Space Brief 26 Aug 2025
Today's space news highlights include U.S. military satellite deployments, innovative AI aboard the Chinese space station, and breakthroughs in interplanetary communications.
Launch Date
November 25, 2019
Launch Site
PLMSC
Launch Pad
LC43/4
Launch Vehicle
Soyuz-2-1V
NORAD ID
44797
International Designator
2019-079A
Decay Date
10/24/2023
Name
COSMOS 2542
Alternative Name
Kosmos-2542
Type
Status
Owner
TSVS
Country
Russia
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Length
3
Diameter
1.3
Span
3
Dry Mass
400
Launch Mass
400
Shape
Cyl + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Nivelir-L No. 2
Purpose
Technology, satellite inspection ?
Mission
Technology, satellite inspection ?
Manufacturer
NPOLO
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
14F150
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
K50-10.5 thermal catalytic thruster (#2519); ? (#2521); none ? (#2523)
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Today's space news highlights include U.S. military satellite deployments, innovative AI aboard the Chinese space station, and breakthroughs in interplanetary communications.
Today's Space Brief covers key topics including new defense mandates for space, Firefly Aerospace's public filing, major funding for Varda Space Industries, and updates on SpaceX's Crew-11 mission and a mystery satellite launch.
SpaceX's S-1 reveals $18.7B in revenue as Starship Flight 12 debuts Block 3 hardware from Pad 2 on May 21, 2026.
SpaceX successfully launched NASA's TRACERS mission while Starlink faced a brief global outage, affecting users worldwide.
SpaceX wraps up a record-breaking year with successful launches and advancements in Starlink mega-constellation.
AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird constellation is a bet that raw aperture size wins. Each satellite unfolds a 64-square-meter phased-array antenna in orbit, the largest commercial antenna ever deployed. The company claims a stock smartphone on the ground can connect directly to it. The competition says the physics doesn't support that. Seventeen satellites in and a contract with AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone, somebody's math is wrong.
SpaceX advances Starship development while planning future replacements for Falcon and Dragon.
Space Force confirms plan to double active-duty Guardians by 2030, targeting faster response to satellite anomalies and adversary maneuvers in space domain awareness operations.