Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
NASA Spaceflight • Haygen Warren

Soyuz-5 makes maiden test flight from Baikonur as Russia accelerates a new medium-lift launcher to replace Zenit

Russia conducted the first flight of its homegrown Soyuz-5 from Baikonur, using a dummy payload on a suborbital demonstration mission. Roscosmos leadership highlighted the carrier’s precision to near-Earth orbit delivery and a stated capacity of 17 tons, as the program aims to replace the Ukrainian-built Zenit amid security pressures around the cosmodrome.

Also: Space.com and tass.com
2026-04-30T15:04:20.219619-07:00
Satellite   Space Force   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Space Defense & Militarization  
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SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Northrop Grumman delivers sensor for missile-warning satellite as Pentagon cancels program

By SpaceNews.com: WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman said it has taken delivery of a missile-warning sensor for a U.S. Space Force satellite program that the Pentagon is now proposing to cancel, highlighting the tension between legacy space acquisitions and a shift toward newer architectures.

2026-04-30T16:24:46.828695-07:00