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 no earlier than March 2026 aboard a SpaceX Transporter mission, the flight will feature the Vigoride 7 Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV) performing complex maneuvers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

This mission fulfills a $1.86 million contract with SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, and represents a critical step toward operationalizing autonomous space infrastructure.

Multispectral Sensors for Enhanced Situational Awareness

The centerpiece of the March mission is the flight demonstration of Momentus’ internally developed Low-Cost Multispectral RPO Sensor (LCMRS) suite. This system integrates optical, infrared, and lidar sensors with advanced machine vision algorithms and data fusion techniques. Designed to enhance Space Situational Awareness (SSA), the sensor suite allows a spacecraft to autonomously approach, characterize, and navigate around “uncharacterized” objects in orbit. This capability is fundamental for the militarization of LEO, providing the Space Force with the tools needed for dynamic operations such as satellite inspection, refueling, and space debris management.

NASA Support and the R5-S10 CubeSat Imager

Under the new Space Act Agreement, NASA is providing critical mission support through the delivery of the R5 Spacecraft 10 (R5-S10) CubeSat. Funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program and managed by the Johnson Space Center, the R5-S10 will function as a “free-flying imager.” During the mission, it will detach from the Vigoride 7 to capture high-resolution imagery of the host vehicle, assessing its health and performance in real-time. This joint effort is designed to refine In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities, moving the industry closer to a future where structures can be built and repaired entirely in orbit.

WiFi-Based Inter-Satellite Link Demonstrations

A secondary objective of the mission is the demonstration of advanced inter-satellite link (ISL) capabilities using WiFi-based data transmission. The R5-S10 CubeSat will attempt to transfer large files directly to the Vigoride 7 platform while in flight. These files will then be downlinked to the Momentus Operations Center and NASA Johnson, proving the viability of high-speed, real-time space communication. This “Space WiFi” approach is seen as a cost-effective way to enable complex formation flying and data sharing between swarms of small satellites, a key component of the Space Force’s proliferated LEO architecture.

Vigoride 7: A Fully Manifested Orbital Platform

The March 2026 launch marks a significant milestone for the Vigoride platform, which is currently fully booked with hosted payloads. In addition to the LCMRS and NASA R5-S10 missions, the Vigoride 7 will feature a 3D-printed fuel tank developed in collaboration with Velo3D, showcasing advanced metal additive manufacturing. The mission highlights the advantages of Momentus’ multi-manifest approach, where hosting multiple payloads on a single vehicle increases the data fidelity and operational results for all participants. This mission not only serves defense and research needs but also solidifies Momentus’ role as a primary provider of in-space transportation and infrastructure services.

On February 4, 2026, Muon Space announced a major transition from executing discrete satellite missions to the sustained deployment of multi-mission constellations.

This strategic shift follows a period of rapid growth for the Silicon Valley startup, which reported a 100 percent year-over-year revenue increase for the second consecutive year. To support this operational scale-up, Muon Space has expanded its production capacity by ten times, now capable of manufacturing up to 500 satellites per year at its 130,000-square-foot facility in San Jose.

Multi-Mission Strategy and Government Contracts

The company is moving away from one-off missions toward a “Mission Foundry” model, providing end-to-end satellite solutions that prioritize operational outcomes over hardware delivery. This approach has proven successful in securing high-value government agreements.

Muon secured a $44.6 million SBIR Phase III contract from U.S. Space Force to develop a dual-use space-based environmental monitoring (SBEM) capability. This project involves a three-satellite prototype demonstration focused on cloud characterization and theater weather imagery to support military planning in contested environments.

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO): The company was awarded Stage II of an National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) contract in 2025 to advance commercial electro-optical capabilities, providing multispectral data for national security assessment.

Missile Defense Agency (MDA): Muon was selected for the SHIELD IDIQ program, from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which has a massive $151 billion ceiling, contributing commercial space-based sensing to next-generation missile defense architectures.

Vertical Integration and Technological Milestones

Muon Space is aggressively pursuing vertical integration to reduce costs and accelerate deployment speeds. A key part of this strategy was the acquisition of propulsion startup Starlight Engines, which brings in-house zinc-based thruster technology designed for improved stability and lower costs compared to traditional xenon systems. Additionally, Muon recently closed a $146 million Series B financing round, led by Congruent Ventures and Activate Capital, to fuel its infrastructure expansion and staff growth.

