NASA Spaceflight
• Ryan Weber
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 completed its mission despite engine losses on both stages: Booster 21 flew its full profile, while Ship 41 reached orbit, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites and safely returned to the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. Preparations for Flight 15 are now underway.
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SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 completed its mission despite engine losses on both stages: Booster 21 flew its full profile, while Ship 41 reached orbit, deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites and safely returned to the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. Preparations for Flight 15 are now underway.
British Airways has restarted its rollout of free, ultra-fast Starlink in-flight Wi‑Fi after a nearly four-month pause during the peak summer travel period. Airbus A350s are now among the aircraft being equipped first, providing an updated view of the airline’s installation priorities.
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The U.S. Space Force selected five companies in August to help develop a next-generation Space Data Network designed to connect commercial satellite systems through standardized interfaces. The architecture aims to improve interoperability while reducing the government’s dependence on any single commercial provider.
Blackswan Space has raised €2.5 million in seed funding as it prepares to launch its first in-orbit mission for the RPO Kit payload. The demonstration will advance the company’s rendezvous and proximity operations technology in space.
Sophia Space and Redwire have agreed to collaborate on the development and deployment of scalable, space-based computing infrastructure. The partnership targets orbital data centers, signaling continued commercial interest in moving data processing and related infrastructure into space.
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Astranis has secured a $468 million loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank to expand satellite production, according to an exclusive report. EXIM Chairman John Jovanovic framed the financing as part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S. leadership in space.
Mission-K’s second day in Kalkar focused on the growing relevance of real threats in orbit, Stark Defence’s call for tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from space, and three defense challenges shaped by lessons from the war in Ukraine.
Lithuania’s Blackswan Space has raised approximately $2.9 million in seed funding to develop a rendezvous and proximity operations payload. Orbit Fab plans to use the technology in what it describes as Europe’s first in-space satellite refueling demonstration, targeted for 2028.
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