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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

Amazon buys 10 more Falcon 9 launches to accelerate Project Kuiper deployment

Amazon has purchased ten additional Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX to accelerate deployment of its Project Kuiper broadband constellation. The move increases Kuiper's scheduled launch capacity and signals Amazon's push to speed in-orbit buildout of its LEO broadband service.

2026-02-02T05:02:43.964720-08:00

Spaceflight Now

NASA begins 49‑hour Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, fuels SLS ahead of simulated Feb. 2 liftoff

2026-02-01T13:18:31.328192-08:00

SpaceNews.com

Orbital data centers: economics take center stage

2026-02-01T09:12:36.230871-08:00

SpaceNews.com

SpaceX seeks FCC approval for 1‑million solar‑powered orbital data‑center constellation to run AI workloads

2026-01-31T05:30:03.260205-08:00

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Amazon buys 10 more Falcon 9 launches to accelerate Project Kuiper deployment Amazon has purchased ten additional Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX to accelerate deployment of its Project Kuiper broadband constellation. The move increases Kuiper's scheduled launch capacity and signals Amazon's push to speed in-orbit buildout of its LEO broadband service.

2026-02-02T05:02:43.964720-08:00

Amazon buys 10 more Falcon 9 launches to accelerate Project Kuiper deployment

Spaceflight Now

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NASA begins 49‑hour Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, fuels SLS ahead of simulated Feb. 2 liftoff NASA began a 49‑hour wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 31 for Artemis II, powering up and fueling the SLS core in a full practice countdown. The test—including a simulated liftoff targeted for 9 p.m. ET Feb. 2—is the final major check before a four‑astronaut lunar flyby.

2026-02-01T13:18:31.328192-08:00

NASA begins 49‑hour Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, fuels SLS ahead of simulated Feb. 2 liftoff

SpaceNews.com

Orbital data centers: economics take center stage Momentum behind orbital data centers has shifted the debate from technical possibility to commercial economics. Attention is now on capital intensity, launch and operations costs, pricing and revenue models that will determine which on‑orbit compute concepts can scale into sustainable businesses.

2026-02-01T09:12:36.230871-08:00

Orbital data centers: economics take center stage

SpaceNews.com

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Varda's W-15 reentry lands in Australia, completes end-to-end demo of in-house spacecraft Varda Space Industries' W-15 reentry capsule landed in Australia on Jan. 29, completing an end-to-end demonstration of the company's new in-house spacecraft design. The flight validated recovery and return systems ahead of planned dual-capsule operations on SpaceX Transporter rideshares and supports the company's push into commercial orbital payload-return services.

2026-01-31T15:25:02.985255-08:00

Varda's W-15 reentry lands in Australia, completes end-to-end demo of in-house spacecraft

Space.com

Chinese space‑tourism startup signs actor Johnny Huang, targets 2028 for first crewed suborbital flight A Chinese space‑tourism startup has signed actor Johnny Huang Jingyu as a booked passenger and set a 2028 target for its first crewed suborbital flight. The announcement highlights a push from domestic firms to move from test flights to consumer‑facing human spaceflight services.

2026-01-31T08:03:46.321734-08:00

Chinese space‑tourism startup signs actor Johnny Huang, targets 2028 for first crewed suborbital flight

SpaceNews.com

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SpaceX seeks FCC approval for 1‑million solar‑powered orbital data‑center constellation to run AI workloads SpaceX filed with the FCC on Jan. 30, 2026 seeking approval for an up to one‑million‑satellite constellation of solar‑powered, optical‑linked spacecraft designed as distributed orbital data centers to process AI workloads — a move SpaceX says is lower‑cost and less environmentally harmful than terrestrial data centers.

2026-01-31T05:30:03.260205-08:00

SpaceX seeks FCC approval for 1‑million solar‑powered orbital data‑center constellation to run AI workloads

Space.com

ESA seeks to map spacecraft breakup and burn‑up to enable reliable design‑for‑demise The European Space Agency is launching studies to characterise how different spacecraft materials and structures fragment, ablate and vaporise during fiery uncontrolled re‑entries. Improved data on burn‑up behaviour would let engineers design satellites that reliably disintegrate, minimising surviving debris and atmospheric particulate deposition.

2026-01-31T03:08:44.178137-08:00

ESA seeks to map spacecraft breakup and burn‑up to enable reliable design‑for‑demise

SpaceNews.com

China launches AlSat‑3B remote‑sensing satellite for Algeria from Jiuquan China launched AlSat‑3B, an Algerian remote‑sensing satellite, from Jiuquan on Jan. 31 aboard a Long March‑2C. Beijing said additional missions have been postponed as authorities prepare for a key human‑spaceflight test; President Xi and Algerian President Tebboune exchanged congratulations after liftoff.

2026-01-31T02:18:59.333418-08:00

China launches AlSat‑3B remote‑sensing satellite for Algeria from Jiuquan

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Amazon buys 10 more Falcon 9 launches to accelerate Project Kuiper deployment

NASA begins 49‑hour Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, fuels SLS ahead of simulated Feb. 2 liftoff

Orbital data centers: economics take center stage

SpaceX seeks FCC approval for 1‑million solar‑powered orbital data‑center constellation to run AI workloads

News Timeline