Bloomberg
• Mihir Mishra
ISRO placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into orbit on Oct. 30 aboard the GSLV-F18, the rocket’s 20th flight. The launch returns India’s NavIC regional navigation constellation to its minimum operational configuration; it was the fourth orbital launch from Indian soil this year.
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ISRO placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into orbit on Oct. 30 aboard the GSLV-F18, the rocket’s 20th flight. The launch returns India’s NavIC regional navigation constellation to its minimum operational configuration; it was the fourth orbital launch from Indian soil this year.
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Analysts warn that the looming launch crisis is worse than previously understood. They also find no evidence that SpaceX’s Starship will be used to launch traditional satellites, challenging assumptions that the vehicle will soon provide additional capacity for conventional satellite deployment.
Chinese commercial launch companies have reached structural and propulsion milestones ahead of inaugural reusable-rocket flights, while CAS Space plans to test its Lihong 2 reusable spacecraft in early 2027. Separately, the Pentagon released a satellite image of a secret Chinese spaceplane, underscoring the growing range of China’s space activities.
United Launch Alliance has secured a major NASA contract as its Vulcan rocket approaches a return to flight. The developments put the launch provider’s government work and the status of its next-generation vehicle in focus, though the available reports do not specify the contract’s value or Vulcan’s return date.
China’s commercial launch provider Landspace has topped a tender to launch an unidentified spacecraft, reported to be the Haolong reusable cargo spaceplane intended to serve the Tiangong space station. The award links a private launch provider with a spacecraft program supporting China’s crewed orbital infrastructure.
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CNES has started ground qualification testing of Callisto, a reusable rocket demonstrator, in French Guiana. The campaign precedes a first flight planned for 2027; the available report does not specify test objectives, vehicle capabilities or the partners involved.
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Telesat says delays completing two pathfinder satellites at MDA Space will push the planned start of global Lightspeed broadband service back about three months, to around the end of the second quarter of 2028. The company also cited a tight launch market as it prepares to deploy the constellation.
SpaceX has completed static-fire tests of both stages of its Starship vehicle ahead of Flight 15, according to a report featuring footage of the upper-stage test. The tests mark a prelaunch milestone, but the article provides no launch date or further details on the vehicle’s readiness.
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