DoD Report: China’s ISR Fleet Swells to 510+ Satellites, ‘Informatized’ Warfare Accelerates – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-24 00:00
The 2025 report underscores a dramatic shift in the orbital balance of power. Since 2015, China’s on-orbit presence has grown by approximately 927 percent. The PLA’s strategy has transitioned from owning space assets to integrating them into “informatized” warfare.
The Pentagon’s Faustian Bargain: Buying Speed, Building a Monopoly – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-24 00:00
The Department of War announced the integration of xAI’s Grok into the GenAI.mil ecosystem. The deal cements the “Musk Stack’ (SpaceX, Starlink, xAI) as a vertically integrated super-prime, creating a single point of failure and unprecedented vendor leverage over U.S. Defense architecture.
Second Reusable Rocket Failure in One Month Leaves China Chasing U.S. Lead – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-24 00:00
China's state-owned Long March 12A successfully delivered its payload to orbit but failed to recover its first-stage booster. The incident marks the nation’s second failed recovery attempt in less than 30 days. China is approximately a decade behind the United States in reusable rocketry.
AST SpaceMobile Deploys BlueBird 6, Largest Commercial Array in LEO – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-24 00:00
AST SpaceMobile successfully deployed BlueBird 6 into low Earth orbit. The spacecraft is approximately 3.5 times larger than the BlueBirds 1-5 satellites launched in September 2024. The Block 2 architecture leverages AST’s portfolio of over 3,800 patents.