LEO News

SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

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.

8 Sources

2026-07-27T04:10:19.153796-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

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

1 Source

2026-07-27T01:15:21.065703-07:00

Associated Press

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

28 Sources

2026-07-26T03:50:38.679958-07:00

Spaceflight Now

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

5 Sources

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

Low Earth Orbit News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

8 sources

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.

2026-07-27T04:10:19.153796-07:00

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

SpaceWatch Global

1 source

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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.

2026-07-27T01:15:21.065703-07:00

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

Associated Press

28 sources

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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.

2026-07-26T03:50:38.679958-07:00

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

CNBC

None source

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

2026-07-22T17:22:01.067541-07:00

Inside India newsletter: Skyro

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

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