NASA Spaceflight
• Haygen Warren
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched Aug. 30 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. After reaching space, the observatory deployed its solar array and communications systems and powered on its Coronagraph Instrument, marking early progress in commissioning the mission.
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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope successfully launched Aug. 30 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. After reaching space, the observatory deployed its solar array and communications systems and powered on its Coronagraph Instrument, marking early progress in commissioning the mission.
French launch provider MaiaSpace has secured its first long-term Asian customer agreement with Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS), which plans to use the company to launch a range of synthetic-aperture radar satellites. The deal gives MaiaSpace an anchor customer as it builds its commercial launch business.
Eutelsat has placed major satellite orders with Airbus and Aerospacelab to support service continuity for its OneWeb constellation and Europe’s IRIS² secure-connectivity network. The commitments link commercial broadband operations with Europe’s emerging sovereign space communications infrastructure.
Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft reached NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory but was unable to complete the planned mission to boost the observatory’s orbit. LINK remains operational, allowing the spacecraft to continue conducting operations despite the failed rescue attempt.
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Tomorrow.io selected York Space Systems as prime contractor for the initial phase of its DeepSky constellation under a $187 million contract. The satellites will combine microwave sounders, GNSS radio occultation receivers and reflectometers, precipitation radars, and optical and infrared cameras for real-time global atmospheric monitoring.
TrustPoint, a startup developing a commercial global navigation satellite system, has selected EnduroSat to build a 40-satellite constellation. The agreement adds a defined spacecraft manufacturing partner to TrustPoint’s plans to establish an alternative commercial GNSS service.
A €3 billion raise by Mistral, Isar Aerospace’s first orbital success, Eutelsat’s expanded LEO data-downlink partnership with Skynopy and Aerospacelab’s €2.4 billion IRIS² satellite contract underscore Europe’s push to control critical AI, launch, connectivity and secure-communications infrastructure.
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Amazon Leo has expanded its Arianespace partnership to 24 contracted Ariane 6 launches, while the European Launcher Challenge awards €544 million to three rocket developers. An ICEYE-Arianespace agreement and proposed Airbus-Leonardo-Thales satellite merger plans further underscore Europe’s push for independent space access and industrial scale.
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