Author: starpathwp-production
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Exolaunch Books Customer Payloads on Starship-Launched Starfall Reentry Mission
German launch integrator Exolaunch announced Sept. 22 that it will aggregate and integrate customer payloads for a SpaceX Starfall reentry mission scheduled to launch aboard Starship no earlier than 2029. The agreement represents both Exolaunch’s first commitment to a Starship mission and its first move into services designed to return commercial payloads from orbit. Exolaunch…
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NASA Powers Up Roman’s 300-Megapixel Camera, Checks Coronagraph Systems
NASA has activated the 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument aboard the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and completed initial checks of its Coronagraph Instrument, confirming that both payloads survived launch and are operating in space. The commissioning milestones, including activation of Roman’s 18 infrared detectors on September 11, keep the observatory on schedule to release its…
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Katalyst Selected to Build and Launch Orbital Power-Beaming Demonstrator for Pentagon
Katalyst Space has been selected by the Pentagon’s Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund to develop and launch a robotic spacecraft that will assemble a large-format solar power-beaming system in low Earth orbit and transmit energy to Earth. Announced on September 21, the Advanced Scalable Growth Architecture for Robotic Deployment program will pair Katalyst’s NEXUS spacecraft…
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Russian Satellite Imagery Reportedly Supports Iranian Targeting of U.S. Bases
Russian Earth observation satellites are providing imagery to Iranian military forces to support targeting of U.S. and allied installations across the Middle East, according to defense intelligence assessments reported on September 17, 2026. The reported cooperation involves synthetic aperture radar and high-resolution optical imagery used to refine information on fixed military sites, air-defense positions and…
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What Is “Burn-In,” and Why Do Satellites Need It?
A piece of onboard electronic equipment has just come off the production line. It has passed visual inspection, its insulation and electrical characteristics are normal, and every functional test has been completed successfully. In theory, it should be ready for delivery. Before installing it on a satellite, however, engineers will often keep it powered on…
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Ku, Ka and Q/V Bands in Satellite Internet: What Are They, and Why Are Different Bands Used?
A ship is at sea. A phone connects to the vessel’s satellite terminal, and a webpage image finally appears. The image first travels from the terrestrial internet to a gateway, passes through a satellite and then reaches the ship. Following this transmission path helps explain why Ku, Ka, Q and V bands perform different roles.…
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China Launches Four Rockets in 45 Hours as Broadband Constellation Deployment Accelerates
China completed four orbital launches with four different rockets in just over 44 hours between September 15 and 17, 2026, deploying satellites from Jiuquan, an offshore platform east of Shanghai, and the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. The sequence involved two commercially developed launch vehicles and two rockets operated by state-owned groups, highlighting the growing…
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China Launches Nine Satellites on Kinetica 1, Including Orbital AI and 5G Testbeds
China launched nine satellites aboard a Kinetica 1 Y18 rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone at 12:03 p.m. Beijing Time on September 20, 2026. The satellites entered their planned orbits, marking the 16th flight of the Kinetica 1 launch vehicle. The mission carried the Qinling-01 and Qinling-02 satellites, Pujiang-4, PEGA-SUS1, Diting-01 Group…
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China Advances Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission Into Prototype Development
China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission has entered prototype development, with two Long March 5 launches planned for late 2028 or early 2029 and the return of approximately 500 grams of Martian material targeted for around 2031. If successful, Tianwen-3 could become the first mission to deliver samples from Mars to Earth, while supporting China’s…
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SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites as Falcon 9 Booster Completes 17th Flight
SpaceX launched 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on September 19, adding another batch of broadband spacecraft to its low Earth orbit constellation. The Falcon 9 mission also marked the 17th flight of first-stage booster B1093, which landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. The rocket lifted…