What happens between the atmosphere and deep space — satellite constellations, orbital debris and conjunctions, remote sensing, spectrum and licensing, and the policy that lags all of it. https://deepfield.news/feeds/orbit.xml 2026-08-12T20:12:38Z Deep Field Aggregated from the publishers named in each entry. Rights remain with them. https://deepfield.news/icon-180.png tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/bd83e694fb8c82ad 2026-08-12T20:12:38Z 2026-08-12T20:12:38Z Astronomy Magazine

AI’s appetite for power and water is growing as fast as its role in daily life. In 2024, artificial intelligence data centers accounted for roughly 4% of the U.S.’s electricity consumption. This figure is expected to more than double by 2030. To meet those increasing demands…

Headline and summary from Astronomy Magazine; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/e4682829e94706d1 2026-08-12T19:33:41Z 2026-08-12T19:33:41Z NASASpaceflight

China’s Wenchang Space Launch Site reached its milestone 50th launch at the end of July,… The post Amid failure, Wenchang celebrates milestone as China launches AI satellites and prepares for lunar south pole mission appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

Headline and summary from NASASpaceflight; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/e82f7011a57ffe7e 2026-08-12T19:00:08Z 2026-08-12T19:00:08Z Phys.org

To date, close to 30,000 satellites have been launched into Earth's orbit, leading to mounting concerns over the debris created when they collide. In a new analysis posted to the preprint server arXiv, Hugh Lewis of the University of Birmingham shows that satellite…

Headline and summary from Phys.org; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/9d5d2351083617db 2026-08-12T14:13:13Z 2026-08-12T14:13:13Z NASA

CSDA’s assessment reports help inform the user community about the quality of commercial Digital Elevation Models (DEMs).

Headline and summary from NASA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/85adddd704950b39 2026-08-12T13:38:05Z 2026-08-12T13:38:05Z ScienceDaily

Researchers have found a clever new way to map a part of Earth’s upper atmosphere that is notoriously difficult to observe. Using orbital data from roughly 1,200 Starlink satellites, they reconstructed changes in atmospheric density about 500 kilometers above Earth. The approach…

Headline and summary from ScienceDaily; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-12:story/dbfe71ed7080976f 2026-08-12T11:48:03Z 2026-08-12T11:48:03Z Space.com

SpaceX launched 24 more of its Starlink global internet satellite constellation to orbit from California on Aug. 11, wrapping the second Starlink launch of the day.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/e8947702c9a38118 2026-08-11T20:05:15Z 2026-08-11T20:05:15Z Spaceflight Now

The Starlink 17-49 mission was the 73rd mission flying SpaceX’s broadband internet satellites to orbit. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 9:46 p.m. PDT (12:46 a.m. EDT / 0446 UTC).

Headline and summary from Spaceflight Now; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/76b667599931792c 2026-08-11T17:30:00Z 2026-08-11T17:30:00Z Payload

A bipartisan pair of senators introduced a bill last week aiming to ensure the US military is prepared for conflict with Beijing in orbit.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/c495d915a799e17d 2026-08-11T16:21:54Z 2026-08-11T16:21:54Z Space.com

SpaceX launched 29 more of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast today (Aug. 11).

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/dd1bc8452098fdb2 2026-08-11T15:03:45Z 2026-08-11T15:03:45Z Universe Today

Tracking the debris orbiting at high velocity in space is only going to get harder over time. We have ground-based radar systems, such as the Space Fence, designed to detect pieces down to around 10 cm. But finding objects smaller than that, which can still cause a lot of damage…

Headline and summary from Universe Today; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/9d51b0d58c246d78 2026-08-11T13:00:05Z 2026-08-11T13:00:05Z Phys.org

Most current space activities operate close to Earth in what is called near–Earth orbit. However, as more satellites and other infrastructure begin to extend beyond that region, maintaining situational awareness of those objects will be crucial.

Headline and summary from Phys.org; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/7090a1f5efbbb1c6 2026-08-11T13:00:00Z 2026-08-11T13:00:00Z SpaceNews

A retired Space Force general who served as deputy commander of U.S. Space Command is joining the board of lunar rover developer Lunar Outpost.

