Space

Launch, satellites, orbital congestion, navigation and the militarisation of orbit.

19 live threads · updated Jun 25 · follow (RSS)

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Launch & access

SpaceX7 activeFalcon 9 flies Starlink 17-45 on a 25th-flight booster Starship2 contested-resultStarship V3 splashes down, but Super Heavy crashes and FAA grounds flights China launch1 activeChina drives toward ~140 orbital launches in 2026, a new national record Ariane / Europe3 activeAriane 6 ramps as Europe's only heavy ride to orbit, flying Amazon Leo Launch cadence & costs4 activeChina drives toward ~140 orbital launches in 2026, a new national record

Satellites & constellations

Starlink4 activeFalcon 9 flies Starlink 17-45 on a 25th-flight booster China megaconstellation2 worseningESA: LEO collision risk up ~20% in 2026 as tracked objects pass 28,000 Amazon Kuiper2 activeAriane 6 ramps as Europe's only heavy ride to orbit, flying Amazon Leo OneWeb / Eutelsat1 pending-decisionEutelsat raises cash to fund OneWeb Gen-2 and Europe's IRIS² sovereign constellation

Orbital congestion & debris

Orbital congestion2 contested-resultUS splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds Debris & collisions2 contested-resultUS splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds Space-traffic management1 contested-resultUS splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds

Navigation & PNT

GPS jamming / spoofing2 worseningGPS jamming becomes constant over Europe as the EU readies sanctions BeiDou1 activeGalileo Gen-2 and BeiDou's refit reshape the navigation race as GPS slips behind Galileo2 worseningGPS jamming becomes constant over Europe as the EU readies sanctions

Military space

ASAT weapons1 worseningCounterspace arms race accelerates as China and Russia stay out of the ASAT moratorium Space Force5 activeSpace Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers Missile warning1 activeSpace Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers Golden Dome space layer2 activeSpace Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers

Exploration & cislunar

Artemis / Moon2 transitionAfter Artemis II's lunar flyby, NASA turns to the harder Artemis III landing China lunar / Tiangong2 activeTiangong runs a year-long crew stay after an emergency Shenzhou rotation Mars1 transitionChina's Tianwen-3 advances as NASA's Mars Sample Return is cancelled

latest

active Falcon 9 flies Starlink 17-45 on a 25th-flight booster

SpaceX's 74th launch of the year adds 24 V2 Mini satellites from Vandenberg

The Long Game ·2 takes ·Jun 25

contested-result US splits on space-traffic rules: FAA pulls back, FCC's 5-year deorbit mandate holds

Commerce expands space situational awareness as active-debris-removal market and ADR insurance emerge

Who Decides ·7 takes ·Jun 25

worsening ESA: LEO collision risk up ~20% in 2026 as tracked objects pass 28,000

Rising avoidance manoeuvres, a $25.8–42.3B decade cost, and a 95% disposal-compliance bar to avert cascade

The Quiet Shift ·7 takes ·Jun 25

active Space Force passes $40B as Congress boosts missile-warning and data-transport layers

FY26 adds $1.2B for R&D; reconciliation pours $7.2B into space sensors and $5.6B into interceptors

Whose Money ·8 takes ·Jun 25

transition China's Tianwen-3 advances as NASA's Mars Sample Return is cancelled

With US funding cut in January, China could be first to return Martian samples, by 2031

The Long Game ·7 takes ·Jun 25

worsening Counterspace arms race accelerates as China and Russia stay out of the ASAT moratorium

35+ states pledge no destructive ASAT tests; US fields satellite jammers; Russia's nuclear-ASAT concern persists

The Long Game ·8 takes ·Jun 25

active China drives toward ~140 orbital launches in 2026, a new national record

Megaconstellation batches and a surprise Long March 12B maiden flight push cadence to one launch every ~2.5 days

The Long Game ·8 takes ·Jun 25

active Golden Dome's orbital layer races toward an on-orbit interceptor demo

12 firms hold $3.2B in SBI work; a new $4.16B contract and Northrop-Apex push a 2028 integration target

Whose Money ·8 takes ·Jun 25

active Ariane 6 ramps as Europe's only heavy ride to orbit, flying Amazon Leo

Upgraded P160C boosters and an Amazon contract give Europe a working, if thin, sovereign launch base

The Long Game ·8 takes ·Jun 25

active Amazon Leo passes 350 satellites as FCC waives, then penalises, the half-deploy deadline

Third-largest constellation, beta in five countries late 2026, but spectral priority demoted for slow build

The Long Game ·8 takes ·Jun 25

active China's Guowang and Qianfan trade the lead past 350 satellites combined

Qianfan jumps back ahead at 182 to Guowang's ~168–190; two constellations planning 28,000+ spacecraft

The Long Game ·8 takes ·Jun 25

worsening GPS jamming becomes constant over Europe as the EU readies sanctions

~40% of European air traffic hit; Russia's spoofing antennae up from 3 to 36; ministers' jets jammed

What Broke ·9 takes ·Jun 25

active Tiangong runs a year-long crew stay after an emergency Shenzhou rotation

Shenzhou 23 takes over with China's first yearlong stay; a Pakistani astronaut due on Shenzhou 24

The Long Game ·7 takes ·Jun 25

contested-result Starship V3 splashes down, but Super Heavy crashes and FAA grounds flights

Flight 12 proves the upper stage while the new booster flips and fails, investigation halts the program

The Long Game ·10 takes ·Jun 25

transition After Artemis II's lunar flyby, NASA turns to the harder Artemis III landing

Record-setting crewed flyby flew in April; the moon landing now hinges on Starship and a grounded V3

The Long Game ·7 takes ·Jun 25

active Galileo Gen-2 and BeiDou's refit reshape the navigation race as GPS slips behind

EU starts Galileo Gen-2 launches; China consolidates BeiDou to 37 satellites and eyes global adoption

The Long Game ·7 takes ·Jun 25

pending-decision Eutelsat raises cash to fund OneWeb Gen-2 and Europe's IRIS² sovereign constellation

€960M equity raise, €2.3B for 440 OneWeb follow-ons, €10.6B IRIS² concession, but services slip to 2030

Whose Money ·7 takes ·Jun 25

active Starlink Mobile targets 25M users as direct-to-cell becomes a mainstream product

650+ direct-to-cell satellites, 16M reached, voice and data added, SpaceX rebrands DTC as 'Starlink Mobile'

The Long Game ·8 takes ·Jun 25

active China readies Chang'e-7 for the lunar south pole as it builds toward a 2030 landing

Water-ice hunt at Shackleton with a shadow-diving hopper; Long March 10, Mengzhou and Lanyue in testing

The Long Game ·7 takes ·Jun 25