In a decisive move to bolster national strategic autonomy, France has selected Loft Orbital to develop the nation’s first “sovereign” Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite. The contract, announced on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, marks a significant shift in European defense procurement, prioritizing a sovereign-commercial hybrid model to ensure independent orbital reconnaissance capabilities.

Strategic Shift Toward National Orbital Autonomy

The partnership reflects a broader European trend of reducing reliance on foreign space infrastructure for sensitive military applications. By tapping Loft Orbital, a commercial leader in modular satellite buses and software-defined mission management, the French Ministry of Armed Forces aims to accelerate the deployment of high-resolution radar imaging that remains under direct national control. This “sovereign-commercial nexus” allows the state to leverage rapid commercial innovation cycles while maintaining strict governance over data security and tasking priority.

Technical Framework of the Sovereign SAR Mission

The spacecraft will be built upon Loft Orbital’s standard Longbow bus, which is specifically designed for rapid payload integration and on-orbit software updates. Unlike traditional optical sensors, the SAR payload will enable the French military to conduct persistent, all-weather, day-and-night surveillance of strategic interest zones. The system is expected to utilize advanced X-band or L-band radar technology to penetrate cloud cover and provide high-fidelity imagery of surface assets. A critical component of the mission is the integration of Loft’s Virtual Mission Operations Center (VMOC), which will allow French defense operators to manage the satellite as a dedicated sovereign asset within a shared-resource framework.

Bolstering ISR and National Security Programs

The development of a dedicated SAR satellite is a cornerstone of France’s updated space defense strategy, which falls under the broader category of National Security Programs. Historically, European defense entities have often relied on a mix of domestic optical satellites and bilateral sharing agreements for radar data. This new project establishes a baseline for an independent ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) architecture that can operate without external constraints. This move is essential for maintaining the French military’s ability to monitor global hotspots and verify treaty compliance through independent space-based verification.

Sovereign Data Governance and Military Procurement

A primary driver for this contract is the requirement for absolute data sovereignty. Under the agreement, Loft Orbital will provide the technical platform, but the encrypted data downlink and tasking commands will be managed exclusively by French military personnel. This ensures that sensitive reconnaissance data does not transit through third-party commercial or foreign governmental servers, addressing a long-standing concern regarding the security of commercial satellite imagery in defense contexts. The procurement model utilized for this mission highlights a transition toward “as-a-service” models in military space, where the government pays for mission success and data delivery rather than owning the entire manufacturing supply chain.

Timeline and Future Expansion of the SAR Constellation

Initial hardware integration is slated to begin later this year, with a projected launch date in late 2027. This sovereign SAR satellite is envisioned as the pathfinder for a potential future constellation, intended to provide the French military with high-revisit rates over tactical areas of interest. The success of this pilot program will likely influence future defense budgets and procurement strategies across the European Union, as other member states look to replicate France’s model of integrating commercial agility with statist strategic requirements.

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 revenues once the fleet is in operation.

The 340 will guarantee Eutelsat’s existing services although at a cost of around $2.56 billion (€2.2bn) plus the cost of launches. Some of those launches are already booked. Eutelsat ordered about ten launches (“multiple launches”) from MaiaSpace to deploy a portion of the 440 new OneWeb satellites. Launches are scheduled from late 2027 to 2029. MaiaSpace thus secures 50 percent of the planned launches over the period.

MaiaSpace was founded in 2022 as a wholly owned subsidiary of ArianeGroup. The company is developing a two-stage, partially reusable launch vehicle called Maia, designed to deliver up to 4,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit when flown in its expendable configuration with the optional ‘kick’ stage.

The first 100, needed to ensure continuity of service, were ordered in December 2024 but observers say that the satellite operator needed to put its own finances in order before it could order the additional 340.

Eutelsat restructured its core finances by raising €1.5 billion in December 29025, including an extra chunk of capital placed into the operator by the French government which as a result now controls 29.65% of Eutelsat.

The new order will be fulfilled by Airbus Defence & Space at its Toulouse, France, facility, and the first batches should be ready for launch towards the end of this year. These early launches will replace OneWeb satellites launched in 2019 and 2020 and now reaching the end of their planned lives.

