SPACE.HAUS — WEEKLY INTEL BRIEFING Friday, April 17, 2026 ============================================================ Sources scanned: 50 Companies with news: 13 Funding activity: $0 Top story: Blue Origin loses $30M AST satellite Canonical: https://space.haus/briefings/2026-04-17.html Interactive: https://space.haus/briefing/2026-04-17 CONTRACTS, AWARDS & GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY --------------------------------------- SpaceX — Hawthorne, CA [CONTRACT, LAUNCH] • Apr 20 — SpaceX awarded contract for a NASA Mars mission that faces potential cancellation. Launch scheduled for early April 21 carrying GPS III SV-10 satellite for U.S. Space Force. (https://payloadspace.com/spacex-won-a-mars-mission-that-might-get-cancelled/) U.S. Space Force — Washington, DC [OPS UPDATE] • Apr 20 — U.S. Space Force establishes new cislunar coordination office to focus operations beyond Earth orbit, expanding military space domain awareness capabilities. (https://spacenews.com/space-force-sets-up-cislunar-coordination-office-to-focus-beyond-earth-orbit/) • Apr 19 — Space Force evaluating Vulcan rocket flights without solid boosters for future national security missions, potentially expanding launch configuration options. (https://spacenews.com/space-force-weighs-vulcan-flights-without-solid-boosters/) NASA — Washington, DC [OPS UPDATE, PARTNERSHIP] • Apr 19 — NASA shut off instrument on Voyager 1 spacecraft to extend its interstellar mission lifespan as power reserves continue to decline after nearly 50 years of operation. (https://satnews.com/2026/04/19/nasa-shuts-off-instrument-on-voyager-1-to-extend-interstellar-mission/) • Apr 16 — NASA approved ROSA (Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation) project to begin implementation, strengthening partnership with ESA on Mars exploration mission. (https://orbitaltoday.com/2026/04/19/esas-rosalind-franklin-explorer-seems-set-for-mars-finally/) MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS & PARTNERSHIPS ------------------------------------ Vast Space — Long Beach, CA [PARTNERSHIP] • Apr 20 — Vast Space partnered with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on microgravity science and crew health research for upcoming mission aboard Haven-1 commercial space station. (https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/vast-and-cedars-sinai-partner-on-microgravity-science-and-crew-health-with-upcoming-mission-aboard-haven-1/) Rheinmetall — Düsseldorf, Germany [PARTNERSHIP] • Apr 20 — Rheinmetall signed MoU with Norwegian Municipality of Andøy to establish a satellite test center in Andøya, Norway, expanding European space infrastructure capabilities. (https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/rheinmetall-signs-mou-with-the-norwegian-municipality-of-andoy-to-establish-a-satellite-test-center-in-andoya/) Korean Aerospace Agency (KASA) — South Korea [PARTNERSHIP] • Apr 19 — KASA signed MoU with Canadian Space Agency to boost bilateral cooperation in the space sector, expanding international collaboration. (https://orbitaltoday.com/2026/04/20/kasa-and-the-canadian-space-agency-sign-mou-on-space-cooperation/) European Space Agency (ESA) — Paris, France [PARTNERSHIP] • Apr 20 — ESA and Canada signed General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) enabling exchange of classified information around strategic space domains. (https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/esa-and-canada-sign-agreement-on-the-exchange-of-classified-information-around-strategic-space-domains/) LAUNCH ACTIVITY & MISSION MILESTONES ------------------------------------ Blue Origin — Kent, WA [LAUNCH, OPS UPDATE] • Apr 19 — Blue Origin's New Glenn 3 achieved first booster reuse and successful landing but delivered AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite ($30M insured value) to wrong orbit due to upper stage failure. FAA grounded the rocket pending investigation. (https://www.spaceintelreport.com/ast-spacemobile-bluebird-7-satellite-insured-for-30m-is-a-total-loss-after-too-low-drop-off-by-blue-origin-new-glenn-3/) • Apr 16 — Blue Origin unveiled Project Quartz, a global ground station network to support satellite communications and operations. (https://satnews.com/2026/04/19/blue-origin-unveils-project-quartz-global-ground-station-network/) AST SpaceMobile — Midland, TX [LAUNCH] • Apr 19 — AST SpaceMobile declared BlueBird 7 satellite a total loss after Blue Origin's New Glenn upper stage delivered it to incorrect orbit. Satellite was insured for $30M. (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/04/ast-bluebird-7-lost-new-glenn-launch/) INDUSTRY CONTEXT ---------------- China (National Programs) — China [OPS UPDATE] • Apr 20 — China ramping up satellite production capacity amid constellation ambitions, significantly increasing manufacturing throughput to support mega-constellation deployment plans. (https://spacenews.com/china-ramps-up-satellite-production-capacity-amid-constellation-ambitions/) Latvia (Government) — Riga, Latvia [PARTNERSHIP] • Apr 20 — Latvia became newest signatory to Artemis Accords, joining international framework for peaceful lunar exploration and establishing principles for space cooperation. (https://payloadspace.com/latvia-to-join-artemis-accords-today/) European Commission — Brussels, Belgium [OPS UPDATE] • Apr 20 — European space officials discussing €35B+ investment avalanche aimed at doubling space market size and reducing bureaucracy. ESA's Copernicus program generating 350TB/day of Earth observation data. (https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/space-symposium-2026-e35b-space-avalanche-doubling-markets-killing-bureaucracy/) ============================================================ Generated by space.haus · AI-curated from 50+ industry sources. Verify before making business decisions.