In this week’s edition of The Prototype, we look at the booming space industry, better space weather forecasts, the first medical evacuation from space and more. To get The Prototype in your inbox, sign up here.
SpaceX’s expected 2026 IPO could be an inflection point for the industry.
AFP via Getty Images
AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan has seen his wealth jump by over $1 billion today. That’s thanks to his company’s stock price rising more than 14% on the news that it has signed an agreement with the U.S. federal government to use its communications satellites as part of the military’s “Golden Dome” program to provide defense against missile attacks.
That stock surge is part of a bigger trend of investor interest in the burgeoning space economy, which is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. This week, VC firm Space Capital noted in its quarterly report on the industry that 2025 was a record year for investment in space startups, hitting a total of $55.3 billion. And the biggest category wasn’t rockets but rather applications: companies that are taking data or using space in other ways to bring economic benefits here on Earth.
Also noteworthy is the number of startup exits, a sign the sector is maturing. The report notes that there were 91 acquisitions in the space sector last year, totalling more than $46 billion. And eight space companies had IPOs last year, taking in a total of $3.6 billion in the process.
So what should you look for in 2026? The biggest event, most likely, is a SpaceX IPO, which the report says “would be a market-defining event, comparable to Netscape in 1995.”
Stay tuned.
P.S. Nominations are open for the Forbes AI 50—help us and sponsoring partner Mayfield find the most promising startups deploying artificial intelligence in finance, scientific discovery, construction and more.
DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: BETTER SPACE WEATHER FORECASTS
Measuring a CME with three spacecraft.
Kinoshita et al. CC-BY-ND
Predicting space weather–bursts of radiation from the Sun, or what scientists call coronal mass ejections–is crucially important for protecting infrastructure. Satellites often have to be put in a low-power mode to protect them from solar storms, and electricity is often re-routed on Earth based on forecasts in order to prevent damage to transformers. But forecasting the effects of CMEs isn’t nearly as advanced as forecasting regular weather, which makes it hard to know how best to protect important equipment.
A new method might help. Researchers at the University of Tokyo used data from three different spacecraft located at different points around the Earth to observe a recent CME and see how it evolved over time. By measuring how cosmic rays were diverted from the CME’s strong magnetic field over time, they could tell how its shape and strength changed as it moved. Crucially, they used instruments that weren’t originally designed for this, which means many existing spacecraft could potentially be used to improve space‑weather forecasts overall.
The first-ever medical evacuation from the International Space Station was a success
Earlier this week, NASA’s current mission on the International Space Station was cut short. After handing off command to Russian cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov early Wednesday morning, four astronauts–Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke from NASA, Kimiya Yui from Japan and Oleg Platonov of Russia–entered the SpaceX Dragon capsule Endeavour and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
These four were originally scheduled to return to Earth in the second half of February, but came back early because of a “medical concern” that required treatment on Earth due to a lack of needed equipment on the station. The space agency provided little information beyond that. This is the first time a mission to the space station was shortened because of a medical problem.
There are currently three crew members on board the ISS. Four new crew are expected to launch there sooner than initially planned, but NASA has not yet set a date.
SCIENCE AND TECH TIDBITS
Background checking startup Checkr is seeing a surge in demand as companies are besieged by a flood of AI-generated résumés, applications and other documents.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmdit will be backing the first private space-based telescope, which would offer astronomers an updated version of the Hubble.
Space communications company CesiumAstro has secured a $200 million financing package to build a manufacturing facility in Texas.
A team of engineers developed a new way to generate surface acoustic waves–a key technology in mobile electronics–that could one day make products like cell phones more efficient.
Tech giant OpenAI is going to begin showing ads to users on ChatGPT’s free and least-expensive plans.
Pro Science Tip: Don’t Do CPR Like They Do On TV
CPR can be lifesaving, but if you find yourself in a position where it’s needed, it’s best to ignore how it’s done on TV. That’s according to a new study, which finds that TV depictions of the lifesaving technique are often inaccurate, finding that fewer than 30% of the episodes analyzed depicted proper technique. So if you want to be able to help someone, it’s best to find a real-life training course near you.
What’s Entertaining Me This Week
Speaking of medical accuracy on TV, I cannot speak highly enough about The Pitt, airing on HBO Max. Each season chronicles a single shift in an emergency room, as doctors, nurses and medical students cope with a wide variety of situations while navigating being understaffed. Unlike most medical dramas, the writers here clearly did their homework (apart from CPR, which isn’t quite right due to an understandable desire to not risk breaking an actor’s ribs) and the show does an incredible job of depicting the stress and challenges that frontline healthcare workers deal with every day. The second season only premiered last week so it’s not too late to get caught up.
MORE FROM FORBES
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/01/16/investors-put-more-than-55-billion-behind-space-startups-last-year/
