ST Engineering Unveils Next-Gen Space Strategy with NeuSAR-2 and NEBULA

At the Space Summit during the Singapore Airshow 2026, ST Engineering officially unveiled the next phase of its space program, signaling a strategic pivot from standalone large satellites to a coordinated network of smaller, smarter, and highly connected spacecraft. The announcement introduces the NeuSAR-2 constellation, the NEBULA laser communication pathfinder, and the AI-enabled POLARIS satellite.

These developments arrive as Singapore prepares to formalize its presence in the global space economy with the establishment of the National Space-Agencies of Singapore (NSAS), scheduled for April 1, 2026. According to ST Engineering, the new roadmap focuses on high-frequency monitoring and ultra-fast data connectivity, leveraging the company’s established engineering heritage to capture a larger share of the global satellite market.

NeuSAR-2: A New Era of Radar Constellations

Central to the announcement is the development of the NeuSAR-2 constellation. This system will consist of four Synthetic Aperture Radar-Systems (SAR) satellites designed to provide all-weather, day-and-night monitoring of the Earth. Unlike optical satellites, which can be blocked by cloud cover, SAR technology uses radar pulses to image the surface, making it essential for maritime security and disaster response in the tropics.

ST Engineering has confirmed that the first satellite in this constellation is scheduled for launch in 2027, with the full constellation expected to be operational by 2030. A key technical advancement in the NeuSAR-2 program is the reduction in mass, the company describes the new satellites as “three times lighter” than their predecessors. This reduction suggests a move toward the “New Space” class of agile satellites, which typically offer lower launch costs and faster deployment timelines.

“Our space programme is founded on proven engineering excellence and technical innovation… enabling us to develop more advanced SAR and optical imaging satellites in Singapore for a wide range of missions.”

, Low Jin Phang, President for Digital Systems, ST Engineering

Optimized for the Equator

The constellation is specifically optimized for Near-Equatorial Orbit (NEqO). This orbital path allows for high-revisit coverage of the equatorial region, a critical capability for monitoring busy shipping lanes like the Malacca Strait and supporting environmental Sustainability efforts in tropical zones.

NEBULA and POLARIS: Connectivity and Intelligence

alongside the radar constellation, ST Engineering introduced two other major pillars of its roadmap: the NEBULA laser communications demonstrator and the POLARIS optical satellite.

NEBULA: The “Fiber Optic Network in Space”

Scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2026, NEBULA is a pathfinder satellite designed to test inter-satellite laser links (ISLL). Developed in partnership with Singapore-based space tech Startups Transcelestial, NEBULA aims to overcome the bandwidth limitations of traditional radio frequency (RF) communications.

Transcelestial will provide the laser communication terminals, while ST Engineering leads the design and integration of the satellite bus. The goal is to enable data transfer speeds of gigabits per second, effectively creating a high-speed network in orbit that can securely relay information between satellites and ground stations.

“Establishing a scalable high bandwidth space network… has been the core mission for the team from Day 1. Singapore is home to Transcelestial… and now that role is expected to expand beyond the region.”

, Rohit Jha, CEO, Transcelestial

POLARIS: AI at the Edge

The POLARIS program represents a leap in optical imaging by integrating onboard AI processing. Traditional earth observation satellites typically download raw images to be processed on the ground, which can introduce delays. POLARIS is designed to analyze data in orbit, known as edge computing, allowing it to detect objects or environmental changes in real-time. This capability significantly reduces the “time to insight” for operators requiring immediate situational awareness.

AirPro News Analysis

The shift toward lighter, networked satellites like NeuSAR-2 and NEBULA reflects a broader industry trend where agility and revisit rates are valued over the raw capacity of massive, singular platforms. By focusing on the Near-Equatorial Orbit, ST Engineering is carving out a specific niche that differentiates it from global competitors who primarily utilize Sun-Synchronous Orbits (polar orbits) for global coverage.

Furthermore, the collaboration with Transcelestial on NEBULA highlights a “Singapore Inc.” strategy, pairing the industrial scale of a defense prime with the agility of a startup. This ecosystem approach is likely intended to bolster the country’s competitiveness ahead of the NSAS formation. The commercial viability of this strategy was recently validated by ST Engineering’s selection by FADA (under the UAE’s EDGE Group) to support the Sirb programme, marking a significant export of Singaporean space intellectual property.

