Breaking: FCC announces new Space Bureau chief

Former FCC adviser Courtney Reinhard will take over

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10/29/2026 SPONSORED BY BREAKING NEWS Former FCC adviser Courtney Reinhard to lead Space Bureau Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has appointed former FCC adviser Courtney Reinhard to lead the regulator’s Space Bureau. Most recently serving as chief telecommunications counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC, she will take over from deputy Space Bureau chief Jennifer Gilsenan. —By Jason Rainbow Read Now SPONSORED 30 YEARS OF PROVEN MATERIAL HERITAGE FROM ORBIT TO BEYOND. The demand for global connectivity is surging. Our advanced carbon fiber, thermoset, and thermoplastic materials deliver weight savings, dimensional stability, and durability across GEO, LEO, and deep space missions, backed by scalable domestic manufacturing and a global supply chain. Toray's proven composite materials are optimized for peak production efficiency through Automated Tape Layup (ATL) and Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), significantly reducing operating costs while maximizing mechanical properties. This ensures a swift and rapid satellite deployment, keeping the world seamlessly connected. Visit https://composites.global.toray/beyond-earth-beyond-limits to learn more. Subscribe to SpaceNews This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive breaking news alerts from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters.  SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews  |  Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions © 2026, SpaceNews, 100 Fillmore Street, 5th Floor, Denver, CO 80206, United States

[REGISTER NOW] Nov. 5: Satellite Mission Management at the Edge

Hear from leaders at RTX, Amazon Web Services and GXO, Inc.

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READ THIS EMAIL IN YOUR BROWSER Register Now Satellite operations are growing more complex. For national security missions, that means faster decisionmaking, greater resilience and the ability to adapt on orbit is needed. Today’s operators must modernize mission management, integrate new technologies and deliver capabilities without compromising security, reliability or operational control. Join SpaceNews and RTX on Nov. 5 for a virtual event exploring how emerging technologies and commercial capabilities are transforming satellite operations and enabling more dynamic, resilient and affordable national security space missions. Speakers will discuss advances in mission management, edge computing, automation and cloud-native architectures, as well as the challenges of integrating new capabilities with legacy systems. The conversation will examine how modular approaches can accelerate technology upgrades, strengthen mission assurance and improve affordability. Register Now Speakers: Dave Huber, vice president of space ISR, RTX Brandon Miller, interim director, global defense partners, Amazon Web Services  Dave Gauthier, chief strategy officer, GXO, Inc. Moderated by Mike Gruss, chief content and strategy officer, SpaceNews SPONSORED BY With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. With industry-leading capabilities, we advance aviation, engineer integrated defense systems for operational success, and develop next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2025 sales of more than $88 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Virtual Event Satellite Mission Management at the Edge Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 to 10:45 a.m. ET This virtual event will take place via Zoom. You will receive a unique link to join with your registration confirmation. A recording will be posted here shortly after the event concludes. Register Now Other upcoming events DEC. 1, WASHINGTON D.C. The 2026 SpaceNews Icon Awards Join us for our annual celebration of the industry's greatest achievements over the last 12 months. Register now Subscribe to SpaceNews This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive emails from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. Sign up for SpaceNews newsletters.  SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews  |  Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions © 2026, SpaceNews, 100 Fillmore Street, 5th Floor, Denver, CO 80206, United States

