contested-result US splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds
Commerce expands space situational awareness as active-debris-removal market and ADR insurance emerge
Space
Launch, satellites, orbital congestion, navigation and the militarisation of orbit.
tracking
Launch & access
SpaceX6 activeGolden Dome's orbital layer races toward an on-orbit interceptor demo Starship2 contested-resultStarship V3 splashes down, but Super Heavy crashes and FAA grounds flights China launch1 activeChina drives toward ~140 orbital launches in 2026, a new national record Ariane / Europe3 activeAriane 6 ramps as Europe's only heavy ride to orbit, flying Amazon Leo Launch cadence & costs4 activeChina drives toward ~140 orbital launches in 2026, a new national record
Satellites & constellations
Starlink3 worseningESA: LEO collision risk up ~20% in 2026 as tracked objects pass 28,000 China megaconstellation2 worseningESA: LEO collision risk up ~20% in 2026 as tracked objects pass 28,000 Amazon Kuiper2 activeAriane 6 ramps as Europe's only heavy ride to orbit, flying Amazon Leo OneWeb / Eutelsat1 pending-decisionEutelsat raises cash to fund OneWeb Gen-2 and Europe's IRIS² sovereign constellation
Orbital congestion & debris
Orbital congestion2 contested-resultUS splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds Debris & collisions2 contested-resultUS splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds Space-traffic management1 contested-resultUS splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds
Navigation & PNT
Military space
ASAT weapons1 worseningCounterspace arms race accelerates as China and Russia stay out of the ASAT moratorium Space Force4 activeSpace Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers Missile warning1 activeSpace Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers Golden Dome space layer2 activeSpace Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers
Exploration & cislunar
latest
Rising avoidance manoeuvres, a $25.8–42.3B decade cost, and a 95% disposal-compliance bar to avert cascade
FY26 adds $1.2B for R&D; reconciliation pours $7.2B into space sensors and $5.6B into interceptors
With US funding cut in January, China could be first to return Martian samples, by 2031
35+ states pledge no destructive ASAT tests; US fields satellite jammers; Russia's nuclear-ASAT concern persists
Megaconstellation batches and a surprise Long March 12B maiden flight push cadence to one launch every ~2.5 days
12 firms hold $3.2B in SBI work; a new $4.16B contract and Northrop-Apex push a 2028 integration target
Upgraded P160C boosters and an Amazon contract give Europe a working, if thin, sovereign launch base
Third-largest constellation, beta in five countries late 2026, but spectral priority demoted for slow build
Qianfan jumps back ahead at 182 to Guowang's ~168–190; two constellations planning 28,000+ spacecraft
~40% of European air traffic hit; Russia's spoofing antennae up from 3 to 36; ministers' jets jammed
Shenzhou 23 takes over with China's first yearlong stay; a Pakistani astronaut due on Shenzhou 24
Flight 12 proves the upper stage while the new booster flips and fails, investigation halts the program
Record-setting crewed flyby flew in April; the moon landing now hinges on Starship and a grounded V3
EU starts Galileo Gen-2 launches; China consolidates BeiDou to 37 satellites and eyes global adoption
pending-decision Eutelsat raises cash to fund OneWeb Gen-2 and Europe's IRIS² sovereign constellation
€960M equity raise, €2.3B for 440 OneWeb follow-ons, €10.6B IRIS² concession, but services slip to 2030
650+ direct-to-cell satellites, 16M reached, voice and data added, SpaceX rebrands DTC as 'Starlink Mobile'
Water-ice hunt at Shackleton with a shadow-diving hopper; Long March 10, Mengzhou and Lanyue in testing