Technologically, the company has launched its new XL spacecraft platform to accommodate larger payloads and higher-performance sensors. In an industry-first move, Muon also signed an agreement with SpaceX to integrate Starlink mini laser terminals onto its satellites. This integration, scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026, will enable persistent optical connectivity in orbit, significantly enhancing real-time data delivery across its global constellations.

Upcoming Launch Manifest

Over the next 20 months, Muon Space has 20 satellites manifested for launch, including:

• SNC Vindlér 2.0: Deployment of the first three satellites for Sierra Nevada Corporation’s RF collection and analytics constellation in Q1 2026.
• Earth Fire Alliance: Three additional FireSats are scheduled for mid-2026 to enhance global wildfire detection and monitoring.
• Commercial Awards: New missions for 2026 will span hyperspectral mapping, radio frequency sensing, and thermal infrared sensing for a variety of logistics and agricultural customers.

In a move that fundamentally reimagines the relationship between orbital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, SpaceX submitted a staggering application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) late Friday, January 30, 2026.

The filing seeks authority to launch and operate up to one million satellites designed to function as the world’s first large-scale Orbital Data Center network.

Escalating Terrestrial Energy and Cooling Crisis

The proposal is a direct response to the “energy wall” facing terrestrial AI development. On Earth, high-performance data centers consume unsustainable volumes of electricity and water for cooling; by 2027, global AI is projected to consume as much electricity as the nation of Argentina. SpaceX argues that moving computation to space provides an “unlimited” solar energy source and effortless radiative cooling in the vacuum of space, eliminating the environmental footprint and grid bottlenecks of ground-based server farms.

Rationale: Toward a Kardashev Type II Civilization

SpaceX’s filing describes the initiative as a “first step toward becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization”—one capable of harnessing the full power of its star. Beyond civilizational ambitions, the move serves as a strategic geopolitical counter to China, which recently filed paperwork with the ITU for two constellations totaling approximately 200,000 satellites for its own “gigawatt-class space digital infrastructure”.

“The satellites will be so far apart that it will be hard to see one from another,” Musk posted on X on January 31, 2026, attempting to address concerns over Kessler Syndrome and orbital congestion. “Space is so vast as to be beyond comprehension“.

Technical Specifications: The “Space Brain”

The system is designed to handle the heaviest AI inference and training workloads in layered orbits between 500 km and 2,000 km. Key technical goals include:

• Power Density: Achieving roughly 100 kilowatts of compute power per tonne of satellite mass.
• Energy Scale: Aiming for 100 gigawatts of solar-powered AI satellites produced annually, a feat Musk notes will require an equal 100 GW of AI compute production on Earth first.
• Connectivity: Utilization of high-speed optical laser links to transfer petabytes of data between orbital nodes and the existing Starlink mesh network.

Strategic Integration and Funding Outlook

Analysts note the filing appears to justify a rumored merger between SpaceX and Musk’s AI firm, xAI, ahead of a potential Initial Public Offering (IPO) later this year. The IPO could seek to raise in excess of $30 billion to fund the “proliferation at scale” required for the one-million-satellite fleet, potentially valuing SpaceX at $1.5 trillion.

The FCC, which has historically been conservative regarding large constellation sizes—granting only 7,500 of a previous 22,488 Starlink satellite request—is expected to subject this unprecedented filing to extreme scrutiny regarding collision risks and night sky interference.

Targeting the growing gap between encrypted application layers and vulnerable terrestrial infrastructure, Spacecoin and the Midnight Foundation announced a partnership on January 29, 2026, to develop a private peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging platform.

The collaboration aims to bypass traditional internet gateways prone to censorship, surveillance, and nationwide blackouts by leveraging a decentralized network of low-Earth orbit (LEO) small satellites.

Infrastructure Resilience Against Global Censorship

The initiative responds to increasing instances of internet shutdowns used to mask political crackdowns, such as those recently documented in Uganda and Iran. By utilizing Spacecoin’s satellite constellation, the platform seeks to provide permissionless connectivity that remains operational even when terrestrial networks are compromised or intentionally severed.

Unlike centralized messaging services that may expose metadata—revealing identity, location, and communication frequency—the proposed platform integrates Midnight’s zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology. This allows users to verify their authorization to communicate without disclosing sensitive personal data.

