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Spaceflight Now • Will Robinson-Smith

SpaceX targets first West Coast Starlink launch of 2026, adds 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar LEO

SpaceX will launch its first West Coast Starlink mission of 2026, sending 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into a polar low Earth orbit. The flight continues rapid V2 Mini deployments to boost polar coverage and capacity for commercial and government users.

2026-01-21T15:22:02.662687-08:00

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

United to fit Starlink on 1,000+ aircraft in 2026, adding more than one plane per day as Wi‑Fi lifts premium demand

2026-01-21T14:09:51.702928-08:00

Reuters

Blue Origin unveils TeraWave: 5,400‑satellite LEO/MEO constellation aiming for 6 Tbps enterprise and data‑centre connectivity

2026-01-21T10:18:41.709346-08:00

Wall Street Journal

SpaceX IPO push driven by orbital data‑centres, sources say

2026-01-21T10:57:17.722292-08:00

News Timeline

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX targets first West Coast Starlink launch of 2026, adds 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar LEO SpaceX will launch its first West Coast Starlink mission of 2026, sending 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into a polar low Earth orbit. The flight continues rapid V2 Mini deployments to boost polar coverage and capacity for commercial and government users.

2026-01-21T15:22:02.662687-08:00

SpaceX targets first West Coast Starlink launch of 2026, adds 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar LEO

Via Satellite

Es'hailSat and Qatar Armed Forces sign MoU to develop sovereign military satcom and ground networks Es'hailSat and the Qatar Armed Forces signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop military satellite communications and associated ground networks to meet sovereign requirements. The agreement formalizes cooperation to bolster national defence communications, operational readiness and secure, resilient control of space-based links.

2026-01-21T14:15:52.726045-08:00

Es'hailSat and Qatar Armed Forces sign MoU to develop sovereign military satcom and ground networks

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

United to fit Starlink on 1,000+ aircraft in 2026, adding more than one plane per day as Wi‑Fi lifts premium demand United will install SpaceX Starlink inflight Wi‑Fi at a pace of more than one aircraft per day throughout 2026, targeting over 1,000 installations. Management says the fleet rollout helped Q4 2025 results and is a material contributor to a forecast for record 2026 profits driven by stronger premium demand.

2026-01-21T14:09:51.702928-08:00

United to fit Starlink on 1,000+ aircraft in 2026, adding more than one plane per day as Wi‑Fi lifts premium demand

Wall Street Journal

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SpaceX IPO push driven by orbital data‑centres, sources say Sources say Elon Musk's plan to deploy orbital data centres aboard an upgraded Starlink has accelerated SpaceX's push for an IPO. Company executives view public markets as the route to raise the capital and scale needed to build and operate large on‑orbit compute infrastructure.

2026-01-21T10:57:17.722292-08:00

SpaceX IPO push driven by orbital data‑centres, sources say

Reuters

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Blue Origin unveils TeraWave: 5,400‑satellite LEO/MEO constellation aiming for 6 Tbps enterprise and data‑centre connectivity Blue Origin announced TeraWave, a planned ~5,408‑satellite LEO/MEO constellation of optically linked satellites to serve enterprise, data‑centre and government customers. Deployments are expected to begin late next year, with the network targeting up to 6 Tbps of aggregate capacity as a Starlink competitor.

2026-01-21T10:18:41.709346-08:00

Blue Origin unveils TeraWave: 5,400‑satellite LEO/MEO constellation aiming for 6 Tbps enterprise and data‑centre connectivity

Space Intel Report

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OHB lifts three‑year revenue and profit targets after ESA budget boost and German/EU military space plans OHB has raised its three‑year revenue and profit targets, citing a renewed ESA budget and emerging German and EU military space programmes as drivers. The supplier said higher programme funding and defence requirements underpin stronger order visibility and improved financial guidance for its spacecraft and launch‑related business.

2026-01-21T09:53:52.098551-08:00

OHB lifts three‑year revenue and profit targets after ESA budget boost and German/EU military space plans

Universe Today

Lunar far‑side radio telescopes could image dozens of black‑hole shadows beyond the Event Horizon Telescope's Earth‑bound limit Earth‑sized baselines cap the Event Horizon Telescope to the M87 and Milky Way black‑hole shadows; placing radio telescopes on the Moon’s far side — missions like LuSEE‑Night — would extend the interferometric baseline and sensitivity, enabling imaging of dozens more shadows and new low‑frequency cosmic signals.

2026-01-21T08:52:04.781089-08:00

Lunar far‑side radio telescopes could image dozens of black‑hole shadows beyond the Event Horizon Telescope's Earth‑bound limit

Payload

France selects Loft Orbital for DESIR 'sovereign' SAR demonstrator; Thales Alenia Space to supply payload and ground segment France has selected Loft Orbital to develop its first 'sovereign' synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) reconnaissance satellite under the CNES/DGA-backed DESIR demonstrator, a contract announced 21 January 2026. Thales Alenia Space was awarded the DESIR payload and user ground-segment work; a 2029 demonstration is targeted.

2026-01-21T06:12:33.312882-08:00

France selects Loft Orbital for DESIR 'sovereign' SAR demonstrator; Thales Alenia Space to supply payload and ground segment

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Satellite News

SpaceX targets first West Coast Starlink launch of 2026, adds 25 V2 Mini Optimized satellites to polar LEO

United to fit Starlink on 1,000+ aircraft in 2026, adding more than one plane per day as Wi‑Fi lifts premium demand

Blue Origin unveils TeraWave: 5,400‑satellite LEO/MEO constellation aiming for 6 Tbps enterprise and data‑centre connectivity

SpaceX IPO push driven by orbital data‑centres, sources say

News Timeline