Author: starpathwp-production
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SpaceX Wins String Of Launches For NSSL Phase 3, Lane 1
SpaceX has received $739 million in new task orders for Phase 3, Lane 1 of National Security Space Launch (NSSL), according to U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). The nine launches of Space Development Agency (SDA) and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellites are to start late this year and end in fiscal 2028. “SSC…
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SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission launches from Vandenberg
Fresh off a record-shattering launch cadence in 2025, SpaceX successfully launched its first rideshare mission of 2026 from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central California coast. This rideshare was the first of its kind for SpaceX, and not part of the Transporter or Bandwagon series. The Twilight rideshare mission, including…
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SpaceX deploys NASA’s Pandora, other smallsats amid 1st ‘Twilight’ rideshare mission
NASA’s Pandora spacecraft deploys from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket roughly 2.5 hours after the liftoff of the Twilight rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 11, 2026. Image: SpaceX via livestream Update Jan. 11, 11:33 a.m. EST (1633 UTC): SpaceX completed the deployment of all payloads. SpaceX debuted a new class of rideshare…
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NASA to Bring SpaceX Crew-11 Home Early After Medical Issue on ISS
NASA said it will bring SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission back to Earth about a month earlier than planned after a medical situation involving one of the four astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), marking the first medical evacuation from the orbiting laboratory since it began operations. The U.S. space agency said it would not identify…
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Is Orion’s heat shield really safe? New NASA chief conducts final review on eve of flight.
WASHINGTON, DC—This week, NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, said he has “full confidence” in the space agency’s plans to use the existing heat shield to protect the Orion spacecraft during its upcoming lunar mission. Isaacman made the determination after briefings with senior leaders at the agency and a half-day review of NASA’s findings with outside…
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ESA Delays First Themis Hop Test Until Spring as Sweden Site Remains Snowbound
The European Space Agency (ESA) said it is waiting for spring conditions to conduct the first hop test of its Themis reusable rocket booster demonstrator, after winter weather delayed preparations at the launch site in northern Sweden. The Themis vehicle has been stationed at the Esrange Space Centre near Kiruna since mid-2025, but heavy snow…
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U.S. Space Force Awards Rhea Space Contract to Advance Autonomous Satellite Navigation
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Rhea Space Activity Inc. (RSA) a contract to further develop its autonomous navigation software, AutoNav, as part of a project aimed at improving satellite maneuverability and resilience in contested space environments. The project, known as VANGUARD—short for Vision-based Autonomous Navigation and Guidance for Unassisted Approach, Rendezvous, and Deployment—was selected…
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ESA considers righting the wrongs of Ariane 6 by turning it into a Franken-rocket
It took a while, but a consensus has emerged in Europe that the continent’s space industry needs to develop reusable rockets. How to do it and how much to spend on it remain unresolved questions. Much of the discourse around reusable rockets in Europe has focused on developing a brand-new rocket that might eventually replace…
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South Korea’s Innospace Signs Deal to Launch Hanbit Rockets From Portugal’s Santa Maria
South Korean launch services provider Innospace has signed an agreement with the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC) to conduct launches of its Hanbit rocket family from the Malbusca Spaceport on the Portuguese island of Santa Maria, expanding Europe’s emerging commercial launch infrastructure. The agreement, signed on Jan. 8, makes Innospace the first company planning orbital launches…
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China’s Landspace Secures Launch Contracts for Guowang and Qianfan Megaconstellations
Chinese commercial launch startup Landspace has secured formal contracts to launch satellites for China’s two main low Earth orbit megaconstellation projects, a move expected to help ease launch capacity constraints as deployment accelerates. Chinese media reported on Jan. 7 that Landspace had won launch service contracts for the Guowang constellation, led by state-owned China Satellite…