Runway Girl
• Mary Kirby
Telesat will expand its planned low Earth orbit Lightspeed network to 225 satellites, restoring the 25% of commercial capacity previously diverted to defense customers. The change increases the capacity available for commercial services while preserving the constellation’s role in supporting defense requirements.
Commercial Space
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Telesat will expand its planned low Earth orbit Lightspeed network to 225 satellites, restoring the 25% of commercial capacity previously diverted to defense customers. The change increases the capacity available for commercial services while preserving the constellation’s role in supporting defense requirements.
The inaugural International Space Summit in Paris produced 51 announcements, including the first detailed look at the IRIS² low-Earth-orbit architecture. Former ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet was also named commander of Vast’s PAM-6 commercial mission to the International Space Station.
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SpaceX has moved Super Heavy Booster 22 and Ship 42 to Massey’s for cryogenic proof testing ahead of their planned use on Starship Flight 15. The mission could launch roughly one month after Flight 14, assuming the earlier flight proceeds successfully.
SpaceX has doubled the price of its unlimited worldwide Starlink coverage, while OpsGroup details newly established regional service areas. The changes indicate a shift in how Starlink’s global and regional connectivity offerings are structured and priced.
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Arianespace announced orders for 10 additional Ariane 6 launches, including six linked to Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite deployment plans, while ICEYE agreed to evaluate the rocket for sovereign SAR missions. Separately, NASA added Relativity Space’s Terran R to its NLS II launch-services contract.
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Cailabs is introducing shared optical ground-station infrastructure, while ICEYE and Arianespace will evaluate Ariane 6 for sovereign SAR missions. Poland’s EYCORE reported first imagery from its inaugural radar satellite, and BAE Systems and the U.S. Space Force completed a critical design review for Epoch 2 missile-warning satellites planned for 2029.
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European space leaders and international partners gathered in Paris to strengthen the continent’s position in a space market dominated by the United States. Discussions center on launch autonomy, independent satellite infrastructure, orbital sustainability and security—while the absence of SpaceX and Blue Origin underscores Europe’s dependence on American providers.
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Arianespace has secured 10 additional missions for the Ariane 64, including six launches for Amazon Leo that will raise the constellation’s planned total under its agreement from 18 to 24. The contracts strengthen Ariane 6’s backlog as Europe seeks support for a higher annual launch cadence.
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