In its January 12 statement Eutelsat said the new fleet would integrate technology upgrades including advanced digital channelisers, enabling enhanced on-board processing capabilities as well as greater efficiency and flexibility and suggesting that the new craft could carry ‘hosted payloads’ for the French military.

Indeed, Eutelsat is reportedly talking to other European defense ministries and pitching similar options for dedicated payloads.

But there’s certainly going to be a slight disappointment for French pride in that the order has gone to Maia Space. Despite Maia being an Ariane subsidiary, some would have preferred Arianespace itself to be a carrier. There’s also the underlying fear that other rocket providers will be called upon to fill the gap given that Ariane itself is fully booked for 2026 and much of 2027 on other non-Eutelsat contracts.

Consequently, Eutelsat CEO Jean-François Fallacher might have to select SpaceX – which can carry 45 OneWebs – will be called into play. However, it is worth remembering that Eutelsat still has a contract in place with Jeff Bezos for a flight on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. The contract was signed with much fanfare at the 2017 Washington Satellite Show by Rodolphe Belmer, then CEO at Eutelsat, and with Bezos.  It could well be that a New Glenn launch during 2027 could carry OneWeb satellites.

The new OneWeb contract is just the first stage of Eutelsat’s growth plan. The next step, now being made with the SpaceRISE consortium of which it is a key part, is the important European IRIS² multi-orbit highly-secure satellite scheme. IRIS², backed by the European Commission and European Space Agency but also with plenty of private cash from the likes of SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, calls for 272 satellites in LEO (at 1200 kms) and 18 in MEO (at 8000kms). They would operate with laser connectivity.

The IRIS² contract was signed with the SpaceRISE consortium which has to design, deliver and operate the Infrastructure of Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) for a concession period of 12 years.

Eutelsat has to pay for its place in the consortium, and is said to be in talks with financing sources including the French BPIFrance and EK Export Finance agencies.

SpaceRISE issued its Requests for Proposals (RFP) on December 28 2025 to Europe’s satellite builders and launch suppliers, and there’s a requirement that some 30% of the satellite contract value must go to small and medium-sized industry businesses.

These combined elements will keep Eutelsat busy for a year or two, but its OneWeb revenue growth should help fund expansion. Eutelsat says it expects its LEO revenues to grow by around 50% – and possibly more – as 2026-2027 unfolds. Eutelsat is targeting total revenue of between €1.5 billion and €1.7 billion by the end of 2028-2029. Much of that will come from OneWeb.

With the first OneWeb launches now likely to take place before calendar year-end 2026, Eutelsat’s revenue stream should grow commensurately.

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 Cell satellite connectivity service. This milestone represents more than 10% of Kyivstar’s total mobile subscriber base and highlights the rapid adoption of non-terrestrial network (NTN) solutions in contested environments.

Rapid Adoption and Regional Resilience

Since the service was launched on November 24, 2025, subscribers have exchanged more than 1.2 million SMS messages via satellite. The technology has proven most critical in Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions, where terrestrial infrastructure is frequently compromised. Usage is currently concentrated in five major urban hubs: Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Dnipro.

The service is currently accessible at no additional cost to all 15.5 million Kyivstar 4G smartphone users through their existing tariff plans. The technology utilizes Starlink’s “cell tower in space” architecture, which employs advanced phased array antennas to connect directly to standard LTE handsets without hardware modifications.

Leadership on Strategic Connectivity

“The rapid adoption of Starlink Direct to Cell services by Kyivstar subscribers demonstrates the critical importance of enhancing Ukraine’s resilience and our customers’ appreciation for the availability of satellite-based connectivity,” said Kaan Terzioğlu, VEON Group CEO and Executive Chairman of Kyivstar. “We will continue to lead the way in providing innovative services that Ukraine needs to build its digital future.”

Central Asian Expansion and Future Outlook

The success in Ukraine is serving as a blueprint for VEON’s broader regional strategy. In November 2025, VEON’s Beeline Kazakhstan successfully completed the first Direct to Cell WhatsApp call in Central Asia. Following this pilot, Beeline Kazakhstan expects to introduce commercial SMS services via satellite in 2026, pending regulatory approvals.

