OUTERSPACE TODAYNEWS
← All editionsMonday, August 17, 2026 / Issue 056
[ OST Daily ]

L3Harris Names Sam Mehta CEO, SpaceX Sets a 38.5-Minute Coast-to-Coast Turnaround, Intuitive Machines Books $600M for Three Geostationary Satellites

Outerspace Today6 min read / 2026-08-17
OST Daily August 17, 2026 — L3Harris replaced Christopher Kubasik with Space & Mission Systems chief Sam Mehta effective immediately, SpaceX shrank its coast-to-coast Falcon 9 gap to a record 38.5 minutes flying Globalstar replenishment and a classified Space Force payload, and Intuitive Machines disclosed a $600 million contract from an undisclosed customer for three geostationary communications satellites on its IM 1300 bus.
The daily pictureOST editorial illustration · 2026-08-17
[ 01 ]

The briefing

SpaceX turned Saturday night into a pace demonstration, launching eight Globalstar replenishment satellites from Cape Canaveral at 9:12 p.m. EDT and a classified USSF-366 payload from Vandenberg 38.5 minutes later under a previously awarded National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 task order. Booster B1090 flew its 14th mission and landed at Landing Zone 40, while B1088 marked the 650th Falcon booster recovery. The Globalstar payload carried the first eight of 17 Rocket Lab Lightning-derived platforms built for MDA Space under a $143 million contract, all now generating power and in commissioning to extend Globalstar's direct-to-device network.

Intuitive Machines disclosed a $600 million order for three geostationary communications satellites from an undisclosed customer, its first large win on the IM 1300 bus inherited from the Lanteris acquisition. The Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency added D-Orbit USA and Katalyst Space alongside Firefly Aerospace on a deorbit-as-a-service study for non-cooperative satellites, widening an effort that already funds Starfish Space at $52.5 million. Telesat absorbed a $558.6 million second-quarter net loss and a 26% revenue drop as it lifted 2026 Lightspeed capex to $1.4 billion for a 225-satellite constellation backed by its $2.7 billion Canadian contract.

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The headlines

01

SpaceX flies Globalstar and USSF-366 within 38.5 minutes

SpaceX GSAT

SpaceX launched eight Globalstar replenishment satellites from Cape Canaveral at 9:12 p.m. EDT on August 15 and a classified USSF-366 payload from Vandenberg 38.5 minutes later, a record turnaround between coasts. Booster B1090 flew its 14th mission and landed at Landing Zone 40, marking Florida's 52nd orbital launch of the year, while Vandenberg booster B1088 recovered on Of Course I Still Love You for the 650th Falcon landing overall. Space Systems Command said USSF-366 was assigned under a previously awarded National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 task order.

02

Rocket Lab delivers first eight of 17 MDA-built Globalstar platforms

RKLB MDA

Rocket Lab confirmed that the eight satellite platforms launched on the Globalstar replenishment mission are the first batch of 17 it is building for MDA Space under a $143 million contract, and that all eight have made contact and are generating power on orbit. The 500-kilogram spacecraft are a tailored version of Rocket Lab's Lightning bus, built in Long Beach with in-house solar arrays, reaction wheels, avionics, TT&C radios, and flight and ground software. Commissioning is underway ahead of integration into Globalstar's direct-to-device and IoT service.

03

Intuitive Machines books $600M order for three IM 1300 geostationary satellites

LUNR

Intuitive Machines disclosed on its Q2 earnings call that it won a $600 million contract in June from an undisclosed customer for three geostationary communications satellites built on the IM 1300 bus, the former Maxar/Lanteris platform it acquired last year. CEO Steve Altemus said the work will be delivered over the next 30 months and declined to say whether the order is linked to the FCC's upper C-band clearing, which is funding new satellites at SES, Eutelsat and Telesat. The order sits alongside more than 70 smaller IM 300 satellites on backlog, including 18 for L3Harris on the Space Development Agency Tranche 3 program.

04

D-Orbit and Katalyst join Firefly on the Pentagon's deorbit-as-a-service study

FLY

The Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency selected D-Orbit USA, Firefly Aerospace and Katalyst Space for a deorbit-as-a-service study focused on capturing and removing non-cooperative government satellites that were not designed to be serviced. The awards begin with preliminary design and risk-reduction work before the agencies down-select a single provider for an on-orbit demonstration, extending an effort that in 2024 spread feasibility studies across six companies and ultimately gave Starfish Space a $52.5 million contract to deorbit up to seven spacecraft.

05

Telesat lifts Lightspeed capex to $1.4B as Q2 loss hits $558.6M

TSAT MDA

Telesat reported a Q2 net loss of $558.6 million and a 26% revenue decline to $79.5 million, driven by legacy broadcast and enterprise weakness plus a $475 million non-cash charge tied to rising government warrant values. The company raised 2026 Lightspeed capital spending to $1.4 billion to fund a 44% expansion of the low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation to 225 satellites, backed by the $2.7 billion Enhanced Satellite Communications Project-Polar contract signed with Canada's Defence Investment Agency in early August. Geostationary backlog rose to $900 million after a five-year broadcast contract extension.

06

NASA lines up three more Commercial Lunar Payload Services task orders, including a lunar orbiter

FLY LUNR

On earnings calls this week, Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines said they expect NASA to award three additional Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task orders by year-end, including two more landers and, in the fall, an orbiter contract to replace the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that has flown since 2009. Firefly is offering its Ocula lunar imaging service on Elytra spacecraft, while Intuitive Machines already manages LRO camera operations and can pursue the orbiter with the IM 1300 bus. Both companies hold backlogs of four CLPS lander missions each after June's CS-8 awards.

[ 03 / +24 / -22 ]

Market pulse

Archived snapshot from this edition. Prices and moves are not live.

Gainers+24
Decliners-22
Big mover SATL-4.2%

LUNR: Intuitive Machines disclosed on its Q2 earnings call that it won a $600 million contract in June from an undisclosed customer for three geostationary communications satellites.

AssetSnapshotMoveTrend
ATROAstronics$77.51+4.0%
GLWCorning$152.78+3.8%
RBCRBC Bearings$513.95+3.6%
SATLSatellogic$5.13-4.2%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile$59.88-3.4%
LUNRIntuitive Machines$16.11-3.0%
[ 04 / 6 in window ]

Filings

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