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SpaceNews.com • Andrew Jones

CAS Space's Kinetica-2 maiden flight places Qingzhou cargo prototype and two rideshares into orbit

CAS Space's Kinetica-2 completed a successful maiden flight Monday, placing a prototype Qingzhou cargo spacecraft into orbit alongside two small rideshare satellites. The mission marks the debut of the Kinetica-2 launcher and the Qingzhou cargo demonstrator's first orbital test.

2026-03-30T08:58:00.406112-07:00

Space Intel Report

Space42 nears deal for 2,800‑satellite Equatys D2D constellation; service planned 2028–29 alongside Iceye radarsat scale‑up

2026-03-30T07:19:31.649699-07:00

DefenseNews.com

Constant adaptation: How the Space Development Agency keeps U.S. space assets resilient in a contested domain

2026-03-30T06:31:15.333076-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Race to build orbital data centres confronts a critical constraint: power

2026-03-30T06:02:23.810688-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

CAS Space's Kinetica-2 maiden flight places Qingzhou cargo prototype and two rideshares into orbit CAS Space's Kinetica-2 completed a successful maiden flight Monday, placing a prototype Qingzhou cargo spacecraft into orbit alongside two small rideshare satellites. The mission marks the debut of the Kinetica-2 launcher and the Qingzhou cargo demonstrator's first orbital test.

2026-03-30T08:58:00.406112-07:00

CAS Space's Kinetica-2 maiden flight places Qingzhou cargo prototype and two rideshares into orbit

Space Intel Report

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Space42 nears deal for 2,800‑satellite Equatys D2D constellation; service planned 2028–29 alongside Iceye radarsat scale‑up UAE‑based Space42 is close to contracting Equatys, a 2,800‑satellite direct‑to‑device (D2D) constellation targeting commercial service in 2028–29. The plan coincides with a large Iceye radar‑sat scale‑up to combine wide‑area SAR imaging with high‑capacity D2D connectivity.

2026-03-30T07:19:31.649699-07:00

Space42 nears deal for 2,800‑satellite Equatys D2D constellation; service planned 2028–29 alongside Iceye radarsat scale‑up

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon weighs ending Raytheon GPS ground-control contract after years of delays The Pentagon is weighing termination of Raytheon’s multi-year contract to build GPS ground-control systems after repeated schedule delays. The potential cancellation signals renewed scrutiny of GPS modernization timelines and could force a recompetition or interim measures to preserve PNT capabilities.

2026-03-30T06:58:35.287425-07:00

Pentagon weighs ending Raytheon GPS ground-control contract after years of delays

DefenseNews.com

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Constant adaptation: How the Space Development Agency keeps U.S. space assets resilient in a contested domain Space is no longer a sanctuary but an operational battleground. The Space Development Agency's approach—continuous adaptation through rapid refresh, proliferated, survivable architectures and constant replenishment—aims to preserve resilient communications, missile-tracking and ISR capabilities against on-orbit threats and sustain mission continuity.

2026-03-30T06:31:15.333076-07:00

Constant adaptation: How the Space Development Agency keeps U.S. space assets resilient in a contested domain

SpaceNews.com

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Race to build orbital data centres confronts a critical constraint: power Efforts to host cloud and AI compute in orbit are colliding with a basic but critical constraint: power. Developers and national programs pushing orbital data centres now face the technical and regulatory challenge of delivering steady, scalable energy in space—an issue that could slow or reshape deployments.

2026-03-30T06:02:23.810688-07:00

Race to build orbital data centres confronts a critical constraint: power

SpaceNews.com

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Icarus Robotics to test free‑flyer on ISS with Voyager support Icarus Robotics will test an autonomous free‑flyer aboard the International Space Station with operational support from Voyager, marking a commercial technology demonstration in low Earth orbit. The flight will provide the company on‑orbit access to validate its free‑flyer systems.

2026-03-30T06:02:23.652979-07:00

Icarus Robotics to test free‑flyer on ISS with Voyager support

Payload

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SpaceX's Transporter-16 lofts 119 smallsats to sun‑synchronous orbit SpaceX's Transporter-16 launched from Vandenberg on March 30, delivering 119 smallsats and secondary payloads to sun‑synchronous orbit on a Falcon 9. The rideshare included industry contributors such as Spain's FOSSA Systems, SATLANTIS and AAC Clyde Space, continuing SpaceX's frequent dedicated smallsat missions.

2026-03-30T06:00:23.342270-07:00

SpaceX's Transporter-16 lofts 119 smallsats to sun‑synchronous orbit

Space.com

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X1.4 solar flare sparks HF radio blackout and fast CME ahead of Artemis 2; storm supercharges Mars and disrupts ESA orbiters An X1.4 solar flare produced an HF radio blackout and launched a fast coronal mass ejection days before NASA's Artemis 2 launch window. The same solar event compressed and energized Mars' upper atmosphere and caused anomalies on ESA's Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

2026-03-30T05:10:23.148235-07:00

X1.4 solar flare sparks HF radio blackout and fast CME ahead of Artemis 2; storm supercharges Mars and disrupts ESA orbiters

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Satellite News

CAS Space's Kinetica-2 maiden flight places Qingzhou cargo prototype and two rideshares into orbit

Space42 nears deal for 2,800‑satellite Equatys D2D constellation; service planned 2028–29 alongside Iceye radarsat scale‑up

Constant adaptation: How the Space Development Agency keeps U.S. space assets resilient in a contested domain

Race to build orbital data centres confronts a critical constraint: power

News Timeline