New Geospatial Solutions

Beyond hardware, ST Engineering announced new Software platforms aimed at managing the increasingly congested space environment and supporting sustainability goals:

• MiNERVA HUB: A Space Situational Awareness (SSA) platform designed to track space objects, analyze collision risks, and forecast space weather.
• Earthsurance: A monitoring platform that utilizes satellite data to verify deforestation and emission reduction efforts, providing trusted data for the carbon credit market.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the NeuSAR-2 constellation be fully operational?
The first satellite is scheduled for launch in 2027, with the full constellation of four satellites expected to be operational by 2030.

What is the significance of the NEBULA satellite?
NEBULA is a demonstrator for laser communications, allowing satellites to transfer data at gigabit speeds. It represents a move away from slower radio frequency communications toward a “fiber optic” speed network in space.

What is the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS)?
The NSAS is a new government body set to be formed on April 1, 2026. It will provide a formal regulatory and strategic backbone to Singapore’s growing space industry.

Sources

• ST Engineering

NASA Delays Artemis II Launch to March 2026 Following Incomplete Fuel Test

NASA has officially postponed the launch of the Artemis II mission to March 2026. The decision follows a “wet dress rehearsal” conducted at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which concluded early in the morning on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. While the agency successfully demonstrated propellant loading operations, persistent technical challenges prevented the launch team from completing the terminal countdown.

According to an official update from the agency, the target launch window has shifted from February to March to allow engineers time to review data and conduct a second rehearsal. The mission, which will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby, is a critical step in NASA’s Artemis program.

Wet Dress Rehearsal Results

The test on February 3 was described by agency officials as a partial success. Ground teams at Launch Pad 39B managed to load approximately 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. However, the countdown was automatically halted by ground launch sequencer software at T-minus 5 minutes and 15 seconds.

Technical Hurdles Identified

NASA identified several specific issues that triggered the scrub and subsequent delay:

• Liquid Hydrogen Leak: A recurring leak was detected in an interface used to route propellant into the rocket’s core stage. The leak rate spiked during the terminal countdown, forcing the abort.
• Valve Malfunction: A valve associated with the Orion crew module’s hatch pressurization required retorquing during the operation.
• Communications: Intermittent audio dropouts occurred between ground teams, a problem observed in the weeks leading up to the test.

Additionally, unusually cold temperatures in Florida caused initial delays in tanking operations as hardware required time to reach acceptable thermal limits.

Revised Launch Schedule and Crew Status

With the February 8 target no longer viable, NASA is now eyeing specific launch opportunities in March 2026. Trajectory analysis indicates the following available windows:

• March 6 – March 9
• March 11

If the mission cannot launch during these periods, backup windows are available starting April 1. The agency has opted to conduct a second wet dress rehearsal to verify fixes for the hydrogen leak before making a launch attempt.

Impact on Astronauts

The delay has immediate logistical consequences for the Artemis II crew: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The four astronauts had been in quarantine since January 21, 2026. Following the delay announcement, they were released from quarantine and will not travel to the Kennedy Space Center as originally planned. They are scheduled to re-enter isolation approximately two weeks prior to the new March attempt.

Leadership Commentary

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman addressed the delay in a statement released Tuesday, emphasizing that the agency will not compromise on safety standards for this first crewed flight of the SLS.

“As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems, and the public. We will only launch when we believe we are as ready as possible.”

, Jared Isaacman, NASA Administrator

AirPro News Analysis

The recurrence of liquid hydrogen leaks presents a familiar challenge for the Space Launch System. Similar issues plagued the testing campaign for the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, leading to multiple scrubs and tanking tests. Liquid hydrogen is notoriously difficult to contain due to its extremely small molecular size and the thermal shock it delivers to seals and umbilicals.

While a delay is operationally expensive, the stakes for Artemis II are significantly higher than its predecessor. This mission will carry humans, including the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian to leave low Earth orbit, on a 10-day journey 6,400 miles beyond the Moon. The “free-return trajectory” profile relies on precise orbital mechanics to bring the crew home without major engine firings, but the launch vehicle itself must perform flawlessly to inject them into that trajectory. By opting for a second wet dress rehearsal rather than rushing to launch, NASA is signaling that the new leadership under Administrator Isaacman is adhering strictly to safety protocols over schedule pressures.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Wet Dress Rehearsal?

A Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) is a full practice run of the launch countdown. It involves loading the rocket with super-cold (cryogenic) fuel and proceeding through the timeline just short of engine ignition. It allows teams to practice timelines and verify that hardware can withstand the thermal stress of fueling.

Will Artemis II land on the Moon?

No. Artemis II is a flyby mission. The crew will orbit Earth, perform proximity operations with the upper stage, and then loop around the Moon before returning to Earth. The first lunar landing is scheduled for Artemis III.

What happens if they miss the March window?

If technical issues persist or weather prevents a launch in March, the next available windows open in April, specifically April 1, April 3–6, and April 30.

Sources: NASA

This article is based on an official press release from xAI and SpaceX, with additional context from market reports.

SpaceX Acquires xAI to Create $1.25 Trillion “Orbital Data Center” Giant

On February 2, 2026, SpaceX officially announced the acquisition of xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk. The merger creates a vertically integrated entity valued at approximately $1.25 trillion, uniting the world’s leading orbital Launch provider with one of the fastest-growing AI laboratories.

According to the official announcement, the deal is designed to forge the “most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth.” The strategic core of the acquisition is a plan to bypass terrestrial energy constraints by deploying massive AI compute clusters in orbit, powered directly by unfiltered solar energy.

The combined entity now encompasses SpaceX’s launch and satellite infrastructure, xAI’s model training assets (including the Grok chatbot), and the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which reports indicate had merged with xAI in early 2025.

The “Orbital Data Center” Strategy

The primary driver behind this consolidation is the escalating energy demand of next-generation artificial intelligence. In a blog post accompanying the announcement, Musk argued that Earth’s power grids are becoming a bottleneck for scaling AI models beyond current capabilities.

“In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale. To harness even a millionth of our Sun’s energy would require over a million times more energy than our civilization currently uses! The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space.”

, Elon Musk, via official announcement

The proposed solution involves launching a constellation of self-contained, solar-powered data centers. These satellites would leverage the vacuum of space for radiative cooling, potentially eliminating the massive water consumption required by terrestrial data centers, and access 24/7 solar irradiance to power continuous training runs.

Regulatory and Infrastructure Scale

To execute this vision, SpaceX has reportedly filed a request with the FAA to launch a constellation of up to one million satellites dedicated to orbital computing. This infrastructure relies entirely on the Starship launch system, which targets a payload capacity of approximately 200 tons to lift the heavy compute hardware required for these orbital clusters.

Deal Structure and Valuation

Market data indicates the combined valuation of the new entity stands at roughly $1.25 trillion. Prior to the merger, SpaceX held a valuation of approximately $800 billion, while xAI was valued at around $230 billion following a Series E funding round in January 2026.

The transaction also involves complex cross-ownership with Tesla. In January 2026, just prior to the acquisition, Tesla invested $2 billion into xAI. Consequently, the electric vehicle manufacturer now holds a stake in the combined SpaceX-xAI conglomerate.

Technological Synergies

The merger integrates three critical components of Musk’s technology portfolio:

• Launch (SpaceX): Providing the heavy-lift capability via Starship to deploy heavy data center payloads.
• Connectivity (Starlink): Offering the high-speed, low-latency backhaul necessary to transmit data between orbital AI clusters and users on Earth.
• Data (X): Utilizing the real-time data stream from the X platform to train xAI’s models, which can now be processed via orbital compute.

AirPro News Analysis

While the vision of “Sentient Sun” orbital data centers addresses a genuine engineering hurdle, the scarcity of clean power for AI, the execution risks are astronomical. The economic viability of this plan rests entirely on the Starship program achieving a flight cadence and cost-per-ton that has not yet been demonstrated. Without “airline-like” operations of Starship, the cost to lift heavy GPUs and cooling systems to orbit would far exceed the cost of building new power plants on Earth.

Furthermore, the regulatory landscape presents a significant barrier. A proposal to add one million satellites to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will face intense scrutiny regarding space debris and orbital traffic management. While the vertical integration of energy, launch, and compute is theoretically efficient, the practical reality of managing a trillion-dollar orbital infrastructure will likely define the next decade of the commercial space industry.

Sources

Sources: xAI Official Announcement