Top Stories

SpaceX Wins $57M Contract to Demo Satellite Crosslinks for Golden Dome

SpaceX has secured a $57 million U.S. military contract to demonstrate space-based data links using the Link-182 standard. The work directly supports Golden Dome, the administration’s flagship missile defense architecture. This is a crosslink demo — meaning the test focuses on satellite-to-satellite communications, not just ground downlinks.

For satellite trackers, this is worth watching. If Starlink nodes are used for the demo, expect a batch of objects with non-standard orbital behavior or dedicated test configurations. The Link-182 standard is a waveform designed for tactical data networking, so successful integration would give Golden Dome a low-latency, space-resident communication backbone.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

SpaceX Also Joins Golden Dome Software Group

Separately from the crosslink contract, SpaceX has been added to the Golden Dome software working group. That puts the company inside two distinct lines of work on the same program — hardware demonstration and software architecture.

Golden Dome is shaping up as the largest defense program in U.S. history by projected cost. SpaceX’s dual role — launch provider, Starlink operator, and now software contributor — gives it unusual leverage across the program’s dependencies.

Read the full story: Teslarati

Pentagon Requests $2.3 Billion for Maven AI Battlefield System

The Pentagon’s FY2027 budget proposal includes $2.3 billion for Project Maven, the AI-powered battlefield intelligence system. The broader proposal ties roughly $58.5 billion to artificial intelligence across the department.

Maven ingests satellite and sensor imagery to identify targets and track military activity. The budget request signals a shift from pilot program to institutional infrastructure. For the space intelligence community, that means more demand for overhead persistent surveillance data feeding automated analysis pipelines.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Pentagon Closes $1 Billion Investment in L3Harris Missile Unit

The DoD has finalized a $1 billion investment in L3Harris’s Missile Solutions business unit. The deal gives the government future ownership stake in the division.

L3Harris’s Missile Solutions unit produces seekers and guidance systems used across multiple interceptor programs. Government equity in a defense supplier at this scale is unusual — it reflects both supply chain concerns and DoD’s interest in locking in production capacity for missile defense components, including those tied to Golden Dome.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

DoD Personnel Build 100,000 AI Agents on Unclassified Networks

The Pentagon’s GenAI.mil platform, powered by Google Gemini, has enabled Defense Department personnel to create roughly 100,000 AI agents for use on unclassified networks. The agents handle data processing and task automation.

The scale — 100,000 agents — is notable for how fast this has moved from concept to deployment. The constraint is unclassified networks only, which limits operational use but creates a large base of DoD users building familiarity with agent-based workflows ahead of any future classified expansion.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Air Force Selects Bidders and Locations for Nuclear Microreactor Program

The Department of the Air Force has chosen its bidders for the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installation (ANPI) program and assigned specific base locations. The program aims to install nuclear microreactors at Air Force installations to reduce dependence on commercial power grids.

Critics have argued the program’s costs outweigh its security benefits. Supporters frame it as hardening critical bases against grid disruptions — relevant for installations that host space operations centers, satellite ground stations, and missile warning assets.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Lockheed Exits Navy Undergraduate Jet Trainer Competition

Lockheed Martin has withdrawn from the Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System competition. The remaining competitors are SNC, Boeing, and Textron Aviation Defense partnered with Leonardo.

The exit narrows a program that will determine the next generation of Navy jet trainer aircraft. Lockheed’s departure leaves Boeing as the only traditional prime among the finalists, alongside two smaller or international-partnered teams.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

HIMAWARI-6 (MTSAT-1R)

HIMAWARI-6, also known as MTSAT-1R, is a Japanese multi-purpose satellite operated by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) that launched on February 26, 2005, from the Tanegashima Space Center. Built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems on the SSL-1300 bus platform, this 2,900 kg satellite was designed to provide critical communication, meteorology, and navigation services across the Asia-Pacific region. The satellite features deployable solar arrays spanning 33.1 meters and carries specialized instruments for weather observation and data relay capabilities.

