Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully placed a BlackSky high-resolution imaging satellite into orbit during a launch from its New Zealand facility. The launch occurred at 7:57 p.m. Eastern from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The Gen-3 satellite deployed 52 minutes after liftoff from the rocket’s kick stage into a circular orbit approximately 470 kilometers above Earth. This marks the second Gen-3 satellite BlackSky has launched on Electron rockets, following a February mission. These advanced satellites offer 35-centimeter resolution imagery and are equipped with short-wave infrared sensors capable of penetrating smoke and haze. Additionally, intersatellite links on the constellation reduce…
Author: Jacob Gray
The U.S. Space Force has awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract to build 10 missile-tracking satellites for a medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation aimed at enhancing missile defense capabilities. The contract, awarded on May 29 to BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems through a firm fixed price Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement, marks the second phase of the Space Force’s Resilient Missile Warning Tracking program, known as Epoch 2. The program focuses on developing a network of satellites in MEO designed to detect and track a wide spectrum of missile threats, including emerging hypersonic weapons. BAE Systems Space and…
NASA has unveiled detailed plans for its fiscal year 2026 budget, proposing significant cuts to science missions and workforce alongside new investments in human space exploration, according to documents released on May 30. The agency’s proposed budget request totals $18.8 billion, representing a nearly 25% decrease from the $24.9 billion NASA received in fiscal year 2025. Adjusted for inflation, this marks the lowest funding level since 1961. NASA’s workforce would shrink substantially under the plan, with civil servant numbers dropping from 17,391 in 2025 to 11,853 in 2026—a reduction of roughly one-third. The budget details reveal steep reductions across NASA’s…
Rocket Lab, a U.S.-based launch services and aerospace manufacturer, announced plans to acquire defense technology supplier Geost in a deal valued at up to $325 million, marking a significant expansion into U.S. national security programs. The acquisition includes $125 million in cash and $150 million in Rocket Lab stock, with an additional $50 million in performance-based earn-outs tied to revenue targets through 2027. Geost, based in Tucson, Arizona, is a producer of electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payloads used by the U.S. Department of Defense for space surveillance and missile warning systems. “The acquisition of Geost will bring on board critical…
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit Friday, while also achieving a major milestone with its 450th successful booster landing. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3:32 p.m. PDT (6:32 p.m. EDT, 2232 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission, designated Starlink 11-16, deployed 27 Starlink satellites, adding to SpaceX’s growing broadband constellation. The booster for this mission, designated B1075, completed its 18th flight, having previously supported Transporter-11, SARah-2, and 14 other Starlink missions. Just over eight minutes after launch, the first stage landed successfully on…
California-based startup PiLogic has secured $4 million in seed funding to advance artificial intelligence tools designed to diagnose and mitigate satellite issues in orbit, the company announced on Wednesday. PiLogic’s flagship technology, an AI-driven diagnostics model for satellite electrical power systems, is set to launch later this year aboard a customer spacecraft, founder and CEO Johannes Waldstein said. The software combines onboard sensor data with engineering principles and component-level knowledge to assess satellite health and autonomously correct faults. “It understands the cause and effect in a healthy system, and then it reasons to what’s broken or what’s wrong,” Waldstein explained.…
NASA is considering scaling back the size of its International Space Station (ISS) crew and limiting research activities due to ongoing budget pressures, even before proposed cuts outlined in the U.S. government’s fiscal year 2026 request take effect. Speaking at a May 20 press briefing about the upcoming Ax-4 private astronaut mission, Dana Weigel, ISS program manager, said the agency has been contending with a “cumulative multi-year budget reduction” that includes funding limits under a continuing resolution holding NASA’s 2025 budget to 2024 levels. “That’s the challenge that I’ve had that we’ve been managing through today,” said Weigel. “That has…
Boeing and NASA are making significant progress in addressing issues identified during the 2024 test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, although concerns about the spacecraft’s thrusters remain unresolved, according to an independent NASA safety panel. Paul Hill, a member of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), provided an update during a public meeting on January 30, following the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission that launched in June with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard. The mission, however, ended with the spacecraft returning to Earth uncrewed three months later due to concerns about its thrusters. “NASA reported that…
York Space Systems has unveiled its largest satellite to date, the M-Class platform, designed to accommodate payloads weighing up to 1,000 kilograms. The Denver-based company introduced the new platform to meet growing customer demand for greater power and capabilities, particularly for Earth-observation and communications missions. Michael Lajczok, Chief Technology Officer at York, explained, “The M-Class platform was developed in response to customer demand for more power and capability.” The platform is designed to handle payloads with peak power consumption of up to 8 kilowatts. The first M-Class satellite will be used for an Earth-observation mission for an undisclosed customer. The…
China successfully launched its fifth Gaofen-11 high-resolution satellite, adding to its China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS) constellation. The launch occurred late Thursday via a Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China. The rocket lifted off at 11:03 p.m. Eastern on July 18 (0303 UTC, July 19), carrying the Gaofen-11 (05) satellite. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the launch’s success shortly afterward in a statement. Airspace closure notices had preceded the launch, with the payload details revealed only after the successful deployment. The Gaofen-11 satellites are integral to China’s high-resolution Earth…