Space Foundation News

What You Need to Know:  The FCC overhauls its satellite licensing process. The department that houses the UK Space Agency is dissolved. Amazon signals its intent to join the direct-to-device market. United States Space Policy Updates The FCC adopts an overhaul of its space and earth station. Described as a “licensing assembly line,” the new… The post Washington Updates: FCC’s new satellite licensing process appeared first on Space Foundation.

What You Need to Know:  The House Science, Space and Technology Committee reviews the Office of Space Commerce’s mission authorization proposal. ESA announces plans for a security center in Poland. Reditus Space completes its first reentry vehicle. United States Space Policy Updates The House Science, Space and Technology Committee holds a hearing to review the… The post Washington Updates: Office of Space Commerce mission authorization proposal appeared first on Space Foundation.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — July 14, 2026 — Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, will release its annual Global Space Economy Number on an online event on Tuesday, July 21, beginning at 8 a.m. Mountain Time. Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle will share the findings and highlight… The post Space Foundation to Release Global Space Economy Number appeared first on Space Foundation.

Emerging space professionals unite for networking, mentorship and industry access  PALM BAY, FL. — July 14, 2026 — Space Foundation and L3Harris Technologies brought together emerging professionals from across Florida’s space industry during the New Generation Space Leaders Event: Launching the Future on Tuesday, July 14, at L3Harris Technologies in Palm Bay, Fla.   Designed for… The post Space Foundation and L3Harris Host New Generation Space Leaders Event in Palm Bay, Florida appeared first on

What You Need to Know: NASA awards lunar lander contracts to Astrobotic, Firefly, and Intuitive Machines. Japan renames its air force to the Air and Space Self-Defense Force. Rocket Lab announces plans to acquire Iridium Communications. United States Space Policy Updates NASA awards new lunar lander contracts to Firefly, Astrobotic, and Intuitive Machines for missions… The post Washington Updates: NASA awards lunar lander contracts appeared first on Space Foundation.

First-Day Trading Makes Elon Musk World’s First Trillionaire Like so many of its products, SpaceX launched its IPO on Friday to worldwide fanfare, and by closing bell, its debut stock price settled into orbit well above any other publicly traded space company. Trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SPCX, SpaceX opened at $150… The post SpaceX IPO Closes Higher Than $160 Per Share appeared first on Space Foundation.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — May 19, 2026 — Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, today announced a new partnership with Victory Service Dogs in honor of Memorial Day. During the month of May, every $45 donation made to Space Foundation will provide an immersive science, technology, engineering, and… The post Space Foundation Partners with Victory Service Dogs to Honor Veterans This Memorial Day appeared first on Space Foundation.

Over the next decade, dozens of robotic landings and a handful of crewed landings are anticipated to build an enduring presence on the lunar surface. Beyond the race for international prestige upon a successful landing, there are multiple benefits for returning to the Moon: national security, potential resource utilization, a gateway for missions deeper into… The post Building a Map to the Moon appeared first on Space Foundation.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — May 12, 2026 — Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, announced the winners of the 2026 National Space Sustainability Competition and the recipient of the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award during the premiere of its National Space Day educational video on Friday,… The post Space Foundation Announces Winners of National Space Day Competition and Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award appeared first o

Free STEM-Focused Family Event at Space Foundation Discovery Center COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — April 24, 2026 — Space Foundation and RTX are partnering once again for Space in the Community (SITC), bringing a week of space exploration and STEM fun to Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs from April 27–May 1. “Space exploration belongs… The post Space Foundation and RTX Host Space in the Community Event in Colorado Springs appeared first on Space Foundation.

Artificial intelligence, rapid prototyping, and lightning-fast test programs in orbit will dominate the landscape as the Space Force looks to boost its research, development and testing budget to an unprecedented $40 billion proposed for 2027, panelists told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Thursday. The post Rapid Research Expected to Bring Change to Orbit appeared first on Space Foundation.

The surface of the Moon will be far less barren in the coming years. At two featured discussions at the 41st Space Symposium on Thursday, NASA officials, commercial partners and scientists explained the rapidly growing opportunities on the lunar surface. With an ambitious launch schedule described during NASA’s Ignition Day, more commercial partners will be heading to the Moon than ever before. The post The Next Great Economy: The Moon appeared first on Space Foundation.

A tsunami of job opportunities is fast approaching the U.S. space sector but coordinated efforts and new approaches are needed to create and connect skilled workers with employers. In two Thursday sessions at the 41st Space Symposium, educators, company executives and workforce officials detailed the current crisis of finding skilled workers. They also addressed what… The post Symposium Panelists: Education, Industry and Government Must Align to Grow Space Workforce appeared first on Space Found

Maintaining access to space in a more crowded and contested environment will require new infrastructure, manufacture of new launch vehicles, and a clear set of “red line” rules to keep rogue actors in line, a panel of experts told a 41st Space Symposium audience Thursday. The post Panel: New Rules, New Defenses Could Bring Order to Booming Growth in Orbit appeared first on Space Foundation.

Elaine Ho, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, and Mel Stricklan, executive director of Space Foundation’s Space Workforce for Tomorrow (SWFT), on Wednesday convened a roundtable with a few dozen executives and education leaders at the 41st Space Symposium. The post NASA, SWFT Programs Set to Launch New Workforce Initiatives  appeared first on Space Foundation.

Space Force acquisition is on a wartime footing, with cash already flowing to encourage companies to deliver capability at mass-production scale, Space Systems Command’s Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. Speedy simplicity in satellite design is the priority over the complex perfection once sought by the Pentagon,… The post Air Force, Space Force Chiefs Say Acquisition Speed Now Must Shift to Production Speed appeared first on Space Foundation.

Four new space stations are in a race to orbit. Commercial space station executives told an audience at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday that their companies are eager to scale up on the capabilities that the International Space Station has proven for more than 25 years.  As the ISS faces a planned retirement and deorbiting in the early 2030s, four planned commercial… The post Commercial Space Stations Underscore the New Route to Orbit appeared first on Space Foundation.

The Space Force will need thousands of additional Guardians, hundreds of new satellites, and a suite of new capabilities to fight and win as the space domain grows more contested in the next 15 years, Chief Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman told a crowd at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday. Saltzman debuted Space… The post Saltzman Reveals Space Force Roadmap for 2040 Requirements appeared first on Space Foundation.

Rapid procurement, lower launch costs, and game-changing technologies will put more capabilities in the hands of Space Force Guardians in months rather than years or decades, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a capacity crowd gathered at the 41st Space Symposium on Wednesday.  “This is the moment when the Space Force comes of age,” Meink said.  The secretary is the… The post Meink Promises Rapid Technological Change for Space Force appeared first on Space Foundation.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 14, 2026 — StellarWorld today announced the public launch of Lunar Cities, a StellarWorld company established to develop permanent lunar settlement infrastructure and open the next phase of commercial participation in the cislunar economy. Launched at Space Symposium, Lunar Cities is being introduced as a structured program to help catalyze the… The post StellarWorld Launches Lunar Cities appeared first on Space Foundation.