Top Stories

Katalyst’s Link Spacecraft Passes Testing, Targets June Launch to Rescue NASA’s $500M Telescope

Katalyst Space Technologies has cleared a key testing milestone for its Link spacecraft, which will attempt to rescue NASA’s Astrophysics Small Probe for Rapid Infrared Characterization of Stars (SPARCS) telescope — valued at $500 million. Link is scheduled to launch in June 2026 aboard Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL air-launched rocket. NASA awarded Katalyst a $30 million contract for the mission in September 2025.

The mission is an in-space servicing operation, a category worth watching for KeepTrack users tracking objects in low Earth orbit. Once Link reaches orbit, its target satellite will become a trackable conjunction risk during the approach and docking phase.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

Pentagon Releases Nearly 30 Declassified UAP Videos

The Department of Defense released a new batch of UAP files on May 8, 2026, including close to 30 videos. The footage depicts a range of unidentified objects, with official descriptions ranging from “a football-shaped body” to “a misshapen and uneven ball of white light.”

For defense-focused KeepTrack users, UAP disclosures carry direct relevance — uncharacterized aerial objects intersect with space situational awareness when targets are at high altitude or on orbital-adjacent trajectories. The full archive is publicly accessible via the Pentagon’s AARO portal.

Read the full story: Space.com

Starship Flight 12 Full Stack Assembled, WDR Next

Booster 19 completed a full-duration, full-thrust 33-engine static fire on May 7, 2026. Its paired Ship 39 has since been stacked for Flight 12. The integrated vehicle is now preparing for a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) at Starbase.

Flight 12 will be another data point in SpaceX’s rapid iteration cycle for Starship. Each test flight generates new debris and reentry tracking events — KeepTrack’s reentry tracker has covered objects from prior Starship missions.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight.com

SpaceX Eyes ~$2 Trillion Valuation Ahead of IPO

SpaceX plans to go public this year in what would be the largest IPO in U.S. history. The company is targeting $75 million in share sales as part of the offering. The $2 trillion valuation is built on Starlink’s recurring revenue, Starship development, and its dominant launch market share.

The IPO will force SpaceX to disclose financial data it has kept private for years, including Starlink subscriber counts and per-launch margins — numbers that defense analysts and commercial competitors have been estimating for a long time.

Read the full story: Space Explored

Voyager Probes Running Low on Power After Nearly 50 Years

Both Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, are still operating in interstellar space but are critically low on power. NASA is reportedly planning a maneuver to squeeze additional operational life from the aging RTGs. It is unclear how many instruments remain active on each probe.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are among the most distant tracked objects from Earth. While far beyond orbital tracking range, their trajectories are catalogued — you can find them referenced in heliocentric mission databases alongside other deep-space assets.

Read the full story: Space.com

MDA Space Presses Ahead on Lunar Gateway Robotic Arm Despite Uncertainty

MDA Space is continuing development of the robotic arm for NASA’s lunar Gateway station while its contract terms with the Canadian Space Agency remain under discussion. The arm — called Canadarm3 — is Canada’s primary contribution to the Gateway program.

No suspension of work has been announced. The uncertainty likely reflects broader Gateway schedule questions following NASA budget pressure and Artemis timeline shifts. Canadarm3 is a critical handling system for visiting vehicles and external payloads at the lunar outpost.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Satellite of the Day

AFWTR (Titan IIID Payload)

Launched on October 10, 1972, this classified National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite was deployed as part of the Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) mission portfolio during the Cold War. Built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems and lofted aboard a Titan IIID from Air Force Western Test Range (AFWTR), this spacecraft represents a generation of reconnaissance satellites designed to monitor adversary communications and radar emissions from a near-polar orbit. With an inclination of 95.64°, the satellite achieved exceptional polar coverage—ideal for tracking signals across the Soviet Union and other regions of strategic interest.

