Space Brief 31 Aug 2025
SpaceX makes headlines with dual Starlink launches, Rocket Lab inaugurates new launch complex, while AI's impact on space missions and satellite technology continues to stir discussions.
Launch Date
February 25, 1971
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC90/20
Launch Vehicle
Tsiklon-2
NORAD ID
05130
International Designator
1971-015AD
Decay Date
10/29/1980
Name
COSMOS 397 DEB
Alternative Name
deb Kosmos-397
Type
Status
Owner
PKO
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.0477
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Unknown
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
Unknown
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Unknown
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
SpaceX makes headlines with dual Starlink launches, Rocket Lab inaugurates new launch complex, while AI's impact on space missions and satellite technology continues to stir discussions.
NASA officially ended the MAVEN Mars orbiter mission after months of radio silence following an anomaly. Space Force assessing Eastern Range damage from separate incident affecting launch cadence.
Sixty years ago, Frank Borman and James Lovell launched aboard Gemini 7 for a grueling 14-day mission that would prove humans could endure the journey to the moon and achieve the first true rendezvous in space
SpaceX shares jumped nearly 20% in its historic public debut, valuing the company partly on Starlink's AI infrastructure potential with 10,636 satellites working.
NASA's Van Allen Probe A (1,300 lbs) reenters today after 14 years studying Earth's radiation belts. Most debris will burn up; ocean impact statistically likely.
On April 22, 2010, an Atlas V lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a reusable robotic spaceplane so secret that the Air Force would not even confirm its mission duration. It came back 224 days later, lighter, quieter, and more operational than anyone outside Washington had expected. Fifteen years later, the X-37B is still flying, and the military still will not say what it does.
In 2024, China launched 68 orbital missions. In 2025, the number jumped to 97. In 2026, state media and Western analysts agree the target is 140 or more. Most of that growth is being driven by two state-backed mega-constellations, a half-dozen private launch companies hitting stride, and a deliberate national pivot toward commercial space. Beijing is no longer trying to catch SpaceX. It is trying to build an industrial base that outlasts one.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded hours after USSF and NRO awarded national security launch contract. Impact on NSSL competition unclear.