Astronomy Prints 🌌: Top Stories: A new champion for Europe

10/24/2025

Stay informed and ahead of what's happening next in the space industry. Subscribe to SpaceNews today for less than $5/week.

Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, three European companies reached a merger agreement, Hungary signed the Artemis Accords and more.

If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it directly in your inbox every Friday.

Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, at the company's 2025 annual meeting. Credit: Airbus

OUR TOP STORY

Airbus, Leonardo and Thales agree to combine space businesses

By Jeff Foust

Three of Europe's largest aerospace companies have agreed to combine their space businesses into a new joint venture intended to better compete in the global market.

Airbus, Leonardo and Thales jointly announced Oct. 23 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture that will merge many of their space activities into a single company.

The unnamed company will include the Space Systems and Space Digital businesses from Airbus Defence and Space; the Space Division of Leonardo, including its shares in Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space; and Thales' shares in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and optics company Thales SESO.

Hungary signs Artemis Accords

NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy said in an Oct. 22 social media post that Hungary signed the Accords, becoming the 57th nation to do so and the fifth this year, following Finland, Bangladesh, Norway and Senegal.

Europe outlines defense flagship programs and confirms European Space Shield by 2026

The European Commission presented a working plan to track progress and deliver key defense capabilities by 2030 to European Union member states on Oct. 16. The roadmap, titled Preserving Peace – Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, follows March's White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 and the broader ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 package, which aims to mobilize up to €800 billion ($933 billion) in defense investment through a mix of fiscal flexibility, EU-backed loans and joint procurement tools.

COMMERCIAL

Lockheed Martin Ventures invests in rocket propulsion startup Venus Aerospace

Venus Aerospace, based in Houston, Texas, has developed a rotating detonation rocket engine — a propulsion system that uses a continuously rotating detonation shockwave to generate thrust, promising more efficiency than conventional rocket engines. The deal comes as major Pentagon contractors, including Lockheed Martin, intensify efforts to accelerate hypersonic missile development.

Chinese launch firms Space Pioneer and Galactic Energy move toward IPOs

Galactic Energy officially launched its listing guidance Oct. 22, marking the first steps towards an initial public offering. The move comes on the back of serious funding. The company has raised more than 5 billion yuan ($700 million) since its founding in 2018. Meanwhile, competitor Space Pioneer — which itself secured $350 million in a pair of recent rounds — officially submitted its application for listing guidance Oct. 17.

Lynk Global and Omnispace to merge in race for direct-to-device satellite spectrum

Lynk Global plans to merge with Omnispace to upgrade its direct-to-device services with globally coordinated S-band spectrum, joining SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile in shoring up satellite frequencies after initially relying on cellular partnerships.

POLICY & POLITICS

ESA finalizing ministerial package

The European Space Agency is putting the final touches on a package of programs worth 22 billion euros ($25.6 billion) for next month's ministerial conference, despite U.S. budget uncertainty and the removal of one mission from consideration.

Musk criticizes Duffy amid NASA leadership debate

SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk hurled insults at NASA's acting administrator a day after complaints that the company was behind schedule on its Artemis lunar lander.

Stellar Dispatch: SpaceNews' press release service

Latest Press Releases

Data Boom, Video Decline Reshapes Satellite Revenues by 2034
ECAPS Announces Breakthrough Fast-Start Thruster (FAST) Technology
SmallSat Education Conference Aerospace Education Event for Educators, Parents, and Students (Middle School, High School, College)
Publish your press release with SpaceNews' premier press release service and start seeing results today.

FROM SPACENEWS

Register for "The Future Is Now" on Nov. 3 in Washington DC

Join us live on Monday, Nov. 3 in Washington, DC, as SpaceNews' partnership with Johns Hopkins kicks off with conversations on the once futuristic technologies that are fueling the modern space economy. Jeff Foust and Mike Gruss will speak with executives from Starlab Space, Astrobotic, Stoke Space and other industry leaders and experts on what's possible, where we're headed and the collaboration powering the next breakthroughs that will take us there. Learn more and register now.

Sign up for our other newsletters

First Up: The latest civil, commercial and military space news, curated by veteran journalist Jeff Foust. Delivered Monday to Friday mornings.
Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin delivers news and insights for the military space professional. Delivered Tuesday.
China Report: Analysis of China's space activities and what it means as one of the United States' top competitors from correspondent Andrew Jones. Delivered every other Wednesday.
SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. Delivered Thursday.
Video & Audio: Upcoming live programs, scheduled guests, and recent Space Minds podcast episodes, webinars and other events. Delivered Friday.
Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing, and advertising trends, upcoming SpaceNews opportunities, and editorial insights for communications and marketing leaders. Delivered monthly.

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.