Top Stories

Planet Institutes 14-Day Imagery Delay for Iran and Gulf States

Planet notified customers on March 9 that it would delay public release of imagery covering Iran, nearby military bases, the Gulf States, and existing conflict zones by 14 days. The notice was obtained by Breaking Defense. The decision came as active conflict in the region put pressure on commercial remote sensing providers to manage the operational risk of near-real-time imagery reaching adversaries.

For satellite trackers and defense analysts, this highlights the growing tension between commercial SAR and optical imaging constellations and operational security requirements. Planet’s constellation includes dozens of active satellites; the imagery delay is a policy control, not a technical one.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Cygnus XL ‘S.S. Steven R. Nagel’ Captured and Berthed at ISS

The Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft launched aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on April 11 at 11:41 UTC. Canadarm2 captured the vehicle on April 13 at 17:19 UTC, followed by berthing at the ISS.

This is a standard resupply mission under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract with Northrop Grumman. You can follow the ISS using KeepTrack’s live tracker: Track ISS.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

41st Space Symposium Opens in Colorado Springs With Space Force Budget in Focus

The Space Foundation’s 41st Space Symposium is underway in Colorado Springs. Key discussion points include the Space Force’s record-setting budget request, Artemis mission progress, and how government and industry can accelerate procurement timelines.

Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle, a retired Air Force major general, is leading the event. The symposium draws senior military, government, and commercial space leaders annually and this year comes alongside a FY27 defense budget that includes major increases across missile and space programs.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Space Foundation CEO Previews Symposium Priorities

Heather Pringle outlined her goals for the 41st Space Symposium in a Q&A with SpaceNews, focusing on civil and national security space cooperation and sustaining industry growth. Pringle retired as a major general before taking the Space Foundation CEO role.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Estonia Cancels $587M IFV Buy, Redirects Toward Drones and Air Defense

Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced the country will halt a planned $587 million CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle purchase. The reasoning: heavy armored platforms have declining battlefield utility given current drone-dominated warfare in Ukraine.

The funds are expected to shift toward drone systems and air defense. This has indirect implications for space: air defense procurement, especially at scale, increasingly includes space-based targeting and ISR integration.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Pentagon FY27 Budget Requests 188% Increase in Missile Procurement

The FY27 defense budget request includes $70.5 billion for munitions — a 188% increase over current procurement levels. Analysts quoted by Breaking Defense expect the actual spending to be distributed across multiple fiscal years through multiyear contracts rather than executed as a single-year buy.

Industry capacity is the limiting factor. Production lines for precision munitions cannot immediately absorb a near-tripling of orders, which is likely to drive investment in new manufacturing facilities across several defense primes.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Sweden Calls for European Military Independence From the US

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told Breaking Defense that Europe must reduce its structural dependence on US military capabilities. He characterized the current relationship as an “addiction.” Jonson also said bilateral defense cooperation between Sweden and the US remains intact despite recent political friction.

Sweden joined NATO in March 2024 and has been expanding its defense budget as part of broader European rearmament. Reduced reliance on US assets would likely accelerate European investment in independent space-based ISR, communications, and positioning infrastructure.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

KOREASAT 1

KOREASAT 1, also known by its indigenous name Mugunghwa 1, was South Korea’s first domestically-operated geostationary communications satellite, launched on August 5, 1995, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Built by Lockheed Martin (LMTEW) for the Korea Telecom and Broadcasting Satellite Organization (KTEL), this 799-kilogram satellite marked a significant milestone in South Korea’s space capabilities and self-sufficiency in satellite communications. The spacecraft carries 12 (+4) FSS Ku-band transponders dedicated to fixed satellite service and 3 (+3) BSS Ku-band transponders for broadcasting, enabling voice, data, and television distribution across the Korean peninsula and surrounding regions.

Operating from geostationary orbit at an inclination of 14.71 degrees, KOREASAT 1 has proven to be a long-lived asset for Korean telecommunications infrastructure. The satellite’s configuration—a box-shaped body with two deployable solar panels spanning 15.5 meters—became a familiar design for the region’s early satellite constellation. Over its operational lifetime, it has supported critical communications services and broadcast capabilities, establishing the foundation for South Korea’s subsequent KOREASAT fleet and demonstrating the nation’s commitment to space-based infrastructure development.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track KOREASAT 1

Upcoming Space Launches

April 14

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 10-24 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (06:13 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Watch Live Launch Preview

April 15

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-27 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:00 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Watch Live Launch Preview

April 17

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 2D:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (04:02 UTC) Details to be determined. The Long March 2D is a two-stage Chinese orbital carrier rocket primarily used for LEO and SSO satellite launches, with a lift capacity of up to 3,500 kg to low Earth orbit.

• Blue Origin New Glenn:

  • BlueBird Block 2 #2 from Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (10:45 UTC) A New Glenn rocket will deploy AST SpaceMobile’s second next-generation BlueBird satellite into low Earth orbit, supporting space-based cellular broadband services for commercial and government customers. This will be New Glenn’s third launch overall. The New Glenn is a 7-meter-diameter, two- or three-stage rocket capable of lifting up to 45,000 kg to low Earth orbit.

April 18

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-22 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Watch Live

April 20

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • GPS III SV10 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (06:48 UTC) The tenth and final mission in the GPS III satellite series, launching for the United States Space Force. GPS III satellites form part of the U.S.-operated Global Positioning System, providing precise geolocation and time information to users worldwide. The Falcon 9 Block 5 is capable of lifting up to 22,800 kg to low Earth orbit and is designed for rapid reusability.

April 22

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-14 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:00 UTC) A batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Watch Live

• Agency for Defense Development South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV:

  • Demo Flight from ADD Offshore Launch Platform, Sea Launch (05:00 UTC) The first full orbital launch of South Korea’s military small satellite launch vehicle, following two sub-orbital stage tests in 2022 and one orbital test flight without the second stage in December 2023. Launch vehicle name is provisional.

April 23

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • Kakushin Rising (JAXA Rideshare) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) A Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency-manifested rideshare carrying eight satellites to sun-synchronous orbit, including educational smallsats, an ocean monitoring satellite, a multispectral camera demonstrator, and OrigamiSat-2 — featuring a deployable antenna that uses origami folding techniques to unfurl to 25 times its packed size. The satellites were originally planned to fly on a Japanese Epsilon-S rocket before significant delays redirected the mission to Electron.

April 25

• Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) Soyuz 2.1a:
  • Progress MS-34 (95P) from Site 31/6, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan (22:21 UTC) An uncrewed Progress resupply mission delivering cargo to the International Space Station.

Schedule Changes

• New Launch Added: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | GPS III SV10 has been added to the manifest, currently To Be Confirmed for April 20, 2026 at 06:48 UTC from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL.
• Status Update: Kinetica 1 | 8 x Jilin-1 has been marked Launch Successful and has been removed from the upcoming launches calendar.

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