Innovation
Umbra Expands to Reston With $6.75M Investment, Adding 100+ Space Tech Jobs in Fairfax County
Northern Virginia’s space ecosystem just added another major player.
Umbra, a U.S. space technology company known for advanced remote sensing and resilient satellite systems, is investing $6.75 million to establish a new 20,000 square foot facility in Reston, VA. The move will create more than 100 high tech jobs and further cement Fairfax County’s reputation as a hub for national security and space innovation.
India's first space tech unicorn emerges as Skyroot gears up for orbital launch
Skyroot Aerospace has become India’s first space tech unicorn after raising $60 million in a new investment ahead of the maiden orbital launch of its Vikram-1 rocket in the coming weeks.
The funding round valued the Hyderabad-based startup at $1.1 billion on a pre-money basis and included about $50 million in primary equity co-led by Sherpalo Ventures and GIC, along with around $10 million in structured debt managed by funds affiliated with BlackRock, the company told TechCrunch.
From AI to space tech, innovation takes spotlight at CHITEC
The 28th China Beijing International High-tech Expo (CHITEC) opened on Friday at the China National Convention Center, highlighting the latest advances in cutting-edge technologies, emerging industries and future-oriented innovation.
Covering an exhibition area of around 50,000 square meters, the event features six themed zones focusing on information technology, intelligent manufacturing, healthcare, green and low-carbon development, the digital economy and regional innovation. More than 800 domestic and international enterprises and institutions are showcasing their latest technological achievements.
SOCOM Taps SkyFi to Build Tactical EO Imagery Tools
The US military is relying more and more on the commercial EO industry to maintain its edge in conflict zones. For operators in the field, insights from EO data are about to get a lot easier to see.
US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) selected SkyFi to develop an early prototype of a new sovereign intelligence platform, aimed at giving troops quicker and easier access to geospatial imagery—including tasking sats for fresh imagery from the field.
Space Tech: Vast – The Next Space Station
Vast Chief Executive Max Haot talks about the company’s transition from a startup to a major player.
Technology
NASA tests nuclear space tech
Completed in early 2026, the campaign marked the first such testing on a flight-like reactor engineering development unit since the 1960s.
Bordeaux estate turns to space tech to monitor vines in real time
New satellite technology is being tested in Bordeaux to help winemakers spot vine problems earlier and manage vineyards more precisely. The system can pick up subtle changes in plant health before they are visible in the vineyard.
China leverages space tech for carbon monitoring to meet climate goals
China is ramping up the use of space technology to meet its ambitious carbon reduction pledges, marking the latest move with a cargo spacecraft that sent a greenhouse gas monitoring payload to the Chinese space station on Monday.
Among the payload delivered to orbit by the Tianzhou 10 cargo spacecraft is a lightweight, high-resolution greenhouse-gas point-source detection instrument, spearheaded by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Transcelestial tests space-to-ground laser communications technologies
Transcelestial has advanced its work to provide space-to-ground optical communications with a test of laser transmissions from a satellite to ground stations.
The Singapore-based company announced May 12 it performed a test where ground stations in Singapore and Spain were able to detect and track laser transmissions from a satellite built by Open Cosmos and launched last year.
From Pit Stops to Space Tech: Ford's Return to F1
Standing in the heart of the Red Bull Racing headquarters in Milton Keynes there was a clear sense that this was the beginning of something huge, as we gathered to watch the global reveal of the 2026 Formula 1 liveries for both Oracle Red Bull Racing and the Visa CashApp Racing Bulls.
VC
Space tech start-up Agnikul in talks to raise $50-75M
Space technology start-up Agnikul Cosmos is in talks to raise between $50 million and $75 million, as per Economic Times. The funding round is being planned at a flat valuation of about $500 million, the same as last November's round when Agnikul raised $17 million from HDFC Bank and 100X.VC, among others.
Star Catcher Closes $65M Series A
Star Catcher has raised a $65M Series A to help fund its first optical power-beaming demo in orbit this year.
Meet Star Catcher: The startup is working to build a power grid in orbit—collecting solar power in space, and beaming it in a more concentrated form to other satellites or spacecraft using their existing solar cell hardware. The goal: to allow smaller spacecraft to take on more power-intensive missions, or save sats where the mission goes awry—such as when one solar array doesn’t deploy.
Europe
Japanese Space-Tech Company Tenchijin Selected for Aerospace Valley’s “DISTRICT” Innovation Accelerator
Tenchijin Inc., a Japanese space-tech innovator transforming sustainable water infrastructure management, today announced that it will participate in “DISTRICT,” an aerospace innovation accelerator organized by Aerospace Valley, one of Europe’s leading aerospace clusters based in Toulouse.
Tenchijin has identified France as a key region for its European expansion and has actively engaged in exhibitions and industry events to strengthen its presence and partnerships in the country. Participation in the DISTRICT accelerator represents an important step in deepening the company’s engagement with the French and European aerospace ecosystem.
Based in Toulouse, Aerospace Valley is one of Europe’s largest aerospace clusters.
Investment
Northwood Space's $100 Million Funding Round Shows Interest in Space Tech Is Surging
The company aims to expand the ground station capacity.
HawkEye 360 bags $416M at $2.42B valuation in US IPO as space tech heats back up
HawkEye 360, a Herndon, Virginia-based signals intelligence company, has raised $416 million in a US initial public offering, putting the valuation at about $2.42 billion.
The company sold 16 million shares at $26 each, the top end of its marketed range of $24 to $26. The stock begins trading today on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker HAWK.
Global X to Launch a Space Tech ETF
Space: the final (efficient) frontier.
Global X is going extra-global, planning to launch a space ETF, according to a filing the firm made last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Global X Space Tech ETF would invest in companies involved in: rocketry; space-exploration hardware and software; satellites and communication; and space tourism. (Here’s to sending more celebs to space.) The fund would include US and international companies with at least $200 million market caps, the initial prospectus states.