SDA delays launch of missile-tracking satellites

Plus: Vulcan to resume launches next month

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10/29/2026 READ IN BROWSER Get your tickets to the 2026 Icon Awards. Early bird rate ends this week. Join us in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 1 to celebrate this year's winners. Secure your spot. SPONSORED BY By Jeff Foust In today's edition: Vulcan to resume launches next month, SDA delays the launch of missile-tracking satellites, a new accelerator for space startups and more.  If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it directly in your inbox every weekday. Have thoughts or feedback? You can hit reply to let me know directly. If you haven’t registered already, SpaceNews is hosting a virtual conversation today at 1 p.m. Eastern with leaders from Vantor, GeoSTL and Whitespace on how AI continues to reshape the GEOINT mission across defense, intelligence and commercial markets, from automated target recognition and data fusion to where human analysts remain indispensable. 📲  Download the SpaceNews mobile app SPONSORED The Xiphos Q8RFG3 SDR/ Processor Card is based upon the third generation Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC (RF System-on-Chip) devices which combine high-speed RF-class ADCs and DACs, programmable FPGA logic, and embedded ARM processors on a single chip. A key feature is the ability to synchronize multiple Q8RFG3s together for applications such as digital beam forming, MIMO communications and SAR. Learn More Here. Top Stories Boeing is in line to receive a contract worth nearly $1 billion to maintain military satellites and ground systems. Space Systems Command said this week it intended to award a sole-source contract worth up to $945.9 million for the Wideband and Narrowband Global Satcom Sustainment (WNGSS) program, which supports satellite networks used by U.S. and allied military forces. The work covers engineering, cybersecurity, software maintenance and operational support for the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) and remaining Ultra High Frequency Follow-On (UFO) satellites. The command justified the sole-source award on Boeing's ownership of proprietary technical data and software needed to perform the work. [SpaceNews] United Launch Alliance will resume Vulcan launches next month. The company announced Wednesday that its next Vulcan launch, carrying 40 Amazon Leo satellites, is scheduled for no earlier than Nov. 13. The launch will be the first for Vulcan since mid-February, when a solid rocket booster suffered a "significant performance anomaly" on a Space Force mission. ULA said it has made improvements to the nozzle of the solid rocket booster to address several potential causes of the anomaly, and will use this launch to test that design while performing other analysis. The launch will be the first of 38 Amazon Leo missions for Vulcan. [SpaceNews] The Pentagon could face a constrained supply of launchers into the next decade, industry officials warn. A panel at the Satellite Innovation conference this week stated that the U.S. government prematurely concluded the commercial launch market could support its growing military needs. That is based on difficulties some companies have faced introducing new vehicles and SpaceX's plans to wind down Falcon 9 launches in the next few years. They recommended the government should consider additional funding, backing and relief from regulatory and infrastructure constraints to foster a more diverse launch industrial base. [SpaceNews] The first operational missile-tracking satellites developed for the Space Development Agency won't launch until next year. SDA Director Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo said Wednesday that the launch of its first Tranche 1 Tracking Layer satellites will not happen before spring 2027, two years behind its original schedule. The delay comes as SDA is preparing to buy its fourth generation of missile-tracking satellites and reassessing how much testing should precede larger production orders. Sandhoo said he favors limited on-orbit demonstrations of advanced technologies before the government commits to buying entire orbital planes or tranches of satellites. [SpaceNews] Virgin Galactic's newest spaceplane has arrived at the company's spaceport for flight tests. The first Delta-class suborbital spaceplane, named Apeiron, arrived at Spaceport America in New Mexico on Wednesday, carried there by the company's VMS Eve aircraft from a factory in Arizona. Virgin plans a series of captive carry, glide and powered test flights of the spaceplane in the coming months. Virgin said this week it expects Apeiron to begin commercial flights early in the second quarter of 2027, after stating in August those flights will begin in February. [SpaceNews] Space technology investor Seraphim has announced a more intensive accelerator program for startups. The Seraphim Academy effectively replaces a three-month mentoring program that wrapped up last year, after supporting more than 120 ventures from over 30 countries since its launch in 2018. The academy will invest $150,000 in 15 startups annually alongside up to 12 months of mentoring and networking support. [SpaceNews] Other News Two astronauts have started a spacewalk to install a new solar array on the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk started the spacewalk at 7:57 a.m. Eastern. The two will install the next-to-last new solar array for the ISS to augment the station's power system. The spacewalk is scheduled to last nearly seven hours. The two astronauts will perform another spacewalk next week to install the final solar array. [NASA] Rendezvous Robotics raised $20 million to continue development of in-space assembly technologies. The company announced Wednesday a seed round led by MaC Venture Capital and Toyota Ventures, with participation from several other investors. The money will help the company continue work on a technology called TESSERAE where tiles can self-assemble in space. The company sees applications for the technology to create large antennas or radiators. It has tested the technology in experiments on the ISS and plans to launch a mission in 2028 where seven large tiles will self-assemble in orbit. [SpaceNews] Vietnam is the latest nation to sign the Artemis Accords. The country's science and technology minister signed the accords Wednesday during a technology conference, stating it sees the accords as a means to partner with other countries on the safe and sustainable exploration of space. Vietnam is the 78th country to sign the accords and the 19th to do so this year. [SpaceNews] Astroscale won a contract from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for a space security project. Astroscale's U.K. subsidiary said Wednesday it received a contract worth £15 million ($20 million) for Project LEDA, working with BAE Systems and Open Cosmos. The project is intended to examine ways to protect critical space infrastructure, including how "bodyguard" satellites could be used to defend that infrastructure from threats. [Astroscale] The commander of Artemis 2 has taken a leadership position at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. JPL announced Wednesday that Reid Wiseman will become deputy director of the lab, effective at the end of November. Wiseman, who commanded the Artemis 2 lunar flyby mission in April, stepped down from active duty in the astronaut corps in September to become an "emeritus" astronaut. As JPL's deputy director, he will be responsible for laboratory operations and also oversee its national security work. [NASA/JPL] 15 Real Years "When I grew up, it was always 15 years from now. In middle age, it was still 15 years from now. And right now, I'm going to tell you, no kidding, it's about 15 years from now. But it's 15 real years." – Former NASA astronaut José Hernández, when asked at The Economist's Space Economy Summit Wednesday how long it will be until humans walk on Mars.  📨 Don't miss what's next. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters: SpaceNews Mission Brief: Orbital Data Centers: A series explaining the latest developments in the rapid race to conceive, finance, develop and launch the future of on-orbit computing. Europe Report: Tracking the policy landscape, investment climate and regional priorities driving Europe’s space ambitions. Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin with weekly news and insights for the military space professional. SpaceNews This Week: The week’s top headlines and our conference coverage. China Report: Biweekly news and analysis from correspondent Andrew Jones on business, politics and technology in the Chinese space industry. SpaceNews Mission Brief: Golden Dome: Explaining the Golden Dome initiative and what it means for the space industry. Editor’s Choice: Our most important recent stories you may have missed, with background and insights from editors, reporters and contributors. Opinions: A weekly digest of the latest commentary and analysis. Subscribe to SpaceNews This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive First Up from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters.  SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions SpaceNews.com  |  Advertise with SpaceNews  |  Contact us  |  Privacy policy  |  Terms and conditions © 2026, SpaceNews, 100 Fillmore Street, 5th Floor, Denver, CO 80206, United States