News

SpaceNews.com • Andrew Jones

China flies two Long March missions, adding 18 comms and five LEO satellites to Thousand Sails and Guowang megaconstellations

China carried out two separate Long March launches this week — a Long March‑8 from Hainan that lofted 18 communications satellites and a modified Long March‑6A from Taiyuan that added five spacecraft. The Taiyuan flight marked the 21st group of low‑orbit internet satellites for the Guowang programme, advancing both Thousand Sails and Guowang deployments.

2026-04-09T07:32:22.318213-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Space Force awards $1.843B Andromeda IDIQ to 14 firms for GEO space-domain awareness

2026-04-09T04:38:15.725714-07:00

Runway Girl

ST Engineering iDirect: LEO disruption creates risks — and new ground-segment opportunities for satcom users

2026-04-09T05:06:53.295641-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Commercial Satellites as the New Arsenal: Defense and Industry Implications

2026-04-09T07:11:17.822866-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

China flies two Long March missions, adding 18 comms and five LEO satellites to Thousand Sails and Guowang megaconstellations China carried out two separate Long March launches this week — a Long March‑8 from Hainan that lofted 18 communications satellites and a modified Long March‑6A from Taiyuan that added five spacecraft. The Taiyuan flight marked the 21st group of low‑orbit internet satellites for the Guowang programme, advancing both Thousand Sails and Guowang deployments.

2026-04-09T07:32:22.318213-07:00

China flies two Long March missions, adding 18 comms and five LEO satellites to Thousand Sails and Guowang megaconstellations

SpaceNews.com

Commercial Satellites as the New Arsenal: Defense and Industry Implications Commercial satellites are evolving from civilian infrastructure into instruments of national power, supplying communications, sensing and targeting capabilities that militaries and adversaries can access rapidly. That shift forces armed forces, regulators and space companies to rethink procurement, resilience, and legal frameworks for warfighting in orbit.

2026-04-09T07:11:17.822866-07:00

Commercial Satellites as the New Arsenal: Defense and Industry Implications

Runway Girl

ST Engineering iDirect: LEO disruption creates risks — and new ground-segment opportunities for satcom users Vertically integrated LEO operators are reshaping satcom business models, compressing margins and altering service delivery. ST Engineering iDirect calls the shift “a glass-half-full moment,” saying the disruption presents both risks and commercial openings for aviation, defense and enterprise customers reliant on satellite connectivity.

2026-04-09T05:06:53.295641-07:00

ST Engineering iDirect: LEO disruption creates risks — and new ground-segment opportunities for satcom users

SpaceNews.com

❗️

Space Force awards $1.843B Andromeda IDIQ to 14 firms for GEO space-domain awareness The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command has awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract ceiling of $1.843 billion under the Andromeda program to 14 companies, funding development and procurement of geostationary space-domain awareness satellites and services as the next-generation GSSAP replacement.

2026-04-09T04:38:15.725714-07:00

Space Force awards $1.843B Andromeda IDIQ to 14 firms for GEO space-domain awareness

SpaceNews.com

Albedo gears up for second VLEO mission, targets 2027 launch Albedo is preparing its second Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) mission for launch in 2027. The flight follows the firm's inaugural demonstrator and is intended to expand in‑orbit testing of systems and operational concepts specific to sustained VLEO operations.

2026-04-09T04:02:29.550260-07:00

Albedo gears up for second VLEO mission, targets 2027 launch

SpaceNews.com

Lockheed wins $105M GPS ground control contract as OCX winds down Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $105 million contract to deliver a GPS ground control system as the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment (OCX) program winds down, continuing the company's role in sustaining and modernizing U.S. GPS ground infrastructure for military and civil users.

2026-04-09T03:27:22.860540-07:00

Lockheed wins $105M GPS ground control contract as OCX winds down

Payload

❗️

Vantor unveils Vantage and Pulse: hybrid EO constellation to boost revisit cadence and near‑real‑time monitoring Vantor unveiled two electro‑optical satellite classes — Vantage (high‑resolution) and Pulse (smallsat revisitors) — to create a hybrid constellation that combines high‑ and low‑resolution imagery to increase revisit cadence and deliver near‑real‑time global monitoring for commercial and government customers, including military surveillance.

2026-04-09T03:00:37.624166-07:00

Vantor unveils Vantage and Pulse: hybrid EO constellation to boost revisit cadence and near‑real‑time monitoring

SpaceNews.com

Apex to develop larger satellites for missile defence and space-based computing Apex plans to develop larger satellites to support missile defence missions and space‑based computing. The program seeks to field heavier platforms capable of hosting defensive payloads and on‑orbit processing, reflecting a push toward higher‑capability, defense‑aligned satellite architectures with expanded mission flexibility.

2026-04-09T02:18:53.156361-07:00

Apex to develop larger satellites for missile defence and space-based computing

Menu

Satellite News

China flies two Long March missions, adding 18 comms and five LEO satellites to Thousand Sails and Guowang megaconstellations

Space Force awards $1.843B Andromeda IDIQ to 14 firms for GEO space-domain awareness

ST Engineering iDirect: LEO disruption creates risks — and new ground-segment opportunities for satcom users

Commercial Satellites as the New Arsenal: Defense and Industry Implications

News Timeline