By Tim Bright
This list covers developments from October 1 through October 31, 2026; the reporting cutoff is November 2, 2026. It includes proposed and adopted regulation, licensing decisions, international commitments, multilateral debate, and litigation. Each entry notes whether the development is a proposal, a decision, a commitment, or a pending claim.
1. The FAA proposed five rules to streamline Part 450 launch and reentry licensing — October 6
The Department of Transportation announced five FAA notices of proposed rulemaking addressing flight-safety analysis methods, physical containment, lightning-hazard mitigation, electronic application submissions, and overpressure blast-effects analysis under the Part 450 commercial launch and reentry rules. The department said the changes would allow electronic applications, combine three required safety analyses into a single submission, and give operators more flexibility to demonstrate an equivalent level of safety. These are proposals, not final rules; public comments close November 4, 2026.
2. The FCC partly granted SpaceX’s 15,000-satellite direct-to-device constellation — October 6
In an Authorization and Order (DA 26-1078), the FCC’s Space Bureau and Wireless Telecommunications Bureau granted in part and deferred in part SpaceX’s application for a constellation of 15,000 non-geostationary satellites. The grant covers Supplemental Coverage from Space and mobile-satellite service in the United States, mobile-satellite and direct-to-cell service abroad, and fixed-satellite backhaul and TT&C operations. The bureaus deferred action on certain requested frequency bands and on SpaceX’s broader request for direct-to-cell service outside the United States beyond what the grant authorizes.
3. The FCC Space Bureau issued transition guidance for Part 100 milestone and surety-bond rules — October 7
Public Notice DA 26-1080 explains how space station licensees and market-access grantees may move from the Part 25 milestone and surety-bond requirements to those adopted in new Part 100 by the July 2026 Space Modernization Order. The Part 100 rules are not yet effective: the Bureau will announce the effective date by public notice, and the Part 25 rules control until then. Eligible operators may voluntarily elect the new milestones by letter within one year of that effective date.
4. Uzbekistan became the seventy-seventh signatory to the Artemis Accords — October 19
NASA reported that Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov signed the Artemis Accords at a ceremony in Samarkand during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, making Uzbekistan the 77th signatory. NASA describes signing as a commitment to practical principles for safe, transparent, and responsible civil space exploration, including peaceful and transparent activity and rendering aid to those in need.
5. The FCC’s further satellite-licensing proposals were published for comment — October 26
The Federal Register published the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking adopted with the FCC’s July 2026 Space Modernization Order (FCC 26-47; 91 FR 67225). It proposes a new space and earth station license for experimental technologies, seeks comment on “operational envelopes” that would let licensees adjust operations within broader approved parameters, and asks how the rules should treat drones operating as earth stations in motion. Comments are due November 25, 2026, and reply comments are due December 28, 2026.
6. Louisiana residents sued parish bodies over approvals tied to a planned SpaceX spaceport — October 26
The Vermilion Citizens Coalition and three residents filed suit in Louisiana’s 15th Judicial District Court, alleging that the Vermilion Parish Police Jury and the parish Industrial Development Board violated the state Open Meetings Law in proceedings connected with SpaceX’s planned spaceport near Pecan Island. The petition asks the court to void the board’s August 25 approval of a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement and states that it is not a lawsuit against SpaceX. The allegations have not been decided.
7. The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee opened its debate on the peaceful uses of outer space — October 27
The chair of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space introduced the committee’s annual report (A/81/20), and several delegations said geopolitical tensions had made its 2026 session exceptionally difficult, with some regretting that it could not adopt its report by consensus. The European Union opposed a draft resolution promoted by the Russian Federation on space science and technology for promoting peace, arguing that it duplicates the omnibus resolution traditionally adopted by consensus. The meeting record reports debate only; no vote was taken at that meeting.
8. Vietnam became the seventy-eighth signatory to the Artemis Accords — October 28
NASA announced that Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology, Vũ Hải Quân, signed the Artemis Accords during Vietnam International Digital Week in Ha Long, with U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Wicks participating. Vietnam is the 78th nation to sign, and NASA tied the signing to the U.S.–Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
9. The FCC proposed expanding Supplemental Coverage from Space from five bands to thirteen — October 29
The FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 26-71) to revise its rules for direct-to-device service in licensed spectrum. The notice seeks comment on increasing the bands in which Supplemental Coverage from Space is authorized from five to 13, adding 482 megahertz, and proposes eliminating the SCS geographically independent area and lease requirements. It also seeks comment on harmonizing the SCS and mobile-satellite rules and on performance requirements; none of these changes has been adopted as a final rule.
10. The Council presidency released an updated draft of the EU Space Act — October 29
The U.S. Office of Space Commerce reported that the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union released updated text of the draft EU Space Act on October 29, following a March 30, 2026, version from the Cypriot Presidency. The regulation remains a draft under negotiation. The Department of Commerce said it is reviewing the text and invited feedback from U.S. stakeholders.
Tim Bright is a USPTO-registered patent agent (Reg. No. 76,894) and a J.D. candidate at The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. He is not an attorney, and nothing in this series is legal advice.