Entre l’envoi de satellites patrouilleurs, le recours à l’intelligence artificielle pour traiter plus vite les données spatiales et la mise en place d’un Airbnb des antennes, les nouveaux champions du...

Newspace is hiring! With the major powers heading to the moon, low-Earth orbit becoming busier than ever, and countless new companies entering the space marketplace, the

On Episode 233 of This Week In Space, Tariq Malik and guest host Rick Jenet are joined by Dr. Amanda Smith-Hackler, the Director of Education for the Universities Space Research Association and Principal Investigator for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars and STEM Workforce Development Programs, about the new and exciting opportunities available to young people seeking to enter the space workforce. Newspace is hiring! With the major powers heading to the moon, low-Earth orbit becoming busier than ever, and countless new companies entering the space marketplace, the hiring pipeline is more critical than ever. Download or subscribe to this show at:https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Space news of the week Watch NASA's update on accelerating Artemis moon plans today After Starshield interruption, Ukraine wants to build its own satellite communication network with ICEYE and Nokia Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' depicts the sky on July 22, 1889, researchers find The Air Force Research Laboratory Scholas Program Model Falcon 9! Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed...

Daniel Biedermann is a partner at NewSpace Capital. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Jeff Bezos, the founder and former CEO of Amazon, recently said that Blue Origin, his space technology company, is likely to go public in the coming years. The announcement has (unsurprisingly) attracted considerable attention, not least because Bezos has spent more than two decades financing the company largely from his personal wealth. He has invested billions of dollars in developing rockets, spacecraft and other forms of technology, often with very little prospect of an immediate return. But although Bezos has now raised the possibility of an initial public offering, he has given no firm indication of when one might happen. He may be right to keep his options open. Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000. Because he has financed so much of its development by himself, the company has been able to pursue ambitious engineering projects without the financial pressures that publicly listed businesses typically face. But developing reusable rockets, manufacturing spacecraft and building the infrastructure needed for future lunar missions requires extraordinary amounts of capital: These projects can take decades to complete, and even the wealthiest investors must think hard...

