Top Stories

Golden Dome Cost Estimate Rises to $185 Billion as Pentagon Expands Space Layer

The Pentagon has raised the Golden Dome missile defense cost estimate by $10 billion to $185 billion. Gen. Michael Guetlein said the increase funds three specific accelerations: the Airborne Moving Target Indication system, a space data network, and the Hypersonic Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS).

HBTSS is the constellation element most relevant to satellite trackers — it’s designed to detect and track hypersonic glide vehicles from low Earth orbit. Expanding that layer means more objects in trackable orbits tied directly to the kill chain.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Space Force Creates New Acquisition Portfolios Including Orbital Warfare

The Space Force restructured its acquisition organization around “Portfolio Acquisition Executives,” each holding authority over funding, requirements, and integration for their assigned mission area. One of those portfolios is explicitly named space control and orbital warfare.

Tom Ainsworth, the Air Force space acquisition officer, confirmed the Space Force is treating cislunar as a near-term integration priority, not a research backlog. Plans involve direct coordination with NASA and AFRL on new cislunar technologies. That scope expansion has direct implications for what objects get catalogued and tracked at lunar distances.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Space Force Overhauls Buying Structure with Mission Portfolio Model

The acquisition restructure described by Ainsworth is formalized in a new organizational model giving Portfolio Acquisition Executives consolidated authority across previously siloed program offices. The change is designed to reduce handoff friction between requirements, funding, and integration — a recurring problem in Space Force programs.

The new structure mirrors how some defense primes organize around mission outcomes rather than platform types. How effectively it reduces cycle time on programs like HBTSS and the space data network will determine whether the Golden Dome timeline holds.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Telesat Reserves 25% of Lightspeed for Military Ka-Band, Global Service Slips to 2028

Telesat has carved out 25% of its Lightspeed LEO constellation capacity for military Ka-band users. The latest schedule slip pushes global commercial service to early 2028, but Telesat is using the delay to deepen alignment with defense requirements.

Lightspeed currently has no on-orbit assets. When launches begin, the constellation will add a notable number of objects to low Earth orbit in the Ka-band communications category. KeepTrack users tracking LEO broadband buildouts can expect Lightspeed to eventually join Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon Kuiper in that layer.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Canadian Military Announces Investment in Sovereign Launch Capability

Canada’s military announced on March 16 an investment in both domestic launch facilities and launch companies to build a sovereign space access capability. No specific dollar figure was disclosed in available reporting, but the announcement confirms Canada is moving beyond reliance on allied launch providers.

A sovereign Canadian launch capability would add a new national actor to the orbital launch picture. From a tracking standpoint, it means future Canadian military payloads could launch on domestic vehicles with Canadian-controlled manifest transparency — or opacity.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Boeing Called ‘Troubled Partner’ in UK’s Long-Delayed E-7 Wedgetail Program

A UK defense official publicly described Boeing as a “troubled partner” in the E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning program. The UK originally planned to field Wedgetail in the early 2020s. A revised timeline of 2026 was approved last year, but the program remains behind.

The E-7 is not a space asset, but its delays affect the UK’s broader sensor integration picture — including how it interfaces with space-based ISR and missile warning systems. Persistent slippage in airborne early warning capacity increases pressure on space-based alternatives to fill the gap.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

CHUANGXIN 16B (CX-16B)

CHUANGXIN 16B is a compact Chinese satellite operated by IMICAS, launched on August 23, 2022, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center aboard a Kuaizhou-1A rocket. At just 100 kilograms with dimensions of approximately 1 meter in length and 0.5 meters in diameter, this is a relatively small spacecraft—typical of the growing class of micro-satellites used for rapid-turnaround missions. The satellite achieved operational stability by mid-September 2022 and draws power from solar cells and onboard batteries.

While the exact mission details remain cryptic—listed officially as “Technology ?”—CX-16B appears to be part of the broader Chuangxin (Innovation) satellite program, which China uses for experimental and technology demonstration purposes. Its small size and relatively quick deployment suggest it may be testing new subsystems, sensor packages, or operational concepts. The Kuaizhou-1A’s frequent use for such missions makes it a preferred vehicle for Chinese technology validation in orbit.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track CHUANGXIN 16B

Upcoming Space Launches

March 19

• LandSpace Zhuque-2E:

  • Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (03:52 UTC) Zhuque-2E is an enhanced medium-lift rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane, capable of lifting up to 6,000 kg to low Earth orbit. Payload details for this mission are yet to be disclosed.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-33 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (10:35 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Booster B1088 flying for its 14th time, landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. Watch Live Launch Preview

• Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M:

  • 16 x Rassvet-3 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation (11:00 UTC) A batch of 16 Rassvet-3 communications satellites for the Russian Bureau 1440 broadband constellation, intended to provide high-speed internet access across Russia. Payload identities are uncertain.

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • Eight Days A Week (StriX Launch 8) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (17:45 UTC) The eighth Strix synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth-observation satellite for Japan-based company Synspective, part of a 27-mission dedicated launch agreement. The ~100 kg satellite will operate for 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) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to 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) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to 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 (00:00 UTC) A dedicated mission for the European Space Agency launching two inaugural pathfinder satellites — IOD-1 and IOD-2 — for ESA’s Celeste LEO-PNT navigation system. The mission marks the first step toward an 11-satellite low Earth orbit constellation designed to complement Galileo, EGNOS, and other Global Navigation Satellite System assets, improving resilience and service quality. The satellites will be deployed into a 510 km circular orbit.

Schedule Changes

• New launch added: Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M carrying 16 x Rassvet-3 satellites has been added to the schedule, targeting March 19 at 11:00 UTC from Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
• Status update: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-46 has been removed from the upcoming launch calendar following a successful launch.

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