Payload

The EU commission proposed new rules for its spectrum allocation that would reserve at least two-thirds of available frequencies to European satellite operators, leaving foreign satcoms to compete for table scraps. https://lnkd.in/g8uMYvsx

Space-tech startup Observable Space has closed a $90M Series A to boost its production of laser and optical hardware—in addition to expanding internationally beyond the US. https://lnkd.in/gNXcwdkw

Space Markets, which emerged from stealth after being founded in December, is also announcing an investment from Coinbase Ventures for an undisclosed amount. The platform will be built on Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer-2 network. https://lnkd.in/gSCM7cam

LIVE: Space & Defense Update (ARKAEA x NYSE) | May 28, 2026

Aitech Systems, the CA-based supplier of space-computing platforms, announced an upgrade to its supercomputer that is intended to fuel the next wave of AI applications in orbit. https://lnkd.in/gAgq6PT7

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded two companies a contract to build Lunar Terrain Vehicles: Astrolab ($219M), which will launch its FLIP rover to the lunar surface this summer; Lunar Outpost ($220M), which unveiled its Pegasus rover this month. https://lnkd.in/dYuirDQi

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration is making big decisions regarding commercial space. Amid concerns about the viability of the market for private successors to the ISS, the agency is derisking its approach by shifting from major investor to incremental funder. https://lnkd.in/dmcEus5A

Satellogic launched a new data product, called Aleph Observer, to offer customers persistent monitoring capabilities through its NewSat EO constellation. The contract marks the company’s first large agreement since it made that strategic shift to persistent-monitoring capabilities. https://lnkd.in/dB-k-rTz

SpaceX launched its Starship V3 launch vehicle for the first time, unveiling a full suite of upgrades during the rocket’s twelfth test flight. Starship lifted off the newly built pad in Starbase, TX, and proceeded to hit nearly all of its milestones, despite losing a few engines along the way. https://lnkd.in/gkHkGaUW

SEOPS announced its new Waymaker rideshare option to LEO. The first Waymaker mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission in 2028. The rideshare is designed to launch time-sensitive or non-standard payloads that can’t be accommodated on existing rideshare options. https://lnkd.in/gqzvzGQ4