Space

Serco Inc. has agreed to acquire QinetiQ US in a transaction valued at $292 million, with closing expected in Q1 2027 pending regulatory approvals. The deal would add about 800 employees and capabilities tied to defense, space, border surveillance, and Army robotics programs, potentially reshaping competition and teaming relationships as the companies integrate.

Senate and House appropriators each proposed $50 million in FY2027 for the Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce to continue developing TraCSS. The proposals are not enacted funding or a contract award; contractors should monitor reconciliation and later procurement activity before treating the amount as an opportunity.

York Space Systems reported an $807.4 million third-quarter net loss, including a $749.7 million noncash goodwill impairment tied to uncertainty over the timing and value of future Pentagon awards. Its expectation of new awards later in 2027 and into 2028 flags potential schedule and revenue planning risks for contractors dependent on Space Development Agency satellite tranches, but does not confirm cancellations or funding cuts.

The European Space Agency’s in-orbit metal 3D-printing demonstrator has produced its fifth sample aboard the International Space Station, which the German Aerospace Center and ESA’s ESTEC are evaluating. The technology demonstration is not a solicitation, but its testing of part quality and operations in a crewed environment may inform future space-manufacturing requirements and supplier capabilities.

AFRL’s SpaceWERX signed a five-year CRADA with Lyra Systems to develop and test AI that assesses whether commercial components meet military spacecraft integration constraints. The agreement provides access to government facilities, data, and personnel—not stated cash funding—and is not a procurement award; Lyra expects to begin vendor outreach in the coming months for a planned in-space demonstration.

NASA is accepting proposals through December 10, 2026, from U.S.-controlled commercial launch providers seeking to join its VADR IDIQ. The 10-year, $5 billion vehicle offers access to potential launch task orders, but applicants must meet launch-site, technical, ownership, and domestic-content requirements; vehicle inclusion does not guarantee work.

SpaceX signed a commercial supply contract with SINGULUS for solar-cell manufacturing equipment supporting Texas operations and more than 100 GW of equipment, according to the source. SINGULUS expects to ship the first heterojunction production line in the first half of 2027 for Starmind satellites; contract value and any government involvement were not disclosed.

A space-sector investment roundup says a crypto fund co-led financing for a nuclear reactor effort associated with the U.S. Space Force, while JPMorgan led the two largest funding rounds. The report describes private-market activity—not a government solicitation or award—and provides no developer, funding amount, or procurement pathway.

The Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital conditionally committed $450 million in loans to Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, and LeoLabs for launch capacity and space-monitoring infrastructure. The financing is not a contract award or solicitation, and the commitments remain subject to due diligence, closing conditions, and matching company capital.

The Canadian Space Agency is seeking information across 16 supply-chain areas for a potential lunar fission microreactor producing 20–80 kWe for at least 10 years. Responses are due November 23, 2026; this market research may inform Canadian capability priorities but is not a solicitation or commitment to award.

NASA reportedly selected Redwire for a $40 million contract to demonstrate power generation for a planned Moon base using its Roll Out Solar Array technology. The announcement points to potential opportunities in lunar energy systems and supporting supply chains, but provides no award date, contract number, technical scope, or follow-on procurement details.

AST SpaceMobile has agreements with Firefly Aerospace totaling approximately $1.3 billion to develop its reusable Blacklift rocket and bring Miranda and Vira engine manufacturing in-house. The commercial supplier package supports AST’s stated plans for government missions, but it is not an open solicitation or a disclosed government contract award.

DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office is inviting industry input on spacecraft aero-assist technologies that could enable rapid, precise orbit transfers with reduced propellant use. Interested organizations should respond by December 1, 2026; the notice does not identify an event date, location, registration link, or specific solicitation.

NASA selected Viasat, Astranis Space Technologies, and Global Enterprise Solutions for firm-fixed-price awards under its NextSTEP-3 Appendix E NEXUS initiative. The awards carry potential values of up to $460.9 million, $264.3 million, and $340.4 million, but ceilings are not guaranteed spending; initial work runs through May 3, 2027, with options and possible demonstrations extending through 2029.

NASA selected Voyager Technologies for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services 2 (CLPS 2) multiple-award IDIQ pool, making the company eligible to compete for lunar mission task orders. The vehicle has a $10 billion base ceiling through 2036, with an option to extend through 2041 and increase the ceiling to $15 billion; selection does not guarantee task orders or revenue.

NASA has awarded multiple contracts for planning a sustained human presence on the lunar surface and announced a 10-year, $10 billion second phase of its CLPS framework. The framework targets lunar cargo delivery and lander development and operations, but awardees and solicitation details have not been identified.

NASA has added Blue Origin’s New Glenn 9×4 launch service to its multiple-award Launch Services II contract through an on-ramp announced September 29, 2026. The vehicle is now eligible to compete for future NASA mission orders, but the addition is not itself an order or a stated award value.

