SPACEHAUS · Commercial space intelligence
Commercial space news and intelligence for the week ending 2026-06-02.
Week ending
Jun 2 — Impulse Space, founded by Tom Mueller (SpaceX's first employee), closed a **$500 million Series D** round to build out its fleet of ultra-mobile orbital transfer vehicles. The company emphasized that engineering physical systems still depends on human talent, not AI, and will use the funds to hire people.
Jun 1 — ICEYE secured a **€28 million grant** to advance sovereign space intelligence capabilities, supporting its SAR satellite constellation development.
Jun 1 — Northrop Grumman partnered with startup Apex to deliver space-based interceptor (SBI) capability by **2027** under the Space Force's Golden Dome program, demonstrating missile defense capabilities from orbit.
Jun 1 — Viasat will provide hybrid satcom solutions for two NOAA "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft built by Lockheed Martin, enabling specialized data collection during direct flights into hurricanes.
Jun 2 — SciTec, a Firefly Aerospace subsidiary, was awarded a **$5.5 million contract option** by the U.S. Air Force to deliver the operational data fusion system for the Cloud-Based Command and Control (CBC2) program.
May 28 — The Space Force awarded Blue Origin its first National Security Space Launch mission on the same day its New Glenn rocket exploded on the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base launch pad. Satellite imagery shows extensive damage to LC-36 visible from orbit.
Jun 1 — Italian space company SITAEL unveiled a **€200 million growth strategy** and announced a new ESA mission contract at SmallSat Europe, expanding its satellite and propulsion systems portfolio.
Jun 2 — Voyager Space announced it will acquire Astrobotic, the lunar lander and payload delivery company that has flown multiple missions to the Moon under NASA's CLPS program.
Jun 1 — Mexican low-cost airline Viva selected SES to provide multi-orbit connectivity to **100 Airbus aircraft** (60 A320s and 40 A321s), expanding SES's aviation connectivity portfolio in Latin America.
Jun 1 — Viasat was revealed as Swissto12's mystery seventh satellite customer, with **4 HummingSat spacecraft** now on order from the Swiss manufacturer utilizing 3D-printed radiofrequency components.
Jun 1 — Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation surpassed **330 satellites** in orbit following the latest Atlas V launch, continuing deployment of the LEO broadband megaconstellation.
May 19 — ESA's Smile spacecraft successfully launched from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana to study the connection between the Sun and Earth's magnetosphere, beginning its mission to observe solar wind interactions.
Jun 1 — SpaceX warned prospective IPO investors that it may issue "significant" equity in future transactions, raising potential dilution concerns. The company also disclosed that access to abundant, affordable water for cooling data centers is now a material risk factor.
Jun 2 — NASA reversed its March announcement and agreed with industry feedback to keep the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program unchanged, ensuring continuity as the agency plans for ISS replacement.
Jun 1 — NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft is prepared for its first supersonic flight this month, marking a major milestone in testing technology to reduce sonic boom noise.
Jun 1 — PLD Space tripled its investment in its Guiana Space Centre launch facility to **€35 million**, more than 3x the initially planned €10 million, strengthening Europe's sovereign launch infrastructure for the Miura 5 rocket.
Jun 2 — Venturi Space announced a new facility in Toulouse, France dedicated to developing technologies for lunar mobility, expanding its capabilities beyond the Venturi Astrolab FLEX rover program.
Jun 2 — South African satellite subsystems manufacturer NewSpace Systems established a European subsidiary in the Netherlands to expand its international footprint and better serve European customers.
Jun 2 — Maris-Tech unveiled Venus-Space, an AI-powered edge computing platform enabling nano satellites to process video data directly in orbit, reducing downlink requirements and enabling real-time analysis.
Jun 1 — Globalsat Group introduced satellite connectivity solutions to the North American railway market, targeting improved communications for rail operations across the continent.