Currently, SpaceX operates a constellation of approximately 650 Direct to Cell satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). To support increasing demand and reduce latency, SpaceX has filed with the FCC to orbit future cellular satellites at altitudes as low as 326 km. For Kyivstar, this partnership is a key component of VEON’s broader pledge to invest $1 billion in Ukraine’s digital infrastructure between 2023 and 2027.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — 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.

The round, announced Jan. 13, was led by QDNL Participations, with additional backing from milemark•capital, Aether VC, ADIN, and Offline Ventures. The total capital includes a non-dilutive DARPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct-to-Phase 2 contract focused on space situational awareness (SSA).

Breaking the Diffraction Limit Diffraqtion’s payload targets the physical “diffraction limit” that restricts the resolution of conventional optical systems based on aperture size. The company’s technology utilizes photon-counting sensors and AI-driven processing to extract higher-fidelity data from incoming light. According to the company, the system offers up to 20 times the resolution and 1,000 times the processing speed of standard cameras.

This architecture is designed to enable small satellites to capture imagery comparable to much larger, heavier telescope systems. The technology aims to support both commercial Earth observation and defense applications, including orbital debris tracking and intelligence gathering.

Leadership and Heritage Spun out of MIT and the University of Maryland, Diffraqtion was co-founded by CEO Johannes Galatsanos, CTO Christine Wang, and Chief Scientific Advisor Saikat Guha. Guha, a professor at the University of Maryland, previously led research with NASA and DARPA that forms the basis of the company’s intellectual property.

The leadership team also includes Head of Product Mark Michael, the former CTO and co-founder of Kepler Communications, who brings operational experience from deploying low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations.

Operational Timeline Diffraqtion is currently refining its hardware as part of the U.S. Space Force Apollo Accelerator. The company plans to conduct “on-sky” demonstrations using ground-based telescopes at the University of California Observatories in early 2026. These tests will validate the sensor’s performance through atmospheric turbulence before the technology is integrated into a space-based platform for orbital demonstration.

The company stated the technology is also being integrated into military defense architectures in collaboration with Space Systems Command.

HERNDON, Va. — On Thursday, January 15, 2026, TrustPoint announced the first successful demonstration of its Low Earth Orbit Navigation System (LEONS), transmitting time-transfer and tracking signals from a compact ground node to an orbiting spacecraft.

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.

Ground-to-Space Validation via SpaceWERX

The demonstration was conducted as part of the SpaceWERX AltPNT Challenge, a program designed to rapidly field resilient alternatives to legacy Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). TrustPoint was previously awarded two Direct-to-Phase II contracts by SpaceWERX to accelerate the transition of its C-band LEO architecture from concept to operational deployment. The successful signal transmission validates the “LEONS” ground infrastructure, which is designed to be a rapidly deployable and scalable solution for global PNT coverage.

Addressing Orbital Vulnerabilities

Most Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft currently rely on GPS or other Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) signals for orbital state and timing data. However, the increasing prevalence of jamming and electronic interference in LEO has created a critical vulnerability, often degrading or completely denying these essential links. TrustPoint’s architecture aims to eliminate this single point of failure by providing an independent, high-performance PNT layer that remains operational in contested environments. This development follows the company’s successful launch and contact with its third satellite in 2023, which served as the primary testbed for these core technologies.

Leadership on Resilient Capabilities

“With the pace of modern threats accelerating, the difference between concepts and capabilities matters,” said Nicole Hilliard, Director of Government Programs at TrustPoint. “This milestone demonstrates that commercial partners can field resilient, GPS-independent PNT capabilities that strengthen national security architectures and justify continued investment in companies that deliver.”

Commercial and Defense Implications

The transition to a GPS-independent architecture is a priority for the U.S. Space Force as it seeks to operationalize the “Proliferated Warfighter” concept. TrustPoint’s C-band service is designed to provide secure, high-precision timing that is less susceptible to the vulnerabilities of heritage L-band signals. Beyond defense applications, the technology is targeted at the emerging autonomous navigation and smart infrastructure markets, where sub-meter precision and high availability are mandatory requirements.

