SPACE.HAUS · WEEKLY INTEL BRIEFING

Space Industry Weekly Briefing — Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Weekly intelligence briefing for the commercial space industry, week ending Wednesday, May 27, 2026. 23 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: 17
Funding activity: $380M+
Top story: SpaceX wins $2.29B Space Force contract

Funding Rounds & Investment Activity

Firefly Aerospace — Cedar Park, TX

FUNDING

May 26 — Firefly Aerospace announced a public offering of common stock. The company is offering 4 million shares and selling stockholders are offering 8 million shares. Source

Open Cosmos — Harwell, UK

FUNDING

May 26 — Open Cosmos closed more than €170 million in contracts, according to CEO comments at SmallSat Europe conference. Source

PLD Space — Elche, Spain

FUNDING

May 26 — PLD Space has raised €210 million in 2026, according to company representative at SmallSat Europe. Source

Contracts, Awards & Government Activity

SpaceX — Hawthorne, CA

CONTRACT

May 26 — SpaceX won a $2.29 billion Space Force contract for military data network services, marking a major defense contract for the company. Source

NASA (Multiple Awardees) — Washington, DC

CONTRACT

May 26 — NASA awarded nearly $1 billion in initial Moon Base contracts to four companies for lunar transport vehicles (LTV) and related infrastructure. The Moon Base will cover "hundreds of square miles" with hopping drones and new rovers. Source

Firefly Aerospace — Cedar Park, TX

CONTRACT

May 26 — Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $75 million subcontract from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to deliver four drones to the Moon's south pole for the MoonFall mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2029. Source

Viasat — Carlsbad, CA

CONTRACT

May 26 — Viasat and Intelsat General were awarded a nearly $438 million contract by U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command for continued work on the Protected Tactical Satellite-Global (PTS-G) program. Source

Rocket Lab — Long Beach, CA

CONTRACT

May 26 — Rocket Lab secured a $90 million Space Force contract and reported Q1 revenue of $200.3 million. The company's stock (RKLB) surged past $135 following the announcement. Source

Voyager Space — Denver, CO

CONTRACT

May 26 — Voyager Space won a DARPA contract for solid rocket propellant technology development, expanding its defense portfolio. Source

Italian Space Agency (ASI) — Rome, Italy

CONTRACT

May 22 — Italy's Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) lunar module cleared NASA's System Requirements Review and is progressing toward Preliminary Design Review in 2027. The first MPH module is expected to launch in 2033. Source

Mergers, Acquisitions & Partnerships

American Airlines — Fort Worth, TX

PARTNERSHIP

May 26 — American Airlines will install SpaceX's Starlink Wi-Fi on more than 500 narrowbody Airbus aircraft, with deployment starting in Q1 2027. The rollout includes new A321XLR and A321neo planes. Source

Starcloud — N/A

PARTNERSHIP

May 26 — Starcloud ordered Starlink laser communication terminals for its orbital data center network, marking a strategic partnership with SpaceX for space-based connectivity. Source

SITAEL — Bari, Italy

PARTNERSHIP

May 27 — SITAEL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Eycore for new collaborations in Earth observation. The company announced a growth plan targeting €200 million in revenues by 2031, supported by over €150 million in backlog. Source

Launch Activity & Mission Milestones

SpaceX — Hawthorne, CA

LAUNCH

May 27 — Starship Version 3 completed its first flight this week, with SpaceX preparing for a follow-up mission. Analysis suggests the path to full reusability remains challenging despite recent progress. Source

SEOPS — N/A

LAUNCH PARTNERSHIP

May 26 — SEOPS unveiled its Waymaker rideshare program for Low Earth Orbit and purchased a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 mission at the SmallSat Europe conference in Amsterdam. Source

Exolaunch — Berlin, Germany

LAUNCH PARTNERSHIP

May 26 — Exolaunch purchased a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 mission to run its own rideshare missions, announced during SmallSat Europe. Source

SITAEL — Bari, Italy

LAUNCH

May 27 — SITAEL confirmed its role as prime contractor for ESA's Scout HiBiDiS mission and announced nine launches planned by 2030 as part of its expansion strategy. Source

Industry Context

SpaceX — Hawthorne, CA

FUNDING

May 27 — European space industry is closely watching SpaceX's IPO plans, with potential implications for global space investment trends and market valuations. Source

European Space Industry — Europe

OPS UPDATE

May 27 — Industry experts note that €131 billion in European defense spending is available for space, but procurement speeds must increase for the supply chain to absorb it. European nations are adopting a mix of sovereign, bilateral, federated and commercial space capabilities. Source
May 26 — The EU Space Act remains far from government approval after 11 months and two revisions, indicating continued regulatory challenges in European space policy. Source

Additional Updates

Archangel Lightworks — N/A

OPS UPDATE

May 27 — The world's smallest deployable operational optical ground station proved its capability in successful trials, demonstrating advancements in satellite optical communications infrastructure. Source

Aitech — N/A

OPS UPDATE

May 27 — Aitech upgraded its space supercomputer platform, enhancing on-orbit processing capabilities for next-generation satellite missions. Source

Viasat — Carlsbad, CA

OPS UPDATE

May 26 — Viasat's next-generation cockpit service reached a milestone as airlines adopt modernized communications to save fuel and improve operational efficiency. Source

L3Harris — Melbourne, FL

OPS UPDATE

May 26 — L3Harris strengthened its global solid rocket motor supply chain with a new PAC-3 propulsion supplier, enhancing production capacity for defense systems. Source