Top Stories

Starship Flight 13 lands both stages, deploys first working satellites

SpaceX flew Starship on its 13th suborbital test July 24. Both the Super Heavy booster and the ship landed successfully, and the vehicle deployed the first batch of Starlink V3 satellites - the first time Starship has put functioning payloads into orbit. Previous flights had either failed to reach deployment or lost the ship before landing.

The mission fixed issues seen on Flight 12, according to SpaceNews. Starlink V3 is the larger, higher-capacity satellite bus SpaceX has been waiting to fly since Starship became the only vehicle with enough payload volume to carry it. Expect these new satellites to show up in TLE catalogs as SpaceX ramps up deployment cadence.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Oracle wins $7 billion deal to consolidate Pentagon software buys

Oracle signed a contract worth up to $7 billion over ten years to centralize how the Department of Defense purchases software. The DoD’s chief information officer says the deal could save $441 million by cutting down on duplicate licensing and fragmented procurement across services.

This is part of a broader push to modernize how DoD buys IT and cloud services rather than negotiating separately with each vendor. Watch for similar consolidated contracts with other major cloud and software providers as the Pentagon tries to shrink its vendor list.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Air Force takes over troubled military GPS receiver program

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is now in charge of developing, integrating, and sustaining the receivers troops use to access the military’s encrypted GPS signal (M-code). The program has struggled with delays getting the new receivers fielded across services.

Encrypted GPS access is central to jam-resistant navigation for military users, and receiver delays have been a persistent bottleneck even as satellite-side capability improves. Centralizing the program under one office is meant to fix accountability gaps that slowed fielding.

Read the full story: SpaceNews

Pentagon targets November for ground-launched precision strike demo

The Department of Defense plans to spend $250 million evaluating ground-launched precision strike weapons under its new Ground-Based Affordable Mass initiative, with a demonstration targeted for November. The effort is tied to the Pentagon’s new autonomy office and aims to move quickly from evaluation to initial contract awards.

The push reflects a broader shift toward cheaper, mass-producible strike systems rather than exquisite, low-volume weapons - a lesson drawn from recent conflicts where munition stockpiles ran thin fast.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Hubble catches a helium nova firing “bullets” at 20 million mph

Astronomers using Hubble found that the Milky Way’s only known helium nova is shooting debris through the galaxy at roughly 20 million mph. The explosion is distinct from a typical nova because it’s fueled by helium rather than hydrogen, giving researchers a rare look at a different kind of stellar detonation.

The findings help refine models of how binary star systems shed mass in violent bursts, which matters for understanding the chemical enrichment of the galaxy over time.

Read the full story: Space.com

US eases export status for UAE drones and AI tech

Washington changed the export control status for the United Arab Emirates, a shift analysts say will shorten procurement timelines and make it easier for American defense firms to work directly with Emirati institutions on drones and AI systems. The change reduces licensing friction that previously slowed joint programs.

Closer UAE-US defense tech cooperation has been building for years, and this status change removes one of the bureaucratic hurdles that made sustainment and follow-on support harder to deliver on schedule.

Read the full story: Breaking Defense

Satellite of the Day

COSMOS 2059

Launched on May 22, 1990, from Tyuratam (TYMSC) aboard a Zenit-2 rocket, COSMOS 2059 is a Soviet-era satellite whose exact mission remains somewhat obscure - a characteristic common to many objects in the COSMOS program. Built by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (YUZH), this cone-shaped satellite weighs just 1 kilogram, suggesting it may have served as a technology demonstrator, test payload, or specialized reconnaissance asset. The Soviet Union maintained considerable secrecy around COSMOS missions, and declassified information about this particular satellite remains limited.

Operating in a highly inclined 70.97° polar orbit, COSMOS 2059 has persisted in space for over three decades, making it a notable longevity case for early 1990s Soviet hardware. Its continued presence in orbit - despite being from the final year of the Soviet space program - offers tracking enthusiasts a tangible link to that era of space operations. For those interested in Cold War - era space assets and orbital mechanics, COSMOS 2059 remains an intriguing target for observation and study.

Track this satellite in real-time: Track COSMOS 2059

Upcoming Space Launches

July 25

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:
  • Starlink Group 17-51 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base (14:00 UTC) Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit; booster B1081 flying for the 26th time, targeting a droneship landing in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live

July 29

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • Starlink Group 17-52 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base (02:00 UTC) Batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit; booster B1081 flying for the 26th time, targeting a droneship landing in the Pacific Ocean. Watch Live

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

  • Unknown Payload from Wenchang Space Launch Site (11:42 UTC) Payload details are yet to be disclosed. Launch Preview

July 30

• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 6A:

  • Unknown Payload from Launch Complex 9A, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (00:52 UTC) China’s Long March 6A, the first Chinese rocket to use solid rocket boosters, carrying an undisclosed payload. Launch Preview

• SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5:

  • NROL-95 from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (06:37 UTC) A classified payload mission for the National Reconnaissance Office under a government/top-secret designation. Watch Live

July 31

• Rocket Lab Electron:

  • LOXSAT 1 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand (00:00 UTC) A demonstration of a complete cryogenic oxygen fluid management system in orbit, developed by Eta Space and sponsored by NASA’s Tipping Point program. Integrated on a Rocket Lab Photon-LEO satellite bus, it will collect cryogenic fluid data over a 9-month mission to support future in-space depot technology.

• Rocket Lab Electron:

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

• 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 company iQPS. Watch Live Launch Preview

• Agency for Defense Development Mir:

  • Demo Flight from ADD Offshore Launch Platform, Sea Launch (00:00 UTC) A South Korean military “quick response” solid-fuel small satellite launch vehicle undergoing a test flight. Launch Preview

Schedule Changes

• Starship | Flight 13: Status updated from Go for Launch to Launch Successful; the mission has now flown and is no longer part of the upcoming schedule.
• Mir | Demo Flight: Status changed from Go for Launch to To Be Determined, indicating the launch date is no longer firm.

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