The Daily Broadcast: Power, Propulsion, and Pharmaceuticals: The Commercial Space Ecosystem Accelerates

Star Catcher Raises US$65 Million to Build an Orbital Energy Grid

Star Catcher Industries has closed an oversubscribed US$65 million Series A funding round to accelerate development of an in-space power infrastructure system. The Florida-based company’s total capital raised now stands at US$88 million, and the funding—led by B Capital with co-leads Shield Capital and Cerberus Ventures—will support space-based demonstrations planned for later this year.

The core innovation addresses a genuine bottleneck: satellites in low Earth orbit currently generate approximately 1,000 watts of power on average, comparable to the consumption of a gaming computer. Star Catcher’s optical power-beaming system will deliver concentrated solar energy directly to commercial off-the-shelf solar panels on client spacecraft, bypassing the need for custom hardware. The result is dramatic—client satellites could generate up to 10 times more power using existing equipment.

The technology also tackles collision risk. By enabling satellites to shrink their massive onboard solar arrays, Star Catcher’s architecture reduces collision risks in LEO by 60% to 85% depending on orbit. For ambitious projects like gigawatt-class orbital data centres, the mass-per-power optimisation translates to projected revenue multipliers up to 3.5x. The company reports a commercial pipeline representing over US$3 billion in projected annual recurring revenue, with US$60 million in secured contracts and seven power purchase agreements already signed. The first space-based optical power-beaming mission is scheduled for later this year, with a second orbital mission already in development.

SpaceX Targets May 19 for Starship V3 Debut from Launch Pad 2

Starship V3 and Super Heavy booster stacked at Launch Pad 2

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 19 for the inaugural launch of Starship Version 3—Flight 12—which will also mark the first use of the company’s updated Launch Pad 2 at Starbase. The mission will debut multiple new systems: the redesigned Starship V3 and Super Heavy V3 vehicles, upgraded Raptor 3 engines, and an integrated hot-stage booster configuration.

This test flight represents a significant engineering advancement. The Raptor 3 sea-level engines now produce 250 tf (551,000 lbf), up from 230 tf, while vacuum variants produce 275 tf (606,000 lbf) up from 258 tf. Mass improvements are substantial too—sea-level engine weight drops to 1,525 kg from 1,630 kg, with overall vehicle-level mass savings reaching approximately 1 ton per engine through design simplification.

During the suborbital flight, SpaceX will load over 5,000 metric tonnes of propellant for the first time and conduct an integrated tanking test (completed on May 11). Booster 19 will perform a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico approximately seven minutes after liftoff, while Ship 39 will splash down in the Indian Ocean about an hour into flight. SpaceX will deploy 22 simulator Starlink satellites, with the final two scanning Starship’s heat shield to test readiness assessment methods. This milestone brings NASA closer to validating the propellant-transfer capabilities essential for lunar missions under Artemis.

Varda Partners with United Therapeutics to Develop Drugs in Microgravity

Varda W3 spacecraft capsule

Varda Space Industries has announced a collaboration with United Therapeutics Corporation—a major publicly traded pharmaceutical firm—to develop improved treatments for rare lung disease using microgravity. The partnership marks a watershed moment: this is the first time a large, publicly traded pharmaceutical company is deploying capital from its own balance sheet, rather than relying on NASA subsidies, to manufacture a product in space.

The science is compelling. When molecules crystallise in microgravity, they form more slowly and uniformly compared to Earth-based synthesis, yielding drugs that dissolve more consistently, retain longer shelf life, and reduce cold-storage requirements. Varda’s W-6 spacecraft is currently in orbit, and three more vehicles are being prepared for launch this year, with plans to increase cadence to seven launches in 2027.

Varda operates small, uncrewed capsules equipped with autonomous bioreactors that spend weeks to months in orbit before returning to Earth. The company plans to conduct extensive screening on the ground in its new 10,000 square-foot pharmaceutical lab in El Segundo, California, then take the most promising applications to space. Varda has raised US$330 million to date and employs about 200 people. Long term, the company aims to be a pharmaceutical company that operates in space, not simply a space company—building both the reentry systems and the largest customer for those systems through its own internal drug-manufacturing business.

Citations

“Star Catcher secures US$65M Series A to develop orbital power grid” – https://spaceq.ca/star-catcher-secures-us65m-series-a-to-develop-orbital-power-grid/
“SpaceX targets May 19 for debut of Starship Version 3, Launch Pad 2” – https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/05/12/spacex-targets-may-19-for-debut-of-starship-super-heavy-version-3-launch-pad-2/
“Varda signs deal with major US pharma firm to develop drugs in space” – https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/varda-signs-deal-with-major-us-pharma-firm-to-develop-drugs-in-space/

Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34

Provider: SpaceX
Date: May 13, 2026
Time: 10:50 PM UTC
Vehicle: Falcon 9

34th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.

Cargo Dragon 2 brings supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support science and research investigations that occur onboard the orbiting laboratory.