August 25, 2025

Northrop Grumman Wins Space Force Satellite Contract (Source: Defence Connect)
Northrop Grumman has secured a contract from the US Space Force to design the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global system for secure and resilient military communications. The contract will begin with initial design work and is expected to expand to satellite production. The system will use the GEOStar-3 platform and operate in the X and Ka bands. (8/25)

Dragon Docks at ISS With Reboost Kit (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on a mission that will include reboosting the station’s orbit. The CRS-33 Dragon launched Sunday on a Falcon 9 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, docking with the ISS Monday morning. The spacecraft is carrying 2,300 kilograms of supplies and experiments for the station. It also has a “reboost kit” installed in the trunk section consisting of Draco thrusters and propellant that will be used to maintain the station’s orbit instead of the station’s own thrusters or Progress spacecraft. The use of the reboost kit is for now a one-time event, although NASA did not rule out using it on future Dragon missions if needed. (8/25)

Astranis Sees Increased Interest in Small GEO Satellites (Source: Space News)
Astranis has found that small GEO satellites can be a big business. In a recent interview, Astranis CEO John Gedmark said the company is seeing interest in its satellites from enterprise customers, ranging from companies to governments, who want dedicated private networks rather than leasing capacity on larger GEO satellites. The company launched four small GEO satellites in December, two of which have now entered service, and has the capacity to produce up to 24 satellites annually. (8/25)

India Conducts Gaganyaan Drop Tests (Source: Indian Express)
India’s space agency ISRO performed the first drop test of its Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft Sunday. In the test, the crew capsule was carried aloft under a helicopter and dropped from an altitude of three kilometers. The capsule deployed its parachutes as planned and splashed down in the ocean off the coast from the Sriharikota spaceport. The test was a key milestone before the first uncrewed launch of Gaganyaan late this year. (8/25)

Russia Launches Military Satellite on Angara Rocket (Source: Russian Space Web)
Russia launched a classified military payload on an Angara rocket last week. The Angara 1.2 rocket lifted off at 5:32 a.m. Eastern Thursday on what the Russian military said was a successful launch of defense payloads. Four satellites, thought to be optical reconnaissance spacecraft, were tracked from the launch, three in low circular orbits and a fourth in a more elliptical orbit. (8/25)

Indian Launch of AST SpaceMobile Satellite Likely Slips to 2026 (Source: WION)
The launch of an AST SpaceMobile satellite from India might not occur until next year. The BlueBird Block 2 satellite is now scheduled to launch on an Indian GSLV rocket in the first quarter of 2026, the head of the Indian space agency ISRO said Saturday. He did not give a reason for the delay. The launch was originally planned for early this year but slipped several times. The Block 2 satellites are much larger than AST SpaceMobile’s existing satellites, and the company plans to deploy several dozen of them into low Earth orbit for direct-to-device services. (8/25)

Urban Sky Wins STRATFI Contract for Stratospheric Ballooning (Source: Space News)
Stratospheric ballooning company Urban Sky won a STRATFI contract from the U.S. Air Force. The company said Friday it received a Strategic Funds Increase, or STRATFI, contract from the Air Force Research Lab and AFWERX, which includes $15 million in R&D funding and $15 million in orders from government customers. Urban Sky is matching that money with $30 million from its Series B round raised in February. It said the funds will be used to mature balloon technologies that can be used for imaging and communications applications in place of, or complementing, satellite services. (8/25)