Space Minds: Open Cosmos’ Rafel Jorda Siquier on finding a niche in space

Catch up on the latest interview in our ongoing CEO Series

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05/25/2026 READ IN BROWSER INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE AT SCALE: Give every employee access to emerging trends and expert insights that inform smarter decisions. Start a SpaceNews group subscription and save more than 25%. In this episode of Space Minds, Mike Gruss talks with Open Cosmos’ CEO Rafel Jorda Siquier about combining Earth observation, connectivity and IoT into a single platform. They also discuss what to expect in 2026. FROM THE CONVERSATION Mike Gruss: Let's talk about some examples. You mentioned floods and wildfires. How quickly can you get that information and how quickly do people want it? Rafel Jorda Siquier: Right now, already, we have one satellite called HAMMER that we developed for the U.K. government, that has an hyperspectral camera on board, AI analytics and an intersatellite link capability. With that system, we can already take images, process them on board, identify things like vessels and communicate that anywhere in the world where there is internet in three minutes. FROM SPACENEWS Make SpaceNews a part of your growth strategy. A group subscription ensures your employees have complete access to our timely, accurate and engaging coverage of civil, military and commercial space programs. Unlock our best rates, simple one-time billing and flexibility user management when you set up unlimited access for two more users today. Learn more. 📨 Don't miss what's next. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters: Europe Report: Tracking the policy landscape, investment climate and regional priorities driving Europe’s space ambitions. First Up: Every weekday morning, Jeff Foust delivers the day's most important industry headlines. Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin with weekly news and insights for the military space professional. China Report: Biweekly news and analysis from correspondent Andrew Jones on business, politics and technology in the Chinese space industry. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. SpaceNews Mission Brief: Golden Dome: Explaining the Golden Dome initiative and what it means for the space industry. Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing and advertising trends for industry communications leaders.  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. SpaceNews This Week: The week’s top headlines and our conference coverage. 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 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

Top Stories: A long-awaited IPO filing from SpaceX

Plus: A House spending bill would preserve TraCSS funding

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05/22/2026 READ IN BROWSER INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE AT SCALE: Give every employee access to emerging trends and expert insights that inform smarter decisions. Start a SpaceNews group subscription and save more than 25%. SPONSORED BY Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, SpaceX filed for an IPO, a House Appropriations Committee would preserve funding for TraCSS, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman predicted China will accomplish a crewed lunar flyby in 2027 and more. If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it directly in your inbox every Friday. SpaceX’s Starship being prepared for its 12th test flight. The company reported spending $3 billion on Starship development in 2025. Credit: SpaceX OUR TOP STORY SpaceX files for IPO By Jeff Foust SpaceX filed documents for an initial public offering of stock May 20, revealing the company’s finances and enormous ambitions. The company filed its S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after the markets closed. That document is a step towards one of the most anticipated IPOs in recent memory, expected to take place on the Nasdaq exchange by mid-June. The S-1 form did not include details such as the number of shares the company plans to sell or pricing, details that are frequently excluded in the initial filing of the document and updated closer to the IPO. SpaceX is seeking to raise up to $80 billion at a valuation of around $2 trillion, according to numerous reports. SPONSORED Space: Enabling Multi-Domain Operations Symposium addresses the increasingly critical role of Space in both Homeland Defense and global operations.  This is one of the greatest national defense challenges of the 21st century – one that will require cooperation between the services, industry and stakeholders. Interoperability and seamless communications will be essential. Coordination needs to happen up front – Space data users talking with designers and innovators before the systems are built, not after.  Space: Enabling Multi-Domain Operations Symposium participants will address these challenges with leaders from the Army, SPACECOM, Space Force, Space Development Agency, Missile Defense Agency, and Industry in a small, intimate environment that encourages open dialog. CIVIL Isaacman expects Chinese crewed mission around the moon in 2027 Jared Isaacman warned a space industry audience during a May 19 keynote at the ASCEND conference that the next people to fly around the moon would be Chinese. House bill restores funding for TraCSS The commerce, justice and science spending bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee on May 13 included $50 million for the Office of Space Commerce within the Commerce Department. The bill’s report included language supporting continued work on the Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS.  Anderson confirmed as NASA deputy administrator The U.S. Senate voted 46-43 along party lines to confirm Matt Anderson as NASA’s deputy administrator on May 18, the second-in-command of the space agency. MILITARY Space Force eyes 2027 demonstrations of in-space refueling and satellite servicing The U.S. Space Force is preparing to launch multiple spacecraft to geostationary orbit in 2027 for two separate in-space services demonstrations: one to test satellite refueling and another to test whether a servicing vehicle can dock with and maneuver another spacecraft. SDA director Sandhoo takes on broader Space Force missile warning portfolio The acting director of the Space Development Agency, Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, has been appointed to a dual role overseeing both the agency and a new U.S. Space Force acquisition office responsible for missile-warning satellite procurements. Space Force awards Northrop Grumman $398 million satellite contract The U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million contract to build a prototype communications satellite intended to demonstrate anti-jamming technologies for military operations in contested environments, the Space Systems Command said May 15. COMMERCIAL Sixth Varda mission successfully returns Varda Space Industries completed its latest reentry mission May 18 as the company balances supporting pharmaceutical research and hypersonic testing. Report finds U.S. space supply chains rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing A new report from supply-chain intelligence firm Altana quantifies the extent to which the U.S. commercial space industry remains dependent on components sourced from Chinese suppliers. At the same time, space companies face mounting pressure to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers viewed as security risks by the Pentagon. Starship underpins SpaceX’s growth ambitions As SpaceX prepares for its next Starship test flight, a prospectus the company filed May 20 underlines how critical that vehicle is to its ambitions. SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion on the Starship program, including $3 billion in 2025 and nearly $900 million in the first quarter of 2026. FROM SPACENEWS Make SpaceNews a part of your growth strategy. A group subscription ensures your employees have complete access to our timely, accurate and engaging coverage of civil, military and commercial space programs. Unlock our best rates, simple one-time billing and flexibility user management when you set up unlimited access for two more users today. Learn more. Latest Press Releases LatConnect 60 announces accelerated growth investment round to build AUKUS-aligned Highest Resolution SWIR Satellite constellation New CSF Report Sees Up To 7,000+ Satellites Launched Annually By Mid 2030’s, Highlights The Challenges With US Launch Infrastructure Rocketeers are Competing at the IREC for Your Attention Publish your press release with SpaceNews' premier press release service and start seeing results today. 📨 Don't miss what's next. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters: Europe Report: Tracking the policy landscape, investment climate and regional priorities driving Europe’s space ambitions. First Up: Every weekday morning, Jeff Foust delivers the day's most important industry headlines. Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin with weekly news and insights for the military space professional. China Report: Biweekly news and analysis from correspondent Andrew Jones on business, politics and technology in the Chinese space industry. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. SpaceNews Mission Brief: Golden Dome: Explaining the Golden Dome initiative and what it means for the space industry. Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing and advertising trends for industry communications leaders.  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 SpaceNews This Week 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