Scaling Toward a 300-Satellite Constellation

Following this successful ground-to-space transmission, TrustPoint plans to scale its LEONS infrastructure to support other LEO operators seeking resilient timing. The company is currently moving out of its internal R&D phase and into broader operational testing with both government and commercial partners. Long-term, TrustPoint aims to deploy a constellation of approximately 300 spacecraft to provide global, commercial GPS-equivalent services with improved security and lower latency.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, January 15, 2026, Hydrosat announced the closing of a €51 million ($60 million) Series B funding round. The capital is designated to accelerate the global deployment of the company’s thermal infrared satellite constellation and its AI-driven geospatial analytics platform.

Capital to Combat Global Water Stress

The investment round was led by Hartree Partners, Subutai Capital Partners, and Space 4 Earth, with new participation from Truffle Capital and follow-on support from the Luxembourg Future Fund, OTB Ventures, and Statkraft Ventures. The funding follows an increase in demand for “decision-grade” thermal data as climate change intensifies water scarcity and agricultural volatility. Hydrosat currently serves a range of high-stakes clients, including the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The company previously secured a NOAA grant in early 2024 and has active contracts with the U.S. Air Force to improve weather modeling for national defense.

Expanding High-Frequency Thermal Collection

Hydrosat currently operates two thermal infrared satellites on-orbit, providing a daily collection capacity of more than 10 million square kilometers of imagery. Unlike traditional Earth observation data, which can be infrequent or low-resolution, Hydrosat’s sensors deliver high-frequency, field-level insights into soil moisture, crop health, and surface temperature. These data sets are processed through proprietary machine learning models to provide predictive analytics for agribusinesses and government agencies. This operational capacity was bolstered by the company’s 2023 acquisition of IrriWatch, which integrated advanced irrigation management software into the Hydrosat ecosystem.

Global Footprint and Workforce Growth

With the close of this Series B, which follows a $20 million funding round in 2023, the company plans to deepen its presence in key regions including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Central Asia, India, and Latin America. Additionally, Hydrosat intends to double its workforce of remote sensing and machine learning specialists at its Luxembourg headquarters by the end of 2026 to support its next phase of constellation development.

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 (SSO).

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E at 5:44 a.m. PT, marking a major initial milestone for the 2026 small satellite launch calendar.

Berlin-based Exolaunch coordinated the deployment sequence for 22 spacecraft, representing the integrator’s 42nd mission to date. The deployment phase commenced approximately one hour after liftoff, successfully separating payloads for several high-profile constellation operators.

Strategic Dawn-Dusk Orbital Regime

The mission targeted a specific dawn-dusk SSO, an orbital regime where satellites ride the terminator line between day and night. This positioning ensures near-continuous sunlight for solar power generation, which is essential for energy-intensive operations.

Satellites in this orbit benefit from:

• Continuous Power: Steady solar exposure for high-performance payloads.
• Thermal Stability: Reduced thermal cycling compared to standard LEO orbits.
• Mission Optimization: Ideal conditions for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical communications systems.

Payload and Manifest Breakdown

The manifest included critical infrastructure for four major organizations, ranging from industrial telecommunications to exoplanet research:

• Kepler Communications: Launched its first tranche of 10 optical relay satellites to establish a real-time, SDA-compatible data network.
• HawkEye 360: Deployed “Cluster 13,” a trio of formation-flying satellites designed for global radio frequency (RF) geolocation and ISR requirements.
• DCUBED: Launched Araqys-D1, a 3U CubeSat intended to demonstrate in-space manufacturing by constructing a 30-centimeter truss in orbit.
• NASA: Deployed the Pandora SmallSat, a mission dedicated to studying the atmospheric compositions of exoplanets.

Perspective on In-Space Manufacturing

The DCUBED demonstration represents a technical shift toward orbital construction capabilities. By manufacturing structural components in space, the industry aims to bypass the size constraints imposed by rocket fairings.

“We want to make unlimited power in space a reality,” said Thomas Sinn, CEO of DCUBED. “That’s the whole idea: to bring the dollar per watt down into the double digits“.

Post-Deployment and 2026 Outlook

Following the successful separation, mission operators have established contact with their respective assets and commenced the commissioning phase. Kepler Communications confirmed that its initial 10 optical satellites are healthy and transitioning into operational service.

Exolaunch has indicated that this mission is the first of more than 20 deployments planned for its 2026 manifest. The company is currently scaling its Berlin operations to accommodate the increasing global demand for rideshare launch slots.