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SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Synspective tapped to supply imagery for Japan’s new military satellite constellation

Japan has tapped Synspective to supply satellite imagery for its new military constellation, assigning a commercial SAR-imagery provider a direct role in national space-based ISR. The deal secures access to Synspective’s collection and processing services to support Japanese defence surveillance and operational planning.

2025-12-28T12:41:44.901940-08:00

Universe Today

Design-for-Demise Dilemma: MaiaSpace paper flags unintended consequences of smallsat burn-up strategy

2025-12-28T07:44:42.241739-08:00

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX to close 2025 with Falcon 9 launch of Italy's Cosmo‑SkyMed Second Generation FM3 from Vandenberg

2025-12-27T06:00:25.663470-08:00

Universe Today

Kirigami-enabled solar sails let sailcraft turn without propellant

2025-12-27T03:54:23.461136-08:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Synspective tapped to supply imagery for Japan’s new military satellite constellation Japan has tapped Synspective to supply satellite imagery for its new military constellation, assigning a commercial SAR-imagery provider a direct role in national space-based ISR. The deal secures access to Synspective’s collection and processing services to support Japanese defence surveillance and operational planning.

2025-12-28T12:41:44.901940-08:00

Synspective tapped to supply imagery for Japan’s new military satellite constellation

Universe Today

Design-for-Demise Dilemma: MaiaSpace paper flags unintended consequences of smallsat burn-up strategy A paper by Antoinette Ott and Christophe Bonnal of MaiaSpace argues the Design-for-Demise principle — letting most small satellites burn up at end-of-life — creates unintended consequences for orbital sustainability and operations, calling into question disposal assumptions used for current megaconstellation deployments.

2025-12-28T07:44:42.241739-08:00

Design-for-Demise Dilemma: MaiaSpace paper flags unintended consequences of smallsat burn-up strategy

businessdailyafrica.com

Starlink pivots in Kenya: signs commercial deals with Safaricom and Airtel Africa Elon Musk's Starlink has shifted strategy in Kenya, moving from an initial intent to disrupt dominant mobile operators to signing commercial partnerships with Safaricom and Airtel Africa. The deals give Starlink distribution, billing and regulatory scale via incumbents, signaling a broader pivot in its African market approach.

2025-12-27T15:48:38.725233-08:00

Starlink pivots in Kenya: signs commercial deals with Safaricom and Airtel Africa

Space Explored

Orbital Data Centers: Why the Space Industry Is Betting on In‑Orbit Cloud Infrastructure The concept of 'orbital data centers'—cloud computing and AI infrastructure hosted in Earth orbit—is gaining traction across the space industry as operators, cloud providers and satellite firms explore moving compute and storage off‑Earth to exploit near‑constant solar power, vacuum cooling and new on‑orbit assembly techniques.

2025-12-27T11:58:54.253611-08:00

Orbital Data Centers: Why the Space Industry Is Betting on In‑Orbit Cloud Infrastructure

Spaceflight Now

SpaceX to close 2025 with Falcon 9 launch of Italy's Cosmo‑SkyMed Second Generation FM3 from Vandenberg SpaceX will close 2025 with a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying Italy's Cosmo‑SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 (CSG‑FM3) Earth‑observation satellite, which is encapsulated in the rocket's payload fairing. The liftoff is scheduled as the company's final Falcon 9 mission of the year.

2025-12-27T06:00:25.663470-08:00

SpaceX to close 2025 with Falcon 9 launch of Italy's Cosmo‑SkyMed Second Generation FM3 from Vandenberg

Universe Today

Kirigami-enabled solar sails let sailcraft turn without propellant A University of Pennsylvania preprint by Gulzhan Aldan and Igor Bargatin describes using kirigami — patterned structural cuts — to generate steering torques for solar sails, enabling turn maneuvers without propellant. The technique addresses a long-standing control limitation for propellant-free sailcraft.

2025-12-27T03:54:23.461136-08:00

Kirigami-enabled solar sails let sailcraft turn without propellant

aerospaceglobalnews.com

Air France plan to fit fleet with SpaceX Starlink Wi‑Fi draws political fire in France Air France's plan to equip its fleet with SpaceX's Starlink inflight Wi‑Fi has provoked a public backlash from French politicians, highlighting a fraught, 'love‑hate' dynamic with Elon Musk and underscoring rising political and regulatory scrutiny of airlines' adoption of LEO broadband services.

2025-12-27T03:12:56.049916-08:00

Air France plan to fit fleet with SpaceX Starlink Wi‑Fi draws political fire in France

Space Intel Report

Amazon Leo outlines AWS integration, targets 2026 service as 'bigger, badder' rockets prepare launches Amazon Leo officials said the LEO broadband constellation will integrate closely with AWS, promising secure, high-throughput links for enterprise and airline customers and targeting initial service in 2026. The company signalled an accelerated launch push using what it called 'bigger, badder' rockets to speed deployment.

2025-12-26T12:09:37.319575-08:00

Amazon Leo outlines AWS integration, targets 2026 service as 'bigger, badder' rockets prepare launches

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Satellite News

Synspective tapped to supply imagery for Japan’s new military satellite constellation

Design-for-Demise Dilemma: MaiaSpace paper flags unintended consequences of smallsat burn-up strategy

SpaceX to close 2025 with Falcon 9 launch of Italy's Cosmo‑SkyMed Second Generation FM3 from Vandenberg

Kirigami-enabled solar sails let sailcraft turn without propellant

News Timeline