Satellite stabilizers, Ryugu minerals, and GPS contracts lead weekly reads

This week’s most-read stories spanned satellite infrastructure, planetary science, and commercial spaceflight. Readers followed new hardware, research findings, and contract awards across the sector.

Satellite & Orbital Infrastructure

Airbus unveils DETUMBLER passive spin stabilizer for dead satellites. Airbus said Nov. 3, 2026, that it developed DETUMBLER, a passive magnetic damping device that stabilizes dead and tumbling satellites without electrical or computing power. MDA Space selected DETUMBLER for its first MDA AURORA low Earth orbit constellation order, according to Airbus.

Vantor delivers satellite imagery to Ukrainian frontline forces in seven minutes. Vantor delivered high-resolution satellite imagery to a soldier’s handheld tablet in Ukraine within seven minutes of tasking during a late October 2026 field test, the company said. It called the result a new benchmark for space-based tactical intelligence dissemination.

Lockheed Martin wins Space Force GPS and missile tracking contracts. Lockheed Martin received a $514 million U.S. Space Force contract in June 2026 to build two GPS IIIF satellites, the company said. It also holds a December 2025 Space Development Agency contract worth more than $1 billion for 18 missile-tracking satellites.

Ubotica demonstrates autonomous onboard satellite scheduling for maritime surveillance. On November 4, 2026, Ubotica Technologies showed that a low Earth orbit spacecraft used artificial intelligence to spot a vessel in the Pacific Ocean and plan its own follow-up image without ground commands. The demonstration used CogniSAT-6, operated by Open Cosmos.

Galaxia builds OSPREY satellite to test orbital data transfer. Galaxia announced Nov. 4, 2026, that it is building the OSPREY satellite to test moving data from older spacecraft to a new orbital satellite and processing it there. The Halifax company disclosed the mission as part of a Department of National Defence IDEaS challenge award.

Planetary Science & Skywatching

Ryugu samples reveal overlooked mineral that explains water history. A Kanazawa University-led team identified a previously overlooked mineral component in asteroid Ryugu samples at Japanese synchrotron facilities, according to a 2026 paper in Communications Earth & Environment. The poorly crystalline magnesium silicate hydrate appears common in Ryugu and carbonaceous meteorites, the researchers said.

Astronomy & Astrophysics Discoveries

White dwarf tides leave kilometer-size asteroid fragments instead of dust. PSI Senior Scientist Jordan Steckloff presented research Oct. 29, 2026, at an American Astronomical Society press conference, showing white dwarf tides leave asteroid fragments roughly 0.1 to 1 kilometer across rather than dust. The work appears in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Commercial Spaceflight

Payload says Russia’s Kosmos 2612 rendezvoused with ICEYE-X36. Payload reported that Russia’s Kosmos 2612 military satellite approached ICEYE-X36 to within hundreds of meters, according to Payload. The encounter lasted most of one day before the Russian satellite pulled away, Payload said.