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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

Starcloud seeks FCC approval for up to 88,000‑satellite 'orbital data center' constellation

Starcloud, an orbital data‑center startup, has asked the FCC to authorize a constellation of as many as 88,000 satellites to host in‑orbit computing and storage. The filing pursues regulatory clearance for an unprecedentedly large network intended to shift cloud infrastructure into low Earth orbit.

2026-03-15T15:54:01.551217-07:00

Financial Times

Musk's push for up to 1 million orbital AI data centres underpins $1.25T SpaceX–xAI merger and alarms astronomers

2026-03-12T21:17:57.395115-07:00

European Spaceflight

Isar Aerospace to launch Astroscale ELSA‑M orbital debris‑removal demonstrator

2026-03-13T05:39:37.066113-07:00

SpaceNews.com

iMetalX emerges from stealth with RSO modelling platform for satellite operators

2026-03-13T16:47:22.055094-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

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Starcloud seeks FCC approval for up to 88,000‑satellite 'orbital data center' constellation Starcloud, an orbital data‑center startup, has asked the FCC to authorize a constellation of as many as 88,000 satellites to host in‑orbit computing and storage. The filing pursues regulatory clearance for an unprecedentedly large network intended to shift cloud infrastructure into low Earth orbit.

2026-03-15T15:54:01.551217-07:00

Starcloud seeks FCC approval for up to 88,000‑satellite 'orbital data center' constellation

SpaceNews.com

iMetalX emerges from stealth with RSO modelling platform for satellite operators iMetalX has exited stealth with a software platform that models resident space objects (RSOs) to give satellite operators improved awareness of on‑orbit traffic and conjunction risk. The startup’s tools target collision avoidance, rendezvous planning and safer sustained operations in congested orbits.

2026-03-13T16:47:22.055094-07:00

iMetalX emerges from stealth with RSO modelling platform for satellite operators

European Spaceflight

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Isar Aerospace to launch Astroscale ELSA‑M orbital debris‑removal demonstrator Astroscale has selected Isar Aerospace to launch its ELSA‑M orbital debris‑removal demonstrator, with liftoff scheduled no earlier than 2028. The contract advances a commercial demonstration of active debris‑removal techniques in low Earth orbit and sets a concrete near‑term flight timeline.

2026-03-13T05:39:37.066113-07:00

Isar Aerospace to launch Astroscale ELSA‑M orbital debris‑removal demonstrator

SpaceNews.com

China ends month‑long launch hiatus with GuoWang Group‑20 LEO batch and Shiyan‑30 test satellites China ended a month‑long launch hiatus with two missions from Hainan and Xichang, returning to a steady launch cadence. A Long March‑8A deployed nine satellites for the GuoWang Group‑20 LEO internet batch, while a Long March‑2D placed a second pair of Shiyan‑30 test/Earth‑observation satellites into orbit.

2026-03-13T04:01:18.954554-07:00

China ends month‑long launch hiatus with GuoWang Group‑20 LEO batch and Shiyan‑30 test satellites

Financial Times

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Musk's push for up to 1 million orbital AI data centres underpins $1.25T SpaceX–xAI merger and alarms astronomers Elon Musk is pushing to host AI compute in orbit—reports say SpaceX and xAI plan up to one million orbital data centres as part of a $1.25 trillion merger strategy—prompting alarm from astronomers and regulators over debris, spectrum use and impacts to observations.

2026-03-12T21:17:57.395115-07:00

Musk's push for up to 1 million orbital AI data centres underpins $1.25T SpaceX–xAI merger and alarms astronomers

Space.com

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL released from ISS by Canadarm2, heads for destructive reentry Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL was released by Canadarm2 from the Earth‑facing port of the ISS Unity module at 12:06 CET (7:00 a.m. EDT), departing with thousands of pounds of disposable cargo bound for destructive reentry. The release completes the company's Cygnus resupply mission to Expedition 74.

2026-03-12T10:08:58.238840-07:00

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL released from ISS by Canadarm2, heads for destructive reentry

New York Times

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Blue Ghost lunar near‑miss exposes rising collision and deconfliction risk for commercial Moon missions A close collision warning during the private Blue Ghost mission in lunar orbit a year ago — one of several recent "red alert" incidents near the Moon — highlights mounting challenges in tracking, operator coordination and traffic management as commercial lunar activity accelerates.

2026-03-12T07:58:07.814316-07:00

Blue Ghost lunar near‑miss exposes rising collision and deconfliction risk for commercial Moon missions

Space.com

DART images reveal asteroids ejecting 'cosmic snowballs' — ejecta dynamics force rethink of planetary‑defense models NASA's DART mission captured images showing the impacted asteroid ejecting large clumps of material — 'cosmic snowballs' — a phenomenon engineers initially mistook for a camera fault. The observed clumping and trajectories of ejecta alter assumptions about momentum transfer and debris dispersal used in planetary‑defense planning.

2026-03-11T05:01:36.027966-07:00

DART images reveal asteroids ejecting 'cosmic snowballs' — ejecta dynamics force rethink of planetary‑defense models

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Space Debris & Traffic Management News

Starcloud seeks FCC approval for up to 88,000‑satellite 'orbital data center' constellation

Musk's push for up to 1 million orbital AI data centres underpins $1.25T SpaceX–xAI merger and alarms astronomers

Isar Aerospace to launch Astroscale ELSA‑M orbital debris‑removal demonstrator

iMetalX emerges from stealth with RSO modelling platform for satellite operators

News Timeline