A brief, unverified report says NASA has announced a contract valued at $10 billion for a lunar cargo lander supporting plans for a long-term Moon base. The signal omits the awardee, contract terms, and procurement details, so contractors should confirm the announcement through NASA’s official sources before making pursuit decisions.

NASA plans to test Rocket Lab Robotics’ autonomous arm in low Earth orbit during its Fly Foundational Robots demonstration, scheduled for late 2027. The mission will assess spacecraft-exterior movement and component installation, offering relevant vendors insight into future in-space servicing needs, but no follow-on procurement has been confirmed.

NASA selected Voyager Technologies for its CLPS 2 multiple-award IDIQ, making the company eligible to compete for future lunar-mission task orders. The vehicle has a $10 billion base ceiling through 2036, with an option to extend through 2041 and increase the ceiling to $15 billion; selection does not guarantee task orders or revenue.

NASA established a 10-year, $10 billion maximum-value CLPS 2 contract vehicle, allowing eight aerospace companies to compete for future lunar-delivery task orders through 2036; the ceiling is not funding already awarded. Separate announcements include approximately $1.3 billion in VADR task orders, a Blue Origin rover-delivery contract, and a planned 2028 SpaceX communications-satellite mission.

Elon Musk said the government could cancel any SpaceX contracts it no longer wants, but no specific cancellation request, agency agreement, or terminated award was identified. His projections that government payments will fall below 10% of SpaceX revenue this quarter and below 5% within a year do not establish a decline in federal spending or changes to existing awards.

DARPA’s NOM4D program used a Caltech payload to assemble a truss and deploy reflective mesh in orbit, demonstrating a potential way to build large structures beyond launch-vehicle packaging limits. The program is nearing completion, with a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign composite-processing experiment planned for the ISS later in 2026; no active solicitation or follow-on contract is identified.

DARPA awarded Redwire a $20 million Otter-program contract for a subscale very-low-Earth-orbit precursor mission using air-breathing electric propulsion, with flight targeted for late 2027. The effort is intended to test technology in orbit and reduce risk ahead of a full-scale demonstration; the announcement identifies no open solicitation or current subcontracting opportunity.

NASA is planning a 2027 crew mission that would dock with Starship, while the crew remains outside the vehicle. Starship has completed 14 flights but has not carried people, making vehicle readiness a key integration and schedule dependency; the signal identifies no new contract action or procurement schedule.

Swift Ascent and MMAX announced a merger backed by Bluestone Investment Partners, with financial terms undisclosed. The combined company plans to build a platform for U.S. Intelligence Community customers focused on space-domain capabilities, while pursuing acquisitions and business development—an important development for market research, competitor assessments, and potential teaming decisions, but not a current procurement opportunity.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected Intuitive Machines on November 3, 2026, to provide the spacecraft platform and system-level integration for the FALCON-RADAR Earth science mission. The award value and contract number were not disclosed; the selection is the company’s third NASA Earth science award in six months, with launch planned no earlier than 2029.

Viasat and Rocket Lab are conducting an on-orbit demonstration for NASA’s Communications Services Project, testing L- and Ka-band relay and direct-to-ground communications for low Earth orbit missions. Results through March 2027 could inform NASA’s transition from its TDRS system to commercial networks, but no new award, solicitation, or contract value was reported.

Space Systems Command is weighing eight artificial intelligence proposals for up to $12 million in Fight Tonight funding across space mission operations and infrastructure. Selections are expected November 13, 2026; this is a funding competition, not an active request for proposals.

The Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency expect to select one company in December 2026 for an orbital deorbit demonstration contract. The decision follows $8.4 million in August preliminary-development awards to D-Orbit, Firefly Aerospace, and Katalyst Space, with a prototype demonstration targeted for mid-2028.

Northwood Space raised $375 million in Series C financing at a reported $2 billion valuation to scale antenna production, expand its global ground network, and hire 400 employees over three years. The private financing is not a new government award or solicitation; it may increase the company’s capacity to perform its existing $49.8 million U.S. Space Force Satellite Control Network contract and support future supplier demand.

NASA is recompeting the contract to manage and operate the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ending Caltech’s sole-source arrangement that dates to 1958. With an annual value exceeding $2 billion and proposals due in Q3 2027, prospective bidders have time to develop operating and transition plans ahead of a planned Q1 2028 award.

The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $5.9 billion launch contract in April 2025, while the Department of Defense awarded AI contracts to xAI and Anthropic with ceilings of up to $200 million each in July 2025. The awards signal federal demand across launch and defense AI, while raising oversight considerations; the source identifies no open solicitation or evidence that a conflict occurred.

