Iridium low-Earth orbit commercial satellite constellation: Iridium By Jeff Foust, Published by Space News, 29 June 2026 WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab is acquiring satellite telecommunications company Iridium for $8 billion as part of its effort to become an end-to-end space company. The companies announced an agreement June 29 under which
Illustration of Tracking Layer Tranche 3 spacecraft. Credit: Northrop Grumman By Sandra Erwin, Published by Space News, 25 June 2026 Committee urges more competition in satellite communications and criticizes reliance on reconciliation to fund Golden Dome WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee on June 24 advanced a fiscal 2027 defense
By Paul Scharre, Published by Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2026 How New Technologies Threaten America’s Military Advantage In its recent campaign against Iran, the United States dominated the skies using its traditional airpower. The U.S. military pounded Iranian targets, conducting over 13,000 strikes. That prowess and devastating firepower did not
An artist rendition of a Lockheed Martin-built GPS 3F satellite. Credit: Lockheed Martin By Sandra Erwin, Published by Space News, 15 June 2026 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $514 million contract to build two additional GPS 3F satellites. GPS 3F is the military’s next-generation
By Elizabeth Howell, Published by Space.com, 11 June 2026 "We've got a pretty good idea of how to operate, just really large constellations, and do it safely now, right? We are the only operator that has any experience of that scale." SpaceX CEO Elon Musk outlined more details for his
Rendering of Applied Atomics “Star Reacher Network” satellite architecture that allows multiple spacecraft equipped with multimode propulsion to work in tandem. Credit: Applied Atomics By Sandra Erwin, Published by Space News, 10 June 2026 Company opens Virginia office, announces $4 million pre-seed funding WASHINGTON — U.K.-based startup Applied Atomics has
The GPS market in space for commercial satellite constellations is gaining a new set of competitors, such as TrustPoint and Xona, looking to join Iridium who was the first-ever low-Earth orbit constellation: Iridium By Courtney Albon, Published by Air and Space Forces, 10 June 2026 After years of talking about
By Alex Nadal, Published by Space News, 3 June 2026 Europe is rapidly rewriting its security architecture. Faced with Russian aggression, mounting doubts about long-term American commitment and growing pressure to shoulder more of its own defense burden, European states have embraced minilateralism: smaller, flexible coalitions built around shared strategic priorities and operational
