Space.com
• Mike Wall
Rocket Lab is preparing to launch a Japanese QPS-SAR Earth-imaging satellite for iQPS on its Electron rocket, with the launch window opening Thursday. The mission is the ninth Electron flight for the private Japanese company, which is expanding its satellite constellation for Earth observation.
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SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets from Florida and California on Aug. 15, delivering payloads for Globalstar and the U.S. Space Force just 38.5 minutes apart. The milestone comes as SpaceX prepares its 75th Starlink mission of 2026, underscoring the company’s high-tempo launch operations.
Rocket Lab is preparing to launch a Japanese QPS-SAR Earth-imaging satellite for iQPS on its Electron rocket, with the launch window opening Thursday. The mission is the ninth Electron flight for the private Japanese company, which is expanding its satellite constellation for Earth observation.
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NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have canceled an effort to raise the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after the deployed rescue spacecraft suffered irredeemable attitude-control problems. Swift, which studies powerful cosmic explosions, is now expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year.
NASA has abandoned an effort to save a failing space telescope, leaving the spacecraft destined to reenter and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. The decision marks the end of recovery efforts for a space-based observatory, though the available reporting does not identify the telescope or explain the failure.
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NASA and Katalyst Space have called off an experimental mission to boost the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the recently launched servicing spacecraft suffered irredeemable technical problems in orbit. Without the rescue, Swift is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere later this year, ending an effort to extend its operational life.
As wildfires spread across Europe during another hot summer, satellites are providing earlier fire detection and detailed imagery of affected areas. The data can help authorities identify outbreaks sooner, assess damage more quickly and coordinate responses across large or difficult-to-access regions.
Moog is expanding its METEORITE ESPA-class satellite bus with a high-delta-v configuration designed to provide greater mission flexibility, enhanced maneuverability and higher thrust. The new configuration is intended for targeted missions requiring more substantial orbital maneuvering capability from a compact satellite platform.
Europe is emerging as a laggard in the global effort to move data centers into orbit, trailing the United States and China. The competitive gap highlights a developing strategic contest over space-based computing infrastructure and the technologies needed to support it.
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