Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Rockets function reliably. Satellites roll off assembly lines at scale. Yet the buzz at SmallSat Symposium in Mountain View can’t mask a sobering reality: data gets stuck on the way down. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/space-has-a-plumbing-problem-and-its-getting-expensive/

Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The polite fiction that the commercial space industry exists primarily for crop yields and climate monitoring has ended. During the symposium’s Future of Geospatial Intelligence session, industry titans stopped pretending their product is intended for sale to NGOs, admitting they are instead building a new

Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. For the past decade, the commercial space sector has benefited from a benign era defined by a quiescent sun and the protective magnetosphere of Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This stability allowed companies to prioritize speed and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components over traditional radiation hardening. Yet, as

Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. Attendees at the SmallSat Symposium might have envisioned a future Space Data Layer as a seamless optical-mesh network capable of near-instant data transmission. During the symposium’s Edge of Orbit session, however, participants scrutinized the mechanics available to make that ideal materialize quickly. Attendees backed off

Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. If the mood at past SmallSat Symposiums was defined by exuberant experimentation, this year feels different. The energy has not vanished, but it has matured. During the session Engineering the Future Spacecraft, a clear signal emerged from the noise: the industry is graduating. Focus has shifted

Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium: The era of the slide-deck billionaire is dead. Attendees entering the Small Satellites: Trends and Opportunities session expecting standard futurism about connecting the unconnected or democratizing the stars were likely disappointed. The mood at SmallSat Symposium has shifted from gold-rush optimism to the cold calculus of

Dispatch from SmallSat Symposium. The age of PowerPoint architecture has passed. For five years, the Space Development Agency operated as the Pentagon’s rebellious startup, promising to deliver a Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture faster than the establishment could draft a requirements document. At the SmallSat Symposium, however, no celebratory mood

DENVER, Colorado – In the wake of the sudden departure of long-time President and CEO Tory Bruno, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is moving to stabilize its flight manifest and rebuild […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/ula-targets-operational-acceleration-following-leadership-transition/

The European space community began an emotional countdown at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, marking the final hours before the maiden flight of the Ariane 64. As the most […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/the-maiden-launch-of-the-ariane-64-europes-most-powerful-rocket-and-an-emotional-countdown/

At the SmallSat Symposium in Silicon Valley on February 10, 2026, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) unveiled the Hyperion mission, a pivotal demonstration intended to move its HYPER in-orbit relay constellation […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/ksat-launches-hyperion-demonstration-for-in-orbit-data-relay/

iDirect Government (iDirectGov), a major provider of satellite communications for defense and government sectors, announced a successful live over-the-air (OTA) point-to-point test validating the DVB-S2X standard on its 450 Software-Defined […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/idirect-government-validates-live-over-the-air-ota-point-to-point-test-on-dvb-s2x-standard/

ELCOME, a leading global provider of maritime technology, announced a major authorized reseller agreement with Amazon Leo (formerly known as Project Kuiper). This partnership marks a significant expansion of Amazon’s […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/63652/

In early 2026, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) released a critical analysis regarding the “untethered” expansion of foreign Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations into India’s critical social infrastructure. The […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/10/untrusted-satcom-dangers-for-indian-tele-education/

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY) announced it has received multiple contract awards to produce advanced infrared Focal Plane Modules (FPMs) for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 3 Tracking Layer […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/09/teledyne-advances-u-s-national-defense-with-sdas-tranche-3-tracking-layer-program/

On February 9, 2026, Momentus Inc. announced it has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA to execute a groundbreaking in-orbit servicing and rendezvous demonstration mission. Scheduled for launch […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/09/momentus-to-demonstrate-multispectral-sensor-for-space-force-with-nasa-support/

On February 9, 2026, a landmark industrial partnership was solidified between the CMA CGM Group, Marlink, and Eutelsat to revolutionize maritime connectivity. This multi-year agreement centers on the deployment of […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/09/cma-cgm-group-marlink-and-eutelsat-partnership/

On February 9, 2026, Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) announced a significant $24.5 million Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract from NASA’s Johnson Space Center. This four-year agreement establishes Voyager as a […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/09/voyager-lands-24-5m-nasa-jsc-mission-management-contract/

By early 2026, the data streaming back from our expanded orbital neighborhood has moved beyond merely filling in gaps in our knowledge; it is fundamentally challenging long-held scientific certainties. From […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/09/space-disproving-the-known/

In a recent investment thesis highlighted on February 3, 2026, Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire identified 2028 as the pivotal year for SpaceX’s Direct-to-Cell (D2C) technology. Maguire, whose firm has […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/09/sequoia-capital-2028-will-be-the-year-of-direct-to-cell-for-spacex/

The Yogi maxim “No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded,” matches a massive strategic shift in the space industry. The “crowded restaurant” of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is driving […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/08/expanding-beyond-our-urban-satellite-congestion/

The space sector is experiencing a period of intense operational milestones and strategic shifts as of February 8, 2026. Industry leaders like Ascent Solar Technologies, Intuitive Machines, and AST SpaceMobile […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/08/from-prototyping-to-infrastructure-new-standards-of-orbital-operation/

The space insurance market is undergoing a fundamental transformation, shifting from a niche enabler of satellite finance into a proactive regulator of orbital behavior. In the commercial space era, insurance […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/08/satellite-insurers-driving-costs-in-a-hyper-congested-orbital-environment/

Chris Forrester — India has increased its space-related budget for the upcoming 2026-2027 period to $1.64 billion which goes to the nation’s Dept. of Space.  The total is ₹13,705.63 crore […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/08/india-boosts-space-budget/

According to a major report released on February 5, the global 6G market is projected to reach $110.46 billion by 2036, growing at a remarkable 46% Compound Annual Growth Rate […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/07/6g-market-surges-to-110-46-billion-by-2036/

On February 5, 2026, Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd announced a significant expansion of its North American distribution network through an enhanced agreement with Althen Sensors & Controls Inc. This move […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/02/06/silicon-sensing-expands-distribution-in-north-america/