Peter B. de Selding

Ship detection needs answers fast – not terabytes of imagery to sift through. Balkan-1, a multispectral imaging satellite, runs AI onboard that detects vessels the moment they're imaged and downlinks only what matters - type, location, time. Data volume cut by over 90%, with no waiting on ground processing. Selected for the European Commission and ESA's Copernicus Program as a Contributing Mission. #spaceiscloserthanyouthink

Attention space industry! The Dept. Interior's @BOEM is seeking stakeholder feedback and input on the potential for US offshore launch and recovery infrastructure to expand America’s space capacity. Responses due by August 7! Learn more: boem.gov/newsroom/press… #SpaceEconomy

I directly predicted this pre-SX IPO and took appropriate action (selling all my speculative space stocks). This was my intuitive deduction. There is literally ZERO counterintuitive about concluding that a vastly hyped and overvalued SPCX IPO would drag down the entire sector once it deflated to normal values. This process has just started. Most of these stocks especially $ASTS have a LOT further to deflate from ridiculous meme-stock valuations.

The space sector did the most counterintuitive thing possible. It got its biggest catalyst in history, and the whole group got flushed. That was supposed to be the moment the entire sector re rated. Instead it sucked the oxygen out of the room. Investors dumped every other space name to fund their SpaceX allocation, the ETFs bled, and the whole basket got treated as one high beta pile of profit taking. $SPCX at 145, down about 33% from highs. $RKLB at $81, down almost 46% from highs. $ASTS at $74, down about 45% from highs. $PL at $26, down about 49% from highs. This is just a few of the many stocks with massive drawdowns. Space got killed.

At K2, we're always trying to push the bounds of what’s possible in space – taking on really hard engineering challenges and helping test new capabilities on orbit. Our ongoing satellite mission, Gravitas (pictured below left, with our 20kW dual channel Hall thruster firing in space), provided our partner @northropgrumman the opportunity to test a cutting-edge thermal control material on orbit. The FROST experiment (pictured below right) identified promising results for a proprietary thermal control material that acts like a thermal control mirror and will enable more affordable and scalable spacecraft thermal management.

In December 2025, Mira Aerospace conducted Europe's first High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) flight under civilian operational authorization in Spain. This milestone signaled to world that HAPS technology has shifted from experimental processes to commercial deployment. Khaled Al Marzooqi, Chief Executive Officer of Mira Aerospace, a subsidiary of Space42, examines the impact of this achievement on industries that depend on persistent, flexible coverage, in his article for The Orbit Vol. 2. He sheds light on how HAPS work seamlessly within layered systems alongside satellites and terrestrial networks, giving countries and companies a sharpened perspective of their surroundings. Read more here: space42.ai/en/the-orbit-m… #Space42 #TheOrbit #HAPS #MiraAerospace

.@ITUradiocomms refuses @Optus Australia's request for deployment deadline extension for Optus 11, says buying untested sat design was a known risk, not a force majeure. Deadline relates to use of Ka-, Q- & V-band links to gateway Earth stations.@AirbusSpace

@SemperCitiusSDA Equipped with medium-field-of-view payloads, the AMDT3 satellites will communicate fire control data to missile defense systems intercepting incoming threats. spklr.io/6012EPrSK

SpaceX continues to reconfigure its Starlink constellation, moving the satellites to lower orbits. In this thread by 'high' I will mean sats at 500-600 km, 'medium' 400-500 km and 'low' 300-400 km.

EDC-08 is now in orbit. 🛰️ Following a successful launch aboard @SpaceX's #Transporter17, the EarthDaily Constellation now has 8 satellites in orbit. Big thank you to @LoftOrbital, @SpaceX, @ABBgroupnews, @AirbusSpace, @INOCanada , and Xiphos for being exceptional partners.

.@MDA_space to buy 70% of established, profitable & growing French geo-intel co @CLS_Group for $647M; adds downstream to MDA upstream geo-int, promises a firmer footing in Europe's space sector. French @CNES agency to keep 30%, w/ French strategic interests protected.

MDA Space Enters into Firm Offer to Acquire @CLS_Group, a Global Leader in AI-Driven Earth Observation Data Analytics. Read the announcement here: brnw.ch/21x3Z8a

Franco-German @nyxcapsule The Exploration Co opens Rapid Innovation Lab in Houston to develop its Nyx crew capsule, whose 1st demo flight is planned for 2028. Drop test of simulated capsule performed in May in Mohave Desert.

.@ASDEurospace: Europe's space industry sales up 23% in 2025; employment up 2.2%; startups are 11% of headcount. 'Every company wants to be in Germany' to capture German space budget increase.' @AirbusSpace @thalesgroup @ArianeGroup @SAFRAN @iceye_global.spaceintelreport.com/eurospace-euro…

Avio and Advent enter into an investment agreement for the acquisition by Advent of a minority stake in Avio, by subscription of new shares to be issued by Avio arising from the partial exercise of the delegated power. Read the press release: tinyurl.com/5n7jz6cf #space

York is thrilled to announce the completion of its acquisition of @allspaceltd - a leading provider of advanced satellite communications terminals and multi-network connectivity solutions. The acquisition unites @allspaceltd jam-resistant, multi-link terminal technology with York’s proven space infrastructure and mission operations capabilities, creating a complete tactical ecosystem to deliver assured communications and positioning across space, land, air and maritime domains. Read more: businesswire.com/news/home/2026…

10 new satellites reached orbit on SpaceX's Transporter-17 mission. Onboard are technologies advancing what our customers are building in orbit – hyperspectral Earth observation, in-orbit manufacturing and 3D printing, rendezvous and proximity operations, and communication data relay. 100+ satellites deployed to date. From idea to orbit in 6 months: endurosat.com/space-service/

NEWS: @SESSpaceDefense has been awarded a five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement with the @USSpaceForce's Space Systems Command, making it easier for U.S. military branches to access secure, high-speed Ku-band satellite connectivity around the globe. With managed services like FlexMove, FlexGovSecure and FlexAir, we're helping deliver resilient, mission-ready communications - wherever they're needed most. 📰 Read the press release: bit.ly/4glJg4b

.@THAICOMPLC says @Astranis-built Thaicom 9 launch delayed to March 2027 after component anomaly affecting Thaicom & 4 other Astranis sats. Thaicom asks @ITUradiocomms to see the delay as "force majeure" and OK deployment deadline extension. ITU wants more info before deciding.

.@BeyondGravity_S to provide 27 payload fairings - 20 long (20 meters) & 7 short (14 meters) - for Ariane 6 flights 16-42 under contract w/ prime contractor @ArianeGroup. It's biggest-ever launcher deal for Beyond Gravity's Swiss branch. Mid-term goal: 9-10 Ariane 6 launches/yr.