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Universe Today • Alan Boyle

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

NASA Spaceflight

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

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

SpaceNews.com

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

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

SpaceNews.com

Astroscale funding boost to move from on-orbit servicing tech demos toward a recurring mission cadence

2026-06-22T05:26:54.035653-07:00

News Timeline

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

SpaceNews.com

Astroscale funding boost to move from on-orbit servicing tech demos toward a recurring mission cadence Astroscale says it is using a recent capital infusion to transition from technology demonstration flights to a regular series of on-orbit servicing missions. The funding is intended to support its growth strategy as the company works to operationalize spacecraft-servicing operations rather than one-off experiments.

2026-06-22T05:26:54.035653-07:00

Astroscale funding boost to move from on-orbit servicing tech demos toward a recurring mission cadence

Space.com

SpaceX debuts Starlink “Starfall” reentry vehicle as Starlink surpasses 10,000 operational satellites SpaceX says its disk-shaped Starfall reentry vehicle is debuting as Starlink reaches 10,671 working satellites in low Earth orbit. The milestone reinforces the company’s rapidly widening gap in launches and raises the operational stakes for end-of-life disposal and collision risk in a denser LEO shell.

2026-06-22T05:09:06.282451-07:00

SpaceX debuts Starlink “Starfall” reentry vehicle as Starlink surpasses 10,000 operational satellites

SpaceNews.com

FCC authorizes 15,000 Starlink Gen2 satellites as “orbital data center” filings accelerate—Starcloud 88,000 and SpaceX 1 million In January 2026, the FCC authorized 15,000 Starlink Gen2 satellites. Starcloud has filed for an 88,000-satellite orbital “data center” concept, while SpaceX has filed for 1 million satellites—fueling a servicing-economy debate around on-orbit maintenance, logistics and long-duration operations.

2026-06-18T06:19:27.978596-07:00

FCC authorizes 15,000 Starlink Gen2 satellites as “orbital data center” filings accelerate—Starcloud 88,000 and SpaceX 1 million

SpaceNews.com

Northrop Grumman to Fly Pegasus Intercept Mission to Raise NASA’s Swift Observatory from Decaying Orbit Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket is scheduled for a time-critical rescue mission in June to prevent NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from making an uncontrolled re-entry. The plan will use Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft to intercept Swift in a decaying orbit and boost it to a higher altitude.

2026-06-18T05:17:07.837992-07:00

Northrop Grumman to Fly Pegasus Intercept Mission to Raise NASA’s Swift Observatory from Decaying Orbit

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Space Debris & Traffic Management News

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

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

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

Astroscale funding boost to move from on-orbit servicing tech demos toward a recurring mission cadence

News Timeline