Tag: Space Domain Awareness
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LLNL Telescope Enables Rocket Lab Spacecraft to Track Satellite in Space Force’s Victus Haze Exercise
A Rocket Lab spacecraft used a monolithic telescope and onboard navigation software developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to acquire and track another satellite during the U.S. Space Force’s Victus Haze exercise, demonstrating how quickly an inspection spacecraft can be launched, commissioned and directed toward an object already in orbit. The exercise tested more than…
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Lockheed Martin Ventures Backs Diffraqtion as Quantum Imaging Startup Tops $10 Million
Diffraqtion has secured strategic investments from Lockheed Martin Ventures and Presidio Ventures, the venture arm of Sumitomo Corporation, bringing the quantum imaging startup’s total funding to more than $10 million. Announced on August 31, 2026, the financing will support development of Diffraqtion’s first fielded camera and a planned hosted-payload mission intended to establish flight heritage.…
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Ares Shield Wins Initial Contract to Protect Lonestar’s Orbital Data Center Satellites
Florida-based Lonestar Data Holdings has selected Polish space security startup Ares Shield to provide protective systems for satellites supporting the company’s emerging orbital data storage infrastructure, marking one of the first publicly disclosed commercial agreements focused specifically on active satellite protection for space-based data centers. Under the agreement, Ares Shield will initially equip three Lonestar…
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Shijian-31 Sweeps GEO in an Orbit Never Seen Before
Is China’s Shijian-31 the First Satellite Designed to Surveil the Entire GEO Belt? A 50 meters-per-second retrograde burn at perigee is all that separates China’s Shijian-31 from passing directly through geostationary orbit (GEO) — the orbital band hosting the world’s most strategically valuable communications, missile warning, and intelligence satellites. Launched June 16, 2026 on a…
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Russia Extends ISS Commitment to 2030 in Isaacman Deal
Will Russia Stay on ISS Until 2030? Bakanov Says Yes After Baikonur Talks Russia has formally committed to International Space Station operations through 2030 — closing a two-year gap in partner alignment that had persisted since other ISS partners locked in that date years ago. Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Bakanov made the commitment directly to…
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Slingshot Aerospace Lands $70M Space Force AI Contract
Is Slingshot Aerospace Now the Pentagon’s Primary AI Mission Rehearsal Vendor? Nearly $70 million. That is the value of the U.S. Space Force contract Slingshot Aerospace announced on July 15, 2026 — a figure the company describes as the largest single award in its history. The contract expands Slingshot’s AI-driven mission rehearsal capabilities for Space…
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NRL Awards Parsons $245M Satellite Ground Systems Deal
Does the Navy’s $245M Parsons Contract Signal a Ground Segment Buildout? $245 million. That is the value of the contract the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory awarded to Space Ground System Solutions — a subsidiary of Parsons Corporation — to continue satellite ground systems software development and operations support at what the summary identifies as the…
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Falcon 9 Booster Hits 35 Flights, 12,472 Starlinks Launched
Is a 35-Flight Falcon 9 Booster the New Normal for Launch Economics? A single Falcon 9 first stage flew its 35th mission on July 10, 2026, deploying 29 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit and landing intact for future reuse. The flight is the highest confirmed reuse count in the Falcon 9 fleet to date,…
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Rocket Lab Launches U.S. Space Force Mission in Under 17 Hours After Call-Up
Rocket Lab has successfully launched a responsive space mission for the U.S. Space Force, deploying a spacecraft less than 17 hours after receiving a launch order as part of the Victus Haze mission. The mission, conducted under the U.S. Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program, lifted off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from…
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True Anomaly Completes Mission X-3 Tests, Advances Jackal Orbital Vehicle Toward Space Force Missions
True Anomaly has successfully completed all objectives for its Mission X-3 flight test campaign, marking a major milestone for the company’s autonomous orbital vehicle, Jackal, and clearing the final steps toward full operational commissioning. Mission X-3 represents the third and most advanced self-funded demonstration mission conducted by the Colorado-based aerospace company. The campaign focused on…