SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
ESA signed an MoU with Axiom Space to expand Europe’s access to low Earth orbit, selected Sateliot for the consolidation phase of its IRIS² low-LEO program, and extended its cooperation agreement with ISRO through January 8, 2032, while setting out priorities for IAC 2026.
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Planet Labs plans to launch its first German-built satellite on a German-built rocket in early 2027, while Exolaunch has contracted a dedicated SpaceX Starship mission for 2029. China, meanwhile, completed four orbital launches in 45 hours to accelerate its Qianfan and SatNet broadband constellations.
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ESA signed an MoU with Axiom Space to expand Europe’s access to low Earth orbit, selected Sateliot for the consolidation phase of its IRIS² low-LEO program, and extended its cooperation agreement with ISRO through January 8, 2032, while setting out priorities for IAC 2026.
SES will oversee construction and provide payloads for 18 MEO satellites in Europe’s secure Iris² constellation, while U.S. agencies advance contracts and infrastructure for missile-warning and tracking systems, including BAE Systems’ 10-spacecraft MEO Epoch 2 program and new resilient LEO ground entry points.
Pharmaceutical companies are preparing to move drug research and manufacturing into commercial low Earth orbit platforms as the International Space Station approaches the end of its operational life. The industry is also working with regulators to establish rules for producing medicines in space.
The U.S. Space Force will let SpaceX determine the number and configuration of spacecraft for a new $2.3 billion low-Earth-orbit satellite network, specifying required performance rather than prescribing the system’s architecture. The approach gives the contractor greater flexibility in designing the military constellation.
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Space42 and Viasat are committing up to $1 billion to establish Equatys for mobile satellite services, while Telesat partners with SatPort to expand its Lightspeed ground network. Northwood Space unveiled a new ground antenna, and Involve Space secured ESA funding for its StratoSAR radar platform.
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A Vega-C rocket launched Europe’s FLEX and Copernicus-3C—also identified in coverage as Sentinel-3C—spacecraft from Kourou on Sept. 14. The mission adds new European capabilities for monitoring plant health, ocean conditions and broader Earth-system changes amid a busy global launch schedule.
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The economics of low Earth orbit constellations may hinge less on launch prices than on custom silicon and shared terminal architectures. The design choices could shape cost, scalability and competitiveness across networks ranging from Starlink to Europe’s planned IRIS² constellation.
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