Top Stories

Vulcan’s GEM 63XL Booster Passes Static Fire Test — Anomaly Investigation Still Open

Northrop Grumman conducted a successful static fire of the GEM 63XL solid rocket booster, the same booster type involved in an in-flight anomaly during a Vulcan Centaur launch in mid-February 2026. ULA confirmed the test completed nominally. The investigation into what caused the February anomaly has not yet concluded.

The GEM 63XL is an optional strap-on booster for the Vulcan Centaur. Until the anomaly root cause is confirmed, any Vulcan missions relying on those boosters remain under watch. No return-to-flight date has been announced.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

Iridium Buying Remaining Stake in Aireon for $367 Million

Iridium Communications is acquiring the portion of Aireon it does not already own in a $367 million deal. Aireon provides space-based ADS-B aircraft tracking using the Iridium LEO constellation as its host platform. The acquisition consolidates Iridium’s control over the aviation safety and surveillance data business Aireon has been operating.

Aireon’s ADS-B receivers are hosted on Iridium NEXT satellites, giving global coverage including oceanic and polar routes where ground-based radar has no reach. With full ownership, Iridium can integrate Aireon’s data services more directly into its commercial offerings. Users tracking the Iridium constellation can see the same satellites that underpin this aviation surveillance network.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

CENTCOM: Iran’s Navy Out of Action for 5 to 10 Years

Adm. Brad Cooper told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran’s naval capability has been degraded to the point it will take five to ten years to rebuild. He also stated that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are currently cut off from Iranian weapons supply and support.

The assessment has direct implications for maritime domain awareness in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf — regions where space-based ISR and commercial satellite monitoring have been heavily tasked since Houthi attacks on shipping began in late 2023.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

B-52 Modernization Program Declared Stabilized After Cost and Schedule Overruns

An Air Force official testified that the B-52 modernization effort has been stabilized following unspecified cost spikes and schedule delays. Rep. Clay Higgins flagged the program’s expense during the hearing, though exact overrun figures were not disclosed in available reporting.

The B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program and associated avionics upgrades are part of the broader effort to extend the aircraft’s operational life toward 2050. Cost instability in legacy platform modernization programs has been a recurring theme across Air Force budget cycles.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

UAE’s EDGE Group Acquiring Controlling Stake in Italian Engine Maker CMD

EDGE Group, the UAE’s state-backed defense conglomerate, is taking a controlling stake in CMD, an Italian propulsion company. EDGE CEO Hamad Al Marar described the deal as building a “European propulsion hub” that extends EDGE’s industrial footprint into the continent.

The acquisition gives a Gulf defense firm direct access to European engine manufacturing capability — a notable shift given ongoing EU discussions about defense industrial sovereignty and export controls.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

U.S. Navy Eyeing Unmanned Surface Vessels as Stand-Ins for Overtaxed Manned Fleet

A Navy official stated that unmanned surface vessels (USVs) are being evaluated as modular alternatives for missions where deploying a large combatant ship is too costly or operationally disproportionate. The framing positions USVs as force multipliers for a manned fleet under strain.

The Navy has been testing platforms like the Ranger and Mariner USVs under its Ghost Fleet Overlord program. Integrating USVs into routine tasking — rather than just experimentation — would represent a meaningful shift in how surface forces are structured and deployed.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Ukraine’s Simba UGV Completes NATO Baltic Exercise Missions After Combat Damage

Ukraine’s Simba unmanned ground vehicle completed night missions during a NATO Baltic exercise even after sustaining hits — including losing a wheel and being struck by an FPV drone. Video of the exercise was reviewed by Breaking Defense.