NASA plans to retain both Artemis Human Landing System paths as potential congressional scrutiny of SpaceX draws attention to program cost and schedule exposure. No formal investigation, hearing, court order, or program hold has been reported, but added information requests could consume contractor staff time and affect milestones ahead of the planned 2027 docking test.

A report says SpaceX has performed $30.7 billion in federal work since 2008 and that Elon Musk contributed $446 million to the midterms, prompting Democrats to seek subpoenas. No subpoena is confirmed, and the report identifies no specific agencies, awards, solicitations, or procurement violations.

NASA Goddard’s October 29 RFI seeks commercial approaches to raise Hubble’s orbit, service the telescope without harm, or guide its controlled disposal, with responses due November 30, 2026. The request is for market research—not a funded solicitation—and asks industry to inform potential requirements for a mission that NASA anticipates would need to occur by 2032.

NASA confirmed a development contract with United Launch Alliance for an extended Centaur V upper stage to support Orion’s ability to reach low-lunar orbit; the contract value and number were not disclosed. The effort comes amid ULA’s range-dependent November 13 Vulcan launch plan and a conditional $150 million commitment for a second Cape Canaveral launch pad.

SpaceX reportedly plans to end Crew Dragon operations by 2030 and focus on Starship. NASA’s contract called for six missions, while SpaceX had flown 13 missions to the International Space Station by September; the figures do not establish how the additional flights were authorized or funded. No successor procurement or Starship award is identified.

NASA Goddard has issued an RFI seeking industry concepts to raise Hubble’s orbit, service the telescope, or conduct a controlled reentry. NASA says launch must occur by 2032 and expects a follow-on RFP, creating a potential future opportunity for aerospace and space-service firms.

Auria Space plans to invest $1.8 million to establish its East Coast headquarters and a mission integration center in Reston, Virginia, creating 78 jobs. The corporate expansion signals added space and national-security industry capacity near government and commercial customers, but does not represent a contract award or solicitation.

Astroscale reported its first UK defense contract as prime contractor and a French-backed demonstration to approach, dock with, and deorbit an Eutelsat OneWeb satellite. The UK and French projects together represent more than ¥5 billion in backlog through September 2026; a further approximately ¥20 billion in orders remains a company target, not awarded work.

NASA awarded Modulate Space Corporation an approximately $38 million firm-fixed-price contract to develop a standards-based lunar communications system combining 5G and Wi-Fi 6. The award funds lab and lunar-surface demonstrations through 2028, not an operational Moon network, signaling development-phase opportunities for communications contractors.

BAE Systems purchased a 130,000-square-foot Weld County facility to expand production of space hardware and sensor systems, with retrofit and equipment procurement planned through the end of 2026 and production targeted for early 2028. The expansion could create supplier and subcontracting demand, but no solicitation, contract value, or procurement contact has been announced.

NASA plans a 2027, 14-day Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit to test crewed rendezvous, docking, habitation, and operational procedures with Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 and SpaceX’s Starship human-landing-system test articles. The integration milestone is intended to reduce risk ahead of planned lunar operations in 2028; NASA announced no new solicitation, contract value, or procurement contact.

Intuitive Machines appointed former National Reconnaissance Office Director Christopher Scolese to its board following Michael Blitzer’s resignation, adding civil and national-security space experience as the company pursues commercial and government-facing growth. The announcement does not identify a new solicitation, contract award, or funding; references to a historical NRO contract and a 2027 summit provide market context only.

Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office launched ACES to help commercial companies and government sponsors navigate participation in classified national security space programs. Companies must first secure a government sponsor with a validated classified need; ACES may help connect participants with mission-partner resources and contracting paths, including OTAs.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is expected to present an Artemis acceleration plan, but the status and details of lunar-lander arrangements involving SpaceX and Blue Origin remain undisclosed. The Space Force is planning launch-range infrastructure upgrades and has selected six unnamed commercial providers for in-space monitoring and tracking, with no award values, timelines, or procurement details reported.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says the agency remains on track to return astronauts to the lunar surface, even as hardware readiness raises concerns. NASA has said Artemis III was three months behind schedule but identified opportunities to recover time; the update provides program context, not a new contract action or solicitation.

The Air Force Research Laboratory tested Rocket Cargo equipment aboard a SpaceX Starfall capsule launched from Cape Canaveral on October 20, 2026. The demonstration examines cargo conditions inside the capsule and adaptable pod designs, signaling technical areas that may inform future requirements but announcing no contract, solicitation, funding, or procurement timeline.

NASA’s first participation in Somerset’s SEED Symposium gave more than 70 businesses an early signal of possible future demand for goods and services supporting a planned lunar base. No solicitation, defined requirements, contract value, or procurement timeline was announced, so firms should treat the discussion as market awareness—not an active bid opportunity.