Tag: Starlink
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Russia Accelerates Rassvet Satellite-Internet Deployment
MOSCOW/KYIV, Aug. 13, 2026 — Russia is accelerating the deployment of Rassvet, a domestically developed low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation intended to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign satellite communications. Recent launches and orbital observations suggest that the project has moved beyond experimental testing, although its present capabilities remain far short of SpaceX’s Starlink network. The system…
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China’s Space Computing Race: Competing for the Next Decade’s AI Compute Power
AI’s computing needs are outgrowing what Earth can easily supply — and a new race is emerging to move data centers into orbit. This report breaks down the emerging “space computing” industry from every angle: what it actually is and why energy and bandwidth constraints are pushing computing into space (Sections 1–2); the physical advantages…
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Starship Flight 13 Set to Deploy First V3 Starlink Satellites in Operational Debut
Flight 13 is the 13th test launch overall of the Starship megarocket and the second flight this year, following the May 22 launch of Flight 12. It will also be the second flight of SpaceX’s new Starship Version 3, or V3. The vehicle stands more than 400 feet tall and is being designed as a…
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Starlink Satellites Now Dodging Collisions Almost Weekly as Maneuvers Triple in a Year
The increase coincides with rapid growth of the constellation and the broader satellite population. Starlink expanded from about 6,000 satellites in 2024 to more than 10,000 as of June 2026. Over the same period, the total number of operational spacecraft in orbit rose from around 10,000 to roughly 16,000. Between December 2025 and May 2026,…
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Starship Flight 13 Carries 20 Starlink V3 Sats July 16
Does Starship Flight 13 Carry Its First Real Payload? Yes — and it matters. SpaceX has confirmed Starship Flight 13 is targeting liftoff from Starbase, Texas, as early as Thursday, July 16, carrying 20 Starlink V3 satellites: the vehicle’s first operational payload in 13 flights of developmental testing. For the first time, the world’s most…
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Falcon 9 Booster Hits 35 Flights, 12,472 Starlinks Launched
Is a 35-Flight Falcon 9 Booster the New Normal for Launch Economics? A single Falcon 9 first stage flew its 35th mission on July 10, 2026, deploying 29 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit and landing intact for future reuse. The flight is the highest confirmed reuse count in the Falcon 9 fleet to date,…
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Besxar Space Flies Semiconductor Fabships on Falcon 9
Does Besxar Space’s Falcon 9 Semiconductor Test Mark a New In-Space Manufacturing Model? A Washington, D.C.-based startup is using the sub-orbital arc of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster — not orbital insertion — as its first manufacturing platform. Two Clipper Class Fabships from Besxar Space Industries flew on the Starlink 10-50 mission that lifted off…
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Launch Preview: Swift rescue mission, final Atlas satellite launch
Several orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week. A mission to rescue the Swift observatory spacecraft is planned along with the first full flight of a South Korean military launcher. This week could also see the final satellite launch by an Atlas family rocket. There is also an Electron launch from New Zealand. The Swift…
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Japan Nears Decision on $2 Billion Domestic Direct-to-Device Satellite Network
Japan is expected to select a proposal this month for its planned J-LEO direct-to-device (D2D) satellite network, a government-backed initiative aimed at establishing a domestically owned and operated low Earth orbit (LEO) communications system. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has allocated approximately $1 billion in subsidies for the project, covering up to…
