OST Staff

Launch

China Flies Seven Satellites on Long March-6C in Commercial Space Push

China launched seven satellites aboard a Long March-6C rocket this week, adding to a growing cadence of missions tied to the country's expanding commercial space sector. The flight underscores the maturing of Chinese commercial launch infrastructure beyond state-only operations. The launch forms part of a broader

Satellites

Russia's Starlink Rival Falters as Satellites Fail and Rocket Plant Is Hit

Russia's plan to field a domestic alternative to Starlink is running into serious trouble, with one Rassvet-3 communications satellite already lost and two more potentially heading toward atmospheric reentry. The setbacks come as a Ukrainian missile strike on the plant that builds the program's launch

Launch

SpaceX Confirms $100 Billion Starship Launch Complex in Vermilion Parish

SpaceX announced Tuesday that it will build a Starship launch pad in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, a $100 billion investment the company calls the largest capital investment project in state history. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the first launch planned for as early as 2029. The announcement in

Markets

Polish Startup Ares Shield Lands $6 Million Deal to Defend Orbital Data Centers with Microwave Weapons

Florida-based Lonestar Data Holdings has contracted Polish startup Ares Shield to protect its space-based data centers using high-power microwave technology, in an agreement worth up to $6 million announced August 25. The deal calls for three satellites to be protected initially, with additional modules to follow as

Markets

Ursa Major to Enter Public Markets in $2.3 Billion Deal

Rocket propulsion and hypersonics startup Ursa Major announced it will go public in a transaction valuing the company at $2.3 billion. Chief Executive Chris Spagnoletti framed the deal as the step that turns the company's current base into the production capacity its customers are asking for. The

Markets

Redwire Boosts Investment in Phased Array Antennas for Military Space Networks

Redwire Corporation announced a strategic investment in next-generation phased array antenna technology aimed at delivering faster, more resilient, and more scalable space-based data networks for global warfighter communications. The company said the move positions it in a rapidly expanding market where high-capacity, low-latency communication is essential

Satellites

Starlink Collision-Avoidance Files Yield First Real-Data Map of Thermospheric Density at 482 Kilometres

A researcher has turned one week of SpaceX's publicly posted Starlink orbit files into a map of atmospheric density at 482 kilometres altitude, drawn by latitude and longitude. Mamoru Yamamoto of Kyoto University's Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere believes it is the first time the technique,

Policy

White House Sets 1,000-Launch Goal, Ties Space Traffic to Air Traffic Overhaul

The Trump administration released a new space transportation policy on Thursday that directs federal agencies to fold rocket launch and reentry management into the ongoing modernization of the nation's air traffic control systems. The strategy sets a target of supporting more than 1,000 launches and reentries by

Markets

Trump's SpaceX Stake Now Underwater After Post-IPO Purchase

President Donald Trump bought as much as $50,000 worth of SpaceX shares on June 23, according to a financial disclosure first reported by Reuters. The purchase came two weeks after the record-setting initial public offering of Elon Musk's company, and the stock has since fallen back

Markets

SpaceXAI Picks NVIDIA Vera CPU to Power Agentic AI on Earth and in Orbit

SpaceXAI will deploy NVIDIA Vera CPUs to accelerate its next generation of agentic AI applications, NVIDIA announced. The move brings NVIDIA's first CPU built for AI agents into one of the largest AI deployments, and SpaceXAI plans to extend the same accelerated computing architecture into space aboard a

Satellites

Beyond Reach Unveils Flarewing Deployable Structures for High-Power Small Satellites

Beyond Reach Technologies on Aug. 24 announced Flarewing, a line of rigid deployable structures designed to let small satellites carry large solar arrays that stow tightly for launch. The company says the technology could enable spacecraft to generate as much as 200 kilowatts of power. The concept traces back to

Markets

Star Catcher Signs Power-Beaming Deal to Supply Orbital Data Center Firm Aethero

Star Catcher Industries has signed a power purchase agreement with Aethero, committing to beam power to the company's future space computing systems. The deal, announced August 24, makes Aethero the 10th major commercial customer for Star Catcher's power-beaming system. Star Catcher is developing a network

