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NASA • Jessica Taveau

NASA selects STRIVE and EDGE as Earth System Explorer missions to study atmosphere, ecosystems and ice

NASA selected two principal‑investigator‑led Earth System Explorer missions — STRIVE and EDGE — for development to advance atmospheric science and terrestrial ecosystems/ice observations. The next‑generation satellites aim to improve Earth system understanding and enhance forecasting capabilities for climate and environmental hazards.

2026-02-05T13:35:54.981727-08:00

Payload

Univity to deploy 1,500‑satellite VLEO constellation for direct‑to‑device consumer connectivity

2026-02-05T22:14:04.220202-08:00

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX advances: Starlink launch, 'Stargaze' SSA, Starship test planned and xAI merger talks

2026-01-29T20:47:10.413475-08:00

Space.com

Massive CME to strike within 24 hours — auroras possible across 24 US states

2026-01-19T07:27:30.138704-08:00

News Timeline

Payload

Univity to deploy 1,500‑satellite VLEO constellation for direct‑to‑device consumer connectivity Univity plans a 1,500‑satellite very‑low‑Earth‑orbit (VLEO) constellation to provide direct connections to consumer devices, enabling satellite‑to‑handset links without traditional user terminals. The network is pitched to deliver dense VLEO coverage with lower latency than higher‑altitude systems for mass‑market D2D services.

2026-02-05T22:14:04.220202-08:00

Univity to deploy 1,500‑satellite VLEO constellation for direct‑to‑device consumer connectivity

NASA

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NASA selects STRIVE and EDGE as Earth System Explorer missions to study atmosphere, ecosystems and ice NASA selected two principal‑investigator‑led Earth System Explorer missions — STRIVE and EDGE — for development to advance atmospheric science and terrestrial ecosystems/ice observations. The next‑generation satellites aim to improve Earth system understanding and enhance forecasting capabilities for climate and environmental hazards.

2026-02-05T13:35:54.981727-08:00

NASA selects STRIVE and EDGE as Earth System Explorer missions to study atmosphere, ecosystems and ice

Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX advances: Starlink launch, 'Stargaze' SSA, Starship test planned and xAI merger talks SpaceX launched Starlink 6‑101 from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 30, unveiled 'Stargaze' — a new space‑situational‑awareness system whose analytics will be made freely available to satellite operators in coming weeks — and signalled a planned Starship test while holding merger talks with xAI ahead of an IPO.

2026-01-29T20:47:10.413475-08:00

SpaceX advances: Starlink launch, 'Stargaze' SSA, Starship test planned and xAI merger talks

SpaceNews.com

NASA seeks partners for Earth Science extended missions, updates INNOVATE solicitation NASA has issued solicitations to find partners for Earth Science extended missions and published Amendment 41 updating the A.10 INNOVATE solicitation, inviting proposals that apply NASA Earth observations and models to value‑added technologies, applications and societal benefits. The actions aim to accelerate operational use of satellite data.

2026-01-26T18:59:56.679315-08:00

NASA seeks partners for Earth Science extended missions, updates INNOVATE solicitation

Universe Today

ISS microgravity drives unique phage–bacteria mutations, yielding improved therapeutic viruses Experiments aboard the International Space Station reveal bacteriophages and their E. coli hosts acquire mutation patterns in microgravity that differ from Earth-based evolution. Some space-evolved phage variants demonstrated enhanced ability to infect and kill bacteria, and were used to generate improved therapeutic viruses targeting drug‑resistant infections.

2026-01-26T06:54:39.932133-08:00

ISS microgravity drives unique phage–bacteria mutations, yielding improved therapeutic viruses

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX to launch 25 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into polar LEO from Vandenberg SpaceX will launch 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sunday, inserting the batch into a polar low Earth orbit. Falcon 9 will depart on a southerly trajectory to place the broadband payload into polar LEO.

2026-01-24T19:43:21.288781-08:00

SpaceX to launch 25 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into polar LEO from Vandenberg

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX targets first West Coast Starlink launch of 2026, adds 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar LEO SpaceX will launch its first West Coast Starlink mission of 2026, sending 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into a polar low Earth orbit. The flight continues rapid V2 Mini deployments to boost polar coverage and capacity for commercial and government users.

2026-01-21T15:22:02.662687-08:00

SpaceX targets first West Coast Starlink launch of 2026, adds 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar LEO

Space.com

China previews Xuntian 2‑meter space telescope with mock observations ahead of 2027 launch China has published mock observations demonstrating the performance of Xuntian, a 2‑meter‑class space telescope designed to operate near its space station, as the program advances toward a planned 2027 launch. The tests aim to validate imaging capability and science readiness ahead of final integration.

2026-01-19T08:05:33.624949-08:00

China previews Xuntian 2‑meter space telescope with mock observations ahead of 2027 launch

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LEO News

NASA selects STRIVE and EDGE as Earth System Explorer missions to study atmosphere, ecosystems and ice

Univity to deploy 1,500‑satellite VLEO constellation for direct‑to‑device consumer connectivity

SpaceX advances: Starlink launch, 'Stargaze' SSA, Starship test planned and xAI merger talks

Massive CME to strike within 24 hours — auroras possible across 24 US states

News Timeline