Space News for Thursday, July 30, 2026

In this episode, we aggregate and summarize today's top space news stories. Enjoy!(00:10) Podcast Introduction(00:20) Sophia Space and Caltech claim patent for space data centers(01:00) Proposed rule would exempt commercial launch licensing from environmental regulations(01:30) L3Harris delays missile business IPO to 2027 despite surging defense demand(02:01) SpaceX wins $1.6 billion in launch orders for military satellite networks(02:21) Space Force awards All Points $250 million to expand satellite processing at Vandenberg(02:55) SpaceX launches classified payload for National Reconnaissance Office(03:43) Global Konet and Hanseo University Partner to Develop Integrated 100 km BVLOS Satellite Communication Infrastructure for Drones(04:09) Launch Manifests Are Becoming Spectrum Policy(04:39) NASA Converts Test Expert Ray Williams to Civil Servant in Strategic Workforce Shift(05:16) Juniper Research Projects VLEO Satellite Investment to Reach $10 Billion by 2031(05:28) NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts(06:13) NASA Sets Coverage for August Northern Hemisphere Total Solar Eclipse(07:00) ESA taps Aalyria to build deep-space network hub(07:40) 'It's going to do things that currently are impossible': The Roman Space Telescope, NASA's next great observatory, is ready to launch Aug. 30(08:21) NASA launched this spacecraft to save a satellite. Now, it needs saving too(09:02) SpaceX launching secret US spy satellite early on July 30: Watch it live(09:19) The Holy Stone HS900 Pro drone is sadly middling and being outcompeted by many other models(09:29) SpaceX Starship still floating 5 days after flight | Space photo of the day for July 29, 2026