By Jeff Foust

In this today's edition: mixed messages in new reports on the Space Force's plan for international cooperation, SpaceX's valuation rises again, Honda tests reusable rocket technology and more.

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Top Stories

The Space Force has published its first international cooperation strategy. The document, released Tuesday, is a blueprint for how America's newest military branch intends to transition from sporadic global cooperation to a more deliberate and integrated space coalition with trusted allies. The 15-page document represents a shift from treating allies as customers of U.S. space tech to full partners in co-developing and co-operating systems from satellites to sensors to navigation tools. The strategy was released the same day as the GAO published a report that concluded the Defense Department's efforts at international cooperation in space operations are still hampered by bureaucracy, fragmentation and legacy classification systems. Among the problems cited by the GAO were overlapping roles among multiple DoD organizations involved in space security cooperation, which has left foreign partners confused and resulted in missed opportunities. [SpaceNews]

Northrop Grumman is consolidating its efforts to win business for the Golden Dome missile defense system. With a sprawling portfolio of programs relevant to Golden Dome, including space sensors, interceptors and command systems, Northrop opted to consolidate its campaign in Huntsville, Alabama, where the company maintains deep ties with the Missile Defense Agency. That work will be led by Raymond Sharp, vice president of Northrop Grumman's missile defense solutions business unit. [SpaceNews]

Japanese radar imaging company Synspective signed a contract with Exolaunch for launches of 10 satellites. The companies signed a launch agreement Wednesday at the Spacetide conference in Tokyo, with Exolaunch agreeing to launch 10 Synspective SAR satellites starting in 2027. Exolaunch arranges launch services with several vehicles, including on SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions. Synspective signed a contract last year for 10 Rocket Lab Electron launches, but the company said it needs additional launch capacity to build out its constellation. [SpaceNews]

Neuraspace is developing AI-powered software to allow satellite operators to make better use of navigation signals. A 12-month project funded by ESA aims to demonstrate a computationally efficient way to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of onboard GPS and other satellite navigation signals. The technology is intended to improve satellite tracking and collision avoidance capabilities. [SpaceNews]

Europe's distributed approach to space, spreading funding across multiple agencies and a wide range of companies, may need to change. European governments are showing a willingness to invest more in space, linked to growing defense needs as Europe notes the lessons of the war in Ukraine. The perception of weakening ties with the United States, including budget cuts at NASA that could hinder ESA programs, is also a factor. But if Europe is going to spend more, leaders said governments will need to cooperate more closely on space and that some companies may feel pressure to consolidate. [SpaceNews]

Other News

While Honda performed a successful launch and landing test of a rocket, the company has yet to decide whether to commercialize the technology. In a test last month, a small rocket lifted off, flew to an altitude of nearly 300 meters and landed back on its launch pad. The test demonstrated key technologies that could be used for a future reusable rocket, a Honda executive said at the Spacetide conference on Tuesday. However, the company says the technology is still in the "elemental research stage" with no decision on whether to develop a commercial vehicle. Honda plans additional tests, including a full suborbital flight by 2029. [SpaceNews]

SpaceX is preparing a stock sale that would value the company at $400 billion. The company will offer $1 billion in shares in a tender offer, which allows company employees to sell their stock to outside investors, at a share price of $212. That would value SpaceX at $400 billion, up from $350 billion in a tender offer last December. [Financial Times]

India has tested the propulsion system for its Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft. The Indian space agency ISRO said ground tests confirmed the performance of thrusters used for attitude control and adjusting its orbit. ISRO is continuing such tests ahead of uncrewed orbital flights of the vehicle set to begin later this year. [PTI]

Airport radars may be giving our presence away to any interstellar neighbors. A study presented Tuesday at the U.K.'s National Astronomy Meeting found that emissions that "leak" from radars used at civilian and military airports could be detected as far as 200 light-years away by a radio telescope similar to the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, one of the largest such telescopes. The emissions, astronomers said, would be distinct from natural phenomena. The lack of such detections from nearby stars suggests they are not home to intelligent life — or just have better air traffic control technologies. [Space.com]

It's Not Rocket Science or Insurance

"We're not trying to sell the insurance industry here, with all respect if there's any insurance people here. This is space. Everyone I've met is already excited about space. That is not the problem. The problem is they think that they cannot join because they're not a rocket scientist."

– Raphael Roettgen, founding partner of investment firm E2MC, during a panel discussion at the Spacetide conference Wednesday on how to get more people involved in the space industry.

FROM SPACENEWS

The business case for the moon: The latest episode of Space Minds features a discussion on the future of commercial lunar exploration. The panel was recorded live as part of the ispace U.S. and Commercial Space Federation lunar landing watch event for the Hakuto-R Mission 2 on June 5. Listen now

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