Top Stories

House Backs $55.5B Space Force Budget, Excludes Reconciliation Funds

House appropriators released their FY27 defense bill funding Space Force at $55.5 billion — matching the Pentagon’s discretionary request — but left out $350 billion in proposed reconciliation spending. That omission directly threatens Golden Dome and other large-scale space programs that were counting on the reconciliation package to get off the ground.

The gap between the discretionary bill and the reconciliation proposal is where several high-priority programs live. Until the two tracks are reconciled, acquisition timelines for space-based missile defense and related programs stay uncertain.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Spire and Diehl Defence Team Up on Space-Based Missile Warning

Spire Global is partnering with German defense firm Diehl Defence to explore using Spire’s existing satellite constellation for detection of ballistic and hypersonic missile threats. No contract value was disclosed, but the arrangement puts a commercial LEO constellation in the running for a mission traditionally handled by dedicated government sensors.

Spire operates over 100 small satellites in low Earth orbit. Applying that constellation to infrared or RF-based missile warning is technically ambitious — the key question is whether the revisit rate and sensor fidelity can meet military thresholds.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Applied Atomics Opens Virginia Office, Raises $4M for Nuclear Space Propulsion

UK startup Applied Atomics has opened an office in Virginia and announced $4 million in pre-seed funding, targeting the U.S. military market with nuclear thermal and nuclear electric propulsion systems. The Virginia location positions the company near DoD and Space Force acquisition offices.

Nuclear propulsion for military spacecraft is getting renewed attention as the Pentagon looks for faster, more maneuverable assets in cislunar space and beyond. Applied Atomics joins a small field of companies — including Pulsar Fusion and Ultra Safe Nuclear — competing for early government contracts in this space.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

FY27 Defense Bill Tops $1 Trillion as House Appropriators Act

The House Appropriations Committee released a full FY27 defense bill exceeding $1 trillion. Among the additions: restored funding for the E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft after Defense Department leadership had signaled intent to continue the program. The bill also sets the stage for the CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) competition playing out this week at the Berlin Air Show.

The $1 trillion topline reflects the continuing push to expand both aviation and space-based defense capabilities simultaneously — a budget reality that will force tradeoffs across programs competing for the same procurement dollars.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Spaceport Congestion Pushing Operators Toward Sea-Based Launch

Range congestion at existing U.S. launch sites is driving renewed interest in offshore sea-based launch platforms. Proponents argue maritime launch solves two problems at once: it bypasses crowded ground ranges and provides dispersed, harder-to-target launch capability for military resilience scenarios.

Several companies are actively exploring the concept. The core challenges remain the same as previous attempts — marine logistics, pad safety at sea, and regulatory jurisdiction. But with launch cadence accelerating and range availability tightening, the economics are shifting enough to make it worth revisiting.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Germany Eyes Fifth-Gen-Plus Fighter by 2035 After FCAS Collapse

Germany’s air force chief confirmed at the Berlin Air Show that Germany needs to acquire a fifth-generation-plus fighter system by 2035. The statement follows the effective collapse of the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS program, leaving Berlin without a clear path to next-generation air capability on its original timeline.

Options being discussed include additional F-35 procurement or a yet-undefined “fifth-gen-plus” platform. The decision has indirect space implications — next-gen fighter programs typically drive requirements for space-based ISR, satellite communications, and GPS-denied navigation systems that feed into military satellite demand.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Europe’s Post-Launch Space Gap: Ground Infrastructure Lags Ambition

A SpaceNews analysis highlights a growing structural problem for European space programs: launch capability is improving, but the downstream infrastructure — ground stations, data processing, operational services — hasn’t kept pace. Satellites covering financial timing, military communications, navigation, and climate monitoring all depend on that backend.

