SPACE.HAUS · WEEKLY INTEL BRIEFING

Space Industry Weekly Briefing — Friday, May 15, 2026

Weekly intelligence briefing for the commercial space industry, week ending Friday, May 15, 2026. 18 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
16
Funding activity
$1.01B+
Top story
MinoSpace seeks $736M IPO in China

Funding Rounds & Investment Activity

MinoSpace — China

FUNDING

  • — Chinese satellite maker MinoSpace has filed for an IPO seeking $736 million to fund constellation and product expansion plans. The application has been accepted by regulators. Source

Cowboy Space — N/A

FUNDING

  • — Cowboy Space filed FCC plans for a 20,000-satellite 'Stampede' orbital data center constellation shortly after raising $275 million to develop rockets whose upper stages will serve as computing platforms. Source

Blacknight Space Labs — Phoenix, AZ

FUNDING ACCELERATOR

  • — Blacknight Space Labs launched a new in-orbit infrastructure accelerator, providing up to $100,000 each to five early-stage space startups alongside mentorship, defense-market access, and free use of its AI-driven mission simulation services. Focus areas include sat infrastructure & comms, data/analytics, in-space logistics & servicing, lunar/cislunar tech, and dual-use defense systems. The first 12-week cohort starts September in Phoenix, AZ with a December demo day; applications open through Aug. 2. Source

Contracts, Awards & Government Activity

OHB Space UK — United Kingdom

CONTRACT

  • — OHB Space UK was awarded a £20.7 million contract to assemble and test the spacecraft for ESA's Envision mission to Venus. Source

U.S. Space Force — Washington, DC

CONTRACT

  • — Gen. Michael Guetlein, head of the Golden Dome space-based missile defense program, pushed back on the CBO's $1.2 trillion cost estimate, stating the agency is 'not estimating what we're building' and emphasizing affordability as a central challenge. Source

Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships

Intuitive Machines — Houston, TX

M&A

  • — Intuitive Machines agreed to acquire Goonhilly Earth Station (UK) and COMSAT to build out a lunar communications network. The acquisition will expand the company's integrated space-to-ground capabilities for deep space missions. Source

Iridium Communications — McLean, VA

M&A

  • — Iridium Communications is acquiring the remaining stake in Aireon, the aircraft-tracking venture hosted on its constellation, to expand further into aviation safety, surveillance, and data services. Iridium previously owned 39% of Aireon and pointed to space-based VHF opportunities. Source

Rocket Lab — Long Beach, CA

M&A CONTRACT

  • — Rocket Lab acquired a robotics company during Q1 2026 and signed new launch contracts. The company broke every record it set in 2025 during the first quarter of 2026. Source

MBS — Germany

M&A PARTNERSHIP

  • — MBS is acquiring a 20% stake in BST, creating Germany's first SME-led fully-integrated space ecosystem. The partnership aims to combine capabilities across the German space industry. Source

AT&T / T-Mobile / Verizon — United States

PARTNERSHIP

  • — The three top U.S. mobile carriers formed a joint venture to simplify direct-to-device (D2D) services for their customers and encourage competition in the satellite-to-smartphone market. Source

Launch Activity & Mission Milestones

SpaceX — Hawthorne, CA

LAUNCH

  • — SpaceX's Starship V3 megarocket is set to fly for the first time on Flight 12 next week. The V3 features major upgrades including increased height, 100+ ton LEO lift capacity, and upgraded Raptor 3 engines. The mission will include in-space inspection capabilities never before seen on Starship. Source

United Launch Alliance — Centennial, CO

LAUNCH OPS UPDATE

  • — ULA confirmed Northrop Grumman successfully completed a static fire test of the GEM 63XL solid rocket booster used on Vulcan rockets, as the investigation continues into an in-flight anomaly observed in mid-February. Source

Exotrail — France

LAUNCH

  • — Exotrail confirmed successful deployment of NASA-funded AEPEX CubeSat via its Spacevan 002 orbital transfer vehicle in mid-May 2026. Source

Industry Context

Space Foundation — N/A

OPS UPDATE

  • — The global space economy reached $429 billion as the commercial satellite sector continues to dominate industry growth. The figure represents overall space sector activity including government and commercial segments. Source

Additional Updates

Virgin Galactic — Las Cruces, NM

OPS UPDATE

  • — Virgin Galactic reaffirmed plans to begin commercial flights of its next-generation suborbital spaceplane before the end of 2026, stating it remains on track both technically and financially. Source

Satellogic — Montevideo, Uruguay

OPS UPDATE

  • — Satellogic reported Q1 revenue growth of 80% year-over-year, with a new constellation funded by a customer set to begin deployment in October 2026. Source

Space42 — Abu Dhabi, UAE

OPS UPDATE

  • — Space42 reported flat overall revenues for Q1 2026 (three months ending March), but saw strong revenue growth in its space services segment despite overall performance remaining unchanged. Source

NASA — Washington, DC

OPS UPDATE

  • — NASA shared early planning details for Artemis III, the first crewed lunar landing mission scheduled to launch in 2027. The mission will mark the return of humans to the lunar surface. Source