China   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Commercial Space   Space Defense & Militarization  
Bloomberg

China lands and retrieves an orbital-class reusable booster at sea, joining the US in recovering reusability at booster scale

China has successfully landed and retrieved an orbital-class reusable rocket booster at sea for the first time, marking another major step toward repeatable, lower-cost launch operations. The achievement follows the US as the second nation to demonstrate booster recovery at an orbital-class level.

Also: Space.com and SpaceNews.com
2026-07-09T23:44:57.782646-07:00
Event   Blue Origin   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Space Exploration & Science Missions   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Commercial Space   Industry Leader Profiles & Interviews   NASA  
New York Times • Richard Goldstein

Wally Funk, Who Set an Age Record for Space Travel, Dies at 87

By New York Times: As a young woman in the 1960s, she wasn’t allowed to become a NASA astronaut. She finally realized her long-held dream of flying in space as an octogenarian.

Also: Flying Magazine, Space.com, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Independent, CNN, CBS News and 8 more
2026-07-09T09:59:25.062127-07:00
Satellite   Project Kuiper   Commercial Space   Space Policy & International Cooperation   Space Debris & Traffic Management  
Space.com • Mike Wall

SpaceX wants to launch 100,000 Starlink satellites to orbit

By Space.com: SpaceX has applied for approval to operate a 100,000-member megaconstellation of next-gen Starlink satellites in Earth orbit. And each of the new spacecraft will weigh about 4,400 pounds.

2026-07-09T12:45:17.037586-07:00
FCC   Space Debris & Traffic Management   Policy & Regulation   Sustainability & Climate Initiatives  
SpaceNews.com • Jason Rainbow

Environmental groups urge FCC to pause orbital data center applications

By SpaceNews.com: Environmental and scientific groups are calling for a halt to processing orbital data center applications, arguing the rush to move computing infrastructure into space has raised the stakes in a broader push for more megaconstellation oversight.

Also: Space.com
2026-07-09T12:54:44.821732-07:00