01
Apex raises another $200M at a $2.3B valuation
Apex closed a $200 million round led by Glade Brook Capital Partners with Washington Harbour Partners, nearly doubling its valuation to $2.3 billion in its third $200 million round in about 14 months. CEO Ian Cinnamon said the company will add 30,000 square feet to its California factory, build more subsystems in-house, and pre-build satellites ahead of customer orders, while bringing on former Axon finance executive Michael Kopet as CFO ahead of this summer's Project Shadow space-based interceptor demo.
02
Axiom Space brings final round close above $525M with MUFG
Axiom Space said it added more than $175 million to the $350 million round it announced in February, taking the final close above $525 million. Japan's MUFG Bank joined as a new investor alongside existing backers including Type One Ventures and the Qatar Investment Authority, and CEO Jonathan Cirtain framed the extension as opportunistic capital for the company's commercial station plans and NASA Artemis lunar spacesuit work. Axiom also established a Swiss subsidiary in Lucerne to anchor European engagement with ESA.
03
NASA seeks new launcher for Blue Moon after New Glenn pad failure
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told FOX Business the agency is decoupling Blue Origin's Blue Moon landers from New Glenn and Launch Complex 36 following the May 28 hotfire explosion that badly damaged the pad at Cape Canaveral. An agency spokesperson confirmed NASA wants the Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander, and potentially the Mark 2 crewed lander, on an alternative rocket so the lander stays available for the Artemis 3 test mission in 2027 and a potential 2028 landing.
04
Qianfan crosses 200 satellites with back-to-back Long March flights
SpaceX
China launched Long March 6A and Long March 8 rockets on consecutive days, delivering 36 satellites to the Shanghai-led Qianfan broadband constellation and pushing the project past 200 satellites on orbit across 12 launches. The Long March 6A lifted off June 4 from Taiyuan with 18 Genesat-built satellites for polar orbits, followed less than a day later by a Long March 8 from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site carrying another 18. Spacesail is targeting global low-latency broadband service.
05
HASC keeps Northrop's Next Generation OPIR Polar alive against Pentagon cuts
The House Armed Services Committee approved its fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act 44-12 and authorized $415 million to continue Northrop Grumman's Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar missile-warning satellites. The Pentagon's budget had proposed terminating the program, arguing newer missile-warning architectures in LEO and medium Earth orbit (MEO) reduce the need for dedicated polar coverage, with about $2.1 billion already spent of a projected $3.4 billion total. Lawmakers cited Northern Command and Strategic Command support.
06
Apex Raises $200M At $2.3B Valuation
It’s the company’s third $200M round in about 14 months.