“Privacy is not a feature or a privilege—it is a fundamental human right,” stated Fahmi Syed, President of the Midnight Foundation. “To protect this right, we need to think beyond the application layer. If the underlying infrastructure itself is exploitable, true privacy does not exist”.

Technical Stack: Satellites, Blockchain, and ZK-Proofs

The partnership explores a multi-layered privacy stack designed to eliminate central points of failure:

• Connectivity Layer: Spacecoin’s LEO small satellites provide a direct-to-device link that reduces reliance on local ISPs.
• Coordination Layer: A blockchain protocol manages the satellite network via smart contracts, ensuring no single entity can shut down the service.
• Privacy Layer: Midnight’s cryptographic proofs enable selective disclosure, protecting transaction and communication metadata.

Beyond Messaging: Privacy as Infrastructure

While the initial focus is on secure messaging, the partners envision the infrastructure supporting broader privacy-critical applications. This includes confidential healthcare consultations in remote regions, secure coordination for journalists, and private financial transactions over satellite networks.

“The real opportunity here is privacy as infrastructure, not as a feature,” said Tae Oh, Founder of Spacecoin. “The same stack that protects a message protects a financial transaction or a medical consultation“.

On January 29, 2026, York Space Systems (NYSE: YSS) made its trading debut on the New York Stock Exchange, successfully raising $629 million in an upsized initial public offering.

Pricing at $34 per share—the top of its target range—the Denver-based satellite manufacturer achieved a market capitalization of approximately $4.75 billion, signaling robust investor appetite for pure-play defense space firms capable of mass-manufacturing.

Dominance in the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture

The IPO marks a major transition for York, moving from a venture-backed disruptor to a Tier 1 defense prime. As of late 2025, York is the primary provider for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), with 33 spacecraft currently operational in orbit across six distinct contracts.

York’s mission success was highlighted in September 2025, when it became the first prime contractor to launch and deploy 21 satellites for the SDA’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer mission within hours of launch.

Rationale: “Space as Procurement” vs. Science

The company’s value proposition centers on “proliferation at scale,” advocating for a shift from “space as a science project” to a standardized procurement model. By utilizing its standardized S-CLASS and M-CLASS satellite buses, York claims to manufacture spacecraft at approximately half the cost of traditional defense competitors.

“Historically, people kind of view us solely as a spacecraft manufacturer, but we’re really a complete, holistic solution,” stated Dirk Wallinger, CEO and Founder, speaking from the NYSE floor. “That kind of turnkey solution is really what national defense needs“.

Strategic Targets: The Golden Dome and M&A

Proceeds from the IPO are earmarked for immediate expansion of manufacturing inventory and research and development. York is also positioning itself as a critical player for the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense project, a national security initiative aimed at creating a multi-layered, space-based interceptor and tracking network.

Furthermore, the company has confirmed it is conducting due diligence for a potential $120 million acquisition of a key supplier to further vertically integrate its supply chain. Following the IPO, AE Industrial Partners remains the majority shareholder, retaining over 50% of the voting power.

On January 29, 2026, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and Oxford Space Systems (OSS) confirmed the successful in-orbit deployment of the Wrapped Rib Antenna aboard the CarbSAR In-Orbit Demonstration mission.

This milestone marks the first flight heritage for the OSS large deployable reflector, validating a multi-year development program funded through UK space industrialization initiatives.

Validating a High-Performance SAR Architecture

The CarbSAR mission was launched on January 11, 2026, via a SpaceX Falcon 9. Following initial commissioning, the antenna underwent a critical two-stage deployment sequence to reach its operational focal point. The success of this deployment demonstrates the maturity of the OSS deployable architecture, which is engineered to provide high-performance X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from a stowage-efficient small satellite platform.

“The successful deployment is a major technical milestone,” stated Pete Ashworth, CTO of Oxford Space Systems. “It validates our engineering approach and demonstrates our ability to industrialize advanced deployable antenna technologies in the UK“.

Two-Stage Deployment Mechanics

The Wrapped Rib Antenna is designed to overcome the “stowage-to-performance” gap inherent in small satellite SAR missions. The deployment process consists of two distinct phases:

• Primary Reflector: The deployment of the metal mesh surface, which provides the large aperture necessary for high-resolution imaging.
• Secondary Mast: The extension of the secondary reflector mast to the precise focal point of the primary reflector.

