Space.com
• Mike Wall
After more than a decade of development and a series of suborbital tests, SpaceX plans to launch Starship on its first orbital mission Sept. 28. The flight is expected to deploy Starlink V3 satellites, marking a transition from developmental testing toward operational use of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket.
Satellite
Latest source-backed stories
High activity
After more than a decade of development and a series of suborbital tests, SpaceX plans to launch Starship on its first orbital mission Sept. 28. The flight is expected to deploy Starlink V3 satellites, marking a transition from developmental testing toward operational use of the world’s largest and most powerful rocket.
Aerospacelab will supply two spacecraft platforms to Lockheed Martin under a new contract, adding the major U.S. defense contractor to the satellite manufacturer’s customer base. The agreement marks an expansion of Aerospacelab’s presence in the U.S. defense and space market.
Rocket Lab launched another Electron mission for Japanese radar-imaging company Synspective on Sept. 25, deploying the 13th satellite in the company’s constellation. The flight extends a sustained launch relationship supporting Synspective’s expansion of space-based Earth observation capabilities.
High activity
SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship Flight 14 on Sept. 28 in the vehicle’s first attempt to reach orbit. The mission would mark a major transition from previous suborbital testing, while the company also conducts a classified U.S. Space Force launch from California earlier in the week.
Finnish synthetic aperture radar satellite operator Iceye is establishing a technology center and new Polish headquarters in Warsaw. The company plans to invest $31 million in Poland, expanding its operational and technology presence in the country.
Deutsche Telekom, Liberty Mobile, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone see promise in satellite direct-to-device services but acknowledge that the market’s scale and profitability remain unclear. Their assessment highlights the commercial uncertainty facing operators and satellite partners pursuing connectivity that reaches standard mobile devices from orbit.
Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch Strix, a radar-imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective, on the “Owlright, Owlright, Owlright” mission on Sept. 25. The flight will support Synspective’s imaging constellation and marks another commercial deployment serving Japan’s growing space-data market.
At the Space Defense and Security Summit in Paris, BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole identified sovereign customers as the company’s leading market opportunity. In an interview with Via Satellite, O’Toole discussed demand across defense and sovereign markets and BlackSky’s positioning in those segments.
Create a free account to see more recent Satellite stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
