Author: starpathwp-production
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China launches new satellite group for commercial constellation aboard Long March-6 modified rocket
A modified Long March-6 carrier rocket carrying a new satellite group blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province on July 4, 2026. (Photo by Li Tiantian/Xinhua) TAIYUAN, July 4 (Xinhua) — China sent a new satellite group into space on Saturday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north…
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Japan’s Veteran Hayabusa2 Enters Planetary Defense Role With Asteroid Flyby
Hayabusa2 finished its primary mission in 2020, when it returned samples from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth. Rather than retiring the spacecraft after that success, Japan has directed it toward a new objective focused on asteroid threat assessment. The July 5 flyby targeted a near-Earth asteroid whose name was not specified in available information. The…
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Vast’s Haven-1 Clears Integration Milestones on Path to Q1 2027 Launch
Haven-1 is what Vast describes as a minimum viable product, demonstrating the technology needed for the company’s planned multi-modular Haven-2 station. Vast and companies including Axiom Space and Blue Origin are competing for NASA funding under the Commercial low-Earth orbit Destinations program, which will fund one or more stations as a successor to the ISS.…
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Semiconductor Test Beds Ride Falcon 9 Booster on Sunrise Starlink Launch
The Starlink 10-50 mission launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:50 a.m. EDT (1050 UTC). Space Force meteorologists had predicted an 85 percent chance of favorable weather. Alongside 29 v2 Mini Starlink satellites, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster carried two Besxar manufacturing pods on an eight-minute, 19-second ride to space and back. In October…
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NASA SBA Partnership Targets Space Supply Chain Gaps
Does NASA’s New SBA Partnership Fix the Space Supply Chain? NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration signed a memorandum of agreement last week that directs at least 60% of participating investment fund capital toward seven NASA-identified technology focus areas — a structural fix aimed squarely at a fragile supplier base that industry groups say…
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French Launcher Latitude Picks Oman’s Etlaq Spaceport for 2027 Debut
The partnership stands out at a time of increasing focus on European launch sovereignty. According to the source, talk of European sovereignty is partly driven by a response to the deterioration of geopolitical ties to the United States, a shift that has opened the door for Middle Eastern space companies to offer capabilities from what…
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Besxar Space Flies Semiconductor Fabships on Falcon 9
Does Besxar Space’s Falcon 9 Semiconductor Test Mark a New In-Space Manufacturing Model? A Washington, D.C.-based startup is using the sub-orbital arc of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster — not orbital insertion — as its first manufacturing platform. Two Clipper Class Fabships from Besxar Space Industries flew on the Starlink 10-50 mission that lifted off…
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Landspace Satellite Affiliate Hongqing Raises $191 Million in Major Chinese Commercial Space Round
Hongqing describes itself as a provider of full-chain services for low-Earth orbit constellation projects. In May 2024 it filed the Honghu-3 constellation with the ITU, planning 10,000 satellites across 160 orbital planes. That filing made it China’s third 10,000-plus constellation filing after the national Guowang program and the Shanghai-led Qianfan, or Thousand Sails, program. The…
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GAO Puts $9.5B Missile-Warning Satellite Under Scrutiny
Does the GAO’s 2026 Space Force Report Signal a Defense Space Acquisition Crisis? The Government Accountability Office has put a $9.5 billion price tag on the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous constellation — and that number is still growing. The GAO’s annual assessment of major defense acquisition programs, released July 2, reviewed 13 Space…
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Planet Germany Picks Isar Aerospace for German-Built Satellite and Rocket Launch
The selection, announced on 2 July, follows a series of moves by Planet to deepen its German presence. In July 2025, the German government awarded Planet a €240 million multi-year contract to provide dedicated capacity from its Pelican satellites over specific European regions. In September 2025, the company announced it would break ground on a…