Earth orbit

SpaceX has launched its enormous Starship into orbit for the first time, successfully delivering the newest and most advanced Starlink satellites yet. However, flight controllers brought the spacecraft back to Earth early on Monday rather than completing six full laps around the planet as planned. The milestone flight is being closely watched as a major step for the rocket programme.

SpaceX is preparing to send its Starship rocket into Earth orbit for the first time, a milestone test for the vehicle the company plans to use for missions to the Moon and Mars. The attempt, widely reported by international outlets including France 24, is being closely watched by space observers as Starship is the most powerful rocket ever developed, and a successful orbital flight would mark a major step forward for private spaceflight.

SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful spacecraft ever built, is preparing for a launch that would attempt to reach Earth orbit for the first time. A successful flight would mark a major milestone for the rocket program, which is central to SpaceX's ambitions for deep space travel and NASA's plans to return astronauts to the Moon.

SpaceX has launched its giant Starship rocket on its first mission intended to reach orbit around Earth. The test flight from Starbase in Texas marks a major milestone for the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, which Elon Musk's company hopes will eventually carry crews to the Moon and Mars.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is preparing its Starship spacecraft for its first orbit around Earth, according to a report from NewsNation. The fully reusable rocket system, designed for missions to the Moon and Mars, has undergone earlier test flights, and reaching orbit would mark a major milestone in its development programme.

SpaceX's Starship, described as the world's most powerful spacecraft, launched in a first attempt to orbit Earth. Viewers followed the flight live as the giant rocket lifted off from Texas, with coverage focusing on whether the vehicle could complete its inaugural orbital test flight.

SpaceX is preparing to launch its Starship rocket on its first planned flight into Earth orbit, a milestone test for the vehicle designed for missions to the Moon and Mars. The uncrewed flight would be the first time Starship flies as a full stack, with the Super Heavy booster and upper stage together. Success would mark a major step for Elon Musk's company and for NASA's lunar plans, which rely on a Starship variant.

SpaceX is preparing to send its Starship spacecraft into orbit around Earth for the first time, with the launch available to watch live. The mission marks a major milestone for the company's next-generation heavy-lift rocket, which is central to its plans for deep-space travel. Coverage and live viewing are drawing widespread attention from space enthusiasts and media worldwide.

SpaceX has launched its Starship rocket on a roughly 10-hour test flight, with the spacecraft set to circle the Earth six times before the mission concludes. The long-duration flight is intended to test the vehicle's endurance and reentry capabilities as SpaceX develops the system for future deep-space missions. Coverage is focused on how the extended flight plan marks a step up from earlier, shorter Starship tests.

Researchers report a new type of satellite propulsion that scoops the thin air in low Earth orbit and uses it as propellant, potentially letting satellites keep their altitude indefinitely without carrying finite fuel. The concept could cut the cost of missions that constantly fight atmospheric drag and extend the working life of Earth-observation spacecraft. Discussion is focused on how the engine works and how practical it would be in practice.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday urging the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency failed to consider the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy, reopening debate over regulating commercial uses of orbit and reflecting growing scrutiny of space-based ventures.

An American spy satellite dating from the Cold War era has broken apart or exploded in orbit above Earth, and the cause remains unknown. The incident raises questions about growing amounts of space debris and the reliability of aging military hardware still circling the planet decades after launch. Experts are watching for possible collision risks to other satellites.

Northrop Grumman has delivered 21 data-relay satellites for a US military constellation, according to SpaceNews. The spacecraft are designed to relay data between military platforms, supporting communications and missile-tracking efforts in orbit. The delivery marks a significant production milestone in the Pentagon's push to build proliferated low-Earth-orbit satellite networks for resilient battlefield connectivity.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered in December 2024, has drawn attention from NASA and space watchers worldwide after early calculations suggested a small but nonzero chance it could hit Earth in December 2032. The roughly 40-metre-wide rock briefly topped impact-risk monitoring lists, and astronomers have been refining its orbit as it moves away from view.

An astronomer is monitoring the gradual orbital decay of Starlink satellites, using how quickly they sink toward Earth as a kind of 'planetary barometer' for upper-atmosphere density. The approach could turn thousands of decommissioning satellites into a large-scale measuring instrument for space weather and atmospheric conditions, a novel reuse of the Starlink constellation that has caught the attention of the science community.

NASA says work aboard the International Space Station opened the week with advanced health research, while the orbital outpost waits for the arrival of the upcoming Crew-13 mission. Experiments underway are focused on how the human body responds to extended time in space, findings that could benefit astronauts on longer missions and improve healthcare on Earth.

Europe and the United Arab Emirates are planning a $1 billion data center in orbit, built around 50 connected satellite computers. A central 'LLM store' would let users choose which open source AI model to run on data gathered by satellite sensors, processing information in space rather than beaming it all back to Earth. The project highlights growing interest in orbital computing for space-based data processing.

DARPA is developing a robotic spacecraft designed to service and repair satellites in geosynchronous orbit, some 35,000 kilometers above Earth. The effort, covered by IEEE Spectrum, would allow maintenance of aging communications and military satellites that are otherwise unreachable after launch. It marks a step toward routine robotic servicing in the most valuable and crowded orbital region.

Google has announced Project Suncatcher, an initiative to test its AI chips in space for the first time. The plan points to putting data-processing hardware aboard satellites, a step that could eventually move parts of AI computing off Earth. The announcement is drawing attention across the tech and semiconductor world, with observers weighing the engineering challenges of running chips in orbit and what it could mean for the future of data centers.

Google is preparing to test its AI chips in space, according to a report carried by The Brussels Times. The move suggests the company is exploring how its custom AI hardware performs outside Earth, though details on the mission, timeline and partners have not been disclosed. Observers of the semiconductor and space industries are watching for what this could mean for satellite computing and data processing in orbit.

Google is reportedly preparing to launch AI chips into orbit, an effort that would place its semiconductor hardware on satellites in space. Details beyond the announcement remain sparse, but the idea points to computing infrastructure moving off Earth, potentially for data processing and connectivity in orbit. Observers are watching to see how the company plans to deploy and operate chips in the harsh space environment.

Indian startup TakeMe2Space plans to launch a satellite equipped with orbital edge-computing capabilities aboard an upcoming SpaceX mission. The company aims to process data in space rather than sending it back to Earth, a move that could reduce costs and delays for satellite data users. The announcement highlights the growing role of Indian space startups in commercial spaceflight.

SpaceNews reports that SpaceComputer's first mission will travel from low-Earth orbit to geostationary orbit. The plan marks an ambitious trajectory for the company's debut mission, since most spacecraft launch directly into their operating orbit or start in geostationary transfer orbit. Few details beyond the orbital plan have been released so far, and reactions from the space industry remain limited.