The Starsailor project’s design and development was substantially completed by 2023, during which Khalimonov was an undergraduate student at Concordia.

The Starsailor rocket is considered a prototype, not designed for commercial production.

Concordia University was granted a provisional renewable 10-day injunction against a former employee and co-founder of Polaris Aerospace, Oleg Khalimonov.

The court found that Concordia was never informed that Khalimonov was a shareholder and director of Polaris Aerospace.

Polaris Aerospace incorporated as a federal corporation on August 1, 2022, and serves as a consultancy on rocket technology and policy.

Dominic Ng Kuet Leong, an Engineer in Residence at Concordia University, submitted an affidavit stating that Starsailor was not designed for a commercial venture.

The second platform is an orbital demonstration that will place a NTN 5G payload on an Airbus LEO satellite, which will serve as a 5G base station in space.

The launch of the orbital phase is planned for 2027, with in-orbit testing expected in 2028.

The demonstrator will process data directly in space to reduce latency, maximize data performance, and enable more efficient network management and routing.

The first platform is a ground demonstration simulating a constellation of two low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to test key features like beam and satellite handover.

The goal of Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN is to explore the Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) 5G technology, which is compatible with various business applications.

Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN will utilize Airbus's software-defined satellites to manage and optimize 5G mobile phone signals in orbit.

Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN will test 5G connectivity on two different platforms.

A software-defined satellite can be reprogrammed from the ground after launch, making it a highly agile asset.

Airbus UpNext has introduced a new demonstrator called Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN to test global 5G connectivity in orbit.

Airbus has formed a consortium of partners for this initiative, including the Spanish company Sener, Aalyria, AccelerComm, CesiumAstro, Deutsche Telekom, Eutelsat, ITRI in Taiwan, Keysight Technologies, Onati, Radisys, and ST Engineering iDirect.

AtmOCube will investigate how atmospheric gravity waves disrupt satellite operations and navigation signals.

The planning phase will conclude with a System Requirements Review (SRR) for NASA's final approval for construction and implementation funding.

The mission utilizes a 16U CubeSat designed to operate at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers.

The AtmOCube team will enter a six-month concept and planning phase following NASA's selection.

The current AtmOCube mission seeks to bridge a critical data gap regarding how gravity waves trigger variability in air density.

Variability in air density directly impacts satellite drag and the reliability of Global Positioning System (GPS) transmissions.

Gravity waves are disturbances generated in the lower atmosphere that propagate upward to influence the thermosphere and ionosphere.

The AtmOCube mission is currently planned for a launch in 2029.

The primary payload of the AtmOCube satellite is an optical interferometer developed by FZJ and the University of Wuppertal.

Previous iterations of the technology include the AtmoCube A1 interferometer concept, designed to resolve individual emission lines within the oxygen A-band.

Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) leads the AtmOCube mission in collaboration with the University of Wuppertal and the University of Colorado Boulder (LASP).

Prof. Dr. Michaela I. Hegglin Shepherd is the project lead for AtmOCube and serves as Director at the FZJ Institute of Climate and Energy Systems.

AtmOCube builds upon nearly a decade of collaborative research between German atmospheric physicists and U.S. space laboratories.

The concept and planning phase will involve refining mission requirements and addressing feedback from the initial review process.

NASA selected the AtmOCube (Atmospheric Oxygen CubeSat Mission) on January 15, 2026, as part of its Heliophysics Flight Opportunities for Research and Technology (H-FORT) program.

By measuring temperature profiles, researchers can derive the spatial structure and energy flow of gravity waves.

The optical interferometer observes the natural infrared radiation of oxygen in the upper atmosphere to obtain high-resolution temperature profiles.

As of early 2026, a December 2025 White House Executive Order and the emergence of CLPS 2.0 have shifted the landscape of space from a scientific sanctuary to a commercial frontier.

In December 2025, NASA awarded the VIPER delivery task order to Blue Origin, marking a transition to large-scale commercial cargo services.

By June 2024, Sierra Space successfully validated its Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE®) technology for creating habitable space.

On March 25, 2025, Sidus Space and Arkisys announced a partnership to develop adaptable space systems designed to remain in orbit for decades.

Sierra Space is leveraging the projected growth of the space economy toward a trillion-dollar frontier to build factories of the future.

Tom Vice is the CEO of Sierra Space and has stated that their technology will enable the unit economics necessary for full commercialization of space.

The dual-use model of Sierra Space's LIFE® technology addresses a critical funding gap by lowering the cost of access to microgravity.

The focus of the industry is shifting away from Must-Land government infrastructure towards a market where logistics are handled by commercial giants and specialized science by niche providers.

The current administration mandated a transition to commercial orbital outposts by 2030 to ensure there is no gap in Low Earth Orbit presence.

The memorandum signed by NASA and DOE includes a goal to develop a lunar reactor by 2030.

The deployment of reactors on the Moon and in orbit is intended to advance the vision of U.S. space supremacy promoted by President Trump.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that the U.S. is committed to investing in infrastructure for a return to the Moon and significant leaps towards Mars and beyond under President Trump's national space policy.

Isaacman emphasized that the utilization of nuclear energy is essential for realizing this future.

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) committed to support research and development of nuclear fission surface power systems on the Moon for the Artemis program and Mars exploration missions.

The introduction of lunar reactors capable of operating for years without the need for refueling will provide continuous and abundant power regardless of sunlight or temperature conditions.

This agreement enables NASA and the DOE to work more closely together to provide the necessary capabilities for a new era of space exploration and discovery.

This capability will enable sustainable future lunar missions.