Top Stories

Lynk Global and Omnispace announced Wednesday their intent to merge to better compete in the direct-to-device (D2D) market. The merged entity would combine Omnispace's 60 megahertz of S-band spectrum with Lynk's D2D platform, which is currently providing intermittent messaging and alert services in a handful of island nations with five small satellites in low Earth orbit. SES, which has invested in both companies, will become a major strategic shareholder in the combined entity. Omnispace had planned its own 600-satellite constellation, but those efforts stalled amid its claims of interference from SpaceX's D2D service. [SpaceNews]

Satellite manufacturing startup Apex will spend its own money to demonstrate space-based interceptors for the Golden Dome missile defense system. The company said Wednesday it will launch a demonstration mission in June 2026 to prove it can design and operate the kind of orbital weapons needed for Golden Dome. The company plans to invest $15 million in the demonstration of space-based interceptors, called Project Shadow. For the demonstration, the company will use its Nova satellite bus as a host platform that will deploy two interceptors in space, each equipped with a high-thrust solid rocket motor. The demonstration, the company added, will not physically intercept any space objects or create debris. [SpaceNews]

Elon Musk hurled insults at NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy in a debate about Artemis 3 and who should run the agency. In a series of social media posts Tuesday, Musk called Duffy "Sean Dummy," one of his milder criticisms of Duffy and his management of NASA. The comments came a day after Duffy said he would "open up" SpaceX's contract to land astronauts on the moon on Artemis 3, citing delays in Starship's development. They also come as Duffy reportedly seeks to retain his job leading NASA, perhaps by incorporating the agency into the Department of Transportation in some way. Musk, meanwhile, expressed his support for the potential renomination of Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator. [SpaceNews]

Germany is looking to purchase satellites capable of jamming other spacecraft and inspecting objects in space despite skepticism from some analysts. The German Aerospace Center, or DLR, issued in August two requests for information for the procurements of satellites, one for a satellite with active defense capabilities and another for an inspector satellite. DLR is seeking to have the satellites delivered within 11 months of contract signing and launched on a German rocket. Analysts said the move underscores Germany's growing understanding of the need to bolster its space defense capabilities given threats from China and Russia, but they questioned the ability of the German space industry to carry out the plan given limited capabilities, particularly in launch. [SpaceNews]

Other News

Startup Samara Aerospace will test its attitude control technology on an upcoming mission. The company said it will fly its Cicada payload on an Mira orbital transfer vehicle built by Impulse Space on an upcoming SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission. The company said it has shown in the lab that its Multifunctional Structures for Attitude Control (MSAC) technology can successfully operate in the space environment, offering improved pointing control over alternative systems. The company is also working on Hummingbird, a satellite bus that incorporates MSAC technology. [SpaceNews]

Eutelsat missed its revenue target in its latest quarterly earnings. The company reported 283 million euros ($330 million) in the quarter ending in September, less than analyst predictions of 295 million euros. Revenue from video services was lower than expected, offsetting strong demand from government customers. Video revenue fell by 10.5% from the same quarter a year ago, which Eutelsat blamed on long-term decline in demand as well as sanctions that prevent it from broadcasting Russian channels. [Reuters]

The government of Oman is streamlining its launch regulations. The country's Civil Aviation Authority recently unveiled a new framework for licensing commercial launches in the country with a goal of processing applications in no more than 45 days. The regulations are intended to encourage companies to launch from the country's Etlaq Spaceport, which to date has hosted only sounding rocket missions. Spanish company PLD Space announced its intent earlier this year to launch its Miura 5 small launch vehicle from the spaceport. [Etlaq Spaceport]

A scientist who helped establish India's space program has died. Eknath Vasant Chitnis died Wednesday at the age of 100. Chitnis, a space scientist, worked with Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India's space program, in the 1960s, serving as director of the Space Application Centre. He played a major role in the development of the Insat, or Indian National Satellite, program to provide communications and other services in the country. [The Free Press Journal]

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