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Space.com • Mike Wall

SpaceX to launch 45 satellites from California on May 3 (Falcon 9)

SpaceX is scheduled to launch 45 satellites into orbit from California in the early hours of May 3, with live coverage available. The planned multi-satellite deployment underscores continued cadence growth in orbital satellite delivery and constellation expansion efforts.

2026-05-02T09:39:35.973820-07:00

NASA Spaceflight

SpaceX targets mid-May for Starship Flight 12 as Flight 12 window notifications publish

2026-05-01T14:32:05.958913-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence

2026-05-01T16:16:37.286477-07:00

Ars Technica

Virgin Galactic unveils new spaceplane as liquidity and test-duration uncertainty come to the fore

2026-05-01T08:52:30.032208-07:00

News Timeline

Runway Girl

SES builds multi-band, multi-orbit, multi-beam ESA to power meoSphere MEO + LEO inflight connectivity SES says it is advancing work on a multi-band, multi-orbit, multi-beam European Space Agency (ESA) satellite architecture intended to underpin meoSphere’s MEO plus LEO inflight connectivity service. The effort targets a scalable space-to-air broadband design across orbital regimes and beam coverage.

2026-05-03T09:08:59.618098-07:00

SES builds multi-band, multi-orbit, multi-beam ESA to power meoSphere MEO + LEO inflight connectivity

Space.com

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SpaceX to launch 45 satellites from California on May 3 (Falcon 9) SpaceX is scheduled to launch 45 satellites into orbit from California in the early hours of May 3, with live coverage available. The planned multi-satellite deployment underscores continued cadence growth in orbital satellite delivery and constellation expansion efforts.

2026-05-02T09:39:35.973820-07:00

SpaceX to launch 45 satellites from California on May 3 (Falcon 9)

SpaceNews.com

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence NASA is considering adding $1.6 billion to the ordering authority for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, lifting the ceiling from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion. The move supports an expanded delivery network already awarding 11 lunar missions to five contractors.

2026-05-01T16:16:37.286477-07:00

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence

Runway Girl

Amazon Leo, ThinKom Nexus and Starlink unveil new aero terminal antennas targeting gig-level speeds Three new “aero” antenna offerings are being rolled out for high-throughput LEO connectivity, including Amazon’s Leo ESA kit, ThinKom Solutions’ ThinKom Nexus terminal, and new Starlink hardware. The announcements position aircraft-focused terminals to deliver gig-level performance as competing LEO broadband networks push into aviation use.

2026-05-01T15:06:34.658862-07:00

Amazon Leo, ThinKom Nexus and Starlink unveil new aero terminal antennas targeting gig-level speeds

NASA Spaceflight

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SpaceX targets mid-May for Starship Flight 12 as Flight 12 window notifications publish SpaceX is moving toward a Starship Flight 12 attempt in mid-May, with an official launch-window notification indicating windows could begin as early as May 12. The update signals the start of renewed attempt planning after the prior shift that pushed the next test flight from April into May.

2026-05-01T14:32:05.958913-07:00

SpaceX targets mid-May for Starship Flight 12 as Flight 12 window notifications publish

SpaceNews.com

Investors eye “orbital data center” enablement beyond SpaceX-scale megaconstellations Investor interest is shifting toward space-enabled computing architectures—particularly orbital data center concepts—despite recognition that today’s proposed megascale systems from SpaceX and peers remain years from operational reality. The near-term focus is on what orbital compute networks could unlock, rather than just the scale of terminals or satellites.

2026-05-01T12:58:32.803645-07:00

Investors eye “orbital data center” enablement beyond SpaceX-scale megaconstellations

Via Satellite

CNES orders Loft Orbital and Magellium Artal Group to deploy 10-satellite Earth-observation constellation CNES has ordered a 10-satellite Earth-observation constellation to provide Earth data under France 2030, awarding a multi-year contract worth up to tens of millions of euros to Loft Orbital. Loft will partner with Magellium Artal Group for constellation deployment.

2026-05-01T12:57:12.526351-07:00

CNES orders Loft Orbital and Magellium Artal Group to deploy 10-satellite Earth-observation constellation

Ars Technica

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Virgin Galactic unveils new spaceplane as liquidity and test-duration uncertainty come to the fore Virgin Galactic has revealed a new spacecraft (“new ship”), but reporting indicates it may not have sufficient cash reserves to sustain a prolonged test campaign. The update raises near-term pressure on remaining integration, flight-readiness milestones, and the timing of any return toward commercial suborbital service.

2026-05-01T08:52:30.032208-07:00

Virgin Galactic unveils new spaceplane as liquidity and test-duration uncertainty come to the fore

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Commercial Space News

SpaceX to launch 45 satellites from California on May 3 (Falcon 9)

SpaceX targets mid-May for Starship Flight 12 as Flight 12 window notifications publish

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence

Virgin Galactic unveils new spaceplane as liquidity and test-duration uncertainty come to the fore

News Timeline