Space.com
• Mike Wall
SpaceX launched 29 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Florida’s Space Coast on Aug. 11, marking the 18th mission for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1085. The flight was among 51 Space Coast launches in 2026 by SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin and NASA.
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The U.S. Space Force has selected Voyager Technologies for a development award focused on space-to-space communications. The effort adds to the service’s work on communications capabilities designed to support connectivity between spacecraft in orbit, though the announcement does not disclose the award’s value, timeline or technical specifications.
SpaceX launched 29 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Florida’s Space Coast on Aug. 11, marking the 18th mission for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster B1085. The flight was among 51 Space Coast launches in 2026 by SpaceX, ULA, Blue Origin and NASA.
Governments are expanding satellite capabilities as space-based intelligence becomes increasingly important to modern warfare, according to a space-technology executive. The war in Ukraine has intensified competition among countries to develop or acquire spy satellites, underscoring the growing strategic value of orbital surveillance.
BlackSky has secured a seven-figure, multiyear contract from an international customer for persistent space-based monitoring and on-demand satellite tasking. The announcement expands the company’s disclosed commercial space-intelligence work, though BlackSky did not identify the customer or provide the contract’s exact value.
A proposal to deploy as many as 1 million AI satellites in orbit could sharply increase rocket-launch emissions and produce concentrated toxic ash as spacecraft reenter the atmosphere. The scale of the data-center constellation raises questions about the environmental limits of orbital computing and satellite disposal.
Rwanda has launched a national program with Planet Labs to provide the company’s satellite data to government agencies and other users. The initiative positions Rwanda among African countries building domestic access to commercial Earth-observation data for public-sector applications.
Eutelsat said revenue from its OneWeb low-Earth-orbit constellation rose 69.5% in the year ended June 30, while GEO broadband revenue declined 6.6%. The company outlined Gen 1 operations through 2034 and $5.07 billion in planned capital expenditure as Europe advances its Iris² communications constellation.
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VinSpace, a Vingroup unit, has contracted SpaceX to launch its first satellites on a 2027 rideshare mission. The Vietnamese company will handle satellite research, development, manufacturing and on-orbit operations, advancing its plans to build a domestic space business spanning spacecraft, data services and operations.
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