The Farming Satellite Iran Can't Launch Itself
Iran calls Kowsar 1.5 a private-sector farming satellite. Its 3.45-meter camera, its sun-synchronous orbit, and the Russian rocket that carried it point somewhere else entirely.
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Vigoride 5 and the Space Tug That Had to Work
Object 55056 rode a SpaceX rideshare into orbit carrying more than customer satellites. It carried the survival of Momentus, a company that had already lost its founder to a national security review, settled SEC fraud charges, and watched its first space tug die in orbit.
Object 100000 and the Sky That Outgrew Its Catalog
On July 11, 2026, a Portuguese satellite named after a Nobel laureate became the first object to carry catalog number 100000. It broke a five-digit numbering limit that had held since Sputnik, and exposed how unprepared decades of tracking software is for a sky this crowded.
The $1.5 Million Starlink Jammer That Ukraine Keeps Blowing Up
Russia's Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system was purpose-built to jam Starlink. It costs around $1.5 million per unit, covers just 20 square kilometers, and can only target one satellite at a time. Ukraine has been finding and destroying them within days of deployment.
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Today in Space History
Joe Engle and the Youngest Astronaut Wings Ever Earned
On 29 June 1965, a young Air Force test pilot rode a rocket-powered airplane to 280,600 feet above the California desert. He landed ten minutes later as the youngest person ever to earn astronaut wings.
Today in Space History
The Morning a Supply Ship Tore Open Mir
On 25 June 1997, a seven-ton cargo ship under hand control drifted into Mir's Spektr module, breached the hull, and left three crew members listening to their air hiss into space. It remains the worst collision in the history of human spaceflight.
Today in Space History
The Afternoon a Blurry Smudge Turned Pluto Into a Double Planet
On 22 June 1978, an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory looked at photographic plates that had been stamped 'image defective' and noticed a small bump on the side of Pluto. The bump was a moon, and finding it finally let astronomers weigh a planet that had fooled them for half a century.
Today in Space History
Mike Melvill, 124 Meters, and the Morning Space Went Private
On 21 June 2004, a 63-year-old test pilot rode a homebuilt rocket plane to 100,124 meters above the Mojave Desert, clearing the edge of space by about the length of a city block. He came down the first private astronaut in history, holding a sign that read 'SpaceShipOne, GovernmentZero.'
Daily Briefs
View All Space Briefs »Concise updates on launches, orbital events, and breaking space news
Falcon 9 Suffers Second Straight Launch Abort, X Report 21 Jul 2026
SpaceX's Starlink 17-39 mission aborted at Vandenberg on July 20, mirroring Starship Flight 13's July 16 abort at Starbase.
Starship Flight 13 Deploys 20 V3 Starlinks, Space Brief 21 Jul 2026
SpaceX Starship Flight 13 will deploy 20 V3 Starlink satellites during suborbital test from Starbase on July 23. Neither booster nor ship will be recovered.
Hayabusa2 Executes Risky July 5 Asteroid Flyby, Space Brief 20 Jul 2026
Japan's Hayabusa2 executed a close-range asteroid flyby on July 5 after mission planners initially rejected the approach as too dangerous. Extended mission pushes hardware past design limits.
SpaceX Launches 21 SDA Missile-Tracking Satellites | KeepTrack Week in Review
This week: SpaceX launched 21 SDA missile-tracking satellites, Soyuz MS-29 carried a new crew to the ISS, and Europe's space spending rose 12%.
SpaceX's Military Pivot Takes Center Stage, X Report 19 Jul 2026
This Week In Space Episode 219 examines SpaceX's expanding military ties as Starlink's constellation tops 12,552 satellites launched.
NASA Cancels Draper Lunar Lander; Skyroot Reaches Orbit, Space Brief 19 Jul 2026
NASA terminated Draper's commercial lunar lander after development delays. Meanwhile, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 became India's first commercial rocket to reach orbit on July 18.
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