NewSpace RFP

The opportunity

JPL asks small businesses about spacecraft power systems

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration posted a Sources Sought notice titled Spacecraft Electrical Power Systems (Pre-RFI Market Research), through the NASA Management Office, JPL. It closes November 13. The notice says the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is reviewing options to find small businesses, small business joint ventures, or teams led by a small business with experience performing the scope tasks it lists.

Sources Sought notices from the same office for High-Performance Space Computing (HPSC) (Pre-RFI Market Research) and Chemical and Electric Propulsion Systems (Pre-RFI Market Research) also close November 13.

The company move

Argotec story reports a fifty million euro raise

Our news desk carries a story dated October 30 reporting that Argotec Raises €50M To Scale Small Sat Manufacturing. A story dated October 27 reports that MP Space Raises AUD $23M to Scale Satellite Battery Manufacturing. A story dated October 28, marked Exclusive, reports that Rendezvous Robotics Raises $20M to Develop Self-Assembling Spacecraft. The headlines give those amounts, and we hold nothing further on the terms of any of them.

The money

Stories report civil space spending, debt and an antenna agreement

A story dated October 30 reports that Government Spending on Civil Space Topped $42 Billion in FY2026. A story dated October 30 reports that Telesat Stays Quiet on C$2.4B GEO Debt Due in December. A story dated November 1 reports that Canadian MDA Space Secures €64 Million IRIS2 Antenna Agreement. Separately, $12.5M was committed across 2 awards that reached the federal record this week.

The launch record

Three launches flew and eight are scheduled

Three orbital launches flew in the week. Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-18 flew on October 31 and GSLV Mk II | IRNSS-1L (NVS-03) on October 30, both recorded as Launch Successful. Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 15-16 flew on October 27 with the same status. On October 30, Spectrum | AT-Astra and Others (Spectrum Flight 3) moved 34 days earlier. Eight launches are scheduled in the coming week.