Editorial desk

Industry

Private companies, public-private programmes and the commercial capacity emerging across India’s space economy.

Conceptual illustration of two generic spacecraft approaching each other above Earth along curved relative-motion paths

Space industry

InspeCity raises ₹100 crore for planned in-orbit servicing demonstrations

The Mumbai-area company says the pre-Series A round will support a staged set of inspection, rendezvous and docking demonstrations. The financing is reported; no reviewed source says those missions have flown.

30 August 20264 min read

Diagram showing All Points and three other providers added to NASA’s SPOC pool, with the shared $100 million ceiling, ordering period and mission details still unannounced

Commercial launch infrastructure

All Points joins NASA’s spacecraft-processing contract pool

The August 4 on-ramp makes All Points eligible to support future prelaunch work. It does not assign the company NASA’s $100 million vehicle ceiling, and neither NASA nor All Points named a mission-specific task order.

20 August 20265 min read

Timeline shows total operator-satellite partnerships rising from 170 in August 2025 to 275 in April 2026 and 283 in June, while satellite-to-cellphone launches rise from 12 to 21 to 23; a bar splits June's 123 phone partnerships into 23 launched, 27 trialling and 73 planned

Satellite communications

GSA counts 283 operator–satellite partnerships; 23 phone services have launched

The June snapshot puts satellite-to-cellphone activity at 123 announced partnerships: 23 launched, 27 trialling and 73 planned. The figures show commercial movement, but announcements still dominate.

20 August 20265 min read

National Reconnaissance Office graphic reading CRFCA Contract Award over a networked globe

Commercial signals intelligence

NRO moves HawkEye 360 RF data from trials into operational use

The uncapped CRFCA vehicle follows three phases of testing and years of mission use, but neither NRO nor HawkEye 360 disclosed its initial value, duration or ordered data volume.

20 August 20265 min read

Diagram of the Honeywell antenna and VersaWave equipment on a drone linking through Viasat connectivity to Honeywell ground control and Frequentis airspace services

Uncrewed aviation

Honeywell publishes BVLOS test results for lightweight satcom antenna

Flights at Budkovice Airport linked a drone, Viasat satellite service, Honeywell ground control and Frequentis traffic-management software. The test exercised an end-user communications stack, not a new spacecraft.

20 August 20265 min read

Diagram showing Lynk’s six low-Earth-orbit satellites and mobile-operator spectrum, Omnispace’s 60 megahertz of S-band spectrum and three test spacecraft, and SES’s medium- and geostationary-orbit infrastructure feeding Elveo Mobile’s multi-band direct-to-device platform

Satellite communications

Lynk and Omnispace complete merger to form Elveo Mobile

The combined company joins Lynk’s direct-to-phone platform with Omnispace’s S-band spectrum and SES’s multi-orbit infrastructure, but its deployment and funding plans are still ahead.

20 August 20265 min read

NOAA award notice listing the $6.4 million total order and daily radio-occultation deliveries assigned to PlanetiQ and Spire

Commercial weather data

NOAA buys 4,200 daily radio-occultation profiles from PlanetiQ

The $2.73 million, 74-day bridge order also assigns PlanetiQ 500 ionospheric tracks a day while NOAA prepares a two-year successor procurement under a broader $2.35 billion vehicle.

20 August 20265 min read

Diagram showing Planet imagery flowing through Rwanda Space Agency to government agencies, public universities, selected startups and development partners

Earth observation

Rwanda’s Planet data programme targets public services and universities

Rwanda Space Agency will manage access to near-daily imagery and an archive for state bodies, public universities, selected startups and development partners. The August 14 newsletter item was follow-on coverage of Planet’s August 10 announcement, not a second programme launch.

20 August 20265 min read

Flow diagram showing a phone connecting to an Elveo low-Earth-orbit satellite, a planned relay through an SES medium-Earth-orbit satellite to SES ground gateways, and a separate geostationary-orbit support path for tracking, command and monitoring; an inset lists undisclosed investment terms

Satellite communications

SES expands Elveo investment for multi-orbit D2D

The companies plan to connect Elveo’s LEO network with SES’s MEO, GEO and ground assets, but disclosed no deal value, ownership percentage or rollout date.

20 August 20265 min read

Editorial diagram contrasting Telesat GEO obligations due at the end of 2026 with financing available for the separately held Lightspeed programme

Satellite finance

Lightspeed financing sits outside Telesat’s looming GEO debt

The first-half filing separates the LEO project’s financing from about C$2.3 billion of Telesat GEO obligations due at the end of 2026, while retaining a first-quarter 2028 service target.

20 August 20265 min read

Editorial diagram separating the anticipated $600 million-plus programme value and IM-1300 work scope from customer, schedule, mission specifications and terms that remain confidential

Satellite communications

Intuitive Machines outlines $600m-plus IM-1300 satellite programme

The IM-1300 will underpin design, manufacturing, integration and support for multiple spacecraft. The customer, delivery calendar and most programme terms remain undisclosed.

19 August 20265 min read

Diagram showing the Flatellite award covering spacecraft development, Neutron launch, secure operations and tracking-data delivery, with quantities and dates marked undisclosed

Military space acquisition

Rocket Lab’s $397m Flatellite award spans satellites, Neutron launch and operations

The Space Force deal covers multiple spacecraft and includes an option for more, but the number of Flatellites, Neutron flights and launch dates remain undisclosed. SB-AMTI’s later operational capability depends on programme-wide sensing, processing and orchestration work.

19 August 20265 min read