Silicon Valley Space Week (SVSW) opened in Mountain View on October 28 with the ‘hottest’ of hot topics under examination for its Satellite Innovation segment.

Aviation Week — As the U.S. Space Force embraces commercial technology, in-space servicing companies are urging the Pentagon to consider a logistics layer. The Defense Department is partnering with Astroscale U.S. to develop a 660-lb. satellite to refuel two Space Force assets in geostationary orbit next summer.

The U.S. Space Force awarded a contract to Vantor to strengthen its ability to continuously track high-interest space objects, including those that pass through areas not visible to ground-based sensors, according to a recent press release from the company.

Air and Space Forces — The Space Force expects to award $905 million in contracts over the next five years through a new Maneuverable GEO program, which aims to form a commercial fleet of communication satellites that can shift around in geosynchronous orbit.

Aviation Week — After a 5.5-year hiatus, JAXA is poised to debut the HTV-X spacecraft, which can carry 6.5 tons of cargo. It can also be loaded 24 hours before launch, compared with 80 hours for its predecessor.

Air and Space Forces — At AFA’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman highlighted several ongoing initiatives, including deepening connections between operational units and acquisition teams, scouring procurement plans to find ways to integrate commercial capabilities, and investing in its military and civilian workforce.

Air and Space Forces — Muon Space, a California-based manufacturer of small satellites, was awarded a $44.6 million contract for in-orbit demonstrations of the company’s environmental monitoring technology in support of military applications.

Aviation Week — NASA is aiming to land two astronauts near the lunar south pole in late 2027. That mission—the third in the Artemis program—would follow the Artemis II crewed flight test around the Moon, which is slated to launch by April.

KTLA — The Oct. 3 Starlink mission broke Vandenberg’s previous record of 51 launches in 2024. The base is scheduled to host more than 70 launches for all of 2025.

Ars Technica — A new listing of the 50 most concerning pieces of space debris in low-Earth orbit is dominated by relics more than a quarter-century old — primarily dead rockets left to hurtle through space at the end of their missions.