NASA is considering buying two additional seats on Soyuz spacecraft to ensure a continued American presence on the International Space Station amid worries about additional delays in commercial crew flights. SpaceNews.com

An experimental Air Force small satellite intended to test space situational awareness technologies will be a secondary payload on the upcoming Falcon 9 launch of a commercial communications satellite and lunar lander. SpaceNews.com

NASA is now emphasizing speed in its lunar exploration plans, including seeking to fly payloads on commercial lunar landers before the end of this year as it works with industry on lander concepts. SpaceNews.com

During a recent conversation with a senior defense official about the changes coming to military space, he pointed out that under the proposed reorganization the lines of authority could become a little blurred. SpaceNews.com

Bill LaPlante, MITRE: The NC3 system “has been studied a lot, its life has been extended as long as we could, and that’s where we are." SpaceNews.com

We are starting to get a clearer picture of how the Pentagon plans to fund and organize the Space Force as a new military branch. SpaceNews.com

Fleet Space Technologies will begin raising money next week from investors in a Series A financing round after service launch immediately filled its four cubesats with customers. SpaceNews.com

Small launch vehicle developer Relativity has added three people, all of whom previously held key positions at SpaceX, to its leadership team as it refines the technologies it will use on its rockets. SpaceNews.com

NASA has selected for development a mission that will perform a spectroscopic survey of the entire sky at near-infrared wavelengths to study the origins of solar systems, galaxies and the universe. SpaceNews.com

NASA announced Feb. 13 that it was ending efforts to restore contact with the Opportunity Mars rover, bringing its mission to an end more than 15 years after it landed on the planet. SpaceNews.com

SpaceX has filed a protest over the award of a launch contract to United Launch Alliance for a NASA planetary science mission, claiming it could carry out the mission for significantly less money. SpaceNews.com

Lawmakers are calling for an independent review of the Air Force Launch Service Agreement contracts and its strategy to acquire launch services in the coming years. Why? SpaceNews.com

To receive FIRST UP Satcom, a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals, sign up here. TOP STORIES Russia plans to conduct six Proton launches this year, as well as a second flight of the Angara 5A, according to Khrunichev, the manufacturer for both rockets. The Angara 5A mission is scheduled for December 2019. The rocket […] SpaceNews.com

The new leader of the commercial space transportation office within the Federal Aviation Administration pledged to be open and “over-communicate” with industry as it works on new regulatory proposals. SpaceNews.com

CEO Yona Ovadia said Gilat had $104 million on hand as of Dec. 31 and will have sufficient resources for significant financial plays even after subtracting the dividend. SpaceNews.com

Spanish power company Red Eléctrica announced an agreement Feb. 12 to buy out Abertis’ 89.7 percent stake in domestic satellite operator Hispasat for 949 million euros ($1.08 billion). SpaceNews.com

Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly announced Feb. 12 his intent to run for a United States Senate seat in Arizona. SpaceNews.com

Starburst Aerospace and Techstars announced plans Feb. 12 to begin accepting applications for a new space-focused accelerator based in Los Angeles and backed by the U.S. Air Force, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, SAIC and Israel Aerospace Industries. SpaceNews.com

As NASA marks the latest milestone in the ongoing testing of the James Webb Space Telescope, agency officials are downplaying any additional delay to the troubled mission caused by the recent government shutdown. SpaceNews.com

DoD memo: The 2020 budget is a “starting point." The budget plan does not include “mission growth that may be needed to meet the evolving threat.” SpaceNews.com