SpaceWatch Global
• Joshua Faleti
Starship reached orbit on its 14th test flight, completing its most ambitious mission yet and deploying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites through its “Pez dispenser” system over roughly 30 minutes. The flight marks a significant operational milestone for SpaceX’s largest launch vehicle and satellite deployment architecture.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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Meridian Space and SpinLaunch will continue as separate companies, Meridian Space CEO Massimiliano Ladovaz said. The clarification formalizes the companies’ independent status following Meridian Space’s spinout from SpinLaunch, although no further details on the separation were provided.
Star Catcher says its prototype orbital power node is prepared for launch on a SpaceX Transporter mission targeted for no earlier than Oct. 1. The mission will demonstrate the company’s power-beaming technology in orbit.
Chinese launch startup Deep Blue Aerospace has secured nearly $300 million to support development of its reusable Nebula rocket family. The company is also testing an upgraded rocket engine, combining fresh capital with propulsion work as it advances its commercial launch ambitions.
High activity
Starship reached orbit on its 14th test flight, completing its most ambitious mission yet and deploying 26 next-generation Starlink satellites through its “Pez dispenser” system over roughly 30 minutes. The flight marks a significant operational milestone for SpaceX’s largest launch vehicle and satellite deployment architecture.
High activity
Indian startup TakeMe2Space plans to launch its sub-50-kilogram MOI-1A satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission on Oct. 1. Equipped with Nvidia Orin NX processors, the spacecraft is designed to run AI models in orbit and process Earth-observation data without transmitting raw information to ground stations.
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SpaceX is targeting Sept. 28 for the first orbital launch attempt of its 124-meter (407-foot) Starship-Super Heavy rocket, carrying the first Starlink V3 satellites. The milestone comes 18 years after SpaceX’s Falcon 1 reached orbit for the first time.
High activity
After more than a decade of development and 13 test flights, SpaceX plans to launch Starship on its first orbital mission from Texas on Sept. 28, pending regulatory approval. The 75-minute window targets six Earth orbits, deployment of 26 Starlink V3 satellites and a Pacific Ocean landing.
The European Union commissioner responsible for space is taking a more active role in launch policy, urging European companies to increase launch activity. The push signals greater EU attention to launch cadence and the continent’s ability to sustain independent access to space.
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