Top Stories

China’s Second Yaogan-50 Enters Highly Retrograde Orbit Alongside KZ-11 Rideshare

China flew two missions on Sunday. The first placed a second Yaogan-50 reconnaissance satellite into a highly retrograde orbit — the same unusual orbital regime used by the first Yaogan-50, which drew attention for its potential ISR applications against polar and high-latitude targets. The second mission, a Kuaizhou-11 solid rocket, deployed 8 satellites on a rideshare.

The Yaogan-50 series is worth watching closely. Highly retrograde orbits offer different ground coverage geometry than standard sun-synchronous passes, and the rapid cadence of this second launch suggests China is building out the constellation deliberately. Users can track Yaogan satellites and monitor their orbital parameters directly in KeepTrack.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

SpaceX Crosses 10,000 Simultaneous Starlink Satellites in Orbit

The Starlink 17-24 mission lifted off March 16 at 10:19 p.m. PDT from California, carrying 25 satellites. That pushed the total number of Starlink satellites simultaneously in orbit past 10,000 — under seven years after the first operational batch launched in May 2019.

That’s roughly 10,000 objects from a single operator now tracked in low Earth orbit, a number that has real implications for conjunction analysis and space traffic management. KeepTrack users can filter and visualize the full Starlink constellation using the satellite search and orbit visualization tools.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

Army Awards Anduril First Task Order Under New $20B Counter-Drone Contract Vehicle

The U.S. Army awarded Anduril the first task order under a newly established $20 billion counter-drone contract vehicle. No dollar amount is attached to the vehicle itself — it’s a procurement framework designed to reduce acquisition friction for counter-UAS systems. Anduril President Matthew Steckman clarified the distinction after the announcement generated confusion over the weekend.

The contract vehicle is intended to accelerate fielding of counter-drone capabilities, an area where acquisition speed has repeatedly lagged operational demand.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Lockheed Completes First Flight Test of PrSM Increment 2 Against Moving Maritime Targets

Lockheed Martin completed the first flight test of Precision Strike Missile Increment 2, the variant designed to engage moving maritime targets. The test comes shortly after the Army confirmed PrSM Increment 1 was used in combat for the first time during operations in Iran.

Increment 2 adds a moving maritime target capability, extending the missile’s reach into the anti-ship role. The progression from Increment 1 combat use to Increment 2 flight testing in rapid succession reflects the pace of operational demand driving the program.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Nvidia Releases AI Computing Module Designed for Satellites and Power-Constrained Space Systems

Nvidia announced a new AI computing module built for satellites and other space platforms where power is constrained. The chipmaker is targeting on-orbit data processing — a capability that reduces the volume of raw data that needs to be downlinked and enables faster onboard decision-making for applications like Earth observation and communications.

The module is aimed at the growing market for space-based data centers and edge processing in orbit. As satellite constellations scale, onboard compute becomes a chokepoint, and purpose-built hardware from Nvidia signals the commercial sector is treating it as a primary engineering problem.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Nine Launches Scheduled This Week Across Falcon 9, Spectrum, and Electron

Nine launches are on the manifest for the week of March 16, spanning multiple vehicles including SpaceX Falcon 9, Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum, and Rocket Lab’s Electron. The density reflects continued pressure on launch schedules across both commercial and government customers.

KeepTrack users tracking newly launched objects can use the satellite catalog to identify and monitor fresh additions to low Earth orbit as they appear in tracking data.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight

Baykar Unveils K2 Kamikaze Drone with AI and Swarm Capabilities

Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar announced the K2, a kamikaze drone with onboard AI and swarming capability. The company positioned it within its cost-effective defense solutions strategy — the same approach that made its Bayraktar TB2 a widely exported and operationally proven platform during the early phases of the Ukraine war.

Swarming loitering munitions represent a growing threat vector for space ground infrastructure, including satellite ground stations and launch facilities. The K2’s AI-enabled coordination capability is the detail that distinguishes it from earlier single-unit loitering munitions.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

ONEWEB-0233

ONEWEB-0233 is part of OneWeb’s ambitious megaconstellation initiative, a UK-based company building a global network of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide broadband connectivity to underserved regions worldwide. Launched on May 28, 2021, aboard a Soyuz-2-1B rocket from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome, this satellite is one of hundreds deployed in OneWeb’s constellation. Equipped with Ku-Band communications payloads and operating from a high-inclination orbit, ONEWEB-0233 helps relay internet traffic across the globe, particularly benefiting remote areas with limited terrestrial infrastructure.

The satellite is a relatively compact spacecraft—weighing 148 kilograms at launch and spanning just 5 meters with its solar panels deployed—manufactured on OneWeb’s Arrow bus platform. It relies on Hall effect thrusters for station-keeping and has an expected operational lifespan of approximately 7 years. With an inclination of nearly 88 degrees, ONEWEB-0233 passes over high northern and southern latitudes, making it particularly valuable for coverage in polar and near-polar regions. This mission represents a new era of commercial space infrastructure, where mega-constellations compete to dominate the low-Earth orbit communication market.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track ONEWEB-0233

Upcoming Space Launches

March 17

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-46 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (10:26 UTC) Launches 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

March 19

• LandSpace Zhuque-2E:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Area 96A, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (03:52 UTC) Details TBD. Zhuque-2E is a medium-sized liquid oxygen/methane rocket capable of lifting up to 6,000 kg to low Earth orbit, featuring enhanced TQ-12A first-stage engines and a new TQ-15A second-stage engine with a moveable nozzle.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-33 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (10:35 UTC) Launches 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • Eight Days A Week (StriX Launch 8) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (17:45 UTC) Launches the eighth Strix synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite for Japanese Earth-observation company Synspective. This is the latest mission in a 27-launch dedicated Electron manifest procured by Synspective for its StriX constellation. The 100 kg-class satellite has an expected operational life of approximately five years on orbit.

• Isar Aerospace Spectrum:

  • Onward and Upward from Orbital Launch Pad, Andøya Spaceport, Norway (20:00 UTC) Spectrum’s second test flight, carrying five CubeSats: CyBEEsat (TU Berlin), TriSat-S (University of Maribor), Platform 6 (EnduroSat), FramSat-1 (NTNU), and SpaceTeamSat1 (TU Wien Space Team), plus the “Let it Go” experiment from Dcubed. Exolaunch is managing payload integration and deployment. Delayed from January 21 due to a pressurization valve issue. Watch Live

March 20

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-15 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (21:48 UTC) Launches 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

March 22

• Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz 2.1a:

  • Progress MS-33 (94P) from Site 31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan (11:59 UTC) Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-62 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (14:43 UTC) Launches 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Watch Live

March 24

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • Daughter Of The Stars (LEO-PNT Pathfinder A) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (Date TBD) Launches two “Pathfinder A” satellites built by Thales Alenia Space and GMV to a 510 km orbit on behalf of the European Space Agency. The mission is part of ESA’s LEO-PNT (Low Earth Orbit Positioning, Navigation and Timing) program, which aims to demonstrate how a 10-satellite LEO constellation can complement the Galileo and EGNOS navigation systems in higher orbits.

Schedule Changes

• New Launch Added: LandSpace Zhuque-2E carrying an unknown payload has been added to the manifest, scheduled for March 19, 2026 at 03:52 UTC from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China.
• Status Change: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-24 has been removed from the upcoming calendar after its status was updated to Launch Successful.

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