Satellite News

Bloomberg

High activity

SpaceX lifts Starlink speed restrictions in Ukraine, restoring service to fast-moving military systems

Ukraine’s defense ministry says SpaceX has lifted speed restrictions on Starlink and Starshield, restoring connectivity for military systems that had been disrupted for about a week to 10 days. The limits had constrained Ukraine’s use of drones to intercept Russian attack drones, while the service’s restoration eases an operational disruption that had heightened tensions with the United States.

SpaceNews.com

China launches retrograde Yaogan-50 and six more remote-sensing satellites

China conducted two launches, placing a new Yaogan-50 spacecraft into a highly retrograde orbit and deploying six satellites for the Yaogan-53 and Yaogan-56 groups. The missions add to China’s military-linked remote-sensing constellation; separately, the country is advancing lunar programs, including a planned Lanyue cargo flight to test its crewed lunar lander.

SpaceNews.com

China launches highly retrograde Yaogan-50 spy satellite, Long March 4B lofts six further Yaogan spacecraft

Runway Girl

EU, ESA and SpaceRISE sign IRIS² agreement for 348 LEO and MEO satellites as Airbus fields HBCplus interest

The European Commission, ESA and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Aug. 7, 2026, for IRIS², a sovereign communications network of 348 spacecraft in low and medium Earth orbit. Separately, Airbus says it is fielding interest in HBCplus, an inflight-connectivity solution supporting GEO and Lightspeed LEO services.

Space Intel Report

Thaicom asks ITU to extend Thaicom-9 deadline, citing Astranis manufacturing incident

Thaicom has returned to the International Telecommunication Union with additional evidence that the delay to its Thaicom-9 geostationary satellite followed a March incident at manufacturer Astranis. The operator says the cause was beyond its control as it seeks more time to meet the satellite’s regulatory deadline.

Via Satellite

High activity

Xona targets early 2027 beta for satellite navigation service after six-satellite launch and $250M raise

Xona says it is preparing to begin initial beta service for its commercial satellite navigation offering in early 2027. The company this week marked two milestones: a launch carrying six satellites and a $250 million Series D funding round.

DefenseNews.com

Washington accuses Russia of deliberately maneuvering military satellite near Ukraine-linked U.S. spacecraft

Washington says a Russian military satellite with an undisclosed mission moved close to a U.S.-registered satellite linked to Ukraine last week, describing the approach as deliberate. The episode highlights the growing strategic stakes around satellites supporting Ukraine and the risks posed by close approaches in orbit.

SpaceNews.com

Space Force seeks more satellite-jamming equipment as U.S. services expand space-warfare capabilities

The Space Force plans to buy electronic-warfare equipment beyond its units’ routine needs to prepare for losses in conflict. Separately, the Army is targeting 2027 experiments to network space-warfare systems for remote operation, while the Pentagon aims to field an initial capability for cislunar space by late 2029.