Space & Satellites

Seoul – November 09, 2026 -- South Korean startup SpaceMap, founded in 2021, is pursuing a role in setting international standards for space traffic management with ASTRO-1, an AI-based platform that predicts collision risks between satellites and space debris.

ASTRO-1 recommends avoidance maneuvers and weighs secondary collision risk

The software analyzes the orbits of satellites and space debris, predicts collision risks and recommends avoidance maneuvers. It also evaluates the velocity change an avoidance maneuver requires and the potential for secondary collisions, giving operators a basis for choosing a response.

Tokyo – November 08, 2026 -- NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Mitsubishi Electric, NTT, MUFG Bank and Development Bank of Japan signed a memorandum of understanding on November 6, 2026 to study the development and operation of a satellite mega-constellation and the services built on it.

The five companies will assess the technical and business feasibility of commercializing communications, Earth observation, positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), and space data center services. They intend to combine their technologies, customer bases, financial capabilities and business development expertise. The stated goal is a business built on openness and interoperability.

Tenerife – September 15, 2026 -- Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen will appear at STARMUS VIII in Tenerife and La Palma from October 17-22, 2026, fifteen years after the festival's 2011 founding event brought together Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Alexei Leonov in the Canary Islands.

Artemis II crew follows the same route once taken by Apollo-era legends

Wiseman, Glover and Hansen flew around the Moon and back earlier this year alongside Christina Koch, becoming part of the first crewed lunar mission in more than five decades and traveling farther from Earth than any humans before them. Their October appearance places three of the four Artemis II astronauts on the same festival stage where Armstrong, Aldrin and Leonov once spoke in 2011.

Cape Canaveral, Fla. – September 14, 2026 -- Starfighters Space, Inc. (NYSE American: FJET) has entered a memorandum of understanding with Vaya Defense & Space, Inc. to jointly evaluate captive-carry flight testing and air-launch propulsion, targeting a gap in hypersonic development where demand for test flights has outrun available capacity. The global hypersonic technology market is valued at approximately US$8.49 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach roughly US$15.73 billion by 2030, according to Research and Markets, a compound annual growth rate of about 13.2%.

National Harbor, Md. – September 14, 2026 -- Radia is presenting WindRunner, the world's largest aircraft by volume, as a fix for a growing bottleneck in space logistics: transporting fully assembled rockets, boosters and oversized satellites that have outgrown existing roads, ports and cargo aircraft. The aircraft maker unveiled the capability ahead of the Air & Space Forces Association's Air, Space & Cyber Conference, running Sept. 14-16 at National Harbor, Md.

WindRunner cuts transport time from days to hours for oversized rocket hardware

Mark Lundstrom, Founder and CEO of Radia, said the aircraft can move a fully assembled booster, a recovered launch vehicle or a next-generation satellite intact, eliminating disassembly and reassembly cycles. He attributed the design to a low cargo deck height, a nose door and a dedicated cargo loading system built to speed handling of outsized space hardware.

Stockholm – September 13, 2026 -- GomSpace A/S has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) to jointly develop a dual 8U Earth Observation satellite mission and explore broader cooperation in Saudi Arabia's space sector.

Deal covers full satellite lifecycle from design to testing

The agreement spans conceptual design, mission engineering, system architecture, and Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) activities for the satellite mission. It also includes exploration of advanced Earth Observation and optical communication technologies, combining GomSpace's small satellite systems expertise with KFUPM's academic and engineering capabilities.

Philadelphia – September 12, 2026 -- Berger Montague PC has opened an investigation into the Board of Directors of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) over potential breaches of fiduciary duty tied to the company's disclosures about competitive exposure under the U.S. Space Force's Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program.

Law firm targets AeroVironment's handling of SCAR competition risk

The inquiry centers on whether AeroVironment's board improperly concealed the company's vulnerability to rival bidders for SCAR-related contract work, a program tied to U.S. military satellite communications infrastructure.

New York – September 11, 2026 -- A class action lawsuit has been filed against York Space Systems Inc. (NYSE:YSS) and several senior executives following a 10.9% single-day stock decline tied to allegations the company misrepresented the capabilities of its proprietary satellite software.

Stock fell $3.91 per share after Wolfpack Research report

Shares dropped from a closing price of $35.88 on September 11, 2026, to $31.97 on September 11, 2026, after short-seller Wolfpack Research published a report citing former employees who claimed York Space Systems launched satellites without confirming the software could perform its core mission. The report stated the company had not finished software development before launch and instead attempted to debug systems while satellites were already in orbit.

Los Angeles – September 10, 2026 -- Investors who lost money on York Space Systems, Inc. securities have until October 30, 2026 to seek lead plaintiff status in a securities fraud class action filed against the company, according to law firm Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP.

Complaint alleges York misrepresented satellite software readiness before launch

The lawsuit alleges York's onboard mission and payload software was not fully functional before satellites were launched, contradicting the company's public statements about its business and operations.

Allegations tie software gaps to risk on SDA contracts

According to the complaint, the incomplete software created an ongoing risk to York's contracts with the SDA, with plaintiffs alleging the company used false advertising to win those contracts and delivered satellites with unfinished mission-critical software.