NASA Spaceflight
• Eleanor Day
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 32 rideshare payloads on its Bandwagon-5 mission from Florida on Monday, Oct. 19. The flight follows the Transporter 18 mission earlier in the month, extending the company’s cadence of dedicated rideshare launches.
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SpaceX is scheduled to launch 32 rideshare payloads on its Bandwagon-5 mission from Florida on Monday, Oct. 19. The flight follows the Transporter 18 mission earlier in the month, extending the company’s cadence of dedicated rideshare launches.
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Reports say Ukrainian forces experienced slowed Starlink access during Russian bombardment, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to raise concerns and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to urge caution. Separately, an arson attempt targeted a Lithuanian company housing a Starlink ground gateway serving Ukraine, while an unidentified drone entered Lithuanian airspace.
Dragon launched Oct. 13 and docked with the International Space Station on Oct. 15, delivering more than 6,300 pounds of cargo for the Expedition 75 crew. The payload includes supplies, solar arrays and experiments involving brain models, 3D heart tissue and artificial-retina technology, with potential applications for medical research on Earth.
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Ukraine says restrictions on SpaceX’s satellite network are deliberate, not the result of technical problems, as reports attribute the limits to a White House order. The curbs have reportedly affected frontline communications and the military’s ability to intercept Russian attack drones, renewing questions about Ukraine’s reliance on U.S.-controlled space infrastructure.
CesiumAstro plans to establish a new engineering and manufacturing facility in Melbourne on Florida’s Space Coast. The expansion is expected to create 100 jobs in the region over the next year.
RATLOG, a heavy-lift rocket startup, debuted this week as part of Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch. The company says it wants to cut the number of parts in a rocket engine by about 90%, though the available report does not detail its design, funding or development timeline.
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SpaceX has described its multibillion-dollar US airwaves purchase as a critical step in building a mobile service, but the deal alone does not put it on equal footing with major carriers. A competitive terrestrial network would require years of work and billions in additional investment, adding to the capital demands on the company.
Evercore ISI has an outperform rating on SpaceX and is advising investors to buy the company ahead of its earnings report. The available report summary does not specify a price target, earnings date or the assumptions behind the recommendation.
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