All articles tagged with #satellite deployment
A bright light trail observed in western Colorado was caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch of the COSMO-SkyMed satellite from California, visible across much of the western US, with sonic booms reported in California.
Rocket Lab's stock surged after a successful launch and a record number of launches in 2025, boosted further by a significant $816 million contract with the U.S. Space Force to build a missile-defense satellite constellation, reflecting growing confidence in the company's capabilities.
The US Space Force and Gravitics are developing a $60 million orbital aircraft carrier to revolutionize satellite deployment, enhance space security, and maintain strategic dominance through innovative public-private collaborations, marking a new era in space exploration and military capabilities.
AST SpaceMobile's stock surged 18% after announcing a fully funded plan to deploy 45-60 satellites by 2026 to build a global cellular broadband network, challenging SpaceX's Starlink and other competitors. Despite delays and limited current revenue, the company plans regular satellite launches in 2025-2026, with significant potential from government and commercial contracts, aiming to deliver 5G coverage worldwide.
SpaceX's Starship rocket failed to deploy satellites and exploded during re-entry, marking another setback in its ambitious space exploration plans, including lunar and Martian missions, amid ongoing technical challenges and previous incidents.
Rocket Lab and True Anomaly have been awarded contracts by the U.S. Space Force to launch the "tactically responsive" Victus Haze mission, aimed at testing and refining the military's capabilities for rapidly deploying satellites in response to space threats. Rocket Lab will design, build, and operate a spacecraft for the mission, while True Anomaly will provide a command and control center. The project, funded by the Defense Innovation Unit and Space Force's technology arm, is part of a broader effort to develop more agile space systems for military operations.
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the Bandwagon-1 mission, deploying multiple satellites and spacecraft into orbit. The first stage booster, on its 14th flight, was successfully landed at Landing Zone 1, producing sonic booms audible across several Florida counties.
Striking photos captured a perfectly-spaced dashed line of light in the night sky above Arizona, created by a dying SpaceX rocket's deorbit burn. The rocket, part of the company's rapidly increasing launch schedule, deployed telecommunications and Starlink satellites before undergoing controlled deorbit burns. Photographer Jeremy Perez combined long-exposure shots to capture the luminous streak, also revealing a second fainter line from the drifting satellites. With SpaceX's frequent launches, concerns arise over light phenomena, satellite pollution, and metal release upon satellite failure.
Striking photos captured by photographer Jeremy Perez show a perfectly-spaced dashed line of light in the night sky above Arizona, created by a dying SpaceX rocket's deorbit burn. The rocket was part of the company's rapidly increasing launch schedule, with multiple recent launches and plans for more in the near future. The photos, a result of clever photo trickery, also reveal a second fainter line representing light from the satellites deployed by the rocket. However, concerns are raised about the environmental impact of the increasing number of SpaceX launches, including metal pollution from failed satellites burning up in the upper atmosphere.
Southern California witnessed another spectacular SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, creating a bright plume visible throughout the region as the rocket took off around 7:30 p.m. After being delayed due to storm activity, the launch successfully deployed satellites and the booster landed on the "Of Course I Still Love You" droneship in the Pacific Ocean, leaving a striking trail in the sky reminiscent of a similar launch just two weeks prior.
China is developing a giant railgun to launch its Tengyun spaceplane, while the US is focusing on hypersonic technology for satellite launches. The Tengyun spaceplane aims to carry crew, cargo, and release satellites into space, potentially conducting other missions such as satellite capture or surveillance. Both countries are racing to develop cost-effective methods for deploying multiple satellites quickly, with China potentially exceeding the US in tactically responsive space launch capabilities. While China's railgun-launched Tengyun may strengthen its capabilities, the US is focusing on reusable rockets to reduce launch costs.
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket is set to launch a variety of satellites, deployers, and experiments from space agencies, companies, research institutes, universities, and young professionals on its inaugural flight. The missions include measuring gamma rays, tracking wildlife, testing self-healing solar cells, and more, showcasing the rocket's versatility and cost-effective design. The rocket will deploy four deployers and release nine satellites, with some experiments remaining attached to the upper stage for the duration of the flight. The first flight of Ariane 6 is highly anticipated, with one of the passengers, YPSat, set to capture images and video of the rocket during its flight.
Japan's H3 rocket successfully reached orbit on its second attempt, deploying a mass simulator and two small satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit. The launch marks a significant milestone for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) as they aim to replace the retiring H-IIA and H-IIB vehicles. The successful mission follows an investigation into the failure of the rocket's maiden flight and the implementation of changes to prevent similar issues. This paves the way for H3 to carry operational payloads, including resource-monitoring, military communications, and navigation satellites, as well as missions to the International Space Station, Moon, and Mars.
SpaceX is set to launch two batches of Starlink internet satellites today, with liftoffs scheduled just three hours apart. The first launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center will carry 23 Starlink spacecraft, followed by another launch from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base with 22 more satellites. Both Falcon 9 rockets will attempt to land their first stages on SpaceX drone ships, and the upper stages will deploy the Starlink batches into low Earth orbit. This marks the eighth and ninth launches of the year for SpaceX, which aims for 144 orbital missions in 2024.
Amazon has signed a contract with SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches to support the deployment plans of Project Kuiper, Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite broadband network. The additional launches with SpaceX will supplement existing contracts and provide more capacity to support the deployment schedule. Project Kuiper aims to connect unserved and underserved communities globally, and the satellite manufacturing is expected to begin in the first half of 2024, with early customer pilots starting in the second half of 2024.