Space.com
• Josh Dinner
A Falcon 9 lifted off from California overnight on Oct. 27, carrying 27 additional Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. The launch adds another batch to SpaceX’s constellation, extending its deployment cadence through a mission launched in the early morning hours.
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A Falcon 9 lifted off from California overnight on Oct. 27, carrying 27 additional Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. The launch adds another batch to SpaceX’s constellation, extending its deployment cadence through a mission launched in the early morning hours.
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NASA has ended science operations for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which has descended to less than 171 miles (275 kilometers) above Earth. Atmospheric drag at that altitude prevents its telescopes from steadily observing targets, following a failed commercial-spacecraft attempt to raise the observatory’s orbit.
The European Commission, ESA and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Aug. 7, 2026, for IRIS², a sovereign communications network of 348 spacecraft in low and medium Earth orbit. Separately, Airbus says it is fielding interest in HBCplus, an inflight-connectivity solution supporting GEO and Lightspeed LEO services.
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The agency’s safety advisers say NASA risks losing human access to low Earth orbit as Crew Dragon approaches retirement and concerns persist about commercial space stations. The warning puts continuity of crewed operations in orbit at issue, though the available report provides no timetable or details of the advisers’ recommendations.
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At NBAA-BACE 2026, Gogo outlined a long-term roadmap for its Galileo low Earth orbit connectivity service, including significant speed improvements targeted by 2032. The company says upgrades will require minimal changes to installed hardware and highlighted supply-chain readiness to support customer installations.
Gen. Stephen Whiting says the military needs the ability to fight an adversary’s fleet of low Earth orbit satellites, identifying gaps in current space arms. The remarks underscore the growing focus on countering satellite constellations as a military capability.
Turkey’s Aselsan is under contract to build in-orbit prototypes for Astralink, a planned 198-satellite low Earth orbit constellation serving military, civil government and emergency services. The first satellite is scheduled to launch in 2028, an early step toward a multi-user national space communications system.
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