Rocket Lab, the small launch vehicle developer that recently performed its first commercial launch, has raised an additional $140 million to fund expansion of its launch activities and research projects. SpaceNews.com

Leaps in capabilities of commercial constellations of small Earth-observation satellites and the decreasing cost of their services were at the center of a debate about the future of publicly funded Earth-observation missions after Spire CEO Peter Platzer introduced the company’s ambition to become “the Amazon” of space. SpaceNews.com

While everybody is rightly celebrating recent successes in commercial space, some long-term trends are just beginning. It is still early days, and significant growth and new opportunities are just around the corner. SpaceNews.com

It’s no secret the megaconstellations will have a dramatic impact on space traffic. Experts now are turning their attention to ensuring they don’t also create a dangerous spike in orbital debris. SpaceNews.com

Space Tango, a Kentucky startup that develops microgravity research platforms, announced plans Nov. 15 to launch in the mid-2020s an autonomous in-orbit manufacturing facility. SpaceNews.com

With NASA committed to a human return to the moon, Mars exploration advocates say those lunar missions can be useful to achieve their long-term goals, if designed properly. SpaceNews.com

WASHINGTON — Air Force buyers of space systems are cutting red tape and removing layers of oversight to expedite programs, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Stephen Wilson said on Wednesday. Wilson said the reorganization of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center and the establishment of a rapid procurement office […] SpaceNews.com

Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai saying the agency “must consider whether sufficient spectrum will remain available to accommodate today's C-band services,” among other issues. SpaceNews.com

One take-away from last week’s Global MilSatcom conference in London is that the satellite communications industry is giving government buyers more choices than they can handle. SpaceNews.com

Space transportation startup Momentus raised $8.3 million in seed funding for its business of offering satellite operators rides from one orbit to another, the Santa, Clara, California company announced Nov. 14. SpaceNews.com

Geospatial imagery and services provider DigitalGlobe secured a $900 million contract extension from the National Reconnaissance Office to provide commercial imagery until August 2023. SpaceNews.com

Elections have consequences. But exactly what the new power structure in Washington means for the future of the Space Force will not be known for some time. SpaceNews.com

The Army’s interest in small satellites has not wavered. Pentagon contractor Dynetics announced last week it has been selected to develop small satellites for the USASMDC/ARSTRAT under a program named Gunsmoke-L. SpaceNews.com

"The end of the development of Ariane 6 and the need to increase competitiveness in the European rocket launch business compel ArianeGroup to reduce its capacity by the equivalent of 2,300 full-time jobs by 2022," the company said in a statement. SpaceNews.com

Griffin said nothing has yet been decided on how the Space Development Agency should be organized. SpaceNews.com

The smaller crew complement on the International Space Station created by last month’s Soyuz launch abort has not affected research activities there or plans to send new experiments on upcoming cargo missions. SpaceNews.com

The European Space Agency expects to carry out the qualification flight of the Space Rider spaceplane in 2021 followed by multiple demonstration missions before handing over the program to industry, according to Lucia Linares, head of ESA space transportation strategy and policy. SpaceNews.com

China unveiled a heavy-lift launch vehicle it is developing to carry a next-generation crewed spacecraft and power human spaceflight missions beyond low Earth orbit. SpaceNews.com

The European Space Agency plans to launch an Earth observation satellite equipped with an artificially intelligent processor that would enable the spacecraft to make decisions regarding what to image and which data to send to the ground. SpaceNews.com

Rupert Pearce, Inmarsat’s CEO, said Nov. 8 that the company is taking steps to retain customers in its largest market segment, having identified broadband for social use among crews as the missing component of Inmarsat’s maritime service offering. SpaceNews.com