Space Industry: Latest News and Analysis
Space is now an industry with launch cadences, order books and supply chains, and AirPro News covers it the way we cover aviation: from the announcement, with the numbers. That means SpaceX, ULA, Rocket Lab, Arianespace, Blue Origin and the launch start-ups; NASA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO and the other agencies; satellite operators and manufacturers; and the growing in-space services, station and lunar economies. This page gathers every AirPro News story on space, newest first.
What we watch
- Launch. Starship’s test campaign and its path to operational missions; Falcon 9 cadence; Vulcan, Ariane 6, New Glenn and Neutron entering service; and the small-launch companies fighting for the remaining market.
- Agencies and exploration. NASA’s Artemis lunar programme and commercial crew and cargo contracts, ESA’s launcher and science missions, and the national programmes in Japan, India, China and the Gulf.
- Satellites. Constellation build-outs and their launch contracts, Earth-observation and communications operators, and the manufacturers and component suppliers behind them.
- Defence space. Space Force and allied military procurement, missile-warning and communications satellites, and the industrial contracts that follow.
- The in-space economy. Commercial stations, life-extension and servicing vehicles, lunar landers, in-space manufacturing, and the funding rounds that decide which of them get built.
Latest space coverage
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OHB SE Wins €1 Billion Contract for EU IRIS² Satellites
OHB SE secures a nearly €1 billion deal to build 18 MEO satellite platforms for the EU’s IRIS² connectivity program.
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AeroVironment Contracted for Three NASA SkyFall Mars Helicopters
AeroVironment will build three autonomous helicopters for NASA JPL’s SkyFall Mars mission, targeting a late 2028 launch.
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NASA Launches Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Falcon Heavy
NASA launched the Roman Space Telescope on Aug. 30, 2026, targeting dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets from the L2 point.
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ESA Awards 543 Million Euros Under European Launcher Challenge
ESA split €543.6M across Isar Aerospace, RFA, and PLD Space under the European Launcher Challenge, with orbital launches required by 2027.
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SpaceX Commits $100B to Starbase Louisiana Spaceport
SpaceX announced a $100 billion spaceport in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, with 10 launch pads and 3,000+ jobs.
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NASA Roman Telescope Encapsulated for Falcon Heavy Launch
NASA and SpaceX encapsulated the Roman Space Telescope on Aug. 21, targeting an Aug. 30 Falcon Heavy launch from Kennedy Space Center.
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NASA Awards $10.5M for Aerospace Skilled Workforce Hubs
NASA funds seven regional hubs to train welders, electricians, and machinists for lunar and Mars exploration programs.
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Firefly Aerospace and Zeno Power Target 2028 Lunar Night Mission
Firefly Aerospace and Zeno Power will integrate a radioisotope heater unit on a 2028 Blue Ghost lunar lander mission.
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NASA Cancels Swift Observatory Boost After LINK Spacecraft Issues
NASA and Katalyst Space cancel the Swift Boost capture phase after attitude control issues. Swift Observatory faces uncontrolled reentry.
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Rocket Lab to Build Viasat GEO Satellite Bus for Space Force
Viasat selects Rocket Lab’s Lightning platform for a U.S. Space Force Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global GEO satellite.
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LandSpace Zhuque-3 Y2 Achieves China’s First Booster Recovery
LandSpace recovered the Zhuque-3 Y2 first stage on Aug 19, 2026, marking China’s first land-based vertical booster recovery.
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SpaceX Tows Intact Starship Ship 40 to Christmas Island
SpaceX completed a 24-day tow of Starship Ship 40 to Christmas Island after the upper stage survived splashdown intact.
Related topics
Commercial Space · Launch Activities · Space agencies · Launch · Startups · Investments
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