LAUNCH OF “RUSSIAN STARLINK” POSTPONED DUE TO SATELLITE PRODUCTION FAILURE - The launch of the first batch of 16 communications satellites, which was to be carried out by the Russian company Bureau 1440 at the end of last year, has been postponed. This was reported by The Moscow Times. In September 2025, Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov promised that by the end of 2025, the first 300 satellites would begin to be deployed in orbit as part of the Rassvet project.   More
(Source: militarnyi.com - Jan 25)

JEFF BEZOS' BLUE ORIGIN WILL REFLY BOOSTER ON NEXT LAUNCH OF POWERFUL NEW GLENN ROCKET - Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket is about to show its reusability chops. New Glenn will loft one of AST SpaceMobile's huge Block 2 BlueBird internet-beaming satellites on its next mission, which is targeted for late February, Blue Origin announced on Thursday (Jan. 22). That flight will be the third overall for New Glenn, and the first to feature a flight-proven booster: It will reuse the first stage from New Glenn's second flight (NG-2), which launched NASA's twin ESCAPADE Mars probes on Nov. 13, Blue Origin said on Thursday.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 24)

SPACEX’S STARLINK DODGED 300,000 SATELLITE COLLISIONS IN 2025 - A report filed by SpaceX with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in late December reveals some startling information – including that its Starlink satellites had to perform about 300,000 collision-avoidance manoeuvres in 2025. Starlink is a mega-constellation of satellites that beams the internet to the ground. The first Starlink satellites were launched in 2019; they now number about 9400, accounting for 65 per cent of all active satellites in orbit.   More
(Source: New Scientist - Jan 24)

2.8 DAYS TO DISASTER: LOW EARTH ORBIT COULD COLLAPSE WITHOUT WARNING - Satellite mega-constellations operate in an increasingly unstable orbital environment, with constant close encounters requiring precise control. New research suggests that a strong solar storm could quickly push this delicate system toward a major collision. A new analysis suggests modern satellite networks could suffer catastrophic collisions within days of losing control during a major solar storm.   More
(Source: SciTechDaily - Jan 23)

ROCKET LAB LAUNCHES ITS 1ST MISSION OF 2026, SENDING 2 SATELLITES TO ORBIT - Rocket Lab just launched its first mission of 2026. An Electron rocket carrying two satellites for the European company Open Cosmos lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site today (Jan. 22) at 5:52 a.m. EST (1052 GMT; 11:52 p.m. local time in New Zealand). Electron's "kick stage" deployed the two spacecraft into a circular orbit 1,050 kilometers (652 miles) above Earth as planned about 70 minutes after liftoff.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 23)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST WEST COAST STARLINK MISSION OF 2026 - SpaceX launched its first West Coast Starlink mission of the year to send its satellites into a polar low Earth orbit. The Starlink 17-30 mission adds 25 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the company’s megaconstellation. This was SpaceX’s sixth Starlink mission so far in 2026. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 9:47:29 p.m. PST (12:47:29 a.m. EST / 0547:29 UTC). The rocket flew on a southerly trajectory upon leaving the pad.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Jan 23)

ISS ASTRONAUT SPOTS ARTEMIS 2 MOON ROCKET ON THE LAUNCH PAD FROM SPACE - The lone U.S. astronaut currently in space took a picture of NASA's first rocket designed for a human moon mission in more than 50 years. Artemis 2's rocket, called the Space Launch System, arrived at the launch pad Saturday (Jan. 17) — and may launch to the moon as soon as Feb. 6. From the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Chris Williams captured a view of the rocket coastside at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 23)

US SPACE FORCE AWARDS 1ST-OF-ITS-KIND $52 MILLION CONTRACT TO DEORBIT ITS SATELLITES - Starfish Space will make history next year, if all goes according to plan. The Washington-based company just scored a $52.5 million contract to deorbit satellites for the U.S. Space Force, the first deal ever signed for such end-of-life disposal services for a constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO). The agreement calls for Starfish Space to use one of its Otter spacecraft to haul down at least one satellite, and possibly more, from the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) network.   More
(Source: Space.com - Jan 22)

BEZOS' BLUE ORIGIN ANNOUNCES SATELLITE RIVAL TO MUSK'S STARLINK - Blue Origin, the rocket company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, says it will launch more than 5,400 satellites to create a new communications network. Named TeraWave, it will offer continuous internet access around the world, with the ability to move large amounts of data much more quickly than rival services. But even after launching thousands of satellites, Blue Origin would still have far fewer in orbit than Elon Musk's Starlink, which currently dominates the satellite internet market.   More
(Source: BBC News - Jan 22)

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