ORBIT

SpaceX is flying its Starship rocket on a 14th test flight, heading toward orbit, with live coverage provided by Spaceflight Now. The launch is part of SpaceX's ongoing campaign to develop the massive rocket for future deep space missions. Viewers around the world are following the launch live and discussing the progress of the Starship program.

The US Air Force secretary has publicly acknowledged that the United States has weapons in space, a rare and direct admission about American military capabilities in orbit. The statement is drawing attention because the US has historically kept such programs classified, and it could sharpen debate over arms competition and norms in space.

The Space Development Agency's fourth Tranche 1 mission has taken place, with SpaceX serving as launch provider. The mission adds to the SDA's proliferated low-Earth-orbit constellation of military satellites designed for communications and missile tracking. Tranche 1 deployments are a key step in the US effort to build a resilient network of hundreds of small satellites in orbit.

DARPA is developing a robotic spacecraft designed to service and repair satellites in geosynchronous orbit, some 36,000 kilometres above Earth. The program, detailed by IEEE Spectrum, would allow malfunctioning or aging satellites to be fixed or refueled in place rather than decommissioned. Interest centers on how the robot would operate at such distances and what it means for the future of satellite maintenance and space security.

An astronomer has found a new use for Starlink satellites: tracking how the spacecraft's orbits gradually decay as they sink through the upper atmosphere. By measuring that orbital drag, the researcher aims to turn the satellite constellation into a 'planetary barometer' that reveals density changes in the atmosphere. The idea highlights both the scientific potential and growing concerns around SpaceX's massive satellite fleet.

SpaceX is carrying out its Transporter-18 mission, the latest in its series of dedicated smallsat rideshare launches that carry dozens of satellites into orbit on a single Falcon 9 rocket. The Transporter flights have become a routine but significant part of the commercial space industry, giving smaller operators affordable access to space. Interest focuses on the mission's payload count and the booster's recovery.

The Space Review has published an examination of three top secret US satellites known as URSALA, RAQUEL and FARRAH, believed to have been launched in 2025. Little is publicly known about their missions, and the article is drawing attention among space enthusiasts for piecing together details of the classified programme from orbital and public records.

A full-length documentary on the weaponization of space is drawing attention for its look at how major powers are competing to develop military capabilities beyond Earth. The film covers satellite warfare, anti-satellite weapons, and the strategic importance of orbital dominance, framing space as the next frontline of global military rivalry among the US, China, and Russia.

MovieWeb has published a rundown of seven hard science fiction space films praised for depicting physics accurately. The piece highlights movies that stick to realistic orbital mechanics, gravity and space travel rather than Hollywood spectacle. The full list of the seven titles is not detailed in the available material, so which films made the cut remains unspecified.

Google is developing Project Suncatcher, a plan to deploy AI chips in space, an idea being presented as a potential turning point for the future of computing. The proposal, discussed widely in tech-focused communities, envisions satellites equipped with AI processors to expand computing capacity beyond Earth. Observers are debating the feasibility, costs and implications of running AI hardware in orbit.

Protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have filed a lawsuit against Benny Johnson, the conservative political commentator and vocal supporter of President Trump. The suit, reported by The New Republic, stems from his coverage of anti-ICE demonstrations. Details of the claims and damages sought have not been fully disclosed, but the case adds to mounting legal battles involving figures in Trump's media orbit.

SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, launched successfully and reached orbit before breaking apart and exploding over the ocean. The flight marked another step in the vehicle's iterative testing programme, with SpaceX treating such losses as a source of data. Interest is high given the rocket's scale and its role in future Moon and Mars missions.

STS-51-F, a Space Shuttle mission flown by Challenger in July 1985, suffered the loss of a main engine five minutes after launch and became the only mission to execute an Abort to Orbit, reaching a lower-than-planned orbit but completing its science objectives. The 1985 mission is drawing fresh attention online, with readers revisiting how the crew and NASA handled the in-flight emergency.

The Vaduz Space Dialogue 2026 conference is focusing on radio spectrum as a strategic asset in space policy and the argument for a federated European approach to space governance. Discussions centre on how spectrum allocation shapes satellite operations and competitive positioning, and whether Europe needs closer coordination among states to match larger space powers.

SpaceX is conducting a launch carrying 21 data transport satellites built for the US Space Development Agency, part of a planned constellation designed to relay data among military spacecraft in orbit. Spaceflight Now is providing live coverage of the mission. The launch adds to SpaceX's growing manifest of national security space missions for the Pentagon.

New US federal record-keeping and age-verification requirements for online adult content are now in force, and much of the industry is not complying. Reviews of popular adult websites show many fail to publish required 18 USC 2257 compliance notices and detailed age-verification methods, while the Free Speech Coalition's lawsuit against FOSTA/SESTA heads toward the Supreme Court, keeping legal scrutiny on adult platforms intense.

Italian news agency ANSA reports the discovery of a 'rebellious' planet that orbits in the opposite direction to its star's rotation. Such retrograde orbits are rare and usually point to gravitational disturbances, such as interactions with other planets or a passing star, that flipped the planet's path. The find is drawing attention among astronomy enthusiasts in Italy.

Simon Cowell will miss Britain's Got Talent auditions and is to be replaced by a familiar face from the show's orbit, The Independent reports. The long-running talent contest is taping its audition rounds, and producers have brought in a stand-in judge to sit alongside the regular panel while Cowell is away. Fans are speculating about why he is stepping back and how the replacement will fare.

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense and the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) have agreed to use domestically developed launch vehicles to put military satellites into orbit. The move ties defense space assets to the national launch program, reducing reliance on foreign providers and supporting the country's goal of an independent space capability. Defense and space policy observers are watching how the plan will be implemented.

New research reported by AAS Nova suggests the Solar System's expected lifetime is roughly a billion times shorter than previously estimated, pointing to far greater long-term instability in planetary orbits. The finding revises how long the current planetary arrangement can persist before gravitational interactions between planets destabilise it, prompting discussion among astronomers and science readers about what this means for Earth's distant future.

A new study concludes the solar system is inherently unstable and will eventually be completely destroyed, with planetary orbits chaotic over long timescales. The finding is drawing wide attention online, with readers discussing how delicate the apparent stability of the planets is and what the research says about the system's long-term fate.

A newly discussed exoplanet sits within its star's habitable zone, but scientists caution it lies near the so-called cosmic shoreline. This means its host star may have stripped away the planet's atmosphere through intense radiation, leaving it unable to hold liquid water despite orbiting at a seemingly habitable distance. The case highlights how the habitable zone alone is not enough to judge a planet's prospects for life, and atmospheric loss must also be considered.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission is preparing to leave the International Space Station as the station's crew grows in number ahead of the departure. The transition marks another routine crew rotation under NASA's commercial spaceflight program, with attention on the timing of the return and the handover between arriving and departing astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory.

A new item from Hackaday under its science, space and astronomy tags plays on the famous Star Wars line to highlight a story about an exoplanet — a planet orbiting a star outside our solar system. No further details are given beyond the headline, so what exactly was discovered or observed remains unstated. Space enthusiasts are sharing the piece, keeping exoplanet research in the conversation.