Rocket Lab to launch Electron mission for ESA’s next-generation navigation system – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-06-27 00:00
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket has been selected to launch a dedicated Electron mission for the European Space Agency. Rocket Lab will launch two “Pathfinder A” spacecraft for ESA, provided by European satellite prime contractors Thales Alenia Space and GMV. The spacecraft will be deployed to a 510 km LEO as part of a mission to test a new approach of providing location, direction, and timing services from satellites in low orbit.
SpaceX’s launch on Friday of Starlink Group 10-34 smallsats may have weather issues – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-06-26 00:00
SpaceX is targeting Friday/Saturday, June 28 for a Falcon 9 launch of 27 Starlink smallsats to low-Earth orbit for the Starlink mega-constellation. Liftoff is targeted for Friday, 9:26 p.m. PST/Saturday 12:26 a.m. ET. The forecast calls for a temperature of 78°F, light rain, 59% cloud cover, a wind speed of 14mph and 0.52in of rain.
SSC + Firefly planning orbital launch from Esrange following TSA signing between Sweden + U.S. – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-06-26 00:00
Firefly’s Alpha Rocket Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and Firefly Aerospace are moving closer to a historic first satellite launch from Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden. A Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) was signed between Sweden and the United States on June 20. The bilateral agreement provides the legal and technical framework for U.S. Commercial launches from Swedish spaceports.
RTX provides Blue Canyon satellite to shape future space missions – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-06-26 00:00
ARCSTONE will use a spectrometer to precisely measure reflected sunlight from the entire lunar disk. This cannot be done as effectively from Earth’s surface due to interference from the atmosphere. The data it collects will help calibrate space-based imagers for earth observation.
By Air and by Sea: Validating NASA’s PACE Ocean Color Instrument
Original Publication Date: 2025-06-26 12:23
NASA-led team spent two weeks on the California coast gathering data on the atmosphere and the ocean to verify what satellites see from above. The PACE mission, which stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem, was launched in February 2024 and designed to transform our understanding of ocean and atmospheric environments. In spring 2025, the team returned to gather data under different environmental conditions.
Following the Loss of Ship 36, SpaceX now Focuses on Rebuilding Masseys
Original Publication Date: 2025-06-25 18:23
Ship 36 exploded during the attempted six-engine static fire before launch. The static fire stand structure itself is likely fine, but all of the clamps and piping on the stand will need to be redone. The root cause as to why the COPV failed is still under investigation, and it could take SpaceX some time to determine the initial cause.