Space Brief 29 Dec 2025
Today's highlights include Japan's new military satellite imagery initiative, NASA's SPHEREx map, and AST BlueBird 6's groundbreaking cellular array in low Earth orbit.
Launch Date
November 18, 1982
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC31
Launch Vehicle
Soyuz-U
NORAD ID
13662
International Designator
1982-112B
Decay Date
11/22/1982
Name
SL-4 R/B
Alternative Name
Soyuz-U 54-767 Blok-I
Type
Status
Owner
RVSN
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Length
6.7
Diameter
2.7
Span
6.7
Dry Mass
2350
Launch Mass
2350
Shape
Cyl
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
11S510
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
PROG
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Blok-I
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Today's highlights include Japan's new military satellite imagery initiative, NASA's SPHEREx map, and AST BlueBird 6's groundbreaking cellular array in low Earth orbit.
Long March 2C launches four PIESAT-2 radar satellites, Gilmour Space secures Australia's first orbital launch permit, NASA extends ISS cargo contracts through 2030, ESA and Arianespace face industry crossroads.
Crew-11 astronauts splashdown off California in first-ever ISS medical evacuation. SpaceX sets pad turnaround record at Cape Canaveral with Starlink 6-98 deploying 29 satellites.
Demand surges for nuclear power in space including lunar surface reactors. Pentagon commits $1B as anchor investor in L3Harris missile unit. Orbion delivers 33 electric thrusters for military sats.
GAO flags growing cost problems across Space Force satellite portfolio with workforce reductions compounding risks to missile-warning constellations like NGG and SWAT.
Falcon Heavy flew for the first time in eighteen months on April 29, 2026, expending its center core to push Viasat's final ViaSat-3 satellite toward geostationary orbit. The mission is a flagship rocket doing what only it can still do, for an operator betting six tons of high-throughput hardware on a market Starlink is rapidly redefining.
SpaceX progresses on Starship testing while Rocket Lab delays its Neutron rocket debut, potentially impacting the competitive landscape in space launches.
SpaceX wins a $4.16B US Space Force contract for an airborne threat tracking satellite network. Starlink holds 10,413 satellites in orbit, 10,397 working.