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Earth observation markets will expand commercially only when standards make data usable, comparable and accountable, argues Karolina Sarna. The analysis shifts attention from satellite deployment to the jobs, governance and market infrastructure required to turn Earth-observation capabilities into sustained demand.
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Astranis has unveiled Perceptor, a spacecraft designed to monitor and maneuver around other objects in geostationary orbit. The San Francisco-based satellite manufacturer says the system expands its business beyond communications satellites into space-domain awareness in an increasingly contested orbital environment.
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SpaceX shares climbed sharply after the Aug. 6 expiration of the company’s first post-IPO lockup, easing concerns that early investors would flood the market with stock. The company is also completing regulatory steps for its all-stock acquisition of Cursor developer Anysphere, valued at $60 billion.
Earth observation markets will expand commercially only when standards make data usable, comparable and accountable, argues Karolina Sarna. The analysis shifts attention from satellite deployment to the jobs, governance and market infrastructure required to turn Earth-observation capabilities into sustained demand.
New Zealand’s security agency said it disrupted an attempt by a Chinese state-linked observatory to establish satellite-tracking infrastructure in the country. The case, highlighted in the agency’s annual assessment, underscores growing concern over foreign espionage activity and the strategic value of space-monitoring sites.
The U.S. Space Force awarded Impulse Space a $28 million SBIR Phase III contract extension for VICTUS SALO 2 and 3. The two missions will expand demonstrations of tactically responsive space operations, in-space maneuvering and space-domain awareness for military operators.
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China’s Wenchang Space Launch Site marked its 50th launch at the end of July, even as it suffered a third launch failure this week. The setbacks come alongside expanding activity across China’s launch sites, including deployments of AI-enabled and in-space computing satellites and preparations for a lunar south pole mission.
AST SpaceMobile says it expects to expand its low Earth orbit constellation from 13 to 45 satellites by early next year, supporting beta direct-to-device service in the U.S. this year with roughly half-day coverage. Continuous service is targeted for 2027, with 10 missions booked across two launch providers.
Starlink has excluded Poland from a 30-country roaming zone without explaining why, reviving tensions between Warsaw and Elon Musk. The decision carries added sensitivity because Ukraine relies on more than 50,000 Starlink terminals for its defense, most of them financed by Poland.
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