Top Stories

Space Force FY2027 Budget Request: $71 Billion, With $60B for Procurement and R&D

Trump’s fiscal year 2027 defense budget request allocates $71 billion to the U.S. Space Force — more than double its current budget. Over $60 billion of that is directed toward procurement, research, and development. The request is part of a broader $1.5 trillion defense plan.

That procurement emphasis suggests an accelerated push for new space systems rather than incremental upgrades to existing ones. For tracking purposes, expect a significant increase in U.S. military satellite launches over the next several years if Congress approves funding near this level.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Artemis 2 Orion Spacecraft Enters Lunar Transit, Flyby Observation Plan Due April 6

Artemis 2 is mid-flight and closing on the Moon. The crew aboard Orion are the first humans to travel toward the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — a gap of over 53 years. NASA’s science team briefed on April 4 and is finalizing the astronaut observation plan, targeting completion by April 6.

The spacecraft is reported in good shape with only minor issues one day after its trans-lunar injection burn. The lunar flyby will be a free-return trajectory, meaning no lunar orbit insertion — Orion swings around the Moon and returns directly to Earth.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight.com

Golden Dome Missile Defense and Out-Year Spending Feature Prominently in Trump’s $1.5T Defense Request

Beyond Space Force, Trump’s FY2027 budget includes funding for the Golden Dome missile defense architecture and a large missile procurement package. The request is described as record-setting for total defense spending.

Space-based sensor layers are a core component of Golden Dome, which means additional satellite assets tied to missile warning and tracking are likely embedded in the broader procurement numbers.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Atlas 5 Lifts Amazon’s Heaviest Kuiper Payload to Date on Fifth Leo Mission

ULA’s Atlas 5 launched the fifth batch of Amazon Kuiper satellites on April 4 at 1:46 a.m. EDT from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission carried Atlas 5’s heaviest payload to date.

Amazon is pushing to accelerate Kuiper deployment ahead of FCC licensing deadlines. Each successful launch adds more objects to the LEO catalog — worth monitoring in KeepTrack as the constellation grows and begins generating conjunction data.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

NASA Locks In Artemis 2 Science Objectives Ahead of Lunar Flyby

NASA’s Artemis 2 science team is finalizing the crew’s observation schedule with a completion target of April 6. The observations will be conducted during the lunar flyby phase of the mission.

Details on specific instruments or observation targets weren’t released in the April 4 briefing summary, but the finalization timeline is tight given how quickly the spacecraft is closing distance to the Moon.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

First Humans Bound for the Moon Since 1972: What Held Crewed Lunar Programs Back for 53 Years

The Artemis 2 crew departing Earth this week is the first group of humans to travel toward the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972. Space.com breaks down the technical, political, and funding factors behind the five-decade gap.

The piece is a useful reference for context on why crewed lunar programs stalled — relevant background as Artemis infrastructure investment ramps up and interacts with the broader commercial and military space economy.

Read the full story: Space.com

Satellite of the Day

NAVSTAR 26 (USA 83)

NAVSTAR 26, also known as GPS IIA-5, is a navigation satellite that has been providing precise positioning data as part of the U.S. Global Positioning System since its launch on July 7, 1992. Operated by the U.S. Air Force Space Command, this satellite was built by RWISB and lifted to orbit aboard a Delta 7925 rocket from Cape Canaveral. At 860 kilograms and measuring 2.4 meters in length with a 5.3-meter solar array span, NAVSTAR 26 represents the matured Block IIA design that formed the backbone of GPS constellation operations throughout the 1990s and beyond.

As the fifth satellite in the IIA production block, NAVSTAR 26 was designed with an expected operational lifetime of 7.5 years—though like many GPS satellites, it likely exceeded this estimate. The satellite’s 3-axis stabilized design with deployable solar arrays and onboard batteries enables consistent transmission of navigation signals to military and civilian users worldwide. Its 55.5° orbital inclination places it in the medium Earth orbit characteristic of GPS satellites, contributing to the global coverage that made GPS an indispensable utility for navigation, surveying, and precision timing applications.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track NAVSTAR 26

Upcoming Space Launches

April 5

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-35 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (23:03 UTC) SpaceX will launch a batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. The first stage booster will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

April 7

• Northrop Grumman Space Systems Minotaur IV:

  • STP-S29A from Space Launch Complex 8, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (11:30 UTC) STP-S29A is a U.S. Department of Defense Space Test Program mission delivering up to 200 kg of cubesats to low Earth orbit. The primary payload, STPSat-7, is an ESPA-class satellite that will host research and technology demonstration payloads for the DoD, including the Naval Research Laboratory’s LARADO instrument, which uses lasers to detect and characterize hard-to-track orbital debris.

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 8:

  • Unknown Payload from Commercial LC-1, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (13:24 UTC) Details TBD. The Long March 8 is capable of delivering up to 5,000 kg to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit and is derived from the Long March 7 first stage, with a liquid hydrogen upper stage inherited from the Long March 3A family.

April 8

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Cygnus CRS-2 NG-24 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (12:51 UTC) A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft — named the S.S. Steven R. Nagel in honor of the former NASA astronaut who flew four Space Shuttle missions and accumulated 723 hours in space — to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program. Watch Live

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 6A:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Complex 9A, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (19:30 UTC) Details TBD. The Long March 6A is China’s first rocket to feature solid rocket boosters, augmenting its two YF-100 liquid-fueled first-stage engines with four solid strap-on boosters.

April 9

• Avio S.p.A Vega-C:
  • Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana (06:29 UTC) A joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, SMILE will carry four science instruments into a highly elliptical Earth orbit to study how Earth’s magnetosphere responds to the solar wind, advancing our understanding of geomagnetic storms and space weather. The spacecraft will deploy 57 minutes after liftoff and has a planned mission life of three years. Watch Live

April 10

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-21 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:39 UTC) SpaceX will launch a batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. The first stage booster will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live

• China Rocket Co. Ltd. Smart Dragon 3:

  • Unknown Payload from South China Sea (Launch Location 1), Haiyang Oriental Spaceport (11:00 UTC) Details TBD. Smart Dragon 3 is a commercial solid-fuel orbital rocket developed by a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation group. (Status: To Be Confirmed)

April 12

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-24 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (06:57 UTC) SpaceX will launch a batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. The first stage booster will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. Watch Live

April 14

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-27 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:00 UTC) SpaceX will launch a batch of 25 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit as part of the Starlink broadband mega-constellation. Watch Live

Schedule Changes

• New launch added: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-27 has been added to the manifest, scheduled for April 14, 2026 at 02:00 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB.

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