SpaceNews.com
• Andrew Jones
China’s commercial launch sector logged second flights for both the Ceres-2 and Kinetica-2 rockets, with Ceres-2 reaching orbit and Kinetica-2 carrying Qianfan satellites. The launches came alongside two Long March missions for state programs, underscoring activity across both commercial and government launch providers.
Satellite
Latest source-backed stories
China’s commercial launch sector logged second flights for both the Ceres-2 and Kinetica-2 rockets, with Ceres-2 reaching orbit and Kinetica-2 carrying Qianfan satellites. The launches came alongside two Long March missions for state programs, underscoring activity across both commercial and government launch providers.
Gogo's shift to next-generation low Earth orbit connectivity for business aviation is gaining momentum, with installations increasing. Revenue, however, continues to decline, underscoring the contrasting installation and financial trends as the company moves toward its next-generation solutions.
High activity
Blue Origin has unveiled a three-stage version of its New Glenn rocket, adding heavy-lift capability to the existing two-stage vehicle. The company says the variant can support longer lunar operations and deliver satellites to geostationary orbit, extending the launcher’s mission range.
High activity
The U.S. Space Force selected Viasat under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to design, field and scale a Mission Operations Center for the Space Data Network Backbone. The center is intended to support operations of the service’s satellite data relay network; the award has a maximum value of $450 million.
An opinion piece argues that Russia’s recent rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO) involving X36 may have let it characterize ICEYE’s radar in enough detail to develop a ground-based jammer or spoofer for use in Ukraine next year. The article presents that potential capability as the likely reason for the maneuver.
Ukrainian military intelligence says Russia is already using its Rassvet satellite network, described as a homegrown Starlink equivalent, to support military communications over Ukraine. The network is intended to improve the accuracy of Russian strike drones and make them more resistant to jamming.
NASA has selected three companies to advance to the next phase of an effort to develop a commercial replacement for its aging Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System constellation. The selection marks a step toward shifting a critical space communications service to commercial providers.
Create a free account to see more recent Satellite stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
