The European Commission is set to publish by March a draft of the first comprehensive European space law, addressing safety, resilience and sustainability issues while harmonising the continent's fragmented national space laws. European Parliament members support the law's broad outlines and see it as an opportunity for Europe to take a leadership role in global space regulation, with the legislation applying both to European companies and foreign groups operating in the EU. It is expected to include a binding obligation on any company selling satellites or space services in Europe to mitigate the risks of orbital debris and collisions. The Commission says EU-based businesses will be partly compensated for costs incurred in meeting the new standards.

A consortium comprising Europe's largest satellite operators, including Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space and Arianespace, has sought a delay in delivery of its final submission for the IRIS² satellite constellation to the European Commission, which was scheduled for mid-February. The German government is thought to be concerned with the secondary role the country's companies are likely to play, while reports have suggested that the system could end up costing up to €25bn across the lifetime of the consortium, prompting doubts to emerge about the financial viability of the project. The private sector is expected to fund 60% of the cost, currently estimated at €6bn excluding overruns. The IRIS² project is intended to provide similar services to SpaceX's Starlink, but compatible with the 5G standards used by terrestrial mobile data networks and incorporating multi-orbit capability. The constellation is scheduled to provide global coverage by 2027, launching as many as 170 low Earth orbit satellites starting next year.

Last year, the European Commission contracted OHB System to start work on a satellite-based missile early warning system. The Commission has signed a €90m grant agreement to build on an initial study that began in 2021 to explore space situational awareness and early warning capabilities. The new project, Odin's Eye II, moves the project into the design phase for a satellite system to upgrade Europe's capabilities in timely warning, technical intelligence, proliferation control and missile defence. Spearheading a consortium of 43 companies in 14 European countries including ArianeGroup, Beyond Gravity, Deimos Engineering and Systems, GMV Aerospace and Defence, Leonardo, SENER, Thales Alenia Space, and Telespazio, OHB will define, develop and integrate the system simulator over the next three years. The EU funding is drawn from the European Defence Fund, with additional direct contributions from participating governments.

Satellite data service prices have dropped by 77% over the last five years, according to a new Euroconsult report that finds next-generation satellite systems are reshaping industry economics and operational strategies. It attributes the steep decline largely to the growing number of high throughput satellite systems flooding the market with capacity - particularly Starlink. This trend has prompted the industry to transition towards managed solutions and vertical integration strategies.

The US Space Force says its long-awaited plan laying out exactly how the agency intends to buy from and partner with private space companies is in its final stages. The commercial strategy will offer guidance for integrating commercial satellite technology and services into military activities. Part of a wider goal of using private sector technology to modernise legacy systems, the plan should give companies across the space sector clarity on how to compete for future Space Force contracts.

The much-delayed Luxembourg military satellite LUXEOSys is scheduled for launch between October and January 2025, according to defence minister Yuriko Backes. The satellite will be launched by SpaceX rather than by Arianespace as originally planned due to an increase in insurance costs following recent failures by the French launch operator. Backes also noted that SpaceX has a 99% success rate for its 250 most recent rocket launches.

India and France have quietly signed a Defence Space Agreement covering the joint development and launch of military satellites with offensive and defensive capabilities. The unpublicised deal opens the door for the two countries to collaborate on protecting communications and surveillance satellites and enhance their situational awareness capabilities.

The US Space Development Agency has awarded contracts totalling $2.5bn to L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, and Sierra Space for the construction of 54 missile defence-related satellites. The spacecraft will make up part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a network the US military is building to enhance its missile defence capabilities. The contracts are for 18 satellites from each company, and are worth $919m for L3Harris, $890m for Lockheed Martin and $740m for Sierra Space. The satellites are expected to be launched in April 2027.

Ovzon has secured an order from the US Defence Department for its new T7 terminal, the first delivery of the mobile satellite terminal and a milestone for the broadband communications company.  Ovzon has touted the 2.8kg device's portability and performance as ideal for critical missions. Able to fit in a small backpack, the T7 aims to facilitate easy, instant, secure and reliable connection even in contested environments and regardless of weather conditions, and offers independence from teleport facilities. Ovzon is marketing the terminal as a major step forward in mobile satellite communication technology, establishing a new standard of operational flexibility and security.