https://spacewatch.global/tag/spacex/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:59:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/spacex/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/spacewatchgl-opinion-imagine-a-starbase-europa-would-that-even-make-sense/ Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77208
Written by Christophe Bosquillon
Could Europe ever build its own ‘Starbase’? Christophe Bosquillon examines the geography, infrastructure and regulatory constraints standing between Europe and reusable super-heavy launch.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/nasa-launches-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope-to-map-the-universe-at-unprecedented-scale/ Mon, 31 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77098 NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on 30 August on a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy, beginning a three-month journey to L2, from where its wide-field infrared surveys will map the Universe at unprecedented scale.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/nasas-roman-space-telescope-arrives-at-complex-39a-ahead-of-30-august-launch/ Thu, 27 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77031 NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has arrived at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy ahead of its targeted 30 August launch, set to deliver an unprecedented panoramic view of the Universe.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/spacex-unveils-100-billion-starbase-louisiana-complex-to-scale-up-starship-launches/ Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76988 SpaceX has announced plans to construct a new Starship processing and launch complex in Louisiana designed to support thousands of launches annually. Located in Vermilion Parish, the proposed Starbase Louisiana is expected to begin construction by the end of 2027, with SpaceX targeting the first launch from the site as soon as 2029.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/smallsat-2026-alex-drossler-on-seops-new-spacex-rideshare-missions-and-easing-the-wait-for-orbit/ Mon, 24 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76981 From the 40th SmallSat Conference in Salt Lake City, Alex Drossler, VP of Dedicated Launch Operations at SEOPS, joins Daniela Jovic to unveil the company's new Waymaker and Darkstar SpaceX rideshare missions for 2028 - and to share why founders should always define their market before falling for the tech.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/airtel-africa-has-launched-africas-first-commercial-direct-to-device-service-in-partnership-with-starlink/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76693 Airtel Africa, in collaboration with Starlink, has launched commercial operations of a satellite-to-mobile service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The first commercial rollout of its kind in Africa, the announcement follows the successful testing of data and messaging services with Starlink Mobile, Starlink's Direct-to-Cell network technology, in Kenya earlier in March.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/first-eight-globalstar-constellation-replenishment-satellites-reach-orbit-marking-mda-space-milestone/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76641 MDA Space has confirmed the first eight Globalstar replenishment satellites reached orbit, launched Saturday 15 August on a Falcon 9 and built in Montréal, now entering in-orbit commissioning.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/vinspace-announces-launch-contract-with-spacex-marking-a-new-milestone-for-vietnams-space-industry/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76453 Vietnam's VinSpace has signed a launch contract with SpaceX, a milestone in the country's push to build comprehensive aerospace capabilities.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/spacewatchgl-opinion-europes-space-leadership-enters-an-uncertain-autumn/ Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76324
Written by Gilles Rabin
As Europe prepares for a new political and conference season, questions about leadership, industrial strategy and long-term ambition are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. From lunar exploration to IRIS² and France's role within Europe, the coming months may prove decisive for the continent's space future.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/redwires-spacemd-announces-its-first-commercial-microgravity-research-mission-on-spacexs-starfall-spacecraft/ Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76359 Redwire's SpaceMD has booked its first commercial microgravity mission on SpaceX's new Starfall reentry capsule, flying drug candidates for in-orbit research before return to Earth.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/nasa-confirms-falcon-9s-upper-stage-crash-onto-the-lunar-surface-after-launching-back-in-january-2025/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76237 NASA has confirmed that a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage - which launched ispace's Resilience and Firefly's Blue Ghost landers in January 2025 - made an 'unplanned impact' on the lunar surface on 5 August.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/northrop-grumman-launches-mission-robotic-vehicle-ushering-in-a-new-era-of-in-space-servicing/ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:00:58 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75896 Northrop Grumman has launched its "first-of-its-kind" Mission Robotic Vehicle and three Mission Extension Pods, in partnership with DARPA, as it aims to pioneer autonomous in-space satellite servicing, life extension, refueling, and AI-enabled operations to enhance space asset resilience and sustainability.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/amazon-leo-extends-african-footprint-to-south-africa-in-partnership-with-local-isp-herotel/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75824 Amazon Leo has entered into an agreement with Herotel, South Africa’s largest fixed internet service provider, to bring satellite internet to South Africa through a new service called Evry, powered by Amazon Leo. Under the agreement, Herotel will use Amazon Leo’s technology as part of its new service, which will tentatively launch commercially in 2027 to connect residential customers in South Africa. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/ispace-announces-new-lunar-integration-and-transportation-service-aboard-spacexs-starship/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75526 ispace has announced a new lunar transportation service aboard SpaceX's Starship, repositioning itself as a 'Lunar Access Integrator' using a Mobile Cargo System to integrate multiple payloads.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/eqt-to-acquire-exolaunch-supporting-the-launch-mission-management-firms-next-growth-phase/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75031 EQT has agreed to acquire German launch-management firm Exolaunch from founder Dmitriy Sternharz to scale its global operations.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/spacewatchgl-analysis-solar-farms-in-orbit-the-legal-framework-for-addressing-a-new-risk-to-the-kessler-syndrome/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74759
Written by Dr. Anna Hurova
Outer space shall be free for exploration and use. This citation on the Outer Space Treaty (OST) became a pretext of the ambitious projects of constellations promising to shift the quality for the human society, energy efficiency and connectivity on the new higher level. This analysis is an attempt to show broader context of evaluation of such type of projects from the perspective of the common concept for environmental and space law, due regard, and pose the question about the initiation of enforcement of legal requirements for the harmful interference.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/06/trump-signs-national-security-ai-memorandum-spacex-among-firms-already-cleared-for-classified-networks/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74622 President Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum NSPM-11 orders the US military and intelligence community to accelerate AI adoption, rescinding the Biden-era NSM-25. While the directive never mentions space, it formalises governance around the Pentagon's classified-network deals with eight firms - SpaceX among them - and sets new rules on autonomy, vendor dependency and accountability.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/seops-unveils-waymaker-rideshare-program-with-inaugural-falcon-9-mission-in-2028/ Fri, 29 May 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74295 Space access provider SEOPS has announced its Waymaker program, the company’s dedicated rideshare missions to low Earth orbit (LEO) during the SmallSat Europe conference in Amsterdam. Waymaker is designed to provide customers with SEOPS-managed dedicated rideshare capacity to LEO through standardized capacity portions, defined interfaces, and a managed mission process.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/exolaunch-contracts-spacex-for-two-falcon-9-launches-expanding-constellation-and-smallsat-mission-capacity/ Wed, 27 May 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74228 Exolaunch has signed a contract with SpaceX for two Falcon 9 launches, expanding the company's launch capabilities and establishing a new class of launch access for global satellite operators.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/05/spacewatchgl-opinion-orbital-ai-compute-why-spacex-thinks-the-future-of-ai-infrastructure-may-leave-earth/ Mon, 25 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=74139
Written by Lucas Buthion
SpaceX’s IPO filing does not just outline a new business line. It reveals a long-term bet that AI growth will outpace Earth’s ability to power it. Orbital compute is framed not as science fiction, but as a potential next layer of infrastructure, built on the assumption that energy, not chips, becomes the limiting factor.]]>