Rocket Lab is scaling its Space Systems workforce to manage assembly and integration of the Maxwell and Pioneer satellite buses.

Rocket Lab successfully launched 18 Electron missions in 2025.

Neutron is Rocket Lab’s medium-lift rocket program.

Utsunomiya City requests that potential donors first contact the City Industrial Policy Division, Industrial Innovation Group at 028-632-2442 to confirm whether the total requested donation amount falls within the projected project budget.

If the total requested donation amount exceeds the projected project budget, Utsunomiya City will allocate excess donations to related municipal measures.

Utsunomiya City’s "Utsunomiya Industrial Promotion Vision" designates the aerospace sector as a重点振興産業 (priority promotion industry).

Utsunomiya City is soliciting donations for a "Space Business Certification Project" that will subsidize project-related costs for space-related businesses in the city using corporate furusato nozei funds.

The application deadline for Utsunomiya City’s corporate furusato nozei donations for space startups is March 9.

Utsunomiya City is soliciting donations for a space business ideation workshop called an "Ideathon" to discover and refine business ideas from businesses, entrepreneurs, and students interested in space business.

Utsunomiya City in Tochigi Prefecture is soliciting corporate furusato nozei (hometown tax) donations to support space startups based in the city.

Utsunomiya City is promoting a space industry cluster that leverages local aerospace manufacturers and a university located in the city that is developing small satellites.

BULL is a certified participant in Utsunomiya City’s Space Business Certification Project and is engaged in space debris mitigation.

Focus is a certified participant in Utsunomiya City’s Space Business Certification Project and performs AI analysis of satellite data to address regional issues.

Andromeda Ventures invests from pre-seed through Series A across space, defense, energy, health, and AI-enabled autonomy.

Christian Elam previously founded Bachmanity Capital and was an early investor in defense technology company Thor Dynamics.

Dr. Johnson's conversation with Clayton Turner and Daniel Fata will focus on how validated government technology needs translate into scalable commercial capabilities and how venture capital can accelerate that transition.

Dr. Christyl C. Johnson will participate in a keynote fireside chat alongside Andromeda Ventures Operating Partners Clayton Turner and Daniel Fata on Friday, January 30, 2026.

Andromeda Ventures operates on the premise that technologies required to operate in extreme environments also strengthen resilience on Earth.

Dr. Christyl C. Johnson previously served as Associate Administrator and Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, providing executive leadership and strategic oversight of the agency’s advanced technology programs spanning early research through flight-ready systems.

Andromeda Ventures is a venture capital platform focused on mission-critical, dual-use technologies that strengthen infrastructure, security, and human performance on Earth while enabling sustainable human expansion into space.

Andromeda Ventures expects to invest in approximately 30–35 companies with a geographic focus of roughly 70% U.S. and 30% international investments.

Christian Elam co-authored the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act.

Andromeda Ventures will be formally debuted during SpaceCom | Space Congress 2026 in Orlando.

Andromeda Ventures supports portfolio companies through validation pathways, regulatory insight, strategic partnerships, and international market entry via a global network.

Andromeda Ventures is led by Co-Founders and General Partners Dr. Christyl C. Johnson and Christian Elam.

Andromeda Ventures invests against validated government technology roadmaps and clearly defined capability gaps, directing capital toward technologies that must perform reliably under extreme conditions.

Christian Elam was appointed a United Nations Peace Ambassador in 2024.

The two spacecraft deployed on the mission entered an approximately 652-mile low Earth orbit.

The mission 'The Cosmos Will See You Now' lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:52 p.m. local time on January 22, 2026.

Qualification testing of the Neutron Stage 1 tank during a hydrostatic pressure trial resulted in a rupture at Launch Complex 3 in Wallops Island, Virginia.

Rocket Lab’s next Neutron Stage 1 tank is already in production.

The Rocket Lab team is reviewing the Stage 1 test data to determine the extent of the impact to Neutron’s launch schedule.

Rocket Lab’s first launch of 2026 placed two spacecraft into orbit for European space technology company Open Cosmos.

Neutron’s development campaign continues while the team assesses the Stage 1 test outcome.

Qualification testing of the Neutron Stage 1 tank resulted in no significant damage to the test structure or facilities.

Rocket Lab intends to provide an update on the Neutron schedule during its 2025 Q4 earnings call in February.

The flight was Rocket Lab’s 80th Electron launch overall.

Artemis II will lose connectivity with Earth only when the spacecraft goes around the far side of the Moon.

Artemis II will test a laser-enabled communications system that provides increased bandwidth compared with the Deep Space Network.

Artemis II crew members will have the opportunity to speak with their families at least once, and possibly twice, during the mission.

The Artemis II vehicle will provide a local Wi‑Fi network for onboard devices that will not have access to the Internet on Earth.

Artemis II will have contact with Mission Control for almost the entire mission if the mission goes according to plan.

Artemis II will route downlinked camera video through NASA's Deep Space Network.

Artemis II will use radio communication primarily to talk to Mission Control.

NASA's Deep Space Network is used to communicate with spacecraft that are operating in deep space.

Artemis II will be in the Moon's communications shadow for approximately 45 minutes during each far-side pass.

Artemis II will be able to send videos and conduct video conferences with people on Earth via its communications links.

The SDNX contract with Aalyria was awarded through the AFRL’s STAR-FISH initiative.

Brian Barritt is Chief Technology Officer at Aalyria.

Aalyria was selected by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to support the Space Data Network Experimentation (SDNX) program.