Generated imageThe week of Aug 3, 2026
Four launches flew and all four succeeded, 47 new solicitations posted, and two NASA awards totaling $9.5M…
T-2d Long March 8A | Unknown Payload Aug 4 · 08:50 UTCT-2d Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-53 Aug 4 · 14:00 UTCT-3d Smart Dragon 3 | Unknown Payload Aug 5 · 02:35 UTCT-3d Falcon 9 Block 5 | BlueBird 11-13 (Block 2 #6-8) Aug 5 · 07:42 UTC
NewSpace RFP Analysis
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Claims & outcomes
83 public claims held against the record: 19 missed, 8 at risk, 12 achieved, 36 pending, 6 unverified, 2…
What moved
1,438 changes across the record in seven days, with job-board churn collapsed to one line per employer per…
SpaceXThe rockets are the delivery mechanism
The offering document leans on AI far more than on launch or Mars, and its lockup calendar sets the dates…
Read from fifteen public sources, including SAM.gov, SBIR.gov, Launch Library, the Wikipedia launch lists, USPTO, SEC EDGAR, USAspending, Congress.gov and 19 company job boards. Rebuilt daily, news three times a day; this build Aug 2 · 13:32 UTC. Every source and method → Contribute →
Latest results
U.S. Air Force expands Blue Origin rocket cargo contract
The Air Force Research Laboratory increased by $11.7 million Blue Origin’s contract to study the use of space rockets for point-to-point deliveries The post U.S. Air Force expands Blue Origin rocket cargo contract appeared first on SpaceNews.
Inside the notice closing tomorrow
Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) Gas Analysis Instrument Concepts and Models
+ FULL DESCRIPTION IN ATTACHED RFI PACKAGE + Identify potential partners and innovative applications for the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) instrument. NASA is looking for…
NASA · NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER closes Aug 3, 2026
Every solicitation on the RFP index is structured as follows: subject, buyer, set-aside, the reason it matched, and the closing date. About a third of what matches the procurement codes is labeled missile or code-only rather than passed off as space.
Happening today
0 items · Aug 2, 2026Nothing scheduled today. The week ahead is below.
Mon
SpaceX Crew-13 Mission Overview News…
Mon
SpaceX Crew-13 Crew News Conference
Mon
13M Fiber Transmitter Modules for the…
Mon
WiFi Internet for Unaccompanied…
Mon
Thomson Linear Jackscrews - Intent…
Mon
AMPLIFIER
Mon
Counter Air Missile Program…
Mon
Mass Spectrometer observing lunar…
Mon
Counter Air Missile Program…
Tue
20--HOUSING ASSEMBLY,SH
Tue
Long March 8A | Unknown Payload
Tue
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group…
Tue
Network Extension for User Continuity…
Tue
Network Extension for User Continuity…
Tue
Chris Williams Post-Flight News…
Tue
In-situ current voltage measurement…
Wed
Smart Dragon 3 | Unknown Payload
Wed
Falcon 9 Block 5 | BlueBird 11-13…
Wed
NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE - 422…
Wed
Request for Information (RFI): USCG…
Thu
59--HEATER,THERMAL RELE
Thu
Spectrum | Onward and Upward
Thu
US EVA-96
Thu
Notice of Intent to Sole Source…
Full calendar →
Contract Awards
Who won what, and for how much.
Space Force awards K2 Space $22.9 million for orbital laser communications demonstration
Space Force awarded K2 Space $22.9 million to demonstrate orbital laser communications, according to a SpaceNews report. Two K2 satellites will host optical terminals intended to connect military systems in orbit.
Space Force picks 15 companies for $981 million training range contract
Vendors will compete for orders to build satellites, sensors and systems for more realistic military space exercises The post Space Force picks 15…
Rocket Lab wins another launch contract from Japan’s iQPS
Rocket Lab has secured another contract from Japan's iQPS to launch multiple missions on its Electron rocket. The deal continues an existing launch…
Sophia Space and Caltech claim patent for space data centers
Sophia Space and the California Institute of Technology were awarded a U.S. patent covering large, modular space-based data centers. The award was…
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office
The NROL-95 mission will be the third payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launched under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2…
Military & National Security Space
Space Force, intelligence, and defense programs.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, part of the Starlink Group 17-51 mission. The satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit as part of SpaceX's broadband…
Inside the effort to show Congress what war in space looks like
The Space Force Association's National Spacepower Center is developing an unclassified environment to demonstrate threats to satellites and their…
L3Harris delays missile business IPO to 2027 despite surging defense demand
CEO says market doesn't reflect value of Pentagon-backed business The post L3Harris delays missile business IPO to 2027 despite surging defense…
Rocket Lab to open Alaska launch site under $266 million Space Force deal
Rocket Lab will build a new suborbital launch facility on Kodiak Island, Alaska, under a $266 million agreement with the U.S. Space Force. The Kodiak…
Live Coverage: SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch Starlink satellites from West Coast
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 24 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, with liftoff at 8:51 a.m.…
Policy & Regulation
Congress, regulators, and budgets.
