Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
Europe’s Vega C is scheduled to launch the FLEX and Copernicus-3C spacecraft from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on Sept. 14. The satellites will support monitoring of plant health and ocean conditions, marking one of Vega C’s final launches of the year.
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Europe’s Vega C is scheduled to launch the FLEX and Copernicus-3C spacecraft from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on Sept. 14. The satellites will support monitoring of plant health and ocean conditions, marking one of Vega C’s final launches of the year.
Satellite operators are repositioning around sovereign space strategies, integrating capabilities across multiple domains and collaborating more closely with the technology ecosystem. The shift highlights how defense requirements and artificial intelligence are reshaping satellite operators’ roles beyond traditional space-based services.
Satellite tasking traditionally begins with an assumption that analysts already know where to look. As conditions on Earth change, that premise is increasingly under pressure, raising fundamental questions about how satellite operators identify targets, prioritize collection and turn observations into timely decisions.
Satellogic has agreed with Innovative Defense Technologies to launch six additional Earth-observation satellites for the U.S. Office of Naval Research’s Slingshot III program. The agreement expands the satellite contribution to a U.S. defense-linked program focused on space-based Earth observation.
ESA’s FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites are preparing for launch aboard Vega-C, while Airbus and Unseenlabs have won work on France’s next-generation CASSIOPÉE SIGINT satellites. Separately, Cailabs is developing shared optical ground infrastructure with Eutelsat, and Satellogic plans to expand its Earth-observation constellation.
ColliMate Space has demonstrated its Nexus software autonomously managing satellite downlinks onboard a spacecraft, marking the Silicon Valley startup’s first in-orbit demonstration. The milestone points to a potential shift toward more automated satcom operations, reducing the need for continuous ground-based orchestration of spacecraft communications.
Satellite imagery is giving America’s adversaries persistent visibility into U.S. military bases, underscoring the need to adapt defense planning and operational security to an environment in which movements and infrastructure can be observed from orbit.
Exolaunch said Sept. 14 it secured capacity for rideshare payloads on two upcoming launches, one involving a Japanese rocket. The agreements add launch opportunities to Exolaunch’s manifest as the provider continues arranging shared-launch access for satellite customers.
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