Plus: A new space warfighting model
By Dan Robitzski
SpaceNews reporters — and much of the space industry — have been busy this week at Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Symposium serves as a converging point, bringing together the commercial, military, financial, scientific, political and civic space communities onto the same campus for a week-long conference of meetings, panels and announcements.
Meanwhile, the world outside the conference doesn't quiet down. This year’s Symposium arrives on the heels of big news for nearly all of those sectors: NASA’s Artemis 2 success, a White House budget proposal with contrasting implications for NASA and the Space Force, updates on a SpaceX IPO, a growing drumbeat of space (and especially space-enabled) warfare, all amidst a flurry of mergers, acquisitions and a wave of fundraising across the industry poised to break investment records.
Based on numbers in a quarterly report from the early-stage investor Space Capital, the first quarter saw $6.7 billion in global investments into space infrastructure. That’s more than twice the amount invested over that time last year. The report also notes that 2026 is on track to be a record-breaking investment year for space overall, citing recent interest in orbital data centers for AI applications and anticipation of reliable heavy launch that could see investments surpass 2025’s $55.3 billion.
Broadly, that money is largely flowing into the same categories that are top of mind and top of agenda at Symposium, Space Capital CEO Chad Anderson told SpaceNews’ Jason Rainbow.
“The four themes dominating the agenda this week — AI and space, national security convergence, lunar economics and the commercial LEO transition — are exactly where the capital is moving,” Anderson said.
Consider some of this week’s headlines as they align to that framework:
AI and space: L3Harris Technologies struck an agreement with Madrid-based startup Xoople to develop a satellite constellation designed for a still-emerging concept in the space industry: Earth AI. National security: U.S. defense contractors BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin said they are accelerating internal investments in maneuverable satellite designs, betting that military advocacy for “dynamic space operations” will translate into sustained demand for spacecraft that can move, coordinate and respond in orbit. Lunar economics: The White House released a policy April 14 directing NASA, the Pentagon and the Department of Energy to develop space nuclear power systems that could launch as soon as 2028. Commercial LEO transition: Commercial space station developer Vast unveiled a new docking interface the company is offering to the broader industry for future large stations and spacecraft.
Only time will tell if those remain the space industry’s main focuses, or if new trends and priorities emerge over the rest of the year.
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SPONSORED |
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L3Harris has been pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and observation for decades. This partnership with NASA spans the agency’s 60-plus year history – ranging from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle, International Space Station and James Webb Space Telescope to exciting new programs like Artemis. Learn more here. |
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SIGNIFICANT DIGIT
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~$11 billion |
The amount Amazon will pay to acquire Globalstar, which operates a constellation and holds mobile satellite services spectrum, in a move to enter the direct-to-device satellite connectivity market.
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A NEW SPACE WARFIGHTING MODEL
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The United States Space Command announced a new series of wargames called the Apollo Maneuvers, meant to model and help guide the U.S. military toward a warfighting model in which satellites and valuable space assets can readily maneuver, instead of being sitting ducks resting in their orbits.
Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, said at Space Symposium that it’s now critical to embrace satellites capable of moving and adapting in the event of combat.
“The necessity of maneuver in space has intensified over the past year, as we’ve watched China demonstrate their orbital refueling and logistics prowess,” Whiting said during a keynote address at the conference, which warned against falling behind China in space operation capabilities.
“A satellite which is locked in a predictable orbit is fighting from a fixed position,” Whiting added. “And it’s a target. It’s a known position on a map waiting to be bypassed or neutralized.”
Space Command’s wargames are modeled on the Louisiana Maneuvers, Whiting explained. Those are the large-scale Army exercises that helped validate new concepts of mechanized warfare before World War II.
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| Gravitics is preparing to test a large orbital platform designed to store multiple spacecraft in orbit, allowing customers to deploy them as needed without waiting for a launch from Earth.
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| Gen. Chance Saltzman released a warfighting blueprint for the U.S. Space Force intended to start discussions about the future of space warfare and what the Space Force needs to reach that point.
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| Several senators are asking appropriators to increase funding for NASA’s robotic Mars exploration efforts, fearing “severe and irreversible harm” if funding is not restored.
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| President Donald Trump signed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act April 13, reestablishing key sources of funding for early-stage space companies.
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FROM SPACENEWS |
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SmallSat Europe 2026 will be one of the most important gatherings of civil, defense and commercial smallsat professionals of the year. SpaceNews joins this year's event as the official producer of the Defense Stage, bringing together military leaders, startup founders and industry executives for conversations spanning launch access, resilient communications, AI, missile defense and the evolving orbital threat environment. Check out all the programming across the defense, business and technical tracks and register today. |
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