Top Stories

China’s Shijian-31 is scanning the entire GEO arc from a custom orbit

Shijian-31, launched by China in June, is flying a non-standard orbit that gives it a sweeping vantage point across the geostationary belt rather than parking at a single longitude. Analysts tracking the satellite say the geometry lets it pass by multiple GEO slots over time instead of the fixed-position monitoring typical of most Chinese inspector satellites.

This matters for anyone watching China’s GEO surveillance buildup. A satellite that can survey the entire belt from one bus, rather than requiring multiple assets at fixed slots, changes the math on how many spacecraft China needs to keep tabs on US and allied GEO assets. Check current position data on Shijian-31 via KeepTrack.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Outgoing Space Force chief: no one avoids the war zone if conflict reaches orbit

In his final public speech, the departing head of US Space Force said that if war extends into space, “none of us will be able to avoid the war zone.” The remarks came as a closing warning on how dependent civilian and commercial life has become on satellite infrastructure that would be contested in any conflict.

The comments track with a broader shift in Space Force messaging over the past two years, moving from “space is a warfighting domain” rhetoric to blunt statements about civilian exposure. Worth watching who succeeds him and whether the tone changes.

Read the full story: Space.com

Space Force gets $11 billion boost, nearly triples NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 launches

The Space Force now expects 170 NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 launches between 2025 and 2034, up from an original 60. The extra $11 billion in funding covers the jump, signaling a much heavier launch cadence for national security payloads over the next eight years than originally planned.

Lane 1 covers less complex, more risk-tolerant missions, meaning this growth likely benefits newer entrants like Blue Origin and Rocket Lab alongside incumbents SpaceX and ULA. More launches also means more objects to track and catalog in the years ahead.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Vast stands up a national security division

Commercial space station developer Vast has created a dedicated division for national security work, expanding beyond its core commercial station and spacecraft business. The company built its name on the Haven-1 station effort and is now positioning itself to compete for defense contracts.

This follows a pattern of commercial space station companies - Axiom, Sierra Space, and now Vast - building out government-facing arms as NASA’s post-ISS commercial destinations program takes shape alongside separate defense demand.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

A 30-year-old “asteroid” turns out to be a comet, with planetary defense implications

NASA researchers determined that a near-Earth object classified as an asteroid for nearly three decades is actually a comet. The reclassification came from renewed analysis of its orbital behavior and composition, not a new discovery.

The finding matters for planetary defense modeling because comets and asteroids pose different tracking challenges - comets can develop unpredictable outgassing that alters their trajectories. Scientists say the case could help identify other misclassified objects hiding in near-Earth catalogs.

Read the full story: Space.com

Satellite of the Day

ONEWEB-0457

ONEWEB-0457, also known as OneWeb SL0457, is part of OneWeb’s ambitious constellation of low Earth orbit communication satellites. Launched on February 10, 2022, aboard a Soyuz-ST-B rocket from French Guiana, this satellite carries a Ku-band payload designed to deliver global broadband connectivity. At just 148 kilograms at launch, ONEWEB-0457 is a compact but capable asset in OneWeb’s effort to bridge the digital divide, particularly in remote and underserved regions where traditional infrastructure is limited or unavailable.

The satellite operates in a near-polar orbit at 87.88° inclination, allowing it to provide coverage across both hemispheres. Manufactured by ONEWUS with a distinctive trapezoid body configuration and deployable solar panels, ONEWEB-0457 is equipped with Hall effect thrusters for orbital maneuvering and station-keeping. With a designed mission life of 7 years, this satellite represents the growing commercial satellite internet sector - a space domain increasingly crowded with mega-constellations competing to deliver connectivity to billions of users worldwide.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track ONEWEB-0457

Upcoming Space Launches

July 23

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 3B/E:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Complex 2 (LC-2), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (11:52 UTC) Details TBD.

• SpaceX Starship:

  • Flight 13 from Orbital Launch Pad 2, SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA (22:45 UTC) A suborbital test flight of the Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle. Booster 20 and Ship 40 will attempt controlled splashdowns in the Gulf of Mexico and Indian Ocean, respectively, while Starship deploys 20 V3 Starlink satellites during the brief suborbital test. Watch Live Launch Preview

• CAS Space Kinetica 1:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Area 130, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People’s Republic of China (23:24 UTC) Details TBD.

July 24

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 8A:
  • Unknown Payload from Commercial LC-1, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (11:00 UTC) Details TBD.

July 25

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-51 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (14:00 UTC) Deployment of another batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit; booster B1081 will attempt its 26th landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You.” Watch Live

July 29

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-52 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (02:00 UTC) Deployment of another batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit; booster B1081 will attempt its 26th landing on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You.” Watch Live

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 7A:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Pad 201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, People’s Republic of China (11:42 UTC) Details TBD. Launch Preview

July 30

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • NROL-95 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (06:37 UTC) A classified national security payload launched for the National Reconnaissance Office under a contract awarded to SpaceX.

July 31

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • LOXSAT 1 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) A demonstration satellite developed by Eta Space and sponsored by NASA’s Tipping Point program, showcasing a complete cryogenic oxygen fluid management system in orbit. Integrated on a Rocket Lab Photon-LEO satellite bus, it will collect cryogenic fluid management data for nine months to support future in-space depot technology.

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) A synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS. Watch Live

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • StriX Launch 11 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) A synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.

Schedule Changes

• Added a new Electron launch: StriX Launch 11, carrying a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Synspective, currently scheduled for July 31 (time to be determined).
• The Electron mission “The Grain Goddess Provides (iQPS Launch 7)” has had its status updated from “Go for Launch” to “To Be Determined.”

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