76 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2026
MIL/AERO007
Airbus Awarded Aeolus-2 Wind Sensing
Satellite Contract ⊲
Airbus Defence and Space has signed the initial
contract for the design and build of the Aeolus-2
wind sensing satellite from the European Space
Agency (ESA) at a ceremony at ESA's UK headquar-
ters ECSAT at Harwell. Aeolus-2 will follow the first
Aeolus wind sensing satellite built by Airbus and
launched in 2018.
Mission Space Selected by NASA to
Advance Lunar Environmental Monitoring
Technology ⊲
Mission Space has been selected by NASA under
the Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity
(ACO) to advance LEEMR, a compact lunar dust and
surface-charging monitoring instrument developed
for future lunar surface operations, in collabora-
tion with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland. The project supports Mission
Space's expansion from orbital space-weather intel-
ligence into lunar surface environmental monitoring.
L3Harris to Provide Communication Systems
to Support German Forces ⊲
L3Harris Technologies has received two Foreign
Military Sales orders for Falcon® systems to support
Germany's Digitalization –Land Based Operations
(D-LBO) and special operations forces require-
ments. "The battle-tested Falcon systems will
enhance German forces' secure, interoperable
communications with European Union and NATO
allies," said Chris Aebli, president, Mission Critical
Communications, Communications & Spectrum
Dominance, L3Harris.
Lockheed Martin Awarded $3 Billion to
Produce GMLRS Rockets Supporting U.S.
Army Readiness ⊲
Lockheed Martin has been awarded the FY26
contract for GMLRS rocket production, supporting
the U.S. Army's continued modernization of long-
range precision fires and its efforts to expand and
sustain munitions readiness. This $3 billion award
enables continued production and delivery of stan-
dard and extended-range GMLRS rounds.
Boeing Selected by U.S. Space Force to
Extend Secure Military Communications
Worldwide ⊲
The U.S. Space Force has selected Boeing to advance
the next phase of a program that will help extend and
improve secure military communications for users
around the world. The contract award for Mobile User
Objective System Service Life Extension (MUOS SLE),
valued at up to $2 billion, includes two narrowband
communications satellites that prioritize reliable voice
and essential data, helping users stay connected. The
first satellite is scheduled to be delivered in 2031.
Lockheed Martin, Insta Advance Europe's
First MLRS CFCS Sustainment Centre ⊲
Lockheed Martin and Finnish technology company
Insta are continuing to establish Europe's first
sustainment centre for the M270A2 and HIMARS®
MLRS CFCS at Insta's facility in Tampere, Finland.
This will be Europe's first MLRS fire control system
maintenance and sustainment centre. The M270A2,
manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is a tracked
heavy rocket launcher system.
NASA Selects Rocket Lab to Launch Sun,
Earth Sciences Missions ⊲
Rocket Lab Corporation, a global leader in launch
services and space systems, announced it has been
selected by NASA to provide three Electron launch-
es for two separate NASA missions— PolSIR and
TSIS-2—from early next year. Rocket Lab's extensive
flight heritage across more than 90 launches, Elec-
tron's proven deployment accuracy, and the compa-
ny's ability to meet the tight turnaround schedules
for both missions were key driving factors behind
Rocket Lab being selected as the launch provider.
As SpaceX Goes Public, the Market Hunts for
the Next Investable Launch Company ⊲
For two decades, the most important company in
the modern space economy was one that public
investors could not buy. That changed in 2026,
when Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
(SpaceX) moved to list on the Nasdaq under the
proposed ticker SPCX, in what has been reported
as one of the largest initial public offerings in history.
