Space Industry Weekly Briefing — Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Weekly intelligence briefing for the commercial space industry, week ending Wednesday, April 15, 2026. 12 stories across 4 categories including Contracts, Awards & Government Activity, Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships, Launch Activity & Mission Milestones, Industry Context. AI-curated by space.haus from 50+ industry sources.

Sources scanned

Companies with news

Funding activity

Top story

Blue Origin's New Glenn loses $30M satellite

Contracts, Awards & Government Activity

SpaceX — Hawthorne, CA

CONTRACT LAUNCH

Apr 21 — SpaceX will launch GPS III SV-10 satellite for the U.S. Space Force early Tuesday morning, continuing the company's role in modernizing the military's navigation constellation. Source
Apr 20 — SpaceX won a contract for a Mars mission that may face cancellation, according to reports analyzing potential shifts in NASA's planetary exploration priorities. Source

United Launch Alliance — Centennial, CO

CONTRACT

Apr 19 — The U.S. Space Force is evaluating Vulcan rocket flights without solid rocket boosters for certain missions, potentially expanding mission flexibility and reducing launch costs for national security payloads. Source

NASA — Washington, DC

OPS UPDATE PARTNERSHIP

Apr 17 — NASA shut off an instrument on Voyager 1 to extend the spacecraft's interstellar mission lifespan, prioritizing power conservation for the 47-year-old probe now operating beyond the solar system. Source
Apr 16 — NASA approved the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation (ROSA) project to support ESA's Mars rover mission, strengthening U.S.-European cooperation on planetary exploration after prior delays. Source

U.S. Space Force — Washington, DC

OPS UPDATE

Apr 20 — The Space Force established a new cislunar coordination office to focus on operations beyond Earth orbit, addressing the growing need for space domain awareness and coordination in the Moon's orbital region. Source

Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships

Vast Space — Long Beach, CA

PARTNERSHIP

Apr 20 — Vast partnered with Cedars-Sinai medical center on microgravity science and crew health research aboard the upcoming Haven-1 commercial space station mission. Source

European Space Agency — Paris, France

PARTNERSHIP

Apr 20 — ESA and Canada signed a General Security of Information Agreement enabling the exchange of classified information around strategic space domains, deepening bilateral cooperation on defense-related space activities. Source

Rheinmetall — Düsseldorf, Germany

PARTNERSHIP

Apr 20 — Rheinmetall signed an MoU with the Norwegian Municipality of Andøy to establish a satellite test center in Andøya, expanding European satellite testing infrastructure. Source

Korea Aerospace Research Institute — Daejeon, South Korea

PARTNERSHIP

Apr 19 — The Korean Aerospace Agency (KASA) and the Canadian Space Agency signed an MoU on space cooperation to boost bilateral collaboration in the space sector. Source

Launch Activity & Mission Milestones

Blue Origin — Kent, WA

LAUNCH OPS UPDATE

Apr 19 — Blue Origin's New Glenn third flight successfully reused and landed its first-stage booster for the second time, but the upper stage delivered AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite (insured for $30M) to the wrong orbit. The satellite is a total loss, and the FAA grounded New Glenn pending investigation. Source
Apr 16 — Blue Origin unveiled Project Quartz, a global ground station network to support satellite communications and operations. Source

AST SpaceMobile — Midland, TX

LAUNCH

Apr 19 — AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 direct-to-cellphone satellite was declared a total loss after Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket delivered it to an incorrect orbit. The spacecraft was insured for $30 million. Source

Industry Context

China (National Programs) — Beijing, China

OPS UPDATE

Apr 20 — China is ramping up satellite production capacity amid ambitious constellation plans, with multiple manufacturing facilities coming online to support large-scale LEO broadband networks. Source

Latvia (Government) — Riga, Latvia

OPS UPDATE

Apr 20 — Latvia joined the Artemis Accords, becoming the latest nation to sign on to the U.S.-led framework for responsible civil space exploration. Source