Space Brief 13 Apr 2025
SpaceX launches a doubleheader of satellites while Blue Origin prepares for a historic all-female spaceflight. Also, meet FORMOSAT-5 in our Satellite Spotlight.
Launch Date
July 18, 1980
Launch Site
SRILR
Launch Pad
SLV
Launch Vehicle
SLV-3
NORAD ID
11900
International Designator
1980-062B
Decay Date
7/23/1981
Name
SLV-3 R/B
Alternative Name
SLV-3-E2 Stage 4
Type
Status
Owner
ISRO
Country
India
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Length
1.5
Diameter
0.7
Span
1.5
Dry Mass
98
Launch Mass
98
Shape
Cyl + Cone
Radar Cross Section
0.45
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
SLV-3-4 E2
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
VSSC
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
AS-4
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
SpaceX launches a doubleheader of satellites while Blue Origin prepares for a historic all-female spaceflight. Also, meet FORMOSAT-5 in our Satellite Spotlight.
An overlooked thermostat, eight hours of overheating on a Florida launch pad, and 200,000 miles of coasting through deep space. Then Oxygen Tank No. 2 tore itself apart, and three men had to figure out how to come home alive in a spacecraft designed to land on the Moon.
On January 20, 1972, the second KH-9 HEXAGON lifted off from Vandenberg - carrying the most sophisticated reconnaissance system ever built by engineers who weren't allowed to say 'film,' 'camera,' or even talk to each other about what they were doing.
Starlink satellite count 2026: SpaceX tops 10,000 active satellites, 10,037 working of 11,558 launched, under seven years after first launch.
SpaceX shifts launch priorities to Vandenberg as Falcon 9 era winds down, while Anthropic signs orbital data center deal with the company.
Today's brief covers increased Space Force funding, a renewed focus on nuclear power in space, a proposed US missile defense system, new defense budget revelations, and NATO's call for increased air defenses.
Today's Space Brief covers Blue Origin's historic all-female spaceflight, the selection of companies for nuclear microreactor development by DIU, and NATO's adoption of AI technology for military planning.
Key insights from the latest SpaceX Starship breakup, the establishment of a new satellite mobile service, and enhancing America's missile shield capabilities through satellites.