Falcon 9 successfully deployed NROL-72 for National Reconnaissance Office's 13th proliferated architecture mission. Low-Earth orbit intelligence constellation expanding since 2021.
ESA and JAXA finalize collaboration for asteroid Apophis 2029 flyby at 32,000 km—closer than geostationary orbit. Historic near-Earth encounter being heavily observed.
Katalyst's Link spacecraft passes key testing milestone ahead of June 2026 launch to rescue NASA's $500M SPARCS telescope. In-space servicing mission will create trackable conjunction risk during approach and docking phase.
SpaceX ignited all 33 next-gen Raptor V3 engines on the Super Heavy booster at Starbase, Texas, marking a critical milestone toward the next Starship flight.
Rocket Lab secures 5-launch Neutron contract targeting Q4 2026 debut after tank test failure. SpaceX Booster 19 completes full-thrust 33-engine static fire; Ship 39 rollout imminent.
Russia launched its first 16 operational Rassvet broadband satellites on March 23, 2026, beginning a long climb toward a 900-satellite LEO constellation. Built by Bureau 1440 and funded by billions in government and private capital, Rassvet is a technological sovereignty project driven by a hard lesson from the war in Ukraine. When your military depends on someone else's satellites, they can turn them off.