For satellite trackers, this matters because constellation effectiveness is only partly about what’s in orbit. Gaps in ground infrastructure affect tasking, downlink latency, and command authority — all variables relevant to understanding how a given constellation actually performs versus what its operator advertises.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Satellite of the Day

ONEWEB-0220

The ONEWEB-0220 satellite is part of OneWeb’s ambitious mega-constellation designed to provide global broadband connectivity from low Earth orbit. Launched on April 25, 2021, aboard a Soyuz-2-1B rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia, this satellite is one of hundreds in OneWeb’s fleet working to bridge the digital divide and deliver high-speed internet to remote and underserved regions worldwide. Equipped with a Ku-Band payload, ONEWEB-0220 relays communications signals across its coverage area while maintaining its position in the constellation through Hall effect thrusters.

With a compact trapezoid design spanning up to 5 meters when fully deployed and a launch mass of 148 kilograms, ONEWEB-0220 represents the efficient engineering required for mega-constellation operations. The satellite operates at a high inclination of 87.9°, which provides excellent coverage to polar and high-latitude regions—a key advantage over equatorial-focused competitors. With an expected operational lifetime of seven years, satellites like ONEWEB-0220 continuously cycle through the constellation, ensuring consistent service while newer launches replenish the network.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track ONEWEB-0220

Upcoming Space Launches

June 11

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5: Starlink Group 17-44
  • Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Booster B1071 will fly for its 34th time, landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

June 12

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H3-30: H3-30 Test Flight

  • Test flight of the H3-30 variant, featuring 3 LE-9 engines in the first stage and no solid rocket boosters. The vehicle will carry a dummy main payload (Vehicle Evaluation Payload 5, VEP-5) along with several hitchhiking small satellites: PETREL, STARS-X, BRO-22, VERTECS, and HORN-L/R, targeting a sun-synchronous orbit from Tanegashima Space Center. Watch Live Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5: Starlink Group 10-54

  • Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Booster B1071 will fly for its 34th time, landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You. Watch Live Launch Preview

June 15

• CAS Space Kinetica 1: Unknown Payload

  • Launch of an unknown payload aboard the Kinetica 1 (Lijian-1) solid-propellant light launch vehicle from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Kinetica 1 is the largest Chinese solid-propellant launcher to date, capable of placing approximately 2 tonnes into low Earth orbit. Payload details are to be determined. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5: Starlink Group 17-54

  • Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites launching to low Earth orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Booster B1071 will fly for its 34th time, landing on drone ship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live Launch Preview

• Isar Aerospace Spectrum: Onward and Upward (To Be Confirmed)

  • Second test flight of Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum small launch vehicle from Andøya Spaceport, Norway. The two-stage rocket is carrying five CubeSats: CyBEEsat (TU Berlin), TriSat-S (University of Maribor), Platform 6 (EnduroSat), FramSat-1 (NTNU), and SpaceTeamSat1 (TU Wien Space Team), plus a “Let it Go” experiment from Dcubed. Exolaunch is managing payload integration and deployment. Previously delayed from January 21 due to a pressurization valve issue. Watch Live Launch Preview

June 16

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 3B/E: Unknown Payload
  • Launch of an unknown payload aboard the Long March 3B/E, one of the most capable variants of the Long March 3 series, from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The vehicle is designed for heavy communications satellites targeting geostationary transfer orbit. Payload details are to be determined. Launch Preview

June 17

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 12: Unknown Payload (To Be Confirmed)

  • Launch of an unknown payload aboard the Long March 12, a medium-lift kerolox launch vehicle developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, from Wenchang Space Launch Site. Capable of placing up to 10 tonnes into low Earth orbit, it made its maiden flight in November 2024. Payload details are to be determined. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5: BlueBird Block 2 #3-5

  • AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the Block 1 satellites, supporting 24/7 continuous cellular broadband coverage in the United States with peak data speeds up to 120 Mbps. Featuring communications arrays as large as 2,400 square feet, these will be among the largest satellites ever commercially deployed in low Earth orbit. This mission carries 3 satellites, launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Schedule Changes

• Rocket Lab HASTE | Curveball has moved from Go for Launch to On Hold. The sub-orbital hypersonic test mission from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, is now delayed with no updated launch window announced.
• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 5 | TJSW-25 has been removed from the upcoming calendar following a successful launch.
• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 | BlueBird Block 2 #3-5 has been newly added to the manifest, scheduled for June 17 at 06:39 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Note: Launch dates and times are subject to change due to technical or weather considerations.