Top Stories

Starlink Is Live on Air Force One

Elon Musk confirmed Tuesday that Starlink provides internet connectivity aboard Air Force One. The confirmation came via a social media reply while Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were en route to Beijing with President Trump — mid-Pacific, where legacy connectivity options are weakest.

This is a practical data point for anyone tracking Starlink’s military and government penetration. Air Force One connectivity has historically relied on legacy SATCOM systems. Starlink’s low-latency LEO coverage over oceanic routes is exactly the use case the constellation was built for. Users can explore the current Starlink constellation in KeepTrack to see real-time coverage geometry.

Read the full story: Teslarati

Pentagon Awards Framework Agreements for 10,000 Low-Cost Cruise Missiles

The Pentagon has signed framework agreements with Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos, and Zone 5 to procure 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles under the new Low Cost Containerization Munitions Program (LCCMP). The program is designed to produce affordable, containerized munitions at scale.

The LCCMP reflects a direct response to stockpile depletion concerns exposed by two-plus years of high-intensity conflict observations. Containerized launch also means these missiles can be deployed from commercial or non-traditional platforms — relevant to how targeting and space-based ISR feeds into strike operations.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Iran’s Missile Campaign: 10 Weeks of Long-Range Strikes, Shrinking Stockpiles

More than 10 weeks into the conflict, Iran has sustained long-range strikes against targets using ballistic and cruise missiles. Breaking Defense identifies stockpile depletion as a core emerging vulnerability, alongside the demonstrated necessity of layered air defense.

For satellite trackers, prolonged missile exchange at this scale stresses space-based early warning assets and ISR satellites covering the region. Geosynchronous early warning satellites remain the first layer of detection for ballistic launches — their coverage geometry over the Middle East is directly testable in KeepTrack.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Air Force Approves Requirements for MQ-9 Reaper Replacement

The Air Force has formally approved requirements for a replacement to the MQ-9A Reaper. Lt. Gen. Luke Cropsey noted broad interest from the defense industrial base in what comes next. No contractor has been selected and no timeline for competitive solicitation has been announced.

The Reaper has been the backbone of persistent ISR and strike operations for two decades. Its replacement will likely require tighter integration with space-based targeting networks, including commercial SAR and optical constellations now feeding military targeting pipelines.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Navy Expects Funding Crunch This Summer After Extended Middle East Ops

Chief of Naval Operations confirmed the Navy will hit financial constraints this summer, driven by operational costs from Middle East deployments. The carrier Gerald R. Ford faces elevated maintenance requirements after an extended deployment cycle.

Carrier strike group operations generate significant demand on space assets — particularly SATCOM bandwidth, GPS-dependent navigation, and overhead ISR. Budget pressure on the Navy also has downstream effects on space-enabled systems procurement and sustainment contracts.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

KC-46 Cost Could Climb $100M Per Tail; New Vision System Delayed to 2028

Budget documents show the KC-46 tanker’s per-unit cost could increase by $100 million. The Remote Vision System replacement, which addresses a long-standing deficiency in the aircraft’s aerial refueling boom camera, is now expected in 2028. Sen. Kevin Cramer said Congress needs more information before accepting the projected increases.

The KC-46 program has faced persistent technical and cost issues since delivery began. The vision system deficiency has limited the aircraft’s operational utility — the 2028 fix date means the Air Force will operate a constrained tanker fleet for at least two more years.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

House Foreign Affairs Committee Advances Taiwan Arms Sale Bills, Kills One

The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved three arms sale bills, including one supporting Taiwan. It rejected a fourth bill that would have allowed any country to use Foreign Military Financing to purchase weapons through the commercial sales process rather than the standard government-to-government channel.

Taiwan arms sales carry direct implications for space situational awareness in the Pacific. U.S. systems sold to Taiwan increasingly include satellite-linked targeting and communications equipment, putting allied satellite dependencies squarely in the mix for any future Taiwan Strait contingency.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

COSMOS 1640

COSMOS 1640 is a Soviet military communications satellite launched by GUKOS (the Ministry of Defence) on March 21, 1985, from Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a Kosmos 11K65M launch vehicle. This compact spacecraft, measuring just 0.8 meters across with a launch mass of 60 kg, carried the Strela-1M Blok 37 No. 6 payload—part of the Soviet Union’s Strela communications network designed to support military operations and command-and-control functions. Built by NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOPM), one of Russia’s premier space manufacturers, COSMOS 1640 represents the miniaturized satellite design philosophy the Soviets perfected during the Cold War.