The Simba’s resilience under simulated combat conditions is relevant to ongoing discussions about autonomous ground systems in high-threat environments. Ukraine has been iterating on UGV designs rapidly based on battlefield lessons from the war with Russia.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

COSMOS 2058

Launched in May 1990 from Tyuratam aboard a Zenit-2 rocket, COSMOS 2058 is a Soviet-era satellite whose exact mission remains officially undisclosed—a common characteristic of objects from the USSR’s extensive COSMOS program. With a launch mass of just 1 kg and a distinctive cone shape, this diminutive satellite operates in a high-inclination orbit of 70.98°, typical of Soviet reconnaissance and scientific missions during the Cold War era. The COSMOS designation itself encompasses hundreds of diverse payloads, from military reconnaissance platforms to Earth observation and scientific instruments, making COSMOS 2058 a fascinating artifact of Soviet space capabilities.

Thirty years after its launch, COSMOS 2058 remains one of the thousands of objects still tracked by space surveillance networks worldwide. Its high inclination orbit provides excellent coverage of polar and high-latitude regions, a strategic advantage for both military and scientific observation. For satellite trackers, this piece of Cold War history serves as a reminder of the prolific era of Soviet space activity and the enduring legacy of objects still orbiting Earth decades after the Soviet Union’s dissolution.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track COSMOS 2058

Upcoming Space Launches

May 15

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Dragon CRS-2 SpX-34 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (22:05 UTC) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 will deliver thousands of pounds of science experiments and supplies to the International Space Station aboard Dragon spacecraft C209, flying for its sixth time, as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program. Booster B1096, also on its sixth flight, will return to Landing Zone 40. Watch Live Launch Preview

May 16

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-37 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) A batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Booster B1103 will land on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

May 17

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 8:
  • SpaceSail Polar Group TBD from Commercial LC-1, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (14:34 UTC) A batch of low Earth orbit communications satellites carrying Ku, Q, and V band payloads for the G60 constellation operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies. The initial constellation is planned to reach 1,296 satellites by 2027, with long-term expansion to 12,000 satellites. Launch Preview

May 19

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-42 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:11 UTC) A batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Booster B1103 will land 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 mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, SMILE will deploy into a highly elliptical Earth orbit to study how Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere respond to the solar wind using four dedicated science instruments. The spacecraft will deploy 57 minutes after liftoff with a planned three-year mission life, advancing our understanding of space weather and geomagnetic storms. Watch Live

• SpaceX Starship:

  • Flight 12 from Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA (22:30 UTC) The 12th integrated flight of SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle and the first flight of a version 3 rocket, launching on a suborbital trajectory. The mission will use Ship 39 as the upper stage and Booster 19 as the first stage. 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) A demonstration test flight of South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development solid-fuel space launch vehicle, launched from an offshore platform. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 (x 9) from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (12:04 UTC) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 will launch nine HIBLEO-4 satellites for Globalstar in the first of two flights replenishing the company’s satellite fleet. Booster B1090, flying for its 12th time, will land 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) India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk II will carry the GEO Imaging Satellite GISAT-1A to geostationary transfer orbit. The satellite will provide continuous observation of the Indian subcontinent and enable rapid monitoring of natural hazards and disasters from geostationary orbit.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 10-31 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (09:26 UTC) A batch of 29 Starlink satellites for SpaceX’s space-based internet communications mega-constellation. Watch Live

May 22

• United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551:

  • Amazon Leo (LA-07) from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (00:00 UTC) A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch 29 Amazon Kuiper broadband internet satellites to low Earth orbit. This is the penultimate Kuiper mission booked on the Atlas V, part of Amazon’s effort to build a global LEO satellite internet constellation serving underserved and remote communities.

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • Viva La StriX (StriX Launch 9) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (09:30 UTC) Rocket Lab’s Electron will launch a ninth StriX Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth observation satellite for Japan-based Synspective, deploying the spacecraft into a circular 572 km orbit at a 44.8-degree 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) A synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

Schedule Changes

• New launch added: SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-31 has been added to the manifest, scheduled for May 21 at 09:26 UTC from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
• Status update: Kinetica 1 | 5 satellites has been removed from the upcoming launch calendar following a successful launch.

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