By Jeff Foust

In this today's edition: Lynk's SPAC merger in trouble, Maxar unveils a new intelligence service, Rocket Lab's reshuffle and more.

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Top Stories

A private astronaut mission is finally on its way to the International Space Station after weeks of delays. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 2:31 a.m. Eastern from the Kennedy Space Center and put a Crew Dragon into orbit. That spacecraft, flying the Ax-4 mission for Axiom Space, is carrying astronauts from Hungary, India and Poland, and is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. It will dock with the station tomorrow morning for a two-week stay. The mission was postponed from early this month initially because of a problem with the Falcon 9 but later by an investigation into an air leak on the ISS. Whitson announced that the Crew Dragon flying this mission, making its first flight, will be named "Grace." [SpaceNews]

Lynk Global is being sued by the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) it planned to merge with. Slam Corp., the SPAC founded by former baseball player Alex Rodriguez, is suing Lynk to keep that direct-to-phone satellite operator from walking away from a planned merger. The suit alleges that Lynk breached the agreement and failed to meet its obligation to operate in good faith, although Lynk says the claims are baseless. The companies announced in February 2024 plans to merge, allowing Lynk to go public, but Slam has lost nearly all of the $575 million it raised because of shareholder redemptions. Lynk is seeking funds to grow its satellite constellation and improve capabilities after deploying five satellites in low Earth orbit. [SpaceNews]

Maxar Intelligence launched a new monitoring product that is part of a broader effort to move beyond satellite imagery. The new product, Sentry, would provide customers with continuous surveillance capabilities across multiple global locations simultaneously. With this new service, Maxar is seeking to compete in the higher-value intelligence market as satellite imagery becomes increasingly commoditized. The company says it can provide value through an archive of imagery going back more than two decades as well as accessing optical and radar imagery from other providers. The service will use artificial intelligence to analyze that imagery, identifying unusual patterns of activity that would be of interest to customers. [SpaceNews]

As astronomers celebrate the first images from a new telescope, they are also worried about severe cuts to the agency that funds it. The National Science Foundation provided the majority of the $810 million to build the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which released its stunning first images Monday, and also funds operations. The NSF, though, is facing an overall cut of more than 50% in the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, with a two-thirds reduction to the directorate that includes astronomy. The proposal, if enacted, would largely spare Rubin but would curtail or close work at other observatories. Organizers of a press conference Monday about the Rubin images blocked questions from reporters about the impact of the proposed cuts. [SpaceNews]

Other News

Rocket Lab is reshuffling its lineup of upcoming launches. The company said Tuesday its next Electron launch, which had been for an undisclosed commercial customer, will instead be for HawkEye 360, deploying four of that company's satellites for radio-frequency monitoring. That launch is scheduled for Thursday. The "Symphony in the Stars" launch for the undisclosed customer, which was postponed over the weekend because of weather, will take place later this month. [Rocket Lab]

Astronauts on China's space station are preparing for another spacewalk. Chinese officials said Wednesday astronauts on the Tiangong space station will perform a spacewalk "within the next few days." Such announcements usually come a day or so before the spacewalk. The announcement did not disclose additional details. [Xinhua]

The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) plans to fly its first "full-up satellites" in the next year. Kelly Hammett, director of that Space Force office, did not disclose details about the satellites or their mission at a Mitchell Institute event Tuesday, although Hammett has previously said the office is focused on space control, or the ability to protect space assets from attack and forces from space-enabled attack. Space RCO has shown an interest in highly maneuverable satellites and in-space refueling. [Air & Space Forces Magazine]

A new investment platform would allow people to reap gains in SpaceX without actually investing in the company. Republic plans to offer crypto tokens whose value will match those of SpaceX shares traded privately. The tokens would represent securities held by Republic itself and not SpaceX shares, and people who own the tokens would not get access to SpaceX financial information that shareholders can view. Republic argues the approach is a way for the public to gain the benefits of investing in privately held companies like SpaceX, although the approach does face potential legal challenges. [Wall Street Journal]

Saying Grace

"Grace is more than a name. It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth. It speaks to the refinement of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit, and the unmerited favor we carry with humility. Grace reminds us that spaceflight is not just a feat of engineering, but an act of goodwill for the benefit of every human, everywhere."

– Peggy Whitson, commander of the Ax-4 private astronaut mission, announcing the name of the new Crew Dragon spacecraft being used for the mission after its launch early this morning.

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