📰Top Stories

$3.5 Billion Allocated for Missile Tracking Satellites

The Space Development Agency has announced a $3.5 billion contract awarded to four companies for the construction of 72 missile tracking and warning satellites. These satellites will form the Tracking Layer of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture constellation in low Earth orbit, with each company tasked with building 18 spacecraft. This initiative is a crucial advancement for enhancing missile monitoring and warnings in orbit.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

Blue Origin’s Historic Spaceflight

Blue Origin successfully flew its final New Shepard suborbital mission of the year, which included the first person using a wheelchair to venture into space. The mission, launched on December 20, carried six individuals and marks a significant milestone in accessible space travel, highlighting the possibilities for inclusive commercial space tourism.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Air Force Unveils Next-Gen Drone Wingmen

In its second round of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the U.S. Air Force selected nine vendors to develop concepts for drone wingmen. These designs will eventually be refined into prototypes for operational use, reinforcing the fleet’s capabilities and innovation in autonomous aviation systems.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

NASA Urged to Reassess Artemis Plans

NASA’s safety panel has recommended a thorough review of the Artemis lunar landing architecture. This comes in response to concerns raised over the agency’s approach to incident management, such as the flawed Starliner test flight. The review seeks to ensure the viability and safety of future lunar missions.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Galaxy Mergers Fuel Rapid Black Hole Growth

Observations from the new Euclid satellite reveal that galaxy collisions can activate the most powerful periods of growth for supermassive black holes, known as active galactic nuclei. This discovery provides deeper insights into how these cosmic giants accumulate mass and the role galaxy mergers play in their evolution.

Read the full story: Space Daily

🛰️Satellite Spotlight

• Satellite Name: COSMOS 1844
• NORAD ID: 17973
• Launch Date: May 13, 1987
• Mission: SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) satellite for electronic surveillance.
• Orbit: LEO (Low Earth Orbit)
• Operator: GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation)
• Fun Fact: COSMOS 1844 was part of the Tselina-2 series, notable for its role in gathering intelligence during the Cold War era.

Track this satellite in real-time on our web app: Track COSMOS 1844

🌌Space Weather

Next 24 Hours

• Radio Blackouts Probability

  • Minor: 10
  • Major: 1
  • Risk: None

• Solar Radiation

  • Probability: 1
  • Risk: None

• Geomagnetic Storming

  • Scale: 0
  • Impact: none
  • Activity: Low

• Impact Summary

  • Next 24 hours: No risk of radio blackouts.
  • No risk of solar radiation storms.
  • Geomagnetic outlook: G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storms are likely on December 22-23 due to anticipated high-speed streams from a positive polarity coronal hole becoming geoeffective.
  • Radiation outlook: No significant active regions are expected to produce S1 (Minor) or greater solar radiation storms.
  • There is a slight chance for R1-R2 (Minor-Moderate) radio blackouts on December 21-22, with an increased chance on December 23 as active regions return to the visible solar disk.

Long Term Forecast

• Impact Summary
  • Forecast from December 15 to January 10, 2026: M-class flares (R1-R2/Minor-Moderate) are likely, with a chance for X-class (R3/Strong) flares if new, more magnetically complex regions develop.
  • Greater than 10 MeV proton flux expected to remain below the 10 pfu (S1-Minor) levels throughout the period.
  • Greater than 2 MeV electron flux may reach high levels on December 16-19, 25-29, and January 01-06, with normal to moderate levels on other specified dates.
  • Geomagnetic activity may reach G1 (Minor) storm levels on December 18, 30-31, and possibly January 09 due to negative polarity coronal hole high-speed stream influences.
  • Unsettled to active levels likely on several dates in December and January, with mostly quiet conditions anticipated on December 21 and January 04-08.

🚀Upcoming Space Launches

December 21

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • The Wisdom God Guides (iQPS Launch 6) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (06:36 UTC) A synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

December 22

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H3-22:

  • Michibiki 5 (QZS-5) from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan (01:51 UTC) QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) is a Japanese satellite navigation system designed for GPS-interoperable signals.

• Innospace HANBIT-Nano:

  • Spaceward from Alcântara Space Center, Federative Republic of Brazil (18:45 UTC) Maiden orbital launch carrying multiple small satellites from various international and educational organizations.

December 24

• Indian Space Research Organization LVM-3:

  • BlueBird Block 2 #1 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India (02:50 UTC) This mission will deploy BlueBird Block 2 satellites, supporting continuous cellular broadband service in the U.S.

• Russian Federal Space Agency Soyuz 2.1a:

  • Obzor-R No.1 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation (14:00 UTC) The satellite features X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar for Earth observation.

December 25

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 8A:
  • Unknown Payload from Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (23:18 UTC)

December 26

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 3B/E:
  • Fengyun-4C from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (16:00 UTC) Part of China’s geostationary meteorological satellite program.

December 28

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • CSG-3 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:08 UTC) An Earth observation satellite for the Italian Space Agency, using synthetic aperture radars.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.