OUTERSPACE TODAYNEWS
← All editionsWednesday, August 19, 2026 / Issue 058
[ OST Daily ]

Rocket Lab Details 2027 Photon Test for Space Data Network, Spire Guides to 50% Growth, Starship Reaches Christmas Island After 24 Days

Outerspace Today6 min read / 2026-08-19
OST Daily August 19, 2026 — Rocket Lab laid out how its $12 million Photon mission will test optical interoperability with SpaceX's Space Data Network backbone in 2027, Spire guided to 50% full-year revenue growth with 85% of second-half revenue in backlog, and SpaceX's Starship arrived off Christmas Island for engineering inspection after 24 days at sea.
The daily pictureOST editorial illustration · 2026-08-19
[ 01 ]

The briefing

Rocket Lab put a date and a vehicle on its role in the Space Force's Space Data Network: a Photon spacecraft carrying optical communications and networking hardware, flying in 2027 to demonstrate interoperability with the SpaceX-built backbone. The $12 million package covers design, ground testing and the in-orbit demonstration, and follows last week's selection of Rocket Lab, Amazon Leo for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and York Space Systems for the $60 million effort. It is the first public detail on how any of the five intends to plug into the backbone SpaceX is building under a $2.29 billion award.

Spire Global reported 16% revenue growth in the June quarter and guided to a 50% full-year increase versus 2025, with 85% of second-half revenue already in firm backlog. The operator flew 29 satellites in the first half while holding a roughly 100-satellite fleet across radio occultation weather, maritime surveillance and radio-frequency geolocation. Separately, SpaceX towed its most recent Starship to Christmas Island after 24 days at sea, giving engineers their first chance to inspect an intact vehicle after a Starship flight before any attempt to return it to Starbase.

The demand side keeps building. Aerospace Corporation's Robert Wilson found that more than three-quarters of the proposed 120% Space Force budget increase in fiscal 2027 flows to four capability areas: classified programs, moving-target indication, missile warning, and command and control, with the $71.3 billion topline split between a $59.2 billion base request and $12.1 billion tied to reconciliation. The White House's fiscal 2028 projection of roughly $69.6 billion without another reconciliation package suggests the elevated level is meant to persist, which matters directly for the vendors now being onboarded to programs like the Space Data Network.

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The headlines

01

Rocket Lab sets 2027 Photon flight to test Space Data Network interoperability

SpaceX RKLB

Rocket Lab said its $12 million Space Data Network contract covers a Photon spacecraft carrying optical communications and networking hardware for an in-orbit interoperability demonstration in 2027 with the SpaceX-built Space Data Network Backbone. It is the first public detail on how any of the five vendors onboarded last week to the Space Systems Command's $60 million multi-vendor effort will conduct its on-orbit test, alongside Amazon Leo for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and York Space Systems.

02

Spire guides to 50% full-year revenue growth with H2 backlog covered

SPIR

Spire Global reported a 16% revenue increase for the quarter ended June 30 and said it expects full-year revenue to grow 50% versus 2025, with 85% of second-half revenue already in firm backlog. The operator launched 29 satellites in the first half while maintaining an approximately 100-satellite fleet supporting GNSS radio occultation weather, maritime surveillance, ADS-B tracking and RF geolocation, and expanded its European footprint through German manufacturing and partnerships with Schaeffler and Diehl.

03

SpaceX tows Starship to Christmas Island for engineering inspection

SpaceX

SpaceX said its most recent Starship arrived off Christmas Island after a 24-day sea tow from the Indian Ocean splashdown zone, giving engineers the first opportunity to inspect an intact Starship after a test flight. The company said a team of engineers is on its way to conduct additional analysis in calmer waters before attempting to return the vehicle to Starbase. Saltwater exposure and tip-over damage rule the ship out for reuse. The recovery still yields hardware-level data on heat shield and engine performance that prior flights could not provide.

04

Aerospace Corp. maps where the Space Force's 120% budget jump actually lands

A new analysis by Aerospace Corporation's Robert Wilson finds that more than 75% of the proposed 120% Space Force budget increase in fiscal 2027 is concentrated in classified programs, moving-target indication, missile warning, and command and control. The $71.3 billion request splits into a $59.2 billion base and $12.1 billion contingent on a reconciliation package, and the White House projects roughly $69.6 billion for fiscal 2028 without further reconciliation, signaling the elevated level is meant to persist.

05

L3Harris hosts Artemis II crew at Canoga Park RS-25 site

LHX

L3Harris welcomed the four-member Artemis II crew and NASA leadership to its Canoga Park site in Los Angeles, home to the RS-25 engines that powered the Space Launch System on the mission. Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen met with roughly 1,000 employees, and NASA presented L3Harris with a flown item recognizing the site's propulsion contributions. The visit ties L3Harris's propulsion business to a completed crewed lunar flight as the company transitions leadership under new CEO Sam Mehta.

06

Pentagon expands deorbit-as-a-service work as R&D on clearing dead satellites grows

FLY

The Defense Innovation Unit and Space Development Agency awarded contracts to D-Orbit, Firefly Aerospace and Katalyst Space to design capture-and-deorbit spacecraft under the Deorbit-as-a-Service project, with a total of $8.4 million funding preliminary designs due by year-end and options for follow-on work. D-Orbit disclosed a potential contract value of $24 million. The agencies plan to down-select one solution for a full on-orbit demonstration, targeting a launch in 2028 to remove obsolete satellites from low Earth orbit.

[ 03 / +24 / -21 ]

Market pulse

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

Gainers+24
Decliners-21
Big mover SATL-4.2%
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%
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Filings

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