SPACE.HAUS · WEEKLY INTEL BRIEFING

Space Industry Weekly Briefing — Monday, May 11, 2026

Weekly intelligence briefing for the commercial space industry, week ending Monday, May 11, 2026. 12 stories across 6 categories including Funding Rounds & Investment Activity, Contracts, Awards & Government Activity, Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships, Launch Activity & Mission Milestones, Industry Context, Additional Updates. AI-curated by space.haus from 50+ industry sources.

Sources scanned
50
Companies with news
10
Funding activity
$303M+
Top story
Cowboy Space raises $275M at $2B valuation

Funding Rounds & Investment Activity

Cowboy Space (formerly Aetherflux) — N/A

FUNDING

  • — Cowboy Space raised $275 million at a $2 billion valuation to build rockets with upper stages that convert into orbital data centers once in low Earth orbit. The company emerged from stealth less than two years ago as Aetherflux, originally focused on space-based solar power before pivoting to orbital data center infrastructure. Source

LiveEO — Berlin, Germany

FUNDING

  • — LiveEO completed a €28 million Series B2 funding round. The company is focused on satellite-based infrastructure monitoring using agentic AI technology. Source

Contracts, Awards & Government Activity

SkyFi — N/A

CONTRACT

  • — U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) awarded SkyFi a contract to build tactical Earth observation imagery tools for special operations forces. Source

EarthDaily Analytics — N/A

CONTRACT LAUNCH

  • — EarthDaily Analytics launched 6 new satellites and secured a contract win with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The constellation expansion enhances the company's Earth observation capabilities. Source

Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships

Rocket Lab — Long Beach, CA

M&A

  • — Rocket Lab announced the acquisition of Motiv Space Systems, adding Mars-proven robotics heritage and capability to its portfolio. Motiv has heritage in robotic systems for planetary exploration missions. Source

Globalstar — Covington, LA

PARTNERSHIP LAUNCH

  • — Globalstar reworked its service agreement with Apple to reflect Amazon's purchase of the satellite operator. The company is preparing for the imminent launch of 9 fleet-refreshment satellites to upgrade its constellation. Source

ESA — Paris, France

PARTNERSHIP

  • — The European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) finalized a collaboration agreement for the Ramses mission to study asteroid Apophis during its close Earth flyby in 2029. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2028. Source

Launch Activity & Mission Milestones

China National Space Administration — Beijing, China

LAUNCH

  • — China launched the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft late Sunday, which successfully docked with the Tiangong space station hours later. The mission delivered supplies, equipment, experiments, and propellant to the orbital outpost. Source

NASA — Washington, DC

OPS UPDATE

  • — NASA's Psyche spacecraft will perform a gravity assist flyby of Mars on May 15, passing within 2,800 miles of the planet. The maneuver will reshape the spacecraft's trajectory toward the metal-rich asteroid Psyche and provide the first full instrument calibration run. Source

Industry Context

Orbex — Forres, Scotland

OPS UPDATE

  • — Administrators FRP revealed that Scottish rocket firm Orbex was burning through £2 million per month before entering administration in February 2026, having accumulated losses of nearly £73.3 million despite receiving more than £130 million in public and private funding. Source

Additional Updates

NASA — Washington, DC

OPS UPDATE

  • — NASA's former chief of staff returned to the agency in a new role overseeing launch operations, a move that raised some concerns on Capitol Hill regarding the leadership transition. Source
  • — NASA began using a full-scale replica of Blue Origin's commercial lunar lander at Johnson Space Center. The training mockup supports crew training and testing as NASA and industry partners prepare for future Artemis missions. Source

Spire Global — Vienna, VA

OPS UPDATE

  • — Spire Global opened a new facility in Munich, Germany to support German space-based intelligence capabilities. The facility expands the company's European footprint and government services presence. Source