SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
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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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.
The Turkish defense electronics company is investing in space R&D to build end-to-end capabilities in geospatial imaging and satellite communications. Its expansion also includes work on a government-backed low-orbit broadband constellation planned to comprise 198 satellites.
The article draws a parallel between the threat that industrial-era city lighting posed to research astronomy in the late 19th century and the challenge posed by today’s satellite megaconstellations. It frames the issue as a new existential crisis for astronomical research.
The UK spectrum regulator is seeking changes to international rules that limit transmission power for low-Earth-orbit broadband systems in Ku and Ka bands. The restrictions were established about 25 years ago to protect geostationary satellites from interference; Ofcom argues they should be softened for newer LEO constellations.
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