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/14e603c4f6128790 2026-08-11T13:00:00Z 2026-08-11T13:00:00Z Space.com

Operating a million or more data centers in space would mean a massive increase in air pollution from rocket launches and concentrations of toxic ash from reentering satellites.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/8fba4c0a8af52118 2026-08-11T12:35:00Z 2026-08-11T12:35:00Z Payload

Astrolight will fly a laser comms terminal onboard ATMOS’ PHOENIX 2 reentry vehicle during a 2027 demo mission.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/c200886a75616d9a 2026-08-11T12:30:00Z 2026-08-11T12:30:00Z SpaceNews

SAN FRANCISCO — BlackSky announced Aug. 11 a seven-figure, multiyear contract to provide an international customer with persistent space-based monitoring and assured and on-demand satellite tasking. Prior to the award,

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-11:story/190da850f4a43f3b 2026-08-11T09:52:19Z 2026-08-11T09:52:19Z SpaceNews

A Japanese H3 rocket successfully launched a navigation satellite Aug. 10, more than seven months after a similar launch ended in failure.

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/2844f054acccc606 2026-08-10T13:40:12Z 2026-08-10T13:40:12Z Spaceflight Now

The Starlink 10-19 mission was set to be SpaceX’s 72nd flight of its broadband internet satellites this year. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 11:58 a.m. EDT (1558 UTC) on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Headline and summary from Spaceflight Now; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/943cdfb4e248239e 2026-08-10T13:00:00Z 2026-08-10T13:00:00Z ESA Earth Observation

Earth observation satellites help us monitor phenomena such as wildfires, drought and heatwaves from space. This page is updated on a regular basis with a selection of ESA’s most recent news-related images showing how the effects of climate change are impacting our world.

Headline and summary from ESA Earth Observation; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/320c3c6fdb9c2464 2026-08-10T13:00:00Z 2026-08-10T13:00:00Z SpaceNews

A decade ago, a United States carrier strike group departing San Diego could cross the Pacific with only intermittent detection. China might catch a glimpse — a satellite pass here,

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/149d7abb2b587694 2026-08-10T12:49:20Z 2026-08-10T12:49:20Z NASASpaceflight

The week of Aug. 10 opened with an extraordinary Monday, four launches across three countries… The post Launch Preview: Chinese failure opens busy international launch salvo appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

Headline and summary from NASASpaceflight; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/e397c8f5c8e61e69 2026-08-10T12:40:00Z 2026-08-10T12:40:00Z Payload

After seven months of negotiations, officials from the European Commission, ESA, EUSPA, and SpaceRISE have agreed to move into the implementation phase of IRIS2.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/05695791b77c6a8a 2026-08-10T12:00:00Z 2026-08-10T12:00:00Z SpaceNews

WARSAW, Poland — The Lithuanian space laser communications company Astrolight has signed a memorandum of understanding with ATMOS Space Cargo, to demonstrate in-flight optical communications link between a reentry spacecraft

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/c28be7aec61f8777 2026-08-10T11:05:00Z 2026-08-10T11:05:00Z ESA

On 3 July 2026, an invisible signal travelled across Europe. From Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, to Rome, Italy, the signal connected the Galileo Ground Control Centre to a Galileo Second Generation satellite for the first time, marking a major step forward in the programme’s…

Headline and summary from ESA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/f972d56e14aac3db 2026-08-10T07:51:00Z 2026-08-10T07:51:00Z Universe Today

Ancient Maltese seafarers had both a complex cosmology and likely at least rudimentary skills in celestial navigation. It's thought that they used stars in the southern constellation of Crux to make their way around the south-central Mediterranean.

Headline and summary from Universe Today; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/c302a309862be954 2026-08-10T04:01:00Z 2026-08-10T04:01:00Z NASA

Satellite measurements of chlorophyll at the sea surface signal shifts in the ocean’s nutrient supplies in mid-2026.

Headline and summary from NASA; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-10:story/561b642e38cdfab0 2026-08-10T00:55:19Z 2026-08-10T00:55:19Z SpaceNews

The company that developed a spacecraft to boost the orbit of a NASA observatory says it is making progress in recovering from its own spacecraft’s problems.

