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Breaking Defense • Theresa Hitchens

LeoLabs: China rocket-body breakups are creating long-lived debris risks for low Earth orbit

A LeoLabs study cited by Breaking Defense says three Chinese rocket bodies have exploded over the last four years, generating debris that “will linger for decades to centuries” and could collide with operational objects in low Earth orbit. The assessment underscores how breakups compound conjunction risk as LEO traffic grows.

2026-06-25T13:56:05.299208-07:00

Space.com

SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 upper-stage crash into the Moon in August—observer campaign gauges visibility

2026-06-25T09:27:10.725972-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Amazon, Iridium, Telesat and Globalstar form SpaceConnect NGSO trade association to push spectrum access and orbit-sustainabilit

2026-06-24T03:02:43.430370-07:00

Space.com

NASA faces mounting scrutiny over International Space Station deorbit plans as replacement timeline uncertainty grows

2026-06-23T09:13:05.129968-07:00

News Timeline

Breaking Defense

LeoLabs: China rocket-body breakups are creating long-lived debris risks for low Earth orbit A LeoLabs study cited by Breaking Defense says three Chinese rocket bodies have exploded over the last four years, generating debris that “will linger for decades to centuries” and could collide with operational objects in low Earth orbit. The assessment underscores how breakups compound conjunction risk as LEO traffic grows.

2026-06-25T13:56:05.299208-07:00

LeoLabs: China rocket-body breakups are creating long-lived debris risks for low Earth orbit

Space.com

SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 upper-stage crash into the Moon in August—observer campaign gauges visibility A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is scheduled to impact the Moon in August, prompting an “impact observer campaign” to assess whether the event will be visible from Earth. Experts say the key unknown is detectability, not the planned lunar impact itself.

2026-06-25T09:27:10.725972-07:00

SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 upper-stage crash into the Moon in August—observer campaign gauges visibility

SpaceNews.com

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Amazon, Iridium, Telesat and Globalstar form SpaceConnect NGSO trade association to push spectrum access and orbit-sustainabilit Amazon, Iridium, Telesat and Globalstar have launched the SpaceConnect Association to represent Non-Geostationary (NGSO) satellite operators on policy, spectrum access and orbit sustainability. The group positions itself as a new industry voice for fast-growing LEO/NGSO providers, with SpaceX notably absent despite its scale.

2026-06-24T03:02:43.430370-07:00

Amazon, Iridium, Telesat and Globalstar form SpaceConnect NGSO trade association to push spectrum access and orbit-sustainabilit

Space.com

NASA faces mounting scrutiny over International Space Station deorbit plans as replacement timeline uncertainty grows NASA’s plan to deorbit the International Space Station in coming years has drawn criticism from ocean conservation advocates, who argue disposal “raises serious concerns for ocean health.” The move also revives a replacement debate: the ISS is aging, and options to sustain LEO capabilities remain a strategic dilemma.

2026-06-23T09:13:05.129968-07:00

NASA faces mounting scrutiny over International Space Station deorbit plans as replacement timeline uncertainty grows

Universe Today

Schweickart Prize awarded to concept for off-world infrastructure threat-monitoring network A proposal to build a new network to monitor cosmic threats to off-world infrastructure has won this year’s Schweickart Prize for planetary defense. The recognition spotlights fresh approaches to tracking and managing hazards affecting space-based assets and systems.

2026-06-22T21:27:36.435774-07:00

Schweickart Prize awarded to concept for off-world infrastructure threat-monitoring network

NASA Spaceflight

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SpaceX to demonstrate Starfall reentry vehicle recovery on Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral SpaceX plans an early-Tuesday demonstration mission for its upcoming Starfall reentry vehicle, launching on a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:43 a.m. EDT (10:43 UTC) as part of the program’s flight-test effort.

2026-06-22T14:11:30.498182-07:00

SpaceX to demonstrate Starfall reentry vehicle recovery on Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral

NASA Spaceflight

SpaceX debuts Starfall uncrewed cargo return demonstrator; FAA-reviewed reentry hardware heads to flight alongside NASA Swift re SpaceX will launch its uncrewed Starfall cargo return demonstrator from Florida using a new vehicle configuration, targeting return-of-hardware technology validation. The same launch period features a Pegasus XL mission to rescue NASA’s Swift Observatory, reflecting parallel efforts to extend spacecraft operational life through rapid-response logistics.

2026-06-22T14:11:30.498182-07:00

SpaceX debuts Starfall uncrewed cargo return demonstrator; FAA-reviewed reentry hardware heads to flight alongside NASA Swift re

SpaceNews.com

China spaceplane: LeoLabs reports orbital object release during 4th mission China’s secretive spaceplane has released an object into orbit during its fourth mission, according to commercial space surveillance firm LeoLabs. The observation reinforces the program’s ongoing testing cadence and provides externally observed performance data for a vehicle that has limited public transparency.

2026-06-22T10:47:40.197588-07:00

China spaceplane: LeoLabs reports orbital object release during 4th mission

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Space Debris & Traffic Management News

LeoLabs: China rocket-body breakups are creating long-lived debris risks for low Earth orbit

SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 upper-stage crash into the Moon in August—observer campaign gauges visibility

Amazon, Iridium, Telesat and Globalstar form SpaceConnect NGSO trade association to push spectrum access and orbit-sustainabilit

NASA faces mounting scrutiny over International Space Station deorbit plans as replacement timeline uncertainty grows

News Timeline