LEO News

Spaceflight Now • Will Robinson-Smith

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.

5 Sources

2026-07-21T03:57:11.989739-07:00

Reuters

SpaceX targets July 16 for Starship Flight 13, deploying Starlink from a v3 vehicle after schedule slips

32 Sources

2026-07-13T07:45:06.737977-07:00

Associated Press

Amazon Leo targets South Africa rollout by 2027 via Herotel deal

12 Sources

2026-07-15T08:30:36.897441-07:00

Via Satellite

Space Development Agency restarts Falcon 9 launch campaign, placing 21 data-transport satellites into low Earth orbit

8 Sources

2026-07-16T09:14:01.263011-07:00

Low Earth Orbit News Timeline

Spaceflight Now

5 sources

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.

2026-07-21T03:57:11.989739-07:00

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

Payload

3 sources

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.

2026-07-17T05:58:32.578049-07:00

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

Via Satellite

8 sources

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Space Development Agency restarts Falcon 9 launch campaign, placing 21 data-transport satellites into low Earth orbit SpaceX launched 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency (SDA) aboard a Falcon 9 on July 16, resuming the Pentagon’s first operational low-Earth-orbit military data network after a months-long pause. SDA cited software and hardware issues discovered on in-orbit units and delayed launches to address known problems.

2026-07-16T09:14:01.263011-07:00

Space Development Agency restarts Falcon 9 launch campaign, placing 21 data-transport satellites into low Earth orbit

Ars Technica

1 source

Xona targets 258-satellite low Earth orbit constellation as a GPS alternative Xona says it plans to deploy 258 satellites in low Earth orbit to provide navigation services intended to function as an alternative to GPS. The announcement frames LEO constellations as a renewed approach to positioning and timing, leveraging scale and distributed coverage.

2026-07-16T04:17:53.011696-07:00

Xona targets 258-satellite low Earth orbit constellation as a GPS alternative

Inflight Online

1 source

Atlas V completes Amazon Leo’s final mission as constellation grows to 396 satellites Amazon’s Project Leo constellation expanded to 396 satellites following a 29-satellite Atlas V launch, which marked the completion of Atlas V’s final Leo mission. The deployment sequence is positioned to transition toward Vulcan-powered high-rate rollout and initial service operations.

2026-07-16T02:46:41.654651-07:00

Atlas V completes Amazon Leo’s final mission as constellation grows to 396 satellites

SpaceNews.com

10 sources

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SWISSto12, Apex, Space Pioneer and Impulse Space pull in fresh funding to scale small GEO satellites, high-rate bus production a SWISSto12 closed a $70M Series C to scale “sovereign hardware” for small GEO satellite development. Apex said it raised over $200M and nearly doubled its valuation to $2.3B to ramp productized, configurable satellite bus production. Space Pioneer raised $29M (200M CNY) and Impulse Space secured $500M in a Series D to build in-space mobility infrastructure.

2026-07-16T00:04:43.512436-07:00

SWISSto12, Apex, Space Pioneer and Impulse Space pull in fresh funding to scale small GEO satellites, high-rate bus production a

Space Intel Report

1 source

Eutelsat FCC filing suggests its 440-satellite Airbus OneWeb order could add new capabilities Eutelsat’s FCC filing tied to its Airbus Defence and Space order for 440 OneWeb satellites indicates the batch may not be a straight continuation of the current 640-satellite fleet. The filing points to potential additional features—such as optical inter-satellite links—that are not present across today’s satellites.

2026-07-15T11:14:01.105739-07:00

Eutelsat FCC filing suggests its 440-satellite Airbus OneWeb order could add new capabilities

Associated Press

12 sources

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Amazon Leo targets South Africa rollout by 2027 via Herotel deal Amazon’s low-Earth-orbit satellite internet venture, Amazon Leo, has agreed with South Africa’s Herotel to distribute connectivity to residential customers under a new broadband offering. The service is positioned for a 2027 launch in South Africa, underscoring intensifying competition with providers such as Starlink.

2026-07-15T08:30:36.897441-07:00

Amazon Leo targets South Africa rollout by 2027 via Herotel deal

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