The Monday brief Aug 17, 2026
Four launches flew and one of them failed at Max-Q, while we logged 1,329 changes and 64 new solicitations across the seven days.
Generated image
The opportunity
Landsat 10 sits at the top
Landsat 10 Spacecraft is the notice we would spend an hour on this week, with a closing date of August 31, 2026. A second science notice, Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) Access to Space (ATS), closes September 11, 2026. Together, they cover spacecraft construction and access to space.
For shorter turnaround, 527 SAS Satellite Modems from FA2550 50 CONS PKP closes August 18, 2026, and the notice says it is issued solely to determine potential sources. It sat among the 64 new solicitations posted this week.
The company move
Rocket Lab shows up on three desks
Rocket Lab filed a 424B5 on August 13, alongside two 8-K filings the same day and another on August 11. Our news list carried US Space Force gives Rocket Lab $397 million to build threat-tracking 'Flatellites' on August 14.
On the hiring desk, 36 listings first seen for the company over the seven days against 38 removed, a slightly negative net. Two other stories sat in the same list, Rocket Lab advances via series of announcements on August 15 and Rocket Lab Enters Europe’s Crowded Launch Market on August 14.
The money
Northrop Grumman tops this week's award changes
NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION was awarded $102M on August 14, the largest single figure in this week's award-tracker entries. LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION was awarded $51M on August 12, and UNITED LAUNCH SERVICES, LLC's award moved from $26M to $56M on August 15. LUNAR OUTPOST INC and VENTURI ASTROLAB INC each moved from $66M to $88M on August 12.
New stakes were disclosed as well. Google LLC and FOUNDERS FUND II LP disclosed stakes in SpaceX on August 15, and Musk Elon disclosed one on August 14.
The launch record
One failure among four flights flown
Four launches flew and five are scheduled for the coming week. Long March 7A | ChinaSat 4B failed on August 10, and the reason given is that the launch vehicle disintegrated when passing around Max-Q. H3-22 | Michibiki 7 (QZS-7) succeeded the same day, and two Falcon 9 Block 5 Starlink missions succeeded on August 11 and August 12.
Zhuque-3 | Flight 2 advanced 12 days on August 15 and went from TBD to Go.
The week in numbers
Watch this week
- Long March 2C carries an unknown payload for China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.Aug 17, 2026
- Zhuque-3 | Flight 2 is scheduled for LandSpace after two schedule moves last week.Aug 18, 2026
- The 527 SAS Satellite Modems notice closes, an RFI for potential sources.Aug 18, 2026
- MMIII Support Assembly FR closes at DLA Aviation at Ogden, UT, a 100% small business set aside.Aug 19, 2026
- Falcon 9 Block 5 is scheduled to fly Starlink Group 10-39 for SpaceX.Aug 20, 2026
Evidence cutoff Aug 15, 19:30 UTC. Figures stay as published; the site's rolling totals move daily. Written each week from the site's own record of the previous seven days. Every number and name in it is machine-checked against that record before a person reads it, an outside model then tries to refute it, and a person approves it before it appears here. Every claim links to the page that holds its evidence.