Tag: United States
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Planet Posts Record $116 Million Quarter as Sovereign Satellite Services Accelerate Growth
Planet Labs reported record quarterly revenue of $116.1 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2027, as the handover of a reconnaissance satellite to the Swedish Armed Forces and expanding defense demand lifted revenue 58% year over year. The Earth observation company announced the results on September 3 for the three months ended July 31,…
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SpaceX FCC Filing Outlines First Full Orbital Attempt for Starship Flight 14
SpaceX has submitted communications applications to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for Starship Flight 14, formally identifying the mission as the program’s first attempt to place the vehicle into a sustained Earth orbit. The paperwork requests authority to operate launch-vehicle communications during a window beginning September 15, 2026, and extending through March 15, 2027. The…
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Blue Origin Wins $700 Million NASA Contract for Mars Telecommunications Network (Video)
The Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) “will provide NASA with a high-speed, low cost” communications relay network, according to Blue Origin. Credit: Blue Origin NASA has selected Blue Origin to develop, launch and operate a dedicated communications orbiter for Mars, awarding the company a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $700 million. Announced…
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SpaceX Launches 27 Starlink Satellites as Falcon 9 Booster Completes 35th Flight (Video)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 27 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 2, 2026 at 1:42 a.m. PT (4:42 a.m. ET). Credit: SpaceX SpaceX launched 27 Starlink broadband satellites from California on September 2, extending the company’s low Earth orbit communications network while…
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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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Intuitive Machines Expands Satellite Manufacturing Business with Order for Two IM-300 Spacecraft
Intuitive Machines has secured a contract to build two IM-300 satellite platforms for an undisclosed customer, marking another step in the company’s effort to expand beyond lunar exploration and establish itself as a broader spacecraft manufacturer and space infrastructure provider. The Houston-based company announced Sept. 1 that the order covers two satellites based on its…
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NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Launches on Falcon Heavy to Map Two Billion Galaxies
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on August 30, beginning a three-month journey to a gravitationally stable observing location nearly one million miles from Earth. The rocket lifted off at 7:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Roman separated from Falcon Heavy’s…
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SpaceX Completes 33-Engine Static Fire of Booster 21 Ahead of Starship Flight 14
SpaceX fired all 33 Raptor engines on Super Heavy Booster 21 during a full-duration static-fire test at Starbase, Texas, on August 28, completing a major propulsion milestone ahead of Starship’s 14th flight test. The roughly 15-second firing took place on the launch mount at Pad 2. Booster 21 remained restrained while its engines, propellant systems,…
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SpaceX Asks FCC to Restrict ViaSat-3 F2 Over Starlink Interference Risk
SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its authorization for Viasat’s ViaSat-3 F2 broadband satellite, arguing that the geostationary spacecraft should not be permitted to operate in portions of the Ka-band where non-geostationary systems such as Starlink have regulatory priority. The petition, filed on August 28, targets ViaSat-3 F2’s proposed use of the…
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NASA Administrator Backs Solar-Powered AI Data Centers in Earth Orbit
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has endorsed placing artificial intelligence data centers in Earth orbit, arguing that space-based computing could draw directly on abundant solar energy while reducing pressure on terrestrial power grids, water supplies and land. Isaacman outlined the concept in an August 26, 2026, interview with Nexstar DC. He described the sun as a…