By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: Orbital files plans for a massive data center constellation, Firefly and SSC Space move closer to Sweden's first orbital launch, bigger might be better for science missions but not for rockets and more.
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Top Stories
Another company has filed plans for a massive constellation of orbital data center satellites. Orbital asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to deploy as many as 100,000 data center satellites, aiming to bring 10 gigawatts of computing power from space to meet rising artificial intelligence demand. The filing comes just weeks after the company emerged from stealth with $5 million in pre-seed funding ahead of a demonstration mission next year. Orbital is seeking to deploy 100-kilowatt-class satellites in low Earth orbit at altitudes of 500 to 850 kilometers, with solar arrays and radiators spanning around 100 meters and a dry mass of 1.5-2.5 metric tons. Orbital joins fellow startups Cowboy Space and Starcloud, along with Blue Origin and SpaceX, seeking permission for giant orbital data center constellations. [SpaceNews]
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said acquiring Iridium was the "logical next step" for his company. Rocket Lab announced Monday it would acquire Iridium, which operates a satellite constellation for voice and data services, for $8 billion. Beck said in an interview that an acquisition was the fastest way for Rocket Lab to get into the satellite services sector, taking advantage of Iridium's existing system and its spectrum. Beck said that the vertical integration achieved by having satellite production, launch and services in a single company would enable new applications beyond Iridium's core capabilities, but did not elaborate on what those future applications would include. He said Rocket Lab would continue to be a "trusted merchant supplier" and sell satellites and launches to others in addition to using those capabilities for its own constellation. [SpaceNews]
ESA is considering developing a lunar mapping capability to assist its lunar lander program. Argonaut is a cargo lander designed to support NASA's Artemis program while providing Europe with independent access to the lunar surface. Those lander missions will need precise lunar topographic data to enable safe landings, something ESA does not have the ability to provide today. ESA officials said they plan to acquire that data from other countries, such as the United States, India or China, but added that lunar mapping is a key objective for future smaller lunar missions by the agency. [SpaceNews]
When it comes to launch vehicles, bigger may not always be better. A study by The Aerospace Corporation released Monday said that while the cost per kilogram for launch tends to drop as vehicles become larger, there may be a point where that cost rises as vehicles require additional work or because of higher operational expenses. It cited as an example the Airbus A380 jetliner, which airlines found uneconomical compared to smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft. The study did not attempt to determine if "super heavy lift" vehicles in development, like SpaceX Starship and an upgraded version of Blue Origin's New Glenn, had passed that threshold. [SpaceNews]
The former CEO of The Aerospace Corporation is now an adviser to commercial Space station developer Vast. The company announced Tuesday that Steve Isakowitz, who retired from Aerospace last year, has joined its team of advisers, leveraging his experience in industry and government. The move comes as Vast and other companies await a draft request for proposals from NASA on the next phase of its Commercial LEO Development program to support the development of commercial successors to the ISS. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
SSC Space and Firefly Aerospace plan to conduct the first orbital launch from Sweden in 2028. The companies announced Tuesday they had completed a set of milestones toward a launch of Firefly's Alpha rocket from the Esrange spaceport in northern Sweden. Those milestones include progress constructing Esrange's Launch Complex 3C, a new bilateral agreement streamlining U.S.-Swedish launch licensing and a $21.5 million contract with Sweden's defense procurement agency. The contract will support pre-launch capability-building ahead of potential future launches of Swedish military satellites there. [SpaceNews]
Weather postponed the launch of a mission to raise the orbit of a NASA spacecraft. NASA said Northrop Grumman called off this morning's scheduled launch of a Pegasus XL rocket flying out of Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific because of unfavorable weather conditions. The launch is now planned for no earlier than Wednesday at 5:43 a.m. Eastern. The Pegasus is carrying Link, a spacecraft developed by Katalyst Space that is designed to attach to NASA's Swift gamma-ray observatory and raise its orbit before Swift reenters. [NASA]
Japan's air force is changing its name to reflect its growing role in space. Japan's parliament approved a bill last week that will rename the Air Self-Defense Force as the Air and Space Self-Defense Force. The change, which will take effect by the end of the current fiscal year next March, is intended to make clear the importance of space to the country's defense. [Jiji Press]
China is abandoning upper stages in low Earth orbit at rates that worry space sustainability experts. Data from LeoLabs, which uses a network of radars to track objects in low Earth orbit, found that China left 51 upper stages in LEO from January 2021 through January 2025, more than double the number from the previous five years. China accounted for 86% of the upper stages left in LEO during that time. Abandoned upper stages concern experts because their large size and mass mean they can break up in collisions, creating far larger numbers of smaller debris. Many of the stages are in higher orbits where debris will remain for decades to centuries. [Breaking Defense]
Smaller science missions may not be as cost-effective as larger ones. A study presented at a conference last week found that smaller NASA missions, with costs less than $100 million, produced far fewer highly cited science papers than larger missions. That reflects, the study argued, the need for complex, expensive spacecraft to produce some space science discoveries, as well as the higher failure rate of smaller missions that result in no science. The research suggested a "sweet spot" for missions with costs of $250 million to $750 million, providing science return without the long development times associated with larger missions. [Science]
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Space Hustlers
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"Iridium are the ultimate, original space hustlers. Like, they did the craziest stuff. There's books written about them and how innovative they were."
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– Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck discussing his company's acquisition of Iridium in an interview on Monday.
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