New York Times
• Kenneth Chang
A spacecraft tasked with raising NASA’s Swift Observatory to a higher orbit suffered a malfunction and began tumbling several days ago. Engineers believe recovery remains possible, even as the setback complicates plans to achieve the observatory’s target orbit.
Space Debris & Traffic Management
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A spacecraft tasked with raising NASA’s Swift Observatory to a higher orbit suffered a malfunction and began tumbling several days ago. Engineers believe recovery remains possible, even as the setback complicates plans to achieve the observatory’s target orbit.
An abandoned SpaceX rocket stage launched in January 2025 is expected to strike the Moon in the early hours of Aug. 5 (UTC), traveling at roughly 8,700 km/h. The impact will occur after the stage delivered two commercial lunar landers, and scientists say they are uncertain about the resulting ejecta-plume conditions for model calibration.
Astronomers used “blind stacking” to detect faint, previously unseen objects in geosynchronous orbit, highlighting debris risks in GEO—an increasingly critical environment for GPS, weather tracking, and communications satellites. The reporting underscores the need to keep GEO clear of collision hazards that could disable key services.
SpaceX plans to launch the National Reconnaissance Office’s NROL-95 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Rocket Lab also secured up to $266 million from the U.S. Space Force for as many as 18 suborbital missile-defense launches from Alaska.
A Beijing-based startup has secured about $14 million in funding to develop a satellite constellation focused on tracking orbital objects. The investment signals continued growth in China’s space situational awareness (SSA) sector as commercial providers expand SSA capabilities.
China plans to launch Africa’s first space exploration mission using a trio of spherical probes carried on the Chang’e 8 lander. The mission is scheduled for 2029 and aims to conduct lunar-south-pole science as part of Chang’e 8 operations.
A look at how smallsat assembly is evolving into a more industrial, production-line model—expanding capabilities for a more diverse customer base while forcing manufacturers to balance speed, cost, quality and mission flexibility. The report outlines the process constraints shaping today’s smallsat build cycle.
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