Positioned in geostationary orbit, HIMAWARI-6 was engineered with an expected operational lifetime of 10 years, though its meteorological payload was specifically designed for a 5-year mission profile. The satellite’s multi-mission architecture made it a valuable asset for regional weather monitoring and disaster management in one of Earth’s most meteorologically active regions. Its success contributed to Japan’s demonstrated expertise in building robust geostationary platforms that serve dual civilian and operational purposes.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track HIMAWARI-6

Upcoming Space Launches

April 25

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

  • Demo Flight from Sea Launch (05:00–09:00 UTC) First orbital full-version 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. Launch Preview

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 6:

  • Unknown Payload from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center Launch Complex 16, People’s Republic of China (12:08 UTC) Details to be announced. Launch Preview

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

  • Progress MS-34 (95P) from Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch Pad 31/6, Republic of Kazakhstan (22:21 UTC) Uncrewed cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. Watch Live Launch Preview

April 26

• RKK Energiya Soyuz-5:

  • Demo Flight from Baikonur Cosmodrome Pad 45/1, Republic of Kazakhstan (11:00–13:00 UTC) Demonstration flight of Russia’s new Soyuz-5 (Irtysh) launch vehicle carrying a mass simulator. Soyuz-5 is designed to replace the Zenit-2 and Proton Medium, lifting up to 17 tonnes to low Earth orbit with an RD-171MV-powered first stage. (Status: To Be Confirmed) Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-16 from Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E, CA, USA (14:00–18:00 UTC) Batch of 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to low Earth orbit. Booster B1088 will fly for the 15th time, landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

April 27

• SpaceX Falcon Heavy:
  • ViaSat-3 F3 (ViaSat-3 Asia-Pacific) from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, FL, USA (14:21–15:46 UTC) The third and final satellite in Viasat’s global ViaSat-3 broadband communications constellation, launching to geosynchronous transfer orbit. The core booster will be expended, while side boosters B1072 (second flight) and B1075 (22nd flight) will return to land at Landing Zone 2 and Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Watch Live

April 28

• United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551:

  • Amazon Leo (LA-06) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Space Launch Complex 41, FL, USA (00:52–01:21 UTC) The seventh of nine Atlas V rockets contracted by Amazon, delivering 29 broadband internet satellites for the Amazon Leo (Kuiper) low Earth orbit constellation. The Atlas V 551 uses a Russian-built RD-180 first-stage engine and a Centaur upper stage powered by an RL10 engine. Watch Live

• Arianespace Ariane 64:

  • Amazon Leo (LE-02) from Guiana Space Centre Ariane Launch Area 4, French Guiana (08:51–09:39 UTC) A batch of 29 broadband internet satellites for Amazon Leo’s low Earth orbit constellation, launched aboard an Ariane 6 variant equipped with four solid strap-on boosters. This flight supports Amazon’s effort to bring high-speed, low-latency connectivity to underserved and remote regions globally. Watch Live

April 30

• Russian Space Forces Angara 1.2:

  • Kosmos (Unknown Payload) from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Pad 35/1, Russian Federation (To Be Determined) Unknown satellite payload for the Russian military. The Angara 1.2 is the base configuration of the modular Angara launch family, capable of delivering up to 3,700 kg to low Earth orbit.

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 10B:

  • Demo Flight from Wenchang Space Launch Site Commercial Launch Complex 2, People’s Republic of China (To Be Determined) First test launch of the Long March 10B, a partially reusable launch vehicle derived from the Long March 10A. The first stage, powered by seven YF-100 series engines, is designed to be recovered downrange via an arrestor-net-equipped barge using grid fins. The second stage uses a single YF-219 methane/liquid oxygen engine.

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 7A:

  • Unknown Payload from Wenchang Space Launch Site Pad 201, People’s Republic of China (To Be Determined) Details to be announced.

Schedule Changes

• Long March 2D | SatNet test satellite: Status changed from Go for Launch to Launch Successful. This launch has been removed from the upcoming calendar.
• Soyuz-5 | Demo Flight: Status downgraded from Go for Launch to To Be Confirmed, indicating increased uncertainty around the launch date or readiness.
• Long March 10B | Demo Flight: Newly added to the manifest with a target date of April 30, 2026 (To Be Determined).
• Long March 7A | Unknown Payload: Newly added to the manifest with a target date of April 30, 2026 (To Be Determined).

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