SpaceX successfully launched a new Falcon 9 booster from Cape Canaveral late Tuesday, delivering 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit after an automated abort delayed the original launch by one day. Liftoff occurred at 11:19 p.m. EDT (03:19 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40. The mission marked the inaugural flight of booster B1095, the fourth new Falcon 9 rocket introduced by SpaceX in 2025. The company now has 19 boosters in its active fleet. The launch was initially scheduled for Monday but was halted when the countdown stopped at T-minus 2 minutes and 28 seconds. SpaceX later said in…
Author: Michael Hughes
A new generation of Earth observation satellites is being developed to improve global wildfire detection and response, with companies and nonprofits partnering to deliver near real-time data to emergency responders. Muon Space, a California-based satellite startup, launched its FireSat protoflight mission in March and is planning a dedicated constellation of wildfire monitoring satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). The initiative, known as FireSat, is being developed in collaboration with the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance and is equipped with multispectral electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors to detect and track wildfires. “This would be the first dedicated constellation designed to global wildfire…
A new environmental impact study aims to pave the way for an increase in SpaceX’s launches from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, but community concerns and regulatory scrutiny could pose challenges. On Dec. 28, SpaceX conducted its 47th and final Falcon 9 launch of the year from Vandenberg, deploying 22 Starlink satellites. This marked the highest annual launch cadence from the site since the 1960s, a stark contrast to 2020 when only one orbital launch occurred. The U.S. Department of the Air Force announced plans on Dec. 13 for an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the implications of additional…
France has contracted a consortium led by Thales Alenia Space to develop a mission aimed at capturing and inspecting a small satellite. This demonstration mission is slated for launch towards the end of the decade. Supported by undisclosed funding from the French space agency CNES and state-owned investment bank Bpifrance, the mission will employ two spacecraft scheduled to launch before the end of 2028. This initiative is part of the European Robotic Orbital Support Services (EROSS) program. The EROSS program, funded by the European Commission, is designed to test rendezvous and servicing capabilities in low Earth orbit. It involves a…
South Korean space launch startup Innospace saw its shares tumble more than 20% in its first day of trading on July 2, closing at 34,450 won ($24.80) on the KOSDAQ exchange. The decline from its IPO price of 43,300 won marked a challenging debut for the company, which raised 57.6 billion won through its initial public offering. “Innospace is committed to accelerating the development of our launch vehicles to achieve early market entry and providing stable, customized launch services,” said Soojong Kim, CEO of Innospace, highlighting the company’s ambitions despite the market setback. The company, which became the first listed…
Japan’s H3 rocket achieved a milestone on Sunday with the successful launch of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4), marking its third flight from the Tanegashima Space Center. The H3 rocket, launched at 0306 UTC on July 1, carried the ALOS-4, also known as DAICHI-4, which separated approximately 16 minutes and 34 seconds after liftoff, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed. “ALOS-4’s solar arrays fully deployed,” JAXA stated, receiving telemetry data from the satellite at JAXA Mingenew Station in Australia. This achievement follows the H3’s recovery from a second-stage engine failure during its debut launch in March 2023, which…
Starlab Space, a joint venture involving Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space, has announced a strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies aimed at enhancing operational efficiency through artificial intelligence (AI) on its future commercial space station. The collaboration, revealed on June 20 without disclosing financial terms, marks a significant move for Starlab, similar to its previous agreement with Northrop Grumman in October 2023. Under the new agreement, Palantir will leverage its AI capabilities to develop a digital twin of the Starlab station. This software-based model aims to optimize station operations, proactively identify potential issues, and streamline preventive maintenance. “Palantir’s advanced…
In a milestone event on June 28, the inaugural Schweickart Prize was presented to Joseph DeMartini, a Ph.D. student in astronomy at the University of Maryland. DeMartini received a $10,000 grant from the B612 Foundation’s newly established prize named after Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart. This annual award recognizes graduate students who propose innovative strategies for planetary defense. During a news briefing, Rusty Schweickart highlighted the significance of DeMartini’s proposal, stating, “We are now technically able to slightly modify the natural clockwork of the solar system to enhance the survival of Earth life.” He emphasized the challenge ahead for DeMartini and…
India achieved another milestone in its space exploration efforts with the successful launch of the INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite. The satellite was launched aboard a 51.7-meter-long Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The GSLV lifted off at 7:05 a.m. Eastern on Feb. 17, delivering the INSAT-3DS into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite will be positioned at 74 degrees East in the geostationary belt, approximately 35,786 kilometers above the equator. Following the launch, S Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), expressed his satisfaction with the mission’s success. “I’m very happy to announce the successful…
Thales Alenia Space has secured a contract from Ball Aerospace, the prime contractor for NASA’s Near Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission, to provide critical communications components for the spacecraft destined for Earth-sun Lagrange point 1. Announced on February 13, the contract entails Thales Alenia Space supplying NEO Surveyor’s S-band transponder, K-band modulator, and K-band traveling wave tube amplifier. These components will enable the transmission of data over 1.5 million kilometers between L1 and Earth. Ken Fischer, Thales Alenia Space’s director of business development for North America, expressed excitement about the mission, stating, “The entire company is very excited…