Top Stories
Vega-C Set to Launch ESA’s FLEX and Sentinel-3C Tonight
Two European Earth observation satellites are being launched from Kourou, French Guiana. Sentinel-3C will deploy first, joining the existing Sentinel-3 satellites for monitoring Earth’s oceans, land, ice, and atmosphere. FLEX follows, designed to map plant fluorescence during photosynthesis. Liftoff is scheduled for 15 September at 03:21 CEST.
Sirius Space Completes First Full Hot-Fire of its STAR-1 Methalox Engine
French startup Sirius Space Services successfully conducted a complete hot-fire test of its STAR-1 engine, which burns liquid oxygen and methane. The engine is designed for 55 kN thrust and aims to power a family of launch vehicles.
SpaceX Completes SES O3b mPower Constellation on 700th Falcon Mission
A Falcon 9 rocket launched the final three O3b mPower satellites, completing a 13-satellite broadband constellation. This flight marks the 700th mission for the Falcon family of rockets, aimed at serving enterprise customers, not consumers.
Sophia Space and SLI Outline $300M Satellite Leasing Framework
Sophia Space and SLI have signed a letter of support for a $300M framework to finance 10 TILE edge computing spacecraft. The deal mimics leasing structures in aviation, allowing clients to convert capital purchases into operational expenses.
JWST Finds Chariklo’s Rings Are Changing Over Time
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that the rings around Chariklo are evolving. This small centaur body is the smallest known object with a ring system, and JWST has provided insights into changes in its ring structure.
Satellite of the Day
COSMOS 1929 – Launched in 1988, this 60 kg Soviet military communications satellite has remained operational for over 38 years.
Read the full feature on COSMOS 1929.
By the Numbers
- Active satellites tracked: 15,987
- Cataloged debris objects: 14,950
- Orbital launches this year: 216 (209 successful)
- Next launch: Vega-C | Sentinel-3C & FLEX in approximately 16 hours (Sep 15, 01:21 UTC)
Catalog Watch
0 new objects cataloged as of 2026-09-13.
Reentry Watch
- STARLINK-1888 – Predicted decay on Sept 15, 15:15 UTC.
- CZ-2C R/B – Predicted decay on Sept 15, 18:52 UTC.
- Other STARLINK satellites also predicted to decay shortly.
Upcoming Space Launches
Schedule Changes
- Newly added: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H3-24 | HTV-X2, scheduled for Dec 31, 00:00 UTC.
- Status change: Falcon 9 Block 5 | O3b mPower 11-13 is now “Launch Successful”.
Next 48 Hours
- Avio S.p.A Vega-C – Launching Sentinel-3C & FLEX on Sep 15, 01:21 UTC. Watch Live.
- LandSpace Zhuque-2E Block 2 – Launching unknown payload on Sep 15, 06:25 UTC.
- SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 – Launching USSF-259 on Sep 16, 01:00 UTC. Watch Live.
See the live schedule for more details.