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-09:story/52b53269780b0ba2 2026-08-09T19:41:43Z 2026-08-09T19:41:43Z SpacePolicyOnline.com

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the two weeks August 9-22, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess

Headline and summary from SpacePolicyOnline.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-09:story/3c452327de2d94bf 2026-08-09T14:00:00Z 2026-08-09T14:00:00Z Space.com

Air-breathing electric propulsion could help satellites explore a new frontier, one that lies quite close to our planet.

Headline and summary from Space.com; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-08:story/f9b76d71771f1a32 2026-08-08T14:08:54Z 2026-08-08T14:08:54Z Spaceflight Now

Liftoff of the Starlink 17-38 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California happened at 9:35 a.m. PDT (12:35 p.m. EDT / 1635 UTC).

Headline and summary from Spaceflight Now; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-08:story/cae0f489a3259799 2026-08-08T06:00:24Z 2026-08-08T06:00:24Z European Spaceflight

The European Commission, ESA and the SpaceRISE consortium have completed a key review of Europe’s IRIS2 secure communications constellation, clearing the programme to move forward with full-scale implementation. The completion of the review was announced on 7 August following…

Headline and summary from European Spaceflight; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-07:story/19e2321c84cc6099 2026-08-07T21:03:50Z 2026-08-07T21:03:50Z SpaceNews

Erich Hernandez-Baquero will take over military space acquisition; Roger Mason will lead the National Reconnaissance Office

Headline and summary from SpaceNews; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-07:story/fc7119ecd560024a 2026-08-07T11:56:43Z 2026-08-07T11:56:43Z Payload

When we lose our visibility, we lose our edge. The military needs more, higher-quality weather data, not less.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-07:story/3256b9cbd30f0df1 2026-08-07T11:40:00Z 2026-08-07T11:40:00Z ESA Earth Observation

Image: These Copernicus Sentinel-2 images over the Danube north of Budapest show how the river’s level has fallen to a record low in Hungary due to a severe drought in central Europe.

Headline and summary from ESA Earth Observation; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-07:story/8814985ba24c0f29 2026-08-07T06:06:00Z 2026-08-07T06:06:00Z Payload

Europe’s capital drought may be coming to an end.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-06:story/ae9381ecd7e7d52d 2026-08-06T12:31:19Z 2026-08-06T12:31:19Z Payload

Endeavor Optical Networks emerged from stealth to build a constellation of optical communications satellites.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-06:story/be0984bada37617e 2026-08-06T11:32:10Z 2026-08-06T11:32:10Z Payload

Rocket Lab’s ($RKLB) strategy to own every aspect of the space value chain—from satellite manufacturing to launch—seems to be paying off.

Headline and summary from Payload; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-06:story/a45daacce7968b6b 2026-08-06T10:16:00Z 2026-08-06T10:16:00Z ESA Earth Observation

Since the second Meteosat Third Generation Imager satellite (MTG-I2) began its launch campaign last month, it has undergone rigorous pre-launch inspections that ensure the electronic and mechanical systems are working correctly. How does a team of experts, including scientists…

Headline and summary from ESA Earth Observation; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-05:story/10902960e18be3a6 2026-08-05T09:30:00Z 2026-08-05T09:30:00Z ESA Earth Observation

Europe’s forests are losing more biomass than previously thought, with disturbances such as drought and pests causing increasingly large losses from some of the oldest forests in Europe. This situation has deteriorated markedly since 2018.

Headline and summary from ESA Earth Observation; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-05:story/40549d5434e1027f 2026-08-05T06:55:35Z 2026-08-05T06:55:35Z Spaceflight Now

The BlueBird 11-13 mission was the third time SpaceX flew satellites to orbit supporting AST SpaceMobile’s direct-to-device constellation. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 3:49 a.m. EDT (0749 UTC).

Headline and summary from Spaceflight Now; follow the link for the full article. tag:deepfield.news,2026-08-03:story/aea73ae0c6e99320 2026-08-03T21:24:28Z 2026-08-03T21:24:28Z NASASpaceflight

The first full week of August is shaping up to be another busy period for… The post Launch Preview: Starlink, AST SpaceMobile, and Chinese missions fill launch manifest appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

Headline and summary from NASASpaceflight; follow the link for the full article.