Traditional ramjets require a missile to reach approximately Mach 3 before ignition—But this new RDR architecture is engineered to ignite at lower speeds. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/16/lockheed-martin-and-ge-aerospace-complete-successful-hypersonic-rdr-engine-demonstration/

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As of January 18, 2026, the Artemis program stands as the most complex multi-national space exploration initiative in human history. Formally established in 2017 via Space Policy […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/19/the-artemis-campaign-a-brief-cislunar-history/

DUBAI and KYIV — On Thursday, January 15, 2026, VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON) announced that its Ukrainian subsidiary, Kyivstar, has reached 3.0 million registered users for its Starlink Direct to […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/19/kyivstar-hits-3-0-million-user-milestone-for-starlink-direct-to-cell-services/

Chris Forrester — The news that Eutelsat has ordered 340 new OneWeb satellites, additional to its existing contract for 100 extra craft, secures the company’s future and can only benefit […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/19/eutelsat-prepares-for-its-next-expansion/

The new agreement ensures that the Ministry will receive an increased volume of high-resolution satellite imagery from ICEYE’s SAR constellation to bolster tactical situational awareness and national security. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/19/iceye-expands-space-based-intelligence-cooperation-with-ukraines-ministry-of-defence/

Google’s proposed architecture targets a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), but the density of debris in this region raises concerns regarding Kessler Syndrome, a runaway chain reaction of collisions. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/19/google-addresses-orbital-debris-risks-for-project-suncatcher-ai-constellation/

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems are competing for a 1.2 trillion won ($850 million) military contract to construct a 40-satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation, with the South […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/18/kai-hanwha-systems-vie-for-rok-militarys-40-satellite-sar-constellation-contract/

Quantum imaging startup Diffraqtion has secured $4.2 million in pre-seed funding to deploy satellite constellations equipped with proprietary "quantum cameras" designed to bypass traditional optical limits. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/18/diffraqtion-raises-4-2m-to-field-quantum-camera-satellites/

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) introduced the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act. The bipartisan […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/16/bipartisan-senate-bill-targets-regulatory-backlog-in-u-s-satellite-sector/

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has executed a third massive tranche of contract awards under its Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program, adding 340 contractors to the vehicle today, Jan. 15, 2026. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/15/mda-adds-340-vendors-to-151-billion-shield-enterprise-in-third-major-tranche/

SatNews Editorial Analysis Executive Summary The Event: The FCC’s December 16, 2025, grant of the SpaceX/T-Mobile Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) license officially graduated Direct-to-Device (D2D) from a beta experiment […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/15/permission-to-shout-the-risks-inside-the-new-spacex-license/

For over a decade, China has integrated space cooperation into its broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), establishing ground stations in South America, Africa, and the Arctic. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/15/u-s-officials-monitor-expansion-of-chinas-global-satellite-ground-infrastructure/

The future of discovery is now inextricably linked to the success of private infrastructure. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/15/the-orbital-pivot-reconciling-scientific-discovery-with-the-trillion-dollar-space-economy/

This milestone marks a significant step in the company’s mission to provide a commercial, GPS-independent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capability for satellite operators. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/15/trustpoint-achieves-key-milestone-in-resilient-gps-independent-navigation/

This instrument observes the natural infrared radiation of oxygen in the upper atmosphere to obtain high-resolution temperature profiles. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/15/nasa-selects-atmocube-mission-to-study-orbital-wave-interference/

The dual missions, launched from separate spaceports, underscore the nation's intent to sustain a high-cadence manifest. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/14/china-opens-2026-launch-manifest-with-retrograde-yaogan-and-guowang-deployments/

With the European space sector undergoing a structural shift toward security and autonomy, organizers of SmallSat Europe 2026 have issued a final call for technical papers. The deadline for abstract submissions is January 23, 2026, leaving engineers and researchers less than two weeks to propose presentations for the continent’s

Speaking alongside SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Hegseth outlined an "AI-first" transformation designed to operate at wartime speed Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/13/department-of-defense-adopts-spacex-iteration-model-to-accelerate-defense-acquisition/

The primary objective of the mission is to locate and quantify Helium-3 concentrations within the lunar regolith. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/13/black-moon-energy-partners-with-jpl-for-helium-3-resource-mission/

The capital will accelerate the development of the company’s novel "quantum camera" technology. Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/13/diffraqtion-secures-4-2-million-to-deploy-quantum-camera-constellations-for-sda/

The flight-ready hardware is designated for use on spacecraft within an upcoming military constellation Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/13/orbion-space-technology-delivers-33-aurora-propulsion-systems-to-york-space-systems-for-defense-constellation/

VANDENBERG SFB, Calif. — On Sunday, January 11, 2026, SpaceX successfully launched the “Twilight” rideshare mission, delivering a diverse manifest of commercial and government payloads to a dawn-dusk Sun-Synchronous Orbit […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/12/spacex-twilight-mission-deploys-22-exolaunch-payloads-including-kepler-and-hawkeye-360-assets/

BEIJING – In a significant escalation of the orbital broadband race, China has submitted a major regulatory filing with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for a massive satellite constellation totaling […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/12/as-spacex-targets-50000-starlink-satellites-china-files-for-200000-unit-mega-constellation/

WASHINGTON D.C. — In a significant regulatory milestone for the commercial space sector, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a partial grant on Friday, January 9, 2026, authorizing SpaceX to […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/12/fcc-authorizes-7500-additional-starlink-gen2-satellites-for-global-gigabit-coverage/

By Evan Grey, Legal Contributor, SatNews Recent developments in Greenland offer a case study in how geopolitical tensions are influencing satellite service procurement decisions. While the territory’s small population limits direct market […] Source: https://news.satnews.com/2026/01/12/trump-musk-and-the-arctic-the-secret-fight-for-the-worlds-most-strategic-ground/