The orbital restoration is projected to extend the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory’s operational lifespan by an additional decade.

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has no onboard propulsion system for orbital maintenance.

The SBA will use its SBIC investment framework to provide federal matching leverage to licensed private equity and venture capital funds under the SBIC-NASA Initiative.

The SBIC-NASA Initiative mobilizes private institutional capital to build manufacturing capabilities for sustained lunar operations and future Martian exploration frameworks.

NASA’s Office of Strategic Capital will connect vetted small business defense and civil contractors with participating SBIC fund managers through technical briefings and matchmaking forums.

The SBIC-NASA Initiative is designed to address production bottlenecks and expand commercial manufacturing throughput within the domestic space industrial base.

The SBIC-NASA Initiative merges NASA’s Office of Strategic Capital with the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company program.

NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration signed a Memorandum of Agreement on June 29, 2026, establishing the Small Business Investment Company-NASA Initiative.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman leads NASA during the SBIC-NASA Initiative launch period.

Licensed SBIC funds participating in the program will be eligible for secondary debt leverage backed by the SBA.

The SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation will host the operational framework for the SBIC-NASA Initiative.

The SBA has prioritized structural enhancements for domestic manufacturers in fiscal year 2026, including fee reductions and loan guarantees up to 90%.

NASA will identify technological shortfalls and engineering priorities across the civil aerospace sector under the SBIC-NASA Initiative.

NASA’s Office of Strategic Capital will begin hosting technical briefings and matchmaking forums in the third quarter of 2026.

JPL’s autonomous tip-and-queue capability can automatically detect an event of interest and redirect satellite assets to gather more data.

Flight demonstrations for the FAME project are set to begin in June 2026.

JPL’s software is designed to enable autonomous tip-and-queue tasking without requiring ground-based command uplinks.

NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office funds the FAME project.

Loft Orbital’s on-orbit infrastructure features a high-performance processing architecture that supports edge computing and lightweight AI application deployment.

The spacecraft involved in FAME will use intersatellite links for rapid communication with one another or with ground stations at any time.

Additional FAME deployments on future AI-enabled satellites are planned for 2027 and 2028.

Loft Orbital will provide on-orbit infrastructure for JPL’s AI software under the Federated Autonomous MEasurement (FAME) project.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory selected Loft Orbital to host and fly demonstrations of artificial intelligence software for near-real-time Earth observation data processing without human intervention.

Julie Kearney previously served as the first Chief of the FCC Space Bureau.

David Redl previously led the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

David Redl is SpaceConnect Association’s Executive Director.

SpaceConnect Association’s priorities include market access, radio spectrum allocation, updated licensing processes, and shared practices for sustainable space operations.

SpaceConnect Association will collaborate with international institutions, governments, and industry stakeholders on a regulatory framework for the NGSO sector.

Julie Kearney is SpaceConnect Association’s General Counsel.

SpaceConnect Association aims to promote policies that support growth in the NGSO sector, technological innovation, and responsible space activities.

SpaceConnect Association is organized as a 501(c)(6) trade association.

NordSpace has acquired land for a future RF-2 facility for the Tempest rocket.

SLC-01 will support orbital launch pads, medium-lift extensions, and vertical integration stack test facilities for NordSpace vehicles.

NordSpace is working with C-CORE on a ground-stations-related project.

NordSpace is developing the Atlantic Spaceport Complex in Newfoundland and Labrador.

NordSpace is developing the TERRY lunar rover, which is named after Terry Fox.

NordSpace has issued tenders for construction at SLC-01.

The Atlantic Spaceport Complex has two main launch areas, SLC-01 and SLC-02.

SLC-02 started construction last year and is focused on suborbital and smaller launches.

NordSpace says the Hadfield engine architecture can survive an engine-out on the way to orbit.

The Tempest rocket will use larger Hadfield 350 engines.

NordSpace’s Tundra+ launcher is designed to carry just over 2,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit.

NordSpace will conduct Tempest research and development at its RF-1 facility.

NordSpace’s Tundra launcher is capable of delivering 1,100 kilograms to low Earth orbit.

NordSpace’s new facility will include large-scale metal additive manufacturing and robotic automated-fibre-placement composites manufacturing.

NordSpace, Reaction Dynamics, and Canada Rocket Company split a $25-million award in Canada’s Launch the North IDEaS Challenge Phase 1.

NordSpace says the dual-chamber architecture cut 3-4 years from its development timeline.

SLC-02 development includes new hangars, pad extensions, and security features.

NordSpace’s Terra Nova satellite is part of its space-systems work.

NordSpace’s team includes personnel drawn from SpaceX, Firefly, Rocket Lab, and Blue Origin.