UND TO LAUNCH STATE’S FIRST-EVER SATELLITE MISSION - The University of North Dakota is set to launch a historic satellite mission this Saturday at 4:19 p.m. CDT from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking the first-ever satellites commissioned in North Dakota. This dual-satellite mission, dubbed ROADS (Rendezvous & Operations for Autonomous Docking and Servicing), was developed with engineering firm AVS USA. Hitching a ride aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the low-Earth orbit satellites will be operated from UND’s Odegard School, where they’ll engage in autonomous rendezvous and docking maneuvers while enabling hands-on student training in tracking and communications. A key objective is to build UND’s capacity in satellite operations—expanding opportunities for experiential learning in areas ranging from Doppler tracking to amateur radio—while also advancing research in satellite refueling, a critical technology for extending satellite lifespans.   More
(Source: SatNews - Jun 21)

HIGH WINDS SCRUB ROCKET LAB'S PLANNED LAUNCH OF A SECRET SATELLITE TO ORBIT - Rocket Lab’s “Symphony in the Stars” mission, set to launch on June 20, aims to place a secret satellite into a 650 km circular orbit from their New Zealand pad atop an Electron rocket. The mission – for a confidential commercial customer – marks Rocket Lab’s ninth launch of 2025 and 67th overall. Launch control remains tight-lipped about the payload's function, offering no further details. A live webcast from Rocket Lab will begin approximately 30 minutes before lift-off, though high-altitude winds could threaten the schedule, as has happened with past launches.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jun 21)

2 CHINESE SPACECRAFT JUST MET UP 22,000 MILES ABOVE EARTH. WHAT WERE THEY DOING? - China’s Shijian‑21 and Shijian‑25 satellites recently executed a rendezvous in geostationary orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth, likely conducting a rehearsal for on‑orbit servicing. Tracking data from s2a systems showed they approached within unresolvable proximity on June 13–14, indicating a test of docking and separation maneuvers. This operation is part of China’s efforts to develop satellite refueling and lifespan-extension technologies, following Shijian‑25’s January mission to demonstrate refueling in orbit and Shijian‑21’s earlier role in moving a defunct satellite to a graveyard orbit. Developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the duo's activity occurred alongside U.S. reconnaissance satellites, underlining growing global interest in geosynchronous servicing capabilities.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jun 20)

NASA PROVIDES LATEST AXIOM MISSION 4 LAUNCH, STATION OPERATIONS UPDATE - NASA has postponed the June 22 launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. This decision follows recent repair work on the Zvezda service module’s aft section, prompting NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX to take additional time to assess the station’s operational readiness before adding another crew. The international four-person crew—commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański‑Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu—remain in quarantine in Florida, and the rocket and spacecraft remain on the pad, with a new launch date to be announced shortly.   More
(Source: NASA - Jun 20)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX successfully launched 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit early on June 18, 2025, using a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The mission, designated Starlink 10-18, marked the 75th Falcon 9 launch of the year. The rocket’s first stage, which had flown four previous missions, returned safely to land on the droneship "Just Read the Instructions" stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This launch brought the total number of Starlink satellites launched to over 9,000, with more than 1,300 deployed in 2025 alone, continuing SpaceX’s aggressive expansion of its satellite internet constellation.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jun 19)

SPACEX LAUNCH FROM CALIFORNIA SENDS 26 STARLINK SATELLITES INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 16, 2025, carrying 26 Starlink Group 15‑9 satellites into low Earth orbit. The booster, serial B1093, completed a successful third flight and touched down on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Pacific Ocean. The mission’s upper stage performed two burns, deploying the satellites roughly an hour after liftoff, bolstering Starlink’s broadband constellation, which now exceeds 7,760 active satellites. This launch followed another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral on June 13, which marked the completion of SpaceX’s first‑generation direct‑to‑cell network, allowing unmodified cellphones to connect in remote regions.   More
(Source: - Jun 18)

TRAILBLAZING SATELLITE MISSION DELIVERS ITS FIRST ARTIFICIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE - Two ESA satellites, part of the Proba‑3 mission, have achieved the first-ever artificial solar eclipse in space by flying just 150 meters apart with millimeter-level precision. One satellite blocks the sun’s bright disk while the other captures detailed images of the elusive solar corona using its ASPIICS coronagraph. This formation-flying "eclipse machine" has already produced several hours of continuous eclipse during each 19.6-hour orbit—significantly surpassing the fleeting few minutes offered by natural eclipses. With roughly two of these artificial eclipses occurring weekly, Proba‑3 will deliver an unprecedented volume of high-fidelity data into the million-degree corona, helping scientists probe its extreme heat and the drivers of powerful solar storms.   More
(Source: ScienceAlert - Jun 17)

AMAZON KUIPER SECOND SATELLITE LAUNCH POSTPONED BY ULA DUE TO ROCKET BOOSTER ISSUE - United Launch Alliance scrubbed the slated June 16, 2025 launch of the Atlas V rocket carrying 27 of Amazon’s second batch of Kuiper Internet satellites roughly 30 minutes before liftoff due to an "elevated purge temperature" detected in the booster’s RD‑180 engine, likely tied to a GN₂ purge line issue that couldn’t be resolved in time. The booster had been fully fueled and rolled out to Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 41 with favorable weather conditions, but ULA’s CEO Tory Bruno emphasized safety first, stating the team would stand down and address the anomaly before rescheduling. The delay marks a setback for Project Kuiper, which plans to deploy over 3,200 satellites by 2029 and aims to begin service in late 2025, with a regulatory milestone to have roughly half its constellation operational by July 2026.   More
(Source: CNBC - Jun 17)

NASA TEAMS UP WITH INDIA TO LAUNCH FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND $1.5 BILLION SATELLITE - In a few days, a new satellite that can detect changes on Earth's surface down to the centimetre, in almost real time and no matter the time of day or weather conditions, is set to launch from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre near Chennai. Weighing almost 3 tonnes and boasting a 12-metre radar antenna, the US$1.5 billion NISAR satellite will track the ground under our feet and the water that flows over and through it in unprecedented detail, providing valuable information for farmers, climate scientists and natural disaster response teams.   More
(Source: ScienceAlert - Jun 17)

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