Launch

Zhuque-3 Sticks First Land Landing, Then Topples in Post-Touchdown Fire

LandSpace's Zhuque-3 first stage soft-landed on a recovery pad in the Gobi Desert following its second orbital flight, marking China's first successful land-based recovery of an orbital-class booster using landing legs. The booster later tipped over after a post-landing fire compromised

Launch

Roman Space Telescope Cleared for Aug. 30 Falcon Heavy Launch from Kennedy

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has completed its Flight Readiness Review and is being prepared for liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is scheduled for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 30, from Launch Complex

Markets

Space Force Expands AI Project Management Software as Multi-Billion-Dollar Programs Mount

The Space Force has awarded Seattle-based firm Integrate a multi-million dollar contract to deploy its AI-enabled project management software across the service's Space Systems Integration Office. The deal expands the company's role as the Space Force takes on major new national security programs

Launch

China Scraps 2026 Launch of Chang'e 7 Lunar Mission, Citing Need for "Absolute Success"

China has postponed its Chang'e 7 mission to the Moon's South Pole, announcing on Sunday that the flight cannot proceed during this year's planned launch window. The delay opens the possibility that no suitable opportunity to reach the lunar pole will arise again until

Expedition 75 Crew Readies Tuesday Spacewalk to Swap Space-to-Ground Antenna

The International Space Station's Expedition 75 crew closed the work week on August 21 preparing for a Tuesday spacewalk to finish installing a high-speed antenna on the orbital outpost. The excursion, set for 8:35 a.m. EDT, will complete the swap of a space-to-ground

Markets

Shanghai Spacecom Closes $1.94 Billion Series B for Sovereign LEO Broadband Network

Chinese state-owned satellite operator Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology closed a 7 billion yuan, or $1.94 billion, Series B financing round on August 21, 2026. The capital injection values the commercial satellite company at approximately $6.96 billion and ranks among the largest private capital raises in China'

Defense

German Space Command Chief Details Mission to Protect Allied Assets in Orbit

Major General Michael Traut, Commander of the German Space Command, discussed his organization's role in protecting German and allied space assets in a fireside chat published on August 21. His public comments underscore how Germany's dedicated military space operations organization is positioning itself within an increasingly

Markets

Chinese RF Sensing Startup StarRF Closes Pre-A+ Round Led by Provincial Investor

StarRF, a Tianjin-based startup building an orbital constellation to detect and geolocate radio-frequency emissions, has closed a Pre-A+ funding round as China's commercial space sector expands. The company, formally named Xingkan Jiuzhou Technology, announced the round on Aug. 21, marking further growth for space-based

Markets

SpaceX Builds Internal Natural Gas Trading Desk to Feed Starship and Starlink

SpaceX is hiring a natural gas trader to build and lead an in-house trading team, a move that signals the company's fuel and power consumption has grown large enough to require active market management. The step treats energy as a strategic input to be managed rather than

Launch

SpaceX Reaches 100 Falcon Launches for 2026 With Latest Starlink Flight

SpaceX launched its 100th Falcon mission of 2026 on August 22, sending 27 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The company reached the century mark before the end of August, putting it on pace to well exceed 100 missions by year's end.

Markets

Japanese Startup Letara Raises ¥2.6B to Build Hybrid Engines for Launch and Satellites

Letara, a Japanese propulsion startup, has closed a ¥2.6B pre-Series A round, approximately $16M, to fund development of its low-cost hybrid rocket engine technology for both launch and in-space applications. The company intends to serve two distinct markets, satellite propulsion and launch vehicles, from a single

Markets

Starcloud Adds $250 Million to Series A at $2.3 Billion Valuation as Launch Capacity Tightens

Starcloud, a startup building satellites that perform AI inference in orbit, has added a $250 million extension to its March Series A round, lifting its valuation to $2.3 billion. The company plans to use the capital to open a larger manufacturing facility and secure scarce launch capacity as the

Markets

Portal Space Systems Books Falcon 9 for 2028 Supernova Debut, Opens Rideshare Slots

Portal Space Systems has acquired a Falcon 9 to launch its first Supernova spacecraft in 2028 and will sell excess capacity on the vehicle to secondary payloads. The company announced the contract with SpaceX on August 20, pairing a technology demonstration of its solar thermal propulsion spacecraft with a commercial