This dual-deployment design allows the antenna to remain extremely compact during launch, fitting within the restricted volume of small satellite fairings while expanding to a size that rivals much larger traditional spacecraft once in orbit.

Strengthening the UK Space Industrial Base

The achievement reinforces the UK’s position as a leader in sovereign space technology. The antenna was entirely designed and manufactured at the Oxford Space Systems facilities in Oxfordshire, utilizing custom composite and metal mesh production lines.

“We’re proud to have partnered with Oxford Space Systems to flight-qualify this innovative technology,” said Andrew Cawthorne, Managing Director at SSTL. “This mission is a clear demonstration of the performance that can be achieved from compact satellite platforms”.

Path to Constellation Production

With flight heritage secured, Oxford Space Systems is poised to scale production of the Wrapped Rib Antenna for future commercial and government constellations. The performance data gathered from the CarbSAR mission will underpin the company’s ability to reliably produce batches of antennas for global satellite operators seeking advanced Earth observation capabilities.

On January 28, 2026, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a critical report titled “Missile Warning Satellites: Space Development Agency Should Be More Realistic and Transparent About Risks to Capability Delivery” (GAO-26-107085).

The congressional watchdog warned that the Space Development Agency (SDA) is overestimating the technology readiness of critical elements within its Tracking Layer constellation, potentially jeopardizing its ability to field hypersonic missile defense capabilities on schedule.

Acting Director Dr. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo remains the official head of the Space Development Agency (SDA) as of January 28, 2026, and he is navigating a period of significant institutional pressure. This newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report (GAO-26-107085) has flagged critical risks in the agency’s flagship missile-tracking program, placing the SDA’s rapid acquisition model—and by extension, its current leadership—under intense federal oversight.

Technological Maturity and Contractor Delays

According to the GAO, the SDA’s current strategy of rapid, biennial “tranches” has led to unplanned work as contractors struggle to modify commercial spacecraft for specialized military missions. While the agency has reported achieving early milestones for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), the GAO asserts these reports fail to reflect underlying schedule risks.

Perhaps most significantly, the report highlights that the SDA and its partners have yet to fully demonstrate the generation of timely, three-dimensional tracks on the ground—a baseline requirement for countering hypersonic glide vehicles.

Budgetary Scale and Contractual Scope

The Tracking Layer is a massive procurement effort aimed at deploying hundreds of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). As of January 2026:

• Total Investment: The PWSA is projected to cost nearly $35 billion through fiscal year 2029.
• Active Contracts: Over $4.7 billion has been awarded for the first 101 satellites.
• Key Primes: Major contractors including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris are currently developing satellites for Tranches 1 and 2 of the Tracking Layer.

Criticism of the Requirements Process

The GAO report also flagged a lack of transparency between the SDA and the combatant commands that will ultimately use the data. Combatant commanders reported having “insufficient insight” into how the SDA defines requirements or whether the planned capabilities will meet operational needs for missile warning and tracking (MW/MT).

Under the leadership of Dr. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, who assumed the role in September 2025, the agency has maintained its “constructive disruptor” status, awarding contracts every two years regardless of previous satellite performance. The GAO recommends moving toward an “architecture-level schedule” to better understand how delays in individual tranches impact the overall delivery of global missile defense.

Path Forward and Air Force Oversight

The GAO has recommended that the Secretary of the Air Force ensure the SDA follows a more collaborative process with warfighter participants to define and prioritize requirements. Additionally, the report urges the Department of Defense to create a reliable life-cycle cost estimate, noting that limited cost data was collected for Tranches 1 and 2.

The Tracking Layer is intended to provide global “stereo” coverage for missile defense, replacing legacy systems like SBIRS with a more resilient, proliferated mesh network by the end of the decade.

Chris Forrester — CE Noticias Financieras (CENF), a well-regarded university-backed financial publication which focuses on Latino and Iberian financial news, suggests in a Jan 19 feature story that “Elon Musk has lost the space mobile race before it has even begun.”  The report says bluntly: “The fiercest space race isn’t about returning to the moon.