### Government Desk Brief – October 16th, 2026 Daily Government Procurement & Obligations Brief Authorisations # Gates & Authorisations * **India MoD executes $432.0mn capital acquisition contracts for military satellite and naval torpedoes**. On October 15th, 2026, the Ministry of Defence completed signing formalities in New Delhi for two major domestic capital acquisitions under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) framework. The first authorisation awards a $269.7mn contract to NewSpace India Limited for the dedicated GSAT-7C communications satellite to support beyond-line-of-sight command links for the Indian Air Force. The second approval awards a $162.3mn manufacturing order to Bharat Dynamics Limited for ship-launched Varunastra heavyweight anti-submarine torpedoes, obliging naval procurement authorities to transition test milestones into series acceptance trials. (_Source: Press Information Bureau)_ * **Sweden advances parliamentary bill for allied force deployments in 2027**. Following formal submission on October 13th, 2026, the Swedish Riksdag advanced legislative deliberation on October 15th, 2026, regarding Government Bill 2026/27 to authorise multinational force assignments across NATO deterrence missions. The authorisation establishes statutory backing for deploying Swedish ground formations to Forward Land Forces battlegroups in Finland and Latvia, assigning naval combatants to Standing NATO Maritime Groups, and deploying Patriot air defence units to eastern Poland beginning in December 2026. This authorises defence staff to commit operational logistics and pre-position equipment ahead of the 2027 fiscal cycle. (_Source: Government of Sweden)_ * **Bulgaria confirms accession to NATO counter-drone investment framework**. On October 15th, 2026, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence confirmed to the National Assembly that Bulgaria will formally sign into NATO's multinational Drone Edge capability programme before the end of the month. Acceding to the initiative integrates Bulgaria into an allied $40.0bn five-year common capability and counter-unmanned aerial systems framework established to protect Black Sea shipping routes. The decision requires the armed forces to align future air-defence procurement lines with alliance interoperability and pooled-procurement technical specifications. (_Source: The Sofia Globe)_ Open Windows # Open Windows * **European Defence Agency opens tender for defence nuclear energy systems study**. The European Defence Agency issued call for tenders EDA/2026/OP/0010 on October 12th, 2026, initiating an open procedure for a four-year service framework contract valued at €0.9mn to research nuclear technologies for European defence energy systems. Bidding consortia must deliver specialized analysis on microreactors, energy resilience, licensing frameworks, and critical infrastructure protection. Submissions close strictly on November 16th, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time, providing ministry energy planners access to standardized nuclear deployment roadmaps. (_Source:_ European Defence Agency_)_ * **India DRDO releases fast-turnaround solicitation for parachute hardware**. On October 15th, 2026, the Directorate General of Aeronautical Systems under the Department of Defence Research and Development issued tender GEM/2026/B/7906529 for the manufacture and supply of specialized ribbon parachute assemblies and protective pack covers. The bidding window opened on October 15th, 2026, and sets a rapid-response submission deadline of October 16th, 2026, at 10:00 New Delhi time. The expedited procurement requires pre-qualified domestic manufacturing units to furnish rapid delivery schedules for critical flight-test programmes. (_Source:_ Ministry of Defence eProcurement_)_ * **Military Engineer Services issues air station infrastructure call**. On October 16th, 2026, the Military Engineer Services under the Ministry of Defence published procurement notice 2026_MES_784081_2 covering structural restoration, masonry repair, and surface works at Air Force Station Dinjan under Garrison Engineer Mohanbari. The submission window opened on October 16th, 2026, with technical and financial bid reception closing on October 29th, 2026, at 18:00 New Delhi time ahead of official opening on October 30th, 2026. The procurement obliges accredited civil engineering contractors to maintain active defence-sector security clearance profiles. (_Source:_ Ministry of Defence eProcurement_)_ Controls # Controls & Restrictions * **US OFAC issues General License FF mandating wind-down of Iraqi financial institution**. On October 15th, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License FF under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 560). The order authorises transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to wind down commercial dealings involving the International Development Bank for Investment and Finance through October 30th, 2026. The measure legally binds defence contractors and banking intermediaries subject to US jurisdiction to route any residual payments to blocked persons into segregated, blocked accounts. (_Source:_ US Department of the Treasury_)_ * **US DDTC concludes multi-part ITAR rule updates on munitions lists and trade controls**. On October 15th, 2026, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published the conclusion of a structured series of six rulemaking actions revising the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The regulatory package alters defense article categorisations on the United States Munitions List and refines licensing policies governing technical data transfers to allied industrial partners. The revised rules bind global procurement offices and industrial prime contractors managing joint defense programmes with United States export control exposure. (_Source: US Department of State)_ * **India Department of Defence Production initiates debarment proceedings against SMPP Limited**. On October 16th, 2026, the Department of Defence Production began reviewing formal suspension of business dealings and supplier debarment for private munitions manufacturer SMPP Limited. The compliance action follows the arrest of the supplier's chief executive by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with alleged corruption and unlawful disclosure of sensitive technical specifications involving a $60.0mn ammunition contract with Munitions India Limited. Any formal debarment order will legally prohibit the supplier from bidding across all public sector undertakings and military services. (_Source: Press Information Bureau)_ Sovereignty # Sovereignty & Dependency * **Single-vendor missile component procurement exposes public supplier dependency**. Commercial disclosures on October 15th, 2026, revealed that Bharat Dynamics Limited bypassed traditional public-sector competitions to issue a single-source tender valued at $6.8mn to start-up firm Aindri Defence Advisory for 300 optical sights used in Konkurs-M anti-tank missile systems. The departure from competitive tenders won in previous cycles by India Optel Limited was officially justified on urgent delivery requirements. The move creates critical operational dependency on an unproven commercial entity without established manufacturing infrastructure, raising supply-chain risks for frontline anti-tank munitions assembly. (_Source: The Indian Express)_ * **Indian Navy commissions lead multi-purpose vessel to eliminate auxiliary fleet reliance**. On October 16th, 2026, the Indian Navy proceeded with the formal commissioning of INS Samarthak at Naval Base Karwar, Karnataka. Constructed by Larsen & Toubro as the first of four multi-purpose vessels, the platform reduces dependency on overseas yards for coastal surveillance, autonomous surface vessel trials, and specialized salvage platforms. The induction establishes a domestic operational testbed that allows procurement branches to trial indigenous maritime systems without altering mission configurations on primary combat ships. (_Source:_ Ministry of Defence_)_ Calendar # Institutional Calendar * **October 30th, 2026: Proposal submission deadline for AMCA Development-cum-Production Partner**. Industry proposals close for the Ministry of Defence Request for Proposal to select the Development-cum-Production Partner for the Fifth-Generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme, ahead of formal bid openings scheduled for October 31st, 2026. The milestone governs the selection of the primary industrial entity tasked with manufacturing structural prototypes alongside the Aeronautical Development Agency. (_Source:_ Ministry of Defence_)_ * **October 30th, 2026: Expiration of US OFAC General License FF for Iraqi bank transactions**. Authorisations issued under General License FF by the US Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control expire at 00:01 Eastern Daylight Time. Public financial authorities, logistics coordinators, and contractors must finish all wind-down transactions involving the International Development Bank for Investment and Finance before the cutoff or face immediate asset blocking sanctions. (_Source:_ US Department of the Treasury_)_ * **November 14th, 2026: Expiration of US OFAC divestment safe-harbour under Executive Order 14404**. The limited non-targeting posture maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control for commercial divestment from Banco Internacional de Comercio SA (BICSA) terminates. International public bodies and contracting agencies with residual dealings must conclude contract cancellations and operational disengagement to prevent secondary sanctions enforcement. (_Source:_ US Department of the Treasury_)_ * **November 16th, 2026: European Defence Agency NUCLEUS study procurement closure**. Tender submissions close at 17:00 Brussels time for the European Defence Agency procurement EDA/2026/OP/0010 covering nuclear technology applications for military energy systems. Public opening of offers will commence on November 17th, 2026, at 11:00 Brussels time, concluding the qualification gate for European defence energy advisory frameworks. (_Source:_ European Defence Agency_)_