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• Sandra Erwin
U.S. Space Command has expanded its ability to track objects in orbit, but its commander says the data must be better connected to command networks and weapons. The gap highlights a continuing challenge as the military prepares for the possibility of conflict in space.
Space Debris & Traffic Management
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The U.S. Space Force is soliciting commercial satellites capable of locating and inspecting objects in orbit on short notice while expanding commercial tracking of GPS jamming and other electronic interference. New optical satellites from South Korea’s Satrec Initiative and persistent legacy spacecraft underscore the demand for orbital awareness.
High activity
U.S. Space Command has expanded its ability to track objects in orbit, but its commander says the data must be better connected to command networks and weapons. The gap highlights a continuing challenge as the military prepares for the possibility of conflict in space.
High activity
European space leaders and international partners gathered in Paris to strengthen the continent’s position in a space market dominated by the United States. Discussions center on launch autonomy, independent satellite infrastructure, orbital sustainability and security—while the absence of SpaceX and Blue Origin underscores Europe’s dependence on American providers.
Impact testing found that 3D-printed aluminum arrays built with an eggshell-like structure and filled with water provided greater resistance than conventional designs. The approach could offer spacecraft developers a new path to improving protection against impacts while managing structural mass and manufacturing complexity.
High activity
Project-S has emerged from stealth with plans to develop a European space safety layer. The initiative adds a new entrant to efforts focused on improving safety in the increasingly complex space environment, with its ambitions spanning technical and potentially political dimensions of Europe’s space sector.
Chinese reconnaissance satellite Yaogan-50 (02), launched into an unusual retrograde orbit earlier this year, has apparently fragmented, creating a field of orbital debris. The event adds a new object and debris-generation incident to an increasingly complex space environment, although the cause and full extent of the breakup remain unclear.
Munich-based startup Project-S has emerged from stealth after announcing a multi-million-euro funding round. The company is developing capabilities in space situational awareness, a growing area focused on monitoring and understanding activity in orbit.
High activity
Astroscale Japan has signed Isar Aerospace to launch ADRAS-J2 aboard a Spectrum rocket, targeting the capture and removal of a spent upper stage from orbit. Separately, NorthStar is leading FALCON, a new ESA-backed project focused on improving predictions of uncontrolled re-entries after recent debris incidents in Europe.
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