Despite its classified nature, this mission reflects the critical role that signals intelligence played in Cold War deterrence and verification. The spacecraft’s 49-kilogram payload package, though modest by modern standards, packed sophisticated collection equipment into a compact bus design. Over five decades after launch, it remains a testament to the robustness of 1970s satellite engineering and the enduring need for persistent space-based intelligence gathering capabilities.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track AFWTR (Titan IIID Payload)

Upcoming Space Launches

May 11

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 7 | Tianzhou-10:
  • Tianzhou-10 from Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (00:05 UTC) The ninth cargo delivery mission to the Chinese space station, continuing resupply operations for the Tiangong outpost. Launch Preview

May 11–12

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-172:
  • NROL-172 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (22:28 UTC) A classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, the 12th flight supporting the agency’s proliferated low Earth orbit architecture — believed to consist of Starshield satellites. Booster B1103 will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean approximately 8.5 minutes after liftoff. Watch Live

May 12

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

  • Unknown Payload from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (11:49 UTC) An unspecified payload launching aboard the Long March 6A, China’s first rocket to feature solid rocket boosters. Further mission details are not yet available.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34:

  • Dragon CRS-34 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (23:16 UTC) Under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program, a Dragon spacecraft (tail number C209, flying for the sixth time) will deliver thousands of pounds of science experiments and supplies to the International Space Station. The vehicle will dock approximately 38 hours after launch. Watch Live

May 13

• LandSpace Zhuque-2E | Unknown Payload:
  • Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (02:52 UTC) An unspecified payload launching aboard LandSpace’s Zhuque-2E, a medium-lift rocket powered by liquid oxygen and methane featuring enhanced TQ-12A first-stage engines and a new TQ-15A upper-stage engine. Further mission details are not yet available.

May 15

• CAS Space Kinetica 1 | Unknown Payload:

  • Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (04:24 UTC) An unspecified payload launching aboard the Kinetica 1 (Lijian-1), China’s largest solid-propellant light launch vehicle, developed by CAS Space, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Further mission details are not yet available.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-37:

  • Starlink Group 17-37 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) A batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1097, flying for its ninth time, will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

• SpaceX Starship | Flight 12 (To Be Confirmed):

  • Starship Flight 12 from SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA (22:30 UTC) The 12th integrated flight test of the Starship/Super Heavy system and the first flight of the version 3 vehicle configuration. Ship 39 and Booster 19 will conduct a suborbital trajectory from Starbase, Texas. This marks a significant step in SpaceX’s development of the world’s largest and most powerful fully reusable launch vehicle, capable of lifting up to 100,000 kg to low Earth orbit.

May 17

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Globalstar 2-R Mission 1:
  • Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (9 satellites) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (12:50 UTC) SpaceX will launch nine Globalstar HIBLEO-4 replenishment satellites into low Earth orbit — the first of two launches constituting a fleet refresh. Booster B1090, flying for its 12th time, will land on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Watch Live

May 19

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-42:

  • Starlink Group 17-42 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (02:11 UTC) A batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1097 will land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live

• Avio S.p.A Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE):

  • SMILE from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana (03:52 UTC) A joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the SMILE spacecraft will deploy 57 minutes after liftoff into a highly elliptical Earth orbit for a three-year mission. Using four science instruments, SMILE will study how Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere respond to the solar wind, advancing understanding of solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and space weather. Watch Live

May 21

• Indian Space Research Organization GSLV Mk II | GISAT-1A (EOS-05) (To Be Confirmed):
  • GISAT-1A (EOS-05) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India (03:15 UTC) GISAT-1A is an Indian geostationary Earth observation satellite designed to provide continuous imaging of the Indian subcontinent and enable rapid monitoring of natural hazards and disasters. It will be launched by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II, India’s largest operational launch vehicle, featuring an indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage.

May 22

• United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 | Amazon Leo (LA-07) (To Be Determined):

  • Amazon Leo LA-07 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (00:00 UTC) A United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 rocket will deploy 29 Amazon Kuiper broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit. This is the penultimate Atlas V mission booked by Amazon as it builds out its low Earth orbit broadband constellation to serve underserved and remote communities globally.

• Rocket Lab Electron | Viva La StriX (StriX Launch 9):

  • Viva La StriX from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (09:30 UTC) Rocket Lab’s ninth dedicated Electron mission for Japanese Earth observation company Synspective, delivering a StriX Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite into a circular 572 km orbit at 44.8-degree inclination.

May 31

• Rocket Lab Electron | The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7) (To Be Determined):
  • The Grain Goddess Provides from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will deploy a synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

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