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SpaceNews.com • Caleb Henry

Satcom roundup: Intelsat joins GSMA; SSTL completes first GEO bus; Kacific buys Newtec hub

Intelsat has joined the GSMA as satellite operators deepen ties with mobile ecosystems; Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has completed its first geostationary satellite bus; and Kacific expanded ground infrastructure by acquiring Newtec's teleport hub. These moves underline accelerating operator–industry convergence, supply‑chain activity and ground‑network consolidation.

2026-03-14T21:39:33.720242-07:00

NASA Spaceflight

Blue Origin unveils NEO Hunter — hybrid planetary‑defense concept to track and mitigate near‑Earth objects

2026-03-14T14:18:18.106713-07:00

Space.com

SpaceX launches 54 Starlink satellites in two missions from California and Florida

2026-03-14T10:14:08.665804-07:00

Payload

Viasat HaloNet — reprogrammable cryptography for next‑generation satellites

2026-03-13T20:40:57.973567-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

IKONOS captures high-resolution imagery of Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks The IKONOS commercial imaging satellite has produced high‑resolution overhead imagery of the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks, providing detailed views of the impact zones and surrounding infrastructure. These images give authorities, media and analysts a new, space-based perspective for damage assessment and situational awareness.

2026-03-15T00:39:48.867777-07:00

IKONOS captures high-resolution imagery of Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks

SpaceNews.com

Satcom roundup: Intelsat joins GSMA; SSTL completes first GEO bus; Kacific buys Newtec hub Intelsat has joined the GSMA as satellite operators deepen ties with mobile ecosystems; Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has completed its first geostationary satellite bus; and Kacific expanded ground infrastructure by acquiring Newtec's teleport hub. These moves underline accelerating operator–industry convergence, supply‑chain activity and ground‑network consolidation.

2026-03-14T21:39:33.720242-07:00

Satcom roundup: Intelsat joins GSMA; SSTL completes first GEO bus; Kacific buys Newtec hub

NASA Spaceflight

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Blue Origin unveils NEO Hunter — hybrid planetary‑defense concept to track and mitigate near‑Earth objects Blue Origin unveiled NEO Hunter, a mission concept combining space‑based surveillance and active mitigation to detect, track and neutralize potentially hazardous near‑Earth objects. The company frames the system as a commercial bridge between spacecraft operations, sensor constellations and deflection capabilities.

2026-03-14T14:18:18.106713-07:00

Blue Origin unveils NEO Hunter — hybrid planetary‑defense concept to track and mitigate near‑Earth objects

Space.com

SpaceX launches 54 Starlink satellites in two missions from California and Florida SpaceX launched 54 Starlink satellites in two missions from California and Florida on Friday and Saturday, March 13–14, adding the batches to its low Earth orbit broadband constellation. The back-to-back, two‑coast operations underscore the company's high launch cadence and steady expansion of Starlink capacity.

2026-03-14T10:14:08.665804-07:00

SpaceX launches 54 Starlink satellites in two missions from California and Florida

Payload

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Viasat HaloNet — reprogrammable cryptography for next‑generation satellites Viasat’s HaloNet introduces reprogrammable, on‑orbit cryptography designed to protect next‑generation satellites as constellations proliferate and cyber threats evolve. The system aims to deliver adaptable, upgradeable encryption and key management to secure autonomous, networked missions where security is an operational requirement.

2026-03-13T20:40:57.973567-07:00

Viasat HaloNet — reprogrammable cryptography for next‑generation satellites

SpaceNews.com

iMetalX emerges from stealth with RSO modelling platform for satellite operators iMetalX has exited stealth with a software platform that models resident space objects (RSOs) to give satellite operators improved awareness of on‑orbit traffic and conjunction risk. The startup’s tools target collision avoidance, rendezvous planning and safer sustained operations in congested orbits.

2026-03-13T16:47:22.055094-07:00

iMetalX emerges from stealth with RSO modelling platform for satellite operators

Ars Technica

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Payload shortfalls and commercial competition cloud future of NASA’s SLS NASA has told employees it is struggling to find payloads that justify use of the Space Launch System, as program costs climb and commercial heavy‑lift alternatives mature. That manifest shortfall intensifies pressure on SLS's budget, schedule and its future role in Artemis and science missions.

2026-03-13T15:12:24.898341-07:00

Payload shortfalls and commercial competition cloud future of NASA’s SLS

SpaceNews.com

Meridian’s 2026 Space Diplomacy Forum to convene policymakers and industry amid a multipolar, contested orbital environment On March 25, 2026 Meridian International Center hosts the 2026 Space Diplomacy Forum, “Shared Horizons,” convening diplomats, industry and policy makers to confront rising multipolarity, commercialization and contestation in orbit. The forum seeks practical steps to strengthen cooperation, norms and risk‑management across jurisdictions.

2026-03-13T14:18:23.082174-07:00

Meridian’s 2026 Space Diplomacy Forum to convene policymakers and industry amid a multipolar, contested orbital environment

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Commercial Space News

Satcom roundup: Intelsat joins GSMA; SSTL completes first GEO bus; Kacific buys Newtec hub

Blue Origin unveils NEO Hunter — hybrid planetary‑defense concept to track and mitigate near‑Earth objects

SpaceX launches 54 Starlink satellites in two missions from California and Florida

Viasat HaloNet — reprogrammable cryptography for next‑generation satellites

News Timeline