York Space Systems, a Denver-based satellite manufacturer, announced plans April 17 to work with Swiss satellite and rocket component supplier Ruag Space on payload adapters for York's S-Class satellites. SpaceNews.com

A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched a NASA science mission April 18 that will look for planets orbiting other stars. SpaceNews.com

Boeing: The production of two new satellites for the Air Force will “move faster” than the typical WGS schedule. SpaceNews.com

A satellite startup that today announced SoftBank, Airbus, Bill Gates and OneWeb founder Greg Wyler as investors says it has plans to field a constellation of hundreds of satellites to provide global video of the Earth, but provided few details on how it will accomplish that goal. SpaceNews.com

Open Cosmos, a British startup planning to manufacture and operate inexpensive cubesats for customers, announced April 18 it raised $7 million in Series A funding in an investment round led by London-based BGF Ventures. SpaceNews.com

In his last major speech as NASA’s acting administrator before retiring, Robert Lightfoot said he believes the space agency needs to do a better job assessing risks and making decisions in order to carry out its exploration plans. SpaceNews.com

As Sierra Nevada Corporation prepares its Dream Chaser cargo vehicle for a first launch on an Atlas 5 in late 2020, the company expects to make a decision by the end of this year on the rocket that will launch later missions. SpaceNews.com

Boeing has decided to not challenge Lockheed Martin for the next production lot of up to 22 GPS 3 satellites. SpaceNews.com

The House Science Committee, after some unusual last-minute drama, approved a NASA authorization bill April 17 that offers more support to the agency’s Earth science program. SpaceNews.com

U.S. Strategic Command's bilateral agreements to share Space Situational Awareness data with other nations could lead to further space cooperation, according to panelists at the 34th Space Symposium. SpaceNews.com

Space matters in Europe and it is a top political priority. But the European Union’s efforts to achieve autonomy in space don’t mean we act in isolation. SpaceNews.com

Lockheed Martin picked a veteran missile defense engineer to lead the company’s space research organization known as the Advanced Technology Center, in Palo Alto, California. SpaceNews.com

Despite the pressing need for intervention and technology approaching maturity, it has been difficult to gather wide public consensus and deploy a maiden active debris removal mission. SpaceNews.com

The first test for SMC 2.0 will be the next-generation missile-warning constellation that will replace the current Space Based Infrared System. SpaceNews.com

The Air Force will invite allied militaries, starting in 2019, to attend U.S. military schools where Air Force space officers learn about space warfare. SpaceNews.com

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Stephen Kitay says ensuring U.S. leadership in space is a team effort. SpaceNews.com

Raymond: “We are making bold shifts toward war fighting and space superiority.” SpaceNews.com

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross says his department is gearing up to add space traffic management to its growing portfolio of commercial space responsibilities. SpaceNews.com

“Commercial space will be fully leveraged in satisfying user needs and fully considered in the development of every future space system,” said NRO Director Betty Sapp. “Just as we do in other areas, we want to design only what we must and buy everything that we can.” SpaceNews.com

An FCC commissioner said Tuesday she was astonished the White House did not give the telecom regulatory agency a seat on the National Space Council. SpaceNews.com