| Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, a challenge for the economics of Golden Dome, York Space goes public, commercial firms are invited to classified wargames and more.
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| | | | | OUR TOP STORY
| | By Sandra Erwin Gen. Michael Guetlein, head of the Golden Dome missile defense program, said the success of this effort depends on the ability to field defenses that are both scalable and affordable, including new directed-energy and other non-kinetic technologies aimed at lowering the cost of intercepting missiles.
Speaking Jan. 23 at the AFCEA Space Industry Days conference in Los Angeles, Guetlein said the program's central challenge is the economics of missile defense, specifically how the cost of each intercept limits how many interceptor shots the United States can afford to keep on hand.
He described this as an issue of "magazine depth," a term that refers to the number of interceptors available to respond to an attack.
| | | | | | | CIVIL
| | NASA selected SpaceX in 2020 for the Gateway Logistics Services program, a commercial service intended to transport cargo to and from the Gateway, analogous to the commercial cargo services supporting the International Space Station. Currently, the agency is at a crossroads between two SpaceX architectures, one using a Dragon XL spacecraft and another using Starship.
The European Union's new government satellite communications program, GOVSATCOM, which pools capacity from eight already on-orbit geosynchronous satellites, began operations last week.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country's state-owned main space contractor, outlined plans for space tourism, digital infrastructure, resource development and space traffic management, state media China Central Television (CCTV) reported Jan. 29.
| | MILITARY
| | A congressional watchdog is warning that the Pentagon's ambitious effort to overhaul missile warning and tracking from space is moving faster than its underlying technology and management practices can support.
U.S. Space Command will, for the first time, invite representatives from commercial space companies to take part in classified wargames focused on sensitive national security scenarios, underscoring the increased integration between military and commercial space infrastructure.
Officials said that the service plans to select satellite manufacturers as soon as March for the Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance program, an effort to build a new constellation of reconnaissance satellites using commercial offerings rather than bespoke military designs. | | | | | | | SPONSORED |  | | Space‑Comm Expo Europe connects the global space community to turn ambition into commercial reality. Taking place 4-5 March 2026 at ExCeL London, the exhibition brings together government, defence, space agencies, industry leaders, investors and innovators from across the space ecosystem. With 5,400+ attendees, 200+ speakers and 250+ exhibitors, it delivers high-level conference content, specialist symposiums, live demonstrations and extensive networking. Space-Comm Expo Europe showcases cutting-edge technologies across upstream, downstream and space services, while driving meaningful connections, partnerships and commercial outcomes. | | | | | | | COMMERCIAL
| | York Space Systems, a Denver-based satellite manufacturer, began public trading Jan. 29 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker YSS as investors continue to bet on sustained growth in U.S. defense spending.
Exotrail, a French company specializing in multi-orbit satellite mobility and focused on LEO service vehicles, together with Astroscale France, the French subsidiary of the Japan-based on-orbit servicing company, announced Jan. 28 a partnership aimed at testing deorbiting capabilities in low Earth orbit.
Eutelsat said a planned sale of its passive ground infrastructure to a private equity firm announced in August 2024 will not proceed, eliminating roughly 550 million euros ($658 million) in expected proceeds. | | | | | | | |  | Latest Press Releases
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