Despite its modest size, this satellite operated in a high-inclination orbit optimized for coverage over Soviet territories and northern regions. The mission lasted approximately six months after launch, a typical lifetime for early Strela-class relay satellites. With a radar cross-section of just 0.6955 m², COSMOS 1640 exemplifies the Soviet approach to building lean, efficient military space assets. Today, historical data on this spacecraft provides valuable insights into Soviet-era space operations and satellite design practices that influenced decades of Russian space programs.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track COSMOS 1640

Upcoming Space Launches

May 15

• CAS Space Kinetica 1:

  • Unknown Payload from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (04:24 UTC) Details TBD. Kinetica 1 (also known as Lijian-1) is a Chinese solid-propellant light launch vehicle developed by CAS Space, capable of placing approximately 2 tonnes into low Earth orbit. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-37 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to low Earth orbit. Booster B1103 on its second flight, landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (22:05 UTC) NASA’s SpaceX CRS-34 mission under the Commercial Resupply Services program. Dragon spacecraft C209, flying for a sixth time, will deliver thousands of pounds of science experiments and supplies to the International Space Station, arriving after roughly a two-day transit. The Falcon 9 Block 5 is designed for rapid reusability with a payload capacity of 22,800 kg to low Earth orbit. Watch Live Launch Preview

May 17

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 8:
  • Unknown Payload from Commercial LC-1, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (14:34 UTC) Details TBD. Long March 8 is capable of launching up to 5,000 kg to a 700 km sun-synchronous orbit, based on the Long March 7 first stage combined with a liquid hydrogen upper stage derived from the Long March 3A family. Launch Preview

May 19

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-42 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (02:11 UTC) Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to low Earth orbit. Booster B1103 on its second flight, landing on 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) from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV), Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana (03:52 UTC) A joint European Space Agency and Chinese Academy of Sciences mission to study how Earth responds to the solar wind. SMILE carries four science instruments and will operate in a highly elliptical Earth orbit for a planned three-year mission life, improving understanding of solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and space weather. The satellite deploys 57 minutes after liftoff. Vega-C is a 35-metre, 210-tonne rocket featuring a P120C first stage also used on Ariane 6. Watch Live

• SpaceX Starship:

  • Flight 12 from Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA (22:30 UTC) The 12th integrated flight of the Starship-Super Heavy launch system and the first flight of a version 3 rocket, using Ship 39 and Booster 19 on a suborbital trajectory. Starship is a fully reusable super heavy-lift vehicle with a target payload capacity of 100,000 kg to low Earth orbit and a liftoff mass of approximately 5,250 tonnes. Watch Live

May 20

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

  • Demo Flight from ADD Offshore Launch Platform, Sea Launch (05:00 UTC) Demonstration flight of South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development solid-fuel space launch vehicle, capable of delivering approximately 500 kg to low Earth orbit. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (x9) from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (11:54 UTC) Nine Globalstar HIBLEO-4 satellites to low Earth orbit as the first of two launches replenishing the HIBLEO-4 fleet. Booster B1090 on its 12th flight, landing on drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

May 21

• Indian Space Research Organization GSLV Mk II:
  • GISAT-1A (EOS-05) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India (03:15 UTC) GISAT-1A (GEO Imaging Satellite) is an Indian Earth observation satellite that will operate from geostationary orbit to provide continuous imagery of the Indian subcontinent and support rapid monitoring of natural hazards and disasters. The GSLV Mk II is 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) from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (00:00 UTC) Twenty-nine Amazon Kuiper LEO broadband satellites to low Earth orbit. This is the penultimate Amazon mission booked on an Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V 551 configuration features five solid rocket boosters and a 5-metre fairing.

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • Viva La StriX (StriX Launch 9) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (09:30 UTC) The ninth Synspective StriX synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite launched on an Electron rocket. The satellite will be deployed into a circular 572 km orbit at 44.8 degrees inclination.

May 31

• Rocket Lab Electron:
  • The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

Schedule Changes

• Zhuque-2E | Mass Simulator: Status changed from Go for Launch to Launch Successful — this launch has been removed from the upcoming calendar.
• South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV | Demo Flight: Status changed from Go for Launch to To Be Confirmed — the launch date and readiness are now uncertain.

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