Author: starpathwp-production
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Starbase’s launch site lays groundwork to double in size
While pushing for Flight 12, SpaceX has received approval to nearly double the launch site’s size at Starbase. With this approval, SpaceX will be able to complete the redesign of Pad 1 and add additional capabilities to the Starbase launch site. Pad 1 Redesign Shortly after Flight 11, SpaceX began the long process of converting…
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Starfish Space wins $54.5M Space Force contract for another satellite servicing vehicle
An artist’s conception shows Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft in geosynchronous Earth orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space has been awarded a $54.5 million contract to produce another Otter satellite servicing spacecraft for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command. The deal, announced this week, builds on a $37.5 million Space Systems Command contract…
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SpaceX launches return to flight Falcon 9 mission following brief stand down
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Feb. 7, 2026. This mission marked a return to flight for the Falcon 9 rocket following a brief stand down as a result of a mishap during the Starlink 17-32 mission on Feb. 2, 2026.…
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To reuse or not reuse—the eternal debate of New Glenn’s second stage reignites
Engineers at Blue Origin have been grappling with a seemingly eternal debate that involves the New Glenn rocket and the economics of flying it. The debate goes back at least 15 years, to the early discussions around the design of the heavy lift rocket. The first stage, of course, would be fully reusable. But what…
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Quindar to Support Mission Control for Starfish’s Upcoming Otter Missions
Quindar is to supply secure automated mission control infrastructure to Starfish Space. Quindar will support operations for Starfish’s first three Otter missions. Starfish Space is developing the Otter satellite servicing vehicle and aims to provide life extension and end-of-life services for satellites in orbit. Quindar announced the partnership on Feb. 5. By providing automation-first operations,…
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Lawmakers ask what it would take to “store” the International Space Station
Members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee voted to approve a NASA authorization bill this week, advancing legislation chock full of policy guidelines meant to give lawmakers a voice in the space agency’s strategic direction. The committee met to “mark up” the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026, adding more than 40 amendments to…
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Viasat Expects F2 Satellite to Enter Service in May, Posts 3% Revenue Growth in Q3
Viasat reported modest 3% year-over-year revenue increase in the company’s third quarter, driven by its defense segment. The operator expects the second ViaSat-3 satellite to enter service by May — CEO Mark Dankberg told investors on Thursday the satellite is about 34 days away from being on station. The F2 satellite launched in November and…
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Rocket Report: SpaceX probes upper stage malfunction; Starship testing resumes
Welcome to Edition 8.28 of the Rocket Report! The big news in rocketry this week was that NASA still hasn’t solved the problem with hydrogen leaks on the Space Launch System. The problem caused months of delays before the first SLS launch in 2022, and the fuel leaks cropped up again Monday during a fueling…
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Blue Origin’s TeraWave Constellation: Analysts Size Up Competitive Positioning
Blue Origin is now targeting the satellite constellation market, in one of the biggest and perhaps even most surprising story of the year, Blue Origin announced it was going to build TeraWave, a new constellation of optically linked satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO), geared toward enterprise users and data centers. A satellite…
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ULA offloads first Vulcan rocket at Vandenberg at it preps its next Cape launch
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan booster is offloaded from the company’s R/S RocketShip barge at a dock at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This will be the first Vulcan rocket to launch from the West Coast. Image: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance is staging rockets at launch complexes on both the West Coast…