OST Staff

Markets

Airtel Africa and Starlink Launch Continent's First Commercial Direct-to-Device Satellite Service

Airtel Africa has launched Africa's first commercial direct-to-device satellite service in partnership with Starlink, allowing standard mobile phones to connect directly to satellites without a ground terminal. The service, announced August 18, 2026, marks a commercial milestone for direct-to-device connectivity on the continent. The

Markets

NRO Moves HawkEye 360 From Trial to Operational RF Intelligence

The National Reconnaissance Office has awarded HawkEye 360 a new contract for commercial radio-frequency intelligence, advancing the company from a multiyear evaluation program into operational support for U.S. intelligence and defense agencies. The award, announced August 17, moves commercial RF collection into the intelligence community's operational

Launch

SpaceX Starship Ship 40 Towed Into Christmas Island Bay After Weeks Adrift in Indian Ocean

SpaceX's Starship prototype Ship 40 was towed into a protected bay at Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, on Tuesday, following a weeks long salvage operation. The 52 metre vehicle had been floating in the ocean since late July, when it splashed down after a

Markets

ULA Promotes Mark Peller to CEO as Vulcan Grounding Weighs on Finances

United Launch Alliance named Mark Peller, a 35-year veteran of the company and its predecessors, as its new president and chief executive, effective August 17. He steps into the top job as ULA contends with a grounded Vulcan rocket and mounting financial pressure that has prompted both parent companies

Markets

L3Harris Ousts CEO Kubasik Over Conduct Violation, Names Space Chief Mehta to Lead

L3Harris removed Chris Kubasik as chairman and chief executive on August 17 after a company investigation found he had violated its code of conduct. Sam Mehta, who leads the company's space business, becomes CEO effective immediately, while lead independent director Lewis Hay takes over as chairman. The abrupt

Policy

FCC Clears AST SpaceMobile to Test 800 MHz Satellite Connectivity

AST SpaceMobile has received temporary authorization from the FCC to test satellite connectivity in the 800 MHz band. The clearance opens the door for the company to evaluate a lower-frequency spectrum that offers better building penetration than the higher bands it has tested before. The 800 MHz band matters

Launch

SpaceX Launches Two Falcon 9s From Opposite Coasts in 38 Minutes

SpaceX completed two orbital Falcon 9 launches within 38 minutes on August 15, 2026, lifting off from operational pads on opposite coasts of the United States. The dual-coast doubleheader set a record for the shortest elapsed time between orbital missions executed by a single launch provider. The two flights

Launch

China Presses Ahead With Guowang Launch Days After Long March 7A Failure

China launched a fresh batch of Guowang megaconstellation satellites aboard a Long March 12 rocket early on August 16, followed hours later by a Long March 2C mission carrying a developmental Earth observation satellite for the United Arab Emirates. The Long March 12 success came less than a week after

Markets

Lynk and Omnispace Complete Merger, Rebrand as Elveo Mobile to Expand Direct-to-Device Services

Lynk Global has completed its merger with Omnispace and rebranded as Elveo Mobile, adding globally coordinated S-band spectrum to expand direct-to-device satellite services beyond basic messaging. The companies said Aug. 17 they had cleared all U.S. and foreign regulatory approvals needed to close the transaction, which

Defense

GEK800 Turbofan Wins F143 Designation and JASSM Second-Source EMD Contract

The GEK800 engine developed by Kratos Defense and GE Aerospace has received the U.S. Military Engine Type Designation F143-ZZ-100 and an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development contract from the United States Air Force. The engine has been selected as a second-source propulsion system for the Joint Air-

Defense

Viasat Taps Rocket Lab to Build Anti-Jam GEO Satellite for Space Force Tactical Comms Program

Viasat has selected Rocket Lab to build a geosynchronous satellite bus for the U.S. Space Force's Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program, the two companies announced on August 17, 2026. The maneuverable, anti-jam spacecraft is intended to deliver secure communications for national security missions in contested environments.

