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View allAntaris Raises $28M Series A for AI-Driven Space Missions
Spaceflight Human Optimization and Performance Summit (SHOP 2026)
NewSpace Africa Conference 2026
NASA Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop (HRP IWS 2026)
Venus Life Finder Probe Enters Venus Atmosphere
The VLF probe arrives at Venus and begins a 3-minute descent through the cloud layer to scan for organic molecules.
Starship IFT-10: First In-Orbit Propellant Transfer Demo
SpaceX attempts to transfer cryogenic propellant between two Starships in LEO, a critical path milestone for Artemis.
Portal Space Systems Raises $50M Series A for Solar Thermal Propulsion Scale-Up
Portal Space Systems closed a $50M Series A on April 9, 2026, led by Geodesic Capital and Mach33, with Booz Allen Ventures, ARK Invest, AlleyCorp, and FUSE participating, valuing the company at $250M. Total funding including $45M in prior military strategic investment now stands at ~$117.5M. Capital will fund headcount scaling to ~100, a 52,000 sq ft Bothell manufacturing facility, and Starburst-1 launch preparation for SpaceX Transporter-18 in Q4 2026. Portal's HEX Thruster (Flare) passed thermal vacuum testing at operational temperatures in September 2025 — the first commercial solar thermal propulsion test. Starburst-1 will demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and rapid retasking.
Space Force Awards Space Domain Awareness IDIQ to 14 Commercial Companies
The Space Systems Command (SSC) in El Segundo awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract on April 7, 2026, for space-based space domain awareness capability. The 14-company pool includes Anduril, Astranis, BAE Systems Space, General Atomics, Intuitive Machines, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Millennium Space Systems, Northrop Grumman, Quantum Space, Redwire, Sierra Space, True Anomaly, and Turion Space. The IDIQ ceiling and individual task order values were not disclosed. The procurement was competitive with 32 offers received. This represents a significant commercial-first approach to orbital domain awareness infrastructure.
Artemis II Launches — First Crewed Deep Space Flight Since Apollo 17
NASA launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026 at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, sending commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a ~10-day free-return trajectory around the Moon. The SLS core stage and Orion spacecraft performed nominally, with solar array deployment confirmed shortly after separation. On April 2, the crew completed a 5-minute, 55-second translunar injection burn that set Orion on course to reach a maximum distance of approximately 252,021 miles from Earth — surpassing the Apollo 13 record. The mission is a crewed test flight, not a lunar landing, and is intended to validate Orion life support, navigation, and deep-space systems ahead of Artemis IV.
SpaceX Files Confidentially with SEC for IPO — $2T+ Valuation, June Listing
On April 1, 2026, SpaceX submitted a confidential draft registration statement to the SEC, confirmed by Bloomberg and CNBC, targeting a June Nasdaq listing. Initial valuation guidance was $1.75 trillion with a targeted $75 billion raise; by April 6 investor testing-the-waters meetings pushed the target above $2 trillion — what would be the largest IPO in history, tripling Saudi Aramco's $25.6 billion 2019 record. The company merged with Elon Musk's xAI in February 2026, combining space, satellite, and AI assets. Starlink generates an estimated $8.2 billion in annual revenue. Public S-1 expected in late April–May, ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic listings.
SpaceX Files Confidential IPO Registration with SEC
SpaceX confidentially submitted draft IPO registration documents to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2026, targeting a June 2026 listing. The filing was confirmed by Bloomberg, CNBC, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal. The company is seeking a valuation of up to $1.75 trillion and aims to raise as much as $75 billion — which would surpass Saudi Aramco's $29 billion 2019 debut as the largest IPO in history. Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley are lined up as senior underwriters. The valuation is anchored primarily by Starlink, which ended 2025 with 9.2 million subscribers and over $10 billion in revenue, now crossing 10 million subscribers as of February 2026. A prior all-stock merger with xAI pushed the combined entity valuation to approximately $1.25 trillion before the IPO premium.
Rocket Lab Receives German Regulatory Approval to Acquire Mynaric
Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy granted Foreign Direct Investment approval on March 31, 2026 for Rocket Lab's $150 million acquisition of Munich-based laser communications specialist Mynaric AG, clearing the final regulatory hurdle. The transaction is expected to formally close in mid-April 2026. Mynaric will remain headquartered in Munich, establishing Rocket Lab's first European footprint. The acquisition brings Mynaric's CONDOR Mk3 optical inter-satellite link terminals in-house, directly supporting Rocket Lab's two U.S. Space Development Agency prime contracts worth a combined $1.3 billion. RKLB shares surged approximately 12% on the news.
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