LEO News

Payload

Space Force funds Rocket Lab for Alaska missile-defense launches; SpaceX to fly NRO mission; VLEO investment set to near $10B by

Rocket Lab won a $266M U.S. Space Force contract for up to 18 suborbital missile-defense launches from Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex, while SpaceX is slated to launch the NRO’s NROL-95 from Cape Canaveral SFS (SLC-40). Separately, Juniper Research projects global VLEO satellite investment approaching $10B by 2031, and Outlier Space raised $7.35M to develop a microgravity research and return vehicle targeting a 2028 debut.

Payload

Amazon files with the FCC to launch a direct-to-device LEO constellation of more than 5,000 satellites

Amazon has filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission to operate a direct-to-device network in low Earth orbit, targeting a constellation sized at more than 5,000 satellites. The filing signals Amazon’s entry into the direct-to-device satellite communications race and escalates competitive pressure in LEO broadband.

SpaceNews.com

Space Force awards Rocket Lab a record $266M multi-launch contract for up to 18 suborbital missile-defense missions from Alaska

The U.S. Space Force has awarded Rocket Lab a $266 million multi-launch contract for suborbital missile-defense testing under its Rocket Systems Launch Program. The deal covers 12 missions over three years, with an option for up to six additional launches, starting no earlier than late 2026 from a new launch pad at Kodiak, Alaska.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

ESA awards ispace-EUROPE execution contract for MAGPIE lunar polar ice exploration mission phase

ESA has awarded ispace-EUROPE an execution contract for the second phase of the MAGPIE (Mission for Advanced Geophysics and Polar Ice Exploration) program. The agreement advances ESA’s lunar polar ice exploration efforts through the next development and delivery step under the broader MAGPIE contract structure.

Associated Press

High activity

Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing

Roscosmos and NASA confirmed the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft returned safely on July 26, 2026, bringing Expedition 74’s joint U.S.-Russian crew—NASA astronaut Chris Williams plus Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev—down to Kazakhstan after 241 days aboard the ISS. Expedition 75 is set to run into spring 2027.

CNBC

Inside India newsletter: Skyroot rocket puts India alongside U.S., China in private orbital launch

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX Falcon 9 reaches orbit with 24 Starlink satellites after a rare last-second abort

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Tuesday—one day after a rare abort scrubbed a prior liftoff attempt during engine ignition. A week that also included another Starlink-related Falcon 9 abort underscores the pace and risk of high-cadence LEO deployment.

Payload

NASA awards SpaceX Starlink contract for Artemis III laser communications in LEO

NASA has selected SpaceX to deliver laser communications capabilities for the Artemis III mission using Starlink. The contract supports ship-to-ship communications in low Earth orbit, aiming to improve how Earth-based observers view and monitor planned in-orbit activity in the 2027 timeframe.