Proposed rule would exempt commercial launch licensing from environmental regulations
The Department of Transportation has proposed exempting commercial space launch licensing from many environmental regulations. The move has been praised by industry but criticized by environmental groups.
NASA library image
DOT Issues Proposed Rule to Waive Environmental Regulations for Space Launches
The Department of Transportation released a proposed rule that would let it waive certain environmental laws and regulations for space launches and…
Upper C-band auction offers another lift for GEO industry
Satellite operators have welcomed the prospect of reaping more than $6 billion for clearing upper C-band spectrum, which the FCC aims to auction next…
NASA library image
What’s Happening in Space Policy July 26-August 1, 2026
SpacePolicyOnline.com published its weekly rundown of space policy events for July 26-August 1, 2026, noting that the Senate is in session that week.
Office of Space Commerce to move ahead on mission authorization
The Commerce Department, through its Office of Space Commerce, is moving ahead with plans to implement a voluntary mission authorization system for…
Launch Beat
Liftoffs, landings, and pad activity.
China launches secretive TJS-27 pair, orbits next-gen Tianlian relay sat
China launched a new pair of secretive TJS-27 satellites into a programmatically new orbit aboard a Long March 6A rocket, according to SpaceNews. The mission also included the launch of a next-generation Tianlian relay satellite, upgrading China's on-orbit…
NASA, SpaceX Advance Wind Tunnel Tests for Starship Rocket
NASA and SpaceX completed wind tunnel tests on the Super Heavy Version 3 rocket booster at NASA's Ames Research Center, aimed at understanding…
Blue Origin continues rebuilding LC-36, prepares testing alternatives for New Glenn second stage
Two months after losing a New Glenn rocket to a pad explosion during a static… The post Blue Origin continues rebuilding LC-36, prepares testing…
Rocket Report: Big deals for US launch firms, RFA One debut is delayed
"America won the first Space Race, and we can do it again."
Roman Space Telescope on track for late August launch
Technicians finished fueling NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on July 25, loading 290 gallons of hydrazine at the Payload Hazardous Servicing…
Science & Exploration
Missions, discoveries, and deep space.
Boeing’s Starliner set for potential 2026 cargo run to ISS
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has said redesign work on the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is underway, with a potential cargo run to the ISS being considered for 2026.
APOD: 2026 August 1 – Buck Moon and Belt of Venus
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 1, 2026 features an image titled "Buck Moon and Belt of Venus," with a brief explanation written by a…
What’s Up: August 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
A solar eclipse, the Perseids, bright Venus after sunset, and a deep partial lunar eclipse highlight August’s skywatching. Skywatching Highlights…
Starbase Pad 1 Retrofits Progress as Block 3 Flights Start
SpaceX has flown two flights from the newly designed Pad 2 at Starbase, while crews continue retrofitting Pad 1 as Block 3 flights begin.
Sending repurposed Mars rover to the moon could cost more than $1 billion
An estimate suggested that converting an engineering model of a Mars rover into a lunar rover could cost NASA more than $1 billion. NASA's…
International
Programs beyond the US.
This Month at ESA: July 2026
What did space have in store for Europe this July?
HydroGNSS data open for new insights into Earth’s water
ESA's two-satellite HydroGNSS Scout mission has completed commissioning and entered full scientific operations. After testing and validation of the…
Earth from Space: New Orleans and the mighty Mississippi
A radar image from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission captures New Orleans and the delta of the Mississippi River, one of the largest rivers in North…
Destructive Fires Char Western Europe
Wildfires spread across Spain and France during the summer of 2026, disrupting daily life amid intense heat waves and prolonged drought conditions.
Summer school builds future GNSS talent
The 17th annual ESA/Joint Research Centre International Summer School on GNSS ran from 13-24 July in Espoo, Finland, gathering a record 102 students,…
Industry & Business
Funding rounds, factories, and the space economy.
NASA to Host Florida Event Celebrating American Air, Space Leadership
NASA will hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. EDT, Friday, Aug. 14, live from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and media and digital creators are invited to attend in person. The announcement, held in the XLV Hangar at the Shuttle Landing…
NASA’s Newest Wind Tunnel Opens at NASA Langley
On Friday, July 31, 2026, NASA leadership and Virginia government officials opened the Flight Dynamics Research Facility at NASA's Langley Research…
NASA Opens New Flight Dynamics Research Facility in Virginia
NASA opened its newest wind tunnel, the Flight Dynamics Research Facility, on Friday at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The facility…
Spain commits up to $2.3 billion for national military communications for IRIS²
Spain's government has committed between 1.6 billion and 2 billion euros ($1.8 to $2.3 billion) to develop a national military satellite…
Week in images: 27-31 July 2026
Week in images: 27-31 July 2026