It’s about allowing you to make a TikTok or watch Netflix on your phone anywhere on the planet, from the salt flats of Atacama to the dunes of Khongor in the Gobi Desert. To make this happen, two radically different design philosophies are at war, and several companies are building the infrastructure needed to ensure that every phone on the planet is permanently connected to the Internet.”

CENF compares and contrasts the two very active players, saying correctly that on the one hand there’s Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its Starlink system, and the other being AST SpaceMobile (AST), and the other wannabee Chinese players along with Amazon’s LEO and a handful of much smaller would-be operators.

But since the story was published we’ve had Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin rocket company announce their TeraWave mega-constellation. Some observers are wondering why Bezos/Blue Origin is backing TeraWave, and sister business Amazon is backing its Amazon Leo broadband system, which would also impact the Starlink vs AST argument.

The focus on AST is justified. While Starlink has its direct relationship with consumers (currently more than 9 million, and probably well on its way to 10 million by February). But AST wants to supply its dozens of telco partners with barely 100 satellites in orbit (Elon currently has more than 9000 in orbit and wants 34,400). AST is not looking for its own relationship with consumers, depending on revenue shares with the likes of AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone, Rakuten and its many other telco friends around the world.

The eventual prize is cellular freedom and connectivity for users, or to repeat the old Martini advert: “Anytime, any place, anywhere” on the planet.

Four investment banks (Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley according to the Financial Times) are drooling with the prospects of mounting an IPO this year for SpaceX, but AST is already publicly quoted and bankers are deep in their fiscal examinations and due diligence on what AST might deliver as the next year or two unfolds.

Deutsche Bank, for example, on January 20 suggests it’s important that AST launch at least 4 out of its planned 5 launches by the end of March to demonstrate launch acceleration. There’s an unconfirmed launch pending with Blue Origin’s New Glenn, probably in February. They are already 6 satellites late (from December 2025), says the bank’s report or equal to two launches, so it’s almost a certainty this initial target has been missed.

“To be clear, we don’t think it matters if the timeline slips a little (eg 1 of the 5 launches scheduled by end of 1Q slips into 2Q and/or one of the 2026 planned launches spills into early 2027). The point is that AST needs to show that it can accelerate the launch cadence and deliver a 24-hour continuous service to its MNO partners in late 2026/1H27,” stated Deutsche Bank. The bank also expects new “premium service tiers” to emerge from AST’s partners and for meaningful revenues to begin flowing next year.

“We believe that AST has the MNO partnerships in place to be successful and scale its D2D business, while also adding incremental revenue in government and potentially enterprise over time,” says the bank, which has resulted in the bank upping its price target for AST from $81 to $137 per share and reiterating a “BUY” rating.

Deutsche Bank is forecasting 3 New Glenn launches and 5 Falcon 9 launches with each carrying multiple satellites.

Other bankers are also not shy in jumping into the AST prediction business. Capital market business Clear Street, for example, has also tipped AST at $137 (from $87) and repeated a “BUY” rating and its optimism helped by the US government’s award of Golden Dome contracts to AST, saying: “We remain bullish on the direct-to-cellular market, as rising competition from SpaceX/Starlink (private) is likely to push mobile network operators to rely more heavily on AST partnerships to defend subscriber bases.”

However, CE Noticias Financieras is persuaded that fewer satellites are better for humanity than more. It quotes Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and acknowledged expert at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who says: “Personally, I prefer a smaller number of larger satellites. One reason is the risk of space collisions. If you have 10 times more satellites, you have 100 times more near misses. So, just from that point of view, consolidating into a smaller number of satellites seems more sensible.”

But that view, however, sensible, has already been lost with SpaceX’s “brute force” and proliferation of satellites. Amazon’s Project Leo plans to launch more than 3,200 satellites.  Chinese companies are planning two separate mega-constellations, Guowang and G60 Starlink, with a total of nearly 26,000 satellites, and talking of 200,000+ satellites. “We are only at the beginning of this, ” warns McDowell. “And that becomes very worrying because now it’s not just one company, it’s a lot of companies.”

Which makes any sensible forecast near-impossible. China might completely upset the apple cart, while smaller players such as Canada’s Lightspeed might also play a disruptive role, as could the likes of Lynk Global, Apple/Globalstar or Abu Dhabi’s Space42/Viasat combination. However, the laser-linked TeraWave might eliminate Rivada Space Network from the potential mix.