Top Stories

Blue Origin Starts Rebuilding New Glenn Pad After June Explosion

Blue Origin has begun reconstruction of its Cape Canaveral launch pad after a New Glenn explosion caused severe damage less than three weeks ago. The company is targeting a return to flight before the end of 2026.

The pace of the rebuild will determine whether New Glenn can meet any pending manifest commitments. The pad damage was extensive enough to require full reconstruction, not repair — that’s a meaningful distinction for timeline risk.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

SpaceX Launches NRO-179 Spy Satellites from California

SpaceX launched a new batch of National Reconnaissance Office satellites early June 19 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, designated NROL-179, adds to NRO’s classified constellation.

Details on orbit, number of satellites, and deployment configuration won’t be released by NRO. Watch for new NORAD catalog entries over the coming days as U.S. Space Command tracks the objects. You can monitor newly cataloged objects using KeepTrack’s satellite browser.

Read the full story: Space.com

Pentagon Awards Quantum Space Contract for Orbital Refueling Vehicle, Targeting 2028 Delivery

Quantum Space has won a Pentagon contract to develop a fuel-transfer spacecraft for the U.S. Space Force. The company’s target is delivery by 2028.

Orbital refueling changes the operational calculus for satellite longevity and repositioning. A Space Force-owned refueling vehicle would enable mission extension for high-value assets and increase flexibility for GEO repositioning — both operationally and tactically relevant for the users of this platform.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Space RCO Director Kelly Hammett Departs as Office Realigns Under Space Force

Kelly Hammett, director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, is moving to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. His departure coincides with the Space RCO being realigned directly under Space Force.

The Space RCO handles fast-track acquisition of classified and operationally urgent space systems. Leadership transitions during organizational realignments typically introduce some program continuity risk, especially for programs mid-acquisition.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Pentagon Loans $1.2 Billion to Secure Rare Earth Minerals for Defense Supply Chain

The Pentagon has finalized two rare earth mineral loan agreements totaling $1.2 billion. Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Cadenazzi named germanium, gallium, and rare earths as materials without which weapons production scaling is impossible.

Both elements are critical for satellite components, including solar cells, semiconductors, and infrared sensors used across military space systems. China controls the dominant share of global refining capacity for both, which is the core driver of this investment.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Rheinmetall and Vantor Sign MOU for Bundeswehr ISR Satellite Venture

Rheinmetall and space company Vantor have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability for the German military. This is Rheinmetall’s third military space partnership signed in recent months.

Germany’s push to build independent ISR capacity reflects a broader NATO-wide effort to reduce dependence on U.S. space assets for targeting and battlefield awareness. Rheinmetall’s rapid accumulation of space partnerships suggests it is positioning for a lead role in German military space procurement.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Renault and Thales Team on ‘4Troop’ Military Vehicle Concept for France

Renault and Thales have partnered on the design of a military vehicle called “4Troop,” aimed at high-intensity land combat scenarios. Thales executive Marc Dehondt cited France’s concern about potential combat on its own territory as the driver.

The vehicle falls outside KeepTrack’s primary tracking domain but reflects the same cross-domain integration push — Thales is a major supplier of military satellite communication terminals and electronic warfare systems, meaning this vehicle concept likely includes space-linked C2 and ISR interfaces.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

TEMISAT

TEMISAT (Temisat) is a compact environmental data collection and relay satellite operated by TSPZ, a space organization based in Iran. Launched on August 31, 1993, aboard a Tsiklon-3 rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, this 42-kilogram satellite was designed to gather environmental data and transmit it back to Earth. Built by KTHR, TEMISAT represented an important step in Iran’s early space program development during the post-Cold War era.

Despite being engineered for a five-year operational lifespan, TEMISAT achieved only approximately one year of service before ceasing operations. The small box-shaped satellite, measuring just 0.4 meters across, relied on solar cells and batteries for power and operated from a high-inclination orbit. While its operational window was brief, TEMISAT remains historically significant as an early Iranian environmental monitoring asset and demonstrates the ambitious scope of the nation’s emerging space capabilities in the early 1990s.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track TEMISAT

Upcoming Space Launches

June 19

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • NROL-179 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (08:40 UTC) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launching an unknown number of Starshield satellites — a government-oriented variant of Starlink — for the National Reconnaissance Office. This marks the 14th overall launch supporting the NRO’s proliferated architecture constellation and the third such mission in 2026. First stage booster B1103, flying for the third time, will return to Landing Zone 4 within eight minutes of liftoff. Watch Live Launch Preview

June 21

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-28 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) A batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Booster B1063, flying for the 33rd time, will land on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

June 23

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

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Pad 201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (02:02 UTC) Details are not yet available for this mission.

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Project Starfall Demonstration Mission from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (10:43 UTC) SpaceX will debut its Starfall re-entry vehicle on this demonstration mission. Starfall is described in Federal Aviation Administration filings as a cylindrical capsule approximately 0.75 meters tall with a 3.1-meter diameter, weighing around 2,100 kg and capable of carrying up to 1,000 kg of payload. SpaceX has requested clearance for up to two Starfall re-entries in the Pacific Ocean, though it remains unclear whether two vehicles will fly on this mission. Watch Live Launch Preview

June 25

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-45 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA (02:48 UTC) A batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit. Booster B1063 will land on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live

June 27

• Northrop Grumman Space Systems Pegasus XL:
  • Swift Boost Mission from Kwajalein Atoll, Air Launch to Orbit (09:00 UTC) Contracted by NASA under its Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 program, Katalyst Space Technologies’ LINK servicing spacecraft will rendezvous and attach to NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to re-boost its decaying orbit. The mission aims to extend the Swift Observatory’s operational lifetime for gamma-ray astronomy and demonstrate on-orbit servicing capabilities critical to the future of space exploration. Pegasus XL is an air-launched solid-fuel rocket capable of delivering up to 443 kg to low Earth orbit, released from a carrier aircraft at approximately 12,000 meters altitude.

June 30

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • Ten Owl Of Ten (StriX Launch 10) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (TBD) An Earth observation mission launching a StriX synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese company Synspective to sun-synchronous orbit. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA (TBD) A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch nine HIBLEO-4 replenishment satellites for Globalstar to low Earth orbit. This is the first of two planned launches to refresh Globalstar’s HIBLEO-4 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

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (TBD) A synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS, launching to low Earth orbit.

• China Rocket Co. Ltd. Smart Dragon 3:

  • Unknown Payload from Haiyang Oriental Spaceport, Haiyang Offshore Launch Location (TBD) Details are not yet available for this mission. Smart Dragon 3 is a solid-fuel commercial orbital rocket developed by a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Launch Preview

Schedule Changes

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-179: Status has advanced from Go for Launch to Launch in Flight, indicating the vehicle was in active flight at the time of this report.
• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | Project Starfall Demonstration Mission: Status has been upgraded from To Be Confirmed to Go for Launch, signaling the mission has received formal launch authorization.
• China Rocket Co. Ltd. Smart Dragon 3 | Unknown Payload: Status has slipped from To Be Confirmed to To Be Determined, reflecting increased uncertainty around the launch readiness or scheduling of this mission.

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