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SpaceNews.com • Andrew Jones

China launches Yaogan‑50‑02 into highly retrograde orbit; ExPace Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare deploys eight satellites

China launched Yaogan‑50‑02 on a modified Long March‑6 into a highly retrograde orbit to pair with Yaogan‑50‑01 for rapid‑revisit imaging, while an ExPace Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare from Jiuquan placed eight satellites — mostly Earth‑observation demos including an orbital‑refueling experiment — into orbit.

2026-03-16T04:18:13.936371-07:00

Washington Post

Oregon State satellite analysis maps structural damage across Iran since start of U.S.-Israeli campaign

2026-03-15T21:28:20.794784-07:00

SpaceNews.com

OSTP steps in to coordinate U.S. national space policy as National Space Council remains inactive

2026-03-15T09:37:31.753429-07:00

Universe Today

DART Alters Didymos System’s Solar Orbit, Validates Kinetic-Impactor Planetary Defense

2026-03-14T14:53:34.901800-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

China launches Yaogan‑50‑02 into highly retrograde orbit; ExPace Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare deploys eight satellites China launched Yaogan‑50‑02 on a modified Long March‑6 into a highly retrograde orbit to pair with Yaogan‑50‑01 for rapid‑revisit imaging, while an ExPace Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare from Jiuquan placed eight satellites — mostly Earth‑observation demos including an orbital‑refueling experiment — into orbit.

2026-03-16T04:18:13.936371-07:00

China launches Yaogan‑50‑02 into highly retrograde orbit; ExPace Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare deploys eight satellites

Washington Post

Oregon State satellite analysis maps structural damage across Iran since start of U.S.-Israeli campaign Oregon State University researchers analyzed satellite imagery to map structural damage across Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign. The dataset presents a comprehensive, geolocated picture of locations hit and damage patterns, providing a baseline for operational assessment and reconstruction planning.

2026-03-15T21:28:20.794784-07:00

Oregon State satellite analysis maps structural damage across Iran since start of U.S.-Israeli campaign

SpaceNews.com

OSTP steps in to coordinate U.S. national space policy as National Space Council remains inactive With the National Space Council inactive, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has assumed lead responsibility for coordinating U.S. national space policy. The move centralizes interagency policy coordination within OSTP across civil, commercial and national-security space domains.

2026-03-15T09:37:31.753429-07:00

OSTP steps in to coordinate U.S. national space policy as National Space Council remains inactive

SpaceNews.com

Strait of Hormuz tensions drive surge in demand for commercial geospatial intelligence Rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have driven a surge in demand for commercial geospatial intelligence, with customers seeking near-real-time satellite imagery and analytics to track maritime activity, assess risks to shipping and energy flows, and inform operational and commercial decisions.

2026-03-15T08:27:23.394514-07:00

Strait of Hormuz tensions drive surge in demand for commercial geospatial intelligence

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon increases Raytheon protected satcom terminals contract by $2 billion The U.S. Department of Defense has increased Raytheon’s contract for protected satellite communications terminals by $2 billion, the Pentagon said. The modification expands program funding for delivery and sustainment of military-grade satcom terminals to support secure, resilient satellite links.

2026-03-15T06:17:45.046914-07:00

Pentagon increases Raytheon protected satcom terminals contract by $2 billion

Universe Today

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DART Alters Didymos System’s Solar Orbit, Validates Kinetic-Impactor Planetary Defense NASA's DART mission deliberately altered the Didymos binary system's orbit around the Sun, demonstrating that a kinetic impactor can measurably change an asteroid's trajectory and serve as an effective planetary-defense tool for deflecting near-Earth objects. The result validates kinetic-impact techniques used in deflection planning.

2026-03-14T14:53:34.901800-07:00

DART Alters Didymos System’s Solar Orbit, Validates Kinetic-Impactor Planetary Defense

NASA Spaceflight

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Blue Origin unveils NEO Hunter — hybrid planetary‑defense concept to track and mitigate near‑Earth objects Blue Origin unveiled NEO Hunter, a mission concept combining space‑based surveillance and active mitigation to detect, track and neutralize potentially hazardous near‑Earth objects. The company frames the system as a commercial bridge between spacecraft operations, sensor constellations and deflection capabilities.

2026-03-14T14:18:18.106713-07:00

Blue Origin unveils NEO Hunter — hybrid planetary‑defense concept to track and mitigate near‑Earth objects

Via Satellite

ESA selects Terran Orbital's Tyvak to build 6U Farinella cubesat for Apophis planetary defense mission Tyvak International, a Terran Orbital subsidiary, has won an ESA contract to develop Farinella, a 6U cubesat that will fly on the agency's Planetary Defense Mission to monitor near‑Earth asteroid Apophis. The satellite will provide targeted reconnaissance and contribute to impact‑risk characterization.

2026-03-13T09:19:56.356187-07:00

ESA selects Terran Orbital's Tyvak to build 6U Farinella cubesat for Apophis planetary defense mission

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Space Defense & Militarization News

China launches Yaogan‑50‑02 into highly retrograde orbit; ExPace Kuaizhou‑11 Y7 rideshare deploys eight satellites

Oregon State satellite analysis maps structural damage across Iran since start of U.S.-Israeli campaign

OSTP steps in to coordinate U.S. national space policy as National Space Council remains inactive

DART Alters Didymos System’s Solar Orbit, Validates Kinetic-Impactor Planetary Defense

News Timeline