Defense

H-3 Launch of QZS-7 Completes First U.S.-Japan National Security Space Program

An H-3 launch vehicle lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on August 10, 2026, carrying Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, which hosts an optical Space Domain Awareness sensor for the United States Space Force. The flight completed the two-mission Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-Hosted Payload

Deep Space

MIT Astronomers Identify a "Black Hole Star," a Possible New Class of Cosmic Object

Astronomers at MIT and other institutions have identified an extremely bright red object in the early universe that appears to blur the line between a star and a black hole. Roughly the size of our solar system, the object emits about 100 billion times more energy than any known star

Defense

CENTCOM Stands Up Multinational Task Force Falcon Strike for One-Way Attack Drones

U.S. Central Command has launched a multinational attack drone task force called Task Force Falcon Strike, built around one-way attack drones operating across air, sea surface, and undersea domains. The force is staffed by military personnel from the United States and regional partners, and CENTCOM is inviting Middle

Defense

Pentagon Signs Seven-Year Framework Deals to Expand SM-3 Interceptor Production

The Pentagon signed two seven-year framework agreements Friday with Boeing and RTX to expand production of critical components for the Standard Missile-3, the Navy's primary ship-launched interceptor against ballistic missiles. The deals aim to stabilize supply and lock in sustained output of an interceptor that

Defense

SpaceX Launches Classified USSF-366 From Vandenberg, With Signs Pointing to Starshield

SpaceX launched the classified USSF-366 mission for the United States Space Force from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The payload is classified, but drop zone analysis suggests it may be a batch of low Earth orbit satellites built on SpaceX&

Defense

Ukraine Strikes Progress Rocket Space Centre, Hub of Russia's Satellite Internet Push

Ukraine struck Russia's Progress Rocket Space Centre with Flamingo missiles, igniting a large fire at the facility that produces launch vehicles for Moscow's satellite internet system. The attack, confirmed on August 15, 2026, marks the first known strike on a Russian space launch production site during

Launch

SpaceX Files Permit for "Project Ignition" Starship Test Complex at Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX plans to build a dedicated Starship testing site at Kennedy Space Center, according to a new permit that outlines a 101-acre development called "Project Ignition." The facility would extend the company's Roberts Road operations and support static fire testing of the Starship rocket, work

Policy

Northrop Grumman Redirects Paused Gateway Hardware Toward Lunar South Pole Survival Testing

Northrop Grumman is repurposing hardware built for NASA's now-paused Gateway program to test how spacecraft systems endure the extreme cold and darkness of the Moon's south pole. The effort is tied to Artemis surface operations, with a crewed landing targeted for early 2028. NASA describes

Markets

Gravitilab Enters Liquidation Owing More Than £700,000 as Missing £25 Million Investment Bites

UK-based Gravitilab Aerospace Services has ceased trading and entered voluntary liquidation, owing more than £700,000 to unsecured creditors. The suborbital rocket builder announced its closure in a brief LinkedIn post on 5 August, ending its effort to field a hybrid-powered launch vehicle. Documents filed with Companies House

Markets

Firefly Projects $435 Million in 2026 Revenue as Launchers Slip to a Fraction of the Business

Firefly Aerospace forecast $435 million in revenue for 2026, with its launch vehicles accounting for only about 10% of that total. The company, whose current business leans heavily toward satellite systems for US civil and government customers, is emerging as a diversified space and defense manufacturer rather than a pure

Markets

Space Force Pays Five Companies $60 Million to Connect to SpaceX-Built Data Network

The U.S. Space Force awarded $60 million to five companies to demonstrate how satellites from multiple vendors can connect to its Space Data Network, a military communications architecture whose core backbone is being supplied by SpaceX. The awards represent a deliberate effort to keep the broader network from being

Markets

Intuitive Machines Books $600 Million Order for Three GEO Communications Satellites

Intuitive Machines won a $600 million contract from an undisclosed customer to build three geostationary orbit communications satellites, the company disclosed August 13 in its second quarter earnings results. The award, signed in June, marks a substantial commercial win for a company best known for its lunar landers. Intuitive Machines

Markets

Intuitive Machines Posts Record $206 Million Quarter as Backlog Swells to $1.8 Billion

Intuitive Machines reported second quarter 2026 revenue of $206 million, more than four times its total for the same period a year earlier, alongside a record contracted backlog of $1.8 billion. The Houston company said the results position it for what it calls the next phase of its growth

Markets

Stoke Space Raising $1 Billion to Fund Fully Reusable Nova Rocket

Stoke Space Technologies is raising $1 billion to accelerate development and production of Nova, a fully reusable launch vehicle. The fundraise is explicitly aimed at challenging SpaceX, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg, and was reported on August 13, 2026. The round reflects investor confidence in