CHINA LAUNCHES CLASSIFIED SHIJAN-26 SATELLITE WITH LONG MARCH 4B ROCKET - China carried out its ninth launch of the month early Thursday, sending the secretive Shijian-26 spacecraft into orbit. A Long March 4B rocket lifted off at 12:12 a.m. Eastern (0412 UTC) May 29 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China. Insulation tiles fell away from the rocket’s payload fairing as it climbed into a cloudy sky. The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), which provided the Long March 4B for the mission, declared success of the launch within an hour of liftoff.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 30)

SPACEX TO LAUNCH GPS III SVO8 SATELLITE FROM CAPE CANAVERAL ON MAY 30 - SpaceX is set to launch a GPS III SVO8 satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral, FL on May 30. The preparations for the upcoming mission for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) proceeded on an accelerated timeline to add the SV08 to the constellation. In press comments, Col. Andrew Menschner, underscored the need for accelerated launch is to mitigate increasing GPS jamming and interference. “There are today 38 GPS satellites in orbit, 31 of which operate on a daily basis. We have a healthy redundancy in the constellation.   More
(Source: Inside GNSS - May 30)

SPACE ONE AND SPACE BD TO LAUNCH SATELLITE FOR JAPANESE MILITARY - The Japanese military has selected companies Space One and Space BD to launch a small satellite. The companies announced May 28 that they won a contract from the Japan Ministry of Defense for the launch of an optical imaging satellite that will be built by Canon Electronics. The announcement did not disclose the value of the contract or the projected launch date.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 30)

SPACEX TO LAUNCH ANOTHER GPS III SATELLITE IN RECORD TURNAROUND - SpaceX is gearing up to launch a Global Positioning System satellite for the U.S. military on May 30 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, marking another high-profile national security mission that shifted from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to the Falcon 9 rocket. The launch of GPS III SV-08 — the eighth satellite in the GPS III constellation — was originally assigned to United Launch Alliance (ULA) but was switched to SpaceX as the military prioritizes getting advanced anti-jamming capabilities into orbit as quickly as possible. The move comes as GPS signals face increasing threats from both nation-state actors and inadvertent commercial interference.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 29)

ROCKET LAB TO LAUNCH PRIVATE EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITE JUNE 2 AFTER DELAY - Rocket Lab announced on May 28 that it's now targeting no earlier than June 2 EDT for the "Full Stream Ahead" launch "to allow for additional checkouts" and accommodate bad weather that's expected to come in. The mission, which Rocket Lab calls "Full Stream Ahead," will send the Gen-3 satellite to a circular orbit 292 miles (470 kilometers) above Earth.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 29)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 27 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 LAUNCH FROM NASA’S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday morning. The mission, dubbed Starlink 10-32, added 27 more satellites into low Earth orbit. This was SpaceX’s 420th launch of a flight-proven booster.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 29)

SPACEX LAUNCHES FRESH GROUP OF STARLINK SATELLITES FROM FOGGY VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, SUCCESSFULLY LANDS BOOSTER - SpaceX kicked off a busy day with a Starlink satellite launch, which will be followed by the ninth-ever test flight of the company's Starship megarocket, if all goes to plan. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base today (May 27) at 12:57 p.m. EDT (1657 GMT; 9:57 a.m. local time), carrying the first batch of a new Starlink group into low Earth orbit (LEO). This mission, Starlink 17-1, was the 13th launch for this Falcon's 9 first stage booster, designated B1082, which was successfully recovered after flight for refurbishment.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 28)

EMPYREUM, ITALY’S NEW SATELLITE PLATFORM FOR THE CONSTELLATION ERA - At SmallSat Europe 2025 in Amsterdam, Italy’s SITAEL unveiled Empyreum, its next-generation small satellite platform equipped with the company’s proprietary Spark electric propulsion system. In this exclusive interview, Chiara Pertosa – CEO of SITAEL and one of second-generation leader of Angel Holding – explains what makes Empyreum unique, how Italy is expanding its satellite manufacturing capabilities, and why achieving European technological independence is more urgent than ever.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 28)

SPACEX REACHED SPACE WITH STARSHIP FLIGHT 9 LAUNCH, THEN LOST CONTROL OF ITS GIANT SPACESHIP - SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket for the ninth time ever today (May 27), on a bold test flight that featured the first-ever significant reuse of Starship hardware. Starship's two stages separated as planned on Flight 9, and the upper stage even reached space, which was an improvement over the giant vehicle's most recent two flights. But SpaceX ended up losing both stages before they could accomplish their full flight goals.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 28)

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