SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES TO ORBIT ON RECORD-BREAKING 28TH FLIGHT - A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 28 of the company's Starlink internet satellites launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday (May 13) at 1:02 a.m. EDT (0502 GMT). It was the 28th liftoff for this particular rocket's first stage, breaking the reuse mark the same booster set on April 13. On that 27th launch, the rocket lofted 27 Starlink craft — a bit of synchronicity that doesn't seem coincidental given the number of payloads on Flight 28.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 14)

AST SPACEMOBILE TO LAUNCH 243 SATELLITES - AST SpaceMobile (AST), a would-be supplier of direct-to-consumer cellular telephony from space, has told the FCC that it will have 243 of its BlueBird satellites in orbit by the end of 2028. The schedule will see 100 working in orbit by the end of next year, then 72 additional craft each year until 2028 AST has five preliminary satellites already in orbit and will launch the first of its larger BlueBirds in June on an Indian rocket.   More
(Source: SatNews - May 13)

HOW SMALLER SATELLITES ARE RESHAPING THE GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT MARKET - For decades, geostationary orbit (GEO) was the undisputed home of satellite communications. From television broadcasts to internet backhaul and voice services, GEO satellites formed the backbone of global connectivity, delivering vast coverage from their fixed position 36,000 kilometers above Earth. But that dominance is no longer guaranteed. The rise of broadband megaconstellations in low Earth orbit (LEO), led by SpaceX’s Starlink, has redefined expectations around performance and cost.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 13)

EUROPE'S PROBA-3 SATELLITES ACE LANDMARK FORMATION-FLYING TEST - A pair of spacecraft have demonstrated ultra-precise formation flying in orbit for the first time, marking a milestone with major implications for both science and future space missions. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 mission, consisting of two spacecraft called the Occulter and the Coronagraph, flew in perfect formation at a distance of 150 meters (492 feet) from each other with millimeter precision, the agency announced in a May 8 statement.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 13)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 26 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM VANDENBERG SFB - SpaceX launched a batch of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday evening. The mission, dubbed Starlink 15-4, added another 26 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened 6:15 p.m. PDT (9:15 p.m. EDT, 0115 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 13)

ROCKET LAB TO DEBUT POINT-TO-POINT CARGO TRANSPORTATION CAPABILITY ON 2026 AIR FORCE MISSION - Rocket Lab is looking to demonstrate the reusability of its forthcoming Neutron rocket next year with a so-called ‘return-to-Earth’ mission no earlier than 2026. Ahead of its first quarter 2025 earnings call on Thursday, the company announced a new contract for the mission signed with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The mission is part of the AFRL’s Rocket Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics (REGAL) solicitation, which focuses on the Department of Defense’s goal of establishing point-to-point cargo transportation using orbital-class rockets.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 12)

CHINA TO LAUNCH NEW MODULES TO TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China is preparing to launch new modules to its Tiangong space station to meet growing demands for science and potentially boost international cooperation. The Long March 5B, currently China’s most powerful rocket, is slated to launch new Tiangong modules, according to an official with China’s state-owned main space contractor. “According to the plan, the Long March 5B rocket will also carry out the future launches of additional modules for the crewed space station,” Wang Jue from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) told China Central Television (CCTV) April 30.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - May 12)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 900TH STARLINK SATELLITE OF 2025 DURING SATURDAY MORNING FLIGHT - SpaceX launched its 900th Starlink satellite of the year, overcoming some challenging weather moving through the area Saturday morning. The Starlink 6-91 mission adds another 28 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites to the constellation of more than 7,400 satellites currently in low Earth orbit. This will also be SpaceX’s 250th Falcon 9 rocket launch to date from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 11)

FAILED SOVIET VENUS LANDER KOSMOS 482 CRASHES TO EARTH AFTER 53 YEARS IN ORBIT - A failed Soviet Venus lander's long space odyssey has come to an end. The Kosmos 482 probe crashed to Earth today (May 10) after circling our planet for more than five decades. Reentry occurred at 2:24 a.m. ET (0624 GMT or 9:24 a.m. Moscow time) over the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia, according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos. Kosmos 482 appears to have fallen harmlessly into the sea.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 11)

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