Briefing — 2026-05-28
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-05-28.
Week ending
Funding Rounds & Investment Activity
Stellar Alpina
May 28 — Stellar Alpina raised **$4.5M** to develop rotating detonation engines for space propulsion applications. The company is working on next-generation engine technology that promises improved efficiency over conventional rocket engines.
Contracts, Awards & Government Activity
SpaceX
May 27 — U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a **$2.29 billion** Other Transaction Authority contract for the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, a proliferated LEO constellation providing sensor-to-shooter targeting capabilities. The military program demands both speed and scale for tactical communications.
Firefly Aerospace
May 27 — Firefly Aerospace won a **$75 million** NASA JPL subcontract under the MoonFall program to deliver drones to the Moon's South Pole. The mission supports NASA's Moon Base initiative focused on robotic infrastructure ahead of crewed missions.
Space Development Agency (SDA)
May 27 — House Armed Services Committee draft bill proposes eliminating the Space Development Agency and Space Rapid Capabilities Office as separate entities, potentially consolidating them into other Space Force structures. This represents a significant organizational shift for Pentagon space programs.
European Commission
May 27 — European Commission accepted a **4.6% reduction** in its proposed 2028-2034 defense and space budget, bringing the total to **$145.4 billion**. The budget covers both defense and civil space programs across the EU.
May 27 — European Commission announced spectrum auction rules for 2-GHz mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum with heavy preference for EU-based operators. Non-EU entities including SpaceX and Viasat face additional conditions and restrictions, potentially clouding their European expansion plans.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships
Spire Global
May 27 — Spire partnered with Schaeffler AG to build sovereign European satellites. The collaboration aims to develop European-manufactured satellite capabilities amid growing demand for sovereign space infrastructure.
Revolv Space
May 27 — Revolv Space signed agreement to provide solar assemblies for Infinite Orbits' geostationary satellite servicers. The deal supports in-orbit servicing missions for GEO satellites.
Anuvu
May 27 — Anuvu signed multi-year agreement with Eutelsat for satellite capacity on Eutelsat 10B positioned at 10 degrees East to support in-flight connectivity services for aviation customers.
Launch Activity & Mission Milestones
SpaceX
May 28 — FAA required SpaceX to conduct mishap investigation into Starship Flight 12 before resuming launches. The debut flight of the Starship V3 booster experienced a failure, grounding the vehicle until root cause is determined and corrective actions implemented.
Virgin Galactic
May 28 — Virgin Galactic returned Unity spaceplane to flight operations with glide tests to prepare for next-generation vehicle development. The flights mark a return to active testing after operational pause.
ESA/Eumetsat
May 28 — Meteosat Third Generation-Imager 2 (MTG-I2) weather satellite departed France for Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of planned launch. The spacecraft will provide advanced weather monitoring capabilities for Europe.
Roscosmos
May 27 — Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev completed **6-hour spacewalk** on ISS to install sun-watching telescope and retrieve science experiments. The EVA successfully deployed new solar observation instruments on the station's Russian segment.
Industry Context
European Space Industry
May 27 — European space industry warned that the EU Space Act could slow competitiveness by creating regulatory hurdles. Industry representatives at SmallSat Europe raised concerns that non-EU nations like Norway could face restrictions similar to non-European competitors, impacting facilities like Andøya Spaceport.
China National Space Administration
May 27 — China announced organizational restructuring to merge its robotic Chang'e lunar program with human spaceflight operations to accelerate crewed lunar landing by **2030**. Officials stated 'we will spare no effort' to achieve the moon landing timeline.
Ukrainian Government
May 27 — Former Ukraine deputy minister of defense Kateryna Chernohorenko called for stricter restrictions on Russian use of Starlink at SmallSat Europe conference. The appeal highlights ongoing concerns about dual-use space technology in conflict zones.
Additional Updates
Spire Global
May 27 — Spire opened new satellite manufacturing facility in Munich, Germany, expanding European production capacity. The facility supports the company's strategy to build sovereign constellation capabilities for European customers.
Kongsberg NanoAvionics
May 27 — Kongsberg NanoAvionics announced strategic focus on building and supporting sovereign satellite constellations for government customers. CEO Atle Wollo outlined the company's positioning amid growing demand for national space capabilities.
SpinLaunch
May 27 — SpinLaunch sees market opportunity as geopolitical factors reshape space industry, positioning its kinetic launch technology as alternative to traditional rockets. The company is targeting customers seeking launch sovereignty and diversified access options.
Starcloud
May 27 — Starcloud outlined roadmap to deploy **88,000 computing satellites** for orbital data center constellation. The ambitious plan targets space-based compute infrastructure to address data processing and AI workloads in orbit.
Sitael
May 27 — Sitael announced accelerated growth trajectory through 2031 with new missions and expanded industrial capacity. The Italian aerospace company is scaling production for satellite propulsion and smallsat platforms.
OHB Italia
May 28 — OHB Italia now producing **two satellites per month** comfortably at its manufacturing facility. The company noted that supplier tier must match the increased production cadence to maintain momentum.
Archangel Lightworks
May 27 — Archangel Lightworks completed field tests of Terra-M deployable optical ground station, successfully transferring data with LEO satellites. The demonstration advances capabilities for mobile laser communications terminals.
Aitech
May 27 — Aitech announced integration of NVIDIA IGX Thor platform into its space-proven rugged AI systems. The enhanced computing capability targets on-orbit AI processing for satellite applications.