In April, Galileo marked a step forward with the deployment of a new signal component, known as E5a Quasi Pilot, on 12 satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. This upgrade makes Galileo signals easier to access, particularly on emerging mass-market, low-power devices used for Internet of Things and smart city applications.

Week in images: 15-19 June 2026

Discover our week through the lens

On 17 June at 09:21 local time (13:21 BST, 14:21 CEST), Ariane 6 flight VA269 soared to orbit from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. 36 satellites for Amazon’s Leo constellation left Earth powered by four P160C-based boosters, the first time these upgraded boosters were used – making this launch the most powerful so far for Europe’s heavy-lift rocket. 

NASA has selected for development a space science mission that will study how space weather interacts with Earth’s atmosphere.

Private equity firm EQT is acquiring Exolaunch, a company that has handled the rideshare launches of hundreds of satellites, to help it meet growing launch demand.

Kelly Hammett’s departure comes as the Space Rapid Capabilities Office is being realigned under the Space Force

Chinese startup Spark Space has secured a series of funding rounds for what it claims will be the world's largest electric-pump-fed rocket, following engine tests.

In this episode of Space Minds, David Ariosto talks with Mike Kincaid, president and chief executive of the Challenger Center.