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NASA Spaceflight • Sean Yoder

Falcon 9 to loft Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 Cygnus to ISS as Vandenberg clears Minotaur IV for STP‑S29A

U.S. launch activity this week sees a Falcon 9 set to lift Northrop Grumman's CRS‑24 Cygnus XL — carrying roughly 11,000 pounds of science and supplies — to the International Space Station, while Vandenberg cleared a Minotaur IV for the STP‑S29A mission. Expedition 74 crews are finalizing Cygnus handover preparations as Artemis II reaches its midpoint.

2026-04-06T15:16:42.227346-07:00

Via Satellite

SSC Space launches 'SSC Space Go' ground‑systems service for commercial LEO smallsats

2026-04-07T13:56:03.491664-07:00

Payload

State of Earth Observation 2026: Commercial demand and strategic use cases fuel EO market growth

2026-04-07T05:31:47.308109-07:00

Payload

How Starlink and Amazon Leo are reshaping satellite connectivity and governance

2026-04-06T05:51:44.674574-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Albedo gears up for second VLEO mission, targets 2027 launch Albedo is preparing its second Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) mission for launch in 2027. The flight follows the firm's inaugural demonstrator and is intended to expand in‑orbit testing of systems and operational concepts specific to sustained VLEO operations.

2026-04-09T04:02:29.550260-07:00

Albedo gears up for second VLEO mission, targets 2027 launch

Aviation Week

Kongsberg and SpinLaunch team on sovereign LEO satcom using Meridian-derived tech KONGSBERG unveiled a new sovereign satellite communications offering for allied governments, incorporating capabilities drawn from SpinLaunch’s Meridian technology. The partnership also targets rapid deployment of low Earth orbit satellite systems, aiming to give governments faster-onboard connectivity with sovereign control of the constellation.

2026-04-09T01:51:23.835604-07:00

Kongsberg and SpinLaunch team on sovereign LEO satcom using Meridian-derived tech

Via Satellite

SSC Space launches 'SSC Space Go' ground‑systems service for commercial LEO smallsats SSC Space is expanding its ground‑systems business with 'SSC Space Go', a commercial service tailored to small satellites in LEO. On Orbit this week hosted product manager Jonas Åslund and product owner Viktor Pankov to discuss how the service meets needs of the evolving commercial space market.

2026-04-07T13:56:03.491664-07:00

SSC Space launches 'SSC Space Go' ground‑systems service for commercial LEO smallsats

Payload

State of Earth Observation 2026: Commercial demand and strategic use cases fuel EO market growth Commercial customers and governments are accelerating purchases of Earth-observation capacity, expanding demand for sensors, hosted payloads, analytics and tasking services. That dual pull—operational commercial use cases and strategic sovereign requirements—is driving investment, new suppliers and faster productisation across the EO value chain.

2026-04-07T05:31:47.308109-07:00

State of Earth Observation 2026: Commercial demand and strategic use cases fuel EO market growth

NASA Spaceflight

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Falcon 9 to loft Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 Cygnus to ISS as Vandenberg clears Minotaur IV for STP‑S29A U.S. launch activity this week sees a Falcon 9 set to lift Northrop Grumman's CRS‑24 Cygnus XL — carrying roughly 11,000 pounds of science and supplies — to the International Space Station, while Vandenberg cleared a Minotaur IV for the STP‑S29A mission. Expedition 74 crews are finalizing Cygnus handover preparations as Artemis II reaches its midpoint.

2026-04-06T15:16:42.227346-07:00

Falcon 9 to loft Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 Cygnus to ISS as Vandenberg clears Minotaur IV for STP‑S29A

Payload

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How Starlink and Amazon Leo are reshaping satellite connectivity and governance SpaceX’s Starlink now operates more than 10,020 satellites and serves over 10 million users, while Amazon’s rebranded Leo has 212 production craft and an enterprise beta. The jump to 11,539 operational satellites by end‑2024 is remaking the satcom market and exposing debris, traffic and governance risks.

2026-04-06T05:51:44.674574-07:00

How Starlink and Amazon Leo are reshaping satellite connectivity and governance

SpaceNews.com

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission NASA reoriented the Swift astrophysics spacecraft to extend its operational life as its orbit decays, buying time for a planned reboost mission later this year that will attempt to raise Swift’s orbit. The temporary changes preserve science operations and position the satellite for the recovery attempt.

2026-04-02T16:52:22.181336-07:00

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission

SpaceNews.com

Aspect Aerospace raises $2.4M to build circuit‑board VLEO swarm satellites Aspect Aerospace, a University of South Alabama spin‑off, raised $2.4 million to build circuit‑board‑sized spacecraft designed to be deployed from larger platforms into very low Earth orbit in swarms. The micro‑satellites are intended for persistent space‑environment monitoring, including atmospheric density, drag and debris detection.

2026-04-01T08:10:25.328223-07:00

Aspect Aerospace raises $2.4M to build circuit‑board VLEO swarm satellites

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LEO News

Falcon 9 to loft Northrop Grumman CRS‑24 Cygnus to ISS as Vandenberg clears Minotaur IV for STP‑S29A

SSC Space launches 'SSC Space Go' ground‑systems service for commercial LEO smallsats

State of Earth Observation 2026: Commercial demand and strategic use cases fuel EO market growth

How Starlink and Amazon Leo are reshaping